Dig Deeper | Circ Blog

Extension of the familiar is intricate to the process of defining new things in life. With the invention of something new, we tend to equate it with something we are familiar with. That is until we become familiar with the thing itself. For example, our grandparents and others once referred to the automobile as the “horseless carriage.” Of course we no longer do so.

My question is why do people tend to call Web video or video posted online “TV” Obviously Web video is nowhere near the traditional TV experience, i.e., sitting on your couch with a high-calorie drink and high-calorie chips, committing yourself to X amount of time in order to enjoy a show with a time-spot predetermined by network executives and the businesses whose ads litter the experience.

Who wants to do that? Personalization of your media experiences is now mainstream and we want to choose what we watch, when we watch it, and where and how we watch it.

So why are we going down this road of the extension of the familiar? Are we really not yet used to determining our media experiences? It’s not WebTV. We need a new term for this.

—Latham

I strolled down to the beach last night hoping for a chance to see the Perseid meteor shower. It was not to be. Partly cloudy skies and the hazy, humid sub-tropical midsummer air obscured the view. No worries, though. I see plenty of meteors—shooting stars—throughout the year, especially in autumn and winter when the air doesn’t lie as heavily and the night sky over the ocean affords a more vivid artwork. So, walking northward along the shore, I otherwise entertained myself by occasionally dragging a toe across the ground to create a luminous line in the sand or, closer to the waterline, gently uncovering sanddollars and starfish all aglow in electric blue, both caused by the phenomenon of bioluminescent algae inhabiting our waters and washing ashore peculiar to this time of year.

In no time at all I had forgotten all about lights streaking across the sky. As it always happens during my frequent roams along this beach, I became engrossed in thought. This time, my thoughts were of my good fortune to be in such a place as Hilton Head Island. Unlike my high altitude colleagues out there in Jackson Hole, WY, I live barely above sea level in South Carolina’s Lowcountry region, a few steps from the gently rolling surf of the South Atlantic Bight. Like my colleagues, though, I am surrounded by astounding natural beauty and simple pleasures enjoyed rarely by most, but every day by me.

I thought of the visitors who comb the beach for seashells and other treasures so they can take a piece of “my” island back home with them, and those who thrill at the fleeting glimpse of a dolphin’s dorsal fin—just one of my neighbors—and I was thankful for the series of events that led me here on a whim seven years ago.

To the outside world, the Hilton Head experience is about golf (that’s me hitting out of trouble at Haig Point a few years ago) and vacation resorts, but those who live here see it in a very different light—and it is so much more than that.

—Frank

Circumerro Video’s first real estate Web video listing successfully sells a $4+ million dollar home in Teton Village.

Circumerro Video’s first project—a Web video for Teton Village Realty highlighting a custom home at 3600 McCollister Drive in Teton Village, Wyoming—has proved highly successful, resulting in the recent sale of this $4+ million home. Web Video is the next frontier on the Internet, and real estate is well served by the deliverability of this medium and the connectivity it affords. Gone are the days of spatially disorienting 360-degree virtual tours—video is the next best thing to being on the property.

“Our client saw the video on our website and played it multiple times to see the home and get a feel for it,” says Teton Village Realty’s Jeff Ward. “It allows the buyer to become one with the house, and me the selling agent, to create a rapport with the client before we’ve even met,” adds Ward. “In today’s world you don’t just try and sell people on your listing, you need to let them experience it,” says Circumerro President Latham Jenkins. “Video offers a depth of experience you cannot achieve with regular listing photos—it is engaging.

Not only is video a great tool for showing the listing, it allows the personality of the realtor to come forth, creating a connection with the audience. Whether the viewer buys the listed property or not, a relationship with a new, potential client has begun.” Circumerro Video welcomes the opportunity to help you with your video needs. Listings and agent profiles are two examples of how Web video can help you stand apart from the crowd and showcase your properties and expertise.

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This summer, two of us were lucky enough to attend one of the largest Graphic Design conferences in the country—the HOW Design Conference, sponsored by HOW Magazine. With over 3000 designers, it was a great way to get “Refreshed,” (the theme of show). From workshops, to select speakers, to networking, to booths… all was inspiring. Being here in Wyoming, our educational options to design are limited, and the only way to “keep up”, is to “get out!”

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We got to see some great design, even in Atlanta. Coke opened a brand new museum, yes an entire museum dedicated to one brand. Pretty amazing if you ask us. With 3-D movies, art collections, a mini bottling plant, exhibits, history and of course, the tasting room. (Which had some of the WORST soda flavors from around the world!)

HOW made us remember things like: handmade is good, learning about logos, dealing with clients as a creative, psychology of a consumer, the growing possibilities of a PDF, and so much more. We live in a world of branding and design. Recognize the importance of this and take a real good look around you—even in the supermarket or a busy shopping area. A good design to your eye leads you to decisions you make on a daily basis. A good brand can last a lifetime if the time is spent to make it happen right.

refreshed… Julie & Chelsea

Last night around 9pm I had a sweet little moment after putting the kids to bed where I sat on the porch and appreciated the incredible view and solitude this place has to offer. The view, always inspiring, was made particularly appreciable by the color and shape of the clouds.

Just as I was deep in appreciation, I noticed a couple of cars drive by the house that were obviously not from around here (the California plates generally give them away). Now, the road I live on accesses an area in the Hole that has become very desirable, and there are quite a few “second homes” in the area. (It’s always funny to hear the second homeowners or the newly transplanted talk about how long they’ve been coming here, but that’s a whole other topic, and frankly, it doesn’t matter.)

I’ve seen a lot of sunsets—and sunrises for that matter—from this porch and have developed an intimacy with evening in that spot throughout the seasons. But it got me thinking about the familiarity one gets with a place after many years of watching the seasons go by, and I wondered about those second homeowners and their memories of passing seasons in the Hole. Do they only remember the prime summer or winter experiences, or do they develop an appreciation for the cold, wet and snowy times as well? Or do they simply head back to California, Texas or wherever when the Hole is not as nice a place to be? Of course, some do. And do they have a similar appreciation for the view from their porch in the place they call home? One can only hope they do, for without the appreciation of a place you call home—and that is special—what’s the point?

—Chris

It’s been a while since I’ve been in my boat. But after two years of sitting under the porch collecting cobwebs (the boat, not me), I finally did it. It wasn’t for lack of interest, as I’ve certainly been wanting to go. But paddling—even here in Jackson Hole, where we have several great white-water stretches right in our back yard—can be difficult to find the time or line up with the right partner.

Mind you, I’m not making excuses, but it appears that living an engaged life often causes you to engage in so much that some things fall by the wayside. Could it be work? Could it be the major addition to our house in the past year-and-a-half that I was completely engrossed in? Perhaps the adoption of my youngest daughter from China last summer? Or maybe the fact that we now have two small children whom I really like to spend time with. It is a lot easier to get out for a kick-ass mountain bike ride for a couple of hours than to commit to half a day or more on the river—and more exercise, too. And then there’s my wife: a woman who’s fun-hog tendencies might very well surpass my own. (Remember, Compromise is arguably the most important of the “Four Cs” of marriage.)

Whatever it is, it sure felt good to be on the river again. Just a short after-work paddle, from Taco Hole down to Lunch Counter. But plenty enough to loosen up the hips, brush up on the roll, surf a bit, and cool off on a hot July day.

—Chris

Locale has launched the Best Practice’s blog to help our advertisers (realtors and others operating in specific real estate markets) embrace the changes and disruptions the Internet is causing their industry, and learn how to leverage the Internet as the dominant marketing medium it is becoming.

The Internet is an evolving medium, so our coverage on Locale Best Practices has great breadth, from search marketing to how the adoption of technology by consumers creates opportunities for first-movers in the market. No longer can realtors rely on walk-in traffic and traditional advertising venues; rather, they must engage with potential buyers in an online environment, during the customer’s research process and before any relationship commitments are made.

Each Locale Best Practices blog entry identifies a trend or topic and gives you advice on what to do about it. Experience the advantage today. Subscribe via email or RSS feed to Locale’s Best Practices blog.

I’ve made a goal for myself to ride my bike to work twice a week for as much of the warmer months here in Jackson Hole as I can. This is not always an easy task, between weather, meetings, errands, carting kids around, etc. It’s also not as easy as riding from across town on a bike path—my ride from Wilson is a fifteen mile round-trip—but it sure feels good to get in the exercise and not have to sit in busy tourist traffic.

As you may know from previous posts, I’m a fan of Keith Peters’ Carbon Neutral Journal. Occasionally Keith writes some interesting things on his own findings about his driving and cycling experiences. (In fact, today’s post has to do with the greening of our US capital. I know, sounds far-fetched.)

So, in the spirit of carbon neutrality, I’ve realized some carbon and cost savings for my personal cycling goal—though exercise and sanity were at the root of my original goal.

I typically fill the tank in my van (admittedly not the most carbon-friendly vehicle, but hey, it gets 17+ miles per gallon and that’s better than a Hummer, right, Stine?) every two weeks. Figuring there are ten days of work commute in a typical two-week period and I ride my bike twice a week, in five weeks of two-day-a-week bike commutes I will have saved a whole tank of gas. That’s close to $70 per tank in today’s prices! Yeah, it’s a guzzler—all the more reason to feel good about riding the bike.

So, if you’ve been meaning to ride your bike to work more (or walk, or car-pool, or ride the bus—whatever), hopefully this provides a little incentive. And if not, well, at least keep an eye out for us cyclists on the road. Thanks!

—Chris

Circumerro Video was featured in the June 20 issue of the Jackson Hole News&Guide Business Focus special section. The article is reprinted here for your reading enjoyment.

Circumerro Video

With at least 60 percent of the online population regularly watching web videos, one Jackson-based company is setting the trend locally by offering affordable Web video services for both local and national businesses. Circumerro Video, a new division of Circumerro, recently began offering its services in order to help clients effectively connect with customers through short-form video on the Internet.

“Video offers a depth of experience you cannot achieve in other mediums,” said Circumerro President Latham Jenkins. “Don’t sell people on your product or service, let people experience it!” Supervising producer Alden Wood described Circumerro’s videos as short documentaries, where clients can convey themselves and connect on a personal level with consumers. “Video is a lot easier than reading a Web page, it is easy to digest” said Jenkins. “People are creatures of habit, thus watching video online is a natural extension. It allows us to engage them in the offering.”

Examples of clients who have used Circumerro Video’s services are: real estate brokers, to either introduce themselves to consumers or showcase a home they are selling; business owners, to connect personally with their customers; and spokespeople, making public relations announcements. “Video offers effective means of communication for nearly every industry, offering new possibilities to connect with one’s audience,” said Jenkins. “It allows businesses to connect with consumers in ways that are more personal, direct and rewarding.” The authentic delivery of a professionally produced, unscripted video is what helps to sell a message,” said Wood. “Almost anyone can use video to further sell their products.”

Generally structured as 30-second to 4-minute presentations, Circumerro’s production crew puts together the entire video in what they describe as a “soup to nuts” process. All videos are shot in high-definition, edited in-house, and are hosted in a manner that allows for easy viewing on any client’s website.

“All of our videos are shot and edited utilizing the industry’s newest and most innovative technologies,” said Jenkins. “Not only do the videos look great, but they have a 95% delivery rate, no longer do you have all the browser and plug-in conflicts.”

Another advantage to using Circumerro Video is the speed at which clients and their customers can see and use the videos. Circumerro’s crew can turn most projects around within a week to two weeks, allowing for time-sensitive projects to be fulfilled in an efficient manner. “Video is the new content asset online and I encourage local businesses to embrace the medium, it will create radical change in how we go about our daily Internet experience in the near future,” said Jenkins. “We have had great success stories with our web videos and the conversion rates are far higher than standard Internet banners,” he added.

Videos can be produced and delivered starting at under $1,000.

—Allison Arthur

Locale was featured in the June 20 issue of the Jackson Hole News&Guide Business Focus special section. The article is reprinted here for your reading enjoyment.

Locale

There is only one place to go if you want the most cost-effective and efficient way to reach customers seeking real estate in the Jackson Hole area—www.livewaterjacksonhole.com. Locale, a publication of Circumerro Publishing, is the most effective way for Jackson Hole real estate professionals to connect with out-of-area buyers.

According to Circumerro President and Publisher Latham Jenkins, “Locale is the online marketplace for lifestyle real estate in exceptional places to live.” With the rising number of second- and vacation-home buyers relying on the Internet to find potential properties, it should come as no surprise that Locale is a prime opportunity to showcase your real estate and related businesses.

“We realized early on that the Internet was the most effective way of getting real estate in front of buyers,” said Locale Western Sales Director Arik Griffin. “The Internet is becoming more crucial to the real estate market by the day, and out-of-area buyers are now relying on it more than traditional publications such as magazines and newspapers. There has been a huge shift in how people are finding their property. A large portion of home buyers—the current statistics stating 80 percent—are now using the web in their search for a home.”

Griffin explained that people searching for property within the Jackson Hole area typically type “real estate” and “Jackson Hole” into Google and other search engines. “Because of our site’s thorough editorial content,” continued Griffin, “Locale is nearly always the first to come up.”

This is where Locale helps advertisers. Due to its rich content, which includes real estate listings, property videos, maps, information about areas, and community profiles, among other things, potential buyers spend a great deal of time searching through the site. This helps advertisers ensure exposure through property listing banner ads and specific sponsorships. “Our extensive content is how we maintain our competitive edge over other real estate sites,” Griffin said. “The objective is to give enough of an overview that people will say, ‘Yes, I want to be in Jackson Hole.’ Our site does not replace the role of the agent—it helps expand their reach and ultimately their client base.”

“People living here likely already have a relationship with a local real estate agent,” said Griffin. “So establishing a relationship with interested out-of-area buyers via the Internet and Locale is a key component to expanding an agent’s client base.” Various advertising packages are available, and a five-listing package starts at $250 per month. Locale advertisers can also get the added benefit of being included on listings with other national real estate sites.

For more information, visit www.jacksonhole.locale.com, email Arik Griffin, or call him at 307-733-8319.

—Allison Arthur

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Why WebTV It?

Celestial Bodies and Sand that Glows

Circumerro’s Web Video Key in Sale of Teton Village Home

HOW Design Conference, Atlanta 2007

Appreciation of Place

Paddling the Snake

Capitalize on Internet Marketing With Locale’s Best Practices Blog

Get a Free Tank of Gas!

Circumerro Video Featured in News and Guide Business Focus

Locale Featured in News and Guide Business Focus