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Carolyn Capalbo Is A REALTOR In Northern Virginia That Needs Your Help

Carolyn Capalbo Is A REALTOR In Northern Virginia That Needs Your Help

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Carolyn Capalbo is a real estate agent in Northern Virgina that is being punished for having the wrong name. In 2008 a women with the same name as Carolyn Capalbo broke into the news, and it wasn't pretty. The "other" Carolyn had a daughter that was involved with a New York governor in a promiscuous way. Long story short, it was ugly, and now when you google Carolyn Capalbo, you get the results of the other women.

You can read the full story here.

Here's the deal. Because of this other women, Carolyn's business has suffered, and I thought we could help her get her name back. Clients of her's have Googled her name and found this other women intruding on her brand with scandolous news blogs and have mistaken her for Carolyn Capalbo the REALTOR.

Before you help Carolyn Capalbo You Should Know Her Story

Carolyn is a military spouse, she has family that has served this country, and I think we can serve her family with the help we can provide with this post. Carolyn has a degree in economics and is continuously a top agent in residential sales in Northern, Virginia. Carolyn is a respectable business women that goes above and beyond for her clients.

She continues to be a top producing agent in Northern, Virigina and, by no fault of her own, has had to deal with national news outlets calling her personal phone, business acquaintances, her daughters school and even her brokerage looking for the "juicy" story.

Imagine, while at work with clients, ABC News, CBS News, The Washington Post, and The New York Times calling your workplace to get the scoop on a scandal that you were never apart of. Imagine these reporters asking promiscuous questions from your co-workers and people you do business with everyday. What would it be like for your little girl having to answer questions about some women in the news asked by your own teacher.

This is the nightmare that Carolyn Capalbo is having to deal with and this is where you come in. Let's help Carolyn take her name back from a scandal that has nothing to do with her.

How do we help Carolyn? Simple. Use your knowledge that you've learned from blogging here on Activerain to push her name above the fold in the search engine results pages.

So, Activerainers, I ask you to help Carolyn Capalbo get her name back. All you have to do is RE-Blog this post or link to this post with her name as the anchor text.

Lisa Udy

Platinum Real Estate Group

View My Other Blog @ Homes For Sale Logan UT

Search --> Logan Utah Real Estate

Posted by Lisa Udy Realtor Utah Real Estate Specialist on 05/26/2010 04:56 PM

Comments (55)

Carolyn Capalbo Is a REALTOR in Northern Virginia That Needs Your Help in the ActiveRain Channel

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55 Comments on Carolyn Capalbo Is A REALTOR In Northern Virginia That Needs Your Help

MAY

Lisa,

I'll take a differenet tack on this. Once it becomes clear it is not her, all this publicity can't hurt her business. Jeezuz you couldn't buy this press. Think about it.

Lisa - You do a great job of using AR and social media to promote those who need your help.

This is truly unfortunate for Carolyn.

Hi Lisa. During my Blogging for Business time tomorrow I will create a post just to try to help out. I am fortunate that there aren't many people with my name....

Featured @ Club Chaos

Reblogging...and creating a link from my real estate virtual assistant website to this post now (click on the News link at the top). I am lucky that the only Christine Wade that seems to compete for my Google Name Love is an author and seems respectible enough :-)

Sort of agree with Terry -- can't buy this press -- and perhaps if all the reporters are calling her , maybe she can give them something interesting to write about -- about her -- and not the other person by the name. Just a thought. All the best to her and you for helping her out.

Wow interesting ...... I like the idea of using the press for more positive media.

Good luck,

Tom

Will do. I am a military spouse myself. Thanks for using AR to do something positive for this VA Realtor!

Lisa:

I cannot think of many things in business that would be worse than losing your good name. This is a interesting way to use blogging power and I do hope that it works for her.

Lisa,

Reblogged. The other Irene Kennedy is a fictional character who heads the CIA and saves the world regularly - but no one has ever confused us...

Well, it sounds like instead of news reporters we have gossip columnist. Count me in just because it would be fun to push her to the top. I think for those who teach social marketing, this could be used as an object lesson.

You are a wonderful person to help out a fellow Realtor in trouble. Instant Karma for you!

Done! I've had some confusion with my name, but definitely not quite this bad!

Lisa, great effort on your part to help out. I have done the re-blog and will look for other options to help out.

I agree with Cliff.... "Instant Double GOOD Karma" for You and renewed success for Carolyn!

There are 2 sides to this for sure. I would see how I ould milk the attention for sure!

Lisa why don't you have her start a blog here and create a profile. Those are 2 links that will surely make it to the 1st page.

Terry - She didn't really get any press, more like calls from the press, and questions from clients. She also lost potential clients because they thought she was someone else... :( It's pretty sad.

Christine - It's very unfortunate, thanks for your input!

Lana - Send me a link when you're done! :)

C!! - Thanks for the feature and the re-blog! :)

Christine - Thanks for the re-blog! I am also lucky with a silly name no one else has, yet... :)

Bob & Carolin - It's hard to deal with the press when they are asking you about questions that you have no idea and calling co-workers without permission. Thanks for the comment!

Tom - Thanks! :)

Kathyrn - Appreciate it! :)

Claudette - You have to try every avenue available!

Irene - If they think you are CIA, at least they might trust you! lol~ Thanks for the re-blog

Joe - Thanks for the support, I really appreciate it. :)

Cliff - Thanks! I think that's what being a REALTOR is all about.

Debbie - Thanks for the re-blog! :)

Earlene - Thanks! You can write a blog about her situation, that would help out. :)

Corinne - I think she is milking it a little with having the contest. :) Thanks!

Bill - Genius! lol~ I will have to send her an email. :)

Ya I know...doesn't that deserve a link to my site on your home page:) I have more where that came from!

Ha! If you link to this post I will give you a link on my home page of your choice. :)

I have met 2 people in my life with the same name as me. One I went to college with and twice we got confused, but nothing as serious as this. Once she was sent my tuition bill by mistake and another time a relative who was trying to visit me was directed to her dorm room instead. Re-blogged.

Ann - Thanks! :) We can all relate to this situation in someway, but Carolyn has had a gauntlet thrown at her.

Woo! We are on the first page already, but we need to get in the top 3 spots! Let's go people! We need some more Re-Blogs!!! I have already handed out 13 links, who's next?? :)

MAY

Folks, let me ask you this. What exactly do you people plan to accomplish by doing all this? OK you optimize Carolyn Capalbo, Realtor. OK. First 5 search results: Carolyn Capalbo, Realtor. Fine. Is that going to make the other Carolyn Capalbo go away? NO! What have we done by doing this? We've made it easier for reporters and MILF hunters to find their Carolyn Capalbo. Instead, now, they will go: "Oh my, this hot mama is also a Realtor! Dang!" The other Carolyn Capalbo will not go away. Even the photos will stay.

Her clients will find her AND the OTHER Carolyn. They will see her face right next to the bikini photos and think, "wow, my realtor looks hot in a bikini". The other Carolyn Capalbo will not go away! Whether Realtor Carolyn shows up on the first 5 results of the search or on page 2 people will always confuse the two. Now I see articles on the hot mom Carolyn with related blogs from the Realtor Carolyn. This is all one and the same as far as the internet goes. And this will even get worse because the other Carolyn will not go away.

I don't know if this is the results you had in mind but this is exactly what's going to happen. I know because I share the same name as professional tennis player: Julia Vakulenko. Google it, you will see both our photos. Does it matter that I have the top 2 results and that I am a Realtor not a Tennis Player? NO. People email me and call me all the time asking if I will be in the French open or that open, etc, etc. I'm even on Maria Sharapova's email list. My clients think I'm a Realtor and a Tennis player. On the flip side they think the other Julia is a tennis player and a Realtor. But all of this has been good for my business. Every email or call I get related to tennis, I entice em on buying a property here in Tampa. I've been successful on a couple of occasions. Sold a penthouse unit to a TV sports commentator! It's been good for my business. I love it. Now if this other Julia Vakulenko poses for Playboy or wack some umpire on the head with a tennis racket, will that be bad for my business? Heck NO. It will mean more hits on my site, more calls, and MORE BUSINESS! Whether I like it or not, there are 2 of us in the search results.

Maybe that is really the ulterior motive for this plea.

MAY

Julia,

You cannot really compare having someone who is famous (in a very positive light) share a name with you (everyone can see how this could be good for business) to having someone infamous ruining your good name. The phrase (any press is good press) does NOT apply to real estate, your name is everything, (and sometimes the only thing) people research when about to hire - would you think it a good thing if someone who was researching you found out you were the mother of a whore, and that you condoned her actions? C'mon now - you know better than to think that could possibly be positive, and they are NOT the same.

Carolyn addressed your comments here as well: http://www.realestatewebmasters.com/blogs/morgan-carey/9948/show/ (clearly to her this is not an alterior motive)

"@Julie…It would be so much easier if the other Carolyn Capalbo was a famous tennis player and not the mother of the prostitute that scandalized NY and led to the resignation of the Governor of NY. One problem with the situation is that the other Carolyn Capalbo went on Larry King Live and praised her daughter for her actions and choice of professions. Many potential clients might be uncomfortable hiring a person that praises their child's illegal activities. While we are two different people, many people have no way of making that distinction and assume we are one and the same. The loss to me is hard to quantify. How many people that should have and would have called me, didn't because of what they saw on-line? How many people went to the next agent instead of calling me because they were worried about my character or judgment? You mention more hits, more business; unfortunately, many of the hits I am receiving, are not Real Estate related. I try to laugh and make light of this situation; however, some of my Facebook friend requests lately are unreal and very inappropriate. This is about my character, judgment, and integrity being compromised through no doing of my own. I am glad that you can enjoy the attention brought to you by your tennis playing namesake; I wish you all the best and appreciate your perspective. Truly, Carolyn"

MAY

Wow. Lots of comments here. I feel for Realtor, Carolyn; it does make her job more challenging.

MAY

I reblogged it to help her out. I also linked to a few of her profiles to help her out! And Bill's right, if she doesn't have an ActiveRain profile, she needs one!

Lori Cofer

Wow Lisa......at the time of this comment you have 16 reblogs already! Hope it helps!

JUN

I shall re-blog, after a day or two, but the first thing that came to my mind is why doesn't Carolyn start today re-branding herself as Carolyn (middle initial) Capalbo or Carol Capalbo or Carolyn (maiden name) Capalbo or Carolyn C. It wouldn't take long to differentiate herself professionally, and when the mix-up occurs it would make an interesting story with clients or other professionals. I know plenty of agents who do one of the above for other reasons.

I have to agree with Margaret that re-branding would indeed be an excellent help in this situation! Using her maiden name sounds like a great idea! I use it in my name too (Barbara Roberts is an all too common name, so I also use my middle name and then keep my ex-hubby's last name just to make it more unique - there is only ONE Barbara-Jo Roberts Berberi in all of America!) - with a change like that she can no longer be mistaken for being someone else!

Julia - With the amount of people entering this contest, I think we have a pretty good chance of blowing all the other results that are not the Carolyn Capalbo REALTOR out of the first page search results.

Morgan - Thanks again for the contest, and I appreciate you answering Julia's questions!

Melissa - Our jobs are a challenge enough, so this is just icing on the cake.

Lori - I will send you an email and we can chat.

Ann Allen - Thanks!

Margaret - Real Estate Webmasters is helping her re-brand her name, and they usually do a pretty good job, so I think it will all work out. It will just take some more time.

Barbara - That's a great way to be different which is so important today. If this doesn't work out for Carolyn Capalbo, maybe she can change her name.

Lisa - we need another label here in AR - Good Samaritan! And I nominate YOU. You're up to 22 reblogs w/mine. Good luck Carolyn...

Lee & Pamela - Thanks a ton! :) I really appreciate the support this post has been getting, Carolyn even emailed me to let me know how grateful she is for everyone that has been helping out. By the time this thing is done, I'm pretty sure Carolyn will dominate her name in the search engines!

JUN

I just saw this story as a result of one of the re-blogs. I operate a number of well-established web sites related to real estate and non-real estate topics, and have thousands of well-ranked pages in search engines. I will provide a large number of links with "Carolyn Capalbo" as anchor text.

JUN

While this may temporarily impact new business for Carolyn; her reputation in NoVA is unsurpassed for KW agents. Her current client base will continue to do business and refer her until this whole mess subsides from an SEO perspective.

JUN

This is some great feedback and support from everyone - thank you so much for your comments thus far.

An update: Carolyn just posted at the main blog for this issue: http://www.realestatewebmasters.com/blogs/morgan-carey/9948/show/

She says:

I received a call from a prospective Seller yesterday. Her co-worker gave her my name and she had collected a few other Realtor's names. She Googled my name and read about my situation. When she called me to discuss her home, she chuckled about the other Carolyn Capalbo and marveled about how an entire Real Estate community would rally behind one of its own. I asked her what she would have done if she only saw the other Carolyn Capalbo, she said she didn't know if she would have called me since she had other Realtors to consider. Thank you for making it clear that there are more than one Carolyn Capalbos out there! It looks highly likely that I will work with this Seller. That certainly would not have happened if she called someone else instead! Thanks again for all your help and support! Carolyn Capalbo

This just goes to show the power of (and need for) reputation management, and social media. It's not just about driving traffic, it's about controlling perception and ensuring you are seen as the professional you are.

I think by the end of this, many Active Rainers will have learned quite abit about the scope and value of online reputation management.

Show of hands, who all is participating in the "Carolyn Capable Contest"? It's for fun, it's to learn AND it's to lend support another Realtor - can't beat it! - Thanks again everyone.

Hi Morgan!

This contest is doing a number for Carolyn's reputation. She is now dominating the front page for her name, it's exciting to see how all the REALTOR support is working. We just need to get her pictures to replace those other ones, and I think we will be successful. Thanks for the updates! :)

JUN

Morgan,

That's great to hear its working!!!!! And I agree .. its important to manage one's online reputation....

Lori Cofer

This does not sound like it is going to end well. Identity theft it is not same name it is and that hurts. What else can we all do to help?

JUN

I think it is vital that she takes Mr. Gassett's advice.

I read this on Lori's reblog and then I rebloged the original myself, Lisa. I have to go back and add the links, though. I am all too aware of the damage that can happen from a case of mistaken identity.

Two years ago, my wife received a series of harrassing phone calls, the meat of which was that she was "married to a child molester, and we're trying to get you out of our neighborhood". What???? My wife totally flipped over it - she knew better, but didn't know what to do about it, other than report it to the police.

Me? I did my homework. Other William James Walton, 58 years old (at the time), lived in Manchester, CT....I even pulled up a picture, wrote an informational flyer about the situation and warned whoever was making the phone calls that when they were caught, I was going to throw the book at them - jail time, fines, damages for emotional distress, etc. The phone calls stopped, and I haven't had that problem since.

Jason - Carolyn has signed up on AR and is working on her blog. It should do wonders for her if she keeps at it!

William - Ouch! That is just terrible, but it looks like you handled it well. If something like that comes up, the best thing you can do is act quickly. I can't imagine what that situation would be like if it went unchecked! Yikes!!!

JUN

Just googled her name and it seems to be working Lisa. Of course I think we should keep this up. And how ironic that via reblog I found this today and over the weekend had just thought about how my name ranking really really well at google had hurt two other professionals with the same name. Not hurt in the same sense at this mess of course, but Tammy Lankford the insurance agent... and Tammy Lankford the author of children's books... have but one place each on the first page of google while I have the other 9.

JUL

Keep up the good work Lisa!!!!

JUL

Thanks Lori!

AUG

Reblogged, as requested, Lisa. I hope it helps her get her business straightened out.

Your awesome Roger!! :) Thank you so much!!!!

I will also re-blog the post...I would hate this, and it could happen to anyone!

This post will be reblogged. I'm a victim of ID theft myself. It was a pain getting out of it as well.

Lisa - Considered this reblogged. This pAIN IS JUST AWFUL

I just wrote a post yesterday about Identity Theft. But, that was basically financial. This is an animal of a different stripe altogether. And very strange. I'll reblog it later....so many now are just cluttering up the roll and she'll need more help later if another article about the other woman emerges.

Going to reblog now. I hope the plan works.

What a nightmare for her!

AUG

Very cool and great idea - looks like it worked, too, when googling her name - great job!

Thank you for the re-blog's everyone! We are slowly but surely kicking all of the other non-sense off of the first page and second page for Carolyn.

AUG

Carolyn is not alone with her problem. I've known a lot people with the same name and end up adding their middle name to make the difference. As long as her conscience is clear and accept the reality that duplication of first and last name possibly do happen.

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Lisa Udy Realtor Utah Real Estate Specialist

Logan, UT

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Logan Utah Real Estate The Platinum Real Estate Group

Address: 2 N Main Suite #11, Providence , UT, 84332

Office Phone: (435) 213-9335

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I am a full time real estate specialist in Logan Utah. I have almost 9 years of experience in the real estate business. If you need help selling or buying a home feel free to contact me. If you have any questions about the Cache County real estate area I would love to help. If you would like to just chat about the current market send me an email, and I would be glad to share my expertise in our local market. For those of you who are bored and wanna gime me some flack, give me your best shot! Subscribe to Logan Utah Real Estate by Email

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