Facebook's "RT" & "RP" Explained

Re-Tweeting/Re-Posting is Like Forwarding an Email

If you're a friend of mine on Facebook, you may notice from time to time my Status Updates begin with an "RT" or "RP." I had a feeling that many of my friends would wonder what the letters were for, but I kept doing it with the thinking that everyone would catch on.

The common definition of a Re-Tweet; To post a copy of someone else's tweet on your own account. A Re-Tweet is part of Twitter etiquette or...Twittiquette.

It's commonplace to see "RT" on Twitter as it's part of the whole experience. It's the primary reason Twitter creates such a viral opportunity. If Roger Federer (or whomever) Tweets something interesting or CNN has breaking news, their followers will "RT" the message to their "followers."

Here's the rub. When Facebook and Twitter linked with each other, Twitter's "RT's" started showing up on Facebook's Status Updates. The Re-Tweets from Twitter still have millions of Facebook users wondering about the letters "RT."

Enter "RP." I started Re-Posting on Facebook out of the blue. I don't do it much as Facebook is a bilateral experience whereas each Profile Page is only entrusted with "Accepted Friends." With this in mind, I only "RP" when something is rated G funny or I think a PSA type Post needs more attention. When I "RT" or "RP," it's actually a compliment, endorsement or extension of someone else's thought.

For example, tonight Ricky Mollohan announced that he was very concerned about a missing person. Since we only have about 150 "Mutual Friends" of my 1000 or so, I took the liberty to "Re-Post" his Status Update thinking it would help find his friend Mike.

Coaching further, the name you see immediately following an "RT" or "RP" is usually the original author of the message.

It's as simple as that. If you see "RT" or "RP" preceding a message, it's simply a "Forward" of someone else's Tweet or Status Update. :-)

Ainsley & Angie Being Fabulous in NYC

Ainsley Earhardt/Angie Goff Strike a Pose for 'Paws'
According to Angie's Tweet Tuesday, two of my favorite people in the world found each other in Manhattan to participate in a doggy fashion show for the New York Humane Society. These two love their pets!

Columbia is proud as South Carolina peaches of these two former local News Divas. Ainsley (New York) and Angie (Washington, D.C.) are making the most of the careers they love so much. Kudos to them both.

Both are in Columbia often but I'm sure we'll see them even more as Gamecock football is just around the corner. In the meantime, keep up the good work ladies! WIS, WLTX and the Midlands certainly misses you, but we're also very proud of your success.

Come home soon & continue being fabulous! ;-)

Not Your Everyday Shandon Bungalow

The Corner of Woodrow and Monroe is For Sale
If you love the look of the classic Shandon bungalow, 200 Woodrow Street is all that and much more. At over 2,100 sq. feet, this sharp home is a bungalow on steroids.

First of all, the location is perfect. Homes on Woodrow Street don't hit the market very often. Many times homes are listed as being "in the heart of Shandon." If this were true, 200 Woodrow would be "the heartbeat."

The living and dining rooms are larger than most bungalows that I've listed. The eat-in kitchen is also larger and supplies a ton of workspace and storage. It provides a great opportunity for awesome supper clubs. Where the current owner has a pool table would make for a perfect den, office or playroom. I love it.

The spotless attic is accessed by a nice staircase and equally clean walk-in basement would make for a killer wine cellar.

The back deck is large, elevated and looks over a lush green backyard which also provides for great entertaining. Who wouldn't love to sit on the back deck of this corner and observe all the Shandon bikers, walkers and runners cruise by.

This corner is only a block away from Columbia's award winning Hand Middle School. This is hard to beat anywhere in Columbia.

Call/Email/Text if you would like to know more about 200 Woodrow Street. It's a sharp house.

GM and Cadillac Should Know Better

Cadillac Celbrates 100 Years...with Cologne
I love the concept of branding. It's fun, challenging and very important to small and large businesses alike. With this in mind, I'm pretty disappointed with this attempt at brand extension by Cadillac.

If you know me you know that I'm a GM man. I like the brand for a few reasons but the #1 reason I drive a Cadillac is because Kinsey's dad owns a dealership.

Cadillac has positioned itself over the years as a premiere brand in the world of automobiles. It's logo, design and reputation of quality have made it a great American symbol.

Cadillac has experienced a few flops in the last 10 years but recovered extremely well. The Catera was created to compete with the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. This was an absolute flop and terribly diluted Cadillac's brand. In recent years Cadillac dumped the Catera and reinvented itself. The effort has been a wild success. The sharp designs of the sedans and Escalades have resurrected Cadillac as a premiere brand.

Having said all of this Cadillac has introduced a fragrance line to celebrate it's 100 year history. This attempt at brand extension is corny at best and awful at worst.

Someone on Madison Avenue needs to tell Cadillac's marketing guru's that this is not a good idea on any level. My only hope is that this new endeavor will be such a bust on the front end, that the brakes will be slammed before it hits the mainstream media. Cadillac and GM should know better.

Columbia's Newest Real Estate Listings

>>Columbia's Hotsheet; June 28-July 22, 2009

Finally...a break in the Sanford, Michael Jackson, Farrah, MoMo's action to fit in a quality Hotsheet Post. Some good stuff has hit the market in the last 20ish days.

As usual, click the link to check out what's new to the Columbia market! :)

Mr. Friendly's Speaks Out for MoMo's

Columbia Offers Awesome Dining Establishments

Below is 'Comment' from Ricky Mollohan to my 'Post' about MoMo's closing. Although the blog has a good number of visitors, almost no one 'comments.' With this in mind, I thought Ricky's comment deserved it's own post.

Most of us know that Ricky isn't afraid of asking for business via social networking outlets, such as Facebook. His style sometimes gets him slammed by some friends, which he and I have spoken about.

As a small business that trades completely on a local level, I can see where it hurts to constantly put out an awesome product only to have a less than full dining room. MoMo's is obviously no different.

MoMo's was certainly on the rotation, but my favorite restaurant in Columbia is Mr. Friendly's. 'Friendly's' serves great food and good times, every time.

As most of my friends know, I actually get a kick out of shopping 'Local and Loyal.' FJ

This is a very sad thing. Mo Mo's is a great restaurant and this just goes to show how important it is these days for everyone to bypass the chain restaurants and choose the independents whenever it's possible.

I own three local establishments and am often criticized for voicing the need for people to get out to eat too much. I've heard all too often that i should put a sock in it. But this is how dire a situation MANY places are in. It's just a shame that MoMo's is one of them.

I'm hearing from very reliable sources that there are several more local eateries on the verge of also closing their doors. So please folks, eat Independent!

To the MoMo's crew, hang in there and good luck! I'm pulling for you!

Ricky Mollohan -

Owner

Mr. Friendlys

Solstice

Cellar on Greene

Momo's Bistro on Devine Closing Doors

Folks that frequent the Devine Street corridor in Columbia learned of a sad state of affairs via Facebook this afternoon. A favorite restaurant and 'hang out' spot is closing it's doors Saturday night.

Momo's Bistro hasn't been around for 100 years or anything, but the establishment is a favorite of many downtown residents. Personally, it's certainly on my rotation of places to visit with friends.

The establishment has great food and an atmosphere that's very pleasant. The lighting was right and the tables were spaced such that parties weren't sitting on top of each other. Whether seated at an inside table, on the patio or at the bar you always hear friends laughing about something.

Momo's will be missed by a lot of people. It's one of those places that you could walk in and pretty much be assured that a friend or few would be there.

Columbia Stunner Hit Market Monday

247 South Edisto Ave. is For Sale

The Wales Garden/Hollywood/Rose Hill neighborhood is one of Columbia's most popular areas.

This 3,650 sq. ft home has been transformed into one of the best among some real stunners. This Craftsman-style beauty perfectly combines modern luxury with old style charm. You will love it.

The main level winds from front to back with entertaining opportunities calling. The open floorplan is perfect for grand parties and fundraisers. I've seen first hand that this home can accomodate a very large number of guests.

The awesome kitchen is in the middle of the home and features granite, stainless appliances, an enormous pantry and a back splash that everyone loves. There is a view into every room on the main level from the kitchen.

Upstairs is one of the largest owner suites you'll ever see. Click the link above and you will see that it takes two ceiling fans to balance the room. The suite opens to a private deck that overlooks the perfect pool.

Without exaggeration, the backyard is an in town oasis. The salt water pool requires little upkeep and the three fountains make for a peaceful background. Many of the flowers stand taller than most men and the coy pond is the dot on an explanation point.

I can't wait to have an Open House at 247 S. Edisto Avenue. Every visitor is sure to be impressed.

Well Now This is Awkward...

How Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude!!!
Our newest little billboards are sending a mixed message...
After all the contests, studies and P.R. contracts concerning the design of license plates, 999 of them are funny at best, and crude at worst. Hopefully the Florida, Ohio and Michigan traveler trailing a FKD tag on I-95, will choose the former of the two.

When one of our friends asked my wife what she should do with her new FKD tag, Jenna didn't quite know what to tell her. Admittedly, I thought it was pretty funny. A few hours later I saw that two other friends posted on Facebook that they were issued a tag with the same prefix. I immediately realized that folks were noticing.

It's going to be interesting to see who puts the tag on their vehicles compared to those who request new ones. Either way, I'll be curious to see what the great minds in charge of tourism and business recruitment will do anything about the FKD tags. I'm sure they won't but one is never surprised when it comes to government decisions.

My bet is that we'll see the tags dot the walls of bars around the state, frat houses and watch South Carolinians rivet them to Jon-boats and trailers. A few of them may even fetch a few bucks on Ebay.

We all know that "Virginia is for Lovers" but this is another level!

Some Lots Are $19K at Cobblestone

>>Lots For Sale at $20-30K Deserve Attention

Anyone who played golf at The University Club misses what we had. For a while, it was probably the most fun golf course to play in Columbia. As most courses, it was about 15-20 minutes away from most downtown neighborhoods. It was a cool place to play golf.

The University Club had 27 holes instead of 18. It was always fun to see if we were assigned to "Garnet, Black or Gold." Each "9" had it's own brand. Garnet was hardest, gold had three short par 3's and Black was most player's favorite. Black is my favorite. Number 9 Black is one of the best holes in Columbia. The U/C had one of the coolest logo's in Columbia.

Fast forward to Bobby Ginn and Cobblestone Park. The neighborhood now has scores of vacant lots that surround the awesome course. Presently, the dilemma with the neighborhood is that everyone that bought a lot at the product "launch" intended to immediately flip the property. The prices were simply too high.

Now, with foreclosures escalating in Cobblestone one can't help but raise an eyebrow at the new prices. Some lots are on the market for $19,000. For the right person, I would think this is an opportunity.

We'll see what results are in store for the former University Club. I happen to think that there are some opportunities that deserve a look.

Click on the link above for current lot listings.

Forest Acres Home Gets Quick Contract

6460 Eastshore Rd. in 29206 Fetches Contract Early

While closing another house at MG&C, the other Realtor in the transaction informed me that another home in Forest Acres was coming to market. My ears perked up immediately and as you can imagine, I had a buyer client in mind.

The weekend before the house hit the market we had been inside twice already. After some thought, we decided to put an offer on the house. It was Under Contract within a few hours. Nice!

This home has 2,433 sq. ft, 3 bedrooms/2 baths and sits on an huge landscaped lot. It has three different areas for TV's, one of which is large enough to hit tennis balls on a wall.

Forest Acres/Forest Lake/Arcadia Lakes is selling pretty well right now. It has a good mix of homes that qualify for "Obama Money" and ones that qualify for FHA backed loans (under $273,000). Combine these factors with the fact that Forest Acres is close to downtown Columbia makes it a hot community.

Inspections are Monday at 9:00a.m. We're hopeful that everything will go well. For now, I'm just happy that we knew of a "secret house" first. Keep them coming! :-)