Interview with Andy Kaufman of MyEastBayAgent December 30, 2005
When the wave of new technologies crashes on the real estate industry, you can be certain that Andy Kaufman will be surfing it in with a smile on his face.
I’m extremely pleased that I get to conclude my series of interviews with the following responses from Andy Kaufman of MyEastBayAgent. I’ve only known Andy for a few months (and I’m yet to meet him in person), but between email, blogging, photo-sharing, and our Skype conversations, he’s become a good friend. He has an obvious passion for exploring the intersection of technology and real estate, and by being located in Berkeley, California, he seems to be near the heart of all things Web2.0.
What inspired you to start blogging?
I was at my good friend Nate Koechley’s holiday party last year and everybody kept talking about flickr & del.icio.us, so I asked him the deal was. He told me to sign up with Bloglines, Flickr & Del.icio.us, use them and then go from there.
I “got” bloglines first. I started with a few good feeds and just let it grow from there. I got hooked on del.icio.us next. I was always sort of a information junkie and this seemed like a natural extension. Now that I had a way to index all of the great information that I was coming across, I started building a database of bookmarks spanning all sorts of subjects.
A few months into the experiment, I found a way to frame a del.icio.us RSS feed on my website and that was a huge a-ha. I called my website provider and had them insert the code in my template so that I could add some fresh content to my website. That really opened my eyes to how boring the rest of my site was.
It was then that I decided to take the plunge and start my own blog and I was going to use it to replace my existing website. It was around this time that I came across the Rain City Guide and it just re-enforced the fact that I was making the right choice.
I never really considered myself an excellent writer, but it’s so much more than just writing; it’s creating. In the past six months: I’ve found my voice, rediscovered my individuality, built an awesome social network & started grasping the revolution. It’s an amazing trip to be on.
Are there any special topics or issues that you enjoy covering?
I really enjoy writing about my personal experiences as I delve deeper into the whole technology movement. Blogging has changed my life tremendously and has opened my eyes to a whole other world that I didn’t know existed.
I have great ideas and ambitious plans for the future, so stay tuned.
What have you done to personalize your blog?
I started with what I thought was the most palatable blogger template and tried to customize one thing a day until it got to the point where I was generally satisfied with the layout and contents.
Do you have any favorite posts?
Some of my favorite posts are the cheesy one’s not attributed to real estate. Real estate can be a very dry subject. Reporting on market statistics or property listings gets old really quick and those types of posts aren’t big draws anyways.
I try to focus on the amazing things going on around me. People still do business with people. A majority of my new business comes from people who read my blog. They like me, see that I’m knowledgeable and care about what I do. They also know right from the start that I’m not a typical real estate agent and that I’m doing things that other agents aren’t.
Anyways, here are a couple: The Circuit & Technology, Real Estate, The Bay Area & Thanksgiving 2.0, & The Brat Pack San Fransocial Unconference 2.0.
What are some of your favorite blogs (real estate or otherwise)?
There are so many good ones right now. HorsePigCow, TechCrunch, Geek Entertainment TV, Supr.cilio.us, Seth’s Blog, Scobleizer & of course Rain City Guide. I’m not just blowing smoke here. Your blog is the gold standard in many ways and has been a tremendous inspiration to me.
(Side note: Watch BarryDalive, after my endless nagging she finally started a blog. It will be fun to see her evolve as she immerses herself into the blogosphere everything that it entails.)
What tools/websites do you find most helpful in putting together your blog?
Del.icio.us & Flickr are two cornerstone services that my blog or I couldn’t function without. VisualTour Software & my Birdview IDX link for my real estate services.
How does blogging fit into the overall marketing of your business?
Blogging is the central marketing strategy in marketing my business. but my business is expanding way beyond just being a REALTOR. It’s morphing into developing my personal online brand/identity and using the value that it provides to change the world in a positive way.
What plans do you have to improve your blog over this next year?
The next step is to move to Wordpress and then let it evolve from there. I’m so new to the world of web development that it will be interesting what happens as I delve further into that world.
What is the one tool or feature that you wish your site had?
Easily accessible full RSS feeds for specific property searches. I’m sure I’ll think of more once I finally get everything moved over and get my existing content properly indexed and categorized, but the move is foremost on my mind right now.
What do you think real estate blogging will look like 3 years from now?
That’s a loaded question. New technologies are being developed so fast that I’d have trouble forecasting what a cutting edge Real Estate blog will be even one year from now. An explosion in content + New technologies to mash-up and remixing the content combined with increased bandwidth and widespread wireless connectivity are going to bring about tremendous change. The important part is that we’ll be on the forefront of that change and it’s going to be one heck of a ride.
(Read more interviews with some of real estate’s top bloggers under the Real Estate Q&A category)
Check out these related posts:
- Interview with Jim Duncan of Central Virginia Real Estate
- Interview with Fraser Beach of Toronto at Home
- Interview with Merv Forney of the Northern Virginia Real Estate Guide
Article Tags>> advice | blogging | east-bay | interview | real-estate-q-a
- Posted in : General Real Estate
- Author : Dustin
Comments»
As someone who’s deep in the technical/design aspects of “Web 2.0″, it’s great to learn how “non-technical” users lives are being influenced by these tools and models. Thanks for sharing. And Andy, thanks for flattering me with the link.
2006 is gonna be fun.
Nate,
Welcome to Rain City Guide! There’s a bunch of us who are active users of Web2.0 goodies and are glad people like you are out there pushing the boundaries!
Keep up the great work!
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