Flickr photo by Ewan-M

UK readers, mark your calendars. On October 16th in London, industry professionals will be gathering with Inman News publisher Bradley Inman at 6pm at the Windmill Pub in Mayfair. It's being hosted by the good folks at Nestoria and you can read more about the gathering on the following blogs: Nestoria Blog, theRatandMouse, Globrix Blog and Renthusiast.

Similar meetups will be held in the following European capitals:

Amsterdam - October 23rd (stay tuned to nieuwbouw20 for details)

Paris - October 27th

Berlin - Date TBA.

We hope to see you there! If you have any questions about any of these events; please feel free to email joel [at] inman.com.

Prices on Connect Registration go up next week, so if you register today you'll save yourself some dough.

We've been really busy putting together a great program for Connect and we have some really exciting news to announce next week, as we're starting to line up some fantastic speakers for all of you too. 

Buying a full-conference pass means you get in the door to one of our popular pre-conference workshops; this year we're running Bloggers Connect, our Internet Marketing Bootcamp and the brand new Digital Video Summit. Make the most out of your trip to New York and snag one of these workshops and seating is limited this year, so once the room is full the doors are closed. Book now and make sure you get in. 

Connect NY '09 is only a few months away; and you only have until Friday to save over $300 on registration. 

We've been working hard to make sure that this Connect is the best one yet.  Feedback has been gathered from attendees, vendors, speakers, anyone willing to give it, all so that a program could be put together that you'll find both informative and rewarding.  You should learn more, network more, and go home with more takeaways than ever before.  

Of course, it never hurts to get more input, right?  Now that the conference program is taking shape, and the workshops are coming together, we'd love to have some discussion about Connect NY 2009.  Check out the Connect NY 2009 group in the Community section.  There are a few topics there, but don't be afraid to start your own--  What are you looking forward to?  What do you want to see?  What works?  What doesn't?  It's all up for discussion in the Community.  

So, tell us what you think, and don't forget to register for Connect NY 2009.  You won't want to miss it.  

Attentive room at Connect SF 2008

Connect has gone Global and the conference program is now online. If you haven't been to the events web site recently (it's under the events tab on Inman.com) - go check it out. Here's just some of what you'll get out of coming to Connect this January:

1. Find out what's going to happen in 2009.

2. Learn how the top companies are cutting costs, getting lean and staying profitable.

3. Hear how US brokers and agents are tapping global real estate markets.

4. Master marketing your listings to the world.

5. See innovators, new business models and best practices you've never seen before.

6. Discover new technologies that will help you tap global buyers.

7. Get what it really means to build a killer web site.

8. Meet and network with hundreds of global innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, executives and brokers and agents.

9. Bloggers Connect is back!

10. Check out our inaugural Digital Video Summit.

But enough sizzle, let's cut to the meat of this post...

There's only 5 days left until the price increase on Friday, so make sure you get your registration in today and save some money!

And sponsors - make sure you check out all of our available packages. There's still time to reserve your space at Connect.

See you all in New York.

A global perspective might just help you to survive this down market.

Make your way to Times Square this January for Global Connect and you'll discover how you should be thinking of the world in order to make your business thrive in this new global environment.

Here are just some of the topics we're looking at covering :

- What Will America Look Like After the Election?
- The Greatest Housing Market Collapse - Have we Seen the Bottom?
- 10 Ways to Save Your Business in the Downturn.
- Find Opportunities in Global Real Estate, Even if You Work in Ohio.
- What's Cool, What's Real and What Can You Learn?
- Seize New Markets.
- Beat the Big Listing Sites and Get Your Members to Love You.
- Forget the Good Idea. Build a Great Business.
- New Kids on the Block: Innovators from Around the World.

You can see the full conference program online right now.

Intrigued? Make the most of your trip to Connect and take in one of our wildy successful workshops too. Bloggers Connect is back and so is our popular Internet Marketing workshop. We're also excited to introduce our inaugural Digital Video Summit; where will dive into one of the most exciting new trends online... Video. 

Not registered yet? Register today and you'll save $310 by registering before September 27th. Only 10 days left to get in under the wire!

Interested in speaking at Connect? Fill out our Speaker Submission Form.

See you in New York!

Couldn't make it out to San Francisco last week? Missed any of the sessions because you were caught up in meetings?

I'm pretty excited to announce you can now watch videos of Real Estate Connect sessions online.

We've built a brand new video section on Inman.com where you can access all the Connect videos from Connect SF2008 and past events. Just click on the 'Video' tab in navigation and it'll bring you right there. Not so fast though...

Real Estate Connect videos are only available to Premium Members on Inman.com. If you hold a current Premium Membership, please make sure you are logged in to your account.

Not a Premium Member? Think about joining today to gain instant access to our library of Real Estate Connect Videos.

I finally made it home and had some time to process at least some of the information that I learned at Inman Connect San Francisco 2008.  Needless to say, there was a lot of it.  Between the actual panel discussions, and all of the conversations that I had with folks, my brain and my notebook were filled with issues that I want to think about in greater depth.

The great thing is that if you are feeling the same way, the Inman Community is the perfect place to do it.  Bill Wendel was at Connect SF '08, and he did an incredible job of live-blogging his way through the sessions and the conference.  He shared his thoughts and analysis as group topics in the Connect SF '08 group.  Take a look at some of the topics he brought up, and add to the discussion that is going on there.  

One of the great things about Connect is that it does raise a lot of very important issues in the real estate industry.  One of the great things about the Inman Community is that it provides the perfect place to continue that discussion with the professionals on the ground who have first-hand experience with all of these issues. 

Come see what issues were the hot topics at Connect SF '08, and feel free to add your own!

Bloggers Connect 2008

Bloggers Connect kicked off yesterday to a full house at the Palace Hotel. Over 200 people crowded in to the Gold Ballroom to hear how blogging has evolved as a marketing tool for brokers, lenders, vendors and agents. 

The conversation was spirited at times, but tempered too. A much different vibe than last year at Connect, when the room could barely contain its enthusiasm for this new medium.

I think what I felt is that many people are now taking a much harder look at the business return of blogging. The novelty has worn off - and the question is can this tool work for me in my business and deliver me real leads, real clients, real customers?

I think the general consensus was yes. With caveats.

A few observations I took away...

Photos. Many of the panelists felt that was the easiest way to quickly get content and that consumers/readers respond very positively to that type of content. So has the written word worn off? Are we going to see the rise of the Realtor photoblog instead? 

Use a social media marketing strategy to leave a trail of comments around the web and through social networks. David Gibbons outlined this strategy by explaining how you can reach a much wider audience than just waiting for people to come to your blog. The key is finding the right communities online to reach out to - so find your niche and go talk to them.

The legal concerns around blogging merited a whole discussion unto itself. The rule of thumb seemed to be; when writing on your real estate blog, speak in generalities. Don't name names. And as Todd Carpenter put it "You're not John Stossel..." - leave the investigative journalism to the pros. If you find something awry - bring in the local media, your job is to sell homes.

Finally, move beyond writing your blog for other Realtors. Get away from your computer. Get outside and engage real people. The best way to build an audience for your real estate blog is out in the real world not online. Jeff Turner coined the term YEO (You Engaging Others) to encompass this idea. It's time real estate bloggers move beyond writing for the search engines and start writing for people.

So what else did you learn?

The first day of Connect SF '08 was jammed full with action and information.  From the opening of the workshops and Bloggers Connect, to the final words of general session, much was shared, even more was learned, and relationships were fostered.  A lot of people who are here might wish that they could be multiple places at the same time, and those of you who are not here might wish that you were.  Either way, we can help.

Inman Member Bill Wendel did an incredible and extensive job live-blogging his way through the first day of Connect SF '08.  He shared his notes from the sessions he attended, along with many of the highlights, in the Connect SF '08 Group in the Community section of Inman.com.  If you go there right now and join the group, you can participate in the discussion around many of the topics being discussed right now at Connect.  It is something that you won't want to miss, and it is a place where you can not only get caught up on sessions that you couldn't attend, but also extend the learning and sharing that you might have already done.  Bill will be doing more of the same throughout the rest of Connect, so check back frequently for more updates.  

The Connect SF '08 Group is also where you can find the live Twitterstream of all the Twitter folks who are attending Connect.  I encourage you to not only read the current stream, but click the "more" button so that you can actually go back and view the posts from throughout the day.  There, you will find all kinds of tremendous insights from the folks who were at Connect and were sharing their thoughts as the events were happening.  

The fun, excitement, sharing and learning that has taken place through the first day of Connect SF '08 has been great, and it is sure to get even better for the rest of the event.  Inman.com and the Inman Community is the place to go if you want to keep up with everything and extend your experience even further.  

San Francisco is the home of Trulia. Their official amabsassadors, the Marker Men, wanted to introduce themselves, and welcome everyone to San Francisco for Connect SF '08: