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Check the Settings - Agent's Gone Wild

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage 01457023

So.....you have a Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn, ActiveRain, Picassa, Flickr..etc. accounts and you are a bonafide  netizen happily posting on every topic in and out of real estate with complete abandon.

What you may not realize is that the web is so interlaced that the persona that you may portray on one account with your friends may not be what you display to current and future clientele.

So how do you overcome misunderstanding, mixed messages, and the photos of your college spring break trip to Baja from hurting a deal down the line?

Here are some of my policies that may help you along the way:

1) Read and understand the privacy settings of the accounts you create. Facebook for instance can be designed so that pictures and postings can be only specified groups of friends you've created. For instance photos of a birthday party amongst friends could be set up (through the settings menu) to only be seen by those who were at the fiesta or who you feel should see it.

2) Set your profile as private until you have had a chance to review the friend request. How many times have I been able to view all blogs, photos and contacts of a person anonymously. By only giving permission to your profile after you've okayed the friendship, you'll have a little more privacy on the net.

3) Monitor your profiles. If you have a LinkedIn account and you never monitor it then how will you know that a friend from a past job wants to get a hold  of you for business? Or how will you know that a girlfriend from college has just posted a disparaging comment on Facebook? Come back to your profiles and check them often, otherwise delete it and move on.

I'm sure that there are others and I'd love to hear your thoughts. Be safe out there and have fun.

Comments (3)

Regina P. Brown
MBA Broker Consultants - Carlsbad, CA
M.B.A., Broker, Instructor

Hugo, yes it's good to restrict non-business photos, BUT if it's really crazy, don't even post it online, because ANYTHING can be found even if it's supposedly protected.

Thanks for posting at http://activerain.com/groups/virtualoffice

Apr 14, 2009 05:05 AM
Rebecca Levinson, Real Estate Marketing and Online Advertising Consultant
Real Skillz-Clear Marketing for Your Real Estate Vision - Lake Geneva, WI

Hugo,

This is an important topic- watching your profile online and being diligent about what is posted and to whom.  You make some great points and suggestions.  I would also add to that not to get online while intoxicated and comment on blogs, twitter, facebook or any other social networks.

Apr 15, 2009 04:53 AM
Hugo Torres
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Monrovia, CA

@ Rebecca..oh the old version of the "drunk-dial". Yes, you're right, if you've had a few cocktatils...refrain from posting anything on-line.

There are some bells you just can't un-ring.

Apr 16, 2009 04:14 AM