May. 22, 2009 - E-flyers are SOOOO 2008... Try Flickr

Breaking news...! I am the latest official victim of the C1B1 Flu, aka 'The Blog Flu.' (See one, be one. See a blogger, be a blogger... get it?) Oh, never mind. that's much to corny for sophisticated minds. ;)

It had only been a few hours since my last post when I started composing this one, but then I fell asleep. For some reason my mind was still writing even though my fingers had long ago ceased to type. And, if you haven't read my last post, (T-Minus 10 Days and Counting...) you may want to, because unlike episodes of '24' there is no recap of previous events at the beginning of each new post.

Okay, maybe just this once...

• In my past life, some folks thought I was a pretty good 'writer,' but aren't we all? (We write new chapters in our lives every day).
• Yesterday I was terribly afraid of blogging, ranking it just above a root canal and just below an IRS audit. (Today, I'm petrified that my new blog won't live up to my readers' expectations).
• Starting June 1, 2009 aka Mid Year's Day, I will begin my quest to become a professional blogger by writing a daily blog tentatively named, 'Mr Gotham's World' (http://www.MrGotham.com). If you try to take a peek today, though, all you'll see is a GoDaddy parked screen).
• My somewhat mild case of Procrastination-itis is frequently compounded by my CPS, Chronic Perfectionist Syndrome. (I 'launch' in nine short days and I haven't even decided between theSquarespace and Wordpress platforms. ARGH!)
• In my opinion Realtors should read at least one real estate blog each day; even if you're writing daily as well. (Don't musicians listen to various styles of music for inspiration?)
• Vlogging is the wave of the... PRESENT. (Ha! I bet you thought I was going to say 'future').
• Occasionally, my addiction to Michael Arrington's Tech Crunch (http://www.techcrunch.com) interferes with prospecting. (I'm now in an outpatient treatment program. LOL).

May. 21, 2009 - T-Minus 10 Days and Counting...

 On June 1, 2009 I am going to re-invent myself. Ten days from now I'm going  to do something that will change my life and career forever... I'm going to officially start blogging. It's my "mid-year resolution."

On the surface, that probably doesn't seem like a big deal. Blogging is just typing a few simple words a couple of times a week, right? Unfortunately, when people tell me "you should really start blogging" it evokes the same response as the phrases "you need a root canal," "you're being audited by the IRS" or "Congratulations, you're having sextuplets!" I PANIC! My heart starts to race, my breathing becomes erratic and my palms could be mistaken for Niagara Falls South.

That overly dramatic response makes absolutely no sense to me. When I was majoring in journalism at the University of Kansas... writing was easy. During my newspaper internships at the Kansas City Star... it was a breeze. However, as a real estate agent... writing literally scares me to death. Well, I guess not literally. Maybe it's because there have been a few years since college and I'm afraid my writing is not up to par. Maybe I'm afraid that if I make a mistake, I will appear uninformed and damage my credibility as a Realtor. Whatever the reason, the excuses stop now.

At least 25 times in the past few years I have started to blog and then stopped shortly thereafter. This time I am publicly committing to it and and I know that with the support of my friends and fellow agents I will become a blogging machine. Sounds like a nicotine gum commercial, huh? I have a lot to say about real estate, technology, social networking, photography and so much more.

Not a day goes by that I don't preach the value of using social media to expand ones audience and maximize marketing dollars. Until now, I was a total hypocrite. Blogging is an indispensable tool for many successful real estate agents and if you're not writing one, you need to be reading or watching one. Yes, I said "watching." While I'm just dipping my toes into the shallow waters of "regular" blogging, the tidal wave called video blogging or "vlogging" is barreling toward me. I think I'm gonna need a bigger surfboard... ;)

Finally, for your reading and viewing pleasure, here are my personal top 5 favorite real estate blogs/ vlogs and a very special bonus. In no particular order:

• Ian Watt  (http://www.ianwatt.ca) 
• Joel Burslem  (http://www.futureofrealestatemarketing.com)
• David Cowgill  (http://www.realestateweblog.org)
• Daniel Rothamel  (http://www.realestatezebra.com)
• Reggie, Nik and Chad  (http://www.mytechopinion.com)