Growing up we were fortunate to have grandparents who enjoyed telling stories about their lives. We learned about the Native Americans who used to camp at my grandparents farm in the Kickapoo Valley in Wisconsin and about losing your business during the depression in a small town in northeast Arkansas.
Some of the stories we heard were second and third generation stories about relatives we would never have the chance to meet and of course there were the stories about our parents antics that they wish had been kept buried in the family vaults. But the great part was that not only was family history being passed to another generation but we also learned about the changes in the towns where they grew up and how the conveniences we take for granted didn't even exist then.
Today bloggers are becoming the next generation of storytellers. Sharing stories about their business, neighborhoods and experiences for customers or other agents to learn from. We aren't sitting around the dinner table with our family but around our keyboards connecting with thousands of people, some who may never meet us in person and some who will call us because of the stories we tell. Just as our grandparents and parents told stories of life in their area so do bloggers.
Customers and other agents are drawn to our blogs for different reasons. There was always the relative sitting around the table that didn't have time for all the nonsense and just wanted to know the exact time that the sun was scheduled to rise. They usually pushed themselves back from the table as soon as the stories started and retreated to another room. The same is true for anyone reading our blogs. If what we say doesn't appeal to them then they can move on to the next post. No one forces them to stay around and read what we have written.
However there are those who do stick around. They read and enjoy the stories we share. They may sometimes think we are the crazy Aunt who shouldn't be let out in public but they know who we are and they like us anyway. They are the ones who are going to call us to help them buy or sell a house, they are the ones who are going to call us to meet for lunch or send us a referral.
So I'm going to keep the storytelling tradition going by passing along some of the little stories about the neighborhoods I grew up in or my experience moving around the world as a military spouse. Hopefully other bloggers will continue to do the same so that we keep the history of our areas alive, help answer questions that a new agent may have or share personal experiences that creates a connection. Now about that fish that got away!
Comments(0)