At Home In Chandler

If you’re looking for a very fun, community building event - then look no further than downtown Chander.

Tomorrow morning (Sat, 3/7) at approximately 10am, Arizona Ave will be closed to traffic and open for fun! The 21st Annual Thorobred Chevrolet Ostrich Festival Parade will travel south on Arizona Ave from Ray Road to Chicago (just south of the San Marcos Hotel).

It’s always such fun to watch the participating schools, bands, equestrians, motorcycle clubs … and of course, who could ever forget the always entertaining Michael Pollack Band?

For a more enjoyable time, I highly recommend bringing chairs and a blanket (just in case). Water bottles are also very nice to have on hand. All of the restaurants are typically open. Stopping by Bosa’s Donuts (just north of Ray on the west side of Arizona) is a great start to the morning. You can pick up an array of freshly baked treats, kid’s drinks, hot coffee or a dozen donut holes for about a buck.

We've participated in the parade for the last several years with the neighborhood elementary school, so I can honestly share with you - that's whether it's raining or sunny - it’s sure to be fun.

Bring the kids, wear comfy shoes and have fun! See you there?

I knew it was coming.  How could you not know?  Well, today I received the email announcement.

ARMLS Technopalooza ... a  technology fair for ARMLS subscribers!

The Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service is really going all out this year planning this extravaganza that marries technology and real estate.  Most of us involved in social media are already acutely aware of this union, but it's nice to see it in print from someone of "higher authority".

So - if you're in Arizona and in real estate - you'll want to mark your calendar and plan on attending this day long event. Dustin Luther is a featured speaker with his presentation titled "Using Social Networks to Build and Engage your on-line Community".  Sounds too good to pass up.

Also schedule to speak is Jason Edwards who is a Master Trainer with Floyd Blackman.  Jason will be speaking on "Blog is the New Black: Converting on-line Blogging to Real Life Appointments"

Both topics sound like viable reasons to attend.  Oh yeah, there's also 30 vendors who will be there.  If you have any technology questions, this will provide an opportunity to get some good answers.  However, if your question does go unanswered, you can always stop by REBarCamp Phoenix the very next day --- guaranteed answers there :)

Wondering when this event will take place? ARMLS Technopalooza is Wednesday, April 22nd from 8:30 to 3:45pm at the Mesa Convention Center - in both buildings B & C. 

If you were in attendance for the SEVRAR Technology Fair in January, then you know that the Mesa Convention Center is a great venue with lots of free parking. Continental breakfast is free, but box lunches are $15 and need to be purchased at least 72 hours in advance. 

Speaking of box lunches, during lunch there will be a panel of speakers who will share their wisdom and wit with all of us.  There's no names named, but I'm sure those who are on the panel will be amazing speakers and will, obviously, share their secrets of success with the rest of us.

In addition to the speakers & vendors, there's also opportunities to do some electronics recycling, sign up to receive prizes, enjoy the free ice cream social and more! Be sure to check out their site for more information.

Well, I guess the only thing left to say is "See you there?"

Hard to believe that it's only 2 days till the Metro Light Rail grand opening here in Mesa, Tempe & Phoenix.

Instead of writing my own post, I thought sharing Nick Bastian's post detailing all the events surrounding the celebrations would be best!

If you have any questions about anything pertaining to the rail (here in Phoenix), visit Nick's Rail Life website.

In the beginning, there was Web1.0 – it was a read only atmosphere. Websites became the “in” thing and dot com companies ran vapid.

Then Web2.0 was born - the era of read-write philosophy. Blogs (or weblogs) are now “in” - and the phases of social networking and marketing is in full swing. Not to be confused with traditional marketing, social networking is more than a face to face meeting. It’s more than sending out an email once a month and letting your clients know what you’re doing.

It’s so much more …

Web2.0 is a world of transparency.

It’s a place where participants are not afraid to be themselves. Whether it’s through the sharing of their experiences or in telling stories – it’s building a bridge from you to me. It’s an environment of knowing about someone before you know someone.

Web2.0 is a world of honesty.

Being forever emblazoned in the archives of every search engine, it’s taking an extra moment to read and reread the words you chose to go down in the annuals of time.

Web2.0 is a world of connection.

The words you chose will travel around the world and through eternity. It’s a little known fact that your words will withstand the test of time and people do remember.

Web2.0 is a world of relationships.

It’s a world of bridging the gap between acquaintance and friend. It’s the admission that the person you’ve connected with, is actually someone you trust, respect and admire. It happens.

Web2.0  is a new world.

It’s a world of transparency that leads to connections. It’s a world of interaction that brings us to the doorway of branding our business, improving the quality of our lives and building Communityaround us.

What is Web2.0 to you?

Don't miss out on the next Q&A Presentation: BLOGGING

Want to know more about blogging?  Got questions that need to be answered? Then you'll definitely want to make time on Tuesday (yes, it's tomorrow) to attend this powerful Q&A with experienced, area bloggers. 

Blogging is just the beginning of the this trend called "Social Media".  Join the internet revolution by starting today.  Whether you need ideas or just need to get started, this is definitely a panel of professionals that will be able to (honestly) answer your questions.

While blogging is viral in any industry, REALTORS® who blog have documented success!  Whether you want to  connect with potential clients or build your referral business - then Tuesday is a great day to get started!

Join us for this special presentation to learn more!

Blogging Date: Tuesday, October 21st

Where: SEVRAR Conference Center

SouthEast Valley Regional Association of REALTORS® 1363 S. Vineyard • Mesa, AZ 85210

Time: 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

I'm a Twitter kind of gal ... I can easily express my thoughts in a limited amount of characters and now, without correct punctuation.  Sure, it drove me crazy in the beginning.  I felt robbed of my education when I was forced to delete certain letters and leave out a period at the end of a sentence.  But - I have quickly gotten over it.  The world of texting and micro-blogging really does make you take a second look at your priorities.

Mary McKnight recently penned a new article and posted it on her blog Netamorfasis (catchy name, huh?) How did I learn about it?  Why, Twitter, of course! Because I'm very good at taking directions, I wandered over to check it out. 

"Top 100 Social networks every Realtor should have a profile on"

The title is more than thought provoking - it's almost a challenge.  My personality type wouldn't just let me read the list - I had to print it out and highlight it.  Which networks am I involved in? Which ones not? Did I need to be? Will it increase my sales? Improve my relationships? (BTW (by the way) - when did they become relationships and no longer connections?)

I perused the list and was quite proud that I can claim "membership" on at least 50-60 of them. Unfortunately though, I don't spend enough quality time on any of them to nurture the relationships that I've started.  However, in my own defense, I'm actually "connected" to those same people on at least 5 other networks.

I wonder: If main stream society is pushing us towards increasing involvement in social networking - which networks are the tops?

I invest my time on my Active Rain blog, my personal blog and my other one, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and I also find it beneficial to stay connected to our MLS system.  (It too comes with messaging).

Since we're all connected and we're all building our business through our social networks, which ones are most beneficial to you? How many of the 100 can you claim? Which ones are actually helping you to generate more business and closed transactions?

More than just me - Inquiring minds want to know.

Are you worried? When you drive down the street and you see abandoned houses with those all too familiar “signs” posted on the garage, what are your thoughts? If 1 in 6 homeowners are facing foreclosure, then that means 2 of the houses on my street are facing a dismal future. Not only that, but 2 of my neighbors are about to be hit with life changing events that perhaps they never saw coming (if they haven’t already).

While out walking the dogs earlier this evening, I stopped to talk to some friendly folks in the neighborhood. Of course, the subject of the economy always comes up – just because it’s on everyone’s mind. The same questions are asked –

Are we near the bottom of the market?

Will we be able to recover?

How has the economic slowdown affected your job?

Do you have a back up plan?

Interesting, really. These questions don’t seem to be exclusive of a particular generation. People in their twenties are asking, as well as empty nesters. Those that seem particularly hardest hit in my neighborhood are those within 10+ years of retirement. Those who had a 401K last month, now have a 1K to retire on.

Sometimes, I wonder if I’m overly optimistic or just plain naive. Do I understand that depth of what is happening or are market reports inflated?

What are you thoughts? Are you worried? Scared? Optimistic?

In a society rich in acronyms and abbreviations that are considered the norm and correct grammar is an anomaly, I’m wondering if we sometimes take advantage of our “expertise” and leave others scratching their head and saying “Huh?“

Taking a step beyond Active Rain and delve into social media and you'll certainly understand what I’m talking about. Join the micro-blogging network, Twitter, and you’re bound to expel any thought into 140 characters or less.

Another step is DM (direct message) or IM (instant message) – depending on the platform. Instant communication with someone to whom you are connected. Typically permission based, but not always – allowing you to bypass the email delays.

Speaking of email, have you noticed that these days it’s very typical to receive a note with only a subject line? I received an email earlier today from a class I intended that merely said “Thanks for attending (the class name)” Seems to me that an opportunity to market additional classes was completely missed by not including some kind of text in the body of the email. Thanks?! That’s it – my thought was “Don’t you want to sign up for the next class? How about a referral? How about a recognizable email address that can easily be identified?

I wonder how many opportunities to connect with potential clients or other industry professionals I have missed in my haste to just get things done?

While it may take an extra minute to type the entire word or sentence, certainly the connection that it makes with the reader is worth it? What if it lead to a referral or a lifet-time friendship?

If I could guarantee that everyone who reads my work is blessed with the knowledge to interpret every acronym or abbreviation then, and only then, would I give myself permission to limit my writings, but until then, I am committed to writing out my posts & emails in complete sentences.

Now – follow me Twitter and that’s another story.

When: Nov. 1 & 2, 2008

(Saturday & Sunday)

Where:  University of Advancing Technology

2625 W Baseline Rd, Tempe, AZ

Click Here for a Map

Registration: On-Line

Fee:  FREE to the public, although donations are accepted: $10 for a t-shirt, also lunch available

SPEAKERS: Incredible line-up speaking on a variety of venues

This is more than just podcasting - this is new media and social media.

Think about this:  Arizona in November is absolutely beautiful and we have great golf, too!

If you're traveling to the area & You can Book Your Hotel here

Hope to see you there!

( Oh, you can follow PodCampAZ on twitter - @podcampaz )

Located approximately 3 hours or 180 miles south of Chandler is a town that is “Too Tough To Die” - Tombstone. Already a historic town, but made into a hugely popular tourist attraction when the movie (bearing the same name) hit the big screen back in 1993.

Your first stop is the Boothill Cemetery – originally known as City Cemetery. Dating back to the 1880s, Boothill graveyard is open to the public. For a small donation, you can walk amongst the graves of Frank McLaury, Tom McLaury and Billy Clanton (see photo below) – all of whom died in the infamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. While there are over 300 people buried at Boothill, there’s only a little over 200 that are documented. There’s also a story about the Ghost of Boothill that you may find interesting. Click here to read about this paranormal visitor.

As you travel south bound, you’ll reach the City of Tombstone – one of the west’s first mining camps. Today it is a popular Arizona tourist destination filled with hotels, restaurants, shows and shops. During our excursion to Tombstone, we stopped by the Longhorn Restaurant for lunch. Nice sized servings, good prices, wonderful lunch specials and a very nice server. We’d recommend it.

Down near the end of the street sits The Birdcage Theater. The New York Times called it, "the wildest, roughest, wickedest honky tonk between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast." In addition to a saloon, it was also host to the world’s longest poker game - lasting 8 years, 5 months and 3 days. Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and Bat Masterson were frequent visitors, as well.

While our group opted not to attend any of the shows, we did take the tour at The Birdcage Theater where we learned that the show, Ghost Hunters, had recently visited to tape an upcoming episode. I also picked up a flier for their night time historic ghost tour. Available to adults only Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, I’m thinking another trip might be in our future. The Birdcage Theater has been called “Ground Zero for the Paranormal” by the History Channel and the “Epicenter of the Paranormal” by the Travel Channel. I don’t know about you, but this definitely peaked my interest.

Speaking of paranormal, while walking through the downstairs area of The Birdcage and taking pictures of just about everything – my camera suddenly shut off. Without warning, just off. I didn’t think much of it at first, figuring the battery had died (and who hasn’t had that happen before?). While speaking with the Gift Shop attendant, she mentioned that it actually happens quite a bit. Hmmm ….? The ghost of Josephine Marcus, Wyatt Earp’s love and eventually his wife of 42 years, doesn’t like to have photos taken of her bedroom. The place where she and Wyatt began their love affair is apparently off-limits and she doesn’t like to have photos taken.

I bet you’re wondering what happened to my camera after we left The Bird Cage? Well, I could tell you that it turned back on and continued to take pictures or I could tell you that the battery actually did die. But, what would be the fun of that?

I’ll just leave it to your imagination.

More Links:

About Wyatt Earp

About Wyatt's First Wife Mattie Blaylock

About Josephine Marcus

More About Josephine Marcus

About Doc Holliday

More Boothill & Tombstone Photos