We support everything – except for the 80% of you using iPods. This is the message from the National Association of Realtors regarding their new “Virtual Library.”

At this time, OverDrive digital audio books cannot be downloaded to iPods, or used on Mac computers.

Bother. It seems like an excellent resource – for those who can listen to them.

How irritating. – via Inman –

“Through the eBooks Collection, NAR members will have access to digital literature,” said Dale Stinton, NAR CEO and executive vice president, in a statement. “This tool is effective and beneficial for our members. Realtors I know spend a great deal of time on the road and away from traditional office settings, yet still find ways to increase their business knowledge and personal growth. By tapping into our virtual library, Realtors can leverage this burgeoning technology to develop their skills while on the go.”

“On the go!” “On the go!” How are members going to listen to this “digital literature” when they cannot listen to it on the most dominant media player on the market? That NAR have to differentiate between “digital literature” and “literature” shows to me how out of touch they are. Literature is literature – the medium does not change the content. No wonder NAR is continually playing catch-up. To quote Merv from another discussion:

NAR is like General Motors. They don’t see the competition coming at them. A wise corporate sage once said: GM sees a snake and they form a committee to study it.

It is so frustrating to me that this type of decision is made by an organization which is supposed to represent my interests.

As always, if I am wrong or have jumped to an incorrect conclusion, please correct me.

Update 04/12/06: At least Adobe’s e-books are multi-platform, although the ridiculously long DRM activation procedure is a bother.

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