Social media Archives - The Phoenix Real Estate Guy

Twitter for People that don’t “get” Twitter

September 24, 2012 By Marty Boardman

I’m uncomfortable with anyone referring to me as an expert, unless it has to do with cereal or cheap red wine ”“ which is why I feel a little funny writing a post titled “Twitter for People that don’t get Twitter”. It implies that I’m some sort of Twitter expert.

Clearly, I’m not.

Since I created my account in 2009, I’ve accumulated just 802 followers. Many of them have no interest in reading anything I have to write. Sometimes when I send out a Tweet it feels like I’m standing in the middle of a remote forest carrying on a conversation with myself. But that’s okay. I have a wife and two kids. I’m used to no one listening to me.

If you’re one of those people that don’t “get” Twitter, here is all you need to know:

Twitter’s real value has less to do with how many followers you have and everything to do with those people, places and businesses you choose to follow. Think of Twitter as your conduit to the conscious thoughts of those individuals and organizations that possess unique humor, insights, ideas, and information about the stuff you’re really interested in.

Some of the brightest thinkers and creators in the world, from business to technology to real estate to personal growth to sports, are now sharing what they know with the world on Twitter. A few will even engage in a conversation with you, and answer your questions, in the Twitterverse.

I’ve built my Twitter feed like an exclusive, invitation-only party. Only those that inform, educate, inspire, make me laugh, or take me to places I can’t go, are allowed inside. My bio reads “Husband, Father, real estate investor, instructor, part-time helicopter camera guy and Arizona sports fan.” I’m passionate about these things, and getting better at them. So, if someone tweets intelligently about parenting, real estate, photography or sports then I will follow them, regardless of how many followers they may have.

I follow journalists, church pastors, small business owners, successful Realtors, musicians, comedians, economists, professional athletes, stay at home Moms and sports reporters. Twitter is my morning, afternoon, and evening newspaper, scrubbed clean of all the crap I don’t care about.

Which brings me back to my tweeting. Before sending out a tweet to my modest group of followers I ask myself, “will this comment inform, educate, inspire, make someone laugh or take them to a place they couldn’t go?” If the answer is yes then I hit send. Occasionally, I’m clever enough to get a response or two.

If you’ve been avoiding Twitter because you don’t “get” it, here’s some advice from a cheap red wine expert – start out by following the news makers, news breakers, thought leaders and free thinkers in your industry. Also remember when you do tweet to be brief, be bright and be gone.

And if you’re looking for a smooth, inexpensive Merlot, I recommend the one that comes in a box, on sale.

Cheers.

The Last of the Social Media Holdouts

August 4, 2012 By Marty Boardman

This post isn’t about you. If it were you wouldn’t be reading it because you don’t do social media.

Chances are, you have a Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, friend, co-worker or business colleague that completely rejects the notion that social media is valuable and can somehow, either directly or indirectly, improve their lives and the lives of others.

This post is about them. They are the last of the social media holdouts.

(Marty is not a holdout, follow him on Twitter)

I have a friend who is a nurse practitioner. His wife is a doctor and they own and operate their own medical office. Both refuse to use Facebook, an ideal medium to promote their practice and educate their patients, because they believe it could destroy their marriage. How so? One of them could use it to reconnect with an old high school flame.

A former business partner of mine owns a home remodeling business in Illinois. His craftsmanship is exemplary, yet his company is struggling to make ends meet. Still, he won’t take the time to learn how to set up a blog with before and after pictures of his remodeling projects. To me, this is the equivalent of him not knowing how to use a hammer.

Then there’s my family. One relative sends me 6-10 chain emails a day, addressed to 15 other people on his contact list. This person won’t get on Facebook because “it’s a waste of time.” I have another family member that won’t do any social media because she is afraid her identity will be stolen.

Clearly, the social media holdouts have their reasons for not going online. However, I believe the benefits far outweigh the negatives. Over the past 12 months I’ve used social media (Blog, Facebook, Twitter) in my business to:

Sign a book publishing deal about fixing and flipping houses
Raise over $200,000 in investment capital
Connect directly with journalists at the L.A. Times and Wall Street Journal
Refer homebuyer and seller leads to my Realtor partners
Refer home remodeling work to my contractor partners

On a personal level, social media has helped me to stay in touch with old friends and distant family. Last week, a soccer buddy sent me a message on Facebook to see if I wanted to join his indoor team. He also asked me to list his house for sale. That’s a valuable connection that probably wouldn’t have been made in the offline world.

Technology can be frightening, new technology even more so. While I’m fairly certain lots of people initially debated the value of the automobile, the airplane, the computer, the Internet, cell phones, email and text messaging, few would disagree that today they all help to improve our lives.

So the next time a social media holdout you know wants to bash the medium share this post. Of course, you’ll have to print a copy and put it on their desk or send it to them in the mail because they don’t do social media.

Photo Credit

Revisiting: A life-altering moment. Putting things in perspective.

March 19, 2012 By Jay Thompson

Jay’s note: This week last year I came upon a horrific accident scene that I was certain involved my only son, thankfully we had the help from experts such as the Car Accident Lawyers Brisbane to get us a compensation which was needed to pay the medical bills CT DUI bail. Shortly after I wrote this someone, I can’t remember who now, said I should revisit it in a year. So here it is. “Personally, I’m going to make a concerted effort to stop taking things for granted. To appreciate life more. To not sweat the small stuff,” was a pledge made in this article. I’ve done OK with that. Certainly not perfect, but the memories of this day are still strong, and many times I’ve found myself getting spooled up over something that doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. I stop, think of the day this happened, and move ahead to focus on what really matters. So read on; think about it. Read some of the comments from others sharing similar stories — and try focusing on what really matters.

Imagine this:

You are driving down the freeway at ten o’clock at night. Up ahead you see the flashing lights of multiple emergency vehicles and traffic slows.

“Great, an accident. All I want to do is get home” you may be thinking.

As you approach the scene, you see a flipped over and mangled car.

A car of the exact make, model and unusual color of what your 19 year old son drives.

By the time you can cross two lanes of traffic and pull over, you are well past the accident scene where they most definitely needed an expert like this personal injury lawyer or car wreck injury attorney near me. So you slam the car into reverse and drive faster in reverse that you’ve ever driven before. You get out of the car and run toward the accident.

The entire time, all sorts of thoughts are exploding in your brain. You’re praying like you never have before. As you get closer to the scene and see that yes, it looks exactly like your son’s car, you practically lose your mind.

Two police officers approach you – you the grown man who has been reduced to a blubbering incoherent pile of goo on the side of the road. Out of breath with your heart pounding you say something to the police. You’re not sure exactly what but it must have been some combination of “my son”, “his car”, and “dead” with a whole lot of “Please God no’s” in there.

The police offer puts his hands on your shoulders and all you hear is, “Your son? No, it’s a girl. It’s a girl’s car. Not your son. Not your son. There was no male in the car.”

“Are you sure?”

“We’re positive.”

A cop walks you back to your car and takes your keys. “You can’t drive like this,” she says. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

So you sit in your car on the side of a road, thanking God and Jesus that your son isn’t injured in a new mexico car crash when it hits you that someone’s daughter is lying zipped up in a body bag 50 feet away. How can you be so happy, and so relieved, sitting so close to death? Guilt sets in.

**And you really start to think about things.**

Lots of things.

I sincerely hope you only have to imagine this scenario, and not actually experience it because believe me, it sucks. I know, because I went through it 20 hours ago.

It still disturbs me greatly.

An experience like this makes you think. It puts a lot of things in perspective. Life is fragile, and short. Too short to go around pissed-off at what really is, in the grand scheme of things, not-so-important. Hell, it’s practically immaterial.

We get mad about lawsuits. We get angry with the NAR. Maybe we’re frustrated by a client or fellow agents that don’t “get it”. We bitch and moan about having to work too hard. We get upset over a stupid social media “debate” at a conference. We yell at our kids, or our spouses. We fuel “blog wars”. We complain about the housing market, and the government, and how things “just aren’t fair.”

We need to stop and think. We need to put things in perspective. Well, at least I do. I can’t tell you what to do.

The bottom line is this: is all this crap really that important? Is it worth expending time, effort and energy?

I had a really shitty experience last night. For about two minutes (that felt more like two hours) I honestly thought my son was dead.

I wept. I cursed. I prayed. I think I might have thrown up. I don’t remember a lot of details as apparently my brain shut down in those adrenaline overdosed moments of shear terror and gut-wrenching panic. Shutting down was an instinctive reaction – and a good thing because I might have just lost my mind if I could remember everything during those moments. I had to take CBD oils from kushiebites.com to reduce my anxiety.

And I felt sorry for myself for having to go through this experience.

Sorry for myself? There are people out there right now who did know and love the young lady in that car last night. Those people are experiencing infinitely more pain than what I went through last night.

They have something to be pissed-off about. They have the right to feel that things “just aren’t fair.”

When you get right down to it, all the trials and tribulations most of us go through on a daily basis are nothing. They are inconsequential. People like the friends and family of the young lady involved in last night’s accident, people like Clint and Angela Miller who are undergoing a torturous battle against testicular cancer, those people have something worthy of complaining about.

Us? Not-so-much.

I’m not trying to make light of anyone’s personal situation. I know times are tough out there for a lot of folks. I’m just suggesting that when you get upset, when you think the world is against you, when some person, some thing, some situation makes you angry, sad, bitter or hell-bent on vengeance, try taking a step back and putting things in perspective.

Personally, I’m going to make a concerted effort to stop taking things for granted. To appreciate life more. To not sweat the small stuff. I’ve also heard that Synchronicity Hemp Oil supplements can reduce stress and anxiety, maybe I’ll try that when life gets too stressful. I’m not saying that we should all join hands and sing Kumbaya, that’s not realistic, and perhaps not even healthy. It’s OK, good in fact, to be passionate about something. To be emotional. The world would be a pretty boring place if we all agreed with each other and no one voiced their opinions.

Maybe I’m being Pollyannaish, but it does seem like there is a lot of negative energy out there of late, a lot of bitterness, jealousy, and animosity. I know I am guilty as charged.

Perhaps it is time to step back and reassess priorities. Time to appreciate more fully all the goodness that life has to offer. To enjoy time with loved ones, or time alone.

Sitting on the side of the road last night made me think.

Maybe this will make you think a little too…

Photo Credit: “Candle Smoke” by The Ewan on Flickr. CC Licensed.

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