Real Estate Networking: Some Realtors Dive into Cyberspace

Recently the New Jersey Association of Realtors reported that it is diving deeper into cyberspace, purchasing virtual real estate in the online world of Second Life, building profiles on networking sites LinkedIn and Facebook, and rolling out audio podcasts for members.

The association announced that it has opened a virtual office in Second Life which is a three-dimensional, interactive online world. Other real estate entities, including Coldwell Banker and the California Association of Realtors, are also among the "inhabitants" of Second Life.

NJAR created a profile on Facebook that allows visitors to view pictures and read about events. Other Facebook members can sign on as fans and NJAR has 14 fans listed.

The Tennessee Association of Realtors has also created a presence on Facebook and has had some educational podcasts for sometime. TAR currently has 208 fans listed on Facebook.

Like NJAR, TAR also announced that it has created automated electronic feeds for its weekly association newsletter and updates at its Web site. "The RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds make it possible for people to keep up with the latest information coming from the association.

Also on the cutting edge of online socializing is the statewide Tennessee Real Estate Network created by Realtor Jim Gibbs. Gibbs is convinced that online socializing is the current equivalent of belonging to groups such as the Lions Club, Rotary, and Toastmaster all rapped up in one.

“More and more Realtors and consumers are drawn to the Internet and the latest technological gadgets to research, market, buy and sell real estate," added Gibbs. "NJAR and TAR's use of these new tools will ensure that they are in lock-step with the ever-changing needs of their membership and the public."

“However”, he added, “It is the intention of the Tennessee Real Estate Network to not only provide a platform for Realtor to Realtor networking, but a place for clients and customer to discover you as a knowledgeable professional in the real estate industry.”

Gibbs also promises to teach any member of the Tennessee Real Estate Network how to create their own community or niche online social network as a marketing tool. “That is the bottom line,” said Gibbs, “Marketing ourselves as professionals.”

To gain the most from you experience on the Tennessee Real Estate Network I encourage you to invite your friends, post a blog and establish yourself as an expert. To post your blog, go to My Page and near the bottom under My Blog – click “Add Blog Post”. I personally type and edit my post in Word and then cut and paste into the post blog section. If you let me know about your blog post, I may feature it on the main page.

To invite your friends just click “Invite Friends” and enter their email address. You can also include a very short message. If you send to multiple friends, separate the email addresses with a comma. You can also import email addresses from you address book.