What I Miss from the RE.net
Back in the 2006-2009 while working at Zillow, I remember being literally excited to see what the real estate blogging community (aka the “RE.net” or “real estate blogosphere”) had published. Every morning, one of the first things I did at my desk was check my favorite blogs to see what was new. Monday mornings after weekends where I had been entirely offline (there were many weekends I ended up working all weekend) were particularly exciting since there was almost always something of interest written over the weekend.
I can’t remember the last time I was “excited” to see what someone in the real estate industry had to say.
Now, all that conversation is scattered throughout Facebook groups and on Twitter. But there is something to be said for sitting down, thinking about an issue, and spending 15 minutes to 60 minutes (or more) formulating your thoughts about a given topic in a blog post. That level of thinking isn’t (often) done anymore.
What do I really miss from the early RE.net days?
The sense of community.
Real, thoughtful thinking.
And…GREAT writing.
Who in the industry is writing truly great content these days? Is anyone out there writing at Kris Berg levels? Will great blogging make a comeback? Or are we destined for a world where 10 seconds thought is all anyone can muster in the flurry of Tweets and photos flashing before your eyes every single minute?
Or, am I off my rocker?
Side note: If you’re really curious what some of the early real estate bloggers wrote about early Zillow features, go browse through the links contained in some of the older posts in the Zillow category on my personal blog (ZMM launch, Q&A).
Steve & Jamie Skojec
Posted at 07:46h, 25 JuneYou know, we believe in blogging. Real, original content is irreplaceable. Does it immediately build your brand? Nope. But it builds credibility and provides lasting value and organic SEO, if you want to look at it that way.
We’re in a knowledge business. Now, I don’t know about other people, but when I go doing research for someone to work with and I see a generic website with badly re-written or obviously repurposed content, it doesn’t work for me.
Real estate agents benefit tremendously from automation and systems, there’s no doubt about it. But there are just some things you don’t automate. Content needs TLC, even if you struggle to find the time to get to it.
I just spent an hour and a half writing up a post about what people need to know about rising interest rates. I’d much rather distribute that to all of our social media channels as an anchor, and then fill in around the edges with less in-depth content, pictures, etc.
Just my two cents.
Steve
Drew Meyers
Posted at 10:54h, 25 JuneHey Steve-
Thanks for the comment. I think what it really comes down to for me is that it feels like most people aren’t really thinking strategically. But rather just seeing short tidbits or sound bytes and acting – without knowing why.
Maybe it’s just hard to find the truly great writing out there because it’s so spread out, and – HOPEFULLY – being written for consumers rather than the industry. My hunch is there is great stuff out there, but the people writing it are building their business rather than engaging in the mindless chatter online. Which is a good thing, but I wish they’d do a tiny bit of promotion so the industry can use them as an example of the right strategy.
Eric Hempler
Posted at 12:34h, 25 JuneIt could be that several people just aren’t seeing business from it and have decided to shift their focus to activities that bring in business more quickly.
Drew Meyers
Posted at 19:59h, 25 JuneIf people are spending their time on activities that bring in business – that’s a good thing. There has got to be some great stuff written for buyers/sellers/home owners though — no? How to find it though, I have no idea
Geordie Romer
Posted at 16:44h, 28 JuneI think Lani said it better than I probably was going to.
A bunch of folks left the trenches and went on to be consultants, gurus, etc. Another group finally paid the price for being internet famous without having any ROI behind it (and had to get real jobs) . I think there are still a bunch of us writing “hyperlocal” content, but we are too busy being successful agents to get too involved in the big flame wars about syndication / zestimates / redfin etc.
Karri Flatla
Posted at 10:51h, 07 JulyComing from the online marketing/coaching/consulting world where what’s considered “real” or “really important” consistently begs the question of “Who cares?!” … I SO hear what Lani is saying.
However, I *do* have a real estate blog that is more like a one-stop resource library for the people that matter most: real estate clients! Industry in-blogging and intra-relating is all fine and good, but our end-client simply could not care less. They just want to buy or sell a house.
Drew Meyers
Posted at 10:55h, 07 JulyThe focus on clients is good thing, certainly.
What I’m getting at, I think, is where can the industry find great examples of client focused writing? I’d love to highlight a few here, but I don’t know where to start to find the examples.
Karri Flatla
Posted at 11:46h, 07 JulyWell you can check out my blog for lots of examples of that 😉
Drew Meyers
Posted at 10:57h, 07 JulyYup, you nailed it I think. I guess the people I wanted to keep in touch with, I still keep in touch with — with or without the “RE.net”.