The Water Cooler


Welcome to the water cooler. I created this page as a place where we can all post questions and answer them for each other or even better, let the SLL2.0 team answer questions so we can all get the benefit of the answers. I hope some of you will take advantage of this place. I'll post a few questions and see if anyone answers. It would seem to be the most useful if we just posted a question and then whoever answers just puts the answer in as the next post or sentence on the page. Hopefully we won't need to edit or delete each others' questions.

 

Question for the SLL2.0 team - Just for fun information, how many individuals are now participating in this program? Do you keep up with all of us using bloglines or google reader or do you use different ways?

 

Q1:  SLL2.0 Team: Hey, thanks for setting up a "water cooler." There are several ways to answer your questions.

HOW MANY PARTICIPANTS: As to how many participants are currently REGISTERED, at this half-way point in the summer, there are 124 CSLA members and about NON-CSLA BLOGS that registered for SLL2. We have no idea how many are participating "quietly." It could be 10 or 10,000. Also, several other state library associations are offering our SLL2 course to their members, some school districts are offering it or planning to offer it to their teachers in the fall. One fun indicator of SLL2 interest is our ClusterMap, which shows that as of today (July 19, 2007) that there have been 27,000+ visits to the site.

 

Q2: HOW DO WE KEEP UP WITH ALL THE BLOGGERS? Another great question. Thanks to the advice of my friend San Jose State University e-Librarian Christine Holmes, who was on the SJLearning2.0 Team, I immediately set up a bloglines account for all new CSLA member participants. You can see the full list on the right side of School Library Learning 2.0, but I can actually see at a glance whenever a blogger adds a post to their blog. Please note that the blogs are looked at by more than one member of the CSLA 2.0 Team. Each new blogger gets two welcoming greetings; one from the project manager and one from the co-developer. Then, primary "cheering" responsibility goes to a CSLA 2.0 Team member who is responsible for a range of the alphabet (such as blogs whose names start with A-B-C, or D-E-F...and so on.) Of course, all team members and bloggers are charged with (and greatly enjoy) looking at all the blogs and cheering on their colleagues. As project manager, I also set up a Google READER for non-member participants. From time to time, the CSLA 2.0 Team will look at them and cheer them on, but they know from the get-go that they will not get the attention that our CSLA members receive.

 

Q3:  WHAT IS "CREATE A PAGE" USED FOR?  New topics.  For example, at CSLA Conference someone asked for a list of non-CSLA bloggers that registered for the summer offering of School Library Learning 2.0 -- so I created a new page on that topic and pasted in the list of out-of-state blogs that we knew of because they sent in a registration. 

 

Q: How do you register for School Library Learning 2.0?

A: Go to "Thing 4" or http://schoollibrarylearning2.csla.net/2007/02/4-week2-register-your-blog-with-school.html 

Q: What is "peer cheering?" It sounds great, but I'm not sure what it is.

A: "Peer Cheer" is a fun and descriptive term invented by the CSLA Ed Tech Committee to describe the process of the CSLA 2.0 Team volunteer cheerleaders who encourage participants by giving positive comments on individual blogs. It is a great feeling to work on an online course when you know you have colleagues cheering you on, answering your questions, or learning about the cool tools and curriculum ideas you discover as you work through the course.

Q: My district wants all its teacher-librarians to participate in the "Winter 2.0 Fun" offering of School Library Learning 2.0 but we want to start in January -- will that work?

A: Sure! Start anytime. Whatever works for you or your group. Winter break is a great time to start, when you are at home and have no school filters to get in the way. My favorite time to work online is late at night or early Saturday morning (with an iTunes playlist and the laundry humming away in the background.)

 

Q: My friend, a classroom teacher, would like to take this course with me. How does that work?

A:  In Fall 2007, we designed a version especially for classroom teachers.  It is called "Classroom Learning 2.0". Just go to   http://ClassroomLearning2.csla.net  and read the first paragraph. Read on and you'll be on your way! Registration happens in Week #2, Thing #4 -- once you have read about what the course covers, how to be a lifelong learner, and how to create a blog.

 

Q: Who is the magician who set up CSLA registration for School Library Learning 2.0?

A: That magical wizard, Bob Skapura! Kudos to Bob for making all this possible.

 

 Q: Hey, what happened to the listing of blogs on the School Library Learning 2.0 site for those of us who started working on the course in the fall? I know we are kind of out of sync since we didn't do the course in the summer, nor are we in the winter fun group, but some of us are still working on the tutorial.  Can you read anyone who is still working on the course?

 A: See WaterCooler at http://calcurriculum.pbworks.com/Summer+Fun+2007+-+Congratulations 

 

 

 

 

1. Change your marketing strategy. Any agent who wishes to stay relevant and in business must change his or her marketing strategy. In the past, it had been all about the listings and how many bedrooms a home had; these days that style of advertising just isn’t going to cut it. The majority of individuals don’t want to be the focus advertising, therefore advertisements should focus on lifestyle, and all marketing should feel authentic and organic.

2. Customize your services. The world continues to evolve a rapid pace. We’ve gone from Web 1.0 to almost Web 3.0, better known as the Internet. We need to focus on delivering a customized experience. How does this work in real estate? Focus on the now. Make sure each of your clients is getting serviced on their schedule, not yours. Your customers want everything to be about them, and anything you send them should be tailored specifically to their interests and needs. Personalize their experience from beginning to end and offer additional services. Don’t limit your services to just the transaction; provide them with concierge-style services.

3. Establish a brand. Creating a brand is an absolute must when it comes to real estate, and doing it well is what separates outstanding agents from the mediocre agents. Clients need to feel that they can trust you with their home — a solid brand will do just that. Your brand should speak volumes about your services, knowledge and ability for success. Be consistent; otherwise your clients will not recognize you.

4. Become an industry leader. Sound simple? It is. All it requires is time. It’s probably the last thing you want to hear especially during the season. However, it is crucial to establish yourself as an industry expert. When you are quoted in the news, and you provide a wealth of content online, you become a greater asset to your client. Did you know that 80 percent of people prefer content to advertisement? That’s a big number. Your target audience is looking for content, and they want to know that you are the go-to expert.

5. Offer a wealth of knowledge. Perhaps the most significant piece of the puzzle is offering your audience local knowledge. Your extensive knowledge on the real estate industry and the lifestyle available in the area are critical. Your audience is looking at you as their guide not only for their home, but also for the area. They rely on you to give them insight into everything there is to know about the area where they are focusing their search, especially if you live there. Whatever you are doing now, stop. Take a step back and evaluate your marketing. Is it working? Are your clients looking for something different? What are you doing to make yourself indispensable? The world is quickly changing, and if you aren’t prepared to adapt and evolve, you’ll get left behind and your competition will get ahead.

 

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