I’m a fan of silly things – they usually make me smile , but sometimes I end up just scratching my head and wondering why people do silly things when they don’t intend to. And more and more frequently I see people doing sill things in social spaces.

Your community ( or audience, or market) needs to be the prime consideration when you write or say things, so I am stunned  by many real estate people who  think their audience needs to be interested in the things they want them to be interested in. I reserve  ReReflections for the comments on the real estate industry that are so peculiarly mine that I ‘m not sharing them over at AgentGenius. My social media thoughts are either published there or at www.smminstitute.com or www.buzzbuilderz.com. My blog posts that might be of interest to consumers find their way to either MovePhilly or C21AgVoices. Not because I want my writings to be hard to find, but because I want to be saying things that are relevant to specific readers.

It not a new phenomenon but before the advent of social media, we needed to be present to hear real estate agents say silly things. For example, an agent might tell a client whose listing was expiring “You can’t list your property with someone else – I’ve really spent a lot of time working on it”.  Why does the seller care? Their property isn’t sold and their needs are not being met. and they still needed to sell the property.  A more relevant tactic would have been to give them a reason to stay listed that made sense. Perhaps a discussion of their pricing and marketing position combined with a comparison of the marketing efforts  of the current and prospective real estate companies.  It might not have convinced the client to extend the listing, but at least the conversation would have been relevant instead of simply self-centered.

Today, poorly informed  agents who use social networks to broadcast commercial messages make their lack of thought a public spectacle. The “Facebook listing” is an iconic example of abuse.  With listings reiterated in thousands of places through IDX feeds and listing syndication, putting listing information or open house information in a social environment demonstrates not only a lack of concern for the other members of your community, but a lack of respect for your “friends”.

By demonstrating lack of relevance in your content, and a disregard for the social context, you demonstrate disrespect for your ‘friends’  that results in a dismissal of your message and a reduction in your online relevance .

Recently, I saw an interchange on Facebook that went like this:

When I read this he sounds like a multi-level-marketer talking about “income potential” . No one cares what you make (unless you’re paying their bills) – they care about things that impact them or your relationship with them. Not to mention the fact that the whole response might have been better placed as a message rather than a wall post.

And while we’re talking about advertising disguised as social interaction – how about this;

Where is the engagement in this blind solicitation? Who could be silly enough to think that this person cares about their career ? This could easily have been lifted from a bus bench billboard – is that what we perceive our social network values?

I think that talking about work in social settings can be appropriate , just as it would be in face to face settings. For example, you might say in a social setting that you had a tough time working with sellers to obtain a listing, but you probably wouldn’t whip out a flyer for the property and give it to the guests.  If we could just take a moment to think about whether we would do something in person that we’re about to do on-line, it might really improve the quality of our communications, and the bonds we have wth our communties,

Like this? Want to do something about homelessness in Austin, San Antonio, New Orleans, Providence, and Nashville?

Because that’s really a hard question to say “No” to (and Brandie is the type of woman who just makes you want to say “Yes” to her requests) I clicked on her link and saw the slideshow below – a compelling story I think.

Then when I looked even further, I found out that Brandie (who still totally rocks) had built this awesome slide show at the request of Lani Rosales who had aksed a number of people to step up and participate in a unique event. But let me have her tell you about it in her own words from her New Media Labs Blog

PLEASE use one of these slideshows in your own blog:

For the first ever social charity presentation roundup, several people (even some not in Austin!) stepped up to bat to put together various slideshows based on facts provided by Alan Graham of local non profit organization, Mobile Loaves and Fishes, serving the needs of the homeless.

Now I told you Brandie Young ROCKS, and this new information did nothing more than remind me that Lani Rosales also TOTALLY ROCKS.  Makes you feel good to know that two women who are totally adorable and smart, and hot, are also so thoughtful , generous, and gracious… (Dontcha Wish you knew them too?)

Now go out and do something to make them feel good about this..

I know that this is my platform for writing about the real estate industry, bt today I just want to use this for a quick rant.

In his blog TechCrunch, Michael Arrington recently wrote a great post about Facebook’s refusal to deny a platform to Holocaust denial. The post is well written and cogent, and I hope that you already took a moment to read it via the link I provided above.

Though I agree with Arrington’s position and the points he makes, I didn’t start writing this just to parrot those points, but to express something that occured to me as I was reading the post.  I think that I understand why an organization would not want to feel that they were limiting the right of an individual to to express their opinions, no matter how bizarre, or outright wrong those opinions might be. After all, we live in a country founded upon the precept of free speeech. But does that mean that you are obligated to provide a platform for someone to express an opinion you find reprehensible? To paraphrase and old cliche, “If someone were shouting “fire” in a crowded theater are you obligated to provide him or her with a bullhorn?”

I respect Facebook’s desire to rise above the issue, but should they do so at the expense of their own moral values. As Arrington points out so eloquently “Holocaust denial is a seed. A seed that will grow into a fully bloomed second Holocaust if ever allowed to germinate. And Facebook is providing the fertile ground and watering needed to do just that.”

I understand the dilemma on a theoretical level – If we ban holocaust deniers, should we not ban the flat earth society or groups that think we didn’t really walk on the moon or even groups that think there was a federal/mob/communist conspiracy to kill JFK?  I don’t think those are really the same thing. I do think we can ban hate grops of ay sort from platforms that are privately owned, even if they are accessed by the public. In fact, I think that we have an obligation to ourselves and our society to do so.

My father-in-law was one of the American troops that liberated the death camp at Dachau. My Uncle’s mother was killed at Auschwitz. My Great Aunt died during the holocaust in Jedwabna Poland. I don’t need anyone to assure me that the Holocaust happened. And painful though it may be, I do agree that Holocaust deniers have the right to express their misguided bigoted opinions. But I don’t think that anyone is required to facilitate the replication or proliferation of those lies. And I don’t think that Facebook is provided any moral high ground when they do so.

Image via Wikipedia

I found this fascinating quote today:

There are basically two types of bloggers in the world – reporters and experts – and some people perform both roles (usually the experts, it’s hard for reporters to become experts, but it’s easy for experts to report).John Chow, Reporter vs Expert – Why Most Bloggers Are Stuck Reporting, Jan 2009

Most bloggers report facts or quote others because its easier to do that than it is to provide important expert information. That requires  expertise that is gained from education and experience, hopefully combined with the wisdom to apply both properly.

In the real estate business, we have tremendous expertise to share, and our business shows us that building relationships is the most important piece of building a succesful career.

The article goes on to say;

Experts enjoy the perks of preeminence, higher conversion rates because of perceived value, it’s easier to get publicity, people are more likely to seek you out rather than you having to seek others out, joint ventures come easier, etc… experts in most cases simply make more money and attract more attention.John Chow, Reporter vs Expert – Why Most Bloggers Are Stuck Reporting, Jan 2009

  So when you choose to blog, or twitter, or interact on Facebook, weigh the different paths you might choose. Do you want to be a commercial effort in the middle of a social enviroment? Or will you build more business opportunities by demonstrating to the world what an expert you are, so that they will be pre-disposed to do business with you?

I’ve made my choice – Good Luck with yours!

Twitter PR Strategy, originally uploaded by ogilvyprworldwide.

With the limited budgets of many real estate brokers and agents, Social Media is bcoming a place where you need to be if you want to increase your sphere of influence and obtain new business opportunities.

This chart, has a social media life of its own. Created to explain a strategy for use on Twitter, then posted to Flickr, it was given additional exposure on Facebook by Teresa Boardman of St. Paul. It then came to my attention (I am interested in almost everything that Teresa does or posts) and I am sharing it here with you on my blog.

So aside from clearly defining the great opportunity that Twitter presents to businesses and individuals, its own life and the path of its travel to your attention is pretty neat as well. Imagine if this were a piece of information with your name on it…

Image by reeltor99 via Flickr

2008 was a tough year. And its not one I’m sorry to see leave.

The challenges we face in business are just  part of our business, which is now and has always been cyclical. But  2008 will always be the year that I lost my best friend, suddenly, without explanation (not that an explanation would have helped) and without reason that I could understand. It was a year that made a change in my life that I still find myself struggling with, and would seem to have little to redeem it.

Time is very subjective for me. It seems like I have been without my beautiful wife forever, and yet when I think about something that happened in  July when she was still the vibrant funny presence in my life, it seems like just yesterday. I find myself thinking about that and about this major change in my life often these days. It was during one of those long ruminations I realized that many of the people that I find my support from weren’t even in my life a year ago.

I “talk” to people every day that make me laugh, provide support, make me think, and help find things that interest me. I am invested in their lives and hurt when they hurt, cry and laugh when they cry and laugh, and seek their opinions and approval. I smile when I make them laugh, and I am proud when they are noted for their achievements. People like Ines, Ginger Wilcox, Benn & Lani Rosales, Jeff Turner, Teresa and Jack Boardman, Chris Griffith, Kim Wood, Sarah Cooper, Jonathan Dalton, Kris Berg and so many others who reach out to me regularly and make my life a little brighter.

A year ago I was aware of the RE.Net but not fully engaged. And when I became engaged, I found a world full of people to connect with, who had much to offer. I just wanted but I did find a need to share how grateful I am for my social media friends and acquaintances (yes they are “real” friends even if the roots of our relationship began in the virtual world).

So what does this have to do with 2009 being a better year? I just returned from Inman Connect in New York, where some of the predictions for the coming year’s economy were grim but the bloggers and social media types that were present were telling me that they were finishing a pretty good year. There were stories of international buyers, and community members making referrals, and people contacting them because they had written reviews of places they ate, or shopped, or worked.

The opportunities in the market may have gotten smaller, but the population fo real estate agents has also. And there are more and more people who are learning that by being good members of their communities, and participating in social media in a meaningful manner, they will be the consumer’s choice when the consumer needs them.And of course, there is the other important social media marketing feature – it costs so little, and returns so much. Unlike traditional interuptive marketing, the more you do , the less it costs.

So embrace your community, and as you give love, you will get love, and on the way, probably increase your business opportunities. But you will increase the people that you interact with. I only hope, for your sake, that they are as special as the people I found to interact with in my world.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Technorati recently published their report on the “State of the Blogosphere / 2008″ , the newest version of an annual study which has been digging into trends in blogging since 2004.

I’ll actually be doing more of an analysis of their findings over at BuzzBuilderz, the social media marketing site maintained by my son Hal and me, but I did want to post some of the information that was interesting for people in real estate who are utilizing social media as part of their profession.

There is a great deal of discussion about what the “blogosphere” really consists of and how large or influential it is. Technorati defines it as ” the collective community of all blogs.” The size of the blogosphere seems to be harder to define however.

There have been several studies, and they have all yielded different results. Technorati mentions three of them in their report;

* comScore MediaMetrix (August 2008)
o Blogs: 77.7 million unique visitors in the US
o Facebook: 41.0 million | MySpace 75.1 million
o Total internet audience 188.9 million
* eMarketer (May 2008)
o 94.1 million US blog readers in 2007 (50% of Internet users)
o 22.6 million US bloggers in 2007 (12%)
* Universal McCann (March 2008)
o 184 million WW have started a blog | 26.4 US
o 346 million WW read blogs | 60.3 US
o 77% of active Internet users read blogs

Obviously blogs are a global phenomenon that has hit the mainstream, and the number of readers of blogs is constantly growing. As an aside, the impact of micro-blogging is not taken into account, and if Technorati’s definition of a blog were used “a Web site, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material ” the postings to twitter and Rejaw and Plurk, might actually need to be considered. – and then what would the size of the conversation appear to be?

Technorati Profile

Social Media is not organized. Its organic and exciting, and confusing to most new participants. Real Estate agents and companies know that they should be Blogging, just like they knew they needed a database in the 19990s and their own web site at the start of this century. And like the databases and the web sites, they go  out to get them without a clear idea of what they’re supposed to do with them once they’ve set them up.

Even if they start to read blogs, and get an idea of what they might choose to write about there is still the issue of choosing a platform to start writing. Do they go to ActiveRain or Blogger or WordPress? Do they take the simplest platform or the one that is most flexible? Do they buy an area through a vendor seeling local or city blogsites or do they strike off on their own and take the time to build their brand?  The very variety of choices create additional confusion in the minds of the neophyte, and even the pros like PoppyD  of Agent Genius make mistakes in their strategies (as evidenced in this post on AgentGenius).

Additionally daunting are the issues of analyzing the Blog traffic, understanding the interconnection of various media sharing sites, Social networks, Social Bookmarks, and feed aggregators. And finally, there is the considerable amount of time it takes to create and then upload  consistent profiles , photos, logins and passwords on all of these sites.

So a busy agent do who doesn’t have the time to invest in the set up of the basic social media package seems to be at a substantial disadvantage – at least they are if they haven’t found the services available at BuzzBuilderz , a new company set up by my son Hal and myself.

My son Hal is an actor and  copywriter in Los Angeles who has written a wide variety of web based copy as well as shows and scripts for the entertainment industry, including treatments for Lou Gosset Jr.  A Cum Laude Graduate of Syracuse University, Hal has the insights of youth and the formal training to assist any professional in their entry to the world of Social Media.  Using my experience in social Media, and capitalizing on the mistakes I made and the lessons I learned in moving from Web 1.0 into the world of Web 2.0, we have designed a low cost, high impact method for agents to make ther own transition.

One flat fee entitles a BuzzBuilderz client to a marketing interview which is then used to create appropriate profiles for different sites like LinkedIn and Facebook, along with the shorter profiles needed for other social media sites. The BuzzBuilderz team then registers the client on 40 different interrelated social media sites, posting their photo or avatar, completing their profiles, linking their websites or blog, and setting up the analytics for the client to use.  If the client provides their email list, BuzzBuilderz will also create the core of their Social network on each of these sites.

A quick start manual with ideas on how to maximize the exposure provided by these sites with a minimum of effort, including isdeas on various blog topics completes the program, and the Web 1.0 agent is now the proud owner of a complete Web 2.0 platform, all ready to take out for ride in the new world of social media.