Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas Real Estate: November 2007

Real estate is a contact sport. It's about who you know, and who knows you. Facebook Groups provides an easy way to network with others across a wide range of interests.

To get started, just click 'Groups' in the left-hand column. From the Groups main page you can either Browse by Type (Business, Common Interest, Internet & Technology, Just for Fun, Organizations, etc) or Search for Groups based on keywords.

Once you've added a few friends and joined a few groups, your Groups page will look like mine to the right. The center column will show groups that your friends recently joined (and which friends joined), and the right-hand column will show recent activity in the groups that you belong to, such as new members and posts.

Here's a sampling of some of the groups available on Facebook:

Business: Real Estate
     Point2 NLS  -  626 members
     ActiveRainers  -  347 members
     Real Estate Bloggers  -  342 members
     Real Estate Marketing Pros  -  265 members

You can find local groups by searching for your city name, and if you don't see exactly what you're looking for there is always the option to create a new group. Start today to explore Facebook Groups, build your online network, and connect with consumers in your local market!

Read more:

Add Your Blogs to Facebook
What would you like to see on Facebook?
Is Facebook In Your Business Plan?

Real Estate and Social Networking
A quick social networking survey

With over 55 million members and the fastest growing demographic in the 25+ age range, Facebook offers the potential of a large pool of first-time, move-up and investment homebuyers. More and more, Gen X and Gen Y are beginning their search for real estate information online, and now you can provide it to them right from your Facebook profile.

Take a look at my Facebook profile to the right. The area highlighted in red has my five most recent posts from ActiveRain. Adding this content is easy:

• From the list of Applications, choose My Blogs
• Enter the address of your RSS feed in the text box and click 'Submit'
  
  (Your ActiveRain RSS feed address is in the sidebar of your blog, below the Archives.Just click the RSS 2.0 button.)

That's all there is to it, just two simple steps! Now every time you add to your ActiveRain blog, your Facebook profile will also reflect the new content. And if you have more than one blog, just enter the additional RSS feed addresses and Facebook will display those, too!

How much of an impact will this have on your business? It's too early to tell, but it will position your blog to be accessible to a whole new group of readers who can also share it with their friends. That's where you can really see the power of viral marketing kick in, which could lead to a phenomenal 2008! Take two simple steps today!

Read more:

What would you like to see in Facebook?
Is Facebook In Your Business Plan?

Real Estate and Social Networking
A quick social networking survey

I was working on my Facebook profile last night and ran into a minor glitch with one of the applications. After looking through the FAQ and help file and not finding the answer, I submitted a help request. To my surprise, the developer of the application responded within an hour and fixed the issue.

We exchanged a few emails about social networking and real estate and he said:

"I was curious if you had any thoughts on some type of Facebook application that would help real estate agents. I've been thinking of different things such as a way to post listings on profiles and allowing friends to spread it around."

I've already emailed my reponse, but thought this would be a great opportunity for other Facebook users to have some input into what kind of applications are built for the site.

As a real estate agent, what kind of functionality would you like to see on Facebook? What kind of tools and applications would help you connect with consumers in your market? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments, and I'll be sure that they get to the developer.

'Mariana Wagner has thrown a sheep at you.'

That was one of the notifications waiting for me a couple of weeks ago when I logged into Facebook. I quickly searched my memory to figure out what I had done to deserve this. Had I left an inappropriate comment on her blog? Did she think one of my recent posts was just rubbish? How exactly should I respond ... or retaliate?? :)

While many perceive Facebook as a 'MySpace for 20-somethings', the site has some very compelling statistics:

• Over 55 million users
• The fastest growing demographic in the 25+ age range
• #6 U.S. site in terms of traffic
• #1 photo sharing site on the web

Facebook recently added Business Pages to help businesses connect with consumers in the same way friends connect with each other. The Business Solutions section has details on using social ads, polls and more. Here is the business page for (RED)™

Long before she was hurling small woolly animals, Mariana wrote a fantastic featured post titled "The Secret Life of a "Generation X" Consumer ... My Story." Pay attention to the NAR statistics she mentions on home buyers, and think of the impact that Gen X and Gen Y will have on the housing markets over the next 10-15 years.

Now ... considering the statistics, having seen the Business Pages, and looking at the huge buying power of Gen X and Gen Y ... is Facebook in your business plan?

Added 11/25 from the comments:
     Join the Facebook Tips group on ActiveRain.

Over at 1000 Watt Consulting, Marc Davison and Brian Boero have mapped out the land of Web 2.0 as it applies to real estate.

The November 3rd map update is clickable and serves as a great guide to all of the sites that can contribute to your online real estate presence.

ActiveRain members will recognize quite a few of these sites, and may find a few new ones to extend your online exposure in 2008.

Also be sure to stop by the 1000 Watt Blog for their take on market saturation, the 2007 NAR conference and more.