At RE Bar Camp, I asked a question... and it turned into one of the break-out sessions.
This all came from a question that John Novak asked me in the comments, here...
Hi Lane - I won't be at Inman, but would love to find out if there is a consensus as to what the 5-7 sites are where real estate professionals absolutely must have a presence. I'm thinking ActiveRain, a branded outside blog, Trulia, Zillow, LinkedIn, Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter ... oops, that's eight!
So... as I sat there in the morning, I decided to volunteer to ask the question to some folks that are smarter than I... Pat Kitano, Jeff Turner and Teresa Boardman. This was before the session started. Three sites popped out imediately: LinkedIn, FaceBook and Twitter. My impromptu advisory board all agreed those were the basic sites. Next up, Jeff and Teresa agreed on Flickr, and Pat didn't stop them.
So, off to moderate the VERY open discussion.
I had some very capable participants in the session. After getting a list together of sites that the audience was familiar with, I immediatey turned to Jeff Turner to talk about Flickr. We actually talked about Flickr for quite a while. Teresa provided GREAT examples of how she has used Flickr in her business. We also talked about how to use Flickr to enhance the other sites and our visitors experience.
LinkedIn and FaceBook didn't require much discussion... everyone liked them and determined that they were on the list with Flickr.
Twitter was an interesting, if short discussion. Pat liked that one could jump in and out, but also loved the way it (and some of the sites that syndicate feeds to it) could be used to broadcast information and announce blog posts, etc. Teresa and Jeff are also fans. Most of the participants seemed to like the capabilities Twitter offered. It gets to stay on the list.
The fifth component was the local connection. It is vital that we talk with our local folks. And, aside from TwitterLocal, the sites so far aren't getting us that hyper-local connection. And... as I have been expounding, as well as many of the Inman Connect speakers did as well, Hyper-Local is where the action is at.
Teresa Boadman again inspired us with the way she has managed to use sites like Flickr and others to find people with similar interests to get together in real life... and it is delivering business. At this point I wish I had the names of everyone that participated because the discussion was excellent.
Finally, we discussed Active|Rain and Localism. There was a split here. On one hand, A|R is seen as a MUST have SN site. On the other, it is best for agent/agent communications... not agent/consumer communications. Localism on the other hand is a VERY powerful engine for hyper-local content. For the purpose of getting business to the closing table, A|R (not including Localism) is only marginally valuable.
Now, the value of A|R is really in the knowledge base of the membership. As such, I would say it is a place where most of us should hang out.
But for business, Localism is worth inclusion on the list.
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I'd love to hear from you...
all good ones, through and through, I am on all of them
Dave
Dave - Good for you. But keep in mind that being on them isn't enough. You need to be a part of them.
Any feedback on Localism...is it going to be publicized more....I don't see many consumer contacts with it....thanks, Mike
Hyper-local, I like that word! Your Hyper-Local should by your blog that is connected to your website. All these sites that you listed plus many more should do 1 thing and that is drive all the traffic back to your website and blog. AR is a great place to network but you are right its not the place to gather consumers. I am sure there are consumers that stumble upon (hehe) the site and it's imperative that you drive them back to your website where you have the tools and resources to capture them as a client.
I could go on for days listing all the sites I use and how I use them to help me rank in the top 10 for almost every major search phrase that has to do with "Las Vegas Real Estate." I created a list of sites and I categorized them based on sites I had to log into every day, once a week and once a month that way I can keep all my stuff fresh and updated. I guess I should clarify that this is not the main reason I have top rankings but its a piece of the whole puzzle but definitely an important piece.
Lane I have use of a couple of these Social Networking websites and I see them all offering users and agents a little different capabilities. They all give you web presence but offer something a little different. If you or anyone else could offer just what agents like about each SN site and why most agents should been in the majority of these sites that would be very helpful. thank you
Mike - The A|R guys can give you better numbers, but there are a LOT of hits on Localism. But, right now (or pre-"new Localism") the hits were from Google. I think the re-design is going to make the site stickier... keeping consumers around reading more than just what they searched for.
Tony - I have seen the numbers of consumers that stumble into A|R... there are a LOT... but it is just part of the picture. And you are right that getting people onto our own platforms is a key.
Stephen - You're the ePro man... But, yes, I am trying to give the reasons why I like or don't like a site.
Thanx for the information. I assume these sites will help with page placement?
Kirk - I think you are missing the point... You want page placement so that consumers will find you. The point of the social networking plan is for consumers you may already have a connection with to find you without using a search engine.
Yes, I understand........That's the obvious.....Being part of the community is even more important.....But does it help with page placement.
Twitter may soon undergo a revamp. Keep on a sharp eye on that one.
Kirk - yes, the links will help you with page rank and Google position... But that isn't what is important. Connections are what is important, and the connections are made right there...
Sabrina - Twitter needs to get some love. I have seen the fail whale WAY too much.
Lane,
I was in the session and you did an awesome job of moderating. I didn't jump in with any questions or comments cause I was busy filming, but I have included a link to a short video of Teresa and Jeff talking about Flickr. I've got a few other good videos that I will and edit and put up on a post. The site where I blog is in Spanish, but I have written the description in English also. Here is a link.
Brian - Thank you. I'll have to watch the videos. The people that helped out and contributed, like Jeff and T and David, etc. were great. REBC rocked.
Lane,
I uploaded a short video of you talking. I think you make some great points in this short clip.
REBC did rock hard! I hope that there are more REBarCamps in the future. It should definitely be done before every Inman conference.
Brian - Thanks. I think they are already looking at taking it on the road.
I prefer Feedfriend over Twitter because is aggregates other social media sites and includes Twitter. Not even a mention of Plurk......? Your missing the boat there.
IMNJ - Plurk is bundled in with Twitter, Ping.fm and BrightKite... I'm on all of them and have my feed going out from Ping.fm most of the time. I'm going to do a powerpoint for social networking together... I was trying to explain all of this to another (future) agent in the office and I need to make some presentation helpers...