Twine lets you connect things to the internet, allowing it to send messages.  Let’s say your basement floods and you’re on vacation, with Twine you would be notified immediately before the damage is too great.  Or you could be notified that your laundry is done, when your garage door is opened, when a package is left by the front door, where your pet is.  The possibilities are endless.

Twine works through the use of sensors for temperature and vibration, a magnetic switch and a moisture sensor. It can be used anywhere there is Wi-Fi, and is programmed through the internet.

Units are scheduled to start shipping in March with a price tag of $99.

Twine will let you and your clients connect things to the internet, and you won’t need a degree from MIT or a pocket protector to do so.

For more information, visit http://kck.st/twine-net

© 2011 Online Architecture

“Password” ranks first on SplashData’s annual list of worst internet passwords, which are ordered by how common they are. (“Passw0rd,” with a numeral zero, isn’t much smarter, ranking 18th on the list.)

Sequences of adjacent numbers or letters on the keyboard, such as “qwerty” and “123456,” and popular names, such as “ashley” and “michael,” all are common choices. Other common choices, such as “monkey” and “shadow,” are harder to explain.

SplashData created the rankings based on millions of stolen passwords posted online by hackers. Here is the complete list:

SplashData CEO Morgan Slain urges businesses and consumers using any password on the list to change them immediately.

“Hackers can easily break into many accounts just by repeatedly trying common passwords,” Slain says. “Even though people are encouraged to select secure, strong passwords, many people continue to choose weak, easy-to-guess ones, placing themselves at risk from fraud and identity theft.”

The company provided some tips for choosing secure passwords:

1. Vary different types of characters in your passwords; include numbers, letters and special characters when possible.

2. Choose passwords of eight characters or more. Separate short words with spaces or underscores.

3. Don’t use the same password and username combination for multiple websites.  Use an online password manager to keep track of your different accounts.

It’s the same with Facebook.  Pages with few or no posts will result in a revolving door of one time visits.  So if you started your page with great intentions but your enthusiasm waned, you need to know two things.   First, kudos to you for taking that first step to set up a Facebook account.   Second, if your last post was over a month ago, you should take steps now to preserve your brand.  Here are your options:

1. Start posting again.
2. Make your wall viewable only to you.  To change your settings, click the arrow in the upper right hand corner, select Privacy Settings, then click the Custom box and select Only Me.
3. Delete your page.  This is drastic but completely acceptable if you’ve come to the conclusion that Facebook just isn’t for you.   To delete your page, click Edit in the upper right hand corner of your page, then Manage Permissions, then Delete.
4. Unpublish your page.  Unpublishing means that the page still exists, but can’t be viewed.  If you’re not committed to posting right now, go ahead and unpublish your page.  You can do that by clicking the Edit Page button at the very top, then clicking Unpublish Page.

It only takes a few minutes to preserve your brand by removing or hiding an old Facebook page.  It takes much longer to undo the perception left behind by a page with old or no posts.

© Online Architecture

While there are dozens of ways to use AdWords , at its most basic it is very easy to use.  Basically you set up an account, identify what keywords you want your ad to appear for, set your limits and you’re up and running.

There are no minimum requirements for AdWords, so you can spend as little (or as much) as you want.  You can change your ad at anytime, and you can track your results.  You can also target your ads to a very small geographic audience, thereby keeping your cost down.

You can learn more about AdWords here.  There is a great video tutorial which you can view here.

If your search engine optimization is lagging and your website is nowhere near number one, AdWords is a great tool to get you onto page one of Google.

So you’ve set up a Facebook page for your business, but the traffic isn’t rolling in. It’s like the new restaurant that opens up down the street. The new business will generate some traffic from those that are curious, but it’s just as important to be proactive in getting the word out. The same is true with your online presence. Here are some tips that should help:

1. Stop talking about yourself
2. Make your customer the priority
3. Provide resources only available on your Facebook page
4. Know when and what to post

What can you do to drive traffic to your Facebook page? In short: promote, promote, promote. Give your followers a reason to like your page initially, as well as compelling incentives to continue coming back. We all have favorite websites that we make it a point to visit frequently. Have you ever stopped to consider why? Perhaps it is by habit alone. Maybe the site offers exclusive content not found elsewhere. Regardless, your goal should be creating a Facebook presence that attracts visitors; how you do so is up to you.

While Lorel presents some good examples, don’t forget the basics. Are you linking to your Facebook page via your RE/MAX pages? How about marketing materials? Work to incorporate Facebook in as many instances as possible and raise your Facebook profile.

© Online Architecture Indianapolis Web Designers

Facebook users are accustomed to friend requests, liking others’ posts and posting content on walls, be it your own or the wall of a friend or family member. Google+ functions in much the same manner. In Google+, everything is based on “Circles” used to manage your contacts. You can create a circle for friends, business associates or family. It’s up to you how you choose to group them.

Google+ also helps you get the latest information on items of interest using the “Sparks” function. Create a topic, like real estate, as a spark and Google+ will deliver content for you to review at your convenience. Sparks can offer interesting articles, video, photos, etc., serving them up for you to peruse with a few mouse clicks.

Instant upload is another feature that Realtors will find useful.  You can use this to take a picture for a buyer and seller and instantly upload for viewing.  And Circles could let a buyer group everyone involved in a real estate purchase into one place for easy access.

Interested in chatting online with friends and family? Google+ offers “Hangouts” for your use. The hangouts feature is, in essence, a video chat that you can use to connect to others (up to 10 at a time) within your circle. Want to catch up with that colleague half a world away? It can be done. You can even access a Hangout via your Android smartphone. If you are a little intimidated by new technology, don’t worry, technology website Mashable offers up a handy article that includes 10 hints for new users.

Google+ had been “by invitation only” until last week, when the social network officially opened to the public. Now no invitation is needed to join. To learn more about the Google+ project, visit http://plus.google.com and get started today. Take Google+ with you using Android and iPhone apps.

Online Architecture is an Indianapolis Website Design Firm.

The television networks have jumped into the hashtag game with both feet. The object is to create hashtags that allow fans to interact and talk about their favorite programs. Take for instance, some of these examples: #Glee, #AmericanIdol, #todayshow, #HistoryChannel, #SwampPeople, #HGTV. There are scores more, but you get the idea. Madison Avenue is also catching on to the idea of using hashtags. With increasing frequency, hashtags are showing up in commercials and print advertising.

Interested in viewing tweets on a certain topic? Visit twitter.com and search. For instance, search on #realestate and see what you find. What about #shortsale or #realtor or #remaxnews?  You can also check out how other real-estate related companies are using Twitter, for example #zillow or #realtordotcom.

Now it’s your turn. Give hashtags a try. Tweet about a favorite topic or something fun, and don’t forget to add a hashtag in your posts. If you’re an Indianapolis Colts fan (and who isn’t?), support the team during the 2011-2012 season using the #GoColts hashtag. Or, find a hashtag that interests you and use it in your next tweet and follow along!

Branding is critical to RE/MAX, and any marketing pieces are also required to meet Indiana state regulations, so all web designs have to meet specific criteria.  Much of our work also takes place within the company’s content management system.

InMobi, a mobile advertising network started in 2007, recently released a report that says the network served up 18.7 billion mobile advertising impressions in the second quarter of 2011. Of those 18.7 billion impressions, 78 percent were served up on smartphones. By comparison, the first quarter of 2011 produced 8.9 billion impressions, an increase of 40 percent. In the smartphone sector, total impressions increased a whopping 65 percent.

These statistics signal that the smartphone market continues to grow, and consumers are relying on their mobile devices more and more each day. To frame it in terms of real estate, and focusing specifically on Indiana, there is some interesting data available that may open some eyes.

Trulia.com released data on Android and iPhone usage for the first two weeks of April. According to statistics offered, Indianapolis (yes, Indianapolis) ranked third in total mobile house hunting usage via their online listings. The Circle City finished behind only Chicago and New York, while ranking ahead of Atlanta and Dallas. What does that say about the Crossroads of America? Perhaps Indiana is more smartphone/mobile savvy than expected.

All the more reason to include mobile as part of your strategy.

What makes this great is that you can revise documents without worrying that someone else in the group didn’t receive the updates. Even more importantly, the resources are centrally-located and accessible from anywhere, giving you the ability to quickly sign in through any web browser and add a last minute correction. It saves you the hassle of waiting until you get back to your home or the office.

And just in case you were wondering what all you can do using Google Docs, below is a link to a presentation made by some savvy and innovative users. These individuals were able to tap into Google Docs and harness the power!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt9F7tKcZcU&feature=player_embedded