Lunch with Hal

I had lunch with my Web Guru, Hal Goodtree, yesterday, and we discussed some possible upgrades and changes to this site.  Best of all, he picked up the tab.  I’m on the hook for next time and hope he doesn’t expect lunch at the Cary version of the Chop House.   Oh, whatever.  Hal laughs when I think I’ve told a joke.  Mega-Props for that.

We discussed site maintenance I need to do, like cleaning up a little clutter, and the number of visitors I have had.  It is very encouraging.

Hal mentioned that by putting links into my blog posts, that I tend to direct people off my site, after I have worked to get them here. 

That prompted me to express my Web 2.0 perspective, that people looking for real estate information on Realtor sites don’t really want to feel trapped, in line with my “No Hassle, No Registration Needed” to use the site.  I try to have the links open a new window, so that folks still have a window on my site without need to use the Back Button in their browser.  And if a few visitors wander off, because I have given them the Crabtree Valley Mall link?  “Happy Shopping!   Thanks for dropping in.  Come by again when you can stay a little longer!”

I think people appreciate access to information without hassle, and will think well of me for providing it.  And, how better to access links than in the body of a related post, rather than having to scroll through a list of links as long as your arm?

Another development will be the introduction of Captcha, to allow visitors to comment on my neighborhood blogs, and I will not have to moderate comments.  Captcha is a WordPress plugin that requires the commenting visitor to input scrambled letters and numbers to post.  The goal here is to enable visitors to initiate dialogue with ease.

 We talked about future upgrades, WordPress updates, and also a possible upgrade to my IDX Solution.  IDX agreements provide the basis for visitors to search the entire Triangle NC MLS from my site, as we have agreements in place with other firms to share listings, for more convenient and broader exposure.  I’m anticipating an upgrade some time this summer with advanced features, a better interface, and improved map searching.