Back in Portland after my Xmas break back in Vancouver, Canada. It was a great trip, one of the highlights being the opportunity to meet up with Steve Jagger of Ubertor (looks like we weren’t the only guys to hook up either, as Sellsius° meets Blueroof). Neither of us thought to memorialize the occasion on film (could have had something to do with all the Shafteburys), but it was nice to put a finally put face to a name (something I hope to do more of at Inman Connect next week). We had a good discussion on the state of online real estate and real estate blogging. They also have some interesting things in the pipeline, expect to see more from Ubertor in 2007.
I have to admit, sitting down at the computer after a week off is a bit intimidating and I’ve been putting it off for as long as was reasonable. I’ve got dozens of emails to reply to and thousands of feed items in my news reader waiting to be read.
This year, while staring at my iMac and contemplating the overload in my Bloglines account, I decided to simply start 2007 with a clean slate. So, I took the rather ambitious step of simply marking “All Read” and clearing my account. But, before I did that, I couldn’t help but bookmark a few items that I think may signal some of the trends I see for the coming year:
Innovation in Online Real Estate Accelerates
2006 was the fuse, 2007 will be the big explosion. I expect a ton of new development and new ideas this year. Lots of new avenues for Realtors to drive their web presence. It’ll be a Darwinian struggle to see who survives and a protracted national real estate slump could be the nail in the coffin of some of the smaller players – but one thing’s for sure, it’ll be fun to watch.
Bookmarked: Baron Briefs » Wanna Beta Test Our New Product…? (The guys at Realty Baron have a new product, you can get in on the Beta now.)
Crack Down on Internet Marketing
In the rush to get in front of all the eyeballs online, desperation is driving some marketers to get overly creative with their efforts. Unfortunately, many of the new web destinations; craigslist, digg, etc. are being polluted with scams, spam, splogs and other funny sounding schemes. I expect new rules and stricter enforcement in 2007, which is going to make it more challenging for legitimate marketers to get their messages heard.
Bookmarked: Marketers Flout Craigslist Rules to Promote Wares
Mobile Technology Finally Hits the Big Time
High speed networks are being lit up across the country. Smartphones are being priced aggressively for more widespread consumer adoption. I think 2007 will require marketers to increasingly include a ‘mobile’ strategy in their marketing efforts. Savvy Realtors, who have always embraced wireless technology, will be well positioned here.
Bookmarked: YellowPages.com Adds ‘Send to Mobile’
