Change the font size of the articles
Blog Lead Tips Blog SEO Tips Blog Marketing Tips
Blog Participation Tips

Grab Chiclet



Legal

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivs 2.5 License.
©2006 RealEstateTomato.com

Category Archives

Click the titles below to read the full post or use the drop-down menu in the sidebar to select a different category:

May 28, 2008: Tomato Bloggers At Inman Bloggers Connect 2008 SF and PageRank Surges
Comments: 24 | Categories: Announcements , Blogging Peers , Real Estate Blogging
It seems that while we’ve been busy toiling the last couple of months on the development of our latest and greatest: the Real Estate Broker Blog 2.0, there have been a few significant updates that were worthy of mention, even if a tad belated. Not only have I accepted the invitation to participate on a panel at the much anticipated follow up to last year’s huge SF Bloggers Connect event, but it seems that 3 other Tomato Bloggers will be upon on stage… representing! I will be tackling the topic: Growing Pains: Take Your Blog to the Next Level Beth Butler (EWM Broker and Tomato Blogger) will be joined by our Director of Technology, Jason Benesch, discussing: Group Blogging; How One Broker is Making it Work. And just recently, Matt Fagioli (Broker of Diamond Dwellings, Tomato Blogger & Coordinator of the successful RETechSouth): Building a Real Estate Brokerage in a...

May 22, 2008: The Real Estate Broker Blog 2.0 - Plug In To The Solution
Comments: 19 | Categories: Announcements , Blogging Advice , Products and Services , Real Estate Blogging , Web 2.0
Last year we launched the first of it's kind Real Estate Broker Blog. Because of its innovation and wild success, Beth Butler, the Broker responsible for the project, has been asked to speak at Inman Connect in San Francisco this summer. Her topic: "How One Broker Is Making Group Blogging Work" Here's a quick overview of the EWM Project's current stats: -14 Offices with 750+ Agents -400+ agents have posted since launch last year. -100+ post regularly (a few times a month) -10,000+ Posts to date -Easily 100's of Leads Generated (sales, leases, listings, press requests) -Dozens and dozens of Sales -60 Percent of Inbound Traffic from SE's (read: Google) -1000's of Daily Hits Well, from all that we learned over the last year, designing, developing and managing this massive project, we've found some room to make improvements. In fact, we learned so much, that the entire approach has changed...

February 22, 2008: Real Estate Tomato Blogger Makes the Cover of Realtor Magazine
Comments: 7 | Categories: Announcements , Blogging Peers , Real Estate Blogging , Tomato In The Press
We a thrilled to announce that Tomato Blogger, Ann Marie Clements, of Montgomery County, MD is gracing the cover of this month’s Realtor Magazine (March 2008). The cover article, entitled: Welcome To Real Estate 2.0, discusses how savvy agents are embracing Web 2.0 tools to enhance and improve their real estate careers. Blogs, Wikis, MashUps, Social Networks and Video are the weapons of choice in this brave new Real Estate 2.0 world. We are also proud to mention that our most popular guest blogger, Teresa Boardman and her blog get a lot of attention in the article. Other friends that were interviewed or mentioned in this front page piece: 1000WattConsulting Ardell Dellaloggia Dustin Luther of RainCityGuide Matt Heaton of ActiveRain Brian Wilson of Zolve IncredibleAgents Frances Flynn Thorsen of Realtygram Blogger Jeff Turner of Turner’s Perspective Daniel Rothamel of Real Estate Zebra Blog …and yes… even we got a mention...

January 12, 2008: 7 Reasons Why You Should Consider an Extreme Internet Marketing Makeover For Your Real Estate Business
Comments: 6 | Categories: Announcements , Blog Marketing , Marketing Solutions , Products and Services
7 Real Estate Marketing Powerhouses Team Up To Give Away More Than $16,000 Worth of Services, For Free! Our good friends over at Online Marketing Strategies had this crazy idea: Let’s get a bunch of very effective and cutting edge real estate marketing companies together to change someone’s life. The Real Estate Tomato was lucky enough to be chosen to be a part of this event, and we couldn’t be more excited. I can’t wait to see who wins. The Contributors To The Winner’s Package Include: - Online Marketing Strategies - This Web design and marketing firm will deliver a thorough review of the winner’s Web site, ultimately to design a highly targeted Web site incorporating the latest marketing techniques. The winner will also receive a custom, high-resolution print artwork branded from their Web site for business cards, letterhead, envelopes, Just Listed and Just Sold cards. VALUE $7500 - Jim...

January 7, 2008: An Open Letter to Real Estate Tomato Blog Readers
Comments: 27 | Categories: Announcements
Dear Readers, First of all I want to wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year. 2007 was an unbelievable year not only for us here at the Tomato, but as well for the real estate blogosphere. The growth of this novel community has been nothing short of thrilling to witness, and I am proud to be a part of it. It would have been impossible to predict the opportunities, events and success that we experienced in 2007. For that reason, my only prediction for 2008 is that things are going to continue to be very, very exciting. It is undeniable that the success of last year hinged on our blogging efforts. And yet, it has been nearly 2 months since we've posted an article, exploring the art of real estate blogging. This is inexcusable and reckless considering my predictions for 2008. So, I apologize to our more than 2000...

October 9, 2007: Sellsius Real Estate Blog Announces Their Top 12 Women Real Estate Bloggers For 2007
Comments: 14 | Categories: Announcements , Blogging Peers , Real Estate Blogging
The list from 2006 has grown from 10 to 12… Now there are enough to fill a Women of Real Estate Blogging Calendar. In order of appearance in the list from Sellsius: Teresa Boardman Kris Berg Missy Caulk Diane Cohn Ines Hegedus-Garcia Maureen Francis Kristal Kraft Laurie Manny Roberta Murphy Sharon Simms Rhonda Porter Frances Flynn Thorsen Congratulations Ladies! *Update (10–16–07) Our good friend, and master blogger, Oliver Muoto over at VFlyer has taken the time to interview the Dynamic Dozen. Listen in. Tags: women+in+real+estate+blogging, sellsius+real+estate

October 4, 2007: Inman News Ranks Real Estate Tomato A Top 25 Most Influential Real Estate Blogger
Comments: 10 | Categories: Announcements , Blogging Peers , Real Estate Blogging , Tomato In The Press
Flattered. Honored. Thrilled. Proud to be listed among such heavyweights on the RE Blogos. Here are Inman's Top 25 Real Estate Bloggers: — Broker and Agent Blogs Teresa Boardman St. Paul Real Estate Blog Ardell Della Loggia Founder, SearchingSeattleBlog Marlow Harris Founder, 360Digest Doug Heddings Founder, TrueGotham Noah Rosenblatt Founder, Urbandigs.com — Community/ Multi-Author Blogs Dustin Luther Founder, Rain City Guide Greg Swann Founder, Bloodhound Blog — Mortgage Blogs Morgan Brown Founder, Blown Mortgage Todd Carpenter Founder, LenderamaCR and Tanta Bloggers, Calculated Risk Paul Jackson Founder, Housing Wire — Housing Economics Jonathan Miller Founder, Matrix — Industry Commentary Kevin Boer Founder, 3Oceans Real Estate Joel Burslem Founder, Future of Real Estate Marketing Patrick Kitano Founder, Transparent Real Estate — Marketing and How-To Jim Cronin Founder, Real Estate Tomato Joseph Ferrara, Rudolph D. Bachraty III Co-Founders, Sellsius Real Estate Blog — Local Blogging Jonathan Butler Founder, Brownstoner Adam Koval Founder, SocketSite...

August 28, 2007: The Real Estate Broker Blog - Bigger, Badder, Better and Beyond
Comments: 32 | Categories: Announcements , Blogging Advice , Blogging Peers , Real Estate Blogging , Web 2.0
Are you are real estate broker seeing the power that individual agents possess through blogging, thinking, we could own the search engines for this area if we could just harness the efforts of our agents? …Then suddenly, you realize that you have the following challenges holding you back? - Can't risk the liability of agents posting freely. - Don't have the resources to get the team to see the value and embrace the effort. - Don't have the tool for agents to post content into the current company site. - Recognize the nightmare in organizing the presentation of so much content. - Don't have the IT team to support such a project. - Don't have the resources to train the agents to blog effectively and consistently. Making announcements about our company's product is not the normal M.O. here at the Tomato, but when you're about to make history, you need...

July 21, 2007: Jim Cronin, Guest Speaking at Keller Williams Mega Camp 2007
Comments: 21 | Categories: Announcements , Tomato In The Press
I was so honored to have been personally called and invited by Keller Williams Chairman, Gary Keller to be a guest speaker at his world renowned event Keller Williams Mega Camp 2007. This year's event will take place from August 20th through August 24th at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, TX. From the Mega Camp homepage: “Mega Camp 2007 is the exclusive event where top producers and Keller Williams Realty leaders converge for an extraordinary week of learning and networking. Here, you will discover the newest tools and answers to your business challenges presented by fast-moving mastermind panels, top guest speakers and real estate industry leaders, including Gary Keller, co-founder and chairman of the board of Keller Williams Realty International and a New York Times bestselling author.” I have been asked to speak on the topic of Blogging Your Way To Success. (No surprise here) The items I will...

June 26, 2007: Nine Months Of Real Estate Blogging A Celebrity Will You Make
Comments: 7 | Categories: Announcements , Blogging Peers , Partners & Friends , Real Estate Blogging , Sacramento RE News , Search Engines
We are so proud of our first Real Estate Tomato Graduate, Gena Riede. This hot house tomato has just leaped from her keyboard to the television. This past weekend, Gena was interviewed by Channel 13, CBS, in her home town of Sacramento, CA. The piece ran on both Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd. She owes her new found celebrity to her hard work, timely advice, and her real estate blog: SacramentoRealEstateVoice.com. Anchor Kris Pickle contacted Gena directly, after noticing an article she had posted to her blog called: Sacramento Foreclosure Auction Looking for Suckers! Apparently Kris and her team loved the piece and wanted to have Gena give her two cents, forewarning potential bidders for an upcoming property auction in the city. To watch the piece that appeared on the evening news click here. To read Gena’s account check out her post on the event here. In addition...

June 26, 2007: Inman Announces 2007 Innovator Award Finalists - Tomato Makes The List
Comments: 10 | Categories: Announcements , National RE News , Tomato In The Press
Inman has just announced the 39 real estate, technology and media companies that are competing for the coveted 2007 Inman Innovator Award, and we have been lucky enough to make the short list. We are so honored! Winners are scheduled to be announced during the annual Real Estate Connect Technology Conference, in San Francisco Aug. 1-3. We have been named, along with thirty-nine other real estate, technology and media firms as finalists, including John L. Scott Real Estate, Fidelity National Information Service, the BloodhoundBlog, Trulia and Zillow. An excerpt from the original Inman press release states: The Inman Innovator Awards recognize companies that use technology and innovation to enhance the real estate transaction and experience for consumers and real estate professionals. In addition, one individual who embodies the spirit of innovation in real estate is honored each year. There are 5 categories for which the finalists will be competing: (Finalists...

June 24, 2007: Real Estate Blog Articles Are Now Appearing On MySpace
Comments: 9 | Categories: Announcements , Real Estate Blogging , Web 2.0
Shortly after posting the article before this one (Should MLS Brokers Be Allowed To Blog About Other MLS Broker's Listings?) I noticed a good amount of traffic coming in from a source I had not seen before: MySpace. Had someone hijacked the article? Was someone reproducing a feed on their MySpace page? It was MySpace News Beta – Real Estate. The usual suspects, along with some Trump and a couple of mainstreamers make up the front page Top 15. I was honored to be in the bunch, but it left me wondering, who selects what is newsworthy for MySpace, and how long have they been at it? Rain City Guide Real Estate Tomato The Trump Blog BloodhoundBlog Blueroof Blog The Real Estalker Sellsius Real Estate Blog The Real Estate Bloggers The Housing Bubble CNBC RealEstateJournal.com CondoDomain Real Estate Undressed Zillow Blog Real Estate Marketing Blog The ‘news’ is presented in...

June 15, 2007: For Immediate Release - Jim Cronin to Speak at Inman News Real Estate Connect San Francisco 2007
Comments: 2 | Categories: Announcements , National RE News , Tomato In The Press
Paradise, CA – June 15th, 2007 – Jim Cronin, owner of Real Estate Tomato, will be a featured speaker at Real Estate Connect San Francisco 2007 this August 1st, at 11AM. He will speak on “Show Me The Leads”. The complete speaker lineup and program details are available at http://www.realestateconnect.com/sf07. Hosted by Inman News, Real Estate Connect is the premier executive gathering for everything related to real estate, technology and digital media. This year's event will draw upwards of 1500 mega-agents, top brokers, technologists, opinion leaders, entrepreneurs, decision makers, press, analysts and investors from across the country. RE Connect SF ‘07 takes places August 1 – 3 at The Palace Hotel in downtown San Francisco. “We pride ourselves on attracting the most dynamic and captivating speakers in the industry, and Jim Cronin certainly fits that description,” said Bradley Inman, Founder and Publisher of Inman News (http://www.inman.com). “Past speakers have included...

June 11, 2007: Inman News Holds Project Blogger Conference - Listen In!
Comments: 5 | Categories: Announcements , Blogging Peers , Interviews , Real Estate Blogging , Tomato In The Press
Today, at 11AM PST, Inman News and 4 Guest Speakers From Project Blogger will be discussing “Building from the Ground Up. Real Experiences Starting a Real Estate Blog from Scratch.”. The best part, you can join in to the chat and listen in to the call. In advance of the show: Please visit www.talkshoe.com, Sign Up, and Pick a PIN (part of the Sign Up process). It will take about 30 seconds and it's free. (Note: Software download is NOT REQUIRED. Feel free to skip that step unless you want to ask questions by text-chat.) At the time of the show or up to 15 minutes early: Call 724-444-7444 and follow the audio prompts. Enter the Talkcast ID: 32606 Enter your PIN (which you chose at Sign Up -- it's likely your own phone number). So, who’s talking? Hosted and Moderated By: Jessica Swesey – Managing Editor from Inman News...

May 23, 2007: Update On: A Real Estate Blogging Event - Let's Write An Article Together
Comments: 2 | Categories: Announcements , Real Estate Blogging , Web 2.0
In last week’s post “Let’s Write An Article Together”, we had mentioned that we would like to have a rough draft of our collaborative article up by Tuesday, May 22nd. Obviously, that day has come and now passed. So what’s the excuse for the failure to deliver? We received some great participatory comments both here and from the ActiveRain community, and they keep coming in (and we invite them to continue to do so). We also brought on a second ‘main’ author for the article, Landon Ray of MoonRay Marketing. So the ‘coming together’ of this article has grown, and in turn has us asking for your patience as we put up the rough draft as quickly as possible. Our new (and improved) publish date for the rough draft is now Monday, May 28th and the publish date for the final draft will be the following Monday, June 4th. So,...

May 17, 2007: A Real Estate Blogging Event - Let's Write An Article, Together
Comments: 15 | Categories: Announcements , Blogging Peers , Real Estate Blogging , Topics and Opinions
Here at the Tomato, we usually take the role of educators with the aim of covering a topic from many angles and with as much context as possible. This time we are asking for some help for you to provide us with the angles and context that will develop into an article. We would like to use this opportunity to illustrate the power of transparent participation (A.K.A. "Mob Wisdom"). Basically, we want to write an article with our readers, for our readers. We present the topic, and you help us fill in the body. The topic we are presenting as a platform for discussion and participation is: "The Power Of The Team In Today's Real Estate" Planned directions: 1. The Business Of The Real Estate Team. What are the advantages that come with being part of a real estate team? What are the drawbacks? How does being a team affect...

April 30, 2007: Real Estate Tomato Hangs Out With The Boston Globe
Comments: 5 | Categories: Announcements , Blogging Peers , Tomato In The Press
4:27AM, PST. The phone rings. "I just picked up the paper and you wouldn't believe what's hanging out of it," my mother excitedly states. "What?" I grunt. "I'm sorry to wake you, I thought I was going to get the machine." "You won't believe where the Globe put your logo in the paper, it's hanging right out of the front page!" In what we hope not to be the peak of our mainstream media exposure, this Sunday, The Boston Globe offered a headlining piece on Real Estate Blogging. Paul F. Roberts penned a timely article entitled “Brokers In Blogsville.” You can read the piece in full on Boston.com. The Real Estate Tomato was not only mentioned (and quoted) along with 8 other pillars in the real estate blogosphere, but we also got some pretty nifty brand exposure! Also included in the article: CondoDomain St Paul Real Estate Blog Bring The...

March 19, 2007: Project Blogger: Like Trying To Hold Back A Raging Bull
Comments: 7 | Categories: Announcements , Blogging Peers
I've been trying to hold back Jackie Colson-Miller from an official launch for a week now... and it's like trying to keep a raging bull in a chute. She is so raring to go, it's dangerous. Active Rain’s Jonathan Washburn set the rules that we're in "pre-season" through April 9th, but we see no reason not to start playing for real, judged officially, or not. Located in Tampa, but global in spirit, Jackie aims to be more popular than her blogging master, the Tomato. If you ask me, I think she can do it. The Name she has 'branded' for her international real estate destination: The Real Estate Sizzle The Slogan: The "Burning" Issues In Real Estate... Tampa, Florida & Around The World. The Platform: Wordpress direct upload - Souped up, loaded, polished and custom painted to her specifications. What Set's Her Apart: Regular video correspondence from around the globe...

March 12, 2007: Project Blogger and My Secret Weapon
Comments: 10 | Categories: Announcements , Blogging Peers , Real Estate Blogging
"Project Blogger", a competition of real estate blog coaching, is the brainchild of Jonathan Washburn of ActiveRain. The goal is simple: over the course of about 4 months, each participating blogging coach will aim to develop the most successful real estate blogger they can. Here are the details: Pre-Season: March 12th - April 8th Getting the 'kinks' worked out. Developing the blogsite Hand calisthenics Competition Begins: April 9th No more excuses, the race is on. Competition Ends: July 15th (14 weeks later) Judging: Each week a new guest judge is rotated in. Guest judge evaluation weighs 85% of weekly point scores ActiveRain community weighs 15% of weekly point scores Examples of potential guest judges: * Brad Inman, president of Inman News * Matt Heaton, CEO ActiveRain * Robert Scoble, famous ex-Microsoft blogger: Scobleizer * John Battelle, Federated Media - Author of The Search * Errol Samuelson, new president of Move,...

March 12, 2007: 16 Reasons Why "Bloggers Connect" Is Going To Rock
Comments: 10 | Categories: Announcements , Blogging Peers , Real Estate Blogging , Tomato In The Press
Now that Realtor Magazine recognizes that real estate blogs are worth visiting, it seems we can all lower our “freak flags” and breathe a sigh of relief; we’re on the map. Now let’s take it by storm. This year’s Inman Connect in San Francisco has included a special two day event called the Bloggers Connect. 16 of us have been asked to be part of a Steering Committee where we’ll aim to develop the topics of discussion and workshops for the event. In addition to the serious stuff, there are to be “fun and crazy events being built into the program including the Dive Bar Tour, the Haight Ashbury experience and the blogging romp.” What a blogging romp is, I can’t be sure… I can only hope involves the throwing of tomatoes. In addition to the above, Inman and ActiveRain have sponsored a contest called “Project Blogger”. As many as...

January 22, 2007: Tomato and Boardman Make the Chicago Tribune, Together.
Comments: 10 | Categories: Announcements , Blogging Peers , Tomato In The Press
In today’s Chicago Tribune Technology Section there’s an article (subscription required) on the effectiveness of real estate blogging. Featured in the article is our real estate blogging goddess, Teresa Boardman, with a hat tip to the Tomato. Because this article brings in so many relevant points for our audience, and because I can’t be sure that the above link will work forever, here are a few key excerpts from Mary Umberger’s piece: Real Estate Agents Hang Blogging Signs. The subsequent quotes come from the following bloggers: Fran Bailey Joe Zekas Teresa Boardman Dan Green "[Blogging] It's just about the perfect way for a savvy agent to carve out a sustainable marketing pitch," he said. "That immediate way of communicating and providing an audience with perceived value, and showcasing expertise and product knowledge--it just doesn't get any better as a way to build a business." Bailey and other prolific bloggers say...

January 18, 2007: Real Estate Tomato Wins 2007 REBA Award!
Comments: 11 | Categories: Announcements
HousingWire hosted the first annual Real Estate Blogging Awards (REBA) this year, and we were chosen by the community as best “How-To” Real Estate Blog. We appreciate the recognition and are honored to have be selected as the winner, thanks for all your readership and support. Other fantastic “How-To” Real Estate Blogs included in the contest were: Future of Real Estate Marketing Realty Blogging RSS Pieces Sellsius Real Estate Blog Next year I hope that a much larger group of blogs is nominated for all categories. Although we are still in an early adaption phase here on the Real Estate Blogging front, I, like Sellsius, feel that many excellent real estate blogs were left out of the running. In any case, it is fun to win, and we hope to still be on the ballot for next year.

December 31, 2006: Goodbye 2006
Comments: 7 | Categories: Announcements , Topics and Opinions
Happy end of the year everyone! Although we showed up a little late to the party (July), because of your readership and participation, we felt incredibly welcome. Thank you so much. So how’d it go? Craigslist has been hot. Zillow broke the mold. RSS is a household name. Carnivals come to town. Search Engines love Tomatoes. Blogs really work. Forums too. Listings can be advertised for free. ePro is so 2001. ActiveRain is here to stay. It’s possible to post 102 articles in one day. There’s a big difference between an online real estate website and a real estate blog. Blogging is not for everyone. Your listings can be blogs. Participation is key. Keep your website. Blogging equals leads. The Internet is now traditional. It’s best to be heard. Your audience is everything. Start yesterday. Get help. Here’s to a huge 2007! Be Good!

December 31, 2006: Help The Tomato Win A REBA
Comments: 4 | Categories: Announcements
We're proud to announce that The Real Estate Tomato has been nominated for a REBA! Each year, the Real Estate Blogging Awards highlight the best in real estate-focused blogging, and are voted on by HousingWire readers and the public at-large. The Real Estate Tomato has been nominated in the following category: Techno Leader, and we can also be written in for the Best Overall Real Estate Blog. To learn more about the awards, available categories, and voting deadlines, please visit the official website. We appreciate your vote and your readership.

December 5, 2006: ActiveRain Cracks 10K!
Comments: 2 | Categories: Announcements , Web 2.0
Everyone’s favorite real estate social networking website has reached yet another milestone: 10,000 ‘active’ members. It’s still no MySpace… thank God. Caleb Mardini, one of AR’s founders sent me their press release thinking it may be of some interest to me and our readers. He’s right. I am not only one of their earliest members (joined June 22nd), but one of their biggest fans. So, how could I not be thrilled for them? Here’s an excerpt from their Press Release: Launched in June 2006 by ActiveRain Corp., The ActiveRain Real Estate Network has become a popular online destination for real estate professionals. Within the online community, real estate professionals from the United States and Canada, network, interact, share knowledge, and develop their businesses online. With a few members at launch, the numbers are growing rapidly. Growth is member driven, and directly related to the value members derive from participating and...

November 10, 2006: TomatoBlogs Is Born!
Comments: 8 | Categories: Announcements
Announcing The Launch of TomatoBlogs.com! The success of RealEstateTomato.com over its first 4 months of existence has generated an overwhelming interest in the formula we apply. Enticing design, aggressive participation, content syndication and core relevance are the ingredients to the recipe that has gotten us to where we are. Our new baby, TomatoBlogs aims to deliver this proven strategy to you. Our custom business blogs are designed to be not only eye-catching and professional, but built on a platform that encompasses all the elements you need to garner success. Blog development is abundant, but the knowledge to leverage it as a tool that will generate business is not. Our own blogging success coupled with our extensive experience and intimate knowledge of real estate marketing is the foundation of a winning combination, geared to help you embrace the tools and technology that will make you more successful. For examples of our...

October 27, 2006: Carnival of Scary Stories Prize Announcement!
Comments: 3 | Categories: Announcements
2 quick announcements regarding the upcoming Carnival. First, the Carnival of Scary Real Estate Stories is drawing ever near. I have decided to extend the deadline until 5pm (PST) Monday afternoon, the 30th of October. That will give everyone an extra half day to get their haunting stories in. Second, the prize for the Top 10 is revealed: All top 10 entries will receive an Official Real Estate Tomato T-Shirt. Click the link for more information on how to participate in the Carnival of Scary Real Estate Stories

September 24, 2006: The First 100 Days
Comments: 9 | Categories: Announcements , Real Estate Blogging
Today marks the 100th day of existence for The Real Estate Tomato. The Tomato grew from my own addiction to blog reading. The irony is that I no longer have time to read those blogs that sustained my habit. It seems, they were just a gateway to a much more serious dependency: The Tomato. What was once the occasional diversion (I could stop at anytime) of reading blogs about baseball, gadgets and politics, has been replaced, along with my regular sleeping routine, with an edacity for real estate blogs and blogging. Along with this addiction, also comes the addiction of stat watching. I can't go a day without wondering how many have visited the Tomato, how long they stayed, what they looked at and where they came from. --- --- Here's how far we've come: Total P.o.s.t.s.: 136 Total Comments 186 Unique Visits per day: 248 Page Views per day:...

September 7, 2006: Fried Dough, Ring Toss and the Haunted House
Comments: 0 | Categories: Announcements
The Carnival of Real Estate, originally created by Zillow Blog, is setting up shop at the Tomato on Monday the 11th of September. The exposure will be extensive, given that participants generally make the point of posting an article on their blog referencing their participation in the Carnival, and link it directly to the host's blog. Being selected in the top 10 of this carnival will surely boost traffic and readership. One of the elements I attribute to the swift success of the Tomato is the participation in weekly carnivals. Deadline for entry is Midnight (PST) Saturday the 9th. An example of how carnivals can help with your site's exposure is evident in an article appearing in today's edition of The Times Online (the electronic version of one of the UK's largest newspapers). Thanks for the kudos Peter! To learn more on how to participate in this week's carnival, and...

September 4, 2006: Blogging Success Carnival Update
Comments: 2 | Categories: Announcements
First of all I want to thank all participants who submitted their articles to the Carnival of Blogging Success. We had a great response! It is going to be difficult to make a final selection for the top 10. That said, due to the holiday, and the reduced readership around the blogosphere today, we are going to be postponing the showcase of the carnival until tomorrow at 12noon (PST).

September 1, 2006: Blogging Success Carnival Submissions Due
Comments: 1 | Categories: Announcements
The deadline for subbmissions to the Carnival of Blogging Success is approaching quickly. At midnight tonight (PST), we will no longer be taking articles to be considered for the Carnival. Who can submit? The Carnival is limited to ActiveRain members only. Why AR? ActiveRain is quickly becoming the destination for those in the real estate to collectively collaborate on thier industry. It is packed with seasoned pros and green tomatoes all looking for the same thing: a community of sharing. We want to share with them that blogging, when done right, is one of the most effective marketing tools once can embrace. Why submit? Exposure. Thousands of readers will see your article, giving you the oppotunity to expand your blog's readership. Points. ActiveRain uses a point system to reward their most involved and participating members. The more points, the more exposure you command on the site. Anyone who makes the...

August 28, 2006: Attention Realtors, Lenders, Appraisers, Stagers, Coaches, Inspectors, Title Reps etc
Comments: 0 | Categories: Announcements
The Real Estate Tomato is looking for examples of your success through blogging. We will be holding a Carnival of Blogging Success - available to ActiveRain members only. ActiveRain is a quickly expanding viral network for professionals in the real estate industry. They boast thousands of members in just their first few months. The level of participation among its members is impressive and exemplifies the eagerness and appetite of the real estate community's to embrace this wave of collaboration. To join (it's free) and to participate in this exclusive Carnival, visit the site. To learn more, straight from their CEO, read the interview Matt Heaton was kind enough to give us last week, here at the Tomato. What's a Carnival? Wikipedia defines a Blog Carnival as: A blog article that contains links to other articles covering a specific topic. Most blog carnivals are hosted by a rotating list of frequent...

August 22, 2006: #1 in MSN - Megalomania Realized
Comments: 3 | Categories: Announcements
It only took 69 posts in two months, but the phrase "Jim Cronin" is now pulling the Tomato as #1 in MSN. Finally beat out a professional baseball player, a nobel prize winner, MonkeyWorld founder, jimcronin.com, an actor, and some clown on the mirror project. Google and Yahoo... not so good. Must be that darn Sandbox Effect. On second thought... do I really want the notoriety of the Tomato tied to me?

July 20, 2006: The Tomato Is In The Carnival
Comments: 2 | Categories: Announcements , Web 2.0
The Real Estate Tomato will be hosting September 11th's Carnival of Real Estate. What's the Carnival of Real Estate? Launched by Zillow Blog this month, the Carnival is a weekly event showcasing the best in real estate blogging. Each week there will be a different Carnival host, who's responsibility is to select and showcase the top 10 blog articles from those submitted. Anyone blogging about real estate is invited to participate. All articles are to be submitted through Zillow Blog. The first edition of the Carnival was just this past Monday. Being the first edition, it was hosted at its creators site, Zillow Blog. Given the exposure and buzz Zillow Blog is sure to help generate on its namesake alone, it is safe to say that the Carnival of Real Estate will be a success. The first edition had plenty of submissions and I look forward to having the opportunity...