Category Archives: Chappaqua

What is Curation? [Video] | Chappaqua Homes for Sale

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Curation has been a hot topic of discussion. I, along with my colleague Mathew Ingram, have been writing about curation and aggregation for a while, and have explored many different aspects of both. Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest are the engines of this new curation trend.

Today, folks from New York-based curation-oriented startup Percolate put up a video. It includes comments from the likes of Maria Popova of Brain Pickings and Tina Roth Eisenberg of Swiss Miss talking about what curation is and why we need it. It’s an enjoyable video that explains curation in a very articulate fashion without resorting to hyperbole.

I wish the Percolate folks would talk to three curation veterans who have been doing it long before it become a trendy word — John Gruber of Daring Fireball, Jason Kottke of Kotte.org and Scott Beale of Laughing Squid. As for me personally, curation is no different to blogging. I have been practicing it on my personal blog, highlighting everything from shoes I like to a snappy quote from Mark Zuckerberg to a video about Kiev.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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Chappaqua NY Realtor Robert Paul | Want More Comments? Let ProBlogger Help!

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To be honest with you, I can’t remember much about the first comment I ever received on a blog post I’d written. It was back sometime in 2000, after all!

What I do remember is the thrill. When that first reader comments on your blog, you know you’ve finally reached someone. Your writing has moved one of the people who’s arrived at your blog to respond.

Whether the comment’s long or short, detailed or simple, it doesn’t much matter: that first real (non-spam) comment is a milestone for any blogger.

Comments are always an issue for bloggers.

When you’re waiting for that first-ever comment, you dream of the days when your blog’s swamped with thoughtful comments the way the A-list blogs are.

But experienced bloggers have other considerations to tackle—and they’re not just about finding time to sift through spam or respond to commenters. As your blog grows, and attracts more comments, you’ll probably find yourself wanting to create the right kind of culture around comments, and that’ll dictate the kinds of comments you send to trash, respond to, and maybe even highlight in posts you write.

So all of us—not just those starting out—need ideas that we can use to generate comments on our blogs, and comments of the right type (no trolls, please!). Recently, I asked some experienced bloggers if they’d share their wisdom with us in a series of posts on generating comments. I’ll be publishing their responses throughout the week, starting today, and I hope we’ll all find it useful!

For now, though, I’d love to hear where you’re at with comments on your blog. Are you still waiting for that all-important first one? Are you reaching a point where you’ve had to reduce the proportion of comments you respond to? Or have you turned comments off altogether? Share your experience with us … in the comments!

via problogger.net

Chappaqua Real Estate by robert paul | Reminder: 3.8% Tax is Not Tax on Real Estate

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Reminder: 3.8% Tax is Not Tax on Real Estate

On February 15, 2012, in Articles, Residential Property, by Dave

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Tax time is nearing and once more rumors are circulating on the Internet and by e-mail that the health care reform law enacted two years ago includes a 3.8 percent transfer tax on real estate starting in 2013. That rumor is not true and NAR has material available to you to explain how that 3.8 percent tax works. It’s a tax on a very narrow band of investment income for high-wealth households (those who earn $250,000 in a joint return or $200,000 as an individual) that could come into play on the sale of a house if the sales gain is more than $500,000 for a married couple or $250,000 for an individual.

Even in the unlikely event the sales gain is more than that amount, the tax would only apply based on other considerations having to with the household’s income and tax situation. The bottom line is, the tax, which was imposed to help shore up Medicare, will only hit some portion of investment income.

Video and explanatory article.

Free downloadable brochure on how the tax works. FAQ.

via infocentral.blogs.realtor.org

5 Benefits of Using Twitter for Your Business | Chappaqua NY Homes by Robert Paul

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1. Increasing Customer Satisfaction with Better Customer ServiceYour existing or potential customers can follow your business updates from your Twitter account in real time.   This gives you a unique opportunity to adjust or tweak all your business activities instantly according to your customers’ reactions.   This ability alone can give you an enormous advantage over your competitors who are not aware of the power of Twitter.   Also, you can search Twitter for any conversations that are related to your business and respond to feedback.   This ability gives you an opportunity to control and manage customer service for better customer satisfaction.

2. Breaking the Distanced Corporate Image and Communicating More Effectively 

Regardless of how hard you try, if you can’t make your business values and goals clear to people, all your marketing efforts become worthless.   Twitter can help you in this matter by giving you many opportunities to tell people clearly about your business values and goals.   You can have day to day chats on Twitter and let people follow easily what you are up to.   You can answer their questions instantly and clear up any doubts they may have. As you become closer and more open to people, you break the distanced corporate image and start to communicate more effectively with people.

3. Generating Traffic for Your Local Store and Website

By using Twitter, you can catch your customers’ attention with special offers or the announcements of online or offline events like contests.   When you arrange special offers or events, you can direct people to your local store or website to get more info, sign up, leave comments etc.   For example, if you sell kitchen cabinets online, you may offer promotional discounts for your new cabinet line.   Also, you may ask your followers how they like the new model with a fun questionnaire that is linked to your website and may give an incentive to people who complete the questionnaire on your website.   If your offer is valuable, your tweets can spread in no time on Twitter and let you stand out from the crowd easily.

4. Following the Trends in Your Industry and Watching Your Competitors Closely 

Obviously, Twitter is a marketing platform where the main activity is sharing information.   When you do a search related to your business or industry, Twitter will give you dozens of links to websites or blogs.   In fact, this is one of the benefits of Twitter which enables you to learn about current trends in your industry.   You can research local and global trends on Twitter and reach up-to-date information very conveniently.   Also, you can search to find out about your competitors’ current activities and strategies and follow if their activities and strategies are successful or not.   You can use this opportunity to repeat their successful strategies and also watch for the chance to collaborate with them.

5. Strengthening Your Connection with Your Local Community 

As mentioned before, Twitter offers beneficial opportunities both globally and locally.   If you have a local business or a local branch, you can include this location to your tweets to make it known by your followers.   Also, you can share useful local information, offer solutions to local social issues and support local events or causes.   All these efforts will create awareness for your local business and strengthen your connection with the local community.

As a conclusion, Twitter phenomenon offers your business great benefits.   Businesses that successfully use Twitter as a marketing platform can improve customer service, communicate better with customers, increase traffic to offline store or website, follow trends and competitors closely and connect with their local community.

via business2community.com

Chappaqua Real Estate by Robert Paul | The Return of Word of Mouth

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What if we were to stop thinking about social media in terms of likes, followers, pins, re-blogs and ROI $ and instead thought of it as a storytelling tool or a customer service platform?

Thinking of social platforms as a meeting place for like-minded individuals (‘fans’) to discuss their common interests (‘the brand’) enables companies to not only enhance their commitment to each individual customer, but also to inadvertently facilitate the storytelling process. Giving people a place to share their stories not only generates rich brand-inspired conversations, but plays off one of the greatest marketing techniques of all time: word of mouth.

In the age of social media, consumers are the true brand owners; what they have to say about a brand will ultimately shape its reputation both on and offline. A positive review on Amazon or Yelp can be much more influential in determining a brand’s success than any PR or ad campaign. By leveraging their online communities, companies can use this grassroots marketing movement to their advantage.

One company that’s getting this right is Steam Whistle Brewery. I recently had the opportunity to speak with their community manager, Marina Arnaout, about the company’s consumer-centric approach to social media.

Much like their do-one-thing-really-well approach to beer making, using social channels to connect with consumers is a natural extension of the Steam Whistle brand. “For us, social media is about engaging in transparent, two-way conversations with Steam Whistle drinkers. It’s never been about finding a way to put a numerical value on a consumer,” said Marina. “At the core, social media is really about customer service. It’s real-time, it’s constantly on, and it’s definitely the future of our industry,” she added.

This fan-centric approach – focusing on fan engagement levels instead of ROI $ – has helped Steam Whistle cultivate a passionate community of brand ambassadors both on and offline. Want proof? Check out Trip Advisor, where fans of the brewery have ranked it as one of the top ten tourist attractions in Ontario.

via business2community.com

Mobile Tools Become More Important in Home Searches | Chappaqua Homes by robert paul realtor

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Mobile Tools Become More Important in Home Searches

Daily Real Estate News | Wednesday, March 14, 2012
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Smartphones and tablets are being increasingly important tools that home buyers are relying on in their home search, according to a new survey from The Real Estate Book and RealEstateBook.com. 

The survey shows that 68 percent of mobile users contacted a real estate professional to schedule a showing based on their mobile search. What’s more, 98 percent of those who reported using mobile devices considered the tools valuable in their home search, and 46 percent said they were “essential.” 

What are they using their mobile devices for in their home search? The study found that: 

  • 78 percent viewed photos and videos of homes.
  • 66 percent requested additional information about a listing.
  • 60 percent used the devices to find listing details, price, property descriptions and amenities, and contact information. 
  • 57 percent used their mobile device to locate a house listing via a GPS. 
  • 55 percent searched for homes by city.
  • 42 percent downloaded a home buying search app.
  • 30 percent shared listing information with friends and family. 

“The time is now for agents and brokers to add mobile tools in their marketing mix to increase traffic and reach home shoppers right when they are actively engaged in their search process,” says Scott Dixon, president of NCI’s Real Estate Division.

via realtormag.realtor.org