Although shipping container architecture isn’t a brand new concept, some of us in the office couldn’t get over how cool these things are, and how it just makes sense – environmentally and economically speaking.  Our fascination fueled some further Googling/bookmarking, so I thought I would share some of some of our recent finds.

Some of the best uses I’ve found come from Container City based out of London, England.  Using containers for everything from schools to sports halls – even farmers markets!

Check out this picture of Cuffley School (left) located in London, and the Dunraven Sports Hall located in South West London (right):

What better way to use containers than a medical centre?  Here’s an image from the Salem Centre - a container medical complex located in Sudan:

Check out this video from WBAL TV in Baltimore of a few folks in Hartford County, Connecticut that made containers work for them:

It’s an innovative trend that keeps on growing in all parts of the world.  If you had access to leftover containers, what would you like to use it for?  A home?  Office space?  Maybe a cabin at the lake?

As a final piece of inspiration, check out this amazing home constructed from containers in Wellington, New Zealand that was shown to us by one of our awesome members, Debbie Bane.  I don’t know about you, but I know where I will be spending my next vacation!

I only ask that you mind the house rules: no spamming other guests, wear an appropriate avatar, and of course no trashing my site!   There is nothing worse than having to clean up after a party gets out of hand – especially when our nosy neighbors on the web and any passing consumers can see everything.

I guess what I am trying to get at with this extended analogy is that your website is essentially your home online. All the shiny “web 2.0” tools (comments, user created content, etc) that facilitate two-way interaction are the things that keep the party hopping.  Social networking outlets assist in attracting guests, but at the end of the day – is your ”home” going to be trashed because of it? 

In 2010, your personal website is the one of the last things that is totally controlled by you.  You design it, you personalize it, and you choose what is displayed and what isn’t – could adding too many pieces of interaction be a bad thing?  Well, let’s look at couple of case studies on other sites.

I remember when Myspace was the rage, back in the internet stone age of 2005-6.  I devoted every ounce of my time building the perfect space – and conducted most of my personal communication through the now (essentially) defunct service.  Then, real communication started to dwindle, and it became a spamming free-for-all since there was no mechanism to moderate/block comments or messages.  My inbox became bombarded with nothing but automated messages, group invites, applications – whether I wanted to see them or not.  Now, I haven’t logged in to my account in months.  It’s less of a ‘my’ space, and more of a robo-space. 

The same is beginning to happen with Facebook.  I still use it to chat with friends, but the amount of real communication taking place is steadily declining as Facebook drags its heels on limiting unsolicited marketing messages (both direct and in-direct) which may be the exact opposite of what your brand is trying to project.  How many times have you seen a photo comment or a wall post that you just know the original author probably doesn’t want associated with their content?  I know I’m not the only one. 

While we’re on the topic, I also don’t want a zombie hug, and I don’t care if this pickle can sell more homes than such-and-such real estate agent, or find out who was voted braver than me?  That’s okay; I think I know the real truth.  And for the last time – stop poking me!

Call me a cynic or a purist but I believe social networking applications should be kept real.  When you go to conferences and tradeshows for ‘networking’, you don’t network with applications and play a round of Farmville – you interact with real people.  Considering the amount of time is now spent in the world online – can we keep communication real?

Buyers look for real communication.  They come to your website for contact with you, that is why it is important to keep your website relevant, personalized, and accessible – without being too freeform – less you run the risk of things getting out of hand, just like Myspace or Facebook.  Here are a few tips for adding social content to your site:

• If users are given access to site files (such as downloadable pdfs) make sure they do not have access to alter or delete the files in question.
• If you have access to an instant chat or click-to-call application, make sure that it does not show you as available when aren’t (aka in the middle of the night).
• It is best practice to make sure that any sort of audio or video on a page does not auto play by default.  There is nothing worse than going to website with audio and not realizing your speakers are at full blast!
• Make sure all forms have some sort of CAPTCHA form (such as reCAPTCHA) less you become swamped by spam.
• Make sure any commenting application has a moderation process.  In addition, make sure you have a commenting policy readily available to refer people to.

Now, if you’ll excuse me…I have a party to attend.

“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.” – Arnold Bennett


Take, for instance, Point2’s recent move to Zendesk. This new support tool has fantastic search capabilities, allows for easier commenting, and it also provides a much more efficient and streamlined method of submitting support requests to the Customer Care Team.  Members can track their personal requests, communicate with a Customer Care Rep via the tool, and receive timely responses.  Long-term, it is going to be nothing short of fantastic.  Right now, though, it seems awkward because it is so new and so unlike the familiar Message Board that we’ve all utilized over the past few years.  It’s uncomfortable the first few times you try and comment or post a new topic because it is a change.

Stop a moment and think about your business.  What has been changing lately?  Has it been helpful?  Has it been challenging?  Break it down into the following categories:

• Challenges
• Wins
• Losses

Now, go over each item you put into those three categories.  Label each as one of the following:

• I can control
• Beyond my control

For those items labeled “I can control”, determine a list of key actions or considerations that are necessary to make them happen.  Or, if it was a Win, how did you make it happen?  How can you replicate that type of Win again?  Maybe you sold a house faster than anticipated.

For items labeled “Beyond my control”, was there someone who influenced that change?  Did you do something to influence that change, but didn’t realize it?  Was it something inevitable that would have happened regardless of what you did?  Those types of changes are an inevitable fact of life.  Lightening hitting a tree, causing it to fall and crush a house you are selling is beyond your control, no matter how much of a control freak you are!

Now, for every single item on the list, indicate what you have learned from that change.  You’ll likely find that you’ve learned more than you realized.  More about your business, more about the people around you, more about your customers, more about yourself.  In dealing with change, you changed.  Embrace it.  Live it.  Celebrate it.  The next time change happens, you’ll find that you look at it a little differently.

“We cannot change our past.  We cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.” – Charles R. Swindoll

Going live today, this upgrade will be bringing a bunch of great improvements to how Point2 Agent support & education will be accessed, delivered, and ultimately disseminated.

Just what kind of improvements you ask?  For starters, our entire product knowledge base is now entirely searchable.  Want to learn about our custom content modules?  No problem!  Now all of our support materials (FAQs, videos, and education sessions) are right at your fingertips.

If you are itching to jump right in and experience all the new toys for yourself, you can find the new support portal over at – http://agent.point2.com/support

If you would like to know what these changes mean for our existing support tools, here is a brief overview:

• The support email address agent@point2agent.com will soon be no more. Customers can submit a ticket to us directly at http://agent.point2.com/support
  Please note: If you are unable to submit a ticket, you can still do so by emailing customercare@point2agent.com
  
• The new and improved Customer Community (aka message board) can now be found right here.  Note that this does not mean the old Message Board is gone.  In the coming weeks, we will be importing existing content from the old Message Board (like the website tips & tricks) to make sure our fantastic community hits the ground running.
• Clicking “Contact Customer Care” within your Online Office will now bring you to our support portal.  We encourage all customers to search through our knowledge base to find the answer to your questions, but we can always we reached by email or at our toll-free support line.

As always, if you have any questions/comments/concerns, we would be happy to answer them – so don’t be shy, get in touch with us and tell us what’s on your mind!

• Simple Sites Serious Success – Qualified Website Designer
• REVStaffing – Virtual Assistant

Simple Sites Serious Success
Kathy Stephens

Serving Point2 Agent members internationally, Simple Sites Serious Success offers a full range of website design, content development, SEO, graphics, email marketing, and more.  As a bonus, they are also able to do website content in Spanish!  View more details.

REVStaffing
Deborah Steuer

Certified in Top Producer and placing a solid commitment to ongoing education, REVStaffing’s Virtual Assistants possess extensive real estate experience, offer Point2 Agent support and website customization, listing entry and syndication, marketing design and assistance, and much more.  See how they can help you.

Once again, welcome to AMP!

Many of you have direct communication with our front line, Point2 Customer Care, who make our customers’ voices heard, resolve issues, and much more.  But have you ever wondered how the website you are reading this on right now came to be?  Or who created the funky materials you may have received at INMAN, seen in industry magazines, or even received through your MLS?  That’s just a couple of the things we do.

So without further a due, introducing the Point2 Marketing & Education Team!  Oh, and since I am the one writing this I get to introduce everyone from my perspective…whether they like it or not

From Left to Right…

Chris…
Better known as ‘cdj’, Chris is the jack of all trades, and highly efficient.  As our Marketing Coordinator, he pretty much does everything – and I mean everything! From delivery of items to trade shows, designing, creating new and exciting concepts, to writing…his knowledge is limitless.  I’m kind of his partner in crime around here.  I follow in his footsteps – and let me tell you, those are some big shoes to fill!

Travis…
As the saying goes, “Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools talk because they have to say something”.  If this is indeed the case, then our soft-spoken Web Developer extraordinaire Travis is one of the wisest people on the planet.  When he is not busy using his ninja-like skills maintaining our portfolio of websites, you can probably find him checking up on his favorite football team, Arsenal.  Go Gunners!

Shaynne…
In addition to being the king of wise cracks, Shaynne is also our web guru/graphic artist.  He sits directly behind me and I can pretty much always count on him to make me laugh at least 29 times a day.  Not only are his one-liners top-notch, but he’s a highly accomplished artist and comic book inker.  He can pretty much build a website complete with all the bells and whistles from scratch – with his eyes closed.

Bryan…
Bryan is our resident Media Production Technician…also known for his wisecracks & foosball skills (but not his Mario Kart skills).  He can bring any picture, video, or sound to life & has production talent that some people only dream of.  He is currently on an 8 month trek across the world, but we’ve made good use of his empty desk in his absence.  I can’t say how…he’ll have to wait until he returns to find out.

Next up we have Tanya and Riana…both of which are a part of our awesome Education Team, providing you all the Point2 knowledge you need to effectively manage your site and generate a lifetime worth of leads. Tanya (left), our uber-organized Education Coordinator, has a passionate love of all things Texas, while Riana (right) – one of our two education specialists -  is best known around the office for her passionate love of all things Transformers, and for charming almost everyone she speaks to in an education session.

There I am.  Being the only girl on our floor, I get bugged a lot.  However, I can say with confidence that I can stand up to any of the guys here any time.  They’re all like brothers to me.
Editor’s note: Tanis is too modest to write anything about herself, so I’ll jump in with a few words.  In addition to being a die-hard Roughriders fan and devoted band manager (warning: she is way more metal then you might think!) Tanis is insanely hardworking and devoted to her job.  Not only that, but her inate ability to learn more things and deliver the impossible means that you merely have to think about a task, and she has already completed it.

Mandy…
Standing next to me is Mandy, the second of our Education Specialists.  In real life, she lives just a few blocks away from me, so we are pretty good friends.  She knows the Point2 Agent system inside and out, and has been known to break into random dance moves at any given time.  When she is not out fighting crime or dancing, she also takes care of our Neighborhoods system – no small feat for one person!

Carey…
Last but not least, we have Carey.  The head honcho.  The big cheese.  The Don.  Also known as Point2’s Chief Marketing Officer.  I think I speak for everyone when I say that we couldn’t ask for a better person to work for (and I’m not just saying that because he is reading this and controls our pay cheques).  Carey genuinely cares about his staff and makes coming to work enjoyable.  A textbook workaholic, when Carey isn’t doing a million things at once, he can be found helping out with his wife’s Bridal Salon or watching some baseball.

Missing from the staff photo are Quentin and Megan.  Quentin, our industry-veteran Art Director, can be best described as a big kid!  His love of Lego, toys, and his always sunny disposition makes him one extremely awesome big kid to work with.  He also has the uncanny ability to see the world as shapes and colors; when the rest of us are fretting over how something should be presented, Quentin has already contrasted the final product in his mind. He also enjoys throwing things at me from across the room, which I most often confiscate and return at the end of the day.

After a brief hiatus, Megan (Megs) is back with us and runs all our social media efforts.  If only she lived a little bit closer, she could assist me in ganging up on the guys in the office.  She works remotely from the Dominican Republic, and constantly enjoys telling us how warm it is there, and how beautiful the beach looks from her window! No…we are not jealous at all…

So there you have it – just a quick glimpse of some of the people behind the scenes here at Point2.  I hope you enjoyed this journey into our little world…I know I had fun writing this!  Now to seize any of Quentin’s toys that have landed on my desk in the past hour…