I had the chance to talk on the phone today with Paul Dunn from First Priority Financial out of Tucson Arizona. He's putting together a Podcast for Mortgage Brokers. He's also a member of TBWS of which I am good friends. The topic for our upcoming Podcast is ActiveRain and Localism. We explored some great ideas on how members and non members of ActiveRain will be able to best utilize a site like Localism. One of the concepts/analogies we came up with was pretty good, as it relates to neighborhoods, communities and Localism.
Why is it that when an ambulance or firetruck stops on our street with the sirens blaring and the lights flashing, we always have to run outside to see what's happening? It seems like this is the only time we connect or get involved with meeting the neighbors and socializing with the community. I admit it, somehow, I can manage hundreds of emails, phone calls, numerous comments on Blogs, respond to tweets, even read my fun-wall on Facebook, all in a single day, yet I have never met or found the time to talk to the neighbors just two doors down or even the ones across the street. :-(
Localism is all about being local. It's about getting out and connecting with the people in neighborhoods off-line so that we can bring back the content and share it on-line with others. Connecting with people is what makes a community so fun and exciting to be part of. That's why the ActiveRain Network is so vibrant and still growing. It's also turned out to be a great place to grow our business and relationships. I think Localism will be is the "Golden Ticket" to getting into doors that we may have never considered in the past. Seriously, imagine the possibilities...
The Localism Blog that you've worked so hard to create and establish, can now be the very tool that will open doors and opportunities for you to share, plus benefit both your business and your neighborhoods. The content available in your community and maybe even on your own street is priceless. Don't wait to hear sirens and see flashing lights coming down your street to get out there and meet and greet your neighbors. This is the best time to be proactive. Use Localism to gather and share information. Make it more than just another community website, make it a "NeighborPedia."
So When was the last time you talked to your neighbors? Do you know them? When was the last neighborhood Block Party or BBQ? Who recently brought you cookies or knocked on your door to borrow some flour? See? Are we really connecting to the off-line world as much as we should? Shouldn't they be on-line with us? I think Localism is going to be one of the best ways to open doors, connect with people locally, provide valuable and useful content, and benefit from all your hours you've invested here.
ActiveRain is obviously the premier network to connect with other RE professionals, and granted, many of us do get leads that convert to business, but Localism will be the place to really connect with consumers, neighbors, business owners, targeted neighborhoods and communities. I'm going across the street now to meet my neighbor, and then apologize for not doing it sooner. I think a good portion of our time should be spent connecting with our local neighbors and communities off-line, then invite them into the WEB 2.0 world with us. Localism may very well be the tool that helps you do that. :-)
An Ambulance, Firetruck and Localism? - They all get you out to meet the neighbors!
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