Minesweeper and Solitaire - the hidden education from the misunderstood demon

When people first started using GUI's (Graphical user interfaces), they needed something that will help them easily pick up the basic functions of something that modern PC users take for granted; the mouse. This is where Minesweeper and Solitaire reared its ugly, counter-productive head...

Invented by Robert Donner and Curt Johnson, two Microsoft employees, Minesweeper has been installed with every Microsoft Windows since Windows 3.1 in March 1992 and has been used to waste time in offices all over the globe. Minesweeper, for those estate agents who are unsure, is a game where a tiled board hides 'mines', that when clicked on, end the game. The aim of the game is to left click on all the spaces between the mines and 'flag' (by right clicking) possible mines.

The roots of Solitaire's history cannot be exactly pinpointed. It is known to have become popular in France around the 19th Century and then spread to the UK and the US in the end of that century. Again, for those estate agents who are unsure, the aim of Solitaire is to sort 7 increasing sizes of card piles (the first pile containing 1 card to the 7th pile containing 7cards) into the 4 different suits in ascending order with the remaining deck of cards.

Countless office hours have been whittled away on these games. In fact in 2006, one man was fired by the Mayor of New York City (Michael Bloomberg) after he saw an open game of Solitaire on the man's work computer. But was the purpose of these two games to reduce the worldwide productivity? One article entitled 'The most successful game ever: a history of Minesweeper' suggests not.

The article suggests that the two games were intentionally built to train or educate users to fully utilise the mouse. Minesweeper was designed to help users master the point-and-click element (users have to point and click to a particular square they believe to be a space or a mine) and solitaire was designed so that users could become skilled at dragging and dropping cards from one point of the screen to another. Both of these functions are now used in everyday for clicking on buttons or dragging and dropping files from one place to another.

Even today these basic functions are used in modern estate agent websites. Take the example of embedded and enhanced Google maps on one of Resource Techniques estate agent websites:



Users and estate agents use the point-and-click function to not only choose the local amenities that they want displayed but also to click on a house that they will be interested in. They also use the drag and drop function to navigate around the Google map to see the houses for sale in the surrounding area. Functions like these are integrated into everyday life without users and estate agents even realising. Maybe the next time you are on an estate agent website and using enhanced Google maps, you'll think of Minesweeper and Solitaire.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments, 'Point and click and drag and drop is now second nature to users.'

Troy Stanley continues, Simplistic features, like the enhanced Google Maps with local amenities on estate agent websites, are completely user friendly. Users are able to view a properties location and surrounding points of reference in Map, Satellite and Hybrid view from a simple click.

'An Estate agent website hosting online properties has evolved. They are no longer a long list of properties with limited amount of information; they are places where users can users can view high resolution photos, receive email alerts, print high quality property particulars in a pdf format, see embedded EPCs and HIPs and even view from the property from a satellite to viewing it on the street.' - Troy Stanley.

Resource Techniques specialises in web sites for estate agents, including website design for estate agents, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) for estate agents and in-house software for estate agents. contact us on our Twitter profile, Facebook Page or through our contact page. Resource Techniques also provides a free, no obligations website review.

Europeans search more than anyone else in the world

Are you a search fiend? Do you search for almost every question presented to you? Well it seems that you are the majority. A report by ComScore stated that Europe takes up 32.1% of all the worldwide searches, while Asia Pacific was a close second with 30.8% and North America third with 22.1%.

Not only that, but search activity jumped 41% between July 2008 and July 2009 to a massive 113,685 million searches for the whole of the internet. This means that there are roughly 311 million people searching through search engines daily. This is a clear sign that more than ever, people have integrated the internet into their daily lives.

This is another warning sign that estate agents need to embrace this cultural change. Estate agents that have a website positioned at the top of search engines will benefit from this huge amount of traffic. Getting people to access your estate agent website is half the battle. Once on your estate agent website, estate agents have 3 seconds to impress with the latest design, features and usability. Any hurdles, errors or technological faux pas will ring alarm bells and users will simply click off onto another website.

Search Engine Optimisation or SEO is a requirement if estate agents want their website to be at the top of search engines. SEO is the process of changing the estate agent's website design so that it obeys the search engine rules. This is also known as 'White hat SEO'. Interested? Read 'Which hat should estate agents use? Black or White?'.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques, is intrigued at the recent statistics. Troy Stanley commenting: "It'' superb that Europeans have embraced the internet more than any other continent in the world! Not only that, but search engine activity has jumped an enormous 41% in one year. This is the internet golden age."

Troy Stanley continues "Estate agents can profit from this, as users are constantly searching for local property or local estate agents. 'Estate agents in...' or 'Property to buy/rent...' and their local area is one of the top search terms used by internet users searching for property."

"Resource Techniques is a specialist when providing IT services for property professionals. We have 20 years of knowledge and experience in website design for estate agents,SEO services and in-house software for estate agents. Estate agents should not accept anything other than an industry specialist." - Troy Stanley.

The best estate agent websites

The best estate agent websites

Producing quality estate agent websites, combined with state-of-the-art Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and estate agent software is what Resource Techniques do best. Over the years we have provided some stunning websites that impress the public on a daily basis. Therefore Resource Techniques has decided to share with you some of the best estate agent websites.

Homepage

Penyards Estate AgentsResource Techniques's flagship website. Penyards is a stunning website dealing with country estates in Hampshire. First entering the website, users are greeted by a striking animation then the eye is drawn to the prominent property search button. Estate agents, remember that 95% of people accessing an estate agent website go straight to property search. Visit www.penyards.com to experience it yourself!

Colin Bibra Estate AgentsColin Bibra, an estate agent in Ealing, deals with renting and selling houses and flats while also providing a highly-rated service in lettings management and residential estate management. The website is just beautiful. The blend of large imagery and vibrant red makes this one of the best estate agent website designs.

Colin has also embraced social networking with both arms. Visit his Facebook profile or Twitter profile to see prime examples of estate agent social networking.

Hennings Moir Estate AgentsHennings Moir is a team estate agent selling and managing properties in South East Cornwall. This 'Blue Sky' website is team's branded website for members of team. A beautful sky mixed with vibrant colours and clear 'Call to actions. This is a favourite for team members! Go to www.henningsmoir.com to view their magnificent properties.

Julian Reid Estate AgentsJulian Reid is an independant estate agent in Stoke Newington specialising the sale and purchase of property.The website has a very modern feel to it, again with 'Call to Actions' that guide the user through the property search process. There are individual colours that catch the eye. One example is the blue from the logo, this is present throughout and is utilised in the property search button.

There are common elements throughout each of the estate agent website designs. Each one has large imagery, clear 'Call to Actions', and the organisation of the elements have a clear structure. Quality websites like these only come through an in-depth knowledge and experience from an industry specialist, estate estates should not accept second best for their websites.

Websites are more than just a homepage. Property search, the latest viewer technology with high resolution pictures, Google Street View, Google maps, printable property particulars should be a nessessity for every estate agent website. If property portals are able to offer these features, why shouldn't estate agents?

Property search using Google Maps

Google Maps

A Google map that is embedded directly into the estate agent website is a modern requirement. It gives users even more interactivity than ever before. Local amenities such as school, doctors or vets can be plotted by the user to give them an idea of the surrounding area. Not only that, but it looks very pretty!

Outstanding individual property details

Julian Reid Esate Agents

All property details should look like this. Large imagery, user-friendly interface, clear contact details, and all organised so that it is visually stunning.

High Resolution photos

Resource Techniques - High Resolution Photos

All photos are embedded into the website with the latest viewer technology. One simple click on 'Close' on the top right hand corner or off the photo brings the user directly back to where they were. No pop-ups, no extra tabs. Website designers call this 'sticky' which is the ability to keep users stuck to the website.

Embedded Google Street View

Resource Techniques - Google Street View

Google Street View was released in the UK in the 19th of March this year. Within two weeks, Resource Techniques was able to provide to any of its customers. Are you interested in Google Street View? Read ‘Do you have Google Street View on your website?'.

Embedded property particulars

Resource Techniques - Property Particulars

Many estate agent websites only have a 'printable version’ of their property particulars and customers are able to get hold property particulars from the post or directly from the estate agent showroom. Being able to download, save and print property particulars at any time is useful for the user and it also saves estate agents time and money!

Embedded EPC and Floorplans

Resource Techniques - EPC Resource Techniques - Floorplan

Like all every other feature, the EPCs and floorplans are embedded into the website and a simple click of 'Close' or on any other part of the website brings the user straight back to the property that they were looking at. This, as mentioned before, is the latest viewer technology. Companies such as Sony and the BBC use this technology on their websites.

Large, Clear icons.

Resource Techniques - Clear Icons

Not always a feature when reviewing websites, but is just as important. Large clear icons give the user a whole range of features from saving properties and email alerts to emailing a friend about that particular property whilst being clear and concise.

Resource Techniques is an industry specialist in estate agent websites, our experience and knowledge of the field puts the company at the forefront the industry. Each year Resource Techniques invests heavily in new technologies to guarantee that we continue to stay at the top. We are able to provide this whilst keeping our prices affordable for today's modern estate agents.

Request a Website Review or visit Contact us for more information.

Bing launches new visual search that will keep users coming back again and again

Bing is in the news today for launching a new feature called visual search. Visual search is escalating the competition between the two search giants and the clear winner will be the consumer. Currently Google is still the giant in the UK, conducting 91.44% of all searches in the UK, whilst Bing has a market share of 2.68% (statcounter.com Sept 2009).

Estate agents, and general Bing users, might have trouble finding visual search. Visual search does not feature on the Bing homepage so users have to search for 'visual search' in Bing's search bar. Once on the results page, users will see news about visual search at the top of the page with the required link below. To help users find Bing's Visual search, Resource Techniques has provided the Visual search link.

Once you've on the visual search link, users are required to download Microsoft Silverlight which is a graphics system that is supported by multiple browsers. The download takes a minimal amount of time, but once past these two hurdles, users are able to fully enjoy what the feature has to offer.



Currently, there are 47 available galleries ranging from Popular Books to the FBI's most wanted. The 5 different galleries are; Entertainment, Famous People, Reference, Shopping and Sports and these galleries have the full range of choices available. For example, under 'New Cars', there are 357 cars to view. You can sort these results by; Most popular on Bing, Safest, Most Expensive, Best Highway MPG, Hybrid, Sports or SUV and users can narrow each result by type, make, base price, and fuel type.

Options like these will prompt users to use the feature more as a point of reference rather than something pretty that they can use. Once the feature is used as point of reference, then users will keep coming back to see which mobile phone to buy or which dog breed that they saw that day.

Resource Techniques provides a similar feature on our estate agent web sites, in which users are able to use as a point of reference. Our enhanced mapping allows estate agents to map the local amenities on their Google Map search. Not only is the feature embedded into the website (not in a pop-up or external, but users do not have to download any files to view them!



This is a very popular feature with users! Local amenities from schools to restaurants are able to be plotted alongside properties for sale or rent which means that users can plot their children's route to school or even the nearest train stations to get to work. Features like this, and visual search, keep users coming back again and again. Click to view our portfolio or contact us for web sites for estate agents or SEO for estate agents.

Estate agents that get involved, get the problem solved

This news feature, like many before, is on Twitter. Many estate agents have now set up their Twitter account and are now being faced by the daunting task of using Twitter to their advantage. Have they completed this task? A small few have, many haven't. Twitter is like any other new social network, it is intimidating at first, but like anything other tool, instrument or device, it takes practice to get it right.

Firstly estate agents with a pristine profile will start to look for people to befriend or follow. If you are stuck at this stage, add us at www.twitter.com/RTechniques or go to Twellow.com for a yellow page of Twitter users.

Once estate agents have a stream of twitter messages or 'tweets' on their homepage, they find that many messages will be continuous self promotion on a large scale. Estate agents should not be deterred by this, behind all the self promoting messages are still people that are tireless sending out promotional messages. Buck the trend and send them a message. You'll find that they'll message you back, and with enthusiasm.

What these 'Tweeters' forget is that social networking is about creating connections between people. They see it as another advertising medium where they can send out message after message or estate agent promotion after estate agent promotion.

All it takes is one message a day to one person. Introduce yourself and ask what they do. Estate agents will be surprised at the variety of responses that they get back. Not every message will produce a lead but taking that first step to start contacting people it will kick-start the networking that estate agents are craving for. Try dedicating 5 minutes a day or 5 minutes a week and estate agents will be surprised at the responses that they get.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques is on Twitter! Follow us @ www.twitter.com/RTechniques. Do you have any questions on social networking, website design for estate agents, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) services or, software for estate agents? Get the ball rolling and send us a message!