Cool Austin Texas Real Estate Blog

I recently started a consulting business with my friend Jeremy Blanton to serve as a resource for those who want to learn more about using social media tools, and how to use them to bring in more tangible business.  So far, we've had a couple of webinars and we are planning for two more soon.  Attendance was solid at the initial sessions, and the feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive, with a handful of attendees signing up for further individual coaching.  

Thankfully for our students, my own learning curve with our new software hasn't been very steep, which has made things very smooth and easy.  :)  We're also in the process of setting up a brand-new website and blog for the company, both pieces of which have been provided free of charge to us from friends of ours.  What a huge blessing!  I hope that our new platform will provide a great place to collect and share information.

Our first webinar, "How to Chug Google Juice AND Get 15 Years of Fame", will be repeated on February 8th at 1pm Eastern: http://budurl.com/210consulting.  You can see a full description of this class here.

Our next webinar is entitled, "Cashing in on Your Social Media Investment", and we'll be teaching that one on Monday, February 15th at 1pm Eastern time (running time is about two hours total).  Essentially, we will cover how to build your social media strategy to increase your business.  As we all know, many people try social media networks but get sucked into the social end and forget the original reason that they joined.

We will be covering the following topics in a fun, laidback atmosphere:

• How to effectively listen to consumers 
• How to add valuable content to engage with those around you 
• Tips and specific tools that we've used 
• Some basic "etiquette" for Twitter, Facebook, and blogging
• Techniques for promoting a cause or event

Yesterday, on our online radio show, Social Media Edge, I was very pleased to get a chance to meet Sean Cranbury, who is the host of Books on the Radio.  Sean is a 20+ year veteran of the book business, and I was excited to speak with him about Publishing 3.0, which is a fascinating trend.  

In a nutshell, Publishing 3.0 is the brainchild of Richard Nash, and he will soon be launching a new project called Cursor which has the potential to make traditional publishing obsolete, in my humble opinion.  Rather than give away all of the details here, I would recommend listening to the conversation I had with Sean during the show.  Suffice it to say that it will allow authors to shape their content and build an audience for their works while they're still in progress.  The flexibility to alter content via "print on demand" is a phenomenal side benefit.

Self-publishing continues to explode, and we discussed what effect this could have on both the quantity and quality of books that are out there.  

Sean is an innovative guy, and he is involved in a good number of writing and book-related projects, as you can see by visiting his blog: http://booksontheradio.ca.  Overall, I really enjoyed getting a chance to speak with him, and I look forward to learning more about this nascent technology/industry.  

In addition to our talk, Ken Cook and I were joined by our cast of regulars: Mike Mueller, Jeremy Blanton, and T.S. Elliott (if you don't know her yet, you should get to know her).  Big kudos to our show booking agent, Cathy Browne, for finding another solid guest for us!

Click below to listen to the show in its entirety (Sean's segment begins around the midway point):

http://blogtalk.vo.llnwd.net/o23/shows/show_836888.mp3

There's a relatively new yogurt shop near my home that we've visited a few times, and I wanted to give them some additional exposure in the hopes of bringing some more customers their way.  Yogurt r' Rock is located in the La Frontera Shopping Center, facing the westbound frontage road for Toll 45 (formerly Ben and Jerry's).  I keep forgetting to ask if it's pronounced "Yogurt R-Rock" or "Yogurt ARE Rock".  Either way, it's worth visiting and it's become a fun, somewhat healthy dessert treat for our family.

The business model is so simple that it makes me wish I'd thought of it first:

• Allow customers to self-serve yogurt and toppings
• Weigh customer's choice on a scale
• Charge 39 cents/ounce

I was on my way home today via a different route, and there was a sign that caught my eye - "Book Box".  As a voracious reader, I rarely pass up the chance to visit a used book store, and this was no exception.  

I am happy to report that Pflugerville now has a quaint, comfortable used book store.  Frankly, this is the kind of place where I am likely to become a regular customer.  With prices on the discount shelf at $1 or $2, and most other prices in the $5 and under range, this is my kind of place.  They also purchase and give store credit for used books.  My wife and I are known to spend entire Saturday mornings perusing garage sales for books, so this store is a dream come true.  

While I was there, I spoke for awhile with Beth Lee, the owner/manager.  She is an engaging, down-to-earth lady and I love the fact that she is following her passion with this business.

There are a few extras that will surely grow the business over time, including free coffee, free wifi access, a kids' section with some toys, and some VERY comfortable chairs set up for reading.  The store features art from locals and kiddos, too, and Beth told me that they repaint the ceiling tiles (currently featuring kids' artwork) every few weeks.  They offer a storytime that is geared to kids 2-6 on Thursdays and Saturdays at noon, and they are open to having church, scouting, and other community events or meetings.  

In a nutshell, Beth has done a very nice job of providing a casual atmosphere that could become a terrific venue or hangout for smaller groups.  While I was there, Beth accepted some items for donations to our troops, which reinforced the fact that she is making an effort to be an integral part of the community with her venture, and I applaud this.

Beth's Book Box first opened about six months ago, and my sole complaint is that I didn't manage to find it sooner.  Books are my vice, and I left with a couple of good reads today.  

Beth's is located near the corner of Windermere and Pecan Street, on the north side of Pecan.  There used to be a Greek restaurant in the space, which makes for some interesting architecture with the store layout.  The physical address is 15803 Windermere, and they can be reached at 512-989-7324.  Their primary website is http://bethsbookbox.com.  

They are closed on Mondays, open Tues-Sat 10am-6pm, Sundays 12-5pm.  

If you are a book addict, I highly recommend checking this place out.  

Quick disclaimer: This is a sincere book review and it contains my honest opinions, and I haven't been compensated in any fashion for this.  That being said, I consider Shel Israel to be a friend now, so I will dispense with any formality (i.e. I won't be referring to him as "Mr. Israel" here).

Having had a chance to speak with Shel Israel when he appeared twice on our radio show this past year, and having met him in person when he was in Austin, I was looking forward to acquiring my own copy of his latest book, "Twitterville". 

In a nutshell, Shel did not disappoint with this effort, managing to cover Twitter from almost every conceivable business angle.  Non-profit? Check.  Medicine?  Check.  Politics?  Indeed.  Local businesses?  Absolutely.  What about big business?  Yes.  It's all here. 

Shel has a broad understanding of public relations and corporate marketing strategies, and frankly, it shows here.  If you're looking to create a social media marketing plan, this book is certain to give you some new ideas.  In fact, I would be surprised if "Twitterville" didn't stimulate some new methods and techniques that you can implement with your own business.

You will learn about what some businesses are doing right when it comes to social media engagement (think Zappos and Comcast), and which ones missed the mark altogether.  You will also read about customers who are forming groups of their own around specific brands.

At just under 300 pages, this is a relatively quick read, and Shel keeps things moving along by providing plenty of "real world" stories to illustrate his points.  He did a great job of locating the stories themselves, then an even better job of distilling them into a holistic work that supports his thesis.  Speaking of which, the main thrust here is that Twitter is a revolutionary business tool which serves to bring people together and makes things happen that might not otherwise have happened.  In essence, the world is made smaller and more intimate.  The full title is "Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhoods", which is appropriate.

Shel also covers the history of Twitter from its inception and its public debut at SXSW in 2007.  I got a better feel for the guys who run the show by reading his take on them and their distinct personalities and backgrounds.  He also details a handful of social media rockstars who are just plain doing things the right way, including Chris Brogan, Veronica Belmont, and Jeremiah Owyang.

"Twitterville" will remain on my bookshelf as a reference book, and I can't recommend it enough if you want to gain a better understanding of how Twitter serves to interconnect millions of lives, projects, and conversations. 

To pick up your own copy, visit http://budurl.com/twitterville. 

The other day on our online radio show, Mike Mueller shared a site that I think it a lot of fun, so I wanted to share it with my readers here. 

Have you tried Formspring.me yet?

In a nutshell, this site allows you to set up a page very quickly (and a corresponding widget, too, if you like) which allows people who see the page to ask you ANY question.

This may or may not have business value for me, but I like it nonetheless.  Another feature which I appreciate is the fact that questions do not appear publicly unless I choose to answer them.  Before I realized that, I figured it would take a very brave man or woman to open themselves up for this type of public inquiry.

So far, all of the questions have been pretty tame, mainly relating to blogging, social media, and the heartbreaking loss by the Dallas Cowboys this past week.  I welcome variety and some new topics.  You can view the link below to see the questions I've answered so far.

Feel free to visit my page and ask me a question.  You don't even have to sign in - you can ask anonymously.  I'll do my best to answer every single question that I receive, unless it's overtly offensive.  :) 

Here's my link if you're interested in asking me a question: http://formspring.me/jasoncrouch

Join us tomorrow as we continue our discussion!  We are very proud to have added "Real Estate Roundtable" to the JCKC Network on BlogTalkRadio.  Along with our flagship program, Social Media Edge, we have two other programs, The M Files (with host Mike Mueller) and TQ Radio (hosted by Twitterqueens founders Diane Guercio, Maya Paveza, and Lesley Lambert).  

Kent and Ryan are on the right track with this show!

Please take a couple of minutes to read this post from Mirela Monte, and take action to help these children. In our abundance, surely we can help those who are truly in need, and save some lives in the process.

One of my good friends, Gilbert Sauceda, runs a local company called the Color Factory.  They specialize in logo design and t-shirt printing, along with signage and branding. 

Gilbert's company is working in conjunction with HELP (Help End Local Poverty) to provide t-shirts at their material cost (i.e. no profit) to benefit Haiti in the wake of the recent earthquake.  All proceeds will be going to help. 

I've been looking for ways to help ever since this tragedy occurred last week.  I'm hoping to leverage my following to get exposure for this project.  They are offering 1,000 shirts for sale as part of this initiative. 

I was impressed that they are doing something tangible to help.  The shirts appear to be very nice, and you can see them here:

http://www.helpendlocalpoverty.bigcartel.com/

At a cost of $25, please consider purchasing a shirt so that additional funds can be directed to Haiti.  HELP is a solid, legitimate organization.  Please help spread the word!

I wanted to spread the word a little bit about today's Social Media Edge episode, since our guest brought some of the very best social media information that I have heard in 14 months of hosting the show. 

If you only hear one interview from us, I would suggest this one if you have some time. 

Shane Gibson is the co-author of "Sociable", a brand-new book for salespeople who want to convert social media time into real-world dollars.  His philosophies and the actionable strategies he shared made me buy a copy of his book today. 

You can see more about the book at http://sociablebook.com and you can order it via Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Sociable-Social-Turning-Marketing-Upside/dp/1439264007/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263961918&sr=8-1

Click here to listen to our chat with Shane today:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jckc/2010/01/19/social-media-edge