Archive for Busted
Unhappy Customers Are Life’s Best Coaches
Sometimes traversing social media platforms is like stepping from stone to stone to cross a creek … uncertain about footing and hope for the best!
My best lessons about online behavior are the lessons I learned from mistakes I made. Joeann Fossland issued a thought provoking questions on Twitter today: ” ‘Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” Bill Gates ………What have you learned?”
I thought about that in the context of social media policy and online behavior.
I remember an incident at Trulia Voices last year … and a lesson I learned from a very unhappy member of the Trulia Voices Community when I worked there as Community Manager. I’m reprinting the blog post I wrote last year (Dec. 23, 2008).
Trulia Community Manager Busted For Offensive Blog Post
I’ve had a busy week working with Trulia Voices as a hands-on moderator while Trulia’s full-time Community Moderator enjoys a well deserved holiday. Admittedly, I have a heavier hand removing spam and issuing copyright notice warnings. Most of my notices are well received, but imagine my surprise when I received a note this morning from a valued Trulia Voices contributor about my own blog post, 15 Tips About How To Behave in Online Community. (Yesterday I removed an answer to a post this member made that crossed the spam threshold in Trulia’s Community Guidelines.)
There is a bittersweet irony attached to the fact that I find myself in this situation this week! Here is a behind-the-scenes look at the communication thread between myself and a most valued Trulia Voices member:
Trulia Voices Member: I apologize for making an error in a message on Trulia. It was not my intention to overstep the rules. I think it is a very valuable site for consumers and Realtors.
Your portrayal of a religious with a “weapon”, however, is found to be totally tasteless. I am a [Catholic School] alum. We were never subjected to corporal punishment, and there are thousands and thousands of students who had relatively pleasant experiences in religious based schools. Unless you are currently a member of a religious order, I strongly suggest that you remove this from the web. It is very inappropriate at this very professional site.
The photo appears at right. I removed it from the blog post and replaced the illustration. My response follows:
Frances: There was no intention to offend anyone when I placed the photo in the blog post. You are probably much younger than I am … the Sisters at my grade school dished out corporal punishment to students on a regular basis in the 50s and early 60s.
The photo depicts the Sister with a yardstick, not a weapon 
Still, I am concerned that anyone would connect me with sentiments any less than loving and supportive of the teachers I had in grade school and high school. I acknowledged them recently on Facebook (Dec. 18) in conjunction with this same post.
I will remove the post and issue an apology.
Our Trulia Voices member responded:
Trulia Voices Member:. I am not a lot younger than you are … a one day post acknowledging how wonderful the religious are is not seen by everyone (like me) on days after. All we see is the post of the photo (and yes, I know it was a yardstick).
I just get tired of people repeatedly using only certain stereotypes as humor … You see, I hope that a lot of this will stop in the new year. I hope that we can all recognize each other for the good that we have done, or do, and stop mocking these persons.
Sorry if I am waxing antagonistically – not intended. Maybe it’s too much holiday stress. Anyway, I wish you all the best for 2009 and hope that it will bring good things for you and your family.
What Is the Moral Of This Story?
I understand that much of the SPAM and offense that exists on the Net is unintentional and/or uninformed. Education is infinitely more valuable than strict enforcement.
I apologize for any offense I have caused with this post or with any other blog post here or on other blog platforms. I heartily thank this valuable and treasured Trulia Voice for raising my consciousness about online community in a significant and eloquent manner. This will make me a better Community Manager.
I truly LOVE the Trulia Community.
Social Media Dysfunction: Is Your Real Estate Brokerage Impotent or Empowered?
I still draw blank stares when I ask real estate brokers how they survey the social media landscape. With few exceptions, most brokerages are still standing on the sidelines as agents engage with consumers online, build their own brands, and reshape companies’ brands with little or no intervention or participation by their brokers.
Sadly, a cadre of real estate agent outlaws succeeds daily in new episodes of ethical faux pas, antitrust violations, and fair housing missteps. I’ve illustrated several examples in my BUSTED series here. What’s a broker to do when an agent is caught misbehaving online?
- Document the event with screen shots.
- Conduct an in-person interview with the agent and obtain the details relative to the engagement (online conversation).
- Ask the agent log in to the web site where the infraction appears and DELETE the offending content.
- Review other content the agent has posted to see if there are similar posts appearing under that agent’s name.
Social media offers abundant opportunity to meet and greet new consumers online where their property search commences.
Social media also offers abundant opportunity to wreak havok on the Web.
The best first line of defense is a good social medial policy and procedure manual … Think about it!
Be responsible.
Be wise.
Reap the rewards of smart engagement … Prosper!
BUSTED! REALTORS Scrap Code of Ethics in Online Q & A Platforms
Stop saying that!
Real estate consumers ask lots of questions at Zillow Discussions, Trulia Voices, and Yahoo! Answers. Inquiries about agency and for-sale-by-owner real estate elicit responses from real estate professionals that could keep REALTOR Professional Standards Committees working around the clock without a break. REALTORS are bound to a Code of Ethics. Brokers often are shocked to read what their agents say to consumers and fellow agents. Here are some tidbits about agency.
EXAMPLE ONE: AGENCY
Consumer Question: Buying Without a REALTOR
“Does a sellers have to pay a full commission even if I, as a buyer, represent myself and don’t use a buyer’s agent? It would help the seller negotiate down to a lower price if they had less commission to pay. I’m looking for some kind of edge — I am not keen on the idea of buying right now with the prospect of housing prices continue to go south.”
REALTOR Anwer
“… it depends on the firm and the broker the big guys want to keep it all in house and suck all they can from each listing … most firms around here don’t even practice designated agency…they actually have a policy against it … so trust me … it’s the smaller firms that are more cautious … also because it seems smaller firms like to retain clients and live off the word of mouth advertising.”
Disparaging other companies and business models is contrary to the REALTOR Code of Ethics but it does not stop REALTORS online from trashing fellow REALTORS. Here is what one REALTOR said about brokers in her home state of Georgia who practice dual agency (working both sides of a transaction, selling their listing to a buyer in-house):
“… the only good thing about dual agency being legal in Georgia is that it helps you identify the slimeballs fast! :)”
This is an authentic post. Names are withheld as a matter of style by RealEstateSocialMediaPolicies.com to protect brokers and agents in companies where renegade agents conduct themselves online in a manner inconsistent with legal standards and the National Assn. of REALTORS Code of Ethics.
Identify the infractions contained in the post.
- Broker Role Play: The offending agent(s) are in your office. What is your plan of action?
- We will collect your thoughts this week and publish our thoughts about a reasonable plan of action on Friday.
(BUSTED is a regular feature of RealEstateSocialMediaPolicies.com. If you see renegade agent behavior online, send us the link and we will consider shining a light on the post and chatting about it. Send tips to: Busted@RealEstateSocialMediaPolicies.com.)
BUSTED! What’s Wrong With This Picture?
Real estate agent outlaws roam the real estate Net unchecked and unchallenged. Here’s a real life role playing exercise for real estate brokers.
Mr./Ms. Broker: You’ve just received an e-mail with a link to a post at on online real estate question-and-answer forum. A consumer asks a question about MLS-only brokerages. One of your agents responds:
“As for the MLS or discount brokers, sometimes it does appear on the MLS but 1) that broker only wants to list your house to get buyer leads so he can sell them other homes that arent overpriced 2) Me being a realtor, I know which brokers are discount brokers are discount brokers and I never show there homes. If I bring an offer and then the owners gets a little lower offer he will take that one because he is a FSBO and doesnt have to pay commission so I wasted my time showing that home and not get paid. 3) If I show it and the buyers go directly to the owner then im out of comission so I steer them away from those properties. Do it right the first time and hire a qualfied realtor reather than waste your money. GOOD LUCK!!!
This is an authentic post. Names are withheld as a matter of style by RealEstateSocialMediaPolicies.com to protect brokers and agents in companies where renegade agents conduct themselves online in a manner inconsistent with legal standards and the National Assn. of REALTORS Code of Ethics.
Identify the infractions contained in the post.
- What is your plan of action?
- We will collect your thoughts this week and publish our thoughts about a reasonable plan of action on Friday.
(BUSTED will be a regular feature of RealEstateSocialMediaPolicies.com. If you see renegade agent behavior online, send us the link and we will consider shining a light on the post and chatting about it. Send tips to: Busted@RealEstateSocialMediaPolicies.com.)
(I have not received any compensation for writing this content and I have no material connection to the brands, topics and/or products that are mentioned herein.)
