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On endings and beginnings. . .

April 11, 2011 By Daniel Rothamel 57 Comments

Well, here is the announcement that I (and many of you), have been waiting for. . .

What does this mean for me?

I’m excited. I honestly am. While today marks the end of one era for me, it also signals the beginning of some really exciting things. For the last few weeks, I’ve been in limbo. During that time, I’ve spent quite a bit of time thinking about where I’ve been, where I’m at, and where I’m going. I particularly excited to be taking you on this journey with me. It should be fun.

Purpose Discovered

I want to tell you a little bit about where I’ve been. A story that I don’t think I’ve told many people, or that I haven’t told fully to anyone. . .

When I started RealEstateZebra.com, it had a lot to do with where I was in my life. 2006 was a tough year for me. In 2005, I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. I spent much of 2004 and 2005 being quite ill. In fact, when Kari and I were married in 2004, I was at one of my lowest weights, and a flare-up basically stole our entire honeymoon. In 2006, we made the decision to have my colon removed. It was a tough decision, but it was the only way I would be cured.

So, I went to the Mayo Clinic with Kari and my Mom in March of 2006 for the first of two surgeries. It was the most difficult experience I have ever had to endure. It was also the moment of one of my biggest mistakes.

If you look back at the archives of this site, you will notice that they don’t begin until May of 2006. That wasn’t because there were no blog posts prior to that time, because there were. I just erased them. That was a major mistake.

I did it because I didn’t want people to know what was going on. I did it because I didn’t want to share with people what I was going through. I didn’t think anyone would care. I didn’t think it was worth it. It is a mistake that I regret very much to this very day. In fact, it is really the only regret I can remember in my entire life.

If I had it to do over again, I would have blogged as much as I could have. I would have blogged from the hospital, if I could have. I definitely would have blogged during the two months I spent gingerly moving between my bed and my couch as I recovered.

I know that sharing that experience would have helped me. I know that it would have helped my family. I know that it would have helped a lot of other people.

After the surgery and recovery, blogging was just what I needed. It was something to keep me occupied. It was something to keep me going. I needed my blog every day just as much as my blog needed me.

That was was the place I was in when I had the second of the two surgeries in July of 2006. In fact, you can read what I wrote the day before we returned to the Mayo Clinic. Once again, I didn’t tell anyone what was going on. I had made the mistake once, then I managed to make it again.

After I came back home and started blogging again, recovering from the surgery gave me a chance to think about where I was and what I was doing. I decided that the surgery and recovery marked a major change in my life. I decided that I needed to somehow express this change. Since I wasn’t blogging about the surgery experience itself, the only thing I could change was what I was already expressing.

It was out of this desire for change that I started RealEstateZebra.com. Sure, the whole zebra motif was a great idea that my wife had to blend my officiating and real estate, but the reality was that it was really much deeper than that. It was about change.

When I started that site, I swore two things to myself: I swore that I would do whatever I could to use my voice to make a positive change in the real estate industry; and I swore that I would be more open and honest. I wasn’t going to make the mistake of not sharing something that could be meaningful to others, just because it might be uncomfortable to me.

Sure, I might not have said those things in exactly that way when I wrote my first post explaining the change, but when I read that post today, I can definitely feel it between the lines.

Back then, a difficult event in my life helped me discover blogging and gave me purpose that I didn’t have before. I was given exactly what I needed, even though I had no idea I was looking for it.

Purpose Renewed

Fast forward five years, hundreds of blog posts and hundreds of new relationships, and I’m feeling exactly the same way I did back then, only different.

A very difficult time in my life has shown me that keeping the two promises that I made five years ago were completely worth it. This very difficult time has confirmed not the worst opinions I have about human nature, but rather the best. It has shown me that people are, at their core, filled with love. People are looking for ways and places to pour out that love, and given the opportunity, will share their love freely and extensively. Sure, there are occasional exceptions, but those exceptions are only temporary and can always be overcome. In the end, love wins.

Just like I was five years ago, I am striking out in a new direction. Or, more accurately, I am continuing in the same direction, but with greater vigor and confidence.

I firmly believe that God knows what is best, and that He is in control, and that He loves me.

Because of this unending love, He sometimes has to redirect us so that we may follow the path He has laid out for us. Many times, following the path means that we must first be humbled. Following the path means that we sometimes must have our noses rubbed in its dirt.

I also believe that he uses people in our lives as guides to keep us on the path. We have only to listen to them and we can hear His voice, giving us the directions. I believe that He did exactly that for me 5 years ago, and He is doing it again for me now.

That is why I have a renewed confidence in my purpose and the path. I can see it more clearly now than ever before. I can’t see all the way to the end, but I know He is walking it with me, which gives me great comfort and confidence.

That comfort and confidence is the main reason why I have chosen to move here to DanielRothamel.com, and why I have chosen “drothamel” as my username on the various social networks. It is more than just my name, it is more than just a brand, it is the brand that God gave me.

Sure, things may look different now. The site has changed, my usernames have changed, but the path remains the same.

I want to take you on the journey with me. I hope you’ll come along.

Filed Under: Love, News, Video Posts

My review of the new e-PRO course, and why I chose to become an instructor

November 12, 2010 By Daniel Rothamel 6 Comments

The e-PRO course is now new and improved!

You might have heard that the very popular e-PRO REALTOR certification course was recently completely redesigned.

The e-PRO course has been around for quite some time, and has had many iterations, but it suffices to say that the course content had long outlived its relevancy. The National Association of REALTORS partnered with the Social Media Marketing Institute to completely overhaul and update the course content.

I was contacted by SMMI about possibly becoming a certified e-PRO instructor, and it sounded like an interesting opportunity to me. This past week, just before the NAR Annual Conference and Expo in New Orleans, I went through the e-PRO “Train the Trainer” course so that I can begin teaching the new e-PRO course when it launches in 2011.

I will fully admit that I had a degree of skepticism when SMMI asked me to consider being an instructor. While I am an ardent supporter of continuing education for REALTORS, my experience with REALTOR courses has been mixed, at best.

My skepticism actually had a lot to do with my decision to partcipate in the program. The way I see it, if you think something could be better, and you think you can help, you should do something to bring about the improvement.

The other factor was that I know most of the people who are involved with SMMI, and I trust their ability to come up with content that would be valuable for REALTORS.

I am pleased to say that they did not let me down.

Why I like the e-PRO course

First of all, let’s get one thing out of the way– the new e-PRO course is not perfect by any means. It is not completely comprehensive, and it isn’t going to make you any sort of “expert” or “guru” when it comes to technology and social media. If you expect that out of any two-day continuing education course, you are going to be disappointed. SMMI and NAR fully recognize this, which is why they have committed to updating the course every 6 months and providing updates free to e-PROs.

In its current form, the e-PRO course is two days. Day 1 is a full-day, in-person classroom session. Day 2 is an online course that reinforces and expands on what is learned in the classroom.

I like this approach for two reasons:

The first reason is that learning is always more valuable when it can be done in person, in a classroom setting with other students. Learning is enhanced when you can have someone there to answer questions, and the whole class is improved by hearing the questions of others and the interaction that is required of the exercises. Doing this on Day 1 provides a strong foundation for Day 2.

The second reason is that having Day 2 online means that students can also complete the course when they have time, rather than having to commit two full days to being in class, which can be tough.

So what’s in the e-PRO course?

As much as I like the format of the course, I like the content even more. In fairness, I have only been through Part 1, and merely been exposed to some of the content in Part 2. I haven’t actually gone through Part 2 yet, as it isn’t fully available right now.

The thing that really stands out to me about the Part 1 classroom material is that it is designed to give students a very solid foundation in technology and social media. It concentrates on the concepts needed to understand these emerging technologies, rather than focusing on the tools, themselves (this is in line with my recent post about more “how?” and less “what?”).

Sure, the course goes over Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, blogging, and all the other tools you would expect to hear about in a modern technology class for REALTORS. The thing that the course does very well, however, is it gives students the framework for understanding how these tools can be applied and why they work the way they do, and then reinforces the lessons with practical, real-life examples from REALTORS around the country.

What I expect from e-PRO

I’m guessing that the new and improved e-PRO course is going to very popular with REALTORS who are interested in sharpening their skills and expanding their understanding of technology and social media. I’m hoping that I’ll have plenty of opportunities to teach this material to folks who really are interested in the hows and whys of technology so that they can use it to improve their businesses and their lives.

The new e-PRO is set to launch in January of 2011. Over the next weeks and months, you can expect to hear more from me about the course and my involvement. If you have questions about e-PRO, or where you can take a class, let me know!

Filed Under: Education, News, Social Media, technology Tagged With: e-PRO, education, Social Media, teaching, technology

A new chapter for the Zebra

January 1, 2010 By Daniel Rothamel 8 Comments

There is something to be said for starting out the New Year fresh.

Yesterday was my last day as Community Manger for Inman News. My journey as Community Manger began over a year ago. It was a wonderful ride.

I learned a ton about all kinds of things. The kinds of things that will continue to serve me well. I had the opportunity to work with some really great people as part of a truly special team. I value tremendously the friendships I have started as a result of being the Community Manager there.

And in case you are just itching to send a scoop to TMZ or the Drudge Report, you can forget it. There won’t be any litany of mistresses revealed, or health problems uncovered and then covered up again.

As for the future, it is incredibly bright. I’ve got some things planned, which I’ll be talking a lot more about over the next few weeks. I honestly can’t remember being as excited for an upcoming year as I am when I think about what 2010 has in store.

2010 is gonna rock.

Filed Under: Inman, News

A big THANK YOU to the Michigan Association of REALTORS (and a special thank you to Mark Lemon)

October 22, 2009 By Daniel Rothamel 1 Comment

Two weeks ago, I was in Traverse City, MI at the Michigan Association of REALTORS Conference and Expo. I was given the opportunity to lead three presentations about social media. I had a blast! I really enjoyed my time and Michigan, and I just wanted to say “thank you” to everyone who made it possible, and so enjoyable:

I also wanted to say a special thank you to Mark Lemon (@markslemon).

Mark helped me out BIG TIME.

On my second day of presentations, I happened to be in the one room in the entire conference that couldn’t quite pick up a wi-fi signal. This wouldn’t have been such a big problem, except that I planned to do live demos of Facebook and Twitter. No internet connection was a problem.

So there I am, laptop at the ready, and no internet connection to be found. I told the audience that I was going to wing it as best I could. About 5 minutes into my presentation, Mark comes up to me and offers his own laptop, equipped with his wireless card.

Mark saved my bacon. For that, I am eternally greatful.

Michiganders ROCK!

I learned that Mark’s thoughtfulness is not uncommon among Michiganders. Everyone I met during my time there was exceedingly friendly. Even the folks that couldn’t be there, who were following me on twitter, were happy to offer suggestions as to where to eat and where to go during my stay.

All in all, it was a great experience. I hope that I get to do it again, soon!

Thank you.

Filed Under: Blogging, community, News, press, Social Media, Uncategorized, Video Posts Tagged With: conferences, presentations, speaking, thank yous

The BIGGEST announcement in the history of The Zebra. . .

June 17, 2009 By Daniel Rothamel 43 Comments

Just watch. . .

Ok, so to be completely accurate, Kari is the one who is pregnant, but I helped.

Needless to say, we are EXTREMELY excited. We actually found out on Mother’s Day (how cool is that?), but wanted to sit on making a huge deal out of it until we had time to tell everyone in our families, and go to the doctor. We had our first doctor’s appointment yesterday, so Kari said I am now free to make a big deal out of it.

So, without further adieu, making his/her first Internet appearance (in black and white, of course)– IT’S OUR LITTLE ZEBRA!

Needless to say, our lives are about to change; but only for the better. We are both very much looking forward to being parents, and our baby is going to be born to very excited grandparents, and an Aunt and Uncle who are super excited.

One thing we that we realized is that our baby is also going to have quite the extended family. It is a family that we want our baby to know and experience. In true “2.0 Baby” style, you can expect to see us at BarCamps, Connect, and wherever else we can be with our baby. We’ve got a while, though, since the current due date isn’t until January 18th.

In the meantime, however, we thought it might be a good idea to prepare our baby for this 2.0 world by introducing some of the Aunts and Uncles who will be awaiting his/her arrival. We also thought it might be a good idea to set some ground rules for our baby to follow with his/her Aunts and Uncles. . .

Uncle Jeff is cool now, but he’ll seem even more cool once you are old enough to use Apple products.

You won’t be able to get anything over on Aunt Rocky. She already has six of you.

If you ever need candy, ask Uncle Mike.

If you want to know about Uncle Todd, google him– he’s kind of a big deal.

Uncle Andy is only allowed to watch you before 6pm. No matter what he says, Flask 2.0 is not filled with milk.

Don’t call him Uncle Brad. Call him Uncle Cool.

If Aunt Ines gives you “the look,” RUN.

We’ll try to take enough pictures of you that you should be prepared for Aunt Teresa by the time you meet her.

Uncle Jay was born in the same hospital as you. How cool is that? Also, he can teach you what the “dead man’s hand” is.

Don’t ask Uncle Rob a question, unless you are prepared for a long debate– although, you’ll probably agree with whatever his current assessment is of the Jets.

Aunt Mizzle rocks!

If you ever lose any of your uncles, just look for Aunt Heather and Aunt Ginger, your uncles will be around there, somewhere.

Be careful around Uncle Bill, his wit is razor-sharp.

If the OTHER Uncle Jeff looks depressed, it’s totally normal– he’s a Buffalo sports fan.

If you become a Britney Spears fan, talk to Uncle Drew. He will score some tickets.

If you need a ride anywhere, ask Uncle Ben. His car runs on smiles and rainbows.

Uncle Jovan is a Fluco; therefore, he is awesome.

If you need investing advice, turn to Uncle Bawldguy– he always makes the right call.

If you are ever in doubt as to how to dress, try to dress one level above Uncle Dan. That way, you’re sure to impress.

There is a good chance that, one day, Uncle Greg is going to write a blog post about you. Don’t worry, he still loves you– he just wants to make you a better baby. Also– there will be NO playing of Scrabble for money with Uncle Greg.

Talk to Aunt Sarah, she’ll let you on the moon bounce.

When you want a pony, talk to Aunt Donna and Aunt Candy Lynn, they can handle that.

If Aunt Lani and Uncle Benn ever ask you to contribute, do it. They only ask for the best.

You need good data to make good decisions. See the other Uncle Mike. Also, if you are looking for a party– he’s your man.

Gentle, thoughtful, people are often hard to come by, so spend time with your Uncle Rudy.

If you can train your ears to listen really quickly, you can learn that much more. Listen to Uncle Dustin, that should provide adequate training.

When you want your own website, talk to Uncle Jim.

If you are looking for a good portrait, browse through Aunt Kristal’s flickr stream. You’re probably in there, somewhere.

If you are going to talk about anything serious with Uncle Keith, make sure you do it BEFORE the beer starts flowing. Otherwise, things could get strange.

If you need any really cool, crafty stuff made to make all the other babies jealous, talk to your other Aunt Sarah.

When you are ready to ride the DC Metro, Uncle Matt makes a great riding partner.

I’ll bet that if you ask really nicely, Uncle Brad and Uncle Bobby will live-stream all your birthday parties.

If you want a good google PR, ask your Uncle Gahlord. Also, do whatever he says, he knows how to ski and shoot a gun.

Let your other Uncle Jim show you how to ride a bike.

Don’t ask your Uncle Jeremy for directions– unless it is to a Tech game.

You’ll get to see all your Inman Aunts and Uncles twice a year. They’re good people, and lots of fun.

Your entire RE.net family is filled with really cool, genuine, good people. Your mother and I hope that you will grow to cherish your memories and relationships with them as much as we have.

There is always room for more family

These are just the Aunts and Uncles we could think of. I know that we probably left some people out (completely unintentionally). If you want to volunteer as an Aunt or Uncle, we’d love to have you! Just leave a comment and show our baby some love!

Filed Under: Buying, Fun Stuff, Little Zebra, News, Social Media

Enter the Inman News Photo Contest, and you could win $200!

March 11, 2009 By Daniel Rothamel 2 Comments

FULL DISCLOSURE– I am the Community Manager for Inman News

Inman News has just announced a photo contest for real estate professionals, and the winner of the contest will walk away with a $200 Amazon Gift Card. Sweet.

Here are the details from the announcement:

The photo should tell a story about the housing market and it should not be a marketing or promotional photo for a particular property, company, business model or individual.

The contest deadline is March 31, 2009.

Details:

1. How to submit your photo for entry in the contest:

Send your photo (only one photo entry per person will be considered) as a JPG/JPEG image (less than 1 megabyte file size ) via e-mail to future@inman.com. Alternatively, you can send us a link to a photo that already appears on the Web.

If you are a Flickr.com member, you can visit the Inman Photo Contest group at the following Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/groups/InmanPhotoContest/. At this group page, you can select the photo you would like to submit and click “send to group” above the photo you are submitting. Flickr users: please tag contest entries as “inman photo contest.”

2. You must be the original photographer — we will not accept submissions of another photographer’s work.

3. Photos cannot be doctored or otherwise altered to present a false picture of the original scene. Photo cropping and editing for color/contrast/brightness is allowed but not when it grossly distorts or misrepresents the original scene.

4. No illustrations will be accepted.

5. Provide detailed caption information for the photo (200 words or less). What story does this image tell, in your opinion? When was the photo taken? Where was it taken?

6. Please provide your full name and provide a link to your Web site (or a link to where the photo can be found online) so that Inman News can properly credit your photo. Inman News may choose to publish and/or republish selected entries, with the photographer’s attribution and link, one or more times. Please specify if you do not wish the photo to be republished by Inman News and if there are usage limitations with the photo entry.

That’s it, its pretty simple, and it should be a lot of fun. After the deadline has passed, Inman, with some help from readers, is going to select the top 10 photos from the entries, and the photographer of the #1 photo will get a $200 Amazon gift card. The photos will be featured on Inman News, and on the Inman Blog.

So, if you’ve got a picture that you think is worthy of the top spot, submit it to the flickr group, or via email. If you don’t have one now, no need to worry, you’ve still got plenty of time before the deadline to take one.

I can’t wait to see what folks come up with. . .

Filed Under: Fun Stuff, Inman, News

I’m giving a free presentation to local residents about social media

February 18, 2009 By Daniel Rothamel Leave a Comment

Today, I am on the cover of the local publication, The Rural Virginian (sorry, no link). You can download the article, though.

The article was written, very well I might add, by local freelance writer Wendy Edwards. You can follow Wendy on Twitter, too (@WendyTime). The interview itself was a lesson in how social media can have a profound effect on the way we communicate and form relationships. I talked with Wendy a few months ago, in October, I think. The Rural Virginian wanted to do a profile story on me and the things I have been doing with social media and real estate. We did the traditional phone interview. During the course of the interview, though, we started talking all about social media. Wendy told me that one of her good friends heads up an organization called Social Media for Social Change. We talked about Facebook (and became friends there), we talked about Twitter, and I showed her the AIM chat widget here at the Zebra. Wendy talked to me about some of the things she has planned (exciting stuff, to be sure). All in all, it was much less of an interview, and much more of a great conversation about social media.

Well, the conversation was great for Wendy and me, but probably not quite as interesting for readers of the Rural Virginian. As a result, nothing ever really came of it. That was fine by me, since I doubt that many local residents really care all that much about a Realtor using social media.

That does not mean, however, that they wouldn’t care about social media.

After NAR Orlando, and Inman Connect NYC, I started to think about how the skills and knowledge that I have acquired might be able to benefit people outside of real estate, and even business in general. I started to do a little research on my own, and I discovered that many local residents were participating in social media. This research also showed me that there were a lot of folks and organizations who could benefit from social media, but they just hadn’t been exposed to it– yet.

I decided that if I wanted to make a difference in my community, one way that I could do that would be to share my knowledge of social media with my community. I also knew, however, that doing that here at the Zebra probably wasn’t the best way to go about it. First of all, what I talk about here is real estate related, meaning that I was either going to alienate one audience or the other every time I wrote a post.

The solution– DanielRothamel.com

At DanielRothamel.com, I have a way of talking about social media outside the context of real estate and business. I can reach an audience that is slightly different from the folks that I love who read the Zebra.

The first thing that I did on DanielRothamel.com was announce a free presentation that I am going to give to local residents about the ways in which social media can benefit them, and the tools they can use to take advantage of those benefits. Once I decided that I wanted to do the presentation, and concentrate on the local community, I approached Wendy again and asked her if this was something that might be better for readers of the Rural Virginian. Sure enough, she agreed, and the article was born. Score!

It should be fun, so if you are reading this, and you are local to the Charlottesville area, please come on out on the 25th. If you aren’t local, but you know someone who is who could benefit, then please, let them know. The more people that I can reach with this message, the better.

Thanks to Wendy for writing the article, I know that it will help me spread the word and change our community. Wendy and I now communicate regularly, mostly through Facebook and AIM, and she became my very first RSVP for the event. Yet another very cool person that I can look forward to meeting IRL!

Filed Under: community, Fluvanna, General Info, News, Social Media

Blog Action Day: Want to fight poverty? Follow these examples. . .

October 15, 2008 By Daniel Rothamel 7 Comments

Today is Blog Action Day, and the topic is poverty.

I’ll be honest, I’m not impoverished, nor is anyone reading this blog post. So whatever I have to say on the fight against poverty would largely be symbolic. I think it is far more valuable for you to see examples of folks who are actually doing something about poverty, whether in their local communities or around the globe.

Lani Anglin-Rosales shared three examples of folks who may be familiar to my readers who are each participating in the fight against poverty in their own way. . .

Ginger Wilcox

Tom Vanderwell

Rocky Turner

If you want to know what you can do to help fight poverty, the three individuals above each provide a wonderful example. The key is that nothing can be done unless you do something. You aren’t going to solve poverty by yourself, but you aren’t going to solve it by reading my blog posts, either. Do what you can, as every dent we can make is significant.

The only thought I will offer about the fight against poverty is this– Socialism and Communism solve the problem of poverty by impoverishing everyone. Government-sanctioned redistribution of wealth will never be a solution. Robin Hood is a great story, until he comes knocking at your door.

Conceptually, we must stop thinking of this as a fight against poverty, and start thinking of this as a crusade to promote wealth and abundance. The latter will naturally lead to the eradication of the former.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: blog action day, ginger wilcox, lani anglin-rosales, poverty, rocky turner, tom vanderwell

NAR has many Michael Jordans. It needs Phil Jackson

October 14, 2008 By Daniel Rothamel 5 Comments

There has been quite a bit of discussion recently about the National Association of REALTORS hiring a Social Media Manager. Jay Thompson wrote a post on Agent Genius that generated a ton of great comments, and Benn Rosales shared his vision for the position.

I left a comment on the posts, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to write. This post is the result. . .

NAR has the right idea

Pamela Geurds Kabati, NAR’s VP of Publications and Web Publishing, was kind enough to leave a comment on the post that I wrote last week. She didn’t have to, but she did, and I appreciate that very much. I appreciate it because her comment shed some very important light upon the entire discussion. Specifically, it added an opinion of someone who actually matters, someone who will actually participate in the decision making process.

I want to highlight something she said in her comment (the bolding is mine):

Another big part of this person’s job will be to listen (underscore) to the conversations happening out there among NAR members, and help NAR as an organization be more aware of that collective intelligence and the role in can play in helping the organization spot trends and shape its policies and positions.

This person will also evangelize to other NAR staff and leadership the value of engaging in the digital space, and it will help educate other staff and leadership about the rules of the road in that space.

In all of the interactions that I have had with good folks at NAR, Pamela included, it has always been clear to me that the membership is the voice of the organization, and staff is their to support their efforts. That is exactly as it should be, and it is a concept that shouldn’t be foreign to us, especially to sports fans. . .

NAR needs a coach

My father was a high school basketball coach for many years. Some of my fondest memories are of playing around in empty gyms, watching practice, and traveling with the team as a young kid. One of the many things my father always said about coaching was that the players play, the coaches coach. The coach’s job is to prepare the players as best as possible for the game. Once the ball goes in the air, it is up to the players to make the plays. The coach is there only for support and direction.

Phil Jackson was an integral part of the success of the Chicago Bulls. Phil coached perhaps one of the greatest dynasties in the history of professional basketball. Of course, having the greatest player of all-time on the team, Michael Jordan, certainly helped. Phil was there to make sure that the talented players all performed at their highest level. Phil was there to direct and guide them in such a way that enabled them to realized their full potential. Phil was there to help them succeed, but when they ball went up in the air, the players had to make the shots.

When you think of the Chicago Bulls, the image that likely pops into your head is that of Michael Jordan, not Phil Jackson. For despite all that Phil did for the Bulls organization, he was not the face of the organization. There is no statue of Phil Jackson in Chicago. The statue is of Michael Jordan. . .

. . .and so it should be with the Social Media Manager at NAR.

Coaches have responsibilities

The SMM should be fulfilling the role of the coach. The SMM should be doing whatever necessary to help facilitate the success of the players- the membership. The role of SMM should be a largely supportive role, just as Pamela mentioned. The most important thing that the SMM can do is help the membership and the staff succeed, which means educating them about social media and coaching them on when and how to best utilize it.

Like any great coach, the SMM is going to have to be willing to listen, and to ignore. Let’s be honest, real estate bloggers, myself included, are going to continue to share opinions even if there is no SMM. I have played on enough sports teams to know that the players always have an opinion. It is up to the coach to decide when those opinions are worth integrating into the game plan.

Players have responsibilities

The players bear responsibility, too. In this case, it is up to the membership of NAR to affect the change that we profess to desire. If the public has a low opinion of our membership, it is up to us to change it. No staff member at NAR should bear that responsibility. We, as a membership, must stop looking at NAR and start looking in the mirror. If we, as members, approach our role in the organization as one that bears greater share of responsibility, then it will be much easier for the person who steps in as SMM to provide support.

Working together, the whole team succeeds

The Chicago Bulls had a talented roster when Phil Jackson arrived. Phil was given the task of putting his players in a position to use their talents fully and realize their potential. NAR is filled with staff, leadership, and members who possess superstar talents. Hopefully, the person NAR hires as SMM will be able to direct those talents in such a way that they shine for everyone to see. The Bulls didn’t win a championship in the first year of Phil Jackson’s tenure with the team. But by the end of the second season, the Bulls were able to stand atop the basketball world for the first of six championships.

My guess is that, being a newly created position, the SMM manager will have a tough road in the first year of the job. There will be a lot of learning that will go on, learning by the SMM, the staff, the leadership, the membership. There will be growing pains. I have no doubt, however, that a SMM will be a good thing for NAR, and a good thing for the membership. It will take a commitment to excellence from all involved, but success can be achieved.

The Bulls made Phil Jackson the head coach because they believed he could help their team win. Phil did just that– he helped, he enabled, he coached; but it was Michael Jordan who always wanted the ball in his hands with the game on the line.

NAR has shown a commitment to change by creating a Social Media Manager position. After reading the comment by Pamela Geurds Kabati, I believe that NAR wants this person to help, enable, and coach the membership and leadership of NAR.

Only one question remains– Do you want the ball?

Filed Under: Industry Issues, NAR, News, Social Media

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