Congratulations!

The RealTown/Inman Connect Blog Contest is underway and the first semifinalist in the contest is the following blog entry:

How to Set Up Your SmartPhone to Get E-Mail in Seconds by Dick Betts (shown at right). Dick is also the organizer and moderator of the RealTown Group, Outsmart Your SmartPhone.

The judges were impressed with two additional posts yesterday and they have awarded them Meritorious Mention:

• Video Edging Out Virtual Tours for NextGen Buyers by Scott Lau
• Off Stage - Association Travel Policy by Judith Lindenau

NOTE: Semifinalists and Bloggers who win Meritorious Mention will receive autographed copies of The Real Estate Technology Guide by Saul Klein, John Reilly, and Mike Barnett.

If you see a worthy RealTown Entry this week, nominate the blogger for a chance to win a Full Conference registration to Inman Connect in San Francisco later this month. Send the URL to Editor@RealTown.com.

Q.  I'm having difficulty inserting text and photo into my blog. I can insert photo. I can type text. I CAN'T put them together, side by side. For example, insert the photo, they type text next to it. Can't do it! Can type above it or below it, not next to it. I don't want to have large blank space next to the photo, and don't want to increase the size of the photo to cover the whole page. Also, the text I type runs on and on. In other words, as I'm typing this now, when I arrive at the end of the line, it will automatically drop down to the next line and start all the way to the left at the beginning of the line. It won't do that on my blog entry. It just keeps going and going and going ... you get the picture. Could you please help? Thanks!

Wait until you see how simple this is!

1. Go to the Blog Manager and open the entry with the photo.
2. Right click on the photo and click on Image Properties. It will open the Image Upload Tool (shown at right).
3. Add the "5" integer in the blocks HSpace and VSpace. This will add 5 pixels of space as horizontal and vertical margins between the photo and the text.
4. Select the pull-down menu from the Alignment field and choose Left or Right or another selection for alignment. Generally speaking, Left and Right alignment choices are the easiest for the types of word wrapping that you describe in your questions.

Q.  I can find the link to change my photo on my RealTown blog. I have changed it in my RealTown profile but not on the front page of my blog.

RealTown offers its Bloggers the opportunity to have different photos on the Profile page and the Blog Profile. You can use the same photo following these simple steps:

1. Log into RealTown.com.
2. Click on VIEW MY PROFILE. (NOTE: You can use any photo that is online, not necessarily the RealTown Profile photo. The following steps apply for any photo that you select.)
3. Right click on the Profile photo.
4. Click on PROPERTIES.
5. Highlight the text in Address (URL) and COPY (CTRL +C).
6. Go to RealTown Blog Manager, EDIT MY BLOG PROFILE.
7. PASTE into BLOG IMAGE URL.

I have discovered numerous uses for the PDF upload feature on real estate blogs since I discussed it here last week.

1. Market Data Statistics. Do you look at tables sometimes and wish you could use them on your blog, but they are so large and complicated that it would consume too much time? Here is an example of a PDF upload that I did at RealTown earlier today. Check out the rich data and the CLICKCABLE links!
   
   EXAMPLE: Click here for U.S. Foreclosure Market Statistics by State – Jan 2008.
   
   
2. Pre-Listing Package. Why not put a Pre-Listing Package online for sellers to download? Be transparent! Be bold! Be brave! Make a package complete with forms and checklists. Afraid that other people will see it? Trust me, most agents will not spend the time and energy to do this. Differentiate yourself. Stand apart from the crowd.
   
   
3. Relocation Package. Save the postage costs and save time. Send your clients in other cities a link and let them print the package at home or read it online. They will be impressed with your tech savvy.
   
   
4. Sample Contracts. Explain agency with downloadable forms that they can print and review at home. You can create PDFs with a watermark that says COPY or other words if you have a concern about people using them. Or, populate the forms with names like John Q. Seller on a blank listing agreement or agreement of sale.
   
   
   
5. Moving Checklists. Create your own checklists that feature your name and logo prominently.
   

Do you know that you can use Windows Office 2007 programs to save files as PDFs? Convert your Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, Outlook calendars, and PowerPoint presentation files to PDFs as an alternative to standalone PDF creators. There are numerous free PDF makers online.