March 2009 - Posts

Thursday, March 19, 2009 8:45 AM

MLS 5.0 …The Outer Limits’ Focus of Point2 Technologies CEO Saul Klein’s Address at Annual Real Estate Association Executives Institute

Klein to paint a picture of the future of the MLS, and refute the claim that the MLS is threatened to become irrelevant

Saskatoon, SK and Vancouver, BC – ‘MLS 5.0 …The Outer Limits’ will be the central theme of Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) chief executive officer Saul Klein’s address at the upcoming annual real estate Association Executives Institute (AEI). The Institute will be held from March 20 to March 24, 2009 at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado.


Klein will discuss the unavoidable evolution the real estate profession is undergoing and how forward thinking Multiple Listing Service (MLS) organizations are taking the lead and embracing industry changing disciplines that are re-asserting, yet again, the value of MLS.

As Multiple Listing Service organizations seek to identify new ways to deliver value to their members, Klein’s address will tackle key issues and aim to quell critical concerns that remain on the minds of many senior executives at MLSs across the United States and Canada. Facing a brutal economy and general unease around the value of MLS, Association Executives will be invited to examine:  

-          The state of their organization today. Is it moving in the right direction, or is it merely an image of its old self?
-          The Vision and the Mission of their MLS
-          What the MLS of the future will look like (http://MLSofTheFuture.com)

 The session will also explore what will be required to build on the current foundation of today’s MLS. Klein will paint a picture of the future of the MLS, and refute the claim that the MLS is threatened to become irrelevant. Klein’s assessment, based on 33 years of MLS experience in many areas and at many levels will highlight the strengths of the MLS and its potential to play a tremendous role in the real estate environment of the future.

“Easy access to property listing information online, and an extremely weak housing market have applied significant pressure on real estate brokers and agents, translating into pressure on Association Executives to revisit the purpose of their organizations,” said Klein. “But the challenge MLSs and Boards face today, are only reminders of the relevance and resilience of these institutions. They have evolved with the times and time and again proven that they remain the backbone of the industry.”

Klein’s session is set to take place on Saturday March 21, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., in the International Center North, International Center, at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer portal, Point2 Homes, (www.Point2Homes.com) and the used heavy equipment marketplace, Used Iron (www.UsedIron.com). More information can be found at www.Point2.com. For ongoing news about Point2, please visit www.point2.com/news

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contact:

Roger Noujeim

Vice President of Public Relations
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
Tel. 1-604-675-9393 Ext. 224

rnoujeim@point2.com

Posted by scorbett [Edit Post]
Filed under: , [Edit Tags]
Thursday, March 05, 2009 3:57 PM

How to Improve Your Google Ranking Using Video Virtual Tours

AddThis Social Bookmark Button

By Bernice Ross 

Several months ago a number of articles appeared on the Internet saying that Google had once again changed their algorithms (i.e., the mathematical formula that they use to determine organic web rankings.) To get "Google juice" or good ranking, the algorithm now appears to place the greatest value on videos. After that, pod casts, blogging, links, and in last place, static websites.

Consequently, one of the first steps that you can take to improve your web rankings is to include more video virtual tours of your listings. Research from Poin2Agent (the best place to syndicate your listings to over 225,000 agents in 141 countries and 30 major real estate portals) shows that increasing the number of pictures of each of your listings also helps you to have better search results. For example, the 2008 Point2 Agent study of buyer online behavior found that having 16 different pictures of your listings as compared to 15, produced 33 percent more page views. The minimum number for the best results is at least 20. An important part of how Google ranks your site is based upon how relevant is, how long people stay on your site while they are there (stickiness), and the number of page views. Using pictures and videos is a great way to improve this.

There's another new development that merits noting. Just recently, the folks at Adobe announced that they have a new product that Google has started using. This product takes the voice part of the video and converts it into a text file that the Google search engine can read. Consequently, if any of your virtual/video tours uses music in the background, it would be smart to redo the audio part of the video and change it to voice. For all new videos that you shoot, be sure to use words rather than just music on the audio portion. This is will increase your Google Juice and help you beat those competitors who don't know about this shift.

Posted by scorbett [Edit Post]
Filed under: , [Edit Tags]
Wednesday, March 04, 2009 9:54 AM

Point2 Technologies’ Zach Scott to Discuss Real Estate Listing Syndication and Unveil iPhone Mobile Application at Clareity Annual MLS Executive Workshop

AddThis Social Bookmark Button

Point2 Chief Operating Officer on Panel to Address Listing Syndication Best Practices with Cyberhomes, HomeFinder and Trulia Executives – Participates in Mobile Application Shoot-Out

Saskatoon, SK and Vancouver, BC – Zach Scott, COO of Point2 Technologies Inc. (“Point2”) will address real estate Multiple Listing Service (MLS) executives on listing syndication best practices and will unveil a Point2 real estate application for the iPhone, at the Annual Clareity MLS Executive Workshop held this week at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.

On Thursday, March 5, 2009, at 1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m., Scott will participate in an Arizona style “Mobile Device Applications and Services Shoot-Out.” With significant investments continuing to be applied towards mobile solutions, the event will showcase and enable conference attendees to compare leading edge products, side by side.

On Friday, March 6, 2009, at 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m., Scott will join a panel of experts to discuss sweeping trends in real estate listing syndication that are seeing MLS organizations nationwide look to adopt the service as a core offering. Scott will share best practices and requirements for implementing and effectively managing syndication programs today. Participating with Scott in the panel discussion will be Marty Frame, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Cyberhomes.com,  Mark Tepper, Vice President of Business Development, HomeFinder, and Mark Weiss, Vice President of Business Development, Trulia.
The session will be moderated by Gregg Larson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Clareity Consulting.
“Progressive MLSs are currently looking to deploy revenue generating, innovative programs, such as listing syndication, that deliver significant value for their members. In fact, we find that the drive for syndication services is largely due to member interest and a critical need to advertise listings wherever buyers may choose to do their research online,” said Scott. “We’re pleased to be able to offer the largest syndication network in the industry and we’re proud of our close association and exceptional relations with our MLS clients and our syndication partner network companies.”
Scott was appointed COO of Point2, in February of 2009. Prior, he held the company’s chief technology officer post. 

About Point2 Technologies Inc.

Point2 Technologies develops and markets web-based e-commerce and online marketing software solutions for the real estate and heavy equipment industries. In real estate, Point2 is the largest independent provider of website and listing syndication software for real estate professionals (www.Point2Agent.com), with customers in over 100 countries. Point2’s real estate user base continues to grow by over 1200 additional members each week. Point2 also owns and operates the real estate consumer search portal, Point2 Homes (www.Point2Homes.com).

In the heavy equipment industry, Point2 is a leading provider of e-commerce, inventory management and sales and marketing solutions (www.Point2Manager.com), powers Caterpillar Inc.’s global heavy equipment dealer network (www.CatUsed.com) and owns and operates www.UsedIron.com, one of the largest used equipment venues online.

Founded in 1996, Point2 Technologies is privately held and employs a staff of 125 at its headquarters in Saskatoon, SK and its Vancouver, BC offices. More information can be obtained at www.Point2.com.

Point2® is a trademark of Point2 Technologies Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

Press Contact:

Roger Noujeim
Vice President of Public Relations
Point2 Technologies Inc.
Toll Free: 1-888-955-7900 (U.S. and Canada)
Tel. 1-604-675-9393 Ext. 224
rnoujeim@point2.com

SOURCE: Point2 Technologies Inc.
 

Posted by scorbett [Edit Post]
Filed under: , [Edit Tags]