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Then take two minutes to read through this presentation by Marta Kagan. Read every slide. If you’ve already seen it, then read it again: I think there’s more to the story for apartment companies (that’s why we’re here!), and I don’t agree with everything she says, but for the most part, I love it. I [...]

Despite recent concerns about its reliability (which are quickly fading away), the Twitter microblogging community continues to grow at a dramatic pace. Here is the recent data from Compete.com showing the site’s growth trend over the last year: So how can apartment communities use Twitter as a communication tool? Well, you can start by listening. [...]

What could you achieve if you had customers as enthusiastic (and forgiving) as Apple’s? In case you missed it, Apple launched the new version of their popular iPhone last Friday. In many places, Apple and AT&T stores sold out within hours, and Apple’s computer servers couldn’t keep up with all the requests from new users [...]

NewTeeVee is reporting that YouTube will be adding geosearch, which will give viewers “the ability to find videos tagged to a certain location.” A YouTube product manager said the feature is currently “in limited experimentation,” and would be launched “really soon.” Simply put, geotagging is a way to tell a website specifically where you’re located [...]

Are you looking for an easy way for prospects and residents to engage your staff when they are on your website? Try chatting with them with web-based chat tools. One very easy chat application that can be embedded on any website is MeeboMe by Meebo. Anytime a user visits your site, a small window (called [...]

Despite its ups and downs, the microblogging platform Twitter has been a hot topic lately among marketers. Twitter can be an interesting place to listen… but if you’re wondering what Twitter users have to say about your brand or your community, it might be easier to find what you’re looking for by searching for it [...]

Jim Gunther and Jamie Cherry operate the Inn on First, a small bed and breakfast in Napa. And they fully understand how powerful customer reviews can be for their business. They run a great operation, but the customer service doesn’t stop when the guest leaves. After every guest’s stay, they send a personalized thank you email. [...]

Recently, TechCrunch announced that CrunchBase, their database wiki of technology companies/people, will integrate with LinkedIn. You can now click a button on CrunchBase and see if you are linked to any of the employees at any particular startup. BusinessWeek has featured the same integration on its site. This announcement really got me thinking about similar possibilities in other industries. [...]

…It’s how you use it. It’s about engaging customers and listening to them like you actually care (because you should). It’s about changing the way you do business. Forever. As the buzz builds around Facebook, Twitter and any other sites du jour, I’ve watched countless companies spout off at conferences about how they’re embracing social [...]