Archive for October, 2009

Homebuyer Tax Credit – The Extended Edition!

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Tax Credits, Baby!What were you doing last night? Cleaning up after dinner? Watching television or reading a good book? Well, we know what some powerful people in Washington were up to: extending the homebuyer tax credit for another seven months and broadening the offer to include move-up buyers. This is big news for homebuilders and new home communities!

The new credit will hit the floor within the next couple of days as Democrats and Republicans come to agreements on related issues. So if you have been waiting for your chance to buy a new home, but felt as though you were being excluded from tax benefit party, then it may be time to put on those dancing shoes.

The Gunn/Jerkens Halloween Photo Contest Has Begun!

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Gunn/Jerkens is asking for your favorite Halloween costume photos. It’s super easy to enter and you have a chance of winning your choice of a bag filled with delicious chocolate or a $100 iTunes gift card!

Become a Fan & Enter!

Good luck!

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Employees of Gunn/Jerkens are not eligible.  To be eligible, you must become a “Fan” of Gunn/Jerkens on Facebook. To enter, register with Facebook and post your photo submission to the Gunn/Jerkens Marketing & Advertising Fan Page Wall. Entries must be received by 11:59 pm PST on 11/13/09. One prize will be awarded. Winner will be notified on 11/17/09 via Facebook messaging system. Void where prohibited by law. ©2009 Gunn/Jerkens Marketing Communications.

Three's Company – Google & Bing Announce Twitter Searches

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Attention Social Medialites! It’s time to add a new buzz phrase to your glossary (if it isn’t in there already): Real-Time Web.

Google & BingThere were some major developments yesterday in the Twitter world that have many of us real-time enthusiasts very excited…and curious. Google and Microsoft’s Bing both announced real-time search deals with Twitter! WHOA! Wait, what does that mean?

It means that now you can use Bing.com to see what’s hot on Twitter—from the most popular links being shared to the hottest trending topics.  And as far as Google’s plans go, in a few weeks they will be launching an experimental version of “Social Search.” This new tool is designed to integrate information created by people in your Google network into your Google search results. However, it seems like in order for this to work you will need to have a Google account, profile and a fair amount of contacts. (Click here to read more about Google’s Social Search.)

There’s been some talk about how Twitter may be on the way out, but with major entities still champing at the bit to get a piece of the action, that doesn’t appear to be the case—at least for now.

Native Plant Sale in LB this Saturday!

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Visit LongBeachGreenGuide.comHey Long Beach neighbors! We found out from LongBeachGreenGuide.com that this weekend the El Dorado Nature Center will be hosting its annual California Native Plant Sale. This is a great opportunity to discover plants that are perfectly suited for our dry climate – we have to conserve that water folks! Plus, there will be plenty of knowledgeable green thumbs present to offer advice and guidance. If you’re in town this weekend, check it out!

Native Plant Sale
Sponsored by Partners of Parks
Saturday,  October 24th
9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

El Dorado Nature Center
7550 E. Spring St.
Long Beach, CA 90815
Nature Center website:
www.longbeach.gov

BlogWorld 2009 Offers New Insight

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

BlogWorld2009

This year’s BlogWorld New Media Expo had bloggers flippin’ their lids last week, and that excitement generated a lot of useful posts. Our Media Manager came across this one today from Outspoken Media’s Lisa Barone, which quickly touches on Real Estate Social Media ROI.

Surfing the Google Wave

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

Surf's Up!

The invite-only test run of Google Wave sent folks into a frenzy last week, so I felt compelled to see what all the fuss was about. I received an invite from a friend and the two of us started experimenting with some of the functions.

Google Wave is an online tool for real-time communication and collaboration. A wave can be both a conversation and a document where people can discuss and work together using richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.

Using Google WaveAfter exploring for about 20 minutes, I was not impressed. In fact, I was frustrated. The “collaborative” element of the program would more accurately be described as “annoying.” When typing a message to someone, having a conversation or drafting a note, another user can watch as you make typos, and vice versa. What’s more, another user can go into the message you’re writing and add to it in real time. Not only is this whole process extremely agitating, but I’m not sure I see any convenience in it…at least not yet.

With such a small number of people with current access to Google Wave, getting acclimated to the tools and functions is fairly difficult. My hope is that with more testing and development Google Wave will prove to be a less complicated program and a more useful tool for businesses and everyday use. As it stands, I’m going to wait for a better swell to come in.

Have you tried it out yet? What did you think?