I LOVE The IMAGE

Hi Ben,

You probably may not remember me, but I’m the Manchester Virtual Tour guy who used to call you from almost every day when I first joined up with RTV a few years back. You were extremely helpful and patient with me and I greatly appreciated it then and now. I am still learning which I guess is a good sign for any virtual tour photographer. And I know I have a lot more to learn.

Great and I mean great job on tonight’s IMAGE webinar. I already emailed Pat to order the NX2 product.

A few items;

A. Did I say great job on the It's Magic IMAGE webinar?
B. My bogen leveler head is one of the older units and the release button has snapped off. Not sure if that matters or not. How do I release it to get my RTV Rotator off my tripod?
C. On the last seminar I remember you mentioning that the Cannon Rebel was a good camera. I currently use a Nikon D50 with an 18-55mm lens. I am considering a second camera. I do not know if I should stay with Nikon or go with another brand. Not looking to spend big $$ (what else is new). And also a decent wide angle lens
D. Again great job on the "It's Magic IMAGE seminar!!! I have about 5 pages of notes.

Anyway, thanks again and your wonderful support and help there at RTV is greatly appreciated.

Thank again

David Wolf

PicturesQue Views
Manchester Virtual Tours
www.piqview.com
860-896-0387

Sphere: Related Content

To Infinity and Beyond

Dear RTV,

I just wanted to express how much your virtual tour support means to me. It is uncommon today to be able to pick up the phone and have what appears to be a major problem immediately identified and solved. Your team did exactly that for me today and I wanted to let you know how much help your support was.

I sincerely appreciate your ongoing support in helping me build up my virtual tour business

Alan

Alan Fon
Corpus Christi Virtual Tours
Island Digital Images, LLC
Order a virtual tour today: (361) 749-0901

Sphere: Related Content

Mesquite Virtual Tours by Cher Lee

Dear RTV, I just wanted to say thank you for the Webinar on Back to the Basics on photography. I did pick up on a few hints. The one I remember most is about the White Balance. Hopefully after learning this on my new camera, my stills of Laundry Rooms etc will come out much clearer.

As one of your new dealers (May 12, first live tour) I have been getting work from about 5 different real estate agents in the Mesquite NV area. I have done a couple of tours for a real estate agent voted #1 in Mesquite, NV. I believe that I will be doing more. I would also like you to know that Rob Lenthe has been a great mentor. With the depressed housing market that it is in southern Nevada I feel fortunate that my business is picking up.

And this is my story and I’m sticking to it.

Cher Lee
Mesquite Virtual Tour
Order a Virtual Tour: 435-215-8102

Sphere: Related Content

Appraiser Gone Virtual

Hello. My name is Glenn Sarlitto. I'm a Wisconsin state certified
residential real estate appraiser servicing the Metro Milwaukee & SE
Wisconsin areas. I have been appraising real estate here in Wisconsin
for about 20 years. As owner of ValSpec Appraisal Services, a real
estate appraisal company located in Milwaukee, WI, I am proud to
announce that ValSpec Appraisal Services is officially changing its
name to ValSpec Appraisal & Marketing Services after a recent
partnering with RealTourVision, a worldwide leading provider of virtual
tours and internet marketing distribution.

With this partnership, ValSpec Appraisal & Marketing Services will be
providing products & solutions for both value determination and
marketing strategies for real estate properties & businesses in the
Metro Milwaukee & SE Wisconsin areas.

There is no doubt that my decision to expand my company's services by
entering into the virtual tour industry & internet real estate
marketing with partnering with RealTourVision has been the right one.
After a rather lengthy and extensive search trying to find the right
company that not only provided a marketable product, but also provided
the needed support to operate a successful virtual tour company, I
found that RealTourVision was the one & only choice that could possibly
be made.

My first impression began with my initial contact with Jason LaVanture
to discuss what RealTourVision had to offer. Even before we ended that
phone conversation, I was receiving pertinent info via e-mail regarding
the virtual tour industry and how to be a successful virtual tour
provider. I had contacted a handful number of virtual tour providers
prior to RealTourVision. It took them from two to four weeks to return
my calls & e-mails and never received any form of communication from
one of them. Like I posted before, RealTourVision was simply the one &
only choice that could possibly be made.

Thanks RTV

Glenn Sarlitto
Valspec Appraisals & Marketing
Order a Virtual Tour: 414-962-5454

Sphere: Related Content

Kohala Coast Virtual Tours

Reporting here from the Sunny Kohala Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii. Take notes folks because virtual tour business has been booming this summer! The state of our currently distressed economy hasn’t really slowed us down…if anything, it’s created a wealth of opportunity.

With more and more sellers competing for the attention of buyers, it’s become extremely important to utilize every marketing tool available...especially those that are online. Yes, some will claim that they ‘just can’t afford it’, but as we educate them more on the value of our Kohala Coast virtual tours, they come to realize…they really ‘can’t afford not to’.

No matter what the economy, visual marketing via the internet is here to stay and those that aren’t utilizing this technology to its fullest are drowning in the virtual flood. In Fact, I’ve had numerous clients report an instant increase in real estate showings as a direct result of using our virtual tours. One agent even reported a super short ‘eight days to accepted contract’. Get that? In this economy??? This home had been on the market for months and months prior! So as they say, ‘The proof is in the puddin’… So be sure to get those testimonials for your web site. These things sell themselves!

Me Ke Aloha...

Debrasue Stutts
Vizit360 Photography
Kohala Coast Virtual Tours
Order a virtual tour- 808-333-6548

Sphere: Related Content

Palm Canyon is Back on the Map

I remember getting my first still camera at the age of 10. It was a simple Kodak Instamatic. It went with me everywhere. No one could keep me from capturing their image for eternity.
That little camera served me well until high school and I started taking some photography classes. Photography became a part of my life and I eventually became a photojournalist working at TV stations in Atlanta, Houston and Tampa Bay.

I got a chance to experience what some could only dream of doing. I had a lot of fun but eventually it was time for it to end. So what does a photojournalist do when the video camera gets put away after its final shoot? You go back to where it all started, with your trusty still camera. But it wasn’t enough. I still had the need for adventure. Since I hadn’t seen much of the left coast I decided to move to Palm Springs, California and do something really different.

One evening while searching the internet for a new home I came across this website called Real Tour Vision. This is where I first learned about virtual tours. I had already looked at a lot of homes online and not one of them had a tour. I asked my real estate agent why he didn’t use virtual tours and he said he didn’t think there was anyone doing Palm Canyon Virtual Tours. That’s all I needed to hear. It didn’t take long to put two and two together. This was going to be my new adventure.

Believe it or not, that was over a year ago. It’s been one of those “what else could go wrong” or “you’d never believe it if I told you” years. But that’s all behind me and I am now putting the finishing touches on my website and getting the rest of my marketing materials together and soon…very soon…Palm Canyon Media will be up and running serving the Inland Empire of Sothern California.

All of this wouldn’t be possible without the support from Team RTV, Jason LaVanture and many of the RTV dealers from around the world. I may know a lot about photography but a year ago I knew absolutely nothing about the virtual tour business. You all helped me more than you will ever know. How? Through your BLOGS!

Everyone learns something new about their virtual tour business every day. You might not think so, but you do. By sharing that information in your blog, you have now made it possible for every other dealer to know what you just learned. It’s called team work and that’s what makes RTV great.

When I was ten I didn’t know I would become a photographer. I didn’t know one day I would own a Nikon. And I sure didn’t know I would become an RTV virtual tour photographer! I think I have made some pretty good decisions in my lifetime. Let the adventure begin!

Thank you RTV!
Kurt Beabes
http://www.palmcanyonmedia.com
Palm Canyon Virtual Tours
Order a Virtual Tour -760-327-0701

Sphere: Related Content

Your Virtual Tour Business Should Use Twitter

As a Virtual Tour Business Owner, your first priority after developing your service line-up is to find the people that will make your business a success. Marketing your Virtual Tour Business is a huge task and Twitter can help with that.

Your small business should be using Twitter because:

Twitter lets you engage your customers.

Posting information about your services is the clear use. But Twitter also gives you another channel for listening to and finding out about your customers – what they like or dislike about your company, how they feel about your service, what suggestions they have for improvement, what their favorite products are and why... all kinds of tidbits that you can use to make your business more successful.

Twitter is a great networking tool.

Being on Twitter will give you opportunities to meet and talk to tons of people, some of whom you would never get the chance to talk to otherwise. Furthermore some of those people might be the very business contacts you've been seeking, people you want to do business for, or someone you might even want to hire.

Networking works well because you can be yourself rather than a sales agent. Share your enthusiasm for what you do and speak of your work as an extension of yourself rather than giving the 'hard sell'' which tends to turn people off quickly.

Twitter can help you refine your brand.

By participating on Twitter (communicating with others, not just spamming service advertisements) you can present and build the kind of image that attracts your potential customers, and refine your brand. (Don’t forget; communication is a two-way street.)

Twitter will allow you stay on top of the virtual tour industry.

Twitter lets you hear what other people are saying. By using Twitter’s search function you can find out what people are saying about a particular topic, enabling you to keep up with the current news about your company and the competition.

Twitter is a fast way to get your message out.

You can instantly let your potential and existing customers know your news, whether it's an announcement or a new service (like TXT Connect), a special deal, or an upcoming event they may be interested in.

It looks good to be on Twitter.

Using Twitter is proof that your virtual tour business is participating in this whole social media thing and perceptibly a "with-it" kind of company that people might be interested in doing business with.

Everyone is doing it.

The guy who runs the gas station down the street. the local pesticide company, the bridal shop owner and lots of big companies, such as Sprint, HP, Gateway and Microsoft. Having your business on Twitter is the in thing to do. You can use various Twitter tools to make your business account easier to manage. Applications, such as TweetDeck, Twitterfeed, Twhirl, Seesimc and TrackThis can be used to manage business groups, get Twitter notifications, send draft tweets to all of your customers, track packages and/or backup all business communication from Twitter.

Twitter can provide your virtual tour business with another channel to inform and engage your existing and potential customers – and every opportunity to do that is worth exploring.

Mike & Joyce Thompson
RealVisionStudio
http://www.RealVisionStudio.com
Metro Detroit Virtual Tours
Order a virtual tour today!

Sphere: Related Content

Are You a Pro?

As an RTV virtual tour provider, you need to check this out: www.ForSaleByOwner.com created the Find a Pro network for their customers who demanded a reliable source of Pros to assist them during the FSBO process. Join their network of Pros and get connected to buyers and sellers who need your expertise. Their basic listing is free, but you can always upgrade to add additional features.

Why Join the Pro Network? (from their website)

~It's completely FREE!!

~They are one of the largest "by owner" real estate marketplace with over 50,000 active daily visitors.

~Unrepresented FSBO buyers and sellers make up almost 25% of the real estate market. Tap into a lucrative market that is missed when marketing only through agents.

~Consumers spend tremendous amounts of money on goods and services surrounding a move. A Harvard study found that relocating households spend 20-25% more on home improvements than those that do not move.

~Get maximum exposure by further promoting your virtual tour services online!!

Sign-up to become a Pro today or call 888-367-7253 to get started.

Check out Real Vision Studio’s ad HERE

Sphere: Related Content

Kudos to Team RTV

Dear RTV,

I just had a great training session yesterday, specific to TourBuilder, thanks to your veteran trainer, John. Also took his advice –and that of my new dealer facilitator, Mike Thompson- to get out there, shoot a bunch of practice spins. Bottom-line: Get tuned-in on the imaging side, and get damn good on the software side!

As you, and your team, have built an in-depth archive of super dealer resources, I continue to discover more ideas and strategies every day that can help me grow my business quickly...and profitably.

Your subject matter experts, such as Mike, Ben, Jacquie and John, have been of significant help in providing support, sage advice and success strategies. All with be of real value as I ramp-up my new Chicago virtual tour business and get my website tuned-up to be as effective as possible, as both a tool and a credential.

The “WOW!” Factor, though, is clearly on your side of the house, based on RTV’s decade of development and product & service suite refinements. Hey, as I see it, I’ve now literally MADE IT MY JOB to take advantage of everything that’s made RTV The Global Big Dawg in V/Tours.

(And how cool is that?!)
But back to building my virtual tour business time, now. I’ll look forward to attending every “IMAGE” webinar, and accessing every other RTV resource possible, going forward. Glad to be a part of your Dealer Team, here in Chicagoland.

Sincerely,

Alan Ellis
Virtual 360◦Tour Specialists
Serving the Chicago Metro Region
• Office: 847.843.0210
• Mobile: 847.306.0446
Chicago Virtual Tours
www.virtuallytheremedia.com

Sphere: Related Content

Are You Ready to Fly the RTV Flag?

Dear RTV,

I am getting two websites ready to launch, my mobile TxT Connect program and www.supernovastudios.ca, both are live.

I am working on a marketing package to notify my customers of the exciting things I have been working on with Supernova.

I am up to my neck in production with my magazine (184 pages, half built)

But.... Your webinar on exposure engines is there on my plate. Thank you so much. I can’t wait to market my new exposure engine and TxT Connect program on my dealer site as add ons.

I’m going to knock these Realtors socks off with all of the great property marketing tools jam packed in your system!!!

I remembered what you said in the webinar about when you first went in to business and made it a point to offer your customers something new and exciting every month. I'm going to really come out with a BANG and have the most comprehensive packages on my site for Realtors to see.

I can not wait to fly the Real Tour Vision flag, thanks to you guys I will have the most comprehensive package out there to market properties.

Nancy Bain
Supernova Studios
Nova Scotia Virtual Tours
159 Alexandra Ave.
Bridgewater, NS
Order a Virtual Tour: 902-543-2185

Sphere: Related Content

San Jose Virtual Tours | Exposure Elements

In the area of virtual tours and image presentation for realtors and businesses, people tend to focus heavily on composition of a photograph and less on other just as important areas of presentation. Some of these areas are tonal balance, saturation of color, level of detail and effective contrast of an image. While composition defines the image from a messaging standpoint and the level of detail helps with the credibility of a quality image and even the saturation of color presents a life like experience probably the most important of these is the tonal balance of an image because it affects all of the other areas in some way and is the most challenging to control precisely at the camera level. By tonal balance I mean how the light in the picture is balanced between the shadows and the highlights.

Image editing professionals call the area between shadows and highlights mid tones. Today's most popular imaging device, the digital camera, is inherently weak it its ability to present mid tone data correctly. Of course, this is to a varying degree based on the overall quality of the digital camera and specifically the experience of the photographer with the camera, the size of the image sensor in the camera, the quality of the optical elements in the camera and other components of the camera. These elements of image quality can be discussed at another time.

While tonal balance is more apparent in less experienced photographers it is found to some degree in the work of accomplished photographers, especially when lighting conditions are challenging. It manifest itself in the form of dark pictures caused by a failure to capture enough light across the picture but especially in shadow areas to represent the image faithfully. Frequently this image phenomenon is also found in images that were captured with a focus point on the camera attempting to focus on a bright area but leaving the shadow areas and mid tone areas of the image dramatically underexposed. In order to correct this tonal imbalance image editors use software to adjust mid tone levels and restore the image to a close rendition of the original scenery.

A camera's optics don't have near the sophistication of the human eye and even the best lens optics lack the dynamic range (differentiation of tones between the lightest and the darkest parts of the image) that we take for granted every day. This can create frustration for the end viewer of the image because they can not understand the image the way they think they should. Good photographers and virtual tour photographers may not be able to get the best mid tone exposure while capturing all the highlights and shadow detail either so the best answer to the challenge of providing the best quality image that can send a positive, clear message is to find an accomplished photographer that also has a quality image editing resource available.

Exposure Elements of the San Francisco Bay Area is a real estate marketing company that provides complete property exposure solutions including virtual tours, printed advertisements, customized property websites and internet distribution offers expertise in BOTH photography and image editing. Our customers can be confident that their property will get the best exposure that leads to a successful venture whether it is related to business exposure, property sale or documentation.

Contact us:

Stan Davis
Exposure Elements
San Jose Virtual Tours
http://www.exposureelements.com
Order a virtual tour: 408-431-0461

Sphere: Related Content

Exclusive Neighborhood of Pine Crest Florida

Virtual Florida Tours, a full service RTV dealer, was recently contacted by Berta M. Prado of One Stop Realty to enhance the Internet presence of a fabulous listing she has in Pine Crest Florida. She ordered a virtual tour and a panorider of the property. This beautiful home is situated in the exclusive neighborhood of Pine Crest. It is located near the best schools in Miami Dade with excellent travel connections that will allow you to reach any place in Miami in less than 20 minutes.

The house has five bedrooms and five bathrooms and is completely tiled throughout. It has a very large screened-in pool that has a new security fence minimizing the risk of accidents. You can view this fabulous home via the virtual tour produced by Virtual Florida Tours. You can also view a slideshow on youtube.com of this gorgeous property. Call Virtual Florida Tours today for all your virtual tour needs in the Miami Dade or Broward County areas. 305.331.8960.

Sphere: Related Content

Weatherford Virtual Tours on Twitter

Dear RTV,

First I want to thank you for providing these webinars awesome extended education weekly webinars to us. They are extremely helpful, especially, for new RTV dealers like I am.

I have not yet gotten on the “Twitter” bandwagon, but it seems I’ve been missing quite a bit, especially as it pertains to my business. This particular Twitter Queens webinar has provided me information on how to increase my business through the Twitter social network machine. There was a lot of information presented. Actually, too much for me to digest, so I’m so glad that RTV records these for future reference and we were also provided a link to some guidelines from the guest speakers Jodi and Michelle.

One of the main ingredients of having Twitter work for my Weatherford Virtual Tour business is to provide information from other sites. It works similarly to the BNI that I’m involved in. In other words, I should focus on helping other people much more than focusing on having them help me.

The first order of business for me now is to establish a twitter account. After I do that I will proceed to read the guide and begin to set up the different ingredients that will help me create a twitter page that will allow me to twitter correctly without taking too much of my time.

Again, I appreciate the presenters and Jason for bringing these tips to my attention. I still have to research and find out what RSS

Publish Post

feed is all about and look back at the other webinars to find out about Google bars and more. So much to learn, so little time…

Sue Coleman
Flash Fire Interactive
Weatherford Virtual Tours
Order a Weatherford Virtual Tour - 817-613-1613

Sphere: Related Content

Kawarthas Lakes Virtual Tours Now Available

This world of Blogs, Tweets, Facebook and the list goes on, is difficult to keep up with for a person well over retirement age that refuses to retire. During my last winter stay in Florida I decided to find the best Virtual Tour Company in the World.

As a real estate agent that sells mainly waterfront properties in the Kawarthas Lakes of Ontario Canada I was fed up with the disappointing tours that I was paying for. RTV consistently came out on top in my searching and I made my contact to start producing tours in-house for our Kawarthas Lakes real estate listings.

My son that is university educated thought I was crazy to take this on at my age and did not think I would be able to catch on. I was impressed with the patience shown by the RTV trainer and was pleased to report to my son that I had no problems putting together a worthy virtual tour after a very short training period. I received lots of assistance from the professional staff of RTV along the way too which really helped me grasp things.

Virtual Tours are now a mainstay of our current advertising and listing presentations and has helped us sign up a few listings that we could have lost out to our competition. We are receiving a great deal of interest and hits from all of our tours and this has encouraged a lot more client activity to our web site www.KawarthaLife.com

As a result of the great extended RTV training classes they offer three times each month I am now provide my clients with HDR photos in our virtual tours. They also make a great closing gift for our buyers enlarged in a quality frame.

After doing virtual tours on my own listings for a bit I contacted RTV to see if my area was still open so I could actually start offering the RTV product in my area as a virtual tour service. I'm very proud to say that as of about a month ago I am now a full service dealer for RTV. We will also be training one of our staff to complete tours for other real estate companies and a variety of other local commercial firms.

There is no end of new ways to improve your business whether it is real estate sales or providing virtual tours. Every time I log into realtourvision there is another idea for me to research.
I know this winter I will be spending a lot more time following the RTV blogs to improve my real estate web site and new virtual tour business.

Keep up the good work RTV.
Yours truly V.I.P. Realty Tours (Vivid Image Photos)
Ken Hale Sr.
Kawarthas Lakes Virtual Tours
Order a virtual tour - 800-361-6683

Sphere: Related Content

RTV TxT Connect is Coming

We anticipated an extremely new way to use text messaging and created a marketing campaign around it. Just in case you missed last month's announcement on our new Text Connect program here is the skinny on this amazing technology.

We have taken a fairly common technology and created and amazing marketing tool! Our text Connect program is about one week of being 100% ready to SELL!! RTV TXT Connect is an all new mobile marketing service that uses SMS ("text messaging"). This technology makes property information instantly available on mobile phones and yields lead generation for real estate agents. Now all RTV virtual tour providers, both In-House and Full Service, can use this exciting new technology. The cost is extremely low and the benefits endless. Check out our marketing campaign. It is polished and ready for you to brand with your company details. Welcome to the best marketing tool since the virtual tour!

RealTourVision
Order a Virtual Tour Today

Sphere: Related Content

A Shout From the Professor

Our Staff at RTV is growing!

Hey everyone, my name is Michele; I am the new Tour Track Administrator. (No, Jacque and Brandi are both still here.) I am a huge Michigan State fan and travel to East Lansing for most football games. I used to be a college professor; teaching at Eastern Michigan University and Washtenaw Community College.

I am relatively new to the Traverse City; my husband and I moved here for his job with BP Energy. As for my here at RTV, I am the person that will be following virtual tour dispatches from our national accounts from start to finish. I will also make sure everyone stays up to date on their virtual tour shoots. I look forward to getting to know all of you and being part of the RTV team.

Welcome to RTV Michele!!
RTV - 866-947-TOUR

Sphere: Related Content

Free Online Bookkeeping

Hey do you want to know of a very simple and economical way for you to keep your books for your virtual tour company? If so then look no further!

Outright is a very simple-to-use web service that helps you track income and expenses, pay estimated taxes on time, and see how your virtual tour business is doing. It's perfect for self employed people. Outright is designed for sole proprietors and single-member LLCs who file a Schedule C tax form.

Save Time!

Small business bookkeeping fast and painless. Enter income and expenses quickly by hand or import directly from FreshBooks or Shoeboxed.

Save Money!

Know exactly what you can deduct so you save as much as possible come tax time. We'll let you know when taxes are due so you avoid costly fines and late fees from the IRS.

Outright: Simple And FREE Bookkeeping Online

Streamlining the work involved with growing your virtual tour business, recording financial transactions, paying taxes and keeping your business on track and growing.

We've been using this for some time now and really like it! Check it out.

Mike and Joyce Thompson
Detroit Virtual Tours
http://www.realvisionstudio.com

Sphere: Related Content

Chirps From Tweet Newbie

Dear Jason and the Twitter Queens,

Thanks for the introduction to “business tweeting.” The main thing I’ve learned from our current economic situation is that I have to wear a lot of hats: realtor®, virtual tour provider, marketer and now blogger and twitterer … is that a word? If not a word, it’s still fun to say.

In all honesty, before the webinar, I thought of blogging and twittering as “dear diary” entries and as an opportunity for my friends and family to let me know what they were having for dinner and why they disagreed with the winner of the current reality show contest.

Most of my Knoxville virtual tour business associates hounded me until I joined FaceBook. I joined FaceBook and now they all want me to play Farm Town or join the Mafia??? Yea…I don’t have time for that. I’m too busy trying to think of ways to make money for my family.

So…when I signed up for the webinar I have to admit, I really just wanted a tour credit and to also sit back and smugly think … “yep, I was right.”

But, on the contrary, there was a wealth of information shared about why, when, where and how to twitter to put my business on a more frequent cycle of information sharing and attracting more viewers to my site, www.TimeMattersMarketing.com, as well as how I can approach my clients with these methods and help them gain from the information. Let’s face it if they aren’t making money, then I’m not making money.

Michelle and Jodi, you ladies, have this system down to an art form. It shows that you have put a lot of research and time into developing your methods. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. I really appreciate the free book. I admit that what I once thought was a simple “what I’m doing now…” forum, has proven to be a little intimidating when I try to figure out where to start, so I’m going to start on page one and Get My Twitter On.

Best regards,
Tammy Mills (Twitter Newbie)

Tammy Mills
Time Matters Photography and Marketing
Knoxville Virtual Tours
www.TimeMattersMarketing.com

Sphere: Related Content

Beware of Real Player Beta

I just wanted to share with everyone out there the bad experience I just had with Real Player www.real.com (no association with www.realtourvision.com) A couple of weeks ago while browsing the web I came across their web page. They have the latest version of real player (Beta) available for download. Now, normally in the past I have tried real player out and the service they provided frankly speaking just really has not been worth the information or services they provided for the price they were asking. There were too many other competitors out there that did just as good or better than them and their price was free. Again, let me reiterate that this is just my own opinion.

Now to get to the real tour vision tie in with this subject. Their new version has a statement that it can be shared on facebook and twitter. Since RTV and their virtual tour providers are getting heavily involved with the social networking aspect of our product that we are offering the client, I figured I would download it and check it out and see how it could be used or incorporated into our Tampa virtual tour company - Frenck Solutions.

Now the button on their website is marked as a Beta. Being a professional programmer I know that beta’s are not really charged for. Actually, I don’t remember of any product beta ever being charged for). Now today as I went online to keep a eye on bank accounts, I noticed a charge for 14.99 with a transaction number and a reference telephone number of 1-866-585-4541 on my statement. What the heck was this for? Googled the number and it was as if I hit the motherload of all complaints. Try it using the link above and see what you get!!

The download was rather large download and the Real Player downloaded had included a bunch of other “yuck” – free trial for 14 days of Rhapsody, free 7-day trial for games and stuff like that.
Anyway, just to let you guys that are part of www.realtourvision.com beware for these automatic charges to your account if you download this thing. Got account canceled and credited (after calling the number and their spiel at the beginning of the call is recorded for quality assurance and training. I then put phone on speakerphone and asked if he minded that I also record at this end……pregnant pause followed by a weak “it was OK”.

Moral of story is to be careful when trying to get as much social networking stuff going as well as spammers on facebook and twitter. (good indicator is the countrycode of .ru) in the URL of the address.

Best Regards,
Wayne Frenck
Tampa Bay Virtual Tours
www.frencksolutions.com

Sphere: Related Content

The FORMULA 13 | Exposure Engine 2.0

The FORMULA 13 | The Exposure Engine II - Craigslist Strikes Back

Join us for an RTV Webinar on September 15

Hey listen up! If you want to really dominate the search engines, drive more traffic to your site every month, get people talking about your services, and put hundreds of ads on Craigslist without getting your hand slapped for it then you MUST attend The FORMULA 13.

Now the last time we talked about building an exposure engine we showed you how you can use many pieces of software in conjunction with a variety of powerful websites to not only get your tours and virtual tour galleries more hits but to also drive traffic to your site and build powerful back links to your virtual tours.

On this episode of The FORMULA Jason LaVanture will be talking about some new tips and tricks he has discovered since the last Exposure Engine Episode. There are literally so many new tidbits of information in this episode that we will be removing the first episode from the servers.

Please join us on TUESDAY September 15th, 2009 at 7pm EST and find out how easy it is to apply ‘The Formula’ to your business!

Title: The FORMULA 13 | The Exposure Engine II - Craigslist Strikes Back
Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM EDT

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
http://tms.realtourvision.com

RTV Marketing
Order a virtual tour today - 866-947-8687 Ext 4

Sphere: Related Content

The Creation of Heartland Property Tours

When I started to look for a house in the fall of 2007 I turned to the internet. As my wife and I started our search we soon realized that the real estate listings in our area did not provide many pictures and the ones that had pictures were still not very good and didn't depict the house very well. We found that after looking online we still had to do several viewings in person because the listings didn't show what we wanted to see. At this time I realized that something needed to change.

As my search continued into surrounding areas I soon realized that some agents were using "Virtual Tours". I was new to this term "Virtual Tours" and soon realized that the term is widely used to describe anything from a slide show of pictures to a video walk-through to a fully interactive tour with still images, panoramic images, and all the information you could ever want. The last type of virtual tour mentioned is just what I was looking for and what I would like to see when I buy a house.

My search deepened and I found out that this type of tour was offered by Real Tour Vision. After spending time on the RTV website I soon realized that this is something that I could do in my area and contacted RTV. They advised that my area was not available and stated they would put me on a waiting list in case something opened up. Well a few months ago I checked in with RTV and what do you know, they had an opening!!

I ordered my virtual tour business package from RTV and was soon off and running. My company, Heartland Property Tours, services East Central Illinois, including but not limited to Iroquois, Ford, and Kankakee Counties. We provide interactive virtual tours, property marketing, and professional photography for Real Estate, Business Owners, and anyone looking to enhance their website. I have started my marketing and will hopefully soon find my first client. In the mean time I am honing by photography skills and working on sample tours for my new website. I am pleased to offer this new service in my area as I know I can not be the only one who realizes something is missing with the listings few pictures and no information.

Michael Robinson
Heartland Property Tours
Central Illinois Virtual Tours
www.heartlandpropertytours.com
Call to order a tour today (815) 549-6844

Sphere: Related Content

RTV Setup on Lens Questions

Dear Setup,

I have that super wide angle lens (12-24 MM) being delivered Friday.
If I want to use it for 360’s of smaller areas do I need to have it calibrated to my camera as I had to do when I became a Dealer? Or do you not recommend it for 360’s? Could it be too wide?

Dear Tour Builder,

That is a good question. I use that same lens on my Canon Rebel XSi for 360° panoramas because it allows me to see more of the ceiling and floor in a standard room and it allows me to shoot a full panorama in a smaller room and still see some of the ceiling and the floor. The lens should work just fine on your camera as well for the 360° pans since your camera is very similar to mine. Of course the final result is always subject to your opinion. Remember to adjust your camera to the proper placement on the rotator for you new lens and make sure to select the correct camera and lens combination in the software for stitching the pictures from your new lens. To select the proper lens for stitching you will need to click on the setup button in the Tour Builder software and click on ‘Get current lensfiles from the web’ to update your camera list. After the update has finished click on the setup button again and click ‘Set default camera’. The camera list will open and you will click your camera to select it and then click the done button below. This will set your camera as the default camera for stitching.

Ben

PS. Don't forget about our next FREE webinar all on how to use photoshop entitled It's Magic

RTV Setup
Ben Knorr
RTV Lens Engineer
Order a virtual tour! 877-941-8687

Sphere: Related Content

OnView On Blogs

A few months back, I was speaking to a friend about joining a few social networking sites and how I had started blogging. She asked me if it was worth my time writing these blogs. I immediately said “Yes”. Then she asked, “Had I received any responses to what I had written” and I said “Only a few, but I’m new to this and it may be my writing style or the topics I’m writing about. Or, it may be that I just need to establish myself or find a niche to write about.”

I didn’t want to tell her that I wrote a few blogs that no one had ever looked at. She followed by saying “Wouldn’t it be more productive making a phone call to current virtual tour clients or writing an email to potential clients?” For a moment I was taken back by what she said, but then I said “Only time will tell?”

I wish I would have told her that writing a blog was not a waste of time. Writing is a form of meditation that helps me to crystallize my thoughts into ideas. I find blogging gives me time to think, making me calmer and more focused in on my Phoenix virtual tour company and photography business. The more I’ve written the more proficient I have become at expressing ideas. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do is increased.” I’m not Ralph Waldo Emerson, but you don't become proficient at writing by avoiding it.

Since that day that my friend asked me “Is it worth it?” I’ve come to realize the value of blogging and I’ve notice an increase in response to my blogs. Expressing myself is becoming easier. Chances are, I won't write any award-winning blogs and my thoughts won't be compared to Ralph Waldo Emerson, but if by blogging I improve my ability to communicate an idea, then it is time well spent.

"If a man write a better book, preach a better sermon, or make a better mouse-trap than his neighbor, tho' he build his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

The only way to write a better blog is to start writing. So, what are you waiting for? Finally if you are writing and blogging in your own blog be sure to copy RTV on all your blogs so they put them here in the RTV to link back to your site on your geographical keywords! Don't miss out on the google juice my friends. Take advantage of the RTV link back!

Rudy Gutierrez
OnView 360
Phoenix Virtual Tours
www.OnView360.com

Sphere: Related Content

RTV TxT Connect Webinar Tonight!

Join us on TONIGHT at 7pm EST while Jason LaVanture and special guests John Gallinaugh & Brian Perry delve deeper into the new RTV TXT Connect program. We will show you several new live white label sites, how to link the site to your existing website, the rider sign ordering process, and will show you how to use several new marketing pieces that the RTV marketing team has created for you to use when selling this exciting new product.

If you missed our last show you WON'T want to miss out on this one!! The RTV TXT Connect program makes property info instantly available on mobile phones and yields lead generation for real estate agents. YES I SAID LEAD GENERATION!!!

What is TXT Connect?

Agent orders codes and sign riders from RTV
Agent logs in and uploads photos and details of the property.
Sign rider added to For Sale sign with text request.
Buyer texts code on sign for instant details.
Buyer gets details on their phone
Agent gets new lead!

Find out how easy it is to apply ‘The Formula’ to your business!

PS. The first 250 RTV providers to sign up for this new program will receive a $150.00 promotion on their purchase!

Reserve your Webinar Seat Now in your TMS!

Sphere: Related Content