McCain/Lieberman? Could This Be a Winner?

It would definitely makes things interesting. As Hillary and Obama beat each other up and weaken the Democrat's unity, could a McCain/Lieberman ticket create a sense of unity that makes them look noble and progressive, appealing to the huge middle, leaving the partisan extremes hanging on the edges confused and sidetracked?

Both McCain and Lieberman are experienced and have a mixture of conservative and liberal elements, making them heavy-weight hybrids. Neither Hillary nor Obama have experience and the contrast would be very obvious the closer it gets to election day.

Staunch conservatives may not like it at first, but when the idea sinks in, they may see it as a powerful answer to the recent lean to the left -- some will say it's capitulation, but others will see it as a counter-measure that prevents complete defeat to liberalism. The blue-blood republicans would love it, as would independents.

The radical left will not like it, but the moderate left will probably embrace it secretly, although they wouldn't announce it at parites or in coffee shops.

It might change the nature of modern politics, where hybrids searching for a middle ground are welcomed and supported by those tired of the old divisions and rhetorical, partisan battles.

Yes, it would be interesting. I think it would work. Even though I think McCain is an ego-maniac and power-monger, just looking at it from a spectator's seat I think they would win. 

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Real Estate web 2.0 -- Brief Conclusion (whew)

To conclude all this RE web 2.0 series rambling, I’ll wrap it up with some observations.

I’ve received criticism for my objective stance regarding Greg’s post and the subsequent hoopla surrounding it. Although probably too vocal, I’ve been honest, so I’m satisfied. The whole conversation forced a reconsideration of ideas about RE.net in general. It’s forced a reevaluation of network building and a closer look at group behavior and how it affects reputation management.

As I see it, integrity and relationship building are the most important guidelines for the implementation of a business plan that deals with social/personal network marketing. This blog, my relationship with Bloodhound and Bigger Pockets and my participation on other blogs and RE sites, are all an effort to learn more about the RE profession and to build a referral network with RE professionals. A beneficial consequence of these efforts will be to make some friends, but making friends is not a primary aspect of the business plan. Respect as a knowledgeable RE professional who provides exemplary service is good enough.

Although chatting with people of similar interests and getting to know people is enjoyable, business is a primary focus and I take the internet seriously as the new vehicle to success and comfortable retirement. In many ways the Re.net is too small and incestuous for the purposes of my plan. Many of the blogs are informational with tidbits of tech and gadget news, or the latest from Zillow and the like but I can get that from a Yahoo pipe directly from the sources. The social aspect of these places seems pleasant but nothing special for my business.

Bloodhound is on track to transcend the smallness and limitations of the typical RE blog, reaching out to the wider world of marketing and politics and the social meaning of blogging and networking, which is the direction that seems best, for in a sense everyone is a potential prospect, not just RE junkies who visit each other on a handful of blogs. It will take a special message to attract a wider audience, create a more far reaching sphere of influence. It’s one reason when I advertise in print, I avoid the RE mags and go for mags with general readership – it sets the message apart and almost everyone will have real estate needs, whether it’s present, soon or later.

Plus, the group dynamics of RE groups, presently, are far too clubby and defensive to be practically useful and challenging. I prefer a hardcore learning environment where honesty is more important than popularity and social status.

As marketing venues, Zillow and Trulia and the rest are good for listings, but for someone who wants to market buyer agency and relocation services they are fairly useless. I want to place my money where I can get the exposure necessary to brand expert services targeted at the burgeoning baby boomer movement and it may be found outside the RE specific sites, or through the players that make progress toward web 3.0. As for the RE sites, Active Rain is in a position to leverage its traffic, not to mention monetize their efforts, to create value for local, experienced brokers in a win/win partnership. I have ideas if anyone is listening.

Overall, I believe the RE web 2.0 experience is in a state of flux and experimentation and time will tell how it all shakes out. It is time to get over the awkward social stage and develop value sites that are beneficial to users – sites that go beyond the present limitations and add value to the greater conversation going on. Squabbles are okay, but there is business to be done.

Auditioning For A Position As Obama's Speechwriter

As we change and move forward, change is of the utmost importance – change is needed, change is wanted, change is what I’ll bring. (pause for applause, swooning and panty throwing)

Change is the necessary ingredient for our country’s problems, change from the old to the new, change from the tired to the inspired, change from the static to the dynamic, change from financial despair to hope and prosperity (pause for more applause, swooning, fainting and panty throwing)………….for all .

I’m the agent of change at a time when change is needed most. I was for change before change was an issue, when no one was changing or thinking about change. Change is in my blood; I live for change; I’m running for change; I’ll win for change (you know the drill)

I will change the way this changing country thinks about change, we will change together, and as we change, change will bring about more change, and MORE CHANGE, until we have changed all that can be changed and then we’ll change some more – we’ll change change itself until change is a new change, a different change, a fairer change, a change that changes change and all that changes as we change in this new age of change ( wipe brow, smile, blow nose, wait for the cheers to subside, go into finalizing preacher mode)

So if you are with me on this ever-changing wave of change, let’s ride this wave of change ( start chanting CHANGE, CHANGE, CHANGE, now sway, sway, Wave your hands, CHANGE, CHANGE)

Real estate Web 2.0 -- Free Speech

Free speech has been a hot topic since I started posting in forums on the internet back in 1996. I'm sure it will continue to be a hot topic. A lot of it is tangled up with who owns a site and the rights of the owner.

I was on a site that was focused on writing and the subject would come up every so often, usually after someone had been banned from the site for being disruptive. The cries of "free speech" and "censorship" were deafening. I always saw it as the owner's prerogative to ban anyone they thought was violating the policies, because this falls outside the realm of free speech. The owner was saying you can speak, just that you can't speak anymore at my site. The owner didn't have the power to prevent the person from speaking altogether, just at the site.

It's similar to the old example of -- I support your right to say what you want to say, but I don't have to let you say it in my living room. Upholding these two principles is not morally inconsistent -- it's two rights that can be supported separately.

What I've had to judge, as being a participant of sites, is if the banning was justified or an attempt to squelch opposition, in order to decide if I still wanted to participate. Most times I understood the banning as a necessary action to preserve the site for others, because the one banned was disrupting the conversations with an agenda that didn't serve the purpose of the site. The one banned was free to go to another site, or start a site, and say whatever they wanted to say.

I have been a paticipant at sites that became way too restrictive and I didn't have to worry about leaving, they just folded from being too restrictive. The internet market place has a way of dealing with this.

That's the thing, the internet is open and voices can be heard in a variety of different ways. No one can be silenced. And if a site becomes too dictatorial, they usually fail.

Discussing the moral dilemma of openness is one thing, the practical application is another, and while any one person can have a voice on the internet, we are not forced to listen to any one voice -- thank God.

The competition of voices is much like competition in the market, if you have something to say that's worth saying, it'll be heard, if not, people will move along. I might have a right to sell tomatoes, but I don't have a right to set up a stand on your property and force you to buy my tomatoes. This issue gets tangled up at times because people don't think through the issue.

More later.

Real Estate web 2.0 - Network Relationships

7 a: the state of being mutually or reciprocally interested (as in social or commercial matters) bplural

Out of all the definitions Merriam gives for relations, this fits best for my purposes.

As I go along creating a personal network I look for mutual and reciprocal interests. Take the Bloodhound gang for instance, I have an interest in what they offer and they've expressed a mutual interest in me. Simple. Good connection. It creates a desire to form relationships -- the state of being mutually and reciprocally interested.

On the other hand, my recent experience with 4Realz.net was somewhat different. I joined a conversation and gave my impression of a controversial post that was the subject of a disagreement and was basically accused of being disingenuous. One person accused me of taking a postion that I hadn't taken. There was no interest that I could discern within this group to understand my position, although I'd orginally gone to the group with interest in them -- the interest wasn't reciprocated. Bad connection.

I suppose I could have gone about it in a political way and kowtowed my way in by saying what was acceptable, but the effort wouldn't be based on integrity, besides, obsequiousness is not my forte. It would be a weak connection and I don't want weak connections in my network. It would be like starting a romantic relationship based on a lie -- it wouldn't work.

So, relationships have to have integrity (The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness - from answers.com) to be an integral part of the personal network.

As an editorial aside, I'm beginning to see too many sites that mistake consensus of opinion for integrity. Along with reputation management, and more important than reputation management for me, there is integrity management.

One of the problems I had with Zillow was their stated acceptance and recognition of RE agent value, yet they were silent in the forums where agent-bashing was a favorite sport. I'm speaking in past tense because I don't go there anymore and don't know how it is now. It was a weak connection. Again, I could have kowtowed and made myself look like the "good" agent so they would like me, but it wouldn't have been based on integrity and the relationship would fail. I had an interest in Zillow as a marketing venue for my personal network but the interest didn't seem mutual and reciprocal. Don't get me wrong, I'm not proposing Zillow should censor its forum, but the failure to speak up and defend the RE industry out of what appears to be fear of "selling out to the man" and losing street cred tells me a lot of about their opinion of the RE industry.

Active Rain seems to have maintained its integrity although the relationship it has built with House Values remains an unanswered question. The only reason I stopped utilizing Active Rain was to start my own blog, and when I posted there it was like posting on a busy subway wall.

I have high hopes for Roost although they aren't established, and they never answered my email. I understand I'm in a small market and they have bigger fish to fry (roosters frying fish!), but in the beginning I commented on a blog asking about their plans to expand and my comment was answered with an affirmative YES with the invitation to correspond by email. I sent two with no reply. I'll forgive them, with the fish frying and all. But, they have a good concept that creates the possibility of true relationship, mutual and reciprocal interest.

My website provider, Point2, is an important connection in my personal network, and while you don't expect a personal touch with a website provider, in the beginning P2 did a good job of making users feel welcomed and there was mutual and reciprocal interest, yet now with the changes in management it appears a little distant and just-business-like. That's okay as long as they keep the site up, stay on the edge of change and have responsive customer service - that meets the defintion of a good connection. So far they have, but they better be careful, some sweet talking stranger might seduce me -- it's a personal touch world.

One connection that started out like mutual, reciprocal interest was Real Estate Webmasters, but then they got into link trouble with Google. I did a little research and was bothered by some of the reports -- then I got a response from the owner on one of my blogs that turned me off. I started getting that weak link vibe and decided they weren't needed in my personal network. One thing that bothers me is that the blogs are flat boring, no personality, no interesting articles, just blandness and no interaction. However, when I tried to remove my account, I couldn't get out. I've sent 5 emails with no response, I've requested in their forum to be removed; I even requested to be removed in a blog. I was told I could delete the blogs and there was no other assistance. I can't delete my information. Bad connection, bad connection.

There are others and it's fascinating as I go through this online journey creating connections, building a network. I've gained enough experience where I know what I'm looking for and it's much easier to recognize quickly so that I don't waste time like on REW. I think sites that have taken users for granted may be in for disappointment if they don't reciprocate interest-- too many new players will be coming along with different and alluring sites that are interesting and useful, saying "I'm interested in YOU big boy".