17 Web 2.0 Tools, Tips & Tricks

At REBarcamp San Francisco, Joseph G. Ferrara (author of the Sellsius Real Estate Blog), Larry Yatkowsky and I led a session titled: Web 2.0 Tools, Tips & Tricks. We basically sat down for an hour and tossed out a bunch of technologies, explained their relevance and why we like ’em. Here’s a quick recap of that session along with some of the technologies that we discussed.

17 Web 2.0 Tools, Tips & Tricks:

Creating & Distributing Photo Content

• Animoto: in short, Animoto creates these wickedly awesome video/slideshows. Morgan Brown used it to create the REBarcamp Los Angeles recap slideshow (check it out). It’s really simple to use and like I said, it takes slideshows to a whole new level. According to the Animoto guys at the Inman Conference, the video plays to the temp of the music, so a slower beat would render photos a lot better for say a property listing? Just an idea…

• Slide: This is a very simple way to create slideshows (one of the simplest ways in my opinion). Laurie Manny does a phenomenal job of injecting slideshows into her property listing posts. 

• Flickr: This is the one that I use most often. I’ve made it a happen to snap photos (mostly at events) and upload them onto flickr immediately; it’s become my routine. I create a photo slideshow and email the content out with my LinkedIn invitations. But if you ask me, Animoto rocks the slideshows much better! 

• Picnik: Picnik is a photo editing tool and a very cool one! I tried it for the first time just the other day and I have to report that it’s incredibly easy to use. It’s free and you don’t have to download any software which is why I like it. But if you want to do some more advanced stuff with it, you’ll have to subscribe to the premium version.

• Gimp: here’s another great, free photo editing software. Now, I’ve downloaded Gimp but just haven’t gotten around to using it. It doesn’t cost you anything so it’s worth a shot if you’re not using anything else.

• Twitpic: This is a no-brainer. If you’re on Twitter, you already have a twitpic account. You just log-in using your same username and password and click on the “Settings” tab. At that point you’ll be given an unique email address to email photos to from your phone. This is a great way to inject some multi-media (breathe some life) into your twitter-stream!

Video Content

• Apture: This one is pretty cool too. It’s a plugin that allows you to add videos and images from varying sources to your blog posts. It adds a whole multimedia element without ever requiring your readers to leave the site. 

• TubeMogul: This one is a one-stop video syndication source. You basically upload your video once and it broadcasts it to multiple platforms while providing you with analytics. Now, I don’t know too many real estate agents who are doing a lot with video (except forSarah Bandy of course), but I can definitely see where this could be very resourceful!

• TwitVid.com: Like Twitpic, you have a twitvid account if you have a twitter account (same username and password). I use Twitvid to record impromptu video interviews with folks at conferences. It’s nothing long by any means. I keep it to about 1.5 – 2 minutes (anything longer than that and it just doesn’t work in my humble opinion). Then, Twitvid cross-posts my video to Facebook and Twitter. Viola!

Audio Content/Podcasts

• Utterli: I used Utterli to record this audio interview with Christian Sterner, Co-Founder of Wellcomemat. You know what the cool thing was? I recorded it straight from my phone and utterli did the rest. No mics, no recorders, no uploading & downloading. I simply dialed the free phone number provided to me by utterli and the fine folks at Utterli took care of the rest!

• TalkShoe: I use TalkShoe to record my radio interviews. The last two were with Mark Eckenrode of HomeStomper.com and with Teresa Boardman of the StPaulRealEstateBlog.com. Dustin Luther uses TalkShoe to host RE:RnD. It’s simple and it’s free. You simply register an account, create your next show and you’re given a dial-in number for your audience including a live-chat the second your call goes live.

• BlogTalkRadio: Now here’s one I haven’t used before but ya know who has? Jim Cronin uses it to host TomatoRadio! He’s had some awesome guests on that show and hasn’t run into any issues yet. Blogtalkradio gives you a dial-in number and a live-chat function accompanies it so your audience can listen in and participate in the discussion. 

• FreeConferenceCall.com: if all else fails, you can always revert to FreeConferenceCall.com. This service has never failed me. It’s a quick and easy way to set up a conference call for either a meetup or a larger group. If you’re using for a podcast, you’ll just have to find a way to grab and host the audio yourself. But if it’s a meeting you’re looking to set up, this is your ticket.

Lightning Round (Other Cools Apps)

• Google Voice: I just recently got my invitation to Google Voice and you know what one feature I really like about it? The ability to transcribe voice to text and send it to me in one easy to read email. Sometimes it messes up but all in all, it works and that’s awesome! For me, this one feature alone leads to greater productivity.

• Card.ly: The idea behind card.ly is pretty simple: it creates a sort of profile hub for who you are, what you do and where you can be found around the web. Here’s what my card.ly profile looks like. Personally, I really dig the concept but the site could be better. In fact, it’s why I created www.ricardobueno.com. But again, for a free service, it certainly does work out well.

• Su.pr: I pronounce it “Su-prah”. You know, as in supra-key! (Hehe…). But really, out of all of the url shorteners our there, I think I really love su.pr the most. You might disagree with me but it’s: 1.) Free (yes I know it’s still in beta), 2.) ridiculously easy to use once you add the bookmark-let to your toolbar, 3.) gives you awesome stats with the potential for more traffic from Stumbleupon.

• Posterous: You might call this “social media on steroids!” Seriously, posterous makes it ridiculously simple to create content while on the road (video, audio, photo, written, etc.) and it uploads that content to multiple sites. It cross-posts that content where-ever you want it to go (your blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). All you have to do is create your media and email post@posterous.com (once you verify your email & phone accounts of course) and viola! you’re done. Seriously, if you haven’t tried it, check it out…

If you’ve tried any of these tools, what do you think of ’em? Are there any others that I might have left out? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. There’s lots of other cool stuff out there, I’m sure we’ve barely scratched the surface here…