Couldn't make it out to San Francisco last week? Missed any of the sessions because you were caught up in meetings?

I'm pretty excited to announce you can now watch videos of Real Estate Connect sessions online.

We've built a brand new video section on Inman.com where you can access all the Connect videos from Connect SF2008 and past events. Just click on the 'Video' tab in navigation and it'll bring you right there. Not so fast though...

Real Estate Connect videos are only available to Premium Members on Inman.com. If you hold a current Premium Membership, please make sure you are logged in to your account.

Not a Premium Member? Think about joining today to gain instant access to our library of Real Estate Connect Videos.

I finally made it home and had some time to process at least some of the information that I learned at Inman Connect San Francisco 2008.  Needless to say, there was a lot of it.  Between the actual panel discussions, and all of the conversations that I had with folks, my brain and my notebook were filled with issues that I want to think about in greater depth.

The great thing is that if you are feeling the same way, the Inman Community is the perfect place to do it.  Bill Wendel was at Connect SF '08, and he did an incredible job of live-blogging his way through the sessions and the conference.  He shared his thoughts and analysis as group topics in the Connect SF '08 group.  Take a look at some of the topics he brought up, and add to the discussion that is going on there.  

One of the great things about Connect is that it does raise a lot of very important issues in the real estate industry.  One of the great things about the Inman Community is that it provides the perfect place to continue that discussion with the professionals on the ground who have first-hand experience with all of these issues. 

Come see what issues were the hot topics at Connect SF '08, and feel free to add your own!

Bloggers Connect 2008

Bloggers Connect kicked off yesterday to a full house at the Palace Hotel. Over 200 people crowded in to the Gold Ballroom to hear how blogging has evolved as a marketing tool for brokers, lenders, vendors and agents. 

The conversation was spirited at times, but tempered too. A much different vibe than last year at Connect, when the room could barely contain its enthusiasm for this new medium.

I think what I felt is that many people are now taking a much harder look at the business return of blogging. The novelty has worn off - and the question is can this tool work for me in my business and deliver me real leads, real clients, real customers?

I think the general consensus was yes. With caveats.

A few observations I took away...

Photos. Many of the panelists felt that was the easiest way to quickly get content and that consumers/readers respond very positively to that type of content. So has the written word worn off? Are we going to see the rise of the Realtor photoblog instead? 

Use a social media marketing strategy to leave a trail of comments around the web and through social networks. David Gibbons outlined this strategy by explaining how you can reach a much wider audience than just waiting for people to come to your blog. The key is finding the right communities online to reach out to - so find your niche and go talk to them.

The legal concerns around blogging merited a whole discussion unto itself. The rule of thumb seemed to be; when writing on your real estate blog, speak in generalities. Don't name names. And as Todd Carpenter put it "You're not John Stossel..." - leave the investigative journalism to the pros. If you find something awry - bring in the local media, your job is to sell homes.

Finally, move beyond writing your blog for other Realtors. Get away from your computer. Get outside and engage real people. The best way to build an audience for your real estate blog is out in the real world not online. Jeff Turner coined the term YEO (You Engaging Others) to encompass this idea. It's time real estate bloggers move beyond writing for the search engines and start writing for people.

So what else did you learn?

The first day of Connect SF '08 was jammed full with action and information.  From the opening of the workshops and Bloggers Connect, to the final words of general session, much was shared, even more was learned, and relationships were fostered.  A lot of people who are here might wish that they could be multiple places at the same time, and those of you who are not here might wish that you were.  Either way, we can help.

Inman Member Bill Wendel did an incredible and extensive job live-blogging his way through the first day of Connect SF '08.  He shared his notes from the sessions he attended, along with many of the highlights, in the Connect SF '08 Group in the Community section of Inman.com.  If you go there right now and join the group, you can participate in the discussion around many of the topics being discussed right now at Connect.  It is something that you won't want to miss, and it is a place where you can not only get caught up on sessions that you couldn't attend, but also extend the learning and sharing that you might have already done.  Bill will be doing more of the same throughout the rest of Connect, so check back frequently for more updates.  

The Connect SF '08 Group is also where you can find the live Twitterstream of all the Twitter folks who are attending Connect.  I encourage you to not only read the current stream, but click the "more" button so that you can actually go back and view the posts from throughout the day.  There, you will find all kinds of tremendous insights from the folks who were at Connect and were sharing their thoughts as the events were happening.  

The fun, excitement, sharing and learning that has taken place through the first day of Connect SF '08 has been great, and it is sure to get even better for the rest of the event.  Inman.com and the Inman Community is the place to go if you want to keep up with everything and extend your experience even further.  

San Francisco is the home of Trulia. Their official amabsassadors, the Marker Men, wanted to introduce themselves, and welcome everyone to San Francisco for Connect SF '08:

Two more video introductions came in over the weekend.  The first is from Diane Cohn, a REALTOR in Reno, NV.  The next is our first international entry, and comes from Petra, who is from Australia.  Take a look. . .

The latest intro videos for Connect SF '08 are in.  Derek Overbey and Brian Requarth are the latest to introduce themselves.  One thing is for sure, Connect SF '08 attendees sure do have style.  Yesterday, Gia and Grant Freer sported cool hats, and today, Derek gives us a stylish intro remix, and Brian comes to us from the vineyards of Northern California.  The folks of the Inman Community are always creative and always raising the bar.  I like that.

You can meet all of these great folks at Connect SF '08 next week.  Don't worry, there's still time to register, and if you are already coming, there is still plenty of time to send in a video intro of your own.  

More video introductions of Inman Connect SF '08 attendees have come rolling in.  In the first installment, I introduced you to Mike Mueller, Fred Light, and Jay Thompson.

 Today, I want to introduce you to Ken Brand and Gia and Grant Freer.  They are just 3 more examples of the fine folks that you can meet by attending Inman Connect SF '08.  I could tell you all about them, but I think they say it best themselves. . .  

Connect is still just over a week away, so keep those video introductions coming, and I'll keep posting them!

After my call last week for introduction videos from folks attending Connect SF '08, I received a few emails.  The first three brave souls to introduce themselves are Mike Mueller, Fred Light, and Jay Thompson.  You can meet these 3 cool guys and many others at Connect.  If you want to introduce yourself, there is still plenty of time, so make a video and email me the link.

Without further adieu, I give you Mike, Fred, and Jay. . .

The recent Twitter contest showed that @InmanNews has a very dedicated group of followers.  I hope that all of you will keep at least one eye on your Twitter stream during Inman Connect in San Francisco, because the @InmanNews Twitter stream will be filled with live updates all throughout the conference. 

Since we know that many of you attending Connect are Twit-wits in your own right, we want to give others the opportunity to follow your updates as well.  So could you do me a big favor?

If you are attending Connect SF '08, and you are a Twitter user, simply leave a comment on this post that lets everyone know what your Twitter handle is.  I would like to publish the list on a later blog post so that everyone will be able to follow each other and keep up with all happenings during Connect. 

@InmanNews isn't the only Twitter account you'll find interesting during Connect.  You should also make sure you are following @BHGrealestate.  That is the Twitter stream for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate.  They are doing a LIVE webcast of the press conference formally announcing the launch of their innovative real estate brand on Wednesday, June 23rd. 

BHG Real Estate CEO Sherry Chris realizes the value of Twitter for events like Connect, "A conference is the perfect venue to get the most out of a technology like Twitter," says Chris. "So much is going on and so many people are connected. It's going to be three days of nonstop buzz."

"Nonstop buzz" is right.  Between @InmanNews, @BHGrealestate, and all the fine attendees who will be tweeting away, there will be plenty of buzz to go around-- and plenty of sore thumbs.