Looking Out From the Garage

OK, we have a little better idea of the schedule tomorrow for Atlanta's first real estate barcamp.

8:45-9:15 – Registration Check-In/Social – As everyone arrives, there is a chance to catch up with folks while getting ready for everything to get cranking…

9:15-9:45 – Opening Remarks and Call for Sessions – Unlike any other conference, attendees make up the break-out sessions.  Whether there is a question they want answered or a topic they want to talk with others about, this is pitch time…

9:45-10:10 – Tabulation/Scheduling/Social – The organizers will work feverishly to put together a schedule from the topics just presented.  We will then post the schedule and kick it off…

10:15-11:00 – Break-out #1 – All of the break-out rooms will have their first session of the day.

11:15-12:00 – Break-out #2 – All of the break-out rooms will have their second session of the day.

12:00 – 1:00 – Lunch – Brain needs food and rest…  We can give you time for food…

1:00 – 1:45 – Break-out #3 – All of the break-out rooms will have their third session of the day.

2:00 – 2:45 – Break-out #4 – All of the break-out rooms will have their fourth session of the day.

3:00 – 3:45 – Break-out #5 – All of the break-out rooms will have their fifth session of the day.

4:00-5:00 – Wrap-up – Back in the main room we will wrap everything up.  There will be some give-aways, as well as announcements…

Of course, everything is fluid.  We might run a little late... but we are going to try to avoid that.  No matter what, we are going to have a great time.

There are still a few spots left... RSVP here.  Let us know you are coming and we'll clear off a spot for you!

Bat Time: Friday, October 1st, 2010

Bat Place: Spring4th Center, 728 Spring St. NW, Atlanta, GA

As mentioned previously, rebarcampATL is ON.  Atlanta will be hosting its first ever real estate bar camp.  The event is coming up on October 1st... at a venue to be named soon.  We have actually had to change venues in order to facilitate the demand.  As soon as details are finalized, they will be announced... 

Have you been to a rebarcamp event?

What did you think?  What was the best thing about it?  What would have made it better? What are you hoping to learn at the next rebarcamp event you attend?

Those are just a few of the questions that the organizing committee has to YOU.  rebarcamps are 'attendee focused'.  The participants determine the subjects and schedules.  They create the content.  They drive the discussion.  We on the organizing committee want to help facilitate the best possible event... so we want YOUR feedback. 

Are you coming?

#rebcATL will be in October 1st, 2010, starting at 9:00am and running until around 5:00pm.  We are even working on a lunch sponsor to be able to provide free lunch for everyone (it could be you!). 

Whether you are interested in attending, sponsoring or both, drop into the website, RSVP and we'll see you there!

rebcATL website

and a FaceBook Page... and a Twitter Hashtag...

That's right, yesterday on the FaceBook Page for rebcAtlanta, we announced the date and location for the first ever rebarcamp Atlanta. 

Friday, October 1st, 2010

CoolRay Field, Home of the Gwinnett Braves

#rebcatl

At the moment, we are putting together the team that will put on the event.  The search for sponsors is underway.  In the next few days we will roll out registration.  It is a busy and exciting time for those of us that have learned so much from rebarcamps and want to extend the reach of the experience. 

So, you don't know WHAT rebarcamp is...

Well, to sum it up quickly, it is the unconference.  Chaotic, diverse and flexible.  It is kind of like the balancing force to all of the seminars and workshops we normally attend.  The agenda is literally put together the morning of the event and is largely driven by the attendees. 

Rather than having a bunch of one-way presentations from mostly vendors or experts, rebarcamp seeks to have a more interactive experience for the participants.  Learning by discussion rather than PowerPoint. 

But I'm not a 'Tech Genius'...

That is perfectly ok.  There WILL be some bona-fide uber-geeks there.  There will also be a lot of folks that don't know Foursquare from Fortran.  And it doesn't have to ALL be about technology.  The participants will be the ones that will drive the agenda, so whether it is short sales or property marketing, mobile apps or personal branding, Tweet-ups or buyer seminars, it is on the table. 

In fact, we are pushing the envelope on the breadth of sessions we will be trying to set up...  More on that later. 

I saw on the FaceBook Page that you said you were going "Old Skool"...

I was at the original rebarcamp in San Francisco in 2008 (lo, these many years ago).  One of the amazing things at that camp was the way it went down.  There were no PowerPoint presentations on overhead screens.  There were no real 'Presenters'.  Rather, it was an amazing peer-to-peer learning experience.  It was largely group discussions and a few panel discussions. 

Lately, some of the rebarcamps have seemed to adopt the presentation format.  There isn't anything wrong with that... in fact, Atlanta's own REtechSouth is an amazing event in its own right, and is very much in the presentation model.  But, we are trying to offer something a little different... something more personal. 

What is the venue like?

It is a baseball field...  We'll be holding break-outs in the batting cages... 

Actually, we will be holding up to 10 break-out sessions at a time in the VIP Suites overlooking the ballpark.  We will also have the Suite Lounge and Bar as well as a couple of Patios... and if the weather cooperates, we'll be holding the Welcome and Closing sessions out in the stands... 

We have the capacity for about 250 people, and the break-outs are designed to be small (only about 20 people).  There will be a LOT going on. 

What about "Other Stuff"?

I haven't been to a rebarcamp event yet that didn't have a lot of 'social' wrapped up around it.  Pre-event mixers, post-event mixers...  We'll be working on that, too. 

And if you are coming in from out of town, CoolRay Field is only a few minutes from the Mall of Georgia, Lake Lanier and a lot of other entertainment facilities in Gwinnett County... and not that far from downtown Atlanta attractions like the World of Coke, Georgia Aquarium, CNN Center and the Atlanta Zoo... 

There are lots of nearby hotels, and we'll be checking into putting together deals for those that might be interested in those accomodations, too.  There is even camping ;^)

Stay tuned, there will be a LOT more info coming on #rebcatl.  We hope to see you there.  Feel free to re-blog this to spread the word!

Image via Wikipedia

I am proud to say that I attended the very first REbarcamp, which was a real estate industry specific technology “unconference”.  Basically, the idea behind barcamp is that the conferees get together and create an agenda and then host the sessions.  It is an amazing peer-to-peer discussion.

Ken Cook, of Social Media Edge on BlogTalkRadio, had the vision to build a barcamp experience optimized for small business owners.  Many small businesses have found that ‘New Media’ has presented a very cool opportunity to promote… without spending loads of money.  In fact, many smaller businesses have found that they can not just compete, but defeat larger rivals by effectively leveraging ‘New Media’ like FaceBook, Twitter and YouTube.

Friday, September 17th, The first Small Biz BarCamp Atlanta will take flight.  There are limited tickets available for only $10, and the event is being held at the Five Star World Conference Center – Towers at Wildwood in Marietta, near Windy Hill and Power’s Ferry.  Follow the link for tickets…

Tomorrow (Friday, Sept. 25th) is the day...  There are still a few tickets available for purchase at the event... and there is even a little time to grab a ticket online. 

So, are you going to New Media Atlanta?

If you have been to REtechSouth, you have an idea of what New Media Atlanta is going to be like.. but just an idea.  Instead of concentrating on the real estate industry, this is about making the business case for Social Network Marketing. 

The speaker list is impressive!  And, for those that get the "Rockstar Pass"... you will have unprecedented access to the speakers...  In fact, you will get to sit down with them and have lunch, as well as schmooze with them during the "After Party"...

Several of the speakers are people I have spent some time with.  These are cool people to hang out with, in addition to being incredibly insightful about the future of social media and technology.  Of course, the people that I know are involved in the real estate technology space... but it will be really exciting to see what the thinking and strategies are outside of real estate. 

If you can still get a ticket and make it to the event, say hi.  You'll find me in one of the event staff shirts.  You might even run across me in registration...

;^ )

Maybe this one should really be #8... but I just can't help it. 

I have talked about ActiveRain, WordPress, Embeddable Tools, Photography, RSS Feeds and Analytics Programs.  And EVERY single one of these things can be learned about at your local (or not so local) reBarCamp (logo linked).  I have been to San Francisco (the first rebarcamp event) and Charlotte.  I am looking forward to Lynchburg, VA (if I can make it) and Raleigh, NC.  If I had the opportunity, I would go to every event I could make it to... 

Aside from the AMAZING information absorption opportunity, there are also incredible social opportunities.  Sitting down to dinner with some of the luminaries of the re.net is actually pretty easy.  The Jay Thompsons, Jeff Turners and David Gibbons of the re.net are actually really nice and down to earth guys. 

And I should toss a plug to another event...  REtechSouth.  it isn't just like a barcamp... it is organized beforehand.  For many, it is a better environment because of the structure.  Personally, I like both for different reasons.  I have been to both REtechSouth events as well. 

So, the (almost) bottom line is...  Get together with your peers and LEARN about how to use all of these cool technologies.  Learn how they are leveraging technology and networks to their advantage.  After that, you will be better able to find out how YOU can do the same.  And honestly, each of us will favor a slightly different mix of networks and technologies.  We have to find what fits for us. 

And don't let the education stop there.  There are even more opportunities...  Take a look at MeetUp.com for local groups that may be of interest.  WordPress, blogging, Joomla, knitting... whatever. 

Now the bottom line...  Don't limit your learning opportunities to your peers...

I just got the confirmation from Corey at Garner Creek at Parkview.  We are going to be presenting a seminar and discussion about Active Rain, blogging and Social Networking at GarnerCreek at Parkview in Lilburn on Thursday, August 27th. 

The program will start at 11:00am, and lunch will follow at Noon. 

I'm pretty excited.  This was one of the first things I thought about when I entered the Ambassador Program here at Active Rain.  There is so much great information here, and getting the word out has been a priority for me for a long time. 

I have often referred to blogging at the centerpiece of a solid Social Networking plan, and I think that Active Rain is a great place to do that blogging. 

We'll only have about an hour, and I want to make sure that there is plenty of time for questions...  So, here is what we are going to cover:

• Why blog?
• Why Active Rain?
• How can we incorporate blogging and Active Rain into a comprehensive social Media plan?
• What other Social Networking sites should we consider a presence in?

We will also be talking a little about WordPress, FaceBook, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter and some of the tools that we can use to make all of these things easier to integrate.

Directions to Garner Creek at Parkview

Take 285 to Hwy 78 E, Exit onto Hugh Howell Road and follow the loop under 78; Turn RIGHT at first light (Lilburn – Stone Mountain Road); Turn RIGHT at next light (Old Stone Mountain Road; becomes Five Forks Trickum); Turn LEFT at second light onto Garner Road; Turn RIGHT onto Irwin Court WELCOME TO GARNER CREEK AT PARKVIEW

1145 Morgan Garner Drive is on the right corner  after you pass through the gates.

*****Here is the follow-up post.*****

The first Social Media Breakfast Atlanta event was this morning at the Duluth Diner.  At 7:00am, about 20 dedicated Social Media Adventurers gathered to discuss better ways to deploy social media for their businesses.

Ranging from neophytes to experienced, the common thread was a desire to learn and grow.

The first order of business was to talk about one of the basic conventions of marketing on social media… Don’t be a butt-head… engage others with meaningful conversation.  Educate your target market.  Interact with them.  Listen.

We also talked about building future events.  The next event is going to be in Cobb County on August 26th.  Midtown should come soon after that.

The core group was divided between Midtown, Cobb and Gwinnett… with a couple of hardy professionals venturing from Athens, too.

During the networking talk, FaceBook Fan Pages, Active|Rain, WordPress and Flickr were all being discussed in various parts of the room.

For more information, feel free to visit our FaceBook Fan Page.  We will also be coming online with a WordPress MU blog, too.  As soon as it is live, I will be posting the address for that as well.

I have confirmed at the hotel ($50 at Days Inn - Central Charlotte, 7/10 miles from the venue) and committed to going.  I know that we have a few Diamond Dwellings folks making the trip, and I have at least one other Rainer riding up with me (I have a few more spots...).

So who else will be making it?

If you haven't been to a Bar Camp, you have missed a really cool experience.  The knowledge sharing is really cool, and the networking opportunities are abundant.  Instead of hearing from some incredibly entertaining personality that is promoting his DVD series or her new coaching service, you get to peek inside the minds of your peers.  Active agents openly talk about tips, technologies and ideas.  These aren't people that set sales records in 2003... these are people that are IN the market right now. 

And then there are the vendors.  Now my experience is limited to the first #rebc in SanFrancisco last year, but the vendors were excellent... with some minor exceptions...  Of course they promototed their wares in most cases, although there were some exceptions to that, but they didn't beat people up over it, but rather talked about how to more effectively use their products.  And the best part was that because of the open format, there were a lot of users that were sharing THEIR best practices, too. 

And it is FREE!

So, if you are anywhere near Charlotte (Atlanta is "anywhere near Charlotte"") then you should make it to #rebcclt.  You won't regret the time. 

And if there is any demand, I might do an updated version of the 5 Social Media Networks Every Real Estate Agent Should Be In.

While surfing around some of my RE.net friends, I ran across this link on Teresa Boardman's blog...  I was intrigued... 

I like breakfast...

I like social media...

I like networking...

I like learning new stuff...

So, I got in touch with the guy that started it all, and asked if he knew of anyone trying to put together a program in Atlanta.  Bryan Person had recieved a couple of enquiries, but nothing had been put together. 

Atlanta is a social town... and we have lots of media, technology and breakfast.  So, I think this is something I would like to try to make happen.  I am currently trying to recruit a few people to help me make this into a reality...  I think I have one, and another one or two would be perfect. 

The idea would be to have a breakfast meeting once every month or two (to start with), alternating around town.  After we build a little bit of a following, we might be able to increase the frequency of the meetings and have similar programs in different areas of the Atlanta Metro. 

The other thing that we would need are sponsors...  hint, hint. 

By the way, this is NOT something that owuld be limited to real estate professionals, but rather for folks in a wide variety of professions that are looking for ways to increase their social media marketing and networking in a responsible, efficient and effective way. 

Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn, YouTube and many other social networks are getting a tremendous amount of traction among desireable demographics... and it is fun.