Lately I have noticed more and more Realtors have been incorporating ads for real estate for sale into their Facebook profiles, and wanted to say a few words on this subject, as I have been very active in social media in the past couple years and thanks to many fine friends online and off, I have learned some important lessons that many have not yet discovered, and hopefully, someone can learn from my mistakes.
Fairly early in my exploration of this new craze we call: "Social Media", I stumbled upon a Facebook friend by the name of Marcie Roggow, and Marcie quickly set me straight on some issues that are still largely ignored by the real estate community, and is the reason for this post. Marcie graciously reminded me that Article 12 of the Realtor Code of Ethics, which requires that the brokerage be properly identified in our ads for real estate for sale, applies to social media, the same as it does in print, or we are guilty of posting a 'Blind Ad." Apparently, there are many who still haven't gotten the word, as I am seeing more and more of these 'Blind ads' every week, so I am passing this information along, in an effort to get the word out on this important issue. Social Media is a trend, not a fad, so it is important that we get this right, as those who don't will eventually run into trouble down the road.
“Real Estate Social Media Policies,” by real estate risk management authors Marcie Roggow and Frances Flynn
“Every real estate brokerage company must establish an e-policy which determines the best practices to minimize risks and maximize compliance with state and federal regulations and adherence to the NAR Code of Ethics,” says Roggow. “Real Estate Social Media Policies” is a groundbreaking manual that helps real estate brokers assess and manage their online risk across property listing sites, blogs, online forums, messaging venues. http://www.realtown.com/RealEstateSocialMediaPolicies/blog/social-media-policy-manual
About Marcie Roggow and Frances Flynn
Marcie Roggow, ABR, CCIM, CRB, CRS, DREI, GRI, SRS Licensed since l972, Roggow has worked in all facets of the real estate profession: broker-owner, developer, and educator. An active member of the REALTOR family, Marcie believes in giving back to the industry that gave her so much. Through NAR her concentration has been in the professional standards, license law, and risk management committees. Today her training efforts concentrate on the same topics. Her ability to understand and articulate agency and license laws is an asset to her audiences. Roggow has worked closely with REALTOR organizations and Real Estate Commissions alike to draft legislation that can be understood not only by the consumer, but also by the licensee. Roggow is the author of the popular CRB product, “Real Estate Brokerage Policies and Procedures Manual”
Frances Flynn Thorsen Thorsen got her real estate license and became a REALTOR® in 1985. She was an early adopter of real estate technology on the Internet .Frances was one of the first real estate bloggers to receive national attention early in 2005, with interviews in Investors’ Business Daily, BusinessWeek Online, Inman News, REALTOR® Magazine, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She was founding editor of RealTown.com and worked as Community Manager of Trulia.com. She is CEO of Socialebb Strategies and Solutions and offers an ecumenical approach to blog and social media coaching and consulting services. She created “Social Media: Tips to Avoid A Risk Management Nightmare,” a continuing education class for real estate agents in Arizona. She appeared on the 2008 list of 50 Most Influential Women in Real Estate in the U.S. and the 2009 Proxio list of 25 Most Connected Real Estate Professionals.
http://realestatesocialmediapolicies.com/
If you have any questions on issues relating to social media, please give Marcie Rogow a shout, she has been a great help to me on social media as well as other issues invloving professional standards, license law, risk management, etc... To contact Marcie, just google her name, and you will easily find her, or to find her on Linkedin, follow the link below.
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