Another New Gadget!

I'm just going crazy with new gadgets now! If you look at the top-center of our web site there is now an Online Chat button in case you need to get in touch with us. As with phone and email, we'll be glad to assist!

Email Alchemy

In getting ready to launch OptEmail.Net, I've had to educate myself on exactly what it takes to achieve maximum deliverability with email. It's definitely a combination of art and science! Stuff doesn't just automagically happen, people!

I'm also applying what I've learned to ListingWare, since we have such a massive amount of email to deliver on a daily basis. You may see a few changes, such as the FROM EMAIL on emails from your ListingWare service saying something like 'emailupdates@homescanner.net'. The FROM NAME will still say your name, and the REPLY EMAIL will still be yours. It's got to do with things like SPF, SenderID, Black Hole Lists, Return Path,...even MY head was spinning learning this.

Bottom line is that more email should be able to get directly to its destination. How's that for automagic!

OptEmail.Net

Ooooh, it's so close I can almost taste it! Mmmm...New Code! I'm talking about how close I am to turning OptEmail.Net loose on the world - it's going to kick butt!

Everyone has been asking for drip marketing/permission marketing/email campaign thingy for a LONG time. And it's been in development for a LONG time - and hopefully, it will be worth it! I'll put out more VERY soon!

Let There Be Mac!

And it was good! For years I've been a Windows geek, dabbling in Unix. On the other side of the technology spectrum is my better half, Max - better half in marriage and business. And I'm not trying to put her down, but she's always the one who says "I don't want to know how to build the watch, I just want to know what time it is!" That's her way of saying the technology doesn't mean anything to her, she just wants it to work.

So, after endless frustration over the last couple of years with how two different Windows laptops worked for her (or didn't work, to be precise), we broke down and got her a MacBook Pro. What a nice system! I'm just cutting my teeth on it, but I can already tell it's easier for ANYONE to use. I'm going to tinker with it, but I know I won't be allowed to take it over! Now that so much of what everyone does on a daily basis is Internet-oriented, I'm sure it will be just as good as I've heard.

New Registration Options

We got a suggestion from a new user on two options for QuantumLead registrations: 1) Being able to have less than Name, Phone, and Email required for entry and 2) Being able to not show the Password field. Both of these sounded great - it would be nice if only the email field were required, for example. Registration would be VERY quick and users might not feel like their privacy is being invaded. We're testing it and will let you know.

DreamHomeTour.com

For at least the last 4 years, ListingWare has been hosting the technology services for a company named DreamHomeTour.com. Some of you may have only become aware of ListingWare's existence because your web site had been shut down because ListingWare was no longer in partnership with DreamHomeTour. It's unfortunate that we had to take this step, but it was unavoidable. We are working with everyone that contacts us to get their services operational again as soon as possible, with the least amount of pain. Please bear with us - and if you've already switched over to ListingWare, welcome aboard!

The Mail Must Go Through

Last evening, we started the first test of the new server's capabilities by giving it the job of delivering outbound email traffic from ListingWare. This includes all of the emails generated by inquiries through web site visitors clicking on a listing they like, visitors who register, and such. Today, it's also including the HomeScanner daily email updates generated from Saved Searches. So far, it seems to be up to the task!

The Eagle Has Landed...

The new server is now safe and sound in its new home. We have quite a few servers located in different hosting facilities, but most of our operations are being consolidated to Quality Technology Services and their data center in Suwanee, GA. I was even going to take some pictures and show you our hardware, but the data center actually has pretty tight security on that! But, you can take a look at the link for Quality to get an idea - our cabinet is just about at the left edge of the photo showing the data center floor...

Yes, I'm actually telling you that ours is just one of those phone-booth-sized cabinets. I've seen other companies in a variety of industries that will try and give the impression that they actually own a HUGE data center for the services they provide. It's not really like that - companies like ours, as well as many companies MUCH bigger than ListingWare use these "carrier-class" data centers because that is where their expertise lies, where ours is in creating web applications as plugins to your web sites.

My intent here is just to let you know that a LOT of thought went into picking a good home for your service.

The Head Geek Is All Excited!

Do you remember the scene in Ghostbusters where Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis are going up in the elevator to catch their first ghost? They turned on the "unlicensed nuclear accelerator" pack for the first time - the SOUND that thing made?!?! Well, that's what it sounded like the first time I turned on our new primary server that just came in! I had joked that it was a "fire-breather", but didn't realize how right I was!

Joking aside, we're putting it online now and will be porting all of the primary databases and web sites (like the main ListingWare web site) over to it during the next month. You should start to see some of those improvements very soon!