Confessions of an Un-Geeky Annapolis Real Estate Blogger
April 25th, 2008 Categories: Fun Fridays
If you’re a regular reader of this blog – and finally, I think there are a couple of you – then you know that Fridays are for fun. I didn’t invent the idea of fun blog Fridays; I stole it from fellow blogger Teresa Boardman. She hasn’t sent her lawyers after me yet, so for now I guess I’m okay.
People like confessions so I thought it would be fun today to tell you one of mine: I’m not a geek. That may come as a surprise to some of you, since I do have a blog, but my computer literacy is probably on par with that of your average Golden Retriever.
What knowledge I do have of blogging can be attributed directly to a neat group of actual geeks called The Real Estate Tomato. See that tomato icon in the upper left margin over there? It has the word “graduate” it in, but I can assure you that in my case the designation is applied ever so loosely. I was one of those students they graduated just to prevent a mutiny. I think I was the reason some of the staff left and opened bagel shops in Vermont.
The ”tomato guys” have a specialty: taking non-geek Realtors like myself and teaching us how to become bloggers. The training consisted of many once-weekly sessions where I would put on my headset and listen to someone half my age and twice as smart explain why Google would like me if I created something called back links, posted profiles of myself on social networking sites, and didn’t stuff by blog articles with too many key words, in which case Google would smite me and banish my blog to the equivalent of blog purgatory. Much remedial training ensued.
The most amazing thing about blogs and all this internet stuff is the way it all talks to one another - or is supposed to, if you’re doing it right. What you see here on the finished page, so to speak, is only a gazillioneth of what’s really going on. You may think you’re just reading an article about buying or selling a home, but the cyber world is positively abuzz about it. It’s like one of those ads you see on TV where they show you your kitchen counter-top, then zoom in and you see billions of germs crawling around just under the surface.
Zoom in, and you’d see Google is somehow calculating how much you like this blog, where you came from, what you’re reading, and what you ate for breakfast. They do this by means of a mathematical formula called an algorithm, invented by guys with brains the size of cantaloupes who haven’t seen the light of day for years. It’s one big online popularity contest, the results of which somehow infiltrate the entire cyber universe.
Frankly, if I had to worry about all this and how it works, I wouldn’t have a blog. I wouldn’t have the time: we’re in the business of helping people buy and sell homes, and that keeps us nice and busy, thank you. Writing a blog is fun, for someone who likes to write. But it’s primarily a tool, a way to deliver useful information to our constituency, get feedback from you, and build an online community that’s accessible to almost everyone.
Just don’t ask me how it all works. I haven’t a clue.
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Ken,
You’ve got us all fooled. Just by looking at your efforts, attitude and traffic count, you seemed to have grasped the finer elements of blogging… geek or not.
Congratulations! We love having you on the vine.
Thanks, Jim – coming from you (the genius behind The Real Estate Tomato) that means quite a bit. Thanks, to, to everyone on your staff for their patience and great instruction. I’ve really enjoyed it.
Cute. I don’t own it, not sure I invented it either. Friday fun is just an excuse to have fun.
Whether or not you own it or invented it, Teresa, you’ve elevated fun Fridays to an art form. So thanks. And do check out Teresa’s blog when you get a moment. She’s the best.
Very nice post…very funny. It captures our desire to learn the necessary skills so we can get our message out to our readers.
Good luck!!
Thanks, Michael…how true. The desire to reach our constituency – and connect with them – is what drives any blog, I believe, and inspires us to learn the required skills. And speaking of blogs, y’all are doing a fine job over there at yours. Keep it up, and stay in touch.