realweenie

Internet Marketing at it's worst

This is a screen shot of a comment left on the StPaulRealEstateBlog.com:

This is a screen shot of the site the comment was linked to:

I am not at all impressed with the design of the site, if I were looking for design services I would look else where. 
Here is the screen shot from another comment.  I have deleted the comments of course.

This is the screen shot of the site the comment link took me to:

This company might know something about SEO. They had the sense to leave their comment on a page that has a rank and on a site that gets some traffic but I don't think they know all that much about online marketing. They just ticked me off and that isn't good online marketing or social networking.

Yesterday I was going to post a comment that a Realtor made on my blog here on the weenie because the agent did it for back links and it was one of the stupidest comments I have ever seen.  I talked myself out of it with a little help.  I am still kicking around the idea of building a stupid comment hall of fame from screen shots of comments left on my blog by people who think that they are building back links.  See they really are not building back links because I delete the comments.  If they come back again I either block them or ban them. Banning is worse than blocking. If I block them from my site they can still comment on other typepad blogs but if they get banned a few times they can't comment on any.

As for those all important back links I have said this before but the best way to get back links is to write something that others want to link too. I know that strategy isn't very clever but it works.

A Special Award

2008 has been a very special year. I wanted to create a special award. I am not sure who to give it to because there are so many who deserve it. Any suggestions?

  

You have it all wrong

One of the nice things about having this hot dog stand cleverly disguised as a blog is that I can tell it like it is and people don't get as pissed off as they would if I wrote the same article some place else. The hot dog motif kind of calms people down for some reason.

I have been reading about how this economic turn down is causing some real estate agents to leave the industry.  That is true but some seem to think that the agents who are left will be those who are more professional and who have more training and experience. That some how industry standards will rise because of the housing crisis.

To some degree those with experience seem to be toughing it out but I have to say in my market some of the agents who are coming out on top are the least professional and ethical. In fact some of those folks seem to be doing better than ever.  They have really learned how to do what we all most do, exploit the current situation in some manner so that we can survive, and even thrive.

Anyone who thinks that the most professional agents will remain and that the standards in our industry will rise because of this little huge crisis is engaging in some wishful thinking. It isn't working that way at all. The new breed of specialists are operating under the lowest standards. They don't market homes, stage homes, return phone calls or even know anything about the properties they list.  They don't make sure there are lock boxes on the properties or remove the sign when the home is sold. They don't always tell the truth either.

It gets worse but there isn't any point in bashing people in our profession it just makes us all look bad.

During hard times I think people are more tempted to throw ethics out the window. The cream is not necessarily rising to the top.  Part of it could be that the best practices in our industry may no longer be what it takes to get the job done. On the other hand the economic conditions are never an excuse to do something unethical.

We Are The Twitterati

By @mizzle, @gingerw, @HouseChick, and @tcar

Recently, our friend Greg Swann referred to some people in RE.net as The Twitterati. Who exactly he was addressing, we don't know. It didn't sound like a compliment. But damn. That's a great name! We're claiming it.

We are The Twitterati. The coolest clique on RE.net.  Are you a member?  Maybe you are, without even knowing it.

If you're in this picture, or can identify everyone in it, you're absolutely Twitterati.

• If you are a master at responding to EVERYTHING in 140 characters or less … You are the Twitterati
• If the first things you do when you sign up for things like blip.fm or dailymugshot is look for the auto-Twitter-notifier …
• If you won't sign up for any social network that DOESN't auto-notify Twitter...
• If your friends call you by your Twitter name IRL (In Real Life)...
• If you've known for forgetting the D at inopportune moments...
• If you've ever been in a Twhirl vs. TweetDeck debate...
• If you secretly look up other people's Twitter Grader, then try to scheme out ways to bump up your grade...

If you make a business decision to purchase 600 bumper stickers with your twitter name ONLY on it because you know SOME people will "get" it … then YOU and those people who "get" it are DEFINITELY the Twitterati.

• If you ever leave a comment on a blog post using your Twitter name and a link to your Twitter profile instead of your name and website … You are the Twitterati.
• If people tweet how excited they were to have met you...
• If you have Twinkle, Halo, Twitterific and Twitter Mobile on your iPhone, and are still wishing for something more ideal...
• If you've ever dropped the F-Bomb on the CEO of Zappos.com via Twitter... (sorry about that)
• If people tweet, wondering where you're at when you haven't tweeted in a few hours...
• If people follow you just to join in on the twittercizing...
• If you've ever worn an @Mizzle tie...

• If you follow @NARSocialMedia on Twitter, and think it's for real, you're NOT Twitterati!
• If you've ever used the term "wiffle bat orgy" or "more cowbell" you are Twitterati...
• If you can never again listen to "It Takes Two" from M.C. Rob Base without laughing...
• If you're married to Mr. HouseChick or Mr. Mizzle...
• If you own both twitternames @mrhousechick and @mrmizzle...
• If you have to write your twitter name under your real name on nametags to have your friends recognize you, you might be Twitterati.
• If you ever replaced your Twitter Icon with something that said e-Twit, you need help … I mean you are the Twitterati.
• If you know the qualifications for e-Twit without having to look it up...
• If people who AREN'T in the real estate business know your Twitter name, and EVER reference you by it …
• If your children have ever called you by your Twitter name …
• If you ever tried to explain Twitter to someone only to give up half-way through the conversation...
• If you've ever declared a Twitter-hiatus and you only lasted 45 minutes in the cold silence of a Twitterless world, you might be Twitterati.
• If you secretly wish for Fail Whale schwag, you might be Twitterati.
• If an item you wear in your Twitter avatar is now a social object...
• If you have jewelry custom made with the @ symbol, you are Twitterati...
• If you've ever been in a blip war...
• If you miss McLovin...
• If you're thinking of lobby-conning Inman Connect New York, just because you want to go to the parties...
• If you've been to an Altos Research After, After Hours Party, you're Twitterati for life.

And finally, if you have been to more than one Altos After After Party, you're not just Twitterati, but Twitterati SUPER elite.

Are you Twitteratti? Tell us why.

Joe Six Pack for president

Hey buddy can you spare a dime?

Thought I would write a few words on this my blog of mass destruction cleverly disguised as a hot dog stand.

Business is slow for me right now.  I know that I am the only Realtor out there who is experiencing a slow down.  Business is always fantastic, for those who have the right attitude.

I feel like a loser because the housing market has contracted a bit locally and I am the agent who ended up with less business this month.  Everyone else is happily going about their business and making a ton of money.  I feel so left out.

It is all about attitude and frankly mine sucks right now.  There I said it.

Maybe if you are not too busy today you could stop by the weenie and give me some words of advice. 

Conventions

This is what the convention looks like to me. I won't say which convention because if I put a tag on this post or a keyword in it the red white and blue elephant who has been following me for days will put it out on twitter.  After 5 days of having my tweets broadcast by the elephant and hearing choppers all day long my last nerve is shot.  With that happy thought in mind, I write on the weenie knowing that my words will be safe from the relentless, but clueless red white and blue elephant, and that the choppers don't seem to be following me on twitter.

Another Splogger

I found another splogger scraping content from the Re-blogosphere.  Stop by, find your content and send out your cease and desist email.  These slime bags should be thrown off the internet.
http://blog.nodebtmortgage.com/

Bullies on the Internet

Yes, hard as it is to imagine there are bullies on the internet. 

When a blog is read and if it is successful the bullies will come, just like the spam and the telemarketers.  Why? Simple, they are jealous.  You know you have made it when you have a couple of bullies, and assorted hecklers hanging out on your blog.

Bullies come onto our blogs for a couple of reasons.  They are jealous and they crave attention, they want to be a part of the conversation.  Keep in mind that blogs that do not get read, don't attract bullies either.

When we engage them we are letting them take over our conversation and giving them power.  When we ignore them they go away, because they are not getting what they want.  We don't have to act as gracious hosts to every conversation that happens on our blogs, we can choose not to participate.   

It is easy to ignore bullies but it seems to be easier for most to engage them and try to win.  You really can't win, you just end up looking as bad as they do.  The stuff we write on the internet stays there forever. I smile when I think of some of the things I have read that were written by some of the arrogant asses out there.  I wonder what their grandchildren will think of them when they find it, or a future employer.  Does their mom know they talk like that?

What we put out there is what we get back.  Take comfort in that thought.  We don't need to fight with bullies, they are doing a fine job of self destructing on their own.

Overcoming Objections

I get calls from people selling stuff.  They find me through my blogs, and call me while I am in my car.  Yesterday this guy called while I was in my car.  He wanted to sell me a sales course on DVD about over coming objections.  Since the caller is also in sales I asked him if he ever took the course and he said he had.  Guess I had a little extra time becasue I was stuck on the freeway and maybe I was in an evil mood.

I let him pitch his product and listened without interrupting  even though it almost killed me . . no it didn't almost kill me it was the semi that decided to switch to my lane but wanted to be where I was instead of ahead of me or behind me.

When he finished his pitch, I started raising my objections.  I asked him why I would want to overcome objections.  He didn't have an answer for me so I asked him how much the DVD's cost.  He said $199.00, I said well I guess for a dollar and 99 cents I could take a chance.  He said that he meant one hundred and ninety nine dollars.  I said you have to be kidding, I buy DVD's all the time and get 50 or so for less that $20.00. 

I told him i didn't want to pay that much for a DVD, I even used the words "I object".  He told me that the $199 is a one time discount price.  I said you have got to be kidding, you mean you charge more than that for a single DVD?  I told him that I need the $199 to pay my cell phone bill because of all the telemarketers.  He didn't know what to say.  I suggested that the training course must not work very well because he was not able to over come any of my objections.  Usually I am the one who hangs up when sales people cold call, but he beat me to it and hung up first.

Yes I am also in sales but I don't cold call.  I know I should care if this total stranger who calls me while I am in my car has a job or not but I don't.   I am still laughing.