Candidates of the REAL ESTATE WEBOGRAPHER™ Certification have access to the Learning Lab. Today we examine what this area is, and what role it plays within REW™.

What is the Learning Lab?
The Learning Lab is accessible by all REW™ candidates from their post login homepage. From this area, candidates can try out the technologies discussed in each of the courses as well as additional "best of breed" RE technologies - all provided free of charge by technology partners.

Why utilize the Learning Lab?
Simple - get your hands dirty! Technology is inherently scary and intimidating - such is the primary reason for failure of, or slow adoption of the benefits included within each technology. REW™ looks to show folks what's under the hood of these technologies by giving a first hand look at how they work and how easily they can be UNDERSTOOD and APPLIED by anyone. Course materials are great information, but the meat of learning the technologies is seeing for oneself the benefits through live examples.

Why Technology Partners?
Technology partners provide the tools to demonstrate the course materials and additional beneficial technologies available today. REW partners were chosen as "best of breed" providers of each technology. Learning by example is by far the best form of education.

Just as one might learn word processing by using a popular word processing software such as MS Word, a great way to demonstrate electronic forms would be to experience it using the popular ZipForm technology. In no way are candidates required to purchase any products, however we invite them to try for themselves to determine if they are a good fit for their needs.

Recently featured in Inman News, Scott Einbinder wrote an excellent article, entitled "Death of the listing presentation", calling to attention the ineffectiveness of today's current listing presentations.

This article really hit home - sellers don't want to know every accolade you've earned, they don't want to be drowned with pretty graphs and a host of facts and figures, and they definitely don't need slide after slide of AVMs and CMAs they can easilly obtain on their own. All of these things are great, but 1 or 2 slides in an entire listing presentation would easilly suffice.

They want a plan - no - they want a detailed plan of how you intend to sell their home. Not a series of advertising actions, but a well laid out plan, including the services you will use, and how they jive with one another to create an overall marketing campaign.

Scott Einbinder thinks we should change the name of the process from a Listing Presentation to a Listing Education, and I couldn't agree more. RE agents need to educate their consumers on the services available, which ones they use, and how they are effective. It is this sort of presentation that will capture sellers and turn prospects into clients.

Today, featured on GeekEstateBlog.com, Marc Grayson touched on a portion of what he likes to call "attention-to-detail", in "How Music Dated the Real Estate Listing". This post mentioned an exemplary online listing (video tour, virtual, etc) but music in the virtual tour was Christmas / Holiday music (we're in July), instantly dating this wonderful listing.

Presentation is paramount. Every Agent knows that no buyer wants to see incorrect information or misspelled items on print or advertising materials. It's just blatant oversight and a little effort to see an item through can easily avoid these situations.

Unfortunately, this "attention-to-detail" goes out the window (along with the kitchen sink) when it comes to online advertisements, email, websites... and the list goes on. So here are a few gotchas that every person (including me!) should watch out for when it comes to an online presence.

1. Spelling - You'd think this would be a no-brainer, but I have been just as guilty as the next person. In emails, online ads, etc, it's usually just a click of the spell checker. Don't skimp - use the spell checkers included.

2. Font - By far the most easily overlooked item. Many times when using HTML in emails or those fantastic email or website toolkits, there's a default font that none of us use. Take care when cutting and pasting in these instances as the default font, or even the font from the application the text was cut from may be transferred to someplace you don't want it. To avoid this, take a brief moment and re-load and re-read your online documents.

3. Links - Another easy item to miss, especially when you have a document using a lot of them. Again, re-load, re-read, and click on everything. Pay careful attention to links you want to open in a new window, and those you want to use the existing one.

4. Images - You'd be amazed how different WYSIWYG and email editors handle pictures and the spacing around them. The answer? Test, test, test, and just for good measure, test again. Nothing drives me more crazy than when I send something out "to the masses" and catch an error after the fact.

5. Content - This is a biggie - make sure your content says what you want it to say. Be sure quoted articles are cited properly and you aren't using false information. Aside from the tremendous legal liability, if you are telling folks one thing, and a reader calls you on it, other readers will take note.

Bottom-line, re-load, re-read, and test. Remember, online, face-time is limited - what you present your readers and clients is how they will evaluate you.

One interesting thing about Web 2.0 is the enhancement of communication between real estate professional and consumers, establashing transparent dialogue that is also of interest to other potential clients.

When we think of communication such as blogs & email, this communication is asyncronous. This means it's not in real-time and dialogue occurs when you can get to it. In Web 2.0, realtime or syncronous communication is the next unchartered wave of the Web 2.0 ocean.

Chat tools could be effective as real-time communications, but there exists a problem of agents (or their assistants) being tied to a computer to chat in real-time.

WEBINARS & ONLINE MEETINGS
Many of you agents and brokers have attended a webinar to listen in on a new product your thinking of purchasing, or have attended a webinar for training of a product you have purchased.

(a) Use by Agents / Brokers
Given realtime communication, agents / brokers could hold online meetings w/ prospective buyers and sellers in their own marketplace. From a Web 2.0 perspective, online meetings still keep that "buffer" consumers enjoy online of not meeting someone in-person until they are ready to conduct business. These meetings could be "scheduled" during evenings when prospective clients can "sit in" from the comfort of their own home.

(b) What to Discuss
Listing Presentations and knowledge on the current market would play into such online presentations. You'd be surprised that you likely have all materials handy to create, for example, a Powerpoint presentation. You could have a series of online meetings targeted to niche consumers, i.e. "First Time HomeBuyers".

(c) Who'd Attend
Besides the agent and prospective consumers, mortgage brokers and even previous clients who can bring "testimonials" to the table, are ideas of who could attend. Having an assistant on hand to take notes, write down questions of consumers where time outside the meeting is required, is also a smart idea. As with any "meeting", a single person such as the agent or broker, must keep things moving and not let anyone person dominate the dialogue.

(d) Marketing Your Online Meetings
Besides your agent website and blog, direct marketing can be used where it makes sense. Consider holding informational webinars for the niche "First-time Home Buyers". You may want to develop flyers and target apartment complexes in your direct marketing, advertising your online meetings and webinars.

(e) Online Meeting Software
Tools like Yugma and Gotomeeting are great tools to assist in sharing your desktop w/ consumers, but also scheduling and pre-registering invites given different packages from such vendors.

In conclusion, Web 2.0 is about creating a dialogue with your current and prospective clients. Realtime chat is of great challenge. Online Meetings are a "scheduled" chat, can be visually stimulating, and inclusive of many prospects when done properly.

There exists a debate (maybe light conversation) on perspectives of "inside" and "outside" blogs. To define what is meant by inside and outside blogs, I'm simply stating that:

-- Inside Blogs - are blogs hosted by real estate professionals where content is for the audience of peers in the real estate industry (agents, brokers, mortgage brokers, technology vendors)...whereas

-- Outside Blogs - are blogs hosted by real estate professionals where content is for the audience of consumers and potential clients.

Does a real estate professional require 2 blogs to best connect with their peers & counterparts and another blog to reach & connect consumers? To best answer that question, I will say "it depends".

What's Happening in the Industry...

What is happening in the real estate, Web 2.0 space are the notable lines being made between inside communication and outside communication.

This is very true of real estate professionals who post articles on their blog and state "Consumers can skip to the next post" or on discussion forums saying "‘Agents only’ or ‘RE professionals only’ or ‘No consumers please’" as found on Trulia Voices Q&A.

ActiveRain currently is driven by "inside" communication (as of today). AR allows Real Estate Professionals to blog about anything. However, much of the content is geared towards professionals talking to other professionals. The majority of content is "inside", where points are assigned to professionals who comment on the "inside" content. Do note, many agents may use an ActiveRain blog for outside communications, linking to their AR blog from their agent website and even marking content for distribution at Localism (AR consumer Q&A site). Limitations to outside communication with today's AR blog is they lack personal branding. Also, comments on AR blogs are driven by other real estate professionals only commenting on "inside" content. ActiveRain is moving towards the development of outside blogs, for an annual fee, as many agents at AR have requested such a service.

RealTown - includes highly customizable blogs that can be used for inside communication with peers, or for use of outside communications with consumers. As this blog platform allows for customization of the look and feel of the blog, it's purpose of inside or outside communications are left to the real estate professional.

Zillow Q&A / Trulia Voices Q&A - Zillow Q&A and Trulia Voices Q&A, following more of a discussion forum format, are "outside" communication venue. Real Estate Professionals can directly communicate with consumers. For some agents, its a reality check on consumers concerns, fears and trepidations in today's market...as its not the same, highly upbeat ("that was a great post") communication as found on "inside" communities such as AR.

Trulia Voices Agent2Agent - Due to requests by real estate professionals, Trulia now has Agent2Agent discussion areas inside Trulia Voices. The importance of community, knowledge-sharing, quick Q&A professionals is commonly desired. In my opinion, such discussion in a discussion forum-like format allows for quicker communication (I.e. "get to the point").

Zolve - has many features that to me, speak to primarily inside communications. With sphere-of-influence, referral features, and its newest "Over Coffee' feature (a Q&A area for real estate professionals), It's primary service is a referral network for real estate professionals. Outside communications are brought forth when real estate professionals elect to "speak" to consumers in their Zolve blog...sometimes using their Zolve blog as their outside blog.

Conclusions

I feel that real estate blogs established by real estate professionals for consumers should remain with majority of content driven for consumers. A small percentage of topics geared towards peers can show breadth & expertise of the real estate professional (in the eyes of the consumer); someone "hip" to not only local real estate industry but having knowledge on the market as a whole. To consumers, this is important. Should real estate professionals strive to have 2 blogs (an inside blog to connect and engage referrals with peers and an outside blog geared towards consumers)? What do you think?