I attended the Inman Connect yesterday. While, I normally love going to seminars to network, I did not find that this one was within my "league". I found that the Inman Connect were for tech guys trying to promote their software, their ideas and trying to sell. Which is great - that is what these vendor based seminars are for. But, what I found was that I am just a lowly Realtor. I LOVE Real Estate. I love to sell, I love to buy. I love to work with buyers and I really love to work with sellers. I get a huge rush in negotiating deals and getting my deals done, this is my true true passion. Point blank.
What I discovered yesterday that all my hype about blogging was not about blogging. It was about Social Networking. While I thought that I was "socially climbing" What I really was doing was socially chatting. I found that I was linking and backlinking to other bloggers - for exposure reasons. But, this is not what I am about. I am about Real Estate. I don't think that my local Clients/Customers really care what a blogger in Arizona has to say - unless they are looking for a home to buy in that area. I don't think that my direct area consumers has any needs for information about San Diego - nor do the buyers/sellers care what I have to say from those areas either.
While I was at Inman, Pat Kitano approached me - which I was flattered. He recognized me and he came right up to me and asked if I would join him and a few other bloggers for lunch. I was excited to go and I would have gone. But, I was there with my broker who for months keeps telling me "you are not a journalist" - "you are only chatting" and "Blogging will be taken over by corporate and no one will read yours", and so on and so on. So, I knew that he was not going to be game for lunch with my blogger friends. So, I had to decline. But as irony has it, I got a call while I was at Inman from a seller that wants me to sell his homes (yes, plural), so I did wind up leaving for an appointment. But, I have to say admittedly - I was let down. I did not feel the connection and maybe that was my fault. But the only people that I knew and recognized was Pat and Matt Heaton. I walked through the vendors booths and everything was repetitious of one another. Mapping, Listing platforms and how to get internet leads. While I can not argue that all of these tools are important - I just don't know if they are the only things that I want to offer my consumers. I want to offer more. There is not one other Realtor in my direct area, that has a good website - let alone a blog. I want to talk to my consumers and give a sense of knowledge of what I see going on in our area. I don't want to shout over another blog. Its only me right now, talking and motoring along, by myself. So, while I don't think that I was going down the WRONG path - I just don't think that - that is the path I want to go. I want to be set apart from my Competitors - not blend in with the bloggers.
On my way into my office this morning - I was debating on posting this or not. I am not a open feelings kind of gal. So this post is hard for me to hit "publish" and I will be shocked if I even hit it.
My discovery leads me to change the way that I think. My main blog, will be used as a local blog - featuring information about all the areas that I cover (Bayside, Whitestone, College Point and some parts of Long Island). I will keep that blog as only real estate matters. I have been doing this all along - but I have had some variations with posting stories about other bloggers. This will be kept here on Active Rain. I am contributing to MyHouseKey.org and I think that the site will do well - so I will continue to link and post there.
While I do not disagree that social networking is a must - I do, but I also think that I need to locally base my blog and work from there. Am I wrong to think this?
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