Perhaps one of the best presentations so far was that provided by Safa Rashtchy titled User Generated Content: You Are No Longer in Control. not so much because of the content, very little of which was groundbreaking news or information. What was interesting was how he put all of the pieces together:1 – Communitainment2 – Usites – Yelp, etc. 3 – The web is mainstream4 – Declining use of traditional media (hint: print is on its way out; the internet is the #1 form of media consumption at work, with people “wasting” two hours every day)5 – Fragmentation of content consumption6 – Evolution of user generated brandsA few thoughts on the above – Might communities such as Yelp, ActiveRain, RealTown, etc minimize the need and influence of the extortionist referral companies? If the web has passed all other forms of media for its reach, why do so many companies spend so much money on print?
Browsing Category RE Blogs
Notes from Inman Connect Part 1
One of the most difficult parts of listening to the panelists is not being able to respond and participate in the conversation. A few thoughts of my own for beginning bloggers – – Be yourself- Focus on building long-term, loyal readers and commenters- Read, read, read, but be selective about whom you listen to and emulate.- Build off-line buzz. Become a part of the conversation.- Be the expert.- Be passionate.
Off to San Francisco
Last year I followed the happenings at Inman’s Conference from Charlottesville. This year I’ll be a panelist at Inman’s Bloggers Connect and attending with my wife. The events I am most looking forward to are the social gatherings where I’ll be able to actually meet the people with whom I have been interacting for the past couple of years. Shaking hands with Joel, Pat, Drew, Greg, Kevin, Noah and everyone else at the parties sponsored by Trulia and Zillow will certainly be worth the flight.
Perhaps the nicest thing ever written about me
It takes up a quarter-page in one of the two prominent weekly newspapers in Charlottesville.2…. It’s genuine.It’s also refreshing that Duncan doesn’t take the typical Realtor’s approach of basically shilling the properties that he lists. The way Duncan writes about real estate and the articles he links to make it clear that he is not just in the business to make a living; the man seems genuinely interested in real estate as a topic of intelligent discussion, in sharing what he knows and in learning more. Quite candidly, this review is one of the nicest things I think has ever been written about me, and I hope to live up to the clearly high expectations I have set. I’m humbled and grateful.
The Carnival of Real Estate #51
Is up at Rain City Guide.There are plenty of posts worthy of reading by real estate-related professions, but also for real estate consumers and voyeurs, notably:Half-assed serviceDivorcing the real estate commissions …Expected rate of decline of home prices in the next yearIt’s a bloodbath and time to swim with the sharksTo clarify on my entry that was selected (thank you Ardell!) – the email signature digression was quoted from the original article. That it was distracting is evidence that that type of repeated disclosure is unnecessary and clutters things up.
Crafty SEO tactics for real estate bloggers
â€Learn more here and here.I’ll leave these two comments as examples at least for the time being; next time I’ll probably just submit these sites to Askimet.Trying to appeal to these firms and their deceived customers is probably a waste of time, but I’ll try anyway. Paying for these “services” puts you in the same company as those selling Viagra and enlargement tools, canadian pharmacies, Nigerian investors and sploggers.Most insidiously, these paid-for-comments detract from the authenticity that makes blogging attractive…. I have my own blog and I’ve had spammers (like the ones mentioned in the link you sent me) leave comments on my blog for viagra and other inappropriate content and you’re right to be vigilant about comments left on your blog…. (Please feel free to check out our site to get a better idea of our business model and clients website removed.com)At least this person admitted what she was doing.
Is real estate blogging advertising?
I’ve happened to earn some clients from my efforts here, but that was never the specific and primary intent (I’d be lying if I didn’t hope that somebody would contact me because of the blog).The Commonwealth of Virginia’s Real Estate Board sent out its quarterly newsletter recently with an article that stated the following regarding real estate advertising:For a web site, either the firm or the licensee must include disclosure of their status as a real estate licensee in a prominent place, or have an easily identified link to such a disclosure if the firm or licensee owns the webpage or controls its content.For emails, blogs, and bulletin boards, disclosure should be provided at the beginning or the end of the email.Are websites and blogs so different that they need to be regulated differently?Aren’t blog readers generally savvy-enough to determine whether the author is or is not a licensed Realtor?… With regards to both real estate agents (not necessarily Realtors) and consumers?When participating in or hosting a blog or chat for real estate business purposes, be sure to disclose your status as a licensee and the name of your firm PRIOR to offer to provide licensable services or disclose in text visible on the same webpage that contains the chat session or blog, especially if the licensee controls the web site hosting.The world of new media is too large, too fluid and too misunderstood by those writing the regulations to be covered by a “one-size fits all” system. Look no further than the diversity of the arguably arbitrary “top 20 real estate blogs” – stipulating that they’re not all from Virginia, how many advertising rules would it take to regulate these effectively?… It is important to remember that disclosure of your status as a real estate agent is important in all forms of advertising.For online advertising, disclosure means (1) the advertising contains the firm’s name, city, state of firm’s main office or (2) the advertisement contains the licensee’s name, the name of the firm with which the licensee is active and the city and state in the licensee’s office is located.In all instances — including classified ads — the firm’s name must be provided.For a web site, either the firm or the licensee must include disclosure of their status as a real estate licensee in a prominent place, or have an easily identified link to such a disclosure if the firm or licensee owns the webpage or controls its content.For emails, blogs, and bulletin boards, disclosure should be provided at the beginning or the end of the email.An acceptable email signature would look like this:Jane Doe, GRI, licensed salesperson in the Commonwealth of VirginiaHappy Daze Realty1500 Sunshine CircleRichmond, VA 23225804-999-9999 Office804-222-2222 CellWhen participating in or hosting a blog or chat for real estate business purposes, be sure to disclose your status as a licensee and the name of your firm PRIOR to offer to provide licensable services or disclose in text visible on the same webpage that contains the chat session or blog, especially if the licensee controls the web site hosting.Keep in mind that we need to inform the public of our licensee status when we share real estate related information or whenever we are sharing our expertise, even online.”