My mobile blog fest begins tomorrow morning at 4:00 AM.

That’s when the entire Turner family, six kids and two parents, will head off on our annual road trip to West Virginia. I blogged all along the way last year on our CA TO WV… AND BACK AGAIN blog. This year I’m doing it again, only I’ll be using as many new technologies as I can to chronicle our journey.

The main tool this year? Utterz.

Most of the posts created on our famiy travel blog will be generated using Utterz. I’m confident I’ll be able to show a number of creative ways to use some of the technologies that have surfacec since our last trip a year ago. I’ll also be using Twitter, Brightkite, editable Google maps, and other mobile tools. in addition, depending on bandwidth, I’ll be using some live video streaming, Real Estate Shows (of course), and I’m even going to throw in some Eyejot This! action along the way.

This trip will certainly provide the breadth of creative opportunites required to show how versatile some of the latest, proven technologies can be. But what I’m really hoping is that it will serve to get your own creative juices flowing.

So, come join us… virtually. There may not be any more room in the truck, but there’s plenty of room on the ‘net. I think we’ll all have some fun and you may get a few new ideas along the way!

Yesterday I read my friend Bob Carney’s blog Focus on Frederick, and his post about the impact of foreclosures on pets was so spectacular that I was moved to share it with you.

Bob is an animal lover and has two fabulous dogs – I am often entertained by pictures of them just enjoying their happy doggie lives as part of his family.

After hearing there was an increase in animals being taken to the shelter, Bob went to have a look for himself. The housing crisis is not just hurting humans. When a family faces foreclosure they’re often forced to move into an apartment or with other family members, and often it’s impossible to keep their beloved pets.

Bob was moved to make this Real Estate Show and I thought you’d want to see it.
Warning: You might want to have a tissue handy.

Thank you for sharing with us, Bob.

One of my friends just subscribed to Real Estate Shows. His name is Dale Chumbley and he co-writes a blog called Clark County Real Estate Guide with Chris Hyde, who is in the mortgage industry. (Dale, along with his Mom, Tracy, and wife, Bridget, make up the Chumbley Team at Prudential Northwest Properties.) Together Dale and Chris cover many issues in the real estate market, but what I really love is when they write about local stuff in their city of Vancouver, Washington.

I wasn’t surprised at all when Dale’s first Show was amazing – fabulous pictures, great titles and an overall feeling of “love of place”. He loves where he lives and it shows!

But what really got me was when they worked together on a post. They visited a new restaurant just before the grand opening. Dale took pictures and whipped up a Show while Chris wrote the text.

And it was WOW!! I read this first thing in the morning and was ready for some Mexican food before breakfast! Click here and read, you’ll see what I mean!

OK, let’s talk about why this is so good. First of all, it’s great to blog about local stuff. People are going to see this new restaurant and want to know more. They look in a search engine and this post pops up. Now they’ve found a couple guys who know all about the area they’re living in – and how about that, they’re real estate guys! If they like the blog and keep coming back, who just became their go-to guys? You guessed it! (Hint: This is why you blog!)

Also, they wrote just in time for Cinco de Mayo and people might be looking for local stuff in connection with that, too. Give people what they want – they like that! Keeping up with events as they happen in your community can lead readers right to the welcome mat on your blog. (Dale does not seem to have a problem testing out restaurants and showing them off, as evidenced here.)

And the Show, this part is magic, too! In the place of one picture, they now have nine. This gives their readers a little power, if they want to see more pictures, they can push that little arrow button. If not, they don’t have to. People like to have choices … and they’re curious so I bet they push the button! RES Shows great way to show more of something without overwhelming your words or creating a post that looks so long it scares off a casual reader.

They’ve realized right from the start that Real Estate Shows are for much more than just showcasing listings – they can help illustrate nearly anything you want to say. If you have a website or a blog (and you should) RES may turn out to be your favorite tool.

Thanks to Dale and Chris, I look forward to seeing what you do with your Real Estate Shows next!

How long has it been since you looked at your inventory of Real Estate Shows? Hopefully you aren’t using RES just for listings – haven’t I taught you better by now??? (If you’re feeling nosy, please feel free to peek at my Shows. My active listings are now on my team’s Real Estate Shows account, in case you wonder!)

If you’re like me, you’re not “just” a real estate agent. You’re probably also your own marketing department. I bet you have a website and a blog, or at least you’re working on getting there. Can I guess that you wouldn’t complain if someone handed you a little more time and money? Doesn’t it just make sense if one thing can work for you in many ways? Wouldn’t that lower your stress level a little?

Yesterday I scrolled through my Real Estate Shows library and realized that I have some great stuff in there. I thanked myself for that earlier work, then resurrected an old Show and wrote a post on ThePutnamScoop.com to go with it.

I love this! I got a chance to talk again about a cause I believe in. I had not just pictures, but a beautiful Show with words and music to get across to the reader just the feeling I intended. I was able to use something I already had in a new way – recycling! Not just good for the environment, it’s good for the budget.

And even better, I have more Shows in there that will be inspiration for posts for a long time to come! The next time I’m stumped for a topic, I know just where to go. What a relief that is!

Our CEO, Bill Leider, has been awarded The Black Pearl award for his post, “What Is A Brand?“ The Black Pearl is awarded “for the best practical, technical or marketing idea of the week.” Everyone here at Real Estate Shows would like to congratulate Bill on yet another fine piece of writing.