The Zebra has landed
July 21, 2008 | 6 Comments
Today, I arrived in San Francisco for RE Barcamp and Inman Connect SF 2008. This is the first time I have ever been to San Francisco. The first thing that I discovered is that it is much colder than I expected, or dressed for. Oops.
I’ll be here all week. If you are going to be around for Connect SF ‘08, here are some tips to help make your experience a good one.
And here is a video I made while my flight was landing. Really, it was just a way for me to test out our new point & shoot digital camera: the Panasonic Lumix TZ5. It shoots HD video. I also took some still pics.
The video is 4 minutes, and it isn’t exactly riveting, but I think the commentary is pretty decent 
How will you spot a Zebra at RE Barcamp and Connect SF ‘08?
July 18, 2008 | 6 Comments
My head is gonna start spinning any minute now. . .
On EARLY Sunday morning, I hop a plane and head to San Francisco for RE Barcamp and Inman Real Estate Connect SF ‘08. I know that I am going to see a lot of friends, and meet a whole lot more people for the very first time. Wanna know how to spot me, take a look:
Monday will be spent at Inman HQ. I’ll be meeting in person all of the fine folks at Inman News that I have been working with over the past weeks. I’ll see if I can get some pics and video to give you guys an inside look at Inman.
I’ll be spending all day on Tuesday at RE Barcamp, and then heading to Beer With Bloggers, sponsored by Zillow.
On Wednesday, I’ll be at Bloggers Connect, learning and speaking on a fabulous panel. After that, it is off to the Inman booth to answer questions from folks, help people, and meet some more people on the exhibition floor. Wednesday evening, I hope that I will be able to make it to Truila’s party, among other gatherings.
Thursday is a full day of Connect SF ‘08, floating around between sessions and the Inman booth. I’m sure there is more to do on Thursday night, but I haven’t really gotten that far yet.
I do know that I will be leaving on Friday morning; probably one very happy, very exhausted zebra.
I can’t wait.
Of course, I’ll be Tweeting the whole thing– personally, and on my Inman alter-ego.
I will try to blog as much of it as I can, as well, but I’m not sure how much I will be able to get posted during the week. You can bet that I’ll have plenty once I return.
See you in San Francisco!
Be Movitated, but Be Thankful, too
June 25, 2008 | 2 Comments
I had a great time at my referee camp. I always come back with VERY tired legs and a head VERY full of new officiating info that I can use during the upcoming season. I told you before I left that I would give you a little glimpse of what it is like to go to officiating camp. I didn’t get to take as much video as I would have liked (at least 3 games per day will do that), but I did spend a few minutes one morning making this:
There has been quite a movement in officiating to hire not only good referees, but good people, too. One aspect of that is humility. Being a successful referee is one of the few things that I have ever done that simultaneously requires a huge ego and ultimate humility. It is a delicate balance that all refrees strive for. Some are able to do it. Some don’t.
For the ones whose ego gets a bit too large, it is important to remember that nothing is guaranteed. As quickly as the success came, it can be taken away. The most important game is always the next one, and be thankful that it is on your schedule.
Real estate is the same way. We are all independent contractors, running our own businesses. We are our own bosses. This does not, however, mean that we answer to no one. There are still responsibilities, to clients, to collegues, to family.
The one true path to success in this business requires that you remain motivated, but that you also remain thankful. Take nothing for granted, and remember that you are owed nothing.
It is a delicate balance, but one that I was reminded of this past weekend every time I put on the stripes.
Spread the Love Day– June 18th, 2008!
June 13, 2008 | 7 Comments
What is Spread the Love Day?
We could all use a little more love, couldn’t we? My idea for Spread the Love Day was inspired by Gary Vaynerchuk, Chris Brogan, and Benn Rosales (among others).
The concept is simple– I want you do something for someone else that you wish could be done for you. It could be anything, business related or not.
Wanna learn something? Then teach someone something first.
Wanna learn the secrets to success? Share your secrets with others first.
Want more comments on your blog? You better get out there and start commenting.
In short, I want you to spread the love. You can’t reasonably expect to get everything you want without being willing to share with others, can you? Of course not. Call this addition by subtraction, call it pay it forward, call it helping others to help yourself– whatever. Just make sure you SPREAD THE LOVE!
When Should I Spread the Love?
Well, you should be doing it every day, but since the longest journeys begin with just a single step, I’m suggest that you make a concentrated effort to Spread the Love on Wednesday, June 18th. That gives you some time to think about what you are going to do. Once you’ve done it, I want you to share your experience with others. For bloggers, you can write a blog post about it. For those of you who don’t blog, just tell a family member, friend, business associate, whoever. It doesn’t matter who it is, but make sure you share with them your Spread the Love experience. That way, you can hopefully inspire others to do something similar.
I’ll Go First to Get things Started
I wanted to give an example and spread some love first, so I did it in the video above. In the future, I want to launch a RealEstateZebra.com store, with various items that people could buy and wear, use, you know– schwag. Well, if I want people to do that for me, I am going to have to be willing to do the same for others.
In the video, I am wearing a sweatshirt given to me by fellow Virginia real estate blogger, Jeremy Hart. It is a very comfortable sweatshirt, and its got his logo on it. Very cool. I am also wearing a sticker given to me by the fine folks at RealSeekr.com. I like stickers, and they have a very cool website.
I wanted to spread the love to Jeremy and ReelSeekr. Hopefully, when the time comes, they’ll do the same for me. In the meantime, I want them to embrace the message and spread the love to whoever they can think of.
So, what are you waiting for? Come up with those ideas for how you will celebrate Spread the Love Day. I can’t wait to hear your stories, so remember to share them.
What is the Next Level For Your Blog?
June 7, 2008 | 6 Comments
On July 23rd, I’ll be participating in a panel discussion at Inman Bloggers Connect. The discussion is entitled, “Growing Pains: Taking Your Blog to the Next Level.” I am humbled to be on the panel with some really great people:
1:15 pm – 2:00 pm
Growing Pains: Take Your Blog to the Next Level
Going the distance and maintaining your blog.
Moderated by: Jeff Turner, President, RealEstateShows.com
Panelists:
Jim Cronin, Owner/Author, Real Estate Tomato
Dustin Luther, Founder, 4Realz.net Consulting
Nicole Nicolay, Co-Founder, Effektive Solutions, MyTechOpinion
Daniel Rothamel, Realtor, Strong Team REALTORS; Blogger, Real Estate Zebra
The Next Level?
The title got me to thinking, what exactly is the next level? I just wanted to share some of my initial thoughts with you here, and I’ll probably spend a bit more time addressing this topic as the event approaches.
The entire lineup for Bloggers Connect is fabulous, and I hope that I will see you there!
My Brother Riffs About Online Reputation Management
June 7, 2008 | 3 Comments
As much as it pains me to say it, my brother, Bryan, is a pretty cool guy.
He is currently a Senior at High Point University. When he’s not studying, he’s also a blogger. Right now, he is taking some summer classes, and preparing to spend next year as a Resident Assistant. I came across his latest post in my RSS reader, and wanted to share it with you all because I think he makes some very good points about online reputation management. Reputation management is a subject that all professionals involved in social media should pay attention to. The internet never forgets, and you should always think about what you are putting out there for the world to see. I could go on and on about it, but Bryan gives some very good real-life examples of what NOT to do, so you can just listen to him.
My brother is a pretty smart dude, especially for a 20-year old. He can see the importance of social media reputation management. If it is important to him, you can bet your reputation that it should be important to you.
So check out the advice from my brother (you can skip the first 30 seconds, unless you really want to know what is going on at High Point University):
If You Are a Blogger, You MUST Watch This Video
June 6, 2008 | 6 Comments
The following video is from Gary Vaynerchuk. If you like inspiration and blogging, check him out. If you like wine, even a little, then you should definitely check him out.
Every blogger (real estate or otherwise) should take this lesson to heart. The faster you can learn this and act on it, the more happiness and positive change you will bring into your life.
Twitter Is Like Cheers!
May 12, 2008 | 15 Comments
My wife, Kari, and I were on one of our usual long drives. We like our long drives. It gives us a chance to talk about stuff, and being that we are both REALTORS, you can imagine what some of our favorite subjects are. During the course of this conversation, we were discussing Twitter.
Those of you who know me know that I am a big Twitter fan. I was commenting to Kari that I have a hard time trying to explain Twitter to people. The folks at CommonCraft did a good job, but I can’t always show that video to everyone. There has to be some way to easily explain it.
That is when she said it.
She very simply turned to me and said, “Twitter is like Cheers.”
Twitter IS Like Cheers
You remember Cheers, don’t you? The place “where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.” The place “where people know people are all the same.” For everyone who watched the show, Cheers represented a place where you knew you could go and be accepted for who you are; the place were you could always find good times, great conversation, and make even better friends.
For those of you who know Twitter, this should sound pretty familiar.
So no matter whether you are Sam or Diane, Norm or Cliff, Woody or Carla, it really doesn’t matter. Everyone has a place, and everyone can enjoy each other’s company.
“Twitter is Like Cheers” Illustrated
Kari’s Twitter metaphor is easy to share and even easier to understand. After our conversation, I couldn’t get it out of my head, and I just had to do something about it. So I wrote this post to share it with you, and then I made this little video I hope you will enjoy:
(And for those of you who are wondering, the ever-popular Cheers theme song was written by Gary Portnoy.)
Interact With the Zebra Through Video Comments!
April 27, 2008 | 5 Comments
UPDATE– There seem to be some technical problems. Comments are being recorded, but not posted. I’ll let everyone know when things are working correctly.
I’ve had a Seesmic account for something like 6 months now. I really haven’t found it all that useful, until now.
Seesmic created a Wordpress plug-in that enables video comments on blog posts. SWEET!
This means that anyone with a webcam can now leave a video comment to any post. You don’t even need a Seesmic account, just a webcam. All you have to do is click on “leave a video comment” under the text comment box. Make sure that you still fill out all of the comment information. When the video window comes up, make sure you check “allow” so that you can record your video. You can even leave text AND video in the same comment.
So, if you have a webcam, and you feel so inclined, leave me a video comment. I love to interact with Zebra readers, and this is just one more way to make that happen.
(if you want to see the plug-in in action, check out the Trulia Blog)
BTW– I also added a comment threading plug-in that will allow you to reply to a specific comment. That will help on posts with multiple people commenting. Try it out!
If the Future of REALTOR Instruction Were in the Hands Of Tina Daniel and Dale Carlton, the Profession Would be a Better Place
April 14, 2008 | 3 Comments
Last week, I spent 3 days at the Virginia Association of REALTORS participating in the REALTOR Instructor Training Institute. The last post I wrote was actually written moments before the first day of class began. As I said in that post, I wasn’t exactly sure why I was there. In fact, I probably would not have signed up for the class had I not seen Danilo, Candy, and Sarah talking about it on Twitter. I figured, hey, if these good folks are gonna be there, at least I’ll be in good company. Matt gave it a stellar recommendation (which means a lot coming from an actual REALTOR instructor), and much to my pleasant surprise, Ben and Tony were in the class, too.
The class instructors were Tina Daniel and Dale Carlton. Going into the class, I had no clue who either of them were. That being the case, the first thing I did was google them. I found the Arkansas Institute of Real Estate, and Carlton Seminars. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover Dale on LinkedIn. After connecting with him on LinkedIn, Dale sent me an email and alerted me to his Facebook profile as well– sweet. It was beginning to look like these would be two of the most interesting instructors I have ever had.
A Whirlwind of Learning and Instruction
This class was unlike any other REALTOR education class I had ever taken before. It was different because they class was not only about learning, but also about teaching. While all of us were in the class to learn something, we were made very aware that by the end of the 3rd day, we would all have practice teaching something as well– more on that a bit later.
The level of experience of the members of the class varied greatly, both in real estate experience and teaching experience. The class was made up of everyone from novice to veteran. All age groups were represented, and even different cultural backgrounds. It made for very diverse opinions and discussions. What also became clear, however, was that in many ways, none of that stuff really mattered. In the end, we were all there to learn, and to teach.
In doing an exercise about learning styles, everyone gained some insight into the way in which they learn things individually. I won’t go into detail about it, but it suffices to say that everyone has their own learning style (there are 4 categories), and addressing each of those learning styles is critical for an instructor.
After learning about our learning style and everyone else’s, we were given a strategy and a technique that instructors employ in order to make sure that all of the learning styles are addressed for any given subject. This is knowledge that is beneficial even outside of a class room. Teaching is something that every REALTOR has to do, whether it is inside a formal classroom setting, or writing a contract for a client. Knowing how to help people learn is a valuable skill, indeed.
Tina and Dale Were Awesome
I’ll admit it, I can have a pretty snarky attitude about REALTOR education. Many of the classes I have taken have been outright boring, and many of the instructors have been forgettable. It was evident right from the beginning of the class that this would not be the case with Tina Daniel and Dale Carlton. Their passion for the material and their dedication to the craft of teaching came through in everything that they did. Not only did they do a great job instructing us, but they also did a wonderful job explaining to us the process behind the instruction.
Giving information to a room full of people is pretty easy, when you think about it. All one would have to do is stand up in front of the group and read from a text book or some other such source (I’ve been in those classes, too). Teaching the information so that people not only hear it, but understand and are able to apply it, is truly a skill. It is a skill that Tina and Dale have in spades.
It has been a long time since I was in a class room of any kind where the instructors not only taught the information, but did in such a way that it was easy to understand and apply later. That is exactly what happened with this class. After just 1 1/2 days of instruction, every student had a chance to show what he or she had learned.
Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It. . .
Each student in the class was required to give a 7-minute presentation on a subject of their choice in front of the entire class. The only stipulation was that the topic could not be one that you had ever taught before. The presentation was videotaped and critiqued by everyone in the class.
First of all, 7 minutes isn’t a long time to teach anything. I’ve given presentations before, but none of them were ever this structured, or this short. It was tough.
Secondly, it was very interesting to see so many very bright, intelligent, confident people get so nervous. I was firmly among them. I have given presentations in front of hundreds of people multiple times before. I have stood in gyms where thousands of people were raining down boos, hisses and worse upon me. I cannot remember a time where I was as nervous as I was standing in front of those 25 other people in the room. We all know about peer pressure, but how many of us know about the pressure of being in front of our peers?
My Presentation
The topic that I chose for my 7-minute presentation was Power Point. Specifically, it was about how to design better Power Point presentations. I used as my inspiration Garr Reynolds and his book, “Presentation Zen.” You can check out the first 5 or so minutes of the presentation below (I lost the last 2 minutes because the batteries in my Flip died, oops):
What I Learned
I firmly believe that while I learned quite a bit during the actual three day period that I was in the classroom, the learning will not stop there. The material covered in this class will serve me well in all kinds of situations, and I can’t wait to discover uses for everything.
One thing that I definitely learned is that there are a lot of very dedicated REALTOR instructors out there, and about 2 dozen more that are going to come out of this class. I have often maligned the state of REALTOR education. I now know that as long as there are people like Tina and Dale to train new instructors and teach REALTORS, those that they teach will most assuredly be equipped with the tools and skills necessary to improve our profession.
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Disclaimer
My name is Daniel Rothamel. I am a licensed real estate agent in the Commonwealth of Virginia and a member of the National Association of REALTORS. As such, I adhere to a strict code of ethics and all laws with regard to equal housing, which is reflected in the content of this blog. My broker is Strong Team REALTORS, 86 Joshua Lane, Palmyra, VA 22963; (434) 589-5800. My VA Real Estate License number is 0225 077325. All of the opinions in this blog are mine, unless otherwise noted.
