Spoken Gently's Blog: All Categories

Has anyone seen Squidoo's ever.com?

Squidoo purchased www.ever.com recently and has set up a template whereby lensmasters can create the best, fastest, funniest, etc., ever.com lens. What's cool about this, is Squidoo has taken steps to deter spam lenses at ever.com by allowing a max of 2 lenses per day, and after 30 days the lens receives a review. If the lens does not pass muster, the lens is rejected. So, ever.com has potential of being a great source of traffic and otherwise quality inbound links.

I created a community real estate website page of sorts for forum members here titled, best-real-estate-websites-ever. I've included a plexo whereby any of you can add their website(s). You can even vote for the best website! When doing so, be sure to…

Tri Cities Duck racing is back! For 19 years the Tri Cities Rotary Clubs have sponsored this community favorite to raise funds for those needing assistance in the Tri Cities area, and/or the Rotary Club's various charities. The Tri Cities Rotary Clubs hope to sell 40,000 ducks at $5.00 a piece. Of course, folks can donate more.

This family fun event starts with a Lampson crane dropping tens of thousands of rubber ducks into a marked race course on the Columbia River. The winning duck receives this year's grand prize, a Toyota Camry! There are many more prizes as well.

The 2007 theme is "Ducks to the Rescue." This year's race starts at noon on October 13th. Ducks can be purchased at Joe's Outdoor Sports or at Toyota of Tri-Cities. Rotarians will also…

Yes, it is real estate related! I have a good source that tells me this Mom is a home owner, is thinking about owning a home, or has thought about a home! Enjoy this 3 minute video!

The Tri Cities Washington Antique show roles into Pasco's TRAC Pavilion. The Tri City Wa Antique show, considered the largest in the state, will host the Southeastern Washington Quilters (SEW-Q) Quilt Auction to benefit Tri-Cities Chaplaincy Hospice House. The Tri Cities Antique show will house a number of antique vendors from around the county promising a wide variety of antiques and collectibles reasonably priced to sell. Consider joining the fun, and for good cause, Friday, Oct. 12, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 13, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the TRAC facility in Pasco.

I received my weekly copy of the Washington REALTORS® Newsletter and usually there is a good article or two inside. This week's edition was no exception. Bill Miles posts an article on The End Of The Line For Real Estate Agents and discusses the current market and the shift towards home owners' self reliance in selling/buying their own home without the use of a real estate agent. Miles illustrates the need for real estate agents to make adjustments factoring in the changing marketplace by specializing in an area(s) of expertise to accommodate the changing market climate. I would recommend the article, as the article addresses a concern I have had for some time that real estate agents are slowly being replaced by the internet, FSBO information and…

Yup, I went to the end of my backyard this morning, threw a spinner in the Columbia River, and caught a small Salmon. Brought it in, cleaned it, and ate er for breakfast. Salmon doesn't get any fresher than freshly caught in the back yard! We live on the Columbia River and Salmon run throughout most of the year, however, there are a few periods in the year where the "salmon are running." Right now is one of those times. I wake up in the morning and see them coming to the surface for their morning chow, so down to the river I go. Today was no exception, except the Salmon served as an appetizer for the area's famous Spudnuts. Richland's Spudnuts are to-die-for doughnuts. Certainly a reason to buy a home in the Tri-Cities!

The Salmon fishing, and all sorts…

I found a pretty darn good list of 47 points to consider for building a website or blog. The article is written by Miles Galliford and titled 47 Simple Ways to Build Trust in Your Website or Blog. A lot of points to consider, however, the good news is your competitor will most likely not consider these points.

While on the subject of lists, here are a few favorite SEO list I've used from time to time for our real estate website: 101 Ways to Build Link Popularity | 106 Content Idea For Real Estate Agents | 24 On-Site SEO Checkups | 10 Tips For The Ultimate Landing Page

Using Google's mapping features, as well as other recognized company's mapping features is considered fair use and taken for granted by most real estate agents. Well, think again. There has been a case working it's way through the courts whereby an Ambler Pennsylvania real estate agent, Diane Sarkisian, is being sued by Real Estate Alliance, Ltd. REALS (for short) is seeking unspecified damages for Sarkisian's alleged illegal use of its patented property locator method. This lawsuit was filed back in July of 2005 and reported by Inman News. Fast forward a few years to this Inman News article. National Association of REALTORS® has pledged close to $850,000 to help defend Sarkisian. Apparently, this case is still alive and may have an impact for those of us…