Bing - that's the ring of a free new iPhone App

Bing, Microsoft's own search engine, has just announced a free iPhone App. Estate Agents may want to trial this App before scepticism rears its ugly head. It does feel as odd as using internet explorer on an Apple Mac, but the features are good, damn good.

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New web design for Moor2Coast.co.uk

Resource Techniques are delighted to announce the unveiling of a new website: Moor2Coast.

Moor2Coast Estate & Letting Agents in Yelverton, Plymouth covering properties in Tavistock, Devon & Cornwall, throughout the South West and the UK.

Moor2Coast are a professional, dynamic and independent company that can offer you a unique and tailor-made service. Offering services for market appraisals, conveyancing, financial services, lettings and property management as well as investment opportunities in overseas properties.

This fantastic new website has a whole host of new properties that are available to buy or rent in and around the Plymouth area. Troy Stanley, Technical Director at Resource Techniques stated, 'The imagery used on the website is simply stunning. The web design team has worked closley with the Moor2Coast estate agent to create a professional website.

Estate agents of the future type without a keyboard.

Resource Techniques has extensively covered new designs of keyboards. It could be argued that the keyboard is a primitive device and that even the most ergonomic mainstream designs are unhygienic and can lead to...

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Estate agents don't forget about the Long tail of SEO

Let's be honest, Search Engine Optimisation or SEO is not be a glamorous subject. Estate Agents are constantly reminded by web design and SEO companies that their SEO is bad because of one thing or another so it is understandable why so many Estate Agents switch off.

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Building your shop window to the world

They could arrive at any time.
They could be anywhere.
They are silent critics.
They decide first contact.
They are your online customers.

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Estate agents, it's time to reflect on your achievements

Estate Agents, give yourself a good hard pat on the back. According to research by The Local Data Company, One in six Estate Agents closed down between October 2008 and October 2009. Showing that this year has been long and hard and arguably only the best Estate Agents have survived.

Estate Agents have one more task before relaxing into the holiday spirit. Some see it as a chore, some find it intriguing and some Estate Agents never do it, but now is certainly the time to do it.

'It', in the paragraph before, refers to checking your Google Analytics.

Before you groan, Google Analytics gives Estate Agents an insight into how their customers interact with their website, which as we all know, is the modern tool for displaying your property portfolio. Therefore the end of the New Year is the perfect time to analyse how your Estate Agent website has performed over the year.

In a hurry? The top 5 things Estate Agents need to check on Google Analytics are:

• Map overlay - Map overlay shows Estate Agents the catchment area for their website. If your website is optimised for the right keywords the majority of your customers will come from the surrounding areas. Do not be surprised if you have a random visitor from South Africa or Japan!
• New vs. Returning - This shows Estate Agents what percentage of users accessing the website are new customers or ones that revisit the website.
• Referring Sites - This is to check to see which websites sent you the most traffic. Remember that Google accounts for around 92% of the search engine traffic in the UK. Do you stats reflect this?
• Keywords - What Keywords did people type to get to your website? Check your Google ranking for the most popular and see if your website is targeted towards the right keywords.
• Content by Title - see which properties generated the most interest and then try to figure out why they generated that much interest.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments, 'Estate Agents that regularly check Google Analytics have a greater insight into their customer's online movements than the Estate Agents that never check. We recommend all Estate Agents use this free information at their disposal.'

Tis the season to watch Google tra la la la

Recently Resource Techniques has covered three tantalising Google tweaks, properties on Google maps - a little bit of history repeating, and Google hides a little a gem showing that Google seems to have stepped up its recent releases and updates of its services.

Google even announced today, at the same time as Facebook, that they will be soon providing a URL or website address shortening service to compete against bit.ly. Goo.gl or fb.me have both been released on a limited basis, with goo.gl is only available via the Google Toolbar and FeedBurner and fb.me is reportedly only used via mobile.

Fear not bit.ly fans, the shortening service is still industry leading and has announced a 'Pro version' of the bit.ly service. Features include a custom URL service as well as a 'unique' real-time dashboard with even more information than before. The pro service is still in its beta stage and is available on request via this form.

Not only that but Google have advertised Chrome on the front and back page of the Metro which has a circulation of around 1.3 million. It seems that Google is now pushing Chrome to become the mainstream browser through tradition forms of advertising to reach the less tech savvy users.

Interested to know more about internet browsers? Contact Resource Techniques or send us a message via Facebook or Twitter!

Christmas Carbon Tweets

Since its launch in 2006 Twitter has received more growth than any other social network in the history of the internet. Initially, members of the public only joined because their favourite celebrities such as Steven Fry and Jimmy Carr were not only personally tweeting but also interacting with others.

Now Twitter is more popular than ever and estate agents are becoming apt at promoting their estate agency whilst learning about its B2B capabilities.

Unbelievably Twitter has now been transformed from 140 digital characters to hard and paperback. A perfect Christmas present for friends, family or other Estate Agents that are either obsessed or interested to see how they can use Twitter to promote their estate agency online.

@Estateagents unsure about #Twitter?

'The Twitter Book' by Tim O'Reilly and Sarah Milstein is the ideal book for anyone interested in joining Twitter. It thoroughly explains the basics of Twitter and the associated symbols. After reading this, estate agents will be widely versed in the way of the Tweet and will have knowledge of third party websites such as bit.ly.

Tried Twitter and didn't get it

'The little book of Twitter' by Tim Collins is not only a beginners guide to Twitter, but it is also for Estate Agents that have been using Twitter for 6 months and are looking to improve their basic skills. The 160 pages are written with a humorous touch and will be a pleasant read over Christmas.

I love Twitter, but how can it help me sell houses?

This book is perfect for Estate Agents that have got to grips with Twitter but have not yet utilised it for their Estate Agency. As well as great advice on how to avoid any potentially damaging situations, the book also covers case studies on companies that have harnessed the wild beast that is Twitter.

Love literature? Try Twitterature

'Twitterature' by Alexander Aciman& Emmett Rensin is absolutely hilarious but Estate Agents will need a knowledge of Twitter as well as classic and 20th century literature. Widely reviewed as a very funny book with a few well placed swear words. Definitely an excellent read once the family have fallen asleep in front of a Christmas special.

History in 140 characters - possible?

'The History of Twitter' by John Holmes & Mitch Benn takes 100 significant moments in History and places them in increasingly witty 140 characters. At £6.99 RRP, it is the perfect stocking filler to try and inject some historical knowledge into younger generations.

Estate Agents, have you read any of these books? Have you got any other recommendations? Give us a tweet!

Estate Agent's 5 fundamental questions when building a website

A strategy is a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. Without strategy, estate agents only have blind tactics that will lead them down the dark alley of failure. Do you want your website to fail its basic goals or do you want it to succeed and become the envy of the competition?

A strategy is a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. Without strategy, estate agents only have blind tactics that will lead them down the dark alley of failure. Do you want your website to fail its basic goals or do you want it to succeed and become the envy of the competition?

1) Why is the website being built?

This question is designed to make estate agents contemplate the reasons why they have a website in the first place. Answering: just because everyone else has one cannot be an acceptable answer. Think clearly on the reasons how it will benefit your agency directly and indirectly.

2) Who is the website being built for?

A common misconception is that the website is being built for the estate agent. This is excusable because on a lateral sense the website has been commissioned by the director/partner but the website is not for solely the director/partner. The people using the website on a daily basis are not employees or directors, but property searchers.

3) What will property searchers be looking for?

Firstly the WOW factor - something that will not only encourage the user to enter the website but also give a slight hint of the quality of properties within the websites. Next users want to be clearly see either a large property search button or a featured property to click on. Both shows that users are looking for property, putting a hurdle up here will only frustrate users.

Once users have defined exactly the range of properties that they are looking for, users are then looking to build a picture of what the property is like in the mind. Features such as high resolution pictures, a clear text description, Google Maps, Google Street view, Floorplans, EPCs, virtual tours and online property particulars all add different dimensions to the overall mental picture.

Lastly users want to see clear contact details. Many estate agent website designs fail this need to have clear contact details on each individual property.

4) Where will my users come from?

* Loyal customer base
* Print media
* Social Networks
* Search Engines
* Directly typing in the web address
* Email campaign/Property brochures

5) How will I know the website is working?

The best way to identify that your website is a successful one is to quantify it. Google analytics lets estate agents analyse exactly how well their website is performing. Areas such as how many people have visited the estate agent website, where they've entered, exited, how long they stayed on the website, which area they entered the website and much more.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments, 'Do not forget that your customers will actually comment positively on your website! A shocking revelation but a beautifully designed website with a WOW factor and a rich user experience will attract more comments than a UFO sighting.'

Websites for estate agents and the future

We have done it! We have reached, or in some perspectives, survived to the end of the decade! Now the big question on everyone's lips is "What will the next decade hold?' Will the digital golden era continue or will self destruction and self indulgence cause us to live like nomads on a desert landscape? Ignoring the doom and gloom associated with environmental scare mongers, the future is considerably bright for Estate Agents online.

Throughout the last decade, we have seen a rise in internet usage. Increasingly the UK public are using the internet to shop online, read news, communicate and most importantly, search for property. The growth and popularity of property portals, increased online usage and online competition has caused Estate Agents to re-evaluate the value of their website.

A website is no longer an object of prestige to show customers contact details and previous portfolio pictures giving a slight hint of the properties that they possess. It is now a place where property searchers can, at their own leisure, search for properties that is right for them. With fantastic features such as; email alerts, high resolution pictures, enhanced Google mapping, variable search options, printable pdf property particulars, users are now spoilt for choice with the options available to them.

The next decade is going to be an interesting one - what can estate agents expect next?

HD videos - Estate Agents can expect that more features will be available on their website such as HD video. Marketing properties via HD video is going to become increasingly popular for agents and buyers. Recently YouTube has upgraded their HD video capacity, indicating that HD camcorders and HD computer monitors are becoming increasingly affordable and increasingly mainstream. A short video can give users greater insight into the property that they are viewing whereas floorplans and pictures are only a small piece of the property jigsaw.

Properties listed on Google Maps - Our recent article covering Google considering whether to enter the UK property portal market, shows that Estate Agents can expect this feature to be rolled out very soon. With a search engine market share of 92%, this could provide serious competition for property portals.

Website speed - Google have also mentioned that a website's loading speed could affect a website's Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). If implemented, Estate Agents can expect their website and the whole of the internet to start optimising websites for speed. No longer will users be subjected to long introductions and needless flash websites by web design companies looking to impress.

Social networking integration - A topic that is repeatedly covered in the media. Estate Agents can expect to see a greater integration between their website and social networking. With real-time information becoming progressively more desirable, social networking is the perfect medium for up-to-date information. Content such as press releases, new services and property alerts will be distributed through the right social networks and to the people who want it. Websites will become a core of all social networking activity.

Increased website efficiency - Research from eye tracking studies, usability studies and statistics from Google analytics are constantly improving the way users interact with websites. Improving elements such as the organisation of information will lubricate the process of initial website access to the final stage of booking a viewing.

Accepting the cloud - Over the next decade, more users will understand what is 'cloud computing' as well as the advantages and disadvantages. Initial protests over security will be withdrawn after costs are lower and users require increased accessibility.

Mobile internet - Smart phones have allowed a new wave of mobile websites. Users are increasingly using mobiles to do a variety of tasks. Websites that cater for mobile technology and mobile browsers will see the benefit of this increased usage.

Instant computers - No longer will people press the big on button and then wait for the computer to start up or make a cup of tea. This has already been recognised as a factor by the big computer companies and estate agents can expect to see that it will be incorporated into mainstream very soon.

Web 3.0 - Very soon your search engine will start learning as much as it can about you. Every single search you make will give search engines a bigger and bigger picture of what your hobbies, interests, and general web surfing activities are. Google have already announced that the process of personalised search has started across the globe.

Resource Techniques is a website design company specialising in estate agent websites and web design. Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques concludes, 'Estate Agents websites and website design is definitely going to see vast improvements over the next decade, with agents having a greater online presence whilst offering buyers and vendors an increasingly better online service.'

Let us know your thoughts via our Facebook or Twitter account!

Three tantalising Google Tweaks

Well hasn't Google been a busy body - within the space of 24 hours, Google has unveiled 3 projects that are coming to a .co.uk near you. Two of them directly affects Google's main search feature and one affects only Android mobile phone users, but also includes search. Read on to find out more...

Firstly let's cover the new feature affecting Android mobile phone users. Google have released the next step of mobile search, a slight tongue twister; Google Goggles. Google Goggles uses image recognition technology to help the user identify what they are looking at.

All the user has to do is take a picture and upload it to Google Goggle which then uses image recognition technology and gives associated information. Currently Google Goggle can recognise Landmarks, Books, Contact info, Artwork, Places, Wine and logos.

Google Wine

Imagine taking this technology to the extreme. You go to a different country and you can't understand the characters on a menu. Google Goggle then allows you to translate the choice to the associated image or text then users will go back to the old ways of point and nodding. Good times.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments, 'Unfortunately I have an iPhone, but I will be waiting patiently until it is released [on the iPhone]'.

Check back soon to read about the other two search updates directly affecting your search results.

Properties on Google Maps - a little bit of history repeating?

After our recent article Google defies Rightmove throne; Rightmove shares gutted, there has been much interest and feedback regarding the likelihood of Google consuming the property portal market. Luckily Google already hosts properties for two countries - Australia and the U.S.

Google started listing properties on its Google Maps in Australia back in July of this year. With exactly the same affect, the main portal company realestate.com.au (REA group) had an initial 7% drop in shares. Six months later, the REA group has not only regained ground but the shares have increased 53% since the drop.

Therefore on a purely historical sense, Rightmove is likely to rebound from the primary shock and 'the end is nigh' predictions. Estate Agents against property portals need not cry too much over the possible survival of Rightmove, Google maps listing properties can work towards an Estate Agent's advantage.

Estate Agents that have fantastic Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and unbeatable web design do not have to fear. Google is not a property portal and it is going to stick at what it is good at - being a search engine. Therefore this has to be viewed as an extra medium for potential traffic. Users will click round the map till they find a property that they have interest. From there, the user will be directed to the agent's website.

Uh-oh - Bad news for Estate Agents that does not live up to today's standards. Without design that has that 'WOW' factor, functionality of property portals, and rich user-experience, you can guarantee that the user will press the 'Back' button. Right now a possible customer has just been lost within a few seconds of accessing your website.

On the other hand, it is fantastic news for Estate Agents that have a website that they are proud of. The extra avenue of traffic means that Estate Agents with stunning web design will retain more users than those that do not have that WOW factor.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments, 'This change is truly exciting for estate agents that taken the positive step towards improving their website from the awkward designs of the 90s. If your website does not have that WOW impact then it is certainly time for a redesign.'

Visit our portfolio page or call Resource Techniques on 0208 457 4777 to achieve the type of web design that will keep old customers and capture new ones.

Google search - how would you change it this Christmas?

Estate agents, imagine the power if Google suddenly appointed you as head of their search function for the Christmas period. Would you change anything or would you finally get that alteration that you've been dreaming of ever since you first pressed that search button?

Matt Cutts is well known in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) circles as being the head of Google's web spam team. From his many videos, he can be seen as a very likable person and when he speaks, the internet listens.

On the 24th of November Google posted up a video of Matt Cutts talking about 'which search feature would you add to Google' on Google's Webmaster channel on YouTube.

His answer was something that may not be noticeable to estate agents. As Matt is the head of Google's web spam team, he stated that he regularly emails links to other people. These links include extra text in the URL from parameters which he considers is not relevant to him.

Estate agents, how would you change Google? Would you change the search function or the design of Google? Let us know via our Facebook or Twitter page.

Heavy hitter Twitter

Back in November, Resource Techniques released an article covering the word 'unfriend' becoming Oxford American Dictionary's word of the year, showing that social networking has taken one of the final steps towards becoming omnipresent within our society and mainstream media. Many estate agents have very different views on their social networking policy and now Twitter fans can rejoice with two pieces of good news.

The first piece of news is by the Global Language Monitor who has announced that Twitter is the most popular word for 2009! This may not come as a surprise for those estate agents that use Twitter, not only is it main stream media but it is a fantastic way to interact and direct traffic to their website online.

The most popular words of 2009 are:

1. Twitter
2. Obama
3. H1N1
4. Stimulus
5. Vampire
6. 2.0
7. Deficit
8. Hadron
9. Healthcare
10. Transparency
11. Outrage
12. Bonus
13. Unemployed
14. Foreclosure
15. Cartel

Many estates may notice that this list may have an American bias but remember that America has roughly 5 times the population of the UK. Unfortunately 'foreclosure' is also on the list, fingers crossed that 'contract exchange' is on next year's list!

The second good news for twitter fans is that Bing has announced their top 10 search terms for 2009 and Twitter is number 2! Unsurprisingly Michael Jackson was at the top of the list after his demise in June. The rest of the list includes 3 other celebrities who have died, a celebrity divorce, Jaycee Dugard (who was kidnapped in 1991), car scrappage scheme, stock market and swine flu.

Retrospectively this is good news for Twitter and Twitter fans, but the other popular words and search terms could be seen as slightly depressing. Just one question remains, will we look back and see 2009 as being a good year this Christmas?

Estate agents, let us know by contacting us via our Facebook or Twitter account.

Web design for estate agents - top 5 ways estate agents need to design their website

Web design for estate agents is the same as any other website, isn't it? Not really. Obviously the basic code and structure used to create any website is in place, but there are fundamental aspects that make estate agent website design stand out from any other type of website.

So the big design question is; what does make an estate agent's website different to other websites? Our years of design experience and knowledge have provided the top 5 ways that estate agents need to design their website.

* Absence of an Online checkout - Houses are not bought online and therefore people do not shop online for houses in the same way that they shop for a DVD or online groceries. Contact details must have a high visibility in grained on to the design of every page.
* Listing property - Estate agents need to ensure that their website is an online brochure that they can be proud of so that their online portfolio will generate enough interest for customers to contact the agent for a viewing. This includes the full range of necessary functionality.
* Online branding - Statistics say that within 3 seconds of accessing your website, property searchers have made their mind up about your business, all from the design. Including the agent's level of service, how professional they are and the types of properties in the portfolio.
* Property search placement - another recent statistic has shown that 95% of users go straight to property search once they have accessed the website. A good property search button is exactly what users are looking for.
* News feature and property search - Google loves up-to-date, relevant and changing content. If Google notices that your homepage is frequently changing, they will visit more often to scan your website which will help your placement within Google's search results page.

Estate agents must insist on a specialist when it comes to their website as only specialists are able to cater for such a niche market. Many of the web designers do not have the knowledge or experience to give estate agents a web design that their business deserves.

Resource Techniques has the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver the web design, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and functionality at an affordable price. Give us a call 0208 457 4777 for a free consultation alternatively estate agents can request a free web review.

Interested to find out more about this 'Bing' thing?

There's no denying that Google has the biggest worldwide search engine market share. Back in May of this year Google had a UK search engine market share of just less than 91%, Yahoo had 4.39% whilst Microsoft's Windows Live and MSN search engine of 2.75%.

Google's previous dominance must have unsettled Microsoft because in the same month Bing was launched. Bing was a replacement of Microsoft's Windows Live and MSN search engines which had combined US search engine market share of 7.21%. Since then Bing has had a huge marketing budget with many TV adverts.

In the last 6 months, Bing has grown to be the 3rd largest UK search engine with 2.89%. Although Google still has a majority share of 92.06%, Bing should not be forgotten.

Bing has a variety of fantastic features including; images, videos, shopping, real-time, travel, health and many more.

If you are interested in the various features that Bing has, visit their website discoverbing.com.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments, 'Resource Techniques not only checks every search engine, but also all browser compatibility for each of our websites. Any changes in design that will benefit SEO will be made.'

What do you think about Bing? Contact us via our Twitter profile or Facebook page.

5 Fundamental techniques to design your website for Google

Search Engine Optimisation or SEO is vital for any estate agent that wants to naturally promote their website. Ideally estate agents would want their website to be page one position one as this generates the most traffic, but it is not always possible.

So how do I get as high as possible in Google? A good analogy is to think of your estate agent website and its design like a house.

Firstly, you need to lay the foundations and the foundation of a website is its domain name. The most popular way is for estate agents to use their brand name as the domain name. This means that it is easy for property searchers to remember and also web designers do not need to integrate the brand name into SEO.

The other way is to use Geo-Location domain name. Geo-location domain names use targeted words or 'keywords' within your domain name. This is picked up by Google and can help towards your SEO. The main problem with this is that domain names such as 'propertyforsaleinhendon.co.uk' is not very user friendly and can be difficult to remember.

Next you need to create the structure of your house which means that general design, navigation, Meta tags and a site map needs to be properly completed. Many lazy web designers have failed to fully implement the proper SEO techniques that estate agent websites require. Therefore they have doomed the structure of the website before it has even been finished.

Once the structure of your house has been built, you need to fill it with things or 'content' that people will want to see. Search engines are also looking for website content that is relevant to your audience. Estate agents that simply load up their properties onto their website are filling this criterion.

One major design mistake found by Resource Techniques' own web review is that an estate agent's properties are hosted by another domain name apart from their own or they just have a frame that shows a property portal within their website. This does not give any SEO benefit to the estate agent as search engines will only use the information that is hosted by their own website.

Other ways of filling your website with content is to include staff profiles, local and area information and the services you provide. The more information you put on your estate agent website, the more search engines can learn about your business.

Now your house is built on solid foundation, has a beneficial structure and the stuff inside your house is full of content that people want to see, it is time to regularly change your front garden. A regularly changing front garden entices people and search engines to see if the house has changed inside (estate agents will not want to change the front garden too much or people will not recognise the house!)

Instead estate agents should have two major areas that need to be habitually changed so keep returning; featured properties and a news section. Frequently changing featured properties will give users the impression that the estate agent's portfolio constantly changing. While a changing news feature will be popular for users and something new to scan for search engines.

Lastly estate agents need to become a trusted expert. Once people realise that the owner of the house is an expert in their field, they will return purely for the knowledge that the expert possesses. Once a trusted expert in your field, estate agents will gain credibility and have increased online presence.

Would you go to the house of a madman?

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques remarked, 'Designing an estate agent's website is serious business. Here at Resource Techniques, every single step is taken to ensure that the design will be beneficial. Any advice given will be designed towards putting each estate agent website higher in Google.'

Do you have any feedback? Let us know through our Twitter or Facebook page.

You've heard of SEO, but what about YTO?

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is everywhere on the internet. Any agent looking at web design or a new website will have heard of SEO, but have you heard of YTO?

YTO does not stand for 'Your Total Overlord' or even 'You're Too Old', but YTO stands for 'YouTube Optimisation'.

'Why do estate agents need to optimise their YouTube Videos?' It boils down to the same reasons as to why websites are optimised; being found in search engines and within YouTube.

YouTube was established in February 2005 and by April of this year 5 Billion videos had been viewed in the UK alone. Worldwide, YouTube now streams a staggering 1 billion videos every day and an overwhelming 20 hours of video are uploaded every minute.

In recent news, YouTube has upgraded into HD whilst Google will also be adding speech recognition technology to every English speaking video by the end of the week, which is great news for people with hearing disabilities.

By next week every English YouTube video will have subtitles which will be used when indexing content.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments, 'This could mean that a new wave of YTO will be ushered in. Estate agents must plan a deliberate script with intentional keywords so that it shown at the top of Search Engines and by YouTube's own search function.'

This script isn't the only way estate agents can optimise their YouTube videos.

Below Resource Techniques will take estate agents through the process of YTO.

Firstly estate agent agents need to organise the video files that they take. Excellent for personal organisation but also YouTube will automatically add the file name into the video title.

Changing the file as soon as estate agents load it onto their computer means that they will be able to keep track of the videos that they upload and they can evaluate their chosen video title when they upload it to YouTube. Putting themselves in the shoes of a property searcher, estate agents will be able to contemplate keywords such as the address, type of house as well as the word 'video'.

For example, estate agents can use '52 Web-Design Street, London NW4 4DD [Company name] estate agents viewing video'. Although this is full of keywords, it is not very user friendly. Why not try, 'House for sale 24 Design Street, London, Video by [Company name] estate agents/estates.' Estate agents must design the title for both the end user and search engines.

Next, fill in the description section with lots of keywords describing what the video is about such as; estate agent, property, viewing, one/two/three bedrooms, garden and the estate agent name. Widespread advice suggests that a link should be inserted at the start of the description linking to the property. This gives users a chance to view in-depth property details on your website.

Last thing on this page is to fill the tags section. Here estate agents need to insert individual keywords that have been used in the description of the video.

Once finished, estate agents should click on the link 'My Videos'. Estate agents will be able to overview, edit, delete and add captions to their video.

Once there, click on 'edit'. From here estate agents can edit broadcasting options. Ideally estate agents will want to edit the security settings so the video can be commented on, rated, have video responses and embedded as possible. This means that your video will be able to be shared, talked about, reviewed and embedded as much as possible.

The last thing for estate agents to consider is captions and annotations as they can also be used towards their YTO. Agents need to be aware that although they can provide useful links and extra information, many YouTube users find them annoying and in the way of the video. Overusing them will cause users to click away from your video.

Troy Stanley gives a final comment on how estate agents can improve their YTO even further, 'Any estate agent that is serious about uploading property videos to YouTube needs to use YouTube Insights which is available in 'My Videos.'

'This is an analytics feature that gives information that will help estate agents to optimise their videos. Areas such as location, discovery and daily views will help estate agents to become the leading YouTube estate agent in their area.' - Troy Stanley.

Do you use YouTube to market your properties online? Are you considering starting to market your properties through YouTube? Let us know via our Twitter or Facebook page.

Social network 'Foursquare' now in the UK!

Created in March of this year, Foursquare describe themselves as, '50% friend-finder, 30% social city guide, 20% nightlife game'. It is a social network that allows users to share experiences, hints and places to go whilst having a game that allows users to 'check in' using the GPS on their mobile phone.

Back in August, Resource Techniques talked about a new social network that lets you explore your city and now they have expanded the website onto the UK shores. The cities that they cover are:

* Birmingham
* Bristol
* Brighton
* Edinburgh
* Manchester
* London

Although it is still a relatively new social network, Foursquare is tipped to be the next big social network using social networking, GPS and local knowledge.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments, 'Foursquare is a fantastic idea! The social network will be kick started by people that love to eat out or go to bars and clubs. Estate agents, watch this space.'

Many social networks have come and gone, will Foursquare stand the test of time? Let us know via Twitter or Facebook.

Computer taking ages to start-up? Welcome to the future...

Everyone that has used Windows has used Internet Explorer. It is on every single Microsoft Windows PC, but in a recent European court case, users will have to choose to download internet explorer onto their PC or work computer.

On 11th of December 2008, Google publicly released their first version an internet browser called Google Chrome. In just under a year, Chrome has risen to almost 5% of the UK browser market whilst Microsoft's internet explorer has declined just over 10% within the same time period. Google claims that there are now 40 million worldwide Chrome users.

On the 7th of July this year, Google announced that they are to release their own operating system called Google Chrome OS. So what's the difference between the browser Google Chrome and the Google Chrome Operating System? Not much...

Google Chrome OS is essentially an internet browser that operates your whole computer. This has some major implications on the way estate agents access, manage and use their work.

Firstly, estate agents and general users will not install any programs onto their computer, all of it will be held in 'the cloud' (the internet). Meaning that estate agents do not have to install and manage their own programs, saving space and updating time.

Secondly having the minimum amount is held on the computer means that the start-up time for the beta version is currently a miniscule 7 seconds. No longer will estate agents start their computer, make a cup of tea and then sit around waiting their computer to load or wasting energy by leaving their computer on all night.

The last implication is security. Google boasts that Chrome OS distrusts every program that is run on it as well as not trusting itself while checking the code every time it is restarted so that it can repair itself if it senses something is wrong.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments, 'In the not too distant future, estate agents could take their Google Chrome OS on the road and take it from viewing to viewing.'

'Within seconds, their laptop will load up and an internet connection will allow them to access 'the cloud'. Instantly letting estate agents edit any of their work files without having to transfer or re-edit them back at the office.' - Troy Stanley

Estate agents, are you interested in finding out more? Contact us on Twitter or Facebook.

Jumping from viewing to viewing, literally!

Becoming green is a trend that many estate agents have started to adopt. Showing their customers that they no longer have a Bigfoot sized carbon footprint is increasingly attractive, if this is true, why not have a look at Powerbocking.

Named after the German inventor Alexander Böck, Powerbocking is also known as 'Jumping stilts', 'spring stilts', 'power stilts', 'Power skips', 'rocket shoes', and on the southern hemisphere it's also known as 'Kangaroo Shoes'. As it can be seen in the picture above, Powerbocking is a spring loaded boot that puts a spring in your step!

The science behind it is pretty easy: The downward force is created in each step, stride and jump. This gravitational energy is transferred into the springs that let the user bounce back, letting them generally jump between 3 and 5 meters and run up to speeds of 20mph and each stride is around 9 feet!

The Poweriser tread point is fitted directly under the foot which makes it an extension of your own leg. Estate agents can move in the exactly same fashion as they normally walk or run.

Powerisers or Powerbocks have claimed health benefits. They improve cardiovascular circulation, burn calories, tones, and reduces the collision with joints. Estate Agents can not only improve their carbon footprint but also get fit at the same time.

Imagine a property viewers surprise when they see their estate agent striding down the street without breaking a sweat!

Check out this video of the European Poweriser Team in Prague. The video shows a mini-Olympics style events such as sprinting as well as some dazzling stunts.

Also check out this video of an Office Poweriser Challenge. An office worker attempts 4 challenges in his office including walking down the stairs and sitting in a chair!

Remember safety first - wear protective gear such as elbow pads and helmets.

Powerisers or Powerbocks are available from around £180-£200.

Web design jobs to be taken by Google!

Web designers have become slightly nervous over Google's swelling templates for Google Sites. They are very professional, clean and just slightly pretty which can easily be created by users using a simple step-by-step guide. Just have a gander at the screenshots below:





Although very pretty, these websites do not cater for the needs of an estate agent that is serious about their estate agent website. Firstly let's take the design. The designs above may be bright and colourful, but they may not necessarily be the right image for your brand. Matching your website design to your branding is very important as new customers that find you online will instantly judge your company on design of its website.

Have a look at the image below, or for greater detail, visit the Julian Reid website. The website is clean and gives off an image of professionalism with a hint of the types of properties that they cater for.



Secondly these templates do not support the types of functionality that every estate agent should demand to have on their website. Estate agents need the whole range of features that are all bedded into their website design. One clear favourite is enhanced Google maps. The image below shows all the properties from a search on Google Maps alongside various local amenities such as schools, doctors, dentists, transport, restaurants etc.



The next feature has become more than a prerequisite. High resolution pictures are easily accessible these days but the way estate agent websites display them can make it difficult for the user.

One way is to display all the high res photos in a pop-up. This directs the user's attention away from the website while modern pop-up blockers can confuse and block users from viewing the photographs.

Another way is to embed photos directly onto the website, which can make the photos grainy and small. Due to website size restrictions, this can impair the ability for users to fully view available photographs otherwise users will find themselves scrolling endlessly down the page.

Instead Resource Techniques uses the latest viewer technology that is used by large companies such as the BBC and Sony. When users click on a picture, they are presented with a 'viewer' with a high resolution photograph that overlaps the website. From here they can flick between photographs without being directed away from the website. All the user has to do is click away from the viewer or the 'x close' button and they return back to the property that they were originally inspecting.



The viewer can cater for more than just photographs. Estate agents are able to display floorplans, EPCs, HIPS, and print-friendly property particulars that are completely editable by the estate agent.



Resource Techniques is a web design company specialising in property websites for estate agents. Our services include web design, Search Engine Optimisation, software for estate agents and social networking consultations. For more information, call Resource Techniques on 0208 457 4777, visit our Twitter profile, Facebook Fan page or our contact us page.

Visit this page and fill in the form for a free web review.

Social networking seizes word of the year - Unfriend

Social networking is everywhere. It has been talked about in movies (and is now a movie starring Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake!), it has been quoted in soaps, it is always in the news, and now the Oxford American Dictionary has placed it as word of the year:

Unfriend

"To remove someone as a 'friend' on a social networking site such as Facebook."

Many veterans of Facebook will be fluent in 'unfriending' whereas people who are new to Facebook will find it an alien concept. For those estate agents who are unsure, this phenomenon tends to occur on Facebook when a person has lost contact or no longer speaks to another person. Again this usually happens to people who have a major situational change such as moving to a different area, changing jobs or splitting from a partner.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments, 'In 1998 the Oxford English dictionary included the term 'LOL' which means Laugh Out Loud. This was a sign of language evolving directly from the internet.'

'Eleven years later, the word 'unfriend' has been added to the dictionary, showing exactly how big social networking has become. This should be another sign that estate agents must start embracing social networking and integrating it as part of their online marketing strategy.' - Troy Stanley.

There have been a few other terms added to this year's dictionary. They are:

* Hashtag - a hash (#) sign added to a word or phrase that enables Twitter users to search for tweets that also contain the same hashtag.
* Intexticated - distracted because texting on a mobile while driving a vehicle.
* Netbook - a small, very portable laptop computer with limited memory.
* Paywall - a way of blocking access to a part of a website which is only available to paying subscribers.
* Sexting - the sending of sexually explicit texts and pictures by mobile.

Are there words here that shouldn't be in the dictionary or have they missed out any? Let us know on our Facebook fan page or our Twitter Profile.

YouTube gets an upgrade!

YouTube is an internet phenomenon. People upload a range of videos from hilarious accidents, clips of their favourite pet, how-to guides to video blogging. In fact it is so popular that every minute, 20 hours of video are uploaded which means that even if you dedicate your entire life to watching as many YouTube videos as possible, you won't even scratch the surface.

Since December of last year, YouTube lets users start uploading and watching their videos in 720p or 'High Definition'. Users with HD screens only have to look out for the small red 'HD' button between the volume button and the full screen option and with HD monitor prices lower than ever, HD is becoming increasingly popular.

Now YouTube has increased its capacity to hold 'true' HD videos. This means that instead of the 720p format, YouTube can now hold 1080p. For those that do not know the difference between 720p and 1080p, it means that instead of 720 vertical lines on the video, there are 1080 lines meaning that the quality of the picture has increased.

YouTube have also announced that they will automatically upgrade videos that have been already uploaded in the 1080p format. Perfect for users who regularly upload HD video to YouTube!

Many estate agents are now gasping a hold of video and using it as a fantastic way to market properties on their website. Integrating it into their website design, embedded videos enable estate agents to add a personal feel to each and every property.

Robert Oulsnam and Company is an estate agent in Birmingham that has just started using video on their website. Designed to inform, the two videos cover the profile of the estate agent and testimonials of their customers. This gives an extra dimension to the company and shows loyal and potential customers that they are an estate agent that is committed to keeping up with technological advances.

Are you an estate agent interested in integrating video into your web design? Give us a call on 0208 457 4777, visit our Twitter profile, Facebook fan page or our contact us page.

Dying to be remembered

A morbid subject but everyone has at one time or another pondered what happens to you once you die. Whether you go on to an afterlife, are reborn or just fade away into oblivion, one thing is certain. Your Facebook profile will still be there.

The good news out of this gloomy subject is that Facebook have decided to allow your memory to live on within their social network. They have announced that a profile can be turned into a memorial of its decreased owner. Facebook will remove contact information, status updates, change privacy settings and Facebook will no longer suggest the deceased member to other Facebook members - They will of course require confirmation of the deceased which must include verification from an obituary or a news article!

Sources indicate that the move has been prompted because some Facebook members being suggested to add as a friend, 'reconnect', or be reminded by a status updates automatically by Facebook's news feed of a deceased friend - something that can cause a lot of emotional pain.

The negative side of this is that you have no control over your Facebook profile once you have passed on. Not that Facebook has 'evil' plans for your profile, but estate agents may not want their memory to eternally held by a social networking company.

What isn't clear is what will happen to your profile, when sufficient time has passed and all your Facebook friends have passed on too. Will Facebook delete you or do they have a moral responsibility not to?

The positive side of this is that a Facebook tombstone is accessible from any of your friends and from anywhere on the planet. They can leave tributes on how you touched their lives and use your shared photos as happy memories that will never be forgotten.

Estate agents, would you like your Facebook profile to carry on after your ultimate demise, would you prefer for it to be completely erased, or do you simply not care?

Let us know what you think! Contact us on our Facebook fan page or Twitter profile or call us on 0208 457 4777.

Twitter class now enrolling!

Bemused students studying journalism at Griffith University in Brisbane have just been told that Twitter will now be added as part of their compulsory curriculum. The news received mixed reactions, with some students believing it is a waste of time.

Jacqui Ewart, senior lecturer at the university commented, 'Some student's tweets are not as in depth as you might like. But I don't know if getting them to write an essay is any more beneficial.'

Twitter has been playing an increasingly larger role with online news.

Newspapers in the UK have embraced Twitter; such newspapers include bbcbreaking (BBC Breaking News) with 215,200 followers, bbcworld (BBC world news) with 57,202 followers, guardiannews (The Guardian) with 36,615 followers, and financialtimes with 32,362 followers.

Twitter users covered major events such as Iran election and the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Users were awash with information. In fact during the Mumbai attacks, there was an estimated 80 tweets every 5 seconds.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments, 'Twitter is the fastest ever growing social network and estate agents need to get in on the action. Tweeting the latest properties, property news and estate agency news can help estate agents drive traffic to their website whilst estate agents create their own self-made pool of information.'

Could this be the start of a migration of journalists from printed to online? Let us know on our Facebook fan page or our Twitter profile.

Estate agents, your keyboard is disgusting.

Take a few moments to have a look at your keyboard.

The best case scenario (unless you have a brand new keyboard!) you’ll find bits of dust or skin. Not very nice and that’s the best case scenario. The worst case scenario you will have bits of food and skin that have been sitting there, months if not years. Not what you want on your fingers.

Great news for estate agents! Now there is a washable keyboard you can fully submerse into water! The washable keyboard uses Seal Shield™ technology to guarantee that your keyboard can even be put in the dishwasher! You can even use the keyboard while wet, but your fingers may get cold...

The cost of the washable keyboard is £40.00, a small amount to pay for the price of hygiene!

Some may consider £40 to be slightly high for keyboards, if this is true for your budget, estate agents can also buy compressed air cleaners. These are cans of compressed air that removes dirt and debris from hard to reach areas, such as keyboards. What is the price of the compressed air cleaner? Around £4 online!

Resource Techniques is a web design company providing I.T. services for estate agents. Our services include websites for estate agents, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), software for estate agents and web design for estate agents. Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques is considering buying one of these keyboards.

Troy Stanley comments, ‘The keyboard is a great design! Estate agents should check the website and seriously consider investing in a washable keyboard.’

Google social search now live!

Google's latest experiment has been released today. Google Social Search allows users to search via Twitter, FriendFeed, Gmail contacts and Gmail chat list for public content from your friends. The list of results includes:

* Websites
* Blogs
* public profiles
* web content
* status updates
* Tweets
* Reviews
* Articles

Although the Social Search is still in an experimental stage, the search feature produces some very good results. For example, a member of Resource Techniques signed into their Google account and search for the term 'estate agent' knowing that they have quite a few estate agent contacts. The results are as follows:



As you can see, there are a range of results, mostly from Twitter as they do not use FriendFeed. The great thing about social search is that it is bespoke to the user that has signed in. An important note here is that estate agents wanting to use Social Search must have a Google account. That Google account must either have contacts and/or linked to social networks otherwise the search feature will not work.



As you can see above, the same search term was placed into Google Social Search but it did not reveal any results.

Another important note is that this feature does not search in real time. That means that a friend or contact's Tweets on Twitter will not instantly be searchable through Social Search. There is a big chance that will be in the works, watch this space.

Have you tried out Google Social Search? What search terms have you put in? Give us feedback on our Facebook Fan pageTwitter profile!

Did you like this article? Why not try reading, 'Improved Google Maps has been passed onto our customers' and 'Enhanced Google Maps listings - estate agents, get yourself on there!

The more people you have accessing your website, the more enquiries you will have.

There are two ways to get people onto your website and searching for your properties:a

* 1. Pay-Per-Click - An expensive advertisement that is on the first page of Google. Each individual click onto your website can cost you a couple of pounds (which will add up!) Also, users are more likely naturally look at the organic search results without looking at the PPC advertisements.
* 2. Search Engine Optimisation

Search Engine Optimisation or SEO doesn't have to be complicated. It is the process of improving the website so that it appears higher in Google's organic results, which are located on the left hand side. The general public are most likely to choose the 'organic' area without even checking the PPC area. Resource Techniques does all it can to move estate agents as far up Google as possible, but many estate agents have not signed up to social networking.

The image above shows that our customer, Bonett's Estate agents, is page one position one when searching for 'Estate agents in Brighton'. Search Engine positioning such at this will create a large amount of targeted traffic for your website with potential customers looking for property in the Brighton area.

Estate agents must do a self check to see where they rank in Google. Pretending you are someone looking for property in your area, you will search for 'estate agent in...' or 'flat to rent in...' and your local area. There is no point in searching for your company name because these customers are already brand loyal. Estate agents need to capture property searchers that do not have a particular estate agent in mind.

Once on your website, online property searchers will then notice your website design. Estate agents must be vigilant when employing a specialist web designer so that they create a visually impressive website. Our latest campaign, 3 seconds to impress, had spread the message that on average, web design has 3 seconds to impress.

From there users will be looking towards the functionality of the website. Features such as large resolution photos, Google Street view, Enhanced Google mapping, detailed property descriptions, email alerts, email a friend and embedded EPC and floorplans impress the user to repeatedly return to the website to look for further properties. The website is then defined as being 'sticky' as users and online property searchers will stick to that website.

Did this article inspire you to think about your estate agent web design and SEO performance? You can read; 'Complete twitter guide for estate agents', and 'The four basic elements of web design' or you can contact Resource Techniques directly on 0208 457 4777 to see how we can benefit you.

Resource Techniques announce release of new website for Trenchard Arlidge!

Resource Techniques are delighted to announce the unveiling of a new website: http://www.trenchardarlidge.co.uk

Trenchard Arlidge is the longest established Estate Agent in Cobham and Oxshott. We are a family business and we have been serving the local community for about 75 years. Whether you are buying or selling, letting or renting your home, we pride ourselves on knowing our neighbourhood, knowing our clients and meeting their needs. We offer a service that is both personal and professional to sellers and buyers, landlords and tenants alike.

Technology, legislation, market trends and strategies change, but one thing remains the same - people have individual requirements and this is something we always acknowledge.

Kevin Arlidge (Director) "Many thanks to all of you for getting us this far and whilst I expect a few things will need to be ironed out, I think we are all confident that from the browsers point of view their first impression will be "like, WOW". The new site should give us an edge and I look forward also to saving many man-hours, sorry, person-hours in not having to do direct feeds to half a dozen portals."

This fantastic new website has a whole host of new properties that are available to buy, rent or let, in and around the Cobham and Oxshott area. Troy Stanley, Technical Director at Resource Techniques, personally loves the website and thinks that the development team continually outdo themselves with each new estate agent website.

A short limerick for estate agents who eat at their computer...

There once was an estate agent called Dean, Who never went to the canteen,
Worked like a machine and ate in between, And now he can never be seen!

We've all done it at least once, some have repeatedly offended, and some do it every day! Office workers around the country have been too busy to eat lunch - or eaten their lunch at their desk whilst juggling the phone, the diary and a sandwich.

Luckily the kind people at Heinz Beanz have conducted their own research and found that 1/5th of the population are too stressed to have lunch away from their desk. Following that, they have come up with their own half baked way to keep you from feeling stressed and drained. ..



Say hello to the BEANZAWAVE! This portable microwave plugs straight into your USB port in the computer so estate agents never ever have to miss a lunch. Just connect to the computer, pop the Heinz snap pot into the microwave and agents have instant hot beans while they upload properties!

The Beanzawave can also be powered by battery so agents can take it away from the computer. Agents can also consider using the Beanzawave as part of their viewing service... maybe not...

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments, 'This is an interesting invention, but I would advise that estate agents design their work timetable so that they can take a lunch break away from the computer.'

Do you love gadgets? Read 'Best wide angle cameras around', 'the lightest laptop ever made' and 'Top 5 sat navs for estate agents'

Complete guide to creating an estate agent Facebook Fan page

This is a message to all estate agents that have not yet put their businesses on Facebook: Your Time Is Up! Stop giving excuses, now is the time to put your business on Facebook! Make contacts, share interests and then direct them to your fantastic website where they can view all your high resolution pictures, play with enhanced Google mapping and receive email alerts of new properties coming on the market. Yay!

The phrase 'You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink' comes to mind. Luckily this article is not designed to convince agents that social networking is free advertising with personal interaction between customers, but to instruct agents on how to create their own Facebook business page. Here goes...

Firstly go to create a new Facebook page. Click on the drop down box under 'Area' and chose the option 'Property'.



Next type in your estate agency name under the heading 'Name of Property'. Ideally you want to put something along the lines of '[Company name] - Estate Agent in [Local area]).



Next type in the words stated in the box. This is for security check purposes to check that you are human. If you have trouble reading the letters, click on 'try different words' to bring up two different words for you to type in or 'an audio CAPTCHA' to hear the words being said aloud.



Next tick the box next to 'I am authorised to create this Page' and then type in your name in the electronic signature and click 'Create Page:



If you are not logged in, you will see this screen. From here you can either pick 'I already have a Facebook account' or 'I do not have a Facebook account'. From here, please sign in or follow the steps to create a new account.

or



Once signed in, agents will see this screen:



It is the shell of your Business page or fan page. From here agents will need to fill in their company details so that it is accessible from your fans. Firstly click on the 'edit information' link on the right hand side. This will allow agents to add in information about their agency such as address, phone number, opening hours, website, parking and description of public transport.



Once this section has been completed, move your mouse over the big grey question mark in the top left. A small link should appear with the text 'change picture'. Once this link has been clicked, a small drop down box will appear with 5 different options. Choose the option 'Upload a picture'.





From here, a window will appear for you to upload a picture. Ideally you will want to choose your company logo. Once uploaded, the picture will appear instead of the grey question mark in the top left hand corner. Next click on the box on the left which says 'write something about...' Here you need to need include certain key words such as 'residential/letting' 'estate agent in' and the areas that you cover, plus a short description of the company.



To complete the fan page, upload photos and discussions. Discussions can include news articles and the latest property developments in your area. Once this has been filled in, click on 'publish this Page' and your estate agent Fan page will be accessible by everyone on Facebook.



From here, it is up to you to keep the page updated. See the screenshot below gauge the variety of postings and articles that fans love to read.



If you have any questions regarding setting up a Facebook page, please contact us via our Facebook Fan Page or call us on 0208 457 4777.

DIY for estate agents: the search engine test

Estate agents, did you know that you could test how your website performs in Google? Remembering that Google has 91-92% of the search engine market in the UK, this test could radically change the amount of leads that come through your estate agency website.

The trick to this test is to put yourself in the mind of a property searcher. They will sit down at a computer and start with their preferred search engine. From there, they will type in the most logical phrase that they think will provide them with the best results.

In other words, the property searcher won't type in 'web design for estate agents', so that they can visit their local estate agent's website, instead they will try localised search with particular keywords. This will include a range of terms such as:

* 'Estate agent in...'
* 'Letting agent in...'
* 'Property for sale in...'
* 'Property to rent in...'
* 'Two bedroom house for sale in...'
* 'Flat to let in...'
* Detached house for sale in...'

From there, the property searcher will be provided with the top 10 links that match their search. Ideally estate agents need to be as high as possible for these terms because property searchers will more likely use the links that are higher up in Google. Typically users do not go past page 3.

Troy Stanley, Resource Techniques CTO comments, 'Estate agents need to gravely reconsider their Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and position in Google if they are past page three. Page one, position one on Google, if at all possible, is the best place for estate agents to provide maximum amount of traffic to their website.'

'Currently 98% of our websites are on page one of Google from our SEO techniques. This combined with industry leading website designs, will give our customers the maximum amount of leads from the internet.'

Are you interested in web design? Read our recent article 'A well designed website is a weapon of mass consumption' or 'This will make you change the way you think about website design'.

You can contact us on 0208 457 4777 or via our Twitter and Facebook page.

Gadget of the week - Best wide angle digital cameras around

Olympus PEN E-P1
Olympus PEN E-P1

The Olympus PEN E-P1 has more of a retro look than, but don't let this fool you. The Olympus PEN E-P1 has 12 mega pixels, changeable lens, image stabilisation, dust reduction, while taking stunning images that will make your particulars jump off the web page! The camera doesn't have an inbuilt flash but many reviews state that it is 'able to shoot in low light' and it can also be slow when starting up. Available in silver in white, the PEN E-P1 is available from Resource Techniques from £649.95 from John Lewis.

Estate agent rating: 4 Estate agents out of 5!
4 stars
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7

The price isn't cheap for this Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7 but it's cheaper than the Olympus. From around £250 you will get:

* 12x Zoom
* 25mm wide angle lens
* 10 Mega Pixels
* 3 inch screen
* 229g
* HD Camcorder

This camera has excellent image quality and the colours are rich and vibrant. The camera itself is well designed and packed full of features whilst having a compact size. This camera is in the mid-budget range whilst also having a HD camcorder that takes 30 frames per second.

Estate agent rating: 3 estate agents out of 5!
3 stars
Samsung WB500
Samsung WB500

The design of the Samsung WB500 can be said to be very similar to the Panasonic. The specs are also virtually the same with 10 mega pixels, 10x optical zoom, 24mm wide angle lens, 2.7 inch screen and a weight of 219g. Prices start at £169.99, visit the Samsung website for the full range of camera capabilities and other camera ranges.

Estate agent rating: 4 Estate agents out of 5!
4 stars
Nikon D3x Digital SLR
Nikon D3x Digital SLR

So far we have been catering for the semi-interested agent, whereas this camera is for an estate agent that serious about taking high quality images. It will provide you with more high res photos than you can shake a stick at. Perfect for estate agents who have a huge budget and want pictures that stand out. It has, 24 mega pixels, 3 inch screen, 1220g weight (not including the attached lens) so its not for those that suffer from backache.

What would the Nikon D3X Digital SLR set you back? Only £4,799! So we have given this camera our unique rating of...

Estate agent rating: 4 estate agents out of 5!
4 stars
Canon EOS 5OD - Gadget of the year by T3!
Canon EOS 5OD

If £4,754 is a little out of your price range, but you want to invest in a camera that will give your properties the high resolution photos that they deserve, the Canon EOS 5OD will be the right camera for you! It has won T3's Gadget of the year award and is only £900 from Resource Techniques. The camera has a massive 15 mega pixels with a 3 inch LCD monitor, a 'live view mode', Face detection, 15 different camera settings, 25 different languages and has a weight of 730g!

This camera will show customers that your property pictures mean business without having to break the bank. A clear choice for estate agents!

Estate agent rating: 5 Estate agents out of 5!
5 stars

Troy Stanley

Resource Techniques announce release of new website for Vision Mental Healthcare

Resource Techniques are delighted to announce the unveiling of a new website: visionmentalhealthcare.co.uk

The three owners and directors of Vision MH were friends long before the company was formed. They have all enjoyed successful careers in their respective fields of psychiatry, business and property development.

The inspiration for the project came from direct observation of a need within some areas of current service provision and this combined with the experience of having family members with mental illness led to the development of the current service.

18 months were spent discussing, planning and meeting with other mental health care professionals. This was accompanied by seeking the advice and opinion of local service user groups and other voluntary groups working in mental health care.

The focus has remained as it was in the start, Quality and Value for money combined with a passion for problem solving and innovation.

The submission to the Healthcare commission and subsequent approval took 6 months from having an empty building to having a fully functional mental health hospital. This was completed by a team of three people including one of the company's directors. All the policies and procedures were written from scratch.

Nick Cockburn, Director of Vision Mental Healthcare stated, "Vision Mental Healthcare is very pleased with the design, build and launch of the new website showcasing our services and facilities. Resource Techniques have provided an efficient, knowledgeable and very helpful service from inception through to final sign off, and we look forward to continuing to work with RT both on the further development of this site and future sites. We recommend RT most highly."

This fantastic new website is visually stunning and is extremely user friends. Troy Stanley, Technical Director at Resource Techniques, personally loves the website and thinks that the development team continually outdo themselves with each new independent website.