Congrats to WellcomeMat member Brian Copeland for the recent AP coverage, “Real estate agents getting creative“. This only goes to prove what WellcomeMat has been saying for a very long time now. The agents who embrace the power of video will dominate their local markets and stand out from the competition. Those who do not (embrace video) may eventually find themselves behind the proverbial eight ball. Congrats to Brian and everyone who’s persevered through this rough and tumble market. Stay strong… you’ll come out on top in the end and your clients will thank you. Although they probably already have!

For those of you ready to make the move to video:
Get started and find professional help today!

Like millions of Americans this year, I was very excited to get out an vote for the first time. In fact, I woke up this morning and couldn’t wait to put on my helmet, head down to my local polling station, and spread the good word about CHANGE. Unfortunately I got caught up with a few support messages and had to wait until later in the evening. Naturally I assumed the lines would be ridiculously long and I’d have to wait in line for hours. Not so! I breezed through the line in minutes. Unfortunately there was a misspelling with my last name (Mann?) and I was asked to cast a provisional ballot. It’s probably no secret, but I wrote in ‘Local Video‘!

I never thought I’d see the day when they let the Matman vote. This is truly the land of opportunity.

Go Local Video! Go USA.

We’re not inclined to talk politics nor suggest who deserves your vote. We’ll stick to what we know best, real estate and local video. That said, we can only hope that you do get out and vote today. Exercise free speech and make your voice heard. It’s a beautiful thang. Go USA!

I came across this video this morning. Thanks to Reel Motion Media (Videographer – Fort Collins, CO) for the content. If anyone has a McCain rally we’d be happy to post that event as well. Thanks!

Obama on campus in swing state Colorado

Thanks to Meghan Asha for a fantastic time Friday (Oct 10). For those of you not familiar with Meghan’s work, she is one third of the lovely trio from Nonsociety‘. Non-Society is made up of three women with each focusing on a specific topic of interest and ‘lifecasting’ their experiences online. Meghan focuses on Technology and Lifestyle, Julia on dating and relationships, and Mary covers fashion and style. Meghan was kind enough to ask Matman and I to join her for a LIVE taping her new Non Society Mogulus show. The show kicks off each Friday around 4pm (EST).

Join us as we sip p.i.n.k. Vodka, discuss local video, and hear what the Matman has to say or, perhaps not say about the future of local video.

The following is a LIVE recording from the show:

The massive quantity of passion behind WellcomeMat has always been rooted in our desire to make the real estate industry vastly more efficient and make stars out of local business owners: you know…locally owned coffee shops (not Starbucks), McGuckin’s Hardware (not Home Depot), Jax Fish House (not Red Lobster). You get the point right? Video was the be the property hunter’s best friend and the biggest secret weapon that the little guy/girl business owner could ever hope for. Local video is finally teetering on the brink of the inevitable explosion, yet I feel like many of us have the essence of local video entirely wrong.

Now that local video is happening and can no longer be denied/postponed, it sometimes becomes nothing more than the newest sales pitch in the local game, a means to extract money from one pocket and insert into another. We have video producers consistently asking us “how do I convince business owners to spend $______ on a video?” Here’s how: start the local video revolution! Capture the essence of your home town by celebrating the people and places that make it unique! Become known as the video pro, or company that celebrates your town better than any other. If you can’t think of ways to do this, then move! If you can’t find material as a local video producer, then from one creative person to another, you live in the wrong place.

Local video is more than just business: it is the future of our entire country and economy. Is that a big, risky, going-too-far-out-on-a-limb statement? Hell no it’s not. You want to see America go down in flames? Keep sending your money to China via Target and Walmart. You want to see our kids digging their way out of a national deficit inflicted on them by their parents and grandparents? Keep buying goods and services from companies that outsource manufacturing. Local video is 100%, entirely, whole-heartedly about helping locals to capture the majority of money being spent locally.

I am very apologetic for not being able to source the person behind the following quote. But, there has never been a more true statement about making a difference in the world than “think globally ACT locally!”

Phil Thomas Di Giulio, Co-Founder of WellcomeMat, recently sat in on a panel titled, “Using Video the Right Way“. This was an opportunity for agents and brokerages to learn more about using video as a marketing platform and get quality advice from noted experts in the field. The event took place on July 24, 2008 at the Real Estate Connect conference in San Francisco, CA. For those of you that missed it, here a complete video from the event. A big thanks goes out to James Dwiggins for helping out and recording the panel.

NOTE: This video is over 45 minutes long but you’re in luck! We’ve chaptered the video so you can jump right to the questions of most interest to you.
Using Video the Right Way on WellcomeMat.com

We’re back for round three of WellcomeMat’s B.Roll! Each week, the B.Roll will be your guide to the local video space, wrapping up the top local videos, relevant video news and tips, and neighborhood gossip—you don’t need to waste time sifting through nauseating amounts of information.

- Vote for Your Top 5 Local Video of the Week!
- Matman Speaks, Tip of the Week: Make Your Videos Clickable with Chaptering
- Real Estate and Local Video News Roundup
- Neighborhood Gossip: HD Video Online = Marketing Scam?

We’re back for round two of WellcomeMat’s B.Roll! Each week, the B.Roll will be your guide to the local video space, wrapping up the top local videos, relevant video news and tips, and neighborhood gossip—you don’t need to waste time sifting through nauseating amounts of information.

- Vote for Your Top 5 Local Video of the Week!
- Matman Speaks, Tip of the Week: Video Vanity?
- Real Estate and Local Video News
- Neighborhood Gossip: Virtual Open House On Trulia

It’s been a crazy week at WellcomeMat! In case you’ve neglected to stop by, we’ve undergone major reconstructive surgery, and are now more beautiful (and usable) than ever.

Our weekly top five video picks, local video news snippets, our completely rational explanation of the new site navigation, and discussion highlights from the neighborhood are all comfortably housed at here on our new blog.

- Top Five Local Videos: Week 14
- Neighborhood Gossip: How to Get an Agent to Use Video
- Real Estate and Local Video News
- Mat Man Speaks, Tip of the Week: How to Navigate the Mothership