Over the past few weeks, I’ve been seeing this line get drawn constantly in the thought leadership world of real estate.  Sitting in a state conference and hearing from an amazing, founded trainer said that social media “is about disconnecting with people.”  The crowd laughed and applauded.  In a recent national franchise conference, feathers flew when a speaker on the main stage wrote a letter the next day criticizing the company that had hired him and their incorporation of social media into their conference.

Let me make this clear.  This is NOT going to be a long blog.  I need to make ONE SIMPLE STATEMENT.  No one says social media is the new way you should solely conduct your business.  Social media is an add-on, a supplement, a new vein to complement your current veins.  This social media divide has been a polarizing issue between the users and the use-nots.  Remember, life is full of dissonance.  My Tea Party Republican friends will never see eye to eye with my flaming, liberal HRC friends.  The 1970s-1980s top sales trainers will never see eye to eye with today’s rising speakers.  The Beatles fans of the 1960s will never think that Bieber and Britney can be on the plain with The Beatles.  It’s a gap.  Gaps are fine.

Dear corporate speaker who has been doing this for over 20 years.  Stop using social media criticism as your cheap shot to get an applause and laugh from your already confused audience.  Dear GenY newbie who has started taking the stage.  Remind your audience that social media is only a part of what you do and that you’re constantly asked to speak on the topic because you have been pigeonholed to the subject.  Remember, folks, we have different views of the industry.  Take a laxative, get in out of your system and move along now…nothing to see here.

When he asked for people’s thoughts, I’m assume he’s asking if we think his wall is boring.  My response is this:

“The true measure is how much interaction and conversation you are starting, maintaining and starting in social media. Someone’s opinion of what you put up is subjective. The comments/interaction of a sphere of 1777 is the objective measurement. Your thoughts on what you think your interaction is??”

I’m consistently amazed that people still struggle and ask why no one is interacting with them in social media.  This week, I saw a post from someone who chided her status readers for not donating to a cause she had posted.  The most awkward thing you can do is ask, complain or chide your sphere about them not interacting with you.

If you desire attention, you must change your behavior if no one is showing you social attention!

There are few differences in real life.  If you’re sitting in a meeting and everything you say is ignored, no expounded upon or criticized, you can’t expect a different reaction meeting after meeting.  You have to change your strategy or rhetoric to get a different response.  The major difference is, in social media and my real life example is in social media, our goal is to be…well…social!

If you’re not involving and engaging your sphere, you shouldn’t be surprised.  If you post photos that no one comments on, statuses that no one is intrigued to engage in or links that lead to no clicks,you’d be better off with a website that doesn’t give you the expectation of responses.  It’d certainly be better for your social self esteem!  Facebook can be that medium, but accept where you for what it is.  If no one’s interested and you still enjoy posting, knock yourself out.  If it bothers you, then, first, don’t complain publicly about it and, second, change your rhetoric…today!

There are two reasons I think adding a Real Estate Buy-Fi to your business world makes sense.  First, liability.  No matter how intensely you educate your buyer prior to hitting the neighborhoods, those questions still tend to fly.  ”How safe is this neighborhood?”  ”What are the schools like?”  Since REALTORS® ascribe to fair housing, we leave our consumers with the same stock answer.  ”You will need to research that on your own.”  Having the Buy-Fi system in place and giving them the potential sources immediately stops those questions.  In fact, just a few weeks ago, one of my male buyers started to ask one of the no-no questions and stopped himself.  It was a pleasure to hear him say, “Hey Brian.  How safe is….oh wait.  Nevermind, I’ll get it here,” and then see him start surfing the web.

Second, it goes back to what this original posting says about the buyer need.  Today’s buyers are the most lifestyle active and tech savvy we’ve ever seen.  Value must be added at every step of their process.  Investing in your buyer’s knowledge base and employment by providing her the tools to continue her daily work is an amazing customer service.

So, now that you are intrigued by the benefits, let’s talk a little about what you will need to go forward.

1. A large, comfortable car.  The program isn’t at its best when buyers are crammed with computers, wifi, coolers, etc. in a sedan style car.  Two, separate back bucket seats are optimal.
2. In a perfect setting, you’d have two MacBook Airs.  On those machines, you’ll create a second profile by going under System Preferences>Accounts.  Click on the lock.  Then click the “+” sign.  Add an account called Buy-Fi, or whatever you want to call it.  Log off the “administration” side of the computer by clicking on the Apple icon and then clicking “Logout.”  This will place you to a screen, giving you the option to sign in to your admin side again or sign in to the new buyer profile platform.  Once you are signed in, change the desktop background to your branding.  Open your internet service.  Add the following sites or types of sites to the main bookmark bar.

• MLS search page
• A lifestyle search site (i.e. Yelp)
• A school rating website
• A crime or police reports website
• A walkability site
• A mapping site

While obviously, a PC does the job, too, I prefer Mac because of (1) battery-life, (2) portability, (3) fast-booting and most importantly (4) most of the consumers I work with and want to attract are Mac users.  This is the screen you will want your buyers to see as soon as they open the computer.

A sample from the desktop of the MacBook Pro when signed in as the Buy-Fi user.

3.  A strong internet device like a Verizon Mifi or a Sprint HTC EVO.  The Verizon-type card will allow three devices on at a time.  The Sprint HTC EVO allows up to eight devices in 4G (where available).  You will want to set up the laptops and/or iPads to automatically default to this internet service, entering all passwords, etc.

4.  A portable two-outlet portable AC/DC three prong auto inverter.

5.  Power cords, connection cords, camera and any item that the consumer might need.

6.  Optional:  Motion sickness medication

Virtually everything a mobile office and buyer could need in one comfortable captain's chair.

Go over the process and the benefit with your buyer, telling them everything they should expect with the system.  If they don’t want to use it, that’s fine.  Just have it available.  Also, it’s great to turn all your showing sheets, property condition disclosures, home information books, etc. into one simply PDF and place on the desktop.  Encourage the buyer to take photos and upload to their friends and family in a private platform.  Also, ask the buyer if they would like to take a one long work break or a few small quick work breaks during the search day.

Finally, remember always be the source of the source.  While legally you walk a fine line on any information and medium for providing that information, please consult your attorney and brokerage to see what disclaimers are needed for this type of system.

As we modify, add and delete from this program, please check back for more of our stories of success.

While I’m typically quite an advocate for jumping into new applications and see how they integrate into the real estate world, I have to admit, QR code applications leave me scratching my head a bit. I’ve learned as a reformed yard sale addict (and borderline useless-crap hoarder) that if I don’t need something, if it serves little to no purpose, if it’s just a good deal or cool…I don’t need to make it fit into my life.

I feel the same way about QR codes right now. I understand the applications.

1. Oh, Brian! I can put them on my real estate fliers and then get people to scan the QR code with their phone and visit my website.
2. Brian, did you know that I’ve got QR codes on my yard signs now. Buyers can walk over to the sign with their phone and instead of me going through tons of fliers, they now get all the info be scanning the code and linking to my website!
3. Look, Brian! I’ve got a QR code on my business card now. The consumers I just gave my card to can now scan and link to my website. Isn’t that cool?

Is it cool? Sure. Does it have a TRULY needed real estate application? The jury is still out for me. I don’t see or even hear of tech savvy consumers, Gen X clients or mobile-guru Gen Y buyers out scanning QR codes in any realm, especially real estate. I do see them (and even me) liking the convenience of using them for airport check-in instead of printing out a boarding pass and losing it (again). I indeed like the idea of social couponing, where I can send perks via mobile application to my friends who “check-in” at coffee places, shops and restaurants, receiving a QR digital gift to redeem at the register.

I can also applaud the idea of measuring results. An Australian company, Letterbox Deals, proved that 25% of consumers clicked on their mailer to the landing website thanks to QR codes. They can certainly help us measure return on mailers, ads and any complementary promotional pieces. My question, however, is can’t we achieve all the same measurement results and traffic goals with a simple url?  My three points above can each be done with a simple url link.  (1) shortened link on your flier, created specifically for the listing, (2) shortened link on your sign, specific to that listing, (3) link on your business card to any of your business websites.  The argument is, wait that’s not mobility-based.  Sure, it can be.  A consumer can type in a tiny url on a mobile web browser just as easily or maybe even more easily than scanning a QR code.  In fact, a tiny url on a sign is definitely more convenient and discreet than getting out of the car and scanning the sign in broad daylight.

At the end of the day, I think real estate agents catch “bright shiny object syndrome.” We see something new that could separate us from a competitor and jump immediately for no true reason. Case and point, an expo floor at a conference…we’ve proven we’ll buy almost anything you put in front of us. We’ve learned to be such early adopters because we’re afraid to be behind the curve. Bravo for us for that. The best agents I know move, change and adapt quickly. Boo for us on QR codes that we haven’t learned to sit back and watch the errors and victories of other industries before jumping in.

Remember, a lot of things are great in philosophy, especially when a vendor paints the dreams of success for you. Also, remember that a lot of things need more consumer buy-in to see success.  My advice?  Hang tight.  Search out similar ways to achieve the same result and measurements at QR code provides.  Don’t jump in just because they are ‘the buzz’ in the real estate world.  Remember, that a seller on your listing appointment wants someone with strong pricing advice, impressive sphere of agent influence, solid marketing strategies and consistent communication.

If you’re not familiar with what this is, Facebook now gives you a one-click place to see your interactions with certain friends.  There are several ways to see this.

1.  When someone writes on your wall, click the “See Friendship” link.

My social media pal, Chris, from Utah and I agree we need more interaction, off line.

2.  Click the “View You and <insert friend’s name here>” link below your profile picture on your profile page.

Ginger and I are not happy with our photo together and plan on changing that soon!

3.  Manually type in the names of the people you’d like to see in the box on the any of your Friendship Pages near the top left.

Yep, a little stalky, but isn't all social media? Remember, you don't have to play

The beauty of this function is multi-fold.  First, it’s a true scrapbook page into your history with someone.  The whole reason we are all on social media is to connect, build friendships and memories in the short time we’ve been blessed with on this Earth.  What a beautiful way to relive those memories!  Seeing several of my friends pages almost brought tears to my eyes!

Jeff & Rocky Turner share a loving husband-wife social media history, long before Jeff started shaving his head and was in his 50s!

The other beauty is, as Sue Adler, points out, as you near that 5000 friend mark, it gives you a guilt-free measurement about who you should keep and who you should retire to DeleteVille.  One additional note, I’d like to make on the non-interaction folks, this could also show an opposite extreme, too.  When I look at my cousin, Daniel (who lives with me), and my Friendship Page, it’s barren.  We talk so much and have so much face time, we don’t resort to the social media realm.  One friend sent over a screenshot of her and her husband’s page.  It had nothing.  Seriously.  Nothing.  While this may encourage her to tag some photos of the two of them together, I don’t see this as a huge caution flag.  In fact, you might need to reconsider your spousal interaction if there is a lot of it on the page.  Make sure you’re keeping that real life conversation going, too.

Loving the guilt-free delete notion.

Your Facebook Friendship Page will also show you

Events you’ve attended together.

Bobbi and I see each other A LOT!

Photos of you together and the photos you’ve tagged of them.

My overly extroverted lil bro, Morley and Me.

All the Facebook Pages you both like.

Dale and I like a lot of the same things. I love my cheesy captions tonight!

At the end of the day, Facebook Friendship pages are just another yummy addition to the social media world many of us embrace and some of you hate.  I hope you will take this function as a way to remind yourself who you need to connect with even more in the off-line world.  Sometimes we forget that face-to-face creates amazing memories.  So, take that old people!  We may not get our social security; however, when I’m 75 years old and smell like mothballs and beef, I’ll have my Facebook Friendship Page memories!

I hate the term “social media guru.”  Why?  Usually, it’s only used by someone describing himself or herself when he or she feels like the medium has been mastered and the world should know.

Do you ever hear anyone ever refer to himself as a social guru?  ”Hi, Brian.  My name is Ed.  When I was 17, I sat at a cafeteria table and three people came and sat beside me.  We had a conversation!  Later, I answered a question in class which got other people talking about the topic.  When I got to college, I was the first to find the water fountain during half-time of a football game.  A line started forming behind me because people know that I know where I’m going.  Now that I’m in my thirties, I constantly find myself being approached at parties for conversation.  I’m socially affluent, skilled and acceptable.  I’m a social guru.”

Of course not.  Why would someone today feel that because he has thousands of followers, friends and connections and has a working knowledge of every social medium out there they should be considered a guru?  It seems that everyone keeps separating the on-line world from the normal arena of social behavior.  Honestly, it’s nothing special.  It’s just another connection point.

I’m not good at building Fan Pages.  I stink at Twitter lists.  I can’t stand spending time on LinkedIn.  YouTube frustrates me more than I can ever admit.  A person who is great at doing all of this stuff perhaps should be called an applications guru or tech guru, but social media guru?  My skin crawls.

I guess I need to find a peace if that rare occasion arises again where someone decides to throw out that term to describe me.  If someone considers me a social media guru, that’s nice.  I don’t agree.  I’m just a guy who loves people in real life in as many places as I can connect with them.  I’d hope that would merit the introduction, “A Good Person,” instead.

When I was growing up, I remember my mom and dad speaking into a box in our kitchen called the CB radio.  Dad had a “handle.”  He was “Pine Knot.”  Mom was “Peppermint Patty.”  They loved chatting with “Monkey Wrench” and “Madam Monkey Wrench.”  They would seek out “Wire Twister” and “Corn Stalk” to find out the latest or just chit-chat.

They knew that many of their friends chose to share publicly on channel 5.  They’d flip past numerous channels until they found what interested them.  They were revolted by channel 19 where all the truckers used curse words and spoke of topics not fit for my brother and me to overhear.  They chose channel 5 because it was a positive place.  A place where they could discuss their faith, their love of Southern Gospel music and their family.  Channel 5 became a common spot for Pine Knot and Peppermint Patty because they found people with the same interests.

@PineKnot in his fancy 1970s threads with me and brother Brad sporting our Superman tanks in front of the Great American Scream Machine at Six Flags Over Atlanta in Georgia. Jealous much?

They would tune into channel 9 for emergency updates if the weather started looking rough.  They knew the information there would be quicker than what they could get on the ABC, CBS or NBC local affiliate.  When we would get in the beige Plymouth Champ to head down the interstate on a trip to Six Flags Over Georgia, dad would carefully tune into revolving channel 19 to check safety and traffic conditions.   He’d keep the volume low, knowing the information he’d get to protect his family on the road would trump the often tough content.

The hand piece was his voice platform to this world.  The CB radio box was his instrument that made it all happen.  The airwave provided the magic to make it all work.

A CB radio is Twitter 1.0.  Today, mom is @PeppermintPatty married to @PineKnot.  Their friends are @MonkeyWrench and @WireTwister.  The friend-filled positive chit-chat channel 5 is #family #SouthernGospel or #faith.  Channel 9 is now #weather, #emergency and the like.  Channel 18 is now #roadconditions or #howardstern.  The hand piece is the keyboard.  The CB radio box is Twitter management platforms like HootSuite, TweetDeck and UberTwitter (side note, without these platforms, Twitter makes no sense to most people, that could be your problem, too).  The airwaves are the internet.

The platform has such a broader reach now, but the premise is almost a perfect parallel with the exception of verbal vs. written communication.  Today’s channels aren’t limited to the few numbers on the dial.  They are limitless thanks to the the hashtag anyone can create.  Mom may not be able to land the handle “@PeppermintPatty” today, since only one person is allowed to have a certain name.  I’m certain she’d be just as happy with @PeppermintPatty8 or @PepperMinty.  You could get more things said in the CB world without the 140 character limit.

So, next time you can’t grasp Twitter, just remember, “Breaker, breaker good buddy,” and reframe your thinking.

(Update:  After writing this blog “Wire Twister” found this blog via facebook.  He just turned 70 years old and still lives in my home town. That’s a big 10-4.)

Just a portion of the live blog the Virginia Association of REALTORS® is promoting.

Vendors aren’t looking for a one-time pop on your trade floor in their specially ordered orthopedic shoes to be smiled and passed smugly by multiple members.  Members aren’t looking for a one-way conversation in a classroom or from a registration desk.  Both want interactivity.  Both want to find value and inclusion.

Without technology, the idea of interactivity was an impossible task.  Now, virtually all the tools are there to create a utopian experience for your vendors and your conference goers.  Todd Carpenter (@tcar), NAR’s social media manager and cutting edge idea leader, saw the vision for NAR with a live blog and successfully pulled it off at the 2010 Midyear meetings in Washington DC.

Now, associations like the Virginia AOR (@REalShowVA) and the Greater Nashville AOR (@RealtorsGNAR) are embarking on the long-term plan to add long-term value to vendors and members.

What is the live blog? It’s a user built platform which is hosted and monitored by the sponsoring organization.  Ultimately, vendors, execs and members can share photos, send out messages and network together in a space that is only as strong as they make it.

The National Association of REALTORS® Live Blog at narconferencelive.com

Member Benefits

• A sense of belonging and team work to build strong content
• A place to refer back to for notes, announcements and that forgotten business contact
• A networking hub to keep the dialog going with the entire conference list before, during and after the event itself

Vendor Benefits

• A space where they can get their message out year-round outside of a few hours on a trade floor
• A relationship-building connection with the members that transcends the booth
• An opportunity to get their message heard more clearly and their website actually visited in the REALTOR®’s personal down time.

Association Benefits

• A 24 hour news channel to disseminate information to the members and vendors
• An ongoing spot where content can be syndicated and managed on your behalf, taking some burden off your web staff
• More vendor value
• More member value

So, what are the concrete things you can place on your live blog to make it happen?

• WordPress integration with Windows Live!
• PegShot photo sharing and video sharing (A conference committee member interviewing a vendor about their product via their iPhone or Android video applications and sending it out via the PegShot platform)
• Flickr photo sharing (A vendor taking photos of the members at their booth and sharing it with their photo stream.)
• Facebook Fan Page updates (A classroom attendee adding notes to the Facebook page while attending a class)
• Twitter hashtag stream (A speaker giving out the hashtag and his Twitter name for participants to share the knowledge wealth with their spheres)
  

  One of the Flickr photos added to the photostream at REalShowVA during my class.

What are the risks associated with the notion?

Many associations fear the hijacker or idiot who comes in and curses, posts an inappropriate photo or presents something in less than a professional way.  Let’s face it.  Anyone can act a fool in public.  You run the exact same risk by allow members to drink at a opening trade show event.  They could fall on the floor drunk.  They could yell curse words at the band.  They could flash another member after two many Grey Goose cosmos.  Today’s AEs must understand this is simply an additional life space.  Some time it isn’t perfect.  The benefit here however is you can indeed remove content.  You can’t erase the drunken memory of someone falling out at your party in your association t-shirt, creating an embarrassing situation.

Video:  VAR member, Alison Creamer aka @bzibee shares via YouTube.

Some don’t like that the platform allows an non-paying member or vendor to capture information without paying for registration or a booth.  It’s no secret that being face-to-face in a convention will never be replaced with an on-line conference.  On-line barcamps, webinars and mini-conventions prove that weekly across the nation, inside and outside of real estate.  You’ve got to look at those vendors looking for free press as a lead capture for your next year’s conference.  You’ve got to rethink the members who may be “listening in” via the live blog as a public who will see so much value in the tiny bits and pieces of information, they’ll be the first ones to sign up next year to get the full experience.

How much time is this going to take?

Remember, the live blog convention strategy will not begin to reap rewards until year number two and beyond.  The first year is usually a test run and awareness builder.  The second year is the implementation year and first year of vendor pitch.  The third year is the benefit year.  Imagine your twitter following rising to in the thousands of members with their sphere reaching hundreds of thousands of people.  No longer are approaching XYZ Home Inspections as a vendor, claiming that they will be exposed to 200-500 REALTORS.  You will then be able to proudly sell that their one vendor booth fee and or sponsorship will expose their message to not only your membership, but to consumers and clients from virtually every state and numerous countries.  The brilliance of Virginia is they are branding their midyear around the GetActive brand and their annual conference around the REalShowVA brand.  This allows them to keep it fresh and building from year to year.  Now, that, my friend, is pretty fancy!