What Is a Browser? (And Do You Need To Know?)

Do you know what a div is?

A what?

Exactly. You probably think I'm lying, but computers aren't magical. They are just language and microchips.

But you don't care. Nor should you - you're too busy getting your work done. Here at DotLoop, we understand that, which is why we create tools to simplify your lives, not add complexity to an already complex world.

As Google points out in the video below, most people don't know how the Internet works, but most people nonetheless use the Internet.



Most people don't know how their car works, either (something about internal combustion), but they drive one every day.

Your clients don't necessarily know how real estate works; they just want their house sold.

Folks just want things to work. At DotLoop, we get that, which is why we are constantly tweaking and updating our site to make it more efficient, more robust, and more useful.

Look for some changes next week and enjoy your holiday weekend.

For the record, a browser is software used to render the Internet onto your computer screen. Think of it as a window into the web. Google, by contrast, is a web site that helps you search the Internet. It's a search engine, not a browser.

Easy, right?

What Does Your Website Say About You?

If you're an agent working today, then you already know the importance of a good web presence.

What you may not know, however, is what constitutes 'good'.

If you have a website, take a look at this list to make sure you're not falling victim to technology. After all, having a megaphone is one thing; using it wisely is another.

1. I'm #1! I'm #1!

Does your website scream #1 anything? Stop it. Sure, you may be the number one agent in your market, and you may have famous clients. But your potential clients don't care. They want to make sure you will help them find a home or sell their existing home.

Who's the focus here anyway: your ego or the client?

2. Music.

Just...just don't play music in the background. The quickest way to lose a potential customer is to automatically play music when they log into your site.

3. Poor Picture Quality.

If you have listings on your site (which you should), be aware that the quality of the photos reflects the quality of the agent who took them (that is, you, even if an intern took them). If you have grainy images taken from your 2 mega pixel camera to show off a home, I will be clicking the red X on the top of my browser and will continue shopping for a competent agent.

4. Misspelled Words.

The descriptions are just as important as the pictures when listing a home. And glaring misspellings give a potential client the same vibe as grainy pictures - this agent doesn't care. With dictionary.com a free service, there should be no reason you should have misspelled words on your page.

5. Glamour Shot Photos.

If your picture is more than five years old, you need to replace it. And don't wear your blouse with shoulder pads in your new picture, either. Clients do not want to be surprised when they meet you. They want to be sure that you are genuine, not Photoshopped.

Of course, easy navigation, informative content, and an ability to contact you are all very important, too. And, if you're a DotLoop user, you can let them know that they will be able to negotiate more easily and quickly.

Websites, like a home, need to be maintained.

Are you maintaining yours?

Could You Go Unplugged?

"Real sacrifice lightens the mind of the doer and gives him a sense of peace and joy."

So says Mahatma Gandhi.

But then again, he never had to give up his cell phone.

In a fascinating little experiment, The New York Times threw down the gauntlet to its readers and challenged them to give up their internet and phone connections. The results are interesting, if not scary - it seems that for some, being connected is as addictive as any drug out there.

Others, however, found solace in the silence, even remarking how they were "less stressed, much calmer, and less distracted."

It's interesting to hear some of the stories of those who took a breather from being connected and either reconnected with the rest of the world or were frustrated to tears.

Here at DotLoop, we encourage you to take a step away from the screen and get some fresh air after you quickly complete your contracts online and easily send them off to your client.

There's no Farmville to distract you here.

Bye Bye Free Wi-Fi?

A few years back, I stopped going to my local coffee shop to write and started going to the Starbucks across the street from me.

It wasn't because the coffee was better, or the people friendlier at the coffee conglomerate.

It was because there was no internet access at Starbucks.

Those days are now long gone, thanks to Starbucks' decision last month to offer free wi-fi, so I'm back to ordering the local cup of joe, but for a while there, it was nice to know that all I had to do (and could do) when I sat down in my seat was write.

As it turned out, free wi-fi wasn't a "perk"; it was a distraction.

No checking e-mail. No "researching" new ideas. And no excuses.

As the LA Times reported this week, it turns out I wasn't alone. What used to be a staple of the coffee house scene - free internet access - has now become a selling point if it's missing.

"People still desire and need actual interaction," states the article. "That dynamism is part of what makes us human."

Indeed, technology can be a double-edged sword, yielding fantastic amounts of productivity, yet making people feel isolated behind their screens. Something that should be used a tool becomes just another distraction, a topic that was touched upon here in May.

DotLoop, of course, prides itself on being a tool and not a toy. Our system never replaces an agent; it only allows them another channel to communicate with their colleagues and clients.

Personally, I can see the draw for a web-free cup of coffee; a sort of safe haven from the lightening-fast pace of the outside world. How about you? Do you think being disconnected every once in a while has its benefits?

Cellular Breakdown

Your cell phone may be killing you, and eggs are bad for you.

Or not.

Not sure if you heard the news (and if you heard it from your cell phone, you're really not going to like this), but it turns out that cell phones may cause brain tumors.

Or not.

The truth is, nobody knows for sure, but then again, nobody knew if ships would fall off the edge of the world until they tried, either.

This weekend, however, the cell phone industry is suing the city of San Francisco over its new labeling law, which gives consumers access to the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) limit of each cell phone at the point-of-sale.

It turns out the cell phone industry does not like making those numbers readily available to consumers who are enamored by their shiny phones.

I for one think labeling is fine - even needed - and that this lawsuit is about as silly as the first cell phones.

After all, information is power, and the more information someone has, the better informed their decisions are. It's just like the recent calorie labeling enacted in New York. Who wouldn't want to know how many calories are in a "low-fat" blueberry muffin?

The science of cell phone tumors is still up in the air, so, whether cell phones turn into the new asbestos or if they're as innocuous coffee, knowing the information can only be a good thing.

Who knows, maybe if home buyers knew more than the banks were legally responsible to tell them, our economy wouldn't be so unhealthy.

From Scrolls to Scroll Bars

Does less paper equal less environmental damage?

Before you answer "of course!", think about it, because context is important.

As mentioned Wednesday, Amazon.com recently celebrated its 15th anniversary of selling everything from Tolstoy to trombones. Obviously, the retail giant has changed the way we buy goods, but with e-books now outselling traditional paper books, it's also completely changed the way we do our summer reading.

The knee-jerk reaction, though, is to assume that that's great for the environment.

But what about the environmental impact of creating a Kindle? Sure, less trees may be destroyed to sell the latest Dan Brown novel (which is a shame, really - that Dan Brown gets to keep making novels, not the saved trees), but how much energy goes into making a Kindle?

It's an interesting question, especially with the nearly monthly onslaught of new, better, and faster e-readers coming to the market (iPad, included).

That's not to say that this latest evolution in reading-from scrolls to scroll bars-is a bad thing; ultimately, any process that makes it easier to access information is a good thing. But before upgrading to the latest and greatest, think about the environmental impact of all your gadgets, or, recycle or re-sell your old gadget after you upgrade.

At DotLoop, we understand just how powerful a paperless transaction can be, not just in terms of saved time, stress, and gas, but with saved trees as well. With the average negotiation taking up to 100 pages of paper to complete, and no need for a specialized e-reader to finish an online negotiation, DotLoop certainly helps the environment.

No ifs, ands, or bytes about it.

Crammed Cells

With summer vacation in full swing, many of you no doubt have seen the station wagons and SUVs driving down the highways, bursting with suitcases and various pool toys.

You may have even seen Clark Griswold driving his family to Wally World.

As you pass him by, though don't blame an over-stuffed trunk for the weighed-down back tires.

Blame his smartphone.

As reported today, Android smartphones are getting weighed down by more and more "bloatware"- with many phone now coming pre-loaded with trial software and apps that users cannot delete.

Anyone who has to click the little 'x' on the "free" trail of McAfee virus-protection whenever they start their PC up knows all about bloatware.

DotLoop, of course, has mastered the art of giving both simplicity and power in one simple, online site. You won't find any bloated features here, just the most state-of-the-art site designed to streamline your negotiations and get your job done more effectively and efficiently.

After all, who wants to be weighed down with excess paperwork?

Windows™ Shopping

You might be able to buy a belated birthday card in case you missed Amazon.com's 15th birthday last Friday.

Of course, make sure you buy it over the Internet.

As Time reported last week, the online shopping giant fundamentally changed retail shopping all with a click of a mouse.

Interestingly enough, one of the first known online web purchases wasn't from Amazon.com and it wasn't a best-selling novel. It was a pepperoni pizza with mushrooms and extra cheese from Pizza Hut.

I remember ordering a pizza from my computer during my freshman year of college, marveling how futuristic it was to order from a computer.

Now, most of us purchase items we never thought possible online (eBay cars, anyone?); we often even keep our credit card information on-file for convenient, one-click shopping. That's how comfortable people are with shopping online.

DotLoop, of course, has taken online shopping one step further, allowing clients and agents to negotiate purchasing terms for real estate all with the click of a button. It has made smudged contracts and uncertainty about what was agreed upon a thing of the past.

You know, the past - waaaay back in 1994.

Duh Dot Com

Quick, what year was the U.S. Constitution adopted?

Difficulty: No Google allowed.

Do you remember this from high school? Or were you crafty enough to split hairs and use Bing to find the answer?

If you had to hunt for the answer on anything that required a computer chip, chances are you may agree with The Atlantic's article, "Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

The argument goes that with everyone connected to the Internet 24/7, our ability to solve problems or even read a long novel is diminished when we are used to instantaneous access to information.

Last week, Forbes countered, arguing that the Internet is making us smarter, not dumber. Some go so far as to suggest that video games are making kids smarter, not dumber, which may be a stretch.

Either way, the argument is missing a key component, as most arguments today are: context.

We have a lot of information and can site stats, but do we know the story behind the stats or why these facts make up our world? Knowing the underlying connections and not just boatloads of information is what makes us smarter. So, the real question should be: is Google making us link our world together? No pun intended.

DotLoop is a perfect example. Whereas before, any negotiation's history was lost once the over-faxed, coffee-stained contract got blown around by the wind, with DotLoop, every step in the negotiation is tracked, giving the overall process context.

So, whether you are a technophobe or a tech geek, understanding the context of your world is what really makes you smart, not just memorizing superficial facts.

And for all those who like their facts, the U.S. Constitution was adopted in 1787.

Disguise Phone

Stuck waiting on someone the other day, I started fidgeting with my phone. I have a "dumb" phone; what the industry calls a "candy bar" phone. It's a bare-minimum, calling and texting machine.

It doesn't even have a camera.

What it does have, much to my surprise, is a pixelated pinball game. I spent a few minutes playing it while waiting for my friend to arrive.

I never knew I had this feature. Later this weekend, I unearthed more hidden features on my phone. I can easily convert Celsius to Fahrenheit with my Conversion Application (ooh! I have "Apps"!) and I have a budget manager. Who knew?

As it turns out, not many. It seems I'm not alone in discovering hidden gems on my phone. As the Wall Street Journal reports today, small businesses have a lot more choices today with their phone plans, but, just like trying to decide which of the 400 brands of toothpaste is right for you, the choices can be daunting.

With cell phones having more processing power than yesteryear's supercomputers, I'm not surprised that so many applications and hidden features can be tucked into such a small device. I wonder what else is lurking in my phone.

Maybe I have a camera on it after all.

How about you? What hidden features have you found on your phone?

Spare Change

It's trite, but true: the only constant is change.

Or lack thereof.

Take parking meters, for instance. As NPR reported yesterday, drivers in Washington, D.C. will soon be able to pay for their parking without having to hunt for quarters or break a dollar. The district's pilot program, which allows customers to pay for their parking meters with their cell phones, will be rolled out city-wide by October. The reasoning: most people have their cell phones with them, but not a roll of quarters.

It certainly makes sense. A lot of cities have already rolled out such programs; some even allow parking to be paid with their credit card. It looks like Cool Hand Luke will have to find something else to do.

As the world changes from the analog to the digital, the "paperless economy" will become more and more prevalent.

DotLoop, of course, understands this; indeed, we are on the leading-edge of creating seamless, efficient, and paperless real estate transactions.

Change is inevitable.

Change is good.

Even if it isn't needed to park.

Is a PC No Longer PC?

In California this week, the All Things Digital D8 Conference has been in full swing, with the red chairs on stage seating everyone from FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski to Avatar director James Cameron with their takes on the present and future of technology and digital media.

On Tuesday, Steve Jobs went so far as to say that the era of the PC is over and that new mobile devices are taking over, much like small cars took over trucks. "PCs are going to be like trucks," Jobs said. "They are still going to be around." The difference, he continued, is that only "one out of x people will need them."

As The Wall Street Journal reports today, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer countered, saying yesterday that "I think people are going to be using PCs in greater and greater numbers for many years to come."

Of course, in an era where cell phones have more computing power than the most advanced computer from a decade ago, who's to say what a personal computer is and isn't? It may not be PC to call your cell phone a PC, but isn't that what it is - just a smaller personal computer?

Who knows - maybe ten years from now, the implanted microchips in our skulls will be considered "personal" computers, too.

Friday Farewell - Live From 30 Rock

DotLoop is back in Gotham this week and today's DotLoop News comes from 30 Rock itself in NYC. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Internet Killed the TV Star?

A sample of the old business trip packing list:

• Cell phone
• Files
• Briefcase
• Portable CD player
• CD case
• Planner
• Contact list
  
• Floppy disks

Of course, now we have a new, easier way to pack:

• Smartphone

Sure, you now have to take your shoes off before entering the plane, and volcanic ash may prevent you from even getting to your destination, but it's a fair trade-off if you ask me.

Today, Google and Intel will announce its plans to do to your living room what technology has already done for your carry-on.

As the Wall Street Journal reports, the internet giant is partnering with electronics makers to create software that runs on your TV, a scenario which has been discussed for a decade and a half, with little real-world implications.

Apple, of course, with its Apple TV, has been trying for the better part of this decade to implement a device that will sync your tube with your YouTube. We'll see if Google can overcome the hurdles and if, five years from now, people will be whittling down their living room furniture to a one-item list: their Internet TV.

Google vs. Microsoft: Cloud Clash

In February, while holed up in a wintry landscape, I touched upon cloud computing; specifically, Google Docs' ability to transform anything I write into a Word Document without ever having to upload any software.

So, fearing the wrath of Google (or so it appears), Microsoft announced this week that it's releasing a free version Office 2010 (coupled with advertisements) to work in the cloud, so that customers can use the product without every having to download any software.

As the Wall Street Journal reports today, Google released a blog post on Monday advising users to use their Google Docs rather than upgrade to the newest version of Office, which can costs hundreds of dollars per user.

The tech tussle and software scuffle is interesting to watch from the sidelines, but regardless the winner, the underlying message is clear: the future of software rests in the clouds.

Of course DotLoop has been taking the cloud-based approach since its inception, creating an online, fully collaborative interactive negotiations platform that requires no software to download and install.

Looking ahead over the horizon, the clouds are clearly visible.

Technology: Tool or Distraction?

Behind all of the pixels, popping graphics, and usability of DotLoop lies a tool. Our website is to agents what a microscope is to a microbiologist or a level is to a contractor - a tool to help get the job done. Our tool just happens to use the power of the Internet to do its job.

So, it was with interest that we read about President Obama's keynote speech this Sunday at Hampton University when he seemingly chided the growth of technology as a diversion rather than a tool of empowerment.

I say seemingly, because, looking at the transcript of the speech itself, it seems all the hoop-la over his hypocrisy (he uses a Blackberry and an iPod, even though in the speech he joked he didn't know how to use them) only further highlights the exact thing he was talking about - a lot of information is out there, but very little context surrounds it.

As one who is online most of the day, I constantly see ill-informed articles designed to grab attention rather than educate the reader. Articles entitled "President Obama Bemoans Technology" may be great for garnering Google's attention, but it completely misses the point of the speech - that education, not just lot of information and cherry-picked quotes - is what we need. Every last detail of the attempted Times Square bomber has been laid out, but how many news outlets are reporting on the flooding in Nashville?

Information is power, but the real distraction is not the technology that provides the information, but a lack of context surrounding it. The out-of-context opinion pieces floundering around the Internet ironically prove the President's exact point - technology should be a tool to assist the citizenry, not a divisive distraction to amass more click-throughs or higher ratings.

At DotLoop, we understand this, which is exactly how we differ - we don't just store all of your transactions, we put the information in context, so that agents and clients can get a full picture of the negotiation, not just bits and pieces.

After all, DotLoop is a tool, not a distraction.

Freedom's Just Another Word For...Net Neutrality

From one Julius to another, the Ides of March took an interesting turn this year when FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced the new broadband initiative, which we discussed that week here on the DotLoop Blog.

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the FCC extended its regulatory push to include broadband as well as traditional communications such as telephones and broadcast TV, within its jurisdiction. This is in response to a Federal Court of Appeals verdict who ruled in favor of Comcast last month in a case over net neutrality.

Here's what happened: in 2007, Comcast had limited access to the Internet to some of its customers. The FCC told the cable giant to stop it, but Comcast argued that the FCC had no business in dealing with broadband.

This was true; in 2002, the big cable and phone companies (At&T, Comcast, Verizon, etc.) successfully lobbied to change broadband from being under the umbrella of "telecommunications" to include it under the category of "information services." This seemingly minor category change meant that the telecommunications companies could effectively police and limit the Internet as they saw fit, which is exactly what Comcast did in 2007.

Net neutrality advocates (those who think the Internet should be open and fully democratic), derided last month's verdict in favor of Comcast. Even as late as this past Monday, it looked as if the FCC would not have the guts to take on the telecommunications giants who would be left as the gatekeepers of the Internet.

But all that changed Wednesday, thanks in large part to a huge swell of grassroots support coupled with a barrage of e-mails and phone calls to the FCC; their decision to keep net neutrality alive was a big win for the public.

So, what does this mean for you? Simple. It means that, for now, the Internet is still in the public domain; that no one company or groups of companies can limit access to it. It means a more open forum with universal access, and it means that once-small start-ups such as Facebook and Google can innovate and grow to change people's lives. It means that services like DotLoop can continue to grow and enhance without fear of being limited by cable or telephone companies.

Basically, it means more freedom to express yourself to the world.

A "Kin"dred Spirit For Agents?

Today's Wall Street Journal has an article on a fascinating new device coming out next week from Microsoft. It's called the Kin, a phone that doubles as a social media device. As I reviewed the details on the site (kin.com), I couldn't help but think of how useful this device could be for tech-savvy agents.

Imagine a client is meeting with you, but doesn't know the directions to the home. With the phone, you can easily take a picture of the house, search for directions on the web and send both to your client through the phone's "Loop".

Seems like a perfect phone for DotLoop users. Send your client a Loop through the phone's Loop and complete a negotiation without ever having to reach for a Bic pen or hunt for a fax machine.

I'm excited to see where this goes.

The First Rule of REBar Camp: No Selling

Proud REBar sponsor DotLoop is down in sunny Nashville this week enjoying REBar Camp 2010, a one-of-a-kind industry get-together designed to bring dialogue and fun to the real estate industry. Below, DotLoop CEO Austin Allison and REBar organizer and co-founder Brian Copeland discuss all things real estate, social media, and the difference between a gadget and a tool. Check it out:

"A Serious Evolution of Contracts"

Local Cincinnati agent Kevin Duffy was recently asked about the evolution and future trends of real estate. One of the major problems, as he pointed out, is getting the clients into the negotiation process. Kevin puts it much more eloquently than I ever could, so I'll let him do the talking: