This site is not designed to get real estate business
I'm beginning to have second (third, fourth) thoughts about the social/business aspect of the internet. I've always been a private person, the type that will tell you anything you want to know if you ask, but not very socially open except with close friends.
The internet is filled with people who have different agendas. The groups I've taken a chance and joined have always been disappointing -- I watch in amazement at people who are socially adept manuever in social groups seemingly oblivious to the defects and negatives. I'm not that type -- I have an allergy to superfical relationships - and I can't keep my mouth shut (or my fingers from typing).
Honest relationships are difficult to find and the internet has been a poor source of building honest relationships. Communication is hampered by the absence of the physical presence and the slow process, and all its nuances, of building a relationship.
Building "relationships" around a common business pursuit is okay to a point, but it's cut and dry when you get down to it -- you help me and I'll help you, and perhaps we can both profit -- it's not important that I like you or have a real relationship with you or that we have deep conversations about ideas and values.
Mixing business with social relationship building is fraught with problems. I don't particularly like it, because it means I have to put on another face and always be aware of how I can negatively affect my busniness -- so if someone is a jerk, I don't call them a jerk, if I want to fit in -- if someone is obnoxious, I overlook it -- after awhile, in a social setting, I feel I've lost myself in a whirl of superficiality just to do business.
That's why I don't socialize with real estate agents and vendors at local functions -- I hate the feeling of pretending, I hate having to worry about who is trying to trick information out of me, I hate the pretension of others who pretend to be sooooo interested in me (then whisper in the hall how they might can help me with this new product and when I don't need the product flitter off to another "friend"), I hate all of it -- so I don't attend. If I want to do business with someone, I'll contact, we'll meet, and we'll do business.
The internet social activity which revolves around business is not much different. In many ways it's worse because of the absence of the physical presence. I've tried and it just doesn't fit. I will continue to write here, but I won't be getting involved in the social/business relationship building, because my ideas of relationships don't include being something other than I am. I can't be outrageous to get attention, nor sweetly friendly to be liked, nor cool to be admired, nor active to just be seen, nor dishonest to deceive. I can only be myself and let the cards fall where they may.
Not that all this I've been thinking is important, just a disclosure for transparency -- I'll be writing on this blog site for a long time to come, hopefully, so if you read here you know who I am. I believe relationships should start with something real. This blog is not about getting or giving business. Anybody wanting to do business with me can reach me at my business sites. Here, I'm off duty. But if you want a real, no-holds-barred conversation, jump in -- that's one of the reasons I created this place.
That's what the gurus miss when they talk about focusing only on business to make more bucks -- this little insignificant site is not about that.
Mike Farmer
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Reader Comments (14)
Now that is transparency, Mike.
So to continue our discussion.
Bonzai is about what Mike wants it to be, clearly stated.
The Homegain blog is about sharing real estate tips among homegain and non homegain agents, Homegain news, market data and the occasional General Manager rant on the state of things.
Indeed if one reads one of my rants the Case Against blogging, I agree that blogging for business is not optimal, it actually is subtitled :"this is the case against blogging for business"
http://blog.homegain.com/case-against-blogging
LOL -- yes, I like to make things clear. It's my freaking blog, it's my freaking time and I'll waste my freaking time writing about any freaking thing I want to write about. :)
Transparency, indeed!
You're preachin' to the choir, Mike. Preachin' to the choir. I'm the Bawld tenor who can't carry a tune in a paper bag.
Geez mike..have a beer..for Pete's sake it's Mother's day..chilll...don't take things so personal. Wasn't talking about you dude..take a chill it's not healthy.
You missed the point completely but alas..you got some traffic out of it so all is not lost.
Have a great Sunday, it's a day off , and I mean that.
This has very little to do with you Barry. It's all the gurus in chorus who have beaten the drum too often.
You also misinterpret my emotional state -- I am very peaceful. I'm just staking a position.
You seem to overestimate your influence.
Jeff, I knew you would be good for an "Amen" on this one.
Reading your posts and comments would infer otherwise.
As for guru's..I did not see any names mentioned and your last post specifically named me so ..excuse me if I'm wrong.
As for my influence...I've said often, I am not hear to change minds or influence minds. So I don't have any influential delusions.
Your inference is off target, but then my emotional state is beside the point, albeit a good diversion.
It's an old tactic to divert the discussion to the emotional and mental state of those who disagree with you. Nice try, though.
I am glad to know you are not delusional.
Mike..you seem to insist on picking a fight. You're twisting words and to what end...who knows.
You speak about some "tactic"..trust me, if I have something to say, I say it. No diversion or end around games EVER.
I understand you disagree, so be it. Does your disagreement have more merit than my stance on "some" wasting their time on blogging? No.
I really don't care what people blog about and I could really care less how much time they spend doing so.
I received 75 emails from various real estate agents from across the Country in 4 hours today about how they feel the re blogosphere has denigrated and that they are starving for more "how-to" substance.
That was my point. There are so many prominent bloggers out there..you included, that have the platform to help so many.
My post may not have conveyed this as such but my intent truly is to stop writing about other bloggers and what they think and concentrate on helping those who need and want it.
That can't be wrong.
"Excuse me if I am wrong, but I thought that blogging in real estate was about buying and selling real estate. When did it become the muse of soda jerks who haven’t any real business and spend night and day writing and finger pointing about all that is not real estate?"
here is one part I disliked. It's a general accusation -- if you could have identified an example, I could judge the rightness or wrongness -- but, it's just pompous and bombastic.
Then you go into a commercial after bashing these unknown, terrible bloggers, which is pompous and self-serving.
"Additionally, in learning how to efficiently blog and write, we created a radio show to help promote it. Now we have progressed to the point that we have taken what we have learned and are beginning our foray into a real estate blog to buy and sell houses."
Then you say "All of the other smarmy BS is getting a bit old" -- what smarmy BS? I see the strawman standing rickety and tall.
Then this bit of weirdness -- "Recently we began somewhat of an investigative report that we were going to air. It involved looking up the sales activity of many of the so called noble class of the RE blog world.
After a week of looking into this and having our “moles’ review MLS sales records in various locations it became apparent that many in the blogosphere have had more time to write because they have not had any real sales activity. Many of the Gang of 50 have had less than 10 closed sales this year with a great many having less than 5."
You have moles investigating bloggers' sales? And you say others have too much time on our hands and need to concentrate on selling?
Then this was tacky and misguided, because you can't tell from the MLS how much business an agent is doing -- your research is flawed --
I, personally, had a couple of million last year off the MLS. Others have the same, I'm sure. What is not on the MLS is sometimes investor deals, your own investments such as flipping and so forth. two deals I put together this week won't be on the MLS. It happens all the time in real estate and you should nkow that. It just seemed like a petty thing to do -- it maligns people without proper evidence.
And to top it off, you don't write about specific means to sell real estate. It all seemed misguided, pompous, malignant and it didn't provide any examples -- a strawman, ideed. that's what I thought was wrong about it. It's not that I thought it was about me. I don't play that game of it's all right if part of my gang does it -- I don't have a gang. And I don't mind scathing criticism, but I object to strawman arguments that contain a commercial for yourself. Let's compare what you do with one of the top 50 bloggers -- then we'll have something to judge.
hey Mike..this is laughable and typical. How about this..you write to your audience and I'll write to mine.
You are not my demographic and I am not going to waste my time any longer with those outside my demo. It's unproductive and exactly what I wrote.
I don't make any money going back and forth with you.
It's been fun but for it to be real, I have to go now as you are not part of my target audience.
Does not mean any slight to you, but taking up this much time on one person who is not part of my demo from which I will not make any money from is of no further interest.
Sorry you disagreed. Hope you continue to prosper.
I'm sorry you feel that way, but that's how I honestly see it.
Mike as I see it since Barry is a "journalist" or industry watcher he should investigate stories like how are our prominent bloggers doing.
His time I would imagine would be spent being a "mole", blogging and covering what real estate bloggers write about.
I thought he was all about selling real esate in south Florida, my bad.
My part time job is investigator of agents with foot fethishes.