Most of us read and write about Web 2.0 RE.net Marketing in the Real Estate world every day.  Blah, blah, blah.  While it’s shiny and new(ish), most people haven’t caught on. 

Today, I’d like to share with you a company that employs the Web 2.0 rhetoric that moves me to open my wallet.  An Austin brownie company is the last place you’d expect someone to have mastered the “omg, I have to have that” marketing feel, but we could really learn from Mary Louise Butters Brownies.  Who knew?  If you’re finding difficulty in your online ads, take a page from Mary Louise; Seth Godin would be proud of them!

The flavor I will be ordering is called “Mental Julep” and the description reads:

“Think about this: fresh mint and chocolate.  Sit on the porch with this little nip and chill out.  Cooling, refreshing, uplifting..the list goes on but you need no words for this Brownie of mind-melding-mint and chocolate pleasure. We’ve kept it simple because it’s simply that good. Chill.” 

I urge everyone to do two things… read their ads and order their product!  Come back when they arrive on your doorstep and review them after you unbutton the top button of your jeans (you’ll need to)!

h/t to Chris Trew for commanding we eat brownies!

What Blog Do YOU Read Most Frequently?

This is really just a test; I’d like for y’all to take this stupid poll above so I can test out this new polling site (and it only lets me vote once).  It will make you leave RE Revealed, but I know you’ll come back.  Why do I need polling? I have my reasons…

As you can see, I run on Word Press (on a very sexy theme, I might add).  That was a big jump for me since I consider myself php challenged.  I considered Moveable Type but went with WP because it was what the cool kids were doing (and I could call the cool kids if I got lost).

However, if you are preparing to start your first blog or simply make yours spiffy, you should consider Mashable Type 4.0.  They’ve completely rennovated their front and back ends and upgrades include plugin upgrades, a new user interface, content aggregators, and better typography (whatever that means).  Also on the horizon is the Open Source release of MT.

I’m what you would call a blogtard, so I personally will be staying put.  But if you’re on the fence about your current (or non existent blog), before you commit to Word Press (or uh, Blogger), check out MT 4.0 just launched today- be the first kid on the block with the new toy!  Let us know how it works (or doesn’t work) for you.

I’ve written before about the magic of Jott and how it has become my personal reminder system for my scattered brain.  Jott.com is a free service that transcribes your voice to an email to yourself or to others.  I’ve become familiar with the greeting “who do you want to Jott?”

Last night when I tried to call to transcribe a message from my sofa where I didn’t plan on moving from to get the laptop 3 feet away, the Jott system hung up on me after no dialtone.  This happened three times.  When I called just now, a young lady was speaking overly unenthusiastically in Spanish and I didn’t catch much other than the words “yesterday,” “later,” and a list of prices and then I hung up on the sleepy sounding recording. 

What the crap?  Does anyone else use Jott?  I’d love to know if I’ve been banned or something… please, anyone tell me if Jott works for you- it seems as if it’s been HIJACKED since the website still shows their number exactly as I’m dialing it.  HELP!

UPDATE: I just tried calling again and got my Jott lady back.  But a second try got the Spanish speaking lady again.  I guess 50% is better than 0%.

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: John Pollard emailed me directly within the hour and requested a full conversation.  We spoke about the details and he brought in a really helpful tech analyst.  They know I’m on Sprint, the exact times the calls failed, where I called from, and my suspicion that it was a dialect from northern Mexico or someone implanted here from North Mexico (I have a minor in Spanish… studied in Spain… not that I speak Spanish; I’m rusty).

We all agreed that it was a fluke and I think they are on VOIP so there’s a big chance that THEIR phone provider failed them.  Either way, I had an awesome experience with Jott and with the Spanish Fluke issue resolved, I’m back to Jotting frequently!  THANKS JOTT!!!  For those of you who aren’t signed up for the free service yet, get your lazy butt over to Jott.com NOW!

Regarding a recent article on RE Revealed, we recently learned that:

“Maine-based company United Systems Access has bought the right to offer Amp’d’s monthly plans, meaning the customers of the doomed mobile company now have an exit ramp, should they choose to take it.

The service is being offered through their Prexar Mobile unit; Amp’d gets a 25% stake in Prexar, and will be paid according to the number of customers who make the switch.

There’s more info at the Prexar site.” 

The short of it is that if you rely strictly on VC money to function as a company, you may end up belly up with no more than a 25% share in your business.  Look, I would accept VC money if someone threw a bag of cash at me, but I would look to diversify my income sources so I wouldn’t end up like Amp’d, where the glass is only 25% full- boo!  Hey, 25% is better than 0%, BUT the VC leeches should take note…

GoAbroad is a brand spankin’ new traveler network where users can document their locations and create groups about these travels.  Complete a profile of your travels, search for other travelers based on locations (and even interests).  GoAbroad uses the term “stationed” for your current location.  I like that- how military (as if you’re probably abroad without a choice).

This is a great application for the retired traveler, military person, those studying abroad or vacationers.  If you’ve never left the country, it is an experience you must have before leaving this earth!  GoAbroad makes that leap a little more friendly- you can make friends online and blog about your trip pre-flight if you’d like… talk about an ice breaker!

Most of you don’t know that I spent some time in Spain a few years ago, studying at La Universidad de Salamanca, the oldest university in the country (which is where Christopher Columbus dropped out of, btw).  I absolutely loved Spain and swore to visit but never live there (or in Europe).  I’m a Texas girl at heart and couldn’t stand not having a massive yard!  If I had GoAbroad back then, I would have been less nervous about jumping on a plane alone, not knowing anyone where I was going, and knowing only intro-level Spanish. 

I have done missionary work in Monterrey, Mexico, honeymooned in Cancun, ordered Burger King in Portugal, spent a day in London faking an accent, backpacked across Madrid, jetted to Toledo, and went to Paris twice for perfume with girlfriends (don’t go with ugly girls- French are mean to ugly girls, they were nice when I was with my hot friends), but never made it to Ibiza, boo!

Tell us about your travels!  If you’re soon to travel, go to GoAbroad and get started!!!

*****
Photo courtesy of Pavel.

CNN Money evaluates our home’s appliances and while there is nothing groundbreaking, it is handy information.  In resale, appliances can be the difference between a good offer and a great offer.  When your clients are dragging their feet when it’s time to list, remind them that with 1970’s appliances come 1970’s offers…  The appliances may be “original” or “artistic,” but their functionality may have expired with their era.

So I’ll admit that I’m not the most avid James Bond fan, but Max Smart-esque toys are exciting no matter who you are!  Today on Lifehacker, Adam Pash reviews the new Banana Screen- talk about wow!

Banana Screen is a tool that unlocks your computer by recognizing your face- just by sitting in front of your computer!  No more typing in your mother’s maiden name combined with your dog’s birthday!  In Real Estate, information dealt with is often private and with all of the running around, it is conceivable that a desktop may be left on when rushing to your next listing appointment.  

It’s a Freeware application, so there’s no harm in trying this tool while it’s in beta.  If for no other reason than to show off how awesomely cool you are, give it a shot- all you need is a webcam and the ability to click “download.”  Do it tonight and leave your review here tomorrow, you 007 stud!

Thanks a lot, Larry… as if my time wasn’t monopolized with Real Estate, blogging, family and a stubborn dog, you got me hooked on the crack that is Lifehacker! If any of you aren’t reading, it is a great supplement for bloggers to learn about software apps, office organizing and how to get water out of the cell phone you dropped in the pool.

My favorite articles today:
Google adds Group Chat (great for co-drafting documents)
Top 10 DIY Office Projects
Making a Room Look Bigger (great for staging or in your own home or office)
Cord Management (addressing Realtor Genius’ cord crisis)

It’s no Feed Bag, but now I’m like Larry, pimpin’ and slingin’ the addiction that is Lifehacker (see Erin, I like to say pimpin’!)!