A whole host of new ways to be engaged with VAR in a number of different program areas (convention, government affairs, governance, public relations, committee/advocacy groups, working groups, other ad hoc groups, etc.).What are some of the most useful blogs you read?As of this morning, I’m following 80 feeds.  The top ten I open first are, in no particular order:www.getmejamienotter.com – to help me become a remarkable teammate, manager and employee.www.ehub.com – to stay on top of the latest web 2.0 releases.www.principledinnovation.com/blog/ – keeps me close to the bleeding edge of association strategy.http://leeaase.wordpress.com/ for the coolest meme going on using facebook for business.www.commoncraft.com – for very useful social web thought leadership and “in plain English” web 2.0 videos.www.churchofthecustomer.com – has awesome and fun word of mouth marketing content.  Plus, I just dig Jackie Huba.http://www.flickr.com/photos/schipulites/1115163032/www.alwaysdoneitthatway.com – gives me ammunition to destroy the status quo.Tony Rossell is a novice blogger, but his membership marketing expertise is based on many years of practical implementation and solid research.I’m still trying to find my faves in the real estate space, but so far my “usual suspects” are real/dia blog and this fine blog, www.realcentralva.com.What role do you see VAR playing in Realtors’ lives and businesses in the next couple of years?I’d like REALTORS to view VAR as an indispensable resource for growing their businesses and living a fulfilling life….  And so we’re on a strategic mission to connect with and better serve a broader group of Virginia REALTORS, and social media is one new and very important tool for doing that – particularly in reaching out to and fostering community among our younger, more tech-savvy members.

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Realtor associations provide more for their members than the respective MLS’ – most importantly perhaps is the lobbying they do on behalf of their members, and often the general public – from issues such as recordation taxes, disclosure/disclaimer laws, zoning, preservation of property rights, transportation and more.This is Part Two of a three-part interview with Ben Martin, the new Director of Communications & New Media at Virginia Association of Realtors.What intimidates you?There is so much to learn….  Still, I’m a bit conflicted about all of this on a personal level.What do you think the reaction from members will be?There will be some confusion or some excitement, depending on how much involvement the member had with the social web or new media….  I’m starting to believe that I need to subscribe to link alerts for your blogs and others that I know of to discover new entrants to the Virginia REALTOR blogosphere.How can this outreach/position benefit members?The Association becomes more valuable to members as they get more engaged.  By extending the number of channels through which a member can engage with us, we are making it easier to get plugged in. VAR offers a very robust suite of services to members, but most of them only benefit members if they actually learn about them and get plugged in. In the association business and our modern, hyper-connected marketplace, moving the needle just a little bit can produce a major ripple effect.

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And a Facebook Group.Daniel has his thoughts, Michael at FBS and the guys at real/diaBlog.Ben is the first person from any Realtor association we are members of (we’re members of NAR, VAR and NVAR) to ask for our feedback and thoughts on any subject whatsoever….  I for one look forward to continuing the conversation on and off-line.What follows is Part One of an interview I did with Ben:What prompted Scott/VAR to hire you?Only Scott could answer that definitively, but from our conversations, I think he senses that the landscape of the real estate industry and association membership is changing….  I was very happy in my role as member relations director for the Virginia Society of CPAs (VSCPA), but VAR presented an opportunity to rapidly step up my work in new media and the social web right here in Richmond, so after just a few conversations with Scott, it very quickly became obvious that this was the right job in the right place at the right time.What are some of the tools you will be using to communicate with members?Well, so far I’ve used LinkedIn, facebook, instant messenger, Skype, chat widgets that REALTORS have installed on their web sites, and the telephone….  I’m also intrigued by white label internet browser toolbars and similar technologies like thin desktop alert applications (think along the lines of Southwest Airlines’ alert application, called Ding).What excites you about this new position?I have been doing social web and new media work in a limited way for VSCPA and in a volunteer role for a long time.

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