Hey all - Thanks for the comments.  I want to clarify one thing, because I don't think I gave enough details on the photo posting.  When a listing is fed to the site with multiple photos, those photos don't 'count' towards earning the local expert badge.  Photos that would count are those that are manually uploaded, such as neighborhood photos or local area shots.  Also, contributing in Zillow Advice about your area helps you earn the Local Expert designation badge.

Oh, and if you've already earned a Local Expert or All Star badge, we have them in downloadable form for you to promote.  For example, see my All Star badge in the right column of my Active Rain blog. 

If you want to add local photos: Log on to Zillow, click on the Local Info tab, in the left hand column click Photos, then in the middle of the page click Add Photos.  You'll get a byline with a link back to your profile on anything you add. 

Janet - Yes it is free to set up a profile, contribute to advice and upload photos.

Gregory - NAR is a fan of bringing speakers in that they think can help their members, which is why Spencer was there.  He delivered great information about how Internet Buyers shop for real estate online.  (If anyone wants that presentation, here is a link to his PowerPoint and video of his session.)  He got great reviews.

You have a misstatement in your comment.  NAR is "going to create its own Zestimates for home owners".  NAR is working to create a huge data tool for its members.  They have publicly said that it is going to be a closed system, available only to its members and not the public.  So NAR and Zillow are trying to accomplish very different things, as we are more of general consumer site. 

A number of you have said something along the lines of "I need to get going on my Zillow plan" or "in 2010 I'll be more active".  If you ever have any ideas on how we can help you better do this, please feel free to email me directly.  Maybe we could do something with your brokerage, or your mls, or your association.  Maybe its a webinar?  Maybe its a series of weekly blog posts where we do one thing a week and give 'homework'.  I'd welcome your suggestions. 

Christopher and Stephanie - Thank you!  Glad to hear you are happy with the services!

Vickie- We don't have a blogging platform, we offer a Forum or Advice platform. However, you can add your Active Rain (or any blog) URL to your profile now.  Also, in your marketing text on your profile, I'd recommend linking to your blog and a couple of your favorite or most helpful posts.  We follow all those links, meaning that search engines can see them.  Finally, while I am talking about it, we also recently added the ability to add your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn information to your Zillow profile. 

RIch- Yes, functionality to email the listing agent directly on the listing defintiely exists.  To expand on that a bit, we actually send the lead where ever we are told to.  Some brokers say to send it to the agent, some say to send it to a type of call center. 

Hey Jerry - Thanks for the comment. 

Here is a link to Zestimate accuracy chart, I think it is exactly what you are asking for.  You can drill down to the county level.  It is posted at the bottom of every page, and there is a link to it behind every Zestimate- note the ? button.  Also, please check out these short videos with more on the data found on Zillow, including one that you can pass along to your clients that explains what the Zestimate represents. 

With regard to Zillow Advice - great advice to look around first.  We delete comments all the time (especially those that are obscene or that violate our good neighbor policy).  If you ever think we should take a look at something, please click the gray flag that you'll see all over the site, our customer service will take a look. 

After watching the forums for almost a year now, I have seen wonderful things happen and I have seen what you describe.  The wonderful things seem to happen when the user's question is directly answered with helpful information.  No hard sales, no upsales - maybe even just a yes/no answer.  Just geniune helpfulness.  The negatives can happen with generic information (ex- is now a good time to buy? yes!  low rates, buyer's market, etc) and hard sells slip into the answers. 

Also, a common mistake I see is agents not understanding the difference between a forum platform and a blog platform.  One is more responsive, and the other is pushing informaiton out.  So I'll see agents ask a question and then cut and paste an answer to their own question from a blog post.  You're right, this does not sit well with users, as this just isn't typically how forums work.  It is much different than a blog network, like here on Active Rain. 

Thanks for the helpful advice for Advice!  And remember to use those flag if you see something anywhere on the site you want us to look at.

Rudi - You are correct, sorry about my 'Realtor' tilt in this article. When it comes to Lenders, they interact with the Zillow site in a different way.  The Lenders at the top of the Directory are those with the most and best ratings.  So you need to be an active, successful, confirmed lender in the Zillow Mortgage Marketplace to show up at the top.