Greetings FOREM readers!
I am really excited to be a featured writer on FOREM’s blog. I have been a reader and admirer of this blog for some time and am thrilled with the opportunity to contribute! It is an honor to write along side Joel Burslem. I am equally as excited about my new position as marketing manager with Inman News. I look forward to bringing a fresh and new perspective to our readers and fans!
To read more about me click here!
So for my 1st blog post, I am going to talk about one of my favorite subjects – Google.
Let’s face it, we are living in a Google world. But, as you all know Google has become so much more than just a search engine.
There are tons of experiments going on with Google – but I thought I’d take this opportunity to give you the 3 latest (and in my opinion most exciting) things happening with Google that will impact you and your business.
1. Google Living Stories – This looks like it could be the next “big thing” for Google and potentially down the line for real estate. Google Living Stories takes newspaper reading to the next level.
Newspapers? Yes. Stick with me here. This is where it gets good.
It’s not surprising to anyone that the newspaper industry is dying but breaking news and the hunger for news continues to grow at an exponential rate.
Google Living Stories is in beta form right now, and is very “Wikipedia” looking. So far, Google Living Stories has partnered with The New York Times and The Washington Post. When you go to Google Living Stories and click on a story, you are brought to a page with 1-2 paragraphs of text, photos, graphs, timelines, related links, and related stories.
I love this.
If Living Stories takes off this could be HUGE for the real estate world. Imagine a client searching for “New York Real Estate” – when they click ‘search’ they then may come to a page with listings, photos, neighborhood info, school info, timelines, video, and so much more.
Living Stories still has a ways to come but it has a lot of potential!
News organizations produce a wealth of information that we all value; access to this information should be as great as the online medium allows.
2. Google Chrome – This free web browser is literally taking the web world by storm. Just 2 days ago, at the Googelplex in Mountain View, over 500 new Google Chrome Extensions were unveiled.
Why Chrome? Speed, simplicity and style – but the best part is the speed. It is lightening fast! Already have Chrome? Check out these experiments from Google to play around with! Also announced today on Google’s blog is the launch of Mac and Linux extensions for Chrome.
3 . Google Goggles – Take a picture of a book, a store, a landmark and that picture translates into a search for that object. It is still in its infancy and only available on the Android (but the rumor is that it will available soon on Google Chrome) but think about the possibilities for real estate search. What if this worked with homes on the market? You could snap a photo and instantly see how long it had been on the market, details about the home, listing agent, virtual tours, and more. I think there are lots of possibilities for this – plus I love the “cool” factor.
What’s next for Google? Stay tuned – the possibilities are wide open!
Posted by Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News
