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| Technology Update: Blogs in the Real Estate Industry |
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Many times people in technology put a twist on an existing idea and then give it a new name. This can cause everyone else to try to determine what this new thing is. One such instance of this is blogs or blogging.
The word blog originated from the word weblog. I usually describe a blog as ongoing dialogue on a general topic. In my mind the difference between a blog and an article written by someone is that a blog is a lot less formal. It is meant to be written when the action or thought is taking place. At the Web site blogger.com they define a blog as the following: “A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world.” At this point you may be asking why this can impact someone in the real estate industry? I believe there are three ways that blogs or blogging can impact someone in the real estate industry.
The first way that blogs can impact or help a real estate professional is to help promote or advertise a company. Many people have found that blogging on a topic and providing information to the public can identify that individual as an expert in the subject. As real estate professionals we can blog about new houses we see each day, good deals we see, trends in our area, etc. There are many sites that allow you to create blogs. A good example of a site is www.blogger.com. This will walk you through the steps to get started blogging. People can locate your blog by you personally advertising and by online search engines that focus on blogs.
The second impact that blogs can have is that they could be used to communicate to agents or other real estate professionals that are associated to your company. One of the great features of blogging tools is that readers are allowed to leave comments about each entry. A manager could provide updates or receive feedback about office policies, seek feedback on advertising campaigns, talk about a new listing, etc.
A third way that blogs can assist real estate professionals is by providing them with up to date information. Since you can search blogs by topic, it might be helpful to search for Real Estate in Houston or Real Estate Investing. Many of your clients will be reading these topics, and if so, you can provide them with real time information. If you are a writer of a blog it is important to update your blog on a frequent basis or the traffic to your site will not continue or you can lose creditability. Blogging can be a useful tool whether you are using blogs to disseminate information, to collect information or both.
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