Naperville Backs The Olympic Bid – Chicago 2016

Are you ready to party Naperville and show your support for Chicago’s bid for the 2016 Olympics? Join us Friday from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm as we rally to show our support. Chicago Ave will be blocked off between Washington and Main and will feature live music and a performance by NaperDance who will also teach us the Naperville Slide (remixed as NaperDance: Chicago 2016). Want the T-Shirt to prove you were there? Stop by Ryan Hill Realty, 15 W Jefferson to pick up one of the 200 available. See you there!

Naperville Labor Day Parade

What a great day for a parade in Naperville. I watched it from a house on S Main where my friend Kristin Jungles and her husband Kevin host a party every year attended by 200 or so friends and neighbors. (btw, Norm makes great omelets in the back). Even Mayor Pradel stopped by in his Park District uniform before the start. There was even a cotton candy machine cranking out pure, fluffy, sugar buzz for all who wanted.

Scare whipping up cotton candy

Along with the bagpipes, floats, marching bands, community groups, dancers, a few union groups (IBEW and Plumbers and Pipe-fitters) and the politicians running for office, there was a group marching that didn’t quite sit right with me. For lack of a better term, I will call it a “political protest group”.  (They shall remain nameless). They were quite vocal pushing their cause and graphic with their signs – and it bothered me.

Why did it bother me? I’m not sure, but maybe its because I viewed the parade as a celebration of Labor Day and what Labor has done for this country. Also as an event where any group, approved by the organizers, may enter and participate. I guess I just never expected an aggressive protest group. Maybe I’m getting old and stodgy, but hey, parades are for fun and candy and flying discs and balloons for the kids, and for parents and kids to march together etc. Let’s find another venue for protesting.

Supplemental candy distribution.

My iPhone 3GS and its first performance review

iphone 3GS

I am sitting here in the lobby of the Palace Hotel in San Francisco waiting to have lunch with a local friend. I have spent the past week here in the Bay Area attending two real estate conferences, both with a focus on technology and Social Media in the industry. I have only had the iPhone 3GS for about a month now and this was a great test to see how it performs as a business tool for this former Blackberry user. My primary observation….what is with the lack of battery on this device? Wherever we went, the hotel, conference center, restaurants, clubs I was able to employ my newest search capability – looking for an outlet to recharge the dang device (along with half the people I was with).  The battery drain is incredible! At best it seems about 4 hours is the tops I can get before I am power scouting.

Advice that has been given to extend the charge life has been, turn off location services, turn off blue tooth, turn off many of those features. I love it, shut down the cool features of the hottest new phone – kind of makes it just a phone, no? It will be interesting to see the performance once I return home. I have some thoughts but they need some testing. peace.

Naperville 7-Day Market Stats

Here is a new presentation of Naperville Market Statistics that includes information not available in the charts. Tables are included for both single family homes and condos/townhomes. A key measure noted in this table is Homes Absorbed, a measure of how quickly inventory moves off the market. Of more interest is how it compares to Newly Listed. In this weeks numbers we see that Newly Listed outpaced Homes Absorbed by 3:2. Activties at that level will act as deterrent to pricing increases as it raises inventory levels giving sellers more competition and buyers more options.

Single Family

Townhome/Condominium

As you can see from the table below, the ratio in these properties is more nearly 1:1. This indicates a level of balance in the market with supply and demand being relatively equal.

Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest Farms

Solheim Cup is almost here!

The Solheim Cup is coming back to the United States August 17 – 23, 2009, at the prestigious Rich Harvest Farms located just outside of Chicago in Sugar Grove, Ill. Come out and see the Europe’s and America’s best compete in this unique tournament. Tickets are still available on a daily or weekly basis. For more ticket information click here.

Ticket Tips & Specials:

Weekly tickets ($125.00) are actually tear offs. Split the cost with someone and each go on the days you can. It saves over the $25/day price if you plan on going multiple days.  

Special Admission Days: There are several:

• Monday Tickets bring 4 items of non perishable food as the price of admission.
• Thursday Tickets free for Veterans. Just present your veterans ID at the main gate.

Solheim Cup FORE Kids: All youth 15 years of age and under receive free admission with a ticketed adult and ore invited to participate in Solheim Cup FORE Kids. Look for the activity pavilion at the Expo Village across from the Opening Ceremony at Rich Harvest Farms.

Physically Challenged Access: Parking for anyone with the appropriate (standard handicap in Illinois) hangtag will be located in Lot C off Camp Dean Road. This is the best spot to park if you are confined to a wheel chair. Scooter and wheel chair rental is available near this entrance.

Spectator Guide: The Official Spectator Guide is available here.

Autographs: Solicitation of autographs is allowed all week before or after players have completed their practice rounds or matches. The autograph area will be located near the putting green. Be sure to stop by the Aurora/Sugar Grove Expo Tent located near the main entrance to pick up your free autograph essentials.

Cell Phones/PDA’s and Cameras are prohibited on the course. A Tech Check will be located at the main and corporate entrances to leave those electronic devices that are not allowed on property. Cameras are allowed Monday through Thursday for personal pictures only.

You can follow Solheim Cup on Twitter and Facebook also.

Abraham Lincoln quote on prosperity

Did Abraham Lincoln really say this?

There is a quote flying around the Web lately attributing the following to Abraham Lincoln and tying it to President Obama’s “alignment” with Lincoln philosophies. Here is the message:

“You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.  You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.  You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.  You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.  You cannot build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence.  You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.  You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.  You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.  You cannot establish security on borrowed money.  You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they will not do for themselves.”

According to what I found, the words are often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, but according to the book They Never Said it: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, & Misleading Attributions, they are not from Lincoln.

The quotes were published in 1942 by William J. H. Boetcker, a Presbyterian minister.  He released a pamphlet titled Lincoln On Limitations, which did include a Lincoln quote, but also added 10 statements written by Boetcker himself.

Whether or not these words were spoken by Lincoln, they do have a pretty solid ring to them, don’t you think?

Naperville Ribfest – remote parking and shuttle buses

If you are going to Naperville’s Ribfest, be advised parking is extremely difficult because of the event’s popularity. Your best bet will be to take advantage of the remote parking and shuttle service available. There are several churches nearby that offer fee based parking but they often fill up quickly. Don;t try parking at Edward Hospital or Naperville Cemetary. You risk being towed. Enjoy the ribs and the music. Tonight’s headliner is TODD RUNGREN!

Parking and Shuttle Map

July 2 – July 5, 2009 REMOTE LOTS TO RIBFEST
The shuttle buses will run from 11:30A.M. to 8:30 P.M. TO RIBFEST

1. Burlington Lot (after 6pm on July 2nd)
SE Corner of Washington St and 5th Ave

2. North Central College
30 N Brainard Street

3. Neuqua Valley H.S.
2360 95th Street

THE LAST SHUTTLE LEAVES RIBFEST AT 10:30p.m.

Twitter Guidelines

The following is part two of a recent submission to a Real Esate publication’s request on tips and guidelines for using Twitter and other Social Media.

If you join the world of Twitter here are a few key things to remember and some tips to help find value in the time you spend there.

1. Remember, you are building your personal and professional brand by being present and active in this social medium. What you “say” is permanent.
2. Put a personal, friendly picture as your avatar, one that people will recognize.
3. Use some version of your name as your handle – again, recognition.
4. Install a helper application such as TweetDeck, or Seesmic, or Digsby. These will help you organize tweets, follow trending topics, follow conversations in groups of people you define, follow key words, i.e, Real Estate, Naperville.
5. Tweet about and “retweet” those comments that you feel are notable. Showing interest is more important than being interesting, and will gain you followers.
6. Thank those who retweet your comments. Showing gratitude builds social capital which builds a following.
7. Follow those who Tweet about subjects that interest you. Engage them, interact with them. Quiet observance will not gain you followers. Follow the superstars and your competitors. Follow related business folks, mortgage people, builders, associations, etc. You will be surprised at the information you can glean (and contribute) from the conversation stream.
8. Following Back There are multiple schools of thought on this subject. Some say follow every one, even the porn stars, because the bigger base you have the larger the opportunity. Others say treat it more like your sphere – prune, trim, follow only relevant folks. My personal practice: I check people’s profiles and look at:
   1. Are their tweets a mix of business and general/personal? I don’t want to add someone to my stream who is going to just bombard me with pitches to buy their product of service. I do want people who are interesting, knowledgeable.
   2. Number of tweets: Do they regularly engage in tweeting? I had one former colleague who started following me. He followed a number of folks and had followers. He also had zero tweets. What value do you think he is bringing to the Twitter community?
   3. Ratio Is the ratio of Followed to Followers fairly even?
9. #FollowFriday Participate in this fun. On Fridays people recommend those to the Twitterverse that they particularly enjoy or feel offer good value. Go first, include “#followfriday” in your tweet and the twitter name of those you are recommending. They may be funny, intelligent, friendly, whatever the reason, give recognition and kudo’s. It will return to you. And, always thank those who include you in their #followfriday’s. Just watch the twitter stream, it’s easy to pick up the protocol.
10. Tweeups Attend a Tweetup and meet others who Twitter. Or schedule one. Or join a Tweetride (cyclists who Twitter meet to ride). Be creative and interactive.

Here is a great summary from Nicole Nicolay in her e-book “Twitter for Real Estate Twits: “@nik_nik’s chapter 7 summary: Be the same person you are offline when you’re online. Same rules apply. If you wouldn’t flash your neighbor, then don’t flash twits. When it comes to real estate, behave with the professionalism that your clients expect from you. And, if you do make a mistake or ever fart in an elevator, just say “sorry”.

Again, these are my thoughts and practices. There are other protocols that work well for others. Keys to remember, participate, offer value, play nice, & mix up the social and business.

Naperville Ribfest 2009

Lots of info is available for Naperville Exchange Club’s 2009 Ribfest. Here is a summary of some of the key information.

Schedule – Thursday, July 2nd  thru Sunday, July 5th

• Thursday, July 2nd 12:00 Noon to 10:00 p.m.
• Friday, July 3rd 12:00 noon to 10:00 p.m.
• Saturday, July 4th 12:00 noon to 10:00 p.m.  (Gates open to public at 7:00pm for fireworks)
• Sunday, July 5th 12:00 noon to 10:00 p.m.

Location: Knock Park, Hillside and West St, Naperville, IL directions

Venue Map

Main Stage Headliners

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Friday, July 03, 2009

Saturday, July 04, 2009

Sunday, July 05, 2009

8:30 – 10:00
Huey Lewis & The News
www.hueylewis.com

Social Media Etiquette

I was recently asked by a Realtor publication to contribute to an article being put together on Social Media and how agents just getting started could use it effectively. After some noodling and refining, it’s pretty apparent that these are guidelines that could apply to anyone seeking another avenue to stay in touch. So here are Tony’s Guidelines for Social Media Etiquette.

1. Participate: If you are going to join a network by all means participate. Your keystrokes are your voice. It’s how people get to know you. Stunning good looks and prior reputation will not get much attention in a medium of this nature. There are superstars everywhere.
2. Play Nice: Negativity does not get much mileage in this environment. Blocking/hiding/unfollowing are so easy to do if someone is annoying.
3. Add Value:  Give more than you receive. Respect and attention/retention is given, not a given. In the end, people will communicate with and converse with those who offer value to the community.
4. Be Real:  We are all multi faceted individuals with different characteristics that attract others. Be that multifaceted person. Single focus folks don’t last. People who are all business all the time will be turned off by the community they are trying to attract. Remember, it is a SOCIAL medium.
5. Participate: Spend time, stay with it and participate regularly. Be a presence in the environment you choose to be involved in. I had a colleague at a former firm I worked with follow me on Twitter. He has double digit followers and follows a double digit number of people. Has Zero updates – i.e. no comments, no interaction. Ask yourself how much value is that agent going to get out of Twitter?
6. Be Two-Way:  Interact, reach out and touch those in the social community you are involved in. If you blog, read others related blogs and comment. (Be sure to leave your real name and web/blog link – good Google juice) If you are on Twitter, tweet in response to others tweets. Tweet your thoughts on subjects, news items. Don’t block your updates – how are others going to get to know you? On Facebook, let others see you, write on walls of friends, comment on pictures.
7. Respect Others: If you disagree with something, that’s normal, comment without flaming. Remember what you put out there builds your reputation.
8. Be Social: Act as if you are at a party or networking event. These tools are about connecting with others on a frequent and regular basis. You have been doing this for years in different mediums. Your behavior should be the same here.
9. Participate: It takes time and participation for others to get to know you and you them. There are social networks out there for just about any interest. If you join and participate, you will connect with more people. You will build your personal network. You will have fun. You will enjoy. You will get value to the degree you give value.

I cannot stress enough, if you are going to be involved with or choose to use Social Media or networks you have to be involved, you have to use it. It’s really like anything else you join: Participate and give value and it will be returned.