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NAR looking at Blogs...what say you??

After a few mishaps getting to DC I'm happy that I can report that on Thursday May 17th I attended my NAR Professional Standards committee meeting.

I love being on this committee and am in the second year of my second 3 year term. After 4 years the newness has worn off but this year I was really looking forward to this meeting as I knew Blogs would be discussed.

The first part of the meeting is the Professional Standards Forum, the forum allows all REALTOR members to bring up their concerns about the code and the enforcement process as well as sharing of ideas.

As we entered the ballroom this funky looking tall guy in a white suit greeted people, congratulating them on being ethical and then poking fun at them! It was funny to see and I knew immediately who he was thanks to AR member Mariana Wagner who posted about how to be a slimy real estate agent, I think the majority of the attendees had no idea who Ted Truitt was. I could hardly contain myself as I watched their reactions!

We spent about an hour and half doing the open forum and then the committee meeting started.

First off...We passed a new Standard of Practice prohibiting members from misrepresenting their status as members or designees of NAR's Institutes, Societies and Councils. This is a good thing in my opinion.

Then we tabled the Internet-related issues...blogs to name a few until November. The sub committee will be be looking at Article 12 to see if we need a broader more encompassing ethical direction guiding all forms of communication. They will also be looking at

1. A clearer definition of communications

2. REALTOR making anonymous comments on other REALTORS Blogs

3. REALTORS responsibility for monitoring/editing their own Blogs

4. REALTORS responsibility for Blogs run by licensees affiliated with them

5. Disclosure of time lag (hours or days) in posting comments to Blogs. Must the fact that a Blog is not run in "live time" be disclosed?

6. Posting unfavorable/unflattering (but truthful) comments to Blogs

I can't wait till November to see what the sub committee comes back with. It should be very interesting and being a blogger I have very mixed feelings about some of this.

One thing I learned while in DC is that there are many-many people who have no clue what blogging is and surprisingly people in important positions who do not see any merit in blogging and will not encourage their sales associates to blog!

What do you think? Should NAR dip it's fingers inside our blogs? Do we need NAR policing blogs? I think it's going to happen no matter what but am curious as to my fellow bloggers feelings about this.

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Posted by Monika McGillicuddy~REALTOR®~ N.H. Real Estate Broker & Trainer on 06/03/2007 07:26 PM

Comments (130)

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130 Comments on NAR looking at Blogs...what say you??

JUN

2007

Monika - great update, and like you, I will be watching to see what comes up in November. With so many people having no clue what blogging is, it's probably a great thing that they tabled some of these issues until November. I must admit, I wonder what will have changed, though, between now and November, but we'll see.

Thanks for the update!
Ann

Forgot to ask - did Ted perform his act there for the committee?

Monika - I think that the NAR and the US gov't. shoud stay out of our blogs. Personally I consider my posts as my "online diary" and I should be able to post whatever I want. I am going to make this simple and say FREE SPEECH.

Nuff Said.

Hope Jay enjoyed chowder today.

Wow, hot stuff for NAR. I had no idea they were even thinking about these things. Can you imagine a managing broker telling us we cannot blog because of his or her liablility? I can. Interesting stuff, Moni. Wish I had been there!

Thanks Ann. No Ted did not perform for the committee. I was surprised that they did not demo it at all and was told that there was no internet available in the room. The Virginia Association of REALTORS were there marketing the program.

I think we could of had some good discussions during the committee meeting and that way preparing the members with information to bring back to their states. This way I think we lost time. But who knows...it might take years to pass the changes with all the word smithing that happens.

Can't wait for Vegas...

Chowder was delicious Rich thanks for asking.

Hi Monika, north of the border here.
But I'll give you my two cents.

The NAR Code and the Canadian Code call upon REALTORS to behave like professionals. I don't know about finger dipping or policing, but there is a way for REALTORS to clean it up through the professional standards/complaint/disciple process.

No "policeperson" can do it for us. Only we can do it. Just ask Ted Truitt.

This will be fun to watch. I think the key is when blogging as with any other situation where your comments might be takne wrong, always be careful and err on the side of safety.

Rich...I understand where you're coming from. I really don't want anyone telling me what I can post on my blog but I think we'll be seeing changes heading that way. I really do and I hope I'm wrong.

Thanks Maureen. I knew it was coming up for discussion but did not know how involved it might be. Based on the talk I heard, there is some major concern with Broker liability as well as agents just posting anything without any accountability. November will be very interesting. BTW I've heard there already is a lawsuit brewing over a blog...don't have any details yet.

Some other things to consider when making up regulations. What about other types of sites owned by realtors? Like networking sites, forums, etc. The biggest one is copyright infringement. We have all seen agents blantantly copy other agent's sites. Now that blogs are all the range, we're seeing the same thing. Agents copying blog posts from other agents or other websites and labeling them as their own. -Charles

Monika - There are already many agents that only have NAR membership for MLS. I think I know one personally. Intrusion into things like blogging are going to make the association less popular, not more popular. They can mask it as public protection if they want, but at some point there is going to be a revolution. I think if there were full access to MLS without local board membership, the membership would drop 50% overnight.

I'm willing to listen. Convert me.

This should be interesting. It is quite possible that blogging activity will be severely curtailed when NAR sets it's policies.

Larry,

I love your two cents! The key is professionalism and sadly there are many that abuse that word which is why NAR is looking at blogs and internet communications. Finger dipping or policing...who knows we'll see how it shakes out. Maybe the sub-committee will come back with a recommendation to leave it alone. Unlikely but a possibilty. I agree we need to police ourselves be accountable for our actions and words they can be mighty.

Joe,

I agree we need to watch what we say and how we write it. November should definitely be interesting.

Is NAR becoming big brother? I believe so.

Interesting points. I've always wondered if a blog containing an agents listing would have to be removed once the listing has expired or sold.

Jacqulyn or is it Charles?

NAR will be looking into all of that as well. The sub-committee looking at Article 12 is looking at much more than blogging and I know copyright is something that needs to be addressed. The report I have is lengthly and the sub committee has it's work cut out for them.

Relating to Brian Brady's response about NAR setting policy that would limit what we can say. It scares me to think people who aren't familiar with blogs setting policy. As you said Monika, many don't even understand what blogs are! How can they even grasp the true issues, without understanding the medium?

P.S. Somehow I think we have nothing to fear. It's been over a decade and NAR just this year recognized websites...hahaha

Once blogs get standardized they will lose their appeal. So tread carefully.

They will learn, they may not have thought much of the internet either. There are not enough eyeballs to keep up with websites before we start talking about blogs. Thanks for the update.

Rich...I can't convert you at least not until November when I know what will be proposed if anything. I've very mixed emotions about it all. Also remember what ever come out of the sub committe has to go before the full committee and be voted on then it's off to the board of directors for approval.

It really blows my mind that so many agents are clueless about blogging!

Brian...I'm hoping that the policy will be all about accountability but you may be right Brian and we could see some major changes.

Gary...NAR to some people is Big Brother ...I just do not want my broker telling me not to blog because of liability. Thats my fear.

Will...I think they do have to be removed when they are no longer available...although article 12 references websites and not blogs at this point in time.

I could see some rule about anonymous commenting. Any comment that you make should be traceable to you.

NAR gets way too involved in policing already

KK...That really blows my mind and I agree I don't know how can they grasp the true issues! LOL it might indeed be another decade before we see some of these changes but then again it might be November 2007.

Ouch Chris...standardized Blogs!! Yuck!

Eric...Your welcome. I agree there are not enough eye balls but can you imagine them trying?

Wow A gold Star...no wonder all the comments. Thank you to the moderator who featured my post :)

Tim...That one I do like :)

Michael..You're right about that but if the push is on NAR will respond.

I guess we had to see this coming...I really don't see how NAR could say no Blogging we are not paid employes. I can see guidelines.

Face it behavior can be regulated by Blog moderators and if you open yourself up toa law suit....it's a risk!

Eek! That is one scary deal! As a broker, I am encouraging my agents to blog...but we all know a lot of us carry a blog besides Active Rain...are they going to have to dsclose those to me and will I turn into the blog police, checking on their writing, make sure they don't screw up and accidentally p*ss somebody off? Geez, I want to help my agents, not scare them off!!

It would be interesting to know what all of the possible liabilities could be for brokers. Perhaps sales people (agents) could sign a waiver releasing their brokers of liability for expressing free speech on any number of topics.

I mean it if you take this to the ridiculous point - if a broker is responsible for all of their sales agents' behavior, then maybe they should put microphones in our cars and offices to make sure we aren't saying anything possibly "problematic" to clients.

We are independent contractors and maybe we can continue to be treated as free agents, even though our real estate transactions are supervised by brokers.

Oh my Eveline. If I need to worry about pissing someone off, I should stop blogging now !!!!!!!!!

No name...I could see it coming, guidelines is what I think it will be. Personally I'm careful with what I write and am always thinking about the ramifications of my words. I don't need anyone telling me to do that.

Eveline...I love blogging and my broker personally has no idea what I write or where I write it. Which has always surprised me.

Deborah...The possible liabilities are probably endless. Kinda scary isn't it? You're right it could be taken to the ridicules.

Personally this scares me. I think that those that don't know about the benefits of blogging shouldn't be making decisions on it.

Rich...LOL How boring would that be??? Stop blogging...OUCH!!!

Monika,

This is deifinitely something we would all need to be aware of. I would be very interested in the outcome.Just what we need is another big brother watching

I'm with you on that Blue Ridge Real Estate The committee members are very well informed on the issues and blogging in general. I'm not sure that many truly know the true benefit of blogging at least not yet.

Thanks for the update from NAR, i do not think that NAR should Police the Blogging Industry of Realtors,we do not need regulations in this field it is a networking mode to get to build relationships with fellow agents and we do not need bureaucratic monitoring.

Wow - it never occurred to me that someone would even consider "policing" this forum and other blogging sites. It seems that once that begins, we are looking at policing of chat rooms, and any other form of open forum communication, which negates it's purpose. I think the control of it should be as recognized already by our own code of ethics as well as the NAR code of ethics - that we conduct ourselves professionally and quite simply - the golden rule - as long as we maintain our own ethical boundaries. I really hate to see one more leg of "government" entering our already legislated lives. Maybe I'm looking at things with rose-colored glasses, but can't we as ethical professionals perform as such in ANY public arena?

Karen...Thanks so much and thats why I posted this. While November is a bit away yet...we should know what is being thought about. It may not come forward in November and if it doesn't I bet it will be next year. I do think NAR will be addressing Blogs in some fashion...soon.

Paul...Your welcome about the update. I keep think my blog is personal but then I realize my broker and firm are all over it as well. At least my real estate sales one.

Liz...We should be able to police ourselves! I can't imagine NAR sitting on AR reading away...I don't think they care what you say as long as it's truthful and not misleading or damaging the public in anyway. The code addresses internet advertising and communications but I think it will end up being broader and much more encompassing then it currently is.

Fascinating and I agree with others, some of it is scary considering the small percentage of bloggers.

The item that intrigued me was disclosing that you are not 'live?' I would think it would be the other way around. I used to have a 'meemo' box on my other blog but I decided it would be too frustrating to consumers to come on and have me not there.

Most of the concept I can wrap my head around. Standards are good. However, I hope as KK said it takes ten years if they aren't bloggers making the decisions. I want to be on that panel! lol

Why can't they just leave it alone.

Btw Moni, it's nice to see you lol

Monika - I find something you just said real interesting - you said that your firm is all over your blog, and so forth. What I find really odd is no one up here is really on the band wagon - and yet you are only about an hour or so from where I am! My DB, at our last meeting mentioned something to the effect of "those of you who blog..." and looked at me, and everyone else was like "huh?" I haven't taken the time yet to cultivate my blog as a scheduled activity, but my goal is to have done so by September - I look at people like you and Anne others from out of our area, and look at how it has worked for you. It is an activity that will be leading the way in marketing, and few seem to get it...anyway, I've digressed, haven't I? Thanks again for the post - will be interesting to see how it all pans out.

Carole...Nice seeing you too! You can have a say, when it gets to that point. Find out who your state NAR directors are and visit with them. When the final vote happens that is who will cast it. Every state has directors that sit on the NAR board of directors.

Neal...I think they won't leave it alone...But I could be wrong!

I cannot believe that THE TED was there! Glad to see that NAR has a sense of humor. The whole policing concept scares me because if not many people know about blogging or even believe in the power of blogging, then how educated will these enforcers be? We know that the COE is there and many totally overlook it - I am hoping rules will be created by those that have been blogging and know what they are talking about or even better, apply the same COE to blogs....it only makes sense and broaden it a bit. This is definitely a good subject for discussion.l

Monika - thanks for that update - I'll look forward to you November report!

Liz...My broker really does not monitor my blog at all but they are mentioned in my blog. Go to my other ID here and you'll see my company name and phone numbers. I promote my listings, talk real estate all over that one but my company really is clueless about what I do with blogging. So are they liable for what I write? Should they have the right to tell me not to blog? Will NAR step in and make it so they do (my firm) controls my blog? That is my fear.

I get the "huh" part...my firm is very big and have a good internet presence but we have maybe 3 agents who really blog...many others have profiles but do not blog. Sometime my google ranking is higher than my firms. Thanks to blogging. So keep working on it!!! The benefits are great.

Monika, this is a most interesting topic. Since I'm only months into blogging, I've yet to gain the experience of others. However, I can see how some of the basics should be covered by NAR. The moderating/editing issue...wonder if that includes the content posted originally? Is it ok to pay someone to write your blog? etc. This is already covered by the etiquette of blogging but we know how some people pay no mind to that either. I'll stay tuned to this for updates.

BTW, I had never heard of Ted Truitt and just had a jolly ole time over at his site. It is laugh-out-loud hysterical, right down to his facial expressions and rocking on his heels as he waits impatiently for your responses. What a laugh!!

Thanks for sharing the information. I'm a new blogger and love to read the post. Sounds like an upcoming job opportunity for someone.....regulations, regulations!

I don't know about the policing, they don't do such a good job on the websites, so how in the world are they going to police blogs?

True story-Broker Bob got his license revoked. CA RE Law states if a Broker's license gets revoked, the DBA cannot be reused......so Salesman Joe buys the DBA (violation) and goes to the Board and passes himself off as a Broker (don't know how), and makes a website saying he's the Owner/Broker. When I reported him to the board they argued with me that he was a Broker.....and finally I told them to look on DRE's site. They did and immediatly shut his office down. But, he is a member of another Board, and they told me they have no responsibility to notify the other Board, or DRE.....So for a year now everyone knows about the site, it is still there, and nothing happening.

As a former Probation Officer I know that rules and laws are only good if they are consistently and fairly enforced. NAR doesn't have the staff to do this, so why set themselves up????

Agents should be able to write what they want, and it shouldn't be the Brokers responsibility....what's next, our e-mails?

Ines...It was so funny. I saw him from a distance and I thought oh my god look that poor guy in that out of style John Trovolta type Disco suit!!! As soon as I thought it I knew who it was!!! LOL...the reactions were hysterical. I near peed myself watching it all!

I'll still be on the committee for another 2 years at least and will have some input. NAR will do as the directors vote so it is in our hands, When the time is right we need to make our voices heard.

Maggie...Isn't he something else. I love how he gets slimed! I do think some guidelines are in order but I fear how much and what type of guidelines. We can police ourselves and many of us do but there are some that don't and that I'm sure is why this all started.

Shouldn't blogs be following the same code of ethics and standards of practice as websites and any other form of advertising?

I don't know who wrote the above comment but I agree with most of it, not all. It's the heart of how our justice system works too when you get right down to it lol. Back to blogging; the part where I don't have the option of agreeing with you, gets to Laura's comment above. Follow the Code of Ethics. Saying something in a blog post as a Realtor® that I would be upset if a client saw (or anyone for that matter) is a guideline a lot of us use.

Sad story about the website and all I can say is good lord!

Monika, thanks for the update, should be interesting to see what comes from this...

Renae...Thanks for reading and commenting. Hmm I don't know anyone that would want that job! LOL

No name... the Broker Bob story make me see how hard it is to police especially since they won't report to the other board!! Yikes what a mess! Of course any policy changes or policing will be up to the local boards. Your board did not do a good job with the Broker Bob thing.

sorry, I wasn't logged in :) I wrote about Broker Bob and NAR web policing.

Monika - I am so glad that you are on the committee and that you blog -- With your ability to teach and train, you will want to be prepared to educate our fellow Realtors(r) -- they do tend to get a bit paranoid -- and having someone like yourself explaining how things work will be very important to bring balance. I would hate to see them stiffle the ability of Realtors(r) to blog -- The guidelines should be reasonable and allow for freedom of speech without letting people misrepresent or slander others -- my guess is that a lot of things are already addressed in the Standards of Practice.

Laura...They should be if they are real estate related but where does it say that? Which is why NAR is looking at it.

Carole... You hit it right on the head Realtors shouldn't write anything that would upset a client/customer and that should be a guideline that we ALL use. Sadly we don't all use the same guidelines. For NAR to even be looking at it means that there have been complaints.

Thanks Matt

I want to agree with Carol about the Code of Ethics-not totally the NAR's code, but the code that states we are all professionals, and should realize that many many people believe what they read in printed form; blogs included.

Monica, if any of my Boards are doing the policing (I belong to 3) I can safely say Blog Away.....you have a 2 in 3 chance of noone ever reading them from the board.

Thanks Kathy...that broker Bob story is interesting.

Joan...Thanks so much. A lot of it is addressed in Article 12 already but not the blog aspect. Whatever comes out of sub committee will need to address the blogs or get tabled till 2008. I think they'll address it this year as we've already made major changes to Article 12 last year so why not get it all cleaned up this year.

Kathy...Is that because they don't get the blogging idea or that they don't care and are too busy with other things?

At the Power broker meeting in DC one of the large franchise top dogs sat there and said that blogging was low on their list of priorities and not something that they encourage their agents to do. This is a guy from a major franchise! I was amazed at the amount of people who did not get it!

This is great information, thank you for sharing. I am going to be attending the CAR Leg day this next week, I'll probably do a post if Arnold actually shows up this year! I wonder if blogging will be addressed at CRB or any of the other break-out sessions... :-)

Awesome information!

<>I have to tell you that the Ted Test was Hillarious, but hits home OBVIOUS NO NO's!

<><>The whole ethical obligation to the public goes for every aspect of your dealings with the public as far as I am concerned...IMHO.

<>Please keep us posted on the results in November....In my crystal ball I believe we could see guidelines on Blogging coming in the next 12 months!

Brad...Let us know if it is addressed. You expecting Arnold..take some pictures!

No Name...Thanks so much for the comment and I agree it has to be all aspects of our dealings with the public. I'll keep you posted and when I hear an update on what to expect I'll post that as well.

NAR isn't even able enforce The Code Of Ethics. Why spread themselves thinner delving into the thousands of blogs. How's that going to work. Are they going to assign spies, give rewards for whistle blowers? What?

Oh... and one more thing. I'd like to see NAR active in lobbying for stricter licensing laws nationwide.

Monika,

I can't really say the reason for the Boards and Blogging but here is another true story which might give you your answer.

True Story: When I first became an agent nobody in my Franchise told me about Ethics. I saw a certificate on the wall of an agent in another city and asked about it. He stated he got it for Ethics Training. So, I asked our Board Rep to sign me up for the training....for more than a year. I was told many times I didn't need it (you can teach ethics I was told) so that whole time I thought Ethics was biblical; the do unto others thing.

One day I was on the NAR site and saw the free Ethics Training so I signed up. Talk about a shock, I couldn't believe that ethics actually had rules, codes, sections, the whole thing...

Now that I am a Broker I made sure all my agents are familiar with the Code, including Section 12, and if you look at my profile I actually follow CA Rules and put my lic. number on it, as well as made sure my agents did too.

So, to answer your question, if they don't take the Code seriously enough to have us take the class, who is going to enforce the rules?

I'll be VERY interested to see how these meetings go and I must admit that I'm concerned with the thought of people who have no experience with blogging making decisions in regard to how it should be done, monitored, etc.

Moni, I've been asleep at the wheel. I didn't realise you were such an influential person. As far as the NAR monitoring blogs - should be interesting. I believe in freedom of speech, against big brother, yes the NAR should be aware of what I'm doing, it's their job.

Wow, what a controversial topic! It's fascinating to see how this will turn out. I personally have mixed opinions on the subject. I don't really see what they could stop us from writing, or why they would do it. The people that post topics that shouldn't be written will probably lose their license anyway... :) Hmmm.

I'll have to sleep on this one. It has me thinking. I am kind with Carol though. I think they should put their energy in other topics, for now atleast.

NAR should absolutely NOT be getting involved in people's blogs. This would really make a mess of things!

If people don't like anonymous or tasteless posts on their blogs, then they should choose a blog platform that lets them review the comments before they show up live. So far I've only had one spam post on my blog, and that was from a viagra-type spambot of sorts, not from a realtor or resident of my area. I promptly deleted the post and blocked their IP, so nobody else saw this post.

We need to be responsible for our own blogs and our own blog posts. Please keep NAR out of the equation!

and still more and more of our freedoms come under fire. What happened to our constitutional right to free speech? Everytime I read about someone losing their job from posting their views on blogs or their myspace page, I get more and more upset.

If you're in the public eye, regulators will watch you. I'm a loan officer and i treat every post like I'm running an ad.

hi monika!

thanks for bringing this eye opening topic to light.

true story:

last week, joe and i visited a few local brokers in NYC to talk about real estate blogging - none of them had a blog, only a handful infrequently read blogs and one office manager of an unnamed major real estate brokerage did not even know what a blog was. talk about an eye opener. lately, i keep finding more and more real estate professionals and consumers who don't understand blogs and what they are used for or how they can help their business. i can't wait to get on the road this summer and document some of our real life experiences with both consumers and real estate pros on blog tour usa. real estate blogging really is a sub-culture within the real estate community. those of us who are embracing it now, are already reaping the benefits.

to me, blogging is about free speech for both authors and commenters.

-rudy.sellsius°

NAR needs to step up in other ways to protect us and not worry about the Standards of blogging.

I agree about the lobbying in Washington. I think at the NAR level they are not doing enough. Put the efforts to the securing of our industry instead of blogging issues.

Also, will our dues go up again? Most likely. NAR will justify it with "We need to hire a BLOG Professional Attorney".

November meeting, huh. Just in time to meet in Las Vegas for the NAR convention. Will they be discussing it over a poker game? Will they be gambling with our money?

JUN

2007

Great information, thank you so much for sharing!

Monika - If Arnold does make it this year, I'll be sure to get photo's and share! :-)

Hey Monica,

This sounds great! It's about time NAR got into the 21st century. For the most part the "people in high positions" have little to no idea of what all goes on here on the Internet. I called NAR and CAR (California Association) with some pretty techy questions and they had no where to send me and no idea what to answer. Glad to hear they are moving the right direction finally.

Very interesting! I am ever so anxiously awaiting further developments along these lines...it'll have a potential impact on all us rainers!

Well, it's all about liability. What type of liability are we creating by Blogging? Someday, someone will get sued because of something they posted in a Blog. And that's when the rules will get laid down.

Thanks for the great post... and the link to Ted - he's hilarious.

I can just see it. My broker telling me I cant blog anymore. HA! I guess it is time to get my brokers license, have been putting that off for too long. At this point in my life I am not interested in anybody telling me what I can and cannot do.

Monika, while I did not feature this (only because I just signed on for the day) if another moderator hadn't I would have!

Monika - First, I personally think there are probably more important issues for the NAR to look at...Secondly, I would hope as Professionals we would uphold a strong ethical standard whether blogging or not so..... Of course, I know there will always be trouble-makers so I suppose the reason the NAR thinks they need to look at this issue. Thanks for the "heads-up".

IMO it appears as though the Real Estate blogs are self-policing. I am at a loss as to why NAR would want to get involved. If there was unprofessional behavior, intentional misinformation, or inappropriate content it would seem that each and every Realtor association has a process for investigating complaints. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Thanks for the post!

Thanks for the update Monika and for attending!! We need more folks like you in this business.

Very good posts Monica. I have to say NAR just needs to stay away from blogs. They aleady have guidelines related to websites i.e. contact info. There is no way they would be able to police bog sites anyway so let our current COE take care of their concerns.

Thanks for the post. I know that rules are necessary but I would hate to see NAR make policies regarding blogging. Real estate is so much about the relationship with the public and blogging is a great way for the public to get to know us and see the value of our services.

Carol...I agree about stricter license laws! We need them for sure. If the Article 12 changes to include Blogs it would be up to the local boards to enforce it.

Kathy...What a shame that no one could direct you to Ethics training! Funny how things are different. In my area all new agents must take a 3 hour ethics class to become a REALTOR.

Ryan...The sub-committee will report back in November and it can go either way. They could decide that Blogs don't need to be included in Article 12 ..unlikely I think.

Dena... LOL influential person...me? Hardly, I'm just me. I have mixed feelings about it all. I'm more concerned about the Broker aspect than NAR.

Stephanie...It will be fascinating to see how this turns out! Sitting in these meetings alone is interesting as so many people have different opinions and do things so differently.

Linda...Probably the anonymous and/or tasteless posts left on some blogs are a concern but I think a very small part of it. NAR will be looking at the big picture and how it impacts the consumers as well as us agents.

Jennifer... People need to really think about the implications of their words before they post them. I'm all for free speech but I personally felt the nasty results of free speech when Hate Came to my town. Of course it was not in blog but real life. We just need to think things through.

Ethan...I agree regulators will watch you and they like watching us!

Rudy... Thanks so much for commenting. I'm not surprised about the lack of knowledge regarding blogs. At the RisMedia Power Broker forum in DC one of panelists came out and said Blogs were low priority and not something he is encouraging his agents to do. This is a man is from a large national franchise! I was totally blown away by the comment.

Chuck...We've just had a dues increase so I think we'll be safe from that for a few more years. Of course the local boards and state sssociations can increase dues as well.

Thanks so much for reading my post Ana.

Brad...I'll look for the pictures!

Abraham...21st Century is here, we'll see what NAR does with it all.

Kaushik...Impact it will definitely have but maybe it will be a good one...who knows what will be presented.

Craig and Amber...I think the liability issue is a big one. I think someone is already being sued over a blog! I'm going to try and get the details. I love Ted!! he was a riot in real life!!!

Laurie...Thank you so much! I'm glad I have my brokers license. I think we'll start to see Brokers cracking down on their agents blogs. Depending of course on what is written on those blogs.

Joddie...Thank you and I agree with you 100 percent.

Carol...It will be something to watch!

Thank you Tim and Pam...Nice to see NH people on AR!!!

Bryant...I think that is why they are looking into expanding the COE to include blogs. It does not seem to cover blogs as it is. It's a matter of much they add about blogs...how far they take it.

Tammy...Thank you so much for commenting.

I think the topic of blogging about other people's listings, could be one that requires direction from NAR.

Just another thought...after reading most of this blog, I went onto different groups, and yes, some of the blogs should have been marked "for Members Only" as they could possibly be liability issues.

On the other hand, rules and Laws keep the honest person honest, but they don't have much effect on the person that chooses to break them. I feel the majority of bloggers are following the rules so why change them? The other members of a group can help keep people on tract if necessary.

Ardell...You'er probably right, There are somethings that NAR needs to give direction on but I really don't want them or anyone telling me what I can blog about. We do need to police ourselves.

NAR cannot even police trademark infringement of the Realtor logo, nor the use of Realtor in domain names in a timely manner. How on earth do they think, should it come to this, they will be able to set rules for blogging, then implement the punishments? There is a Realtor here in Minnesota who for over a year has owned a website with the "Realtor" in his domain name...he sends out emails to real estate agents all over the nation wanting them to sign up for his lead generation company. I have complained to NAR, and I know alot of other agents have too about his improper use of the term Realtor in his company name. NAR wrote me back that it is in the lawyers hands and that after many cease and desist letters and lawsuit threats, he still will not comply. NAR seems to be dragging their feet. I am of the opinion they need to fix these infringements before they take on the task of judging bloggers.

kathy...I've seen some stuff written on blogs that really scare me! I think people write and post without really thinking about what they are saying.

Jennifer...I do think they have their work cut out for them. I agree it seems as if NAR really can't enforce the rules that are already have in place...how on earth can they enforce more rules? Very good questions Jennifer.

Thank you for the update and I too, will be looking forward to November

One thing the COE already covers is broker review of advertising. Many blogs ARE advertising and brokers have a reaponsibility to know what's going on.

But, that's probably to make sure that the broker is disclosed. Not always done now.

Dianne...Thanks for reading. November should be interesting to say the least.

"...guiding all forms of communication."

It sounds like the NAR wants the "herd" to say only what they want "heard".

Lenn...I can tell you there many brokers who have no idea that their agents blog or that it might even be considered advertising. My broker knows about one of my blogs...I've sent out links to it but I don't believe my broker reads my blog. I could be wrong...maybe if they post here I'll know for sure.

Chris and Rhonda...

I think we'll see some all encompassing changes to Article 12 ...which is known as our "communication article" and it will cover I think all forms of communication.

Monika.

I had a vision of an NAR controlled blog. I couldn't resist writing about it. Please don't take offense.

Some things just need to be said. I watched the debacle of the NAR getting involved in the Internet from the beginning.

Yours is a searious, thoughtful post. Mine is not.

http://activerain.com/blogsview/115586/SHOULD-THE-NAR-GET

Lenn

I won't be offended...I'm not NAR just a concerned member like a lot of us are. I'll check out your post.

Monika, Wow interesting .

Thanks so much for the update. Like everything else, I guess in the best interest of our clients, they need to be some regulation..

Personally I don't mine....Keep up posted with what the subcomittee comes back with.

Blog police .........oh my, what next, I guess we need a blogging code of ethics. Where will it end.

Nattalie...I will keep you all posted as I find out any information.

Michael...A blogging code LOL...I can see it now.

JUN

2007

Monika- the NAR having any involvement in blogs, imo, would be yet another lost cause on their part. While it would be easier to trace any injustice done to the consumer (it's in writing, after all) they have demonstrated a poor presence so far in most matters of consumer issues, and control over quality agents. I can already see it- dues increased in order to pay for the "blog committee". It's very true- there are many of us that, but for the access to mls, would eschew the whole NAR presence- with rampant ethical misbehavior that has no sign of abating, there are much better ways for them to spend our financial obligation to them. I'd just like to see results.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ! Stay away NAR

WHOA!

What's with the "free agent" mentality?

Look how many with a salesperson license believe they are like "007 - Licensed to Kill"?

Read your licensing laws.

Salespeople are "Deputies" and the Agent/Broker is the "Sheriff".

And the Sheriffs are accountable for the actions of their Deputies.

Public real estate blogs are the same as websites, advertising your services as a real estate licensee.

I am wondering about the actual manpower it would take to "police", and knowing that no one would be hired to do it, it would fall upon all of us to "police" each other, which is not a good thing. My broker knows that I blog but does not really "get into it". I would be surprised if she has even read it or cares. I am the only one in my office of 15 that blogs! Yes I did get my Brokers license. I think everyone should because you never know when you may need to go out on your own even though you may be happy there now. I would not mind a NAR "basic" guide and the reason I would not mind that is because masses of people NEED guides, otherwise things get out of control. Real Estate agents are no exception. But I would definitely mind my actual blogs being censored by my Broker or someone in the NAR. Maybe I am looking at this from the wrong perspective. I'll have to think about it some more. Interesting topic, Monika! ( I also know my Broker would not want to be censoring blogs so then we would have to just quit!)

Yeah, I can honestly say that the only reason I pay dues and remain a member is for access to the MLS. IMO, I gain nothing else from the association.

Monika,

Blogging falls under marketing in my opinion, so the guidelines should come from there, if any. As you mentioned, many people attending the meeting have no clue about what blogging is and then they appear to have a say as to how it's governed. Not good.

Hi Monika,

I am a REALTOR currently in the inactive status, I am staying at home to raise two young hcildren. After what happened to me, I stongly feel NAR should be looking at blogging and at what is posted, wording etc. We currently have our home listed, through a very reputable broker. An agent in his office who belongs to the activerain blog asked if she could post our house. It is a monolithic dome, very green friendly. Well this agent in a very unprofessional manner and against REALTTOr code of ethics, posted our home in a very negative aspect and then made fun of it on line. when I was a sales professional My job was to overcome any slight negative with a postive, not have inaccurate information send it through the internet and then make fun of the home. The Broker has since spoken to this agent about her unprofessional and unethical behavior. If I had not gone online and checked the website who knows how long it would have gone on. I whole heartedly agree that the same code of ethics should apply for any print media.

Thank You

Sorry Laurie and Missy...Some guidelines will be coming. They really have to do something to include blogs as there are many issues involving them already.

Larry...Absolutely correct...there is no free agent. My broker is responsible for my actions!

Karen...I think it will fall upon us or at least the local boards. I don't think it will ever be that actual blogs will be censored ...unless it's by the brokers.

Ryan...I do get a lot out of my REALTOR membership and enjoy being a REALTOR. It may not be perfect but my membership is worth it to me.

Esko...Many people attending the conference in my opinion ...really do not understand the power of blogs. That said please don't think that the committe members are in the dark...they are not.

Mary...Thanks so much for commenting. I think it is important for us to hear from a seller and their feelings. Sometimes I do think that bloggers cross over the line. Thank you for sharing your feelings with us and I am so sorry you had a bad experience.

Dale...You're welcome :)

JUN

2007

I could write an entire post about this myself. I find many blogs that are in violation of local and nar rules. they have no logos, no fair housing logo or R on them any where.

Teresa...I see it all time as well and I'm sure I'm guilty of the Logo thing myslef.

How did I miss this one? ?? You met Ted? NICE!

JUN

2007

Thanks Mariana and thank you so much for posting about him originally.

Cheryl...being careful is a good thing. I'm always cautious about what I say as an agent and what I write.

JUN

2007

Sorry I missed this earlier. NAR often is too far beyond the industry, which is why, in my opinion, top agents go elsewhere, like CRS, Star Power etc for info. There are too many people involved in NAR who are doing it as a social club and not as a professional organization. Thanks for not being one of them!

Hi Monica Its good to see that they have incorporated that change in the Standards of Practice pertaining to members and designees who are not currently up to date or are misrepresenting themselves. I guess my concern is will we police ourselves? I hope so, and the issue of blogs , I thnk NAR should stay out of the blogging issue.

JUN

2007

Oh Jeesh. Let's see if NAR can find a way to make itself more superfluous.

JUN

2007

Ann...Thanks for not lumping me in that group :) I can understand your feelings and sure hope we can turn it around somehow.

No name...I agree with you about misrepresenting the use of designations. I see that all the time.

No name #2 ...LOL more superfluous!!! It will be interesting to see what happens.

JUN

2007

Very very good post Monika Thank you

JUN

2007

Dale...Thanks for stopping by. It will be interesting to see what happens in Vegas.

JUN

2007

freedom of speach

enough said.

plus i can't resist.

LIVE FREE OR DIE

(previously scenic)

LOL...Jay...LIVE FREE OR DIE That is what my license plate says, :) which I'm sure you know.

NOV

DEC

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