Rumor has it that Research in Motion (RIM) is working on a BlackBerry tablet to rival the Apple iPad. The gadget has been internally codenamed the BlackPad and is expected to be released by the end of the year. The BlackPad will have approximately the same dimensions as the iPad, although some have reported it to be slightly smaller and thinner. A couple features the BlackPad has that the iPad doesn’t: a camera and the ability to make a phone call through Bluetooth. I have been finding conflicting reports on whether or not it will support flash, but how can it not? Since the lack of flash capabilities has been the biggest complaint with the iPad, I would imagine that BlackBerry knows they will have to satisfy this demand to compete.
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Property managers unanimously agree that online rent payments are the way to go. The time saved processing payments can save a manager an average of $5 per online payment. So now that you’ve made it available for residents to pay their rent online, how do you get them to actually do it? Here are a few ideas:
1. Post signage throughout common areas on your property: the office, clubhouse, pool, laundry room, gym, etc. Anywhere your residents will see it. You can also send out “Pay your rent online” fliers or emails with monthly rent reminders.
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Facebook is taking over, and it knows where you are. Just a few weeks ago Facebook launched a new feature called Facebook Places that uses GPS to let people tell all of their Facebook friends where they are by checking in from their mobile phones.
The new, location-based app isn’t the first of its kind, following in the footsteps of Foursquare and Gowalla. But Facebook does have one thing that these other websites lack—a 500 million user base. With the average American spending more than 15 minutes a day on Facebook, their app has a better shot at catching on.
No word on how businesses have used this new tool as of yet. Facebook Places hasn’t implemented any tallies or awards for the amount of check ins at a location like Foursquare does, but I predict businesses will use it similarly; maybe discounts to people that check in on a certain day, or rewards to the person with the most Facebook friends that checks-in that day.
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You should be. More of your prospective renters are using Craigslist to find their new apartment than any other website out there. It has the peer-to-peer feel that people like and trust. It is also a favorite among property managers because of its popularity and low cost to use.
Craigslist has a strict policy when it comes to posting ads, which is a contributor to its popularity as an internet listing site from a searcher’s perspective, but is sometimes a hassle from a property manager’s standpoint. Craigslist doesn’t allow second parties to post ads on behalf of someone else, which makes it hard to keep your ad updated. Plus, you must be careful you don’t post more than one ad a day for the same property lest Craigslist blacklists you—which sounds awful!
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