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Welcome to NSDCAR's Technology News page. This page is your resource for information and updates on existing and emerging technologies in
the Real Estate profession.
It is our desire to keep NSDCAR members out in front of their competition by presenting technological solutions and helpful information about a variety of every REALTOR®'s daily tasks, from lead generation to bulk email marketing techniques; from handheld, wireless MLS access to advanced methods of document imaging and management. From time to time, we will feature products and services from various local, national, and global vendors, with an eye to presenting options and alternatives, rather than endorsement of specific brands and/or solutions. Here you'll find helpful advice, product reviews, general information on "state of the art" technologies for REALTORS®, and hopefully an occasional bit of amusement and entertainment gleaned from the often confusing and complex world of bits, bytes, and techno-geeks. For information, to submit articles, or to request specific topical information, contact: NAR's "Right Tools, Right Now" library at realtor.org publishes a "field guide" to ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES, with all you need to know about this emerging trend in paperless transaction management. CLICK HERE TO KNOW MORE. San Diego "Selling Point" - From SmartPlanet, Top 10 'smartest' utilities for 2010: For the second year in a row, San Diego-based Sempra Energy leads the way in terms of smart grid and renewable energy deployments! READ MORE From the Ziff-Davis "ZDNET"Tech Community, Author Susan Harkins brings an excellent brief tutorial on adding horizontal lines to a Microsoft WORD document, and points up another useful feature under the "Format" menu; Borders and Shading. Check out her story at TechRepublic and explore some of the cool things you maybe didn't know WORD could do! Malware hits all-time high during first half of 2010: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Malware-Hits-All-Time-High-During-First-Half-of-2010-151753.shtml SMARTPHONE NEWS FOR MEMBERS: INTERESTED IN iPhone® Apps? Here's an exhaustive source of them: UPDATE 6/23/10: iOS4 operating system upgrade for iPhone rocks! Faster performance, camera 5x digital zoom, multitasking, playlisting, book reader, multiple Exhange account support, and more! Check it out: Inman News' 15 Best iPhone apps for REALTORS®: Vlingo, Home Tracker, Smarter Agent Homes for Sale; Sketches, PC2Me, Morgulator+, Dictionary of RE Terms, Walk Score, Advanced Bubble Level, The Dual Level, Nearbuy, JotNot, Poperty Evaluator or Buy That Duplex, Hopstop, Open Table, and Offender. Also check out Carfinder, and Night Light Flashlight. BLACKBERRY still #1 REALTOR® SmartPhone... here's the top real estate apps for Blackberry users: http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/category/100
INMAN News 2010 Innovator Awards winner:
TechSavvyAgent.com The Pulse of Real Estate Technology Tech news, reviews, video and more! SECURITY, THE ALL-TOO-OFTEN "AFTERTHOUGHT": Since April of 2009 I have been posting copies of the SANS Security News publication called "OUCH!" via a link in the right column of this page. This newsletter from the SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security Institute contains valuable information on current threats arriving in your email, plus a wealth of information about internet, banking, and other security issues, all explained in non-technical terms, easily understood and most valuable to active users of internet social networking sites and email. These newsletters for the entire year are archived at the source page under the graphic link to the right. Browse the latest issue of "OUCH!" and avoid the cyber-crime and web-borne dangers to your valuable technology investments! 1000WATT Consulting provides a comprehensive index of Real Estate Technology providers and products, all things "geeky" for Real Estate Professionals... click the logo below:  NAR's REALTOR®Mag has published a definitive list of cameras ideal for real estate photography tasks, along with advice on the features and functions best suited to the task... CLICK HERE to view this excellent Buyer's Guide: 2010 Digital Cameras! Your 2010 NSDCAR Board of Directors have embraced a focus on Technology for Real Estate practice, and an essential part of EVERY computer user's daily toolbox is an effective backup and data recovery strategy. Personal computers have a finite work life, just as we do! When your PC reaches the end of its service life, chances are you won't get much notice, it'll come at the worst possible moment, (like smack in the middle of a complex property buy or sell cycle), and your marketing materials, Social Media, website, and clientele data are your real estate business's life blood. With that scenario in mind, it's time, RIGHT NOW, to address the issue of securing your essential digital assets with a comprehensive, easy-to-use, and reliable strategy of preservation. At the very least, your SOHO (small office/home office) requires a stand-by external hard disk to which you copy and store your important data. Better yet, a recent wave of online backup solutions has made the issue of how to handle the sudden demise of a personal computer a virtual "no brainer", by allowing nearly touch-free backup and preservation of your operating system, important files, and essential digital assets on a continuous basis. I highly recommend recent offerings from ACRONIS, (live link), who offer a complete suite of backup and recovery solutions at incredibly reasonable cost, and accommodating a wide choice of strategies (online backup, home-based backup to external hard disk or DVD, and more), and even a TrueImage Home 2010 Plus Pack which affords the ability to restore an entire computer's contents to a "dissimilar hardware" restore point, meaning that if you buy a new PC to replace a failed unit, you're not faced with attempting to piece-meal restore your important business assets to an incompatible hardware platform. Which solution you choose is far less important, when things "go south", than having made a decision and implemented a viable strategy, RIGHT NOW!  M. Thomas "Mike" Dooley Information Technology Director North San Diego County Association of REALTORS® Extension 206 Send email to Mike |
Technology isn't just computers; New York firm Resource Furniture imports amazing, space-saving furniture technologies for the smaller living spaces trend, as shown in this startling video: "Google Instant" debut; will it affect 'long-tail search' and YOUR advertising efforts? Read an interesting overview on Technorati.com HERE New French Social Media Tool may reinvent the "bookmarking" and "sharing" paradigm: Take a look at Pearltrees.com, and consider the possibilities for your Social Networking efforts! File under "perspective"; a video visualization of aircraft movement over the earth from space - amazing video: FROM ZIFF-DAVIS NEWS: DOCUSIGN RELEASES NEW TOOLS TO ENCOURAGE e-SIGNATURE ADOPTION N.A.R.'s "Ask Mr. Internet" 
Virus and Hoax Info from Sophos & TREND Micro  NEW! Onguard Online Security Quiz Game! MS Word Tips: • Formatting • Templates • Key Shortcuts • Magic Symbols, & Guru Functions Mike's Affiliate Poem |