Real Estate Zealot

At Inman Connect it's Brian Boero's Top 50 Sites For Productivity in 2008

Here is a link to the 50 tools-items-sites to make you more productive and successful in 2008

Brian Boero Is a Co-Founder of 1000 Watt Consulting.

50 Tools and Technologies to Help You Win in a Slow Housing Market (give us a post, we will send you the list)

BrokerIPTV  : We are at Inman Connect, New York city, 2008 and I am with Brain Boero. I am talking to Brain just stop giving the one on the key note speeches on 50 things you can do to increase your business, be more productive in 2008 for Real estate brokers, now it is just really concerned or my big question Brian that I want to our viewers is really it comes the 50 items, you went over... mostly were web related and so that is really a crux of it, what can brokers do in 2008 and 2009, really bring to stay in the business to survive?

Brian Boero: Well, you know to Inman Connect this still that largely stand I would say that the trust is that every thing you spend money on right now, in terms of marketing or technology, there is probably a cheaper or free solution out there and you ought to spend the time researching that. Second of all, I did mention some tools were cutting cost as a business person or people, we all know that we can market ourselves of a down market, we cant wish it away, but we do control our cost structure and brokers know this but, they often don't know how to make that happen. So the reality is the paperless transaction this year, there is no reason have a cubicle form office, there is no reason to have a paper based business and there are technologies out there in order to make that happen. So know thats really kind of the bottom line find cost take outs, cut cost. I also mention some blogs that I thought were great and if you do nothing else, you read thats sort of the first step to awareness, just jump in, probably going to understand, thinks it first, but you got to get your mind around this stuff.

BrokerIPTV  : Great Brian. And your company again? Brian Boero: 1000Wattconsulting.com .

BrokerIPTV  : Super, we appreciate your input. Brian Boero: Thank you Mark.

Inman's Real Estate Connect 2008

Broker IPTV and Real Estate Zealot at this year's Inman's Real Estate Connect 2008

Here it is New Years Eve and I am just itching to get to New York at the fantastic  New York Marriott Marquis Times Square.  I'm very excited to report that the Real Estate Zealot and Broker IPTV will be at this year's Inman Real Estate Connect conference this January 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th.  The quote below is out of context, but I feel it applies to the happenings at Inman.  Many of the people, concepts, ideas that are presented this year will trickle down to the uniformed masses at the National Association Conventions 2 to 3 years later!!!!

    "It happens every year, one way or another, and every year it gets weirder.  And wilder and darker         and more intense."

    Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

And so it goes at Inman Connect. So Just What is Inman Real Estate Connect?    

Well Inman Conncect  comes from the founder, Brad Inman. The show is about  education, exhibits, demonstrations and a trade hall within a intimate setting.  More importantly, no jewelry sales in the trade hall and most of the exhibitors are more progressive than typical Real Estate trade shows. While some critical bloggers claim to be too good to go and that it' about gimmicks and real estate suckers,   I feel the most important part are the people and the speakers. The brightest and sharpest in the industry.  Up to date and current topic-driven panels with real world hands on workshops will provide anyone who attends with the tools and techniques they need to compete in a rapidly changing real estate industry.

Why Should A Real Estate Business Person Attend Inman Connect?

 
Well, "birds of a feather flock together".  This is not your Dad's Realtor Convention!   I find that the caliber of attendees falls into the higher level of producers as well as top level leadership CIOs, CTOs, CEOs, etc.  New York Connect 2008 should  draw  1,200 to 1,400 real estate agents, top brokers, mortgage professionals, vendors,technology company CEOs, directors and managers, entrepreneurs, press, bloggers, analysts and investors from throughout the U.S. and around the globe. Broker IPTV will be there getting all the information, interviews and bleeding edge ideas.

People, Speakers, Concepts, Ideas and Strategies at Inman Connect:

So, safe to say you will be with the sharpest minds in the industry as they discuss current and conversational topics: real estate market conditions, real estate trends, market forecasts, interactive marketing, social media, Web 2.0, MLS, mapping technology, lead generation, blogging, user generated content, search engine marketing and search engine optimization, online video, paperless technology and more.

Topic Panelists include the top Bloggers and WEB 2.0 Social Misfits:

Rudy Bachraty, Co-Founder, Sellsius & Founder, Kiosk Realty

Kris Berg, Broker Associate, Prudential California Realty

Jeff Corbett, Author, The XBroker Blog

Dan Green, Chief Blogging Officer, Bring the Blog

Douglas Heddings, Senior Vice President, Prudential Douglas Elliman

Rachel Natalie Klein,  Founder, IntoTheBox.tv

Daniel Rothamel, Realtor, Strong Team REALTORS;  Blogger, RealEstateZebra.com

Mike Price, President, ML Broadcast

Lockhart Steele, Founder and Publisher, Curbed.com

Erik Hersman, Principal, Zungu LLC

Drew Meyers, Community  Relations Specialist, Zillow.com

Reggie Nicolay,  Regional Technology Director, Fidelity National & Author, MyTechOpinion.com

Brian Rothenberg, Product  Manager, Yahoo! Real Estate

Teresa Boardman, Realtor/Broker, Keller Williams Integrity Realty

Jay Thompson, Designated Broker, Thompson’s Realty

Brian Brady, Managing Director, Worldwide Credit Corporation

Dustin Luther, Founder, 4realz.net Consulting

If the above speakers are not enough to get you going in 2008, take a look at the list that Bard Inman has put together this year in New York.

Speakers-Moderators-Important Attendees

Rudy Bachraty, Co-Founder, Sellsius &  Founder, Kiosk Realty

Simon  Baker, CEO & Managing Director, REA Group

Jeffrey Bastress, President, Startpoint Realty

Kris Berg, Broker Associate, Prudential  California Realty

Teresa Boardman, Realtor/Broker, Keller Williams Integrity Realty

Kevin  Boer, Founder, 3 Oceans Real Estate Blog

Brian Brady, Managing Director, Worldwide Credit  Corporation

Joleen Brannigan, Chief Operating Officer, Grace  Hill

Frank Breithaupt, VP of Marketing, Affiliates  and Operations, Homescape

Chris Brown, Vice President Product Development,  Apartments.com

Joel  Burslem, Social Media Manager, Inman News

Jonathan Butler, Founder, Brownstoner Media, LLC

Louis Cammarosano, General Manager, HomeGain

David Cardwell, VP of Capital Markets &  Technology, National Multi Housing Council

Martin Carpenter, Broker, RE/MAX Realty Plus;  Chairperson, MLS PAG

David Charron, President & CEO, MRIS, Inc.

Shari Chase, CEO, President  & Founder, Chase International

Sherry  Chris, President & CEO, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate

Walt  Clark, Sr.  Vice President, Transaction Management Solutions, Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions

Renwick Congdon, Chief Executive Officer, IMPREV

Jeff Corbett, Author, The XBroker Blog

Matt Corgan, Director of Technology, HotPads

Marc  Davison, Partner, 1000Watt Consulting

Jason Doyle, Division Vice President, Homes.com

Jim Duncan, Realtor/Real  Estate Consultant, Real Central VA

Thomas  Evans, President & CEO, Bankrate, Inc.

Robert  Eychner, President, Eychner Associates; 2007 President, Manhattan MLS

Richard Ferrari, Senior Vice President,  Prudential Douglas Elliman

Dr. Mark Fleming, Chief Economist, First  American CoreLogic

Pete Flint, Co-Founder & CEO, Trulia

Wendy Forsythe, VP Broker Services & Product  Development, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate

Michael Fortinberry, President, CrossFire Sales  & Marketing Systems

Marty  Frame, Chief Information Officer, Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions

Lloyd  Frink, President, Zillow

Hector Gavilla, President, DiamondHomeVideos.com

Jamie Glenn, Vice President, Product Management, Trulia

Ilyce Glink, President, ThinkGlink, Inc., Syndicated Columnist

Matthew Goldstein, Chief Operating Officer,  LifeAt

Kate Good, Marketing Solutions Expert,  KateGood.com

Dan Green, Chief Blogging Officer, Bring the  Blog

Matthew  Haines, Founder & Chairman, PropertyShark.com

Bob Hale, President & CEO, Houston  Association of Realtors

Matt Heaton, Chief Executive Officer, ActiveRain

Douglas Heddings, Senior Vice President,  Prudential Douglas Elliman

Marc Helm, Chief Operating Officer, Reverse  Mortgage Solutions, Inc.

Dottie  Herman, President & CEO, Prudential Douglas Elliman

Erik Hersman, Principal, Zungu LLC

Edward Herson, Vice President, Halstead  Property, LLC

Glenn Houck, Co-Founder, LeadQual LLC

Bradley  Inman, Publisher, Inman News

Kenneth Jenny, CEO & Managing Director, tranCen.com, Inc.

Pat Kitano, Managing Principal, Domus Consulting  Group

Rachel Natalie Klein,  Founder, IntoTheBox.tv

Saul Klein, President & CEO, InternetCrusade

Brendon Kraham, National Sales Manager  Classifieds, Google

Brian N. Larson, Attorney  at Law; President of Larson/Sobotka Business Advisors, LLC

Don Lawby, President, Century 21 Canada

Mark Lefanowicz, President, E-LOAN

Corey Leong, Founder & President, Real Estate Metaverse Association

Mark  Lesswing, Sr. Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, National  Association of REALTORS

Pamela  Liebman, President & CEO, The Corcoran Group

Dustin Luther,  Founder, 4realz.net Consulting

Dave  Marron, Chief Executive Officer, SphereBuilder, LLC

Rob Massey, Jr., CPM, Founder of RentalHouses.com & Vice  President of Industry Development, Rentals.com

Drew Meyers, Community  Relations Specialist, Zillow.com

David Michonski, Chief Executive Officer,  Coldwell Banker Hunt Kennedy

Jonathan  Miller, EVP, Director of  Research, Radar Logic Inc., Co-Founder, Miller Samuel

Alex Montalenti, Co-founder & CMO,  SubmitYourListings.com

Heidi Mueller, Broker Associate, Prudential  California Realty

Oliver Muoto, Co-Founder & Vice President  Business Development, vFlyer

Carter Murdoch, Senior Vice President, Bank of  America

Vikki  Neil, Vice President, Real Estate, Frontdoor.com

Craig  Newmark, customer service rep & founder, craigslist.org

Reggie Nicolay, Regional Technology Director, Fidelity National &   Author, MyTechOpinion

Martin  Nisenholtz, Sr. VP, Digital Operations, The  New York Times Company

Cameron Paine, Chief Executive Officer,  Connecticut Multiple Listing Service, Inc.

Stan Ponte, President, Previews Marketing  Division, Coldwell Banker Hunt Kennedy

Mike Price, President, ML Broadcast

John Reinhardt, President & CEO, Fillmore  Real Estate

Barry  Ritholtz, Chief Market Strategist, Ritholtz Research & CEO; Director of  Equity Research, Fusion IQ

Greg Robertson, Executive Vice President, Sales  & Marketing, eNeighborhoods

Alison Rogers, Author & Inman News Columnist

Noah  Rosenblatt, Founder, UrbanDigs.com; Licensed RE Salesperson, Citi-Habitats

Laurence Rosenberg, President, Rent-Direct.com

Dan Rothamel, Realtor, Strong Team REALTORS; Blogger, RealEstateZebra.com

Brian Rothenberg, Product Manager, Yahoo! Real  Estate

Professor Nouriel Roubini, Co-Founder & Chairman of RGE  Monitor; Professor of Economics, New York University’s Stern School of Business

Kaira Sturdivant  Rouda, President, Real Living

Rupi Rupwani, Owner/Broker, Rupwani Associates; Director, Connecticut  MLS

Michael  Santoli, Associate Editor, Barron's, Dow Jones & Company

Sam Sebastian, Director, Classifieds and Local, Google, Inc.

Rick Sharga, Vice President of Marketing, RealtyTrac

Dr.  Michael Shermer, Founding Publisher, Skeptic Magazine & Executive Director, Skeptics Society

John Sherrod, Director of SEO/Emerging Technologies, Rentals.com

Ryan Slack, Chief Executive Officer, PropertyShark.com

Lori Snider, Principal, Creativity for Rent

Andrew Ross Sorkin, Assistant Editor, Business &  Finance, Chief Mergers & Acquisitions Reporter, The New York Times

Steve Sorti, Senior Vice President of Marketing,  Fox & Roach/Trident

Steve  Spinola, President, Real Estate Board of New York

Celeste Starchild, Vice President Broker Sales,  ListHub: Broker Division  of Threewide

Anne St. Dennis, Manager, Industry Relations, Strategic Communications & Legal Affairs, Greater Montreal Real Estate Board

Lockhart  Steele, Founder & Publisher, Curbed.com

Christian Sterner, CEO & Founder,  Wellcomemat

Patrick F. Stone, Chairman, The Stone Group

Jessica Swesey, Vice President of Content, Inman  News

Jay Thompson, Designated Broker, Thompson’s  Realty

Frances Flynn Thorsen, Managing Editor, RealTown.com

Greg Tracy, Founder/Realtor, Blueroof.com

Lisa Trosien, President, Apartmentexpert.com

Carey Tufts, Director of Marketing, Point2

Jon Tull, President, Lead2Lease

Jeff Turner, President, RealEstateShows.com

John H. Vogel Jr., Permanent Adjunct Professor,  Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth

Becca Wilson, President, Spherexx.com

Brian Wilson, Founder, Zolve

Marilyn  Wilson, Founding Partner, WAV Group

Michael Wurzer, President & CEO, FBS Data  Systems

Michael  Yang, General Manager, Yahoo! Real Estate

Charlie  Young, Chief Operating Officer, Coldwell Banker Real Estate

See ya there!

Apple's OSX Leopard Arrives October 26

http://www.brokeriptv.com/apple-s-new-operating-system-live-oct-26-2009

From the Technology front lines

Apple's new operating system on sale Oct. 26

Apple Inc. said Tuesday that its new Mac OS X "Leopard" operating system will go on sale Oct. 26.

The new operating system is the sixth major upgrade to Cupertino-based Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) Mac OS X operating system, which was first introduced in 2001.

Delays in the release were due to the debut of the iphone. It had been expected to roll out in June,

Apple said pre-orders of the $129 operating system can be made through its online store.

http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2007/10/15/daily8.html

Brokers Lack Training In Real Estate Technology

BrokeripTV : We are talking with Jason Christiansen, the CEO and owner of the Internet media and the top of Internet and real estate. I went to one of your seminars and I heard you say that wherever you go across the country you find that a tremendous amount of real estate agents are using the Internet to their advantage. With the exception of the real estate agents you are seeing in Colorado, what do you think that is?

Jason Christiansen: Well. I think with that it’s really the understanding of Realtors here are using Internet technology, but they are not getting properly trained on real estate technology and I mentioned that in my class because I believe they are foreclosure class that was just a few days prior and there was a 150 people at that class, and there was only about 20 and 30 Realtors at an Internet technology class and I find that interesting that they don’t come to get trained and how to use the future of real estate.

Displayed Question: WHY AREN’T MORE REAL ESTATE AGENTS USING THE INTERNET?

BrokeripTV : My grand mother did not like technology machine, every time I go to her house, the clock was still flashing 12. She was just afraid of technology. I mean do you think that’s the reason that most real estate agents just don’t get more involved in the web.

Jason Christiansen: Yeah absolutely. I look at it as Realtors need training wheels out there. They need a real estate coach. They need some one to show them the proven ways of how to use the Internet. And the Internet is so simple. But if they put little steps and little automated process is end, then they won’t to have to be a afraid of it. Then they will really get the benefit and actually save time and make more money.

BrokeripTV : Well. See I can hear the argument already though. I barely have enough time in my day already to handle my buyers, my sellers, my marketing, my contracts. Where am I going to get time to essentially run a business on the Internet?

Jason Christiansen: Yeah, this is a great question and I hear that every day and I really break that down to as I believe every Realtor can find 15 extra minutes a day to really put forth and start adding these pieces of automation in to their business. And if you did that every day for over the course of the year, you will have a tremendous amount of clients added to your automated systems and that was going to really benefit you in long term.

Displayed Question: HOW DO I GENERATE “TRAFFIC” TO MY WEBSITE?

BrokeripTV : Now some people have taken what you said. They believe it whole heartedly and they put up a site and they leave it there. They think that’s all they have to do is put up a site, people are just going to naturally come to us. I think they are unaware of what it really takes to generate traffic to that site.

Jason Christiansen: Absolutely. That’s what I call “the bill board and desert approach”. And basically you put it up and they will come and that is not the case. You have to have a proper Internet strategy for one and two a marketing strategy based around your website. So if you know how to market your website and you have the proper technology then you will be able to create a mass of traffic jam to your website.

Displayed Question: IS “BLOGGING” A TREND OR A USEFUL TOOL?

BrokeripTV : What about blogging? We heard a lot about blogging, we hear it is the future, as far as you know having active content it’s constantly changing on your website to make your website relevant out there to all the search engines and so forth. Tell me about blogging?

Jason Christiansen: Blog is a very interesting thing because like what you just said is people don’t have time to work on their websites and blogging does take a lot of time. If you can blog efficiently you can blog three days a week and you want to make it very interesting. But what a blog is, it is a journal in reverse chronological order about something out there. Now most Realtors believe that a blog needs to be about the real estate industry. But the most successful real estate blogs that I have seen are about the stuff that they are really passionate about such as football or horse properties or other things like that, but if you are passionate about it, you will able to go in and spend a little bit more time doing it.

BrokeripTV : Got you. Do you recommend it for your agents?

Jason Christiansen: I really recommend it for the people that can take the time to add the blog. If he can’t spend the time though to write a blog, then I don’t recommend doing the blog because you are going to only have a few entries and you are not going to create this traffic on your blog.

Displayed Question: HOW WILL THE USE OF VIDEO PROGRESS THE REAL ESTATE INTERNET MARKET?

 

BrokeripTV :  I know you are a big fan of video coming on the web and you think it is really the new frontier in what’s happening with web technology and specifically real estate, but where can that video take us? What is going to do for us?

Jason Christiansen: Well if you look at the cross between news papers and Television and basically how even advertisers are moving on line.Rich Media Advertising is how I look at video advertising as you can do videos for virtual tours. You can do videos for just interviewing people and time to feel about yourself. There are so many aspects that you can use video that were really benefit your business and what I like about it is, it’s a really duplication of yourself. See you can duplicate yourselves so you are really available 24/7 to be there in person.

BrokeripTV : Jason. Thanks so much for talking with us. I really appreciate it.

Jason Christiansen: Thank you very much.

 

Google Maps On Your Phone-PPC

The coolest thing about technology is that you never, ever know everything.  Well, I thought I knew everything about my Pocket PC, 6700 Smartphone...but I did not know that you could download Google Maps for Mobile devices.  I was not able to get the Microsoft Live  Maps  program to  download to my storage card, so I was unable to compare the two.  This is a great read on MS Live  vs. Google on phones. Google has made some great improvements since this article.

Take a look at some of these features below.  Using my EVDO broadband on my sprint phone provided ultra fast results...in fact, I was blown away.  Short of having a personal GPS....this is the next level.   Once again it's free and it's powerful. This is a very usable and use full tool.

Real-time traffic — See where the congestion is, and estimate delays in over 30 major US metropolitan areas. (Denver is in the 30 Major cities)

Detailed directions — Whether you plan to walk or drive, your route is displayed on the map itself, together with step-by-step directions.

Integrated search results — Local business locations and contact information appear all in one place, integrated on your map.

Easily movable maps — Interactive maps let you zoom in or out, and move in all directions so you can orient yourself visually.

Satellite imagery — Get a bird's eye view of your desired location. (It's like you're there, we swear.)

Favorite places and routes - Save time (and avoid sore thumbs) by keeping a list of residential or business locations, and driving routes.

Just specify a location which can be a city, ZIP code, contact's address, a person’s name or just a spot on a map, then type in a search term: a name, a business category, an activity, or whatever. Choose "pizza," for instance, to find all the pizza joints near your location. Choose one and you can get driving directions, see it on a map, add it to your contacts, send it as an SMS, or even call it directly with a quick click and call.

Combining directions, maps, and satellite imagery, Google Maps is a lets you find local hangouts and businesses across town or across the country right from your phone. Detailed directions! Whether you plan to walk or drive, your route is displayed on the map itself, together with step-by-step directions. Local business locations, search geo-coordinates and contact information appear all in one place. It also has full GPS integration to show where you are on the map!  WOW.  Google has some smart people!

Just go to  http://www.google.com/gmm/   on your mobile device (PPC-TREO-BlackBerry)and download the file.  It's a 556 KB file, so you will have to have a storage card to install the program.

Microsoft Vista – is it a must have for Realtors?

Well, yes.  And no.  If you have a computer that has the hardware to handle the upgrade (click here to see the requirements), you may or may not want to upgrade.  It really depends on your needs.  Here’s what I think.

VistaI would consider myself an advanced user--someone who has always been proficient with programs, computer hardware and software upgrades, and the like. When Vista became available, I couldn’t wait to get my computers on the new platform and see what took 5 years to develop.  Even with my considerable experience, I have spent the last few days working on “issues” relative to Microsoft Vista upgrades.  I bought Vista Ultimate version for a laptop and Vista Home Premium version for a desktop.  The installs were a series of stops and starts, having to uninstall a number of items before proceeding.  I spent about 3 hours for the first full installation.  After I finished the upgrade, I had a sound card driver incompatibility on a 7 month old Fujitsu Tablet PC, and a few programs that didn’t want to work.  We were able to run the programs in what is called “Compatibility Mode”, meaning Windows has found a way to allow programs not written for  Vista to still run as if they were running on XP.

So hours later, and after fighting some problems (some laughingly with Office 2003), the laptop was ready to go.  The first thing that is striking is the overall aesthetics of the program. Windows Aero provides a graceful look, with a smoother, sleeker look and easier transitions. The fonts are more pleasing and the Windows Sidebar is a handy built in feature.  So I wondered if it was all about beauty and less about functionality.  What really surprised me were the speed of boot up and power down, as well as the impressive wireless internet speed.  All of those things are critical for laptop functioning, given the power needs when running on battery.  The wireless functions are highly improved and intuitive.  It is extremely easy to locate and connect to a wireless network, and again I experienced amazing speed in connecting to another network.  Another great improvement is the battery management feature.  You can quickly mouse over and see how much time you have remaining, and can very easily adjust power settings on the fly.  These are critical improvements for mobile realtors!

The desktop computer upgraded a bit more quickly (maybe because I was more experienced?) but still had compatibility issues.  There was nothing that I wasn’t able to fix, but it took time nonetheless.  On the surface, nothing seemed different than the Vista Ultimate install.  It wasn’t until I started digging through the functionality that I found the differences.

Vista Home Premium is a great home program, with the new Flip and Flip 3D functionality, making it easier to find files and navigate through open programs.  What I like the best about it is the ability to run your mouse along the open windows at the bottom, and you get a thumbnail image of the actual window, so you don’t waste time expanding a window you don’t need.  The new windows media center is quite impressive, allowing you to edit your own high definition movies and even send content to another TV in your home through devices like your Xbox 360.   

Windows Ultimate provides all that Home Premium offers, and more. Some of the other features available are built in backup functionality, advanced business networking and remote desktop capabilities, and drive encryption, which are mainly for business use.  Ultimate provides an optional feature called BitLocker Drive Encryption.  What this does is allows you to create an encryption key and save it to a USB Flash drive.  Then each time you boot up your computer, you plug in your flash drive so that you can access the computer.  If the flash drive is not installed, the computer won’t allow access.   I am sure this was an answer to the stolen laptops we read about in the news, and it certainly would prevent anyone from accessing your private data.  If you choose to upgrade or buy a laptop with Windows Vista Ultimate, be sure to read all the instructions and understand what you need to do with this feature, as doing it incorrectly could render your computer inoperable.

 Windows sidebar is available on all versions, and is a great tool.  On the right hand side of my screen, I have my desktop weather, calendar, sticky notes, RSS feeds, and a CPU usage meter.  This is all fully customizable by you, and although the gadgets are somewhat limited I know there will be many more available in the coming months.  This is an extremely slick feature that has loads of possibility for the future.

So should you upgrade?  I say yes if you are a mobile user  and have the computer that can handle the software.  I would also say yes to any of you that might have heavy multimedia needs.  But I would say no to any user whose needs are currently met with your current programs and operating system.  And for any of you that get easily frustrated, you might want to wait it out until you need a new computer.   Because any new computer purchased now is going to come with Windows Vista, certainly not Windows XP - that is unless you run out right away and find one sitting on the shelf.

One last word if you do choose to upgrade.  Use the Windows Compatibility Tool before starting, to ensure that you aren’t going to have critical hardware issues (hello, sound card drivers????).  It is actually an option available on the upgrade menu of the CD.  And be sure to have all your software CDs handy, as you will have to uninstall and reinstall some programs, such as your virus scanning software and perhaps some programs that aren’t compatible.

Windows Vista is a glimpse of what the future of computing is really all about.  I was not at all surprised with the bugs, given the enormity of ensuring compatibility with every piece of hardware and software used by the Microsoft Windows community.  All in all, I think they did a pretty good job.  And one or two service packs later, this will undoubtedly be the coolest thing that we Microsoft users have ever experienced.