Dustin Luther, Jeff Turner, and Rudy Bachraty show you how to engage your clients with social media

November 10, 2008 | 2 Comments

This video is a recording of the session held by Dustin Luther, Jeff Turner and Rudy Bachraty at the 2008 National Association of REALTORS Conference and Expo. The session was all about how REALTORS can use social media to engage their clients. Dustin, Jeff and Rudy do an excellent job of explaining how social media can enhance the ability to engage, and also show folks how it can be used improperly.

The video is about an hour long. The session was an hour and a half, but I got there a little late. I was assured by Jeff that I got the best parts. :-)

Posted by Daniel Rothamel | 2 Comments | Filed Under 2008 NAR Conference & Expo, Blog, Blogging, Industry Issues, NAR, Social Media, technology 

Diamond Dwellings brings social media to the NAR2008 Expo

November 9, 2008 | 1 Comment

This video is a recording of a live-stream that I did at the 2008 National Association of REALTORS Conference and Expo. The panel discussion was very lively, the questions were great, and everyone shared tons of great information and strategies about real estate and social media.

The panel was moderated by Matt Fagioli of Diamond Dwellings. The panelists were (L to R), Cyndee Haydon, Ines Hegedus-Garcia, Jeff Turner, and Teresa Boardman. All of these folks are heavily engaged in various forms of social media. There are plenty of little jewels throughout the discussion. The entire discussion is about 1 hour long.

Posted by Daniel Rothamel | 1 Comment | Filed Under 2008 NAR Conference & Expo, Blog, Blogging, Industry Issues, NAR, Social Media, Video Posts, marketing, technology 

Panelists show attendees how to blog for business at NAR2008

November 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment

This video is a recording of a live-stream that I did at the 2008 National Association of REALTORS Conference and Expo. The panel discussion was all about how REALTORS can successfully use blogging for business. Tons of great information and discussion of strategies and best practices.

The panel was moderated by Dustin Luther. The panelists (L to R) were Teresa Boardman, Jim Duncan, Ines Hegedus-Garcia, and Ginger Wilcox, all of whom are fabulous and successful blogging Realtors. The video is about 1 hour long. Sorry about the cell-phone feedback in the beginning (that stops about 3 minutes into the video). It is probably best listened to with headphones on.

Posted by Daniel Rothamel | Leave a Comment | Filed Under 2008 NAR Conference & Expo, Blog, Blogging, Helpful Hints, Industry Issues, NAR, Social Media, Video Posts, marketing, technology 

NAR has many Michael Jordans. It needs Phil Jackson

October 14, 2008 | 5 Comments

There has been quite a bit of discussion recently about the National Association of REALTORS hiring a Social Media Manager. Jay Thompson wrote a post on Agent Genius that generated a ton of great comments, and Benn Rosales shared his vision for the position.

I left a comment on the posts, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to write. This post is the result. . .

NAR has the right idea

Pamela Geurds Kabati, NAR’s VP of Publications and Web Publishing, was kind enough to leave a comment on the post that I wrote last week. She didn’t have to, but she did, and I appreciate that very much. I appreciate it because her comment shed some very important light upon the entire discussion. Specifically, it added an opinion of someone who actually matters, someone who will actually participate in the decision making process.

I want to highlight something she said in her comment (the bolding is mine):

Another big part of this person’s job will be to listen (underscore) to the conversations happening out there among NAR members, and help NAR as an organization be more aware of that collective intelligence and the role in can play in helping the organization spot trends and shape its policies and positions.

This person will also evangelize to other NAR staff and leadership the value of engaging in the digital space, and it will help educate other staff and leadership about the rules of the road in that space.

In all of the interactions that I have had with good folks at NAR, Pamela included, it has always been clear to me that the membership is the voice of the organization, and staff is their to support their efforts. That is exactly as it should be, and it is a concept that shouldn’t be foreign to us, especially to sports fans. . .

NAR needs a coach

My father was a high school basketball coach for many years. Some of my fondest memories are of playing around in empty gyms, watching practice, and traveling with the team as a young kid. One of the many things my father always said about coaching was that the players play, the coaches coach. The coach’s job is to prepare the players as best as possible for the game. Once the ball goes in the air, it is up to the players to make the plays. The coach is there only for support and direction.

Phil Jackson was an integral part of the success of the Chicago Bulls. Phil coached perhaps one of the greatest dynasties in the history of professional basketball. Of course, having the greatest player of all-time on the team, Michael Jordan, certainly helped. Phil was there to make sure that the talented players all performed at their highest level. Phil was there to direct and guide them in such a way that enabled them to realized their full potential. Phil was there to help them succeed, but when they ball went up in the air, the players had to make the shots.

When you think of the Chicago Bulls, the image that likely pops into your head is that of Michael Jordan, not Phil Jackson. For despite all that Phil did for the Bulls organization, he was not the face of the organization. There is no statue of Phil Jackson in Chicago. The statue is of Michael Jordan. . .

. . .and so it should be with the Social Media Manager at NAR.

Coaches have responsibilities

The SMM should be fulfilling the role of the coach. The SMM should be doing whatever necessary to help facilitate the success of the players- the membership. The role of SMM should be a largely supportive role, just as Pamela mentioned. The most important thing that the SMM can do is help the membership and the staff succeed, which means educating them about social media and coaching them on when and how to best utilize it.

Like any great coach, the SMM is going to have to be willing to listen, and to ignore. Let’s be honest, real estate bloggers, myself included, are going to continue to share opinions even if there is no SMM. I have played on enough sports teams to know that the players always have an opinion. It is up to the coach to decide when those opinions are worth integrating into the game plan.

Players have responsibilities

The players bear responsibility, too. In this case, it is up to the membership of NAR to affect the change that we profess to desire. If the public has a low opinion of our membership, it is up to us to change it. No staff member at NAR should bear that responsibility. We, as a membership, must stop looking at NAR and start looking in the mirror. If we, as members, approach our role in the organization as one that bears greater share of responsibility, then it will be much easier for the person who steps in as SMM to provide support.

Working together, the whole team succeeds

The Chicago Bulls had a talented roster when Phil Jackson arrived. Phil was given the task of putting his players in a position to use their talents fully and realize their potential. NAR is filled with staff, leadership, and members who possess superstar talents. Hopefully, the person NAR hires as SMM will be able to direct those talents in such a way that they shine for everyone to see. The Bulls didn’t win a championship in the first year of Phil Jackson’s tenure with the team. But by the end of the second season, the Bulls were able to stand atop the basketball world for the first of six championships.

My guess is that, being a newly created position, the SMM manager will have a tough road in the first year of the job. There will be a lot of learning that will go on, learning by the SMM, the staff, the leadership, the membership. There will be growing pains. I have no doubt, however, that a SMM will be a good thing for NAR, and a good thing for the membership. It will take a commitment to excellence from all involved, but success can be achieved.

The Bulls made Phil Jackson the head coach because they believed he could help their team win. Phil did just that– he helped, he enabled, he coached; but it was Michael Jordan who always wanted the ball in his hands with the game on the line.

NAR has shown a commitment to change by creating a Social Media Manager position. After reading the comment by Pamela Geurds Kabati, I believe that NAR wants this person to help, enable, and coach the membership and leadership of NAR.

Only one question remains–  Do you want the ball?

Posted by Daniel Rothamel | 5 Comments | Filed Under Blog, Industry Issues, NAR, News, Social Media 

NAR looking to hire a Social Media Manager

October 8, 2008 | 8 Comments

This post from the CRT Blog is one of the most interesting things to come through my RSS reader in quite some time.  Looks like the National Association of REALTORS is going to hire a Social Media Manager.  That should prove interesting, to be sure.

I took a look at the job posting on Monster.com.  Benefits look nice, but I wouldn’t move to Chicago, even for “discounted on-site massages” :-)

I have some thoughts, but I’m not exactly sure how to react to this.  Part of me thinks it is a wonderful development.  There is another part of me, however, that is cautiously optimistic, at best. 

What do you think?

One thing is for sure, the announcement of the actual hiring of a Social Media Manager for NAR will be the biggest development in the organization in quite some time.

I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for that announcement.  Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Jay Thompson shares some initial thoughts on NAR Wisdom

Posted by Daniel Rothamel | 8 Comments | Filed Under Blog, Industry Issues, NAR, News, Social Media 

You Can Also Catch The Zebra on the REALTOR Magazine Blog

April 17, 2008 | 3 Comments

Just this week, I started a series of posts over on VARBuzz that will focus on the history of the National Association of REALTORS. Specifically, I’ll be writing posts as I make my way through the new Centennial book that was published by NAR.

When I first pitched this idea to the good folks at VARBuzz, they were very receptive. Around that same time, I attended the VAR BloggerCon 2.0, where I happened to meet Pamela Geurds Kabati, the Editorial Director of REALTOR Magazine, and NAR Vice President. We had a very good discussion about the magazine as a result of what I had written over on AgentGenius. One of the things I said at the BloggerCon was that I really want to like REALTOR Magazine, but I just don’t. Pamela asked me for some feedback, and we had a very good conversation.

During that conversation, I mentioned to her my idea of writing posts about the book for VARBuzz. She thought that was a great idea, and wondered if I would mind posting them on the REALTOR Magazine Blog. First of all, I was surprised to find REALTOR Magazine had a blog (I had no idea); second of all, I was honored.

Later the next week, I received a call from Stacey Moncrieff, the Editor-in-Chief of REALTOR Magazine. She also asked me for some feedback about the book and the magazine, and we worked out some logistics of getting my posts on the blog.

So, today was the first appearance of the Zebra on the REALTOR Magazine “Speaking of Real Estate” blog. So if you are not a Virginian, or you don’t happen to check VARBuzz very often (why not?), or you know others who might like to read the posts at REALTOR Magazine instead, there you go.

There are some little formatting issues that we will have to work out to get the posts in both places exactly right, and I think the good folks at REALTOR Mag are going to look into setting up a separate category to archive the posts. That would be cool.

Oh, the comments on the posts are OPEN in both places, so if you see something interesting, or want to make your voice heard– do it! The REALTOR Magazine blogs are pretty cool, but they are definitely lacking in the conversation department.

While I’ve got your attention, what questions do YOU have about REALTOR history? I would love to be able to answer them with future posts in the series. . .

Posted by Daniel Rothamel | 3 Comments | Filed Under AgentGenius, Blog, History, Industry Issues, NAR, News 

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