How do you describe the phenomenon of Web 2.0?  It's an important question. At the present, most of the discussion in the real estate industry is framed against the backdrop of what Web 2.0 isn't.  Perhaps, because we are just developing a burgeoning understanding of what it is capable of becoming.

In a sense Web 2.0 is not so much a thing as it is an experience. Describing an experience to someone who has no frame of reference is challenging. It's the difference between watching a thunderstorm from behind the safety of a picture window and experiencing it by running through a driving wind pelted by hard drops of rain. 

Static things can be observed & examined...experiences are living entities that transform and end up re-arranging the inside core of the participant. This is the crux of the emerging worlds of Web 2.0 and Web 3.0.  

Today I had a fascinating discussion with Sara Bonert, Zillows Industry Relations Specialist who is scheduled to be one of the Speakers at the Blogging & Technology Seminar on October 25, 2007 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  One of the things that Sara said which struck me as very insightful is this: "Blogging is NOT for everyone, but Everyone can participate in Web 2.0 and be Effective." 

She's right!  Real Estate professionals need to truly understand what Web 2.0 is and know how to Connect within it.  Web 2.0 has many different guises. Participation is multi-functional and multi-dimensional.  There is no "must do" or "one size fits all." There are blogs, videocasts, podcasts, interactive advertising, gaming, virtual realities, forums, social networks... It's about figuring out what works for you and then discovering how this translate into interactivity.

For many years, I was a competitive runner.  I ran for my school, ran for my state and eventually made it to national competition.  My days as a e runner stopped during college when I almost severed a hamstring during qualifying for a spot in the State competition.  After this, I became an armchair critique, enjoying the race vicariously on television...remembering the pain of gasping for one more breath and the exhilaration of a victorious finish. 

For my kids, their vicarious sports experiences translate very differently.  They can experience a virtual race with runners from all over the world by clicking their cursors on a wide screen TV or computer. Gaming is no longer based on location...it's conducted virtually all over the world.  So, Web 2.0 applications blend a wide brush stroke across many different forums.  Getting a grip on that changes everything.  Because Web 2.0 re-defines the context of Experience. 

I just finished reading a blog by Broker Bryant entitled "Let's Play the Pricing Game" in which he posed a question to the community about pricing a home.  It was interesting dilemma.  The house prices were all over the Board for Sold and Current comparables. The homeowner had already listed without success.  The discussion in the comments was extremely educational. What was most fascinating to me was being able to witness the creation of the DNA of Pricing Strategy.  Through the interaction of comments the integral components which real estate agents incorporate into their thinking and counsel when giving advise about pricing surfaced.  It was happening in real time addressing a real problem and collectively arriving at a real solution with input from across the nation! 

Where else is a forum like this possible? Where else could the combined wisdom of the community give birth to wisdom that transcended the skills of a single practitioner?  Where else is it possible for the consumer to have a window seat to peer into the intricacies of the real estate profession. Nowhere, except within the framework of Web 2.0. Broker Bryant's seller posted a comment and it began with "WOW!"  That's about the best descriptive of Web 2.0 that I've heard in a long time. 

On October 25, 2007, Sara Bonert is going to share about the myriad ways in which real estate professionals can create and participate in the Experience of Web 2.0.  It's not just about BLOGGING...this is so much bigger.  There are a number of ways to create GOOGLE juice & to increase your perceived presence online. We all owe it to ourselves to really understand this new medium.  It's the difference between imagining being in a race and experiencing what it feels like to cross the finish line in living color. The difference is mind Boggling. :)