Talking real estate and social media with Rory, Steve, and Dave
August 25, 2008 | 1 Comment
A few weeks ago, I met Jonathan Bentz on, you guessed it, Twitter :-). Jonathan asked me if I would be interested in doing a podcast with Rory, Steve and Dave. The guys run a real estate coaching blog. Besides having an interesting blog, the guys are the founders of GetMyHomesValue.com. Their company was recently named the 16th fastest growing real-estate-related company by Inc. Magazine. You can check out GetMyHomesValue.com on Inc. Magazine.
They wanted to have me on as a special guest for a podcast about how agents should approach the national news about the real estate market, and to talk a little bit about social media. They seem like pretty cool guys, and you know me, I love to talk.
They not only recorded the audio, but even made an in-studio video out of it. Check it out:
If You Want to Learn More About Blogging, a Little Participation is Required
July 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment
One of the things I have heard from bloggers is that they wish they knew more about other blogs. They wish they knew if what they were doing was working, or if others are working better. There is little to no data about blogging as far as how they relate to each other.
Enter the first CREST Blogging Survey.
This survey is intended to gather data about real estate blogs so that hopefully, we can all learn something about blogging and use it to blog more efficiently. It’s only a few questions long, only takes a few minutes, and all of the data is completely confidential. What have you got to lose?
If you want more information about it, you can see the discussion generated at AgentGenius, or listen to an interview with Ben Martin by Mike Price of MLBroacast.
I took the survey, so what are you waiting for? In order to have good data, it is going to have to come from somewhere, right?
Remember to Spread The Love Tomorrow!
June 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment
In case it might have slipped your mind, this is just a gentle reminder that tomorrow is the day to Spread the Love!
The more who participate, the more who benefit. It should be lots of fun. I can’t wait to hear your stories.
On Becoming the Inman News Community Mangager
June 9, 2008 | 27 Comments
Today, I embark upon what I expect will be a very interesting, enriching, and exciting endeavor. Today, I begin in my position as Community Manager for Inman News.
What does this mean? Well first of all, it means that I will still be blogging and creating the best possible content I can right here (did you really think otherwise?); and I will still be doing the samefor Agent Genius, as well. I will, of course, still be selling real estate. So I guess, in some ways, things don’t really change all that much for me.
In other ways, things will never be the same. Now, all that social media and Web 2.0 research that I do will have an additional purpose. I will be able to direct my efforts towards building, enriching, and expanding the already strong community at Inman.com. The Inman.com Community site is up and running, and one of my responsibilities will be doing everything I can to make sure that community is a vibrant one.
I want to thank all of the folks at Inman, Joel and Don especially, for being willing to give me this opportunity, and I want to thank all of you here who have supported my efforts at RealEstateZebra.com. Without you, there would be no community. Together, I know that we can spread the word and grow the community to include everyone who could benefit from the knowledge and experience we have all gained.
I am excited to have this opportunity, I am excited to be able to share it with you. But right now, an opportunity is all it is. I want to grow this opportunity into an experience that the industry and its professionals will look upon not as a high point, but as a foundation for how the real estate industry can innovate and revolutionize the profession.
It’s gonna be an exciting and interesting ride, so come along!
My Brother Riffs About Online Reputation Management
June 7, 2008 | 3 Comments
As much as it pains me to say it, my brother, Bryan, is a pretty cool guy. 
He is currently a Senior at High Point University. When he’s not studying, he’s also a blogger. Right now, he is taking some summer classes, and preparing to spend next year as a Resident Assistant. I came across his latest post in my RSS reader, and wanted to share it with you all because I think he makes some very good points about online reputation management. Reputation management is a subject that all professionals involved in social media should pay attention to. The internet never forgets, and you should always think about what you are putting out there for the world to see. I could go on and on about it, but Bryan gives some very good real-life examples of what NOT to do, so you can just listen to him.
My brother is a pretty smart dude, especially for a 20-year old. He can see the importance of social media reputation management. If it is important to him, you can bet your reputation that it should be important to you.
So check out the advice from my brother (you can skip the first 30 seconds, unless you really want to know what is going on at High Point University):
If You Are a Blogger, You MUST Watch This Video
June 6, 2008 | 6 Comments
The following video is from Gary Vaynerchuk. If you like inspiration and blogging, check him out. If you like wine, even a little, then you should definitely check him out.
Every blogger (real estate or otherwise) should take this lesson to heart. The faster you can learn this and act on it, the more happiness and positive change you will bring into your life.
Ricardo Bueno and Daniel Martin are Two Mortgage Professionals Delivering Value Through Blogging
May 31, 2008 | 2 Comments
There are A LOT of real estate blogs. I don’t know how many, but it is a pretty big number. There are a lot LESS mortgage professionals out there blogging. Why is this? I have no idea. I do know, however, that I have been very impressed with two mortgage bloggers that I met recently.
Ricardo Bueno and the Industry Report
The first is Ricardo Bueno. Ricardo is out in Los Angeles blogging his brains out about the mortgage industry. This is good stuff, so check it out. Ricardo was also kind enough to join into the conversation on a recent episode of ZebraTalk about REBarcamp ‘08. A few weeks ago, Ricardo compiled the talents and thoughts of some folks around the industry and put together a free e-book entitled, “How to Build a Community Around Your Blog.” Ricardo asked me to contribute, and I was happy to do so. You may want to check the book out. More importantly, I suggest that you print it, email it, share the link with anyone you know in the industry who you think could benefit from the information. I think your colleagues would appreciate it, and so would Ricardo.
Daniel Martin Lives in a Mad Mortgage World
Daniel Martin is a mortgage professional in the mile-high city. Daniel is working on a very cool web resource for the mortgage industry, MadMortgageWorld.com. It is a comprehensive free resource for mortgage professionals that is designed to help them in this Web 2.0 world. He has compiled some great podcasts, and a series of conference calls, one of which he did with yours truly. It was a lot of fun, so check it out, and take a look at all the other great content that is on the site as well. Like I said before, make sure you share the links, share the podcasts, and share the love with anyone you know who might be able to benefit from the information he has gathered and shared.
Good To Know Guys Like Ricardo and Daniel
Lord knows I have had my share of trials and tribulations with the mortgage industry during my time in the profession. It is good to know that their are good folks like Ricardo and Daniel who are willing to take the lead and help improve their profession. My advice would be to take advantage of the information and insight that they offer, and if you get the opportunity, you might want to take advantage of their services as well.
Oh, I almost forgot, you can also follow both of them on Twitter (@RicardoBueno, and @MadMartin)
Will the Real Estate Industry Just Serve Up a Bunch of Meatball Sundaes?
May 29, 2008 | 1 Comment
While I has some free time last week, I did something that I love to do, but hadn’t done in a while– I read an actual, real-life, hardbound BOOK. Amazing!
The book that I chose to read was “Meatball Sundae” by Seth Godin. I’m going to skip the Seth Godin introduction, and just assume that you know who he is. If you don’t– you should. You can start by reading his blog.
“Meatball Sundae” is one of those books that went straight to my core. It is one of those books with concepts and examples that are so relevant and easy to understand that I read the whole book twice in one week.
Read the book. Seriously.
What is a Meatball Sundae?
I’m not going to explicate the entire book, but you should understand the basic idea behind what a Meatball Sundae is, especially if you are going to get anything out of the rest of this post.
Seth describes the Meatball Sundae:
A meatball sundae is the unfortunate result of mixing two good ideas.
The meatballs are the foundation, the things we need (and sometimes want). These are the commodities that so many businesses are built on.
The sundae toppings (hot fudge and the like) are the New Marketing, the social networks, Google, blogs and fancy stuff that make people all excited.
The challenge most organizations face: they try to mix them. They attempt to slap new marketing onto old and end up with nothing but a failed website.
The Real Estate Industry is Built Upon Meatballs
The practice of real estate as a profession is pretty old. NAR turns 100 years old this year. That is a long time. While a lot of things have changed over that time, the foundations of the real estate industry really haven’t. I hear agents say all the time that the industry really hasn’t changed in the last 40-50 years, its just that now we do more stuff electronically than we did before.
This is especially true when it comes to the public-facing side of the real estate industry. If you look at any real estate publication today, the marketing in that publication is going to look exactly the same as it did 50 years ago. Granted, the paper quality has changed, and maybe the design is up to date, but the same old messages are being touted everywhere. One of the criticisms of NAR’s REALTOR awareness campaign has been that the ads (television, print, radio), all feel stale. They all seem to be saying the same types of things over and over and over again.
The real estate industry has become very good at churning out the same old meatballs year after year, decade after decade.
The Real Estate Industry Also Loves the Taste of Toppings
Right now, there is a whole lot of emphasis being placed on the sundae toppings throughout the real estate industry. There is buzz about video, social networks, blogging, you name it. All of the new marketing tools that make up the sundae toppings are receiving all kinds of attention. Hey, why not, right? All of this stuff tastes good, and all of it seems very promising. After all, this is what the consumer wants, isn’t it?
Every new thing that comes out is being touted as being able to revolutionize the industry. But is this really true? Or is the industry just preparing to serve consumers a big ol’ nasty meatball sundae?
The Real Estate Industry Needs Ice Cream
Just as Seth points out in his book, if an organization is wants to be able to make use of the sundae topping that is new marketing, that same organization had better have ice cream to put it on, and not meat bal
Twitter Is Like Cheers!
May 12, 2008 | 15 Comments
My wife, Kari, and I were on one of our usual long drives. We like our long drives. It gives us a chance to talk about stuff, and being that we are both REALTORS, you can imagine what some of our favorite subjects are. During the course of this conversation, we were discussing Twitter.
Those of you who know me know that I am a big Twitter fan. I was commenting to Kari that I have a hard time trying to explain Twitter to people. The folks at CommonCraft did a good job, but I can’t always show that video to everyone. There has to be some way to easily explain it.
That is when she said it.
She very simply turned to me and said, “Twitter is like Cheers.”
Twitter IS Like Cheers
You remember Cheers, don’t you? The place “where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.” The place “where people know people are all the same.” For everyone who watched the show, Cheers represented a place where you knew you could go and be accepted for who you are; the place were you could always find good times, great conversation, and make even better friends.
For those of you who know Twitter, this should sound pretty familiar.
So no matter whether you are Sam or Diane, Norm or Cliff, Woody or Carla, it really doesn’t matter. Everyone has a place, and everyone can enjoy each other’s company.
“Twitter is Like Cheers” Illustrated
Kari’s Twitter metaphor is easy to share and even easier to understand. After our conversation, I couldn’t get it out of my head, and I just had to do something about it. So I wrote this post to share it with you, and then I made this little video I hope you will enjoy:
(And for those of you who are wondering, the ever-popular Cheers theme song was written by Gary Portnoy.)
Latest ZebraTalk Updates REBarCamp ‘08
May 9, 2008 | 2 Comments
Yesterday’s episode of ZebraTalk was a lot of fun (click the link to listen). The show provides a lot of great information for anyone interested in what is going on with REBarCamp ‘08.
Joining me on the show were Andy Kaufman, Brad Coy, Todd Carpenter, and Ricardo Bueno. The fellas gave everyone an update on all of the planning for the event (Brad and Andy were successful in reserving an awesome space). Everyone also shared their expectations for the event, and some ideas about the content and participation.
If you have any interest in what is happening on the leading edge of the real estate profession, you are going to want to listen the show and then keep tabs on REBarCamp ‘08. Hopefully, I’ll get to say hello to you in San Francisco!
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Disclaimer
My name is Daniel Rothamel. I am a licensed real estate agent in the Commonwealth of Virginia and a member of the National Association of REALTORS. As such, I adhere to a strict code of ethics and all laws with regard to equal housing, which is reflected in the content of this blog. My broker is Strong Team REALTORS, 86 Joshua Lane, Palmyra, VA 22963; (434) 589-5800. My VA Real Estate License number is 0225 077325. All of the opinions in this blog are mine, unless otherwise noted.
