Last month Broker/Agent conducted a poll asking members if they would like the ability to post their listing at BrokerAgentSocial.com  

Results were mixed with a majority of members indicating a desire for this function, while many others expressed concern about listings crowding out the primary functions of networking, sharing, and learning through the community.

We believe we've responded in a manner which will meet most everyone's desires with the new listing directory we now have in place.

Here are a few of the features we've integrated into the new listing application for the Broker/Agent community, several of which you likely haven't seen available before:

• There is no cost to post listings
• Streamlined and easy entry approach which focuses on the core of a listing
• Buyer's side commission amount
• Priced to market, above or below comparables/appraisal
• Range entries rather than actual (example: 3,500 to 5,000 square feet)
• Tagging and status option
• Residential and commercial listings
• Purchase, lease, and investment options
• Automatic global mapping
• Ability to receive comments and feedback

To accomodate several member's request that listings not overshadow other networking activity within the community, the actual listing post will not show up on the recent activity feed, but will be available in most every other manner. In addition, listings will no longer be allowed as Blog posts.

Featured Listings:

In part to help reward those endorsed members who help to support this community through their participation in the online referral directory, those who are endorsed and listed in the referral directory will automatically have their listing featured through the web site directory, and at times in our e-letter. To apply for endorsement, please click here.

How it Works

• To see an actual completed listing, please click here
• To see how listings will show up on your main profile page, please click here (far right tab)
• To search for listings use the "more" tab on the main menu bar and select "listings"
• To post a listing: While logged in use the "my apps" icon on the main menu bar and select "manage listings"

As with most anything new, there may be small bugs and/or changes to the application. Please don't hesitate to let us know if you experience any problems or have any suggestions for improvement.
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Group and Event leaders now have the capability to send a mass message to all of their respective members through the BrokerAgentSocial.com network.

Back Ground
The Group and Event applications at BrokerAgentSocial.com are an excellent way to network.

When a Group or Event is created, typically the creator invites others that share the common interest to participate.

Other community members may join as they become aware of the new group or event. In addition BrokerAgentSocial.com regularly features stand out groups and events in its e-letter to over 200,000 other real estate professionals.

Any member can create a Group or Event at BrokerAgentSocial.com - To do so simply select the "my apps" icon on the main menu bar then either "Group" or "Event". Note that you must be logged in to see the "My Apps" icon.

SPAM Tolerance
As with any new feature at BrokerAgentSocial.com the use, or abuse, will dictate possible restrictions and approvals on any new feature moving forward.

If you are a Group or Event leader please carefully consider the context and frequency in which you message others. Any form of abuse may result in immediate termination, or assignment of your group or event to another member without notice.

As a Group or Event member who receives messages from Group or Event leaders, certainly realize it is your option at any time to leave a group or event if you no longer wish to receive messages from it.

New Year Clean Up
In order to help keep our community focused and clean, please take a moment to delete any Groups you may have created in the past that are no longer in use by you.

Make New Connections and Share Common Interests
Chances are there is a Group or Event at BrokerAgentSocial.com with others who share your same interests. To explore them, simply use the "Group" or "Event" tabs on the main menu bar above.

PS - Be sure and check out the new Exhibitor area at BrokerAgentSocial.com too. Here you can find, comment, rate, and even become a fan of various real estate related businesses. You can also list your own business for no cost - Simply select "Exhibitor" from the "My Apps" drop down while logged in.

Questions, Comments, Feedback? Feel free to post below...

Like Digg.com, the new Links area at BrokerAgentSocial.com is an Industry first in its design to help you share and discover great real estate content.

Everything in the Links area — news, video, audio, images — are submitted by Members of the Community like you, and made available for voting and commenting by others.

Why Share Your Favorite links?

Sharing is a basic, fundamental, first step in Networking. When you share you attract others based on the quality of what you share.

Through the "Link" tab on the top menu bar you can share your favorite links for others to vote and comment on.

All link activity shows up throughout the various activity feeds within BrokerAgentSocial.com

Why Vote On links?

For the same reason others create links. Even more as responding to a link can do more for you than the person who created it.

Why? When you take the time to comment or vote on a link its something special for the person who submitted the link and they will want to learn more about you.

As a bonus, your comment or vote rides along with that link as it rises in popularity and again, your votes and comments show up through activity feeds as well.

Links to Your Office or Single Property Listing

Feel free to post these types of links but just as those who consistently post every property listing they have in their Blog here, you'll likely be wasting your time.

This is an Industry peer to peer network community and 99% of the members here are not interested in these types of postings.

How Does it Work?

Once a link is submitted it goes in the 'Upcoming' tabbed area for other Members to explore, vote, and comment on. Of other Members like it, it rises in popularity and moves up.

If five or more members give your link a 'thumbs up' its promoted to the 'Popular' page where it competes with other popular links for placement.

Voting Widget

You can use this tool to share your, or others, links on your web site or in your emails for others to see, enjoy, and vote on.

IMPORTANT:
You can never change a links web address once submitted and you only have 60 seconds to change any link details. This is necessary to prevent dubious changes after popularity has been achieved.

Like all other applications you can use the "My Apps" icon on the top menu bar to submit, edit, or delete your links.

Common Questions:

• Can the public view the links? Yes, unless they are made private by the link poster.
• Can I put the same link in more than one category? No duplicate links are allowed.
• How many votes does a link need to be moved to the 'Popular' page? Five
• Why isn't my link being moved to the 'Popular' page? It either does not have the required five votes, or it has been longer than 30 days since it was first submitted.
• Why can't I edit a link? You only have 60 minutes from initial submission to change your link information and you are not able to change the web address of your link once submitted.
• Why won't my picture upload? It must be of file type jpeg, jpg, gif, or ping - Be no larger in file size than 200 kb - And be no larger dimensionally than 120X120 pixels.

Members can now easily post post their favorite videos from YouTube at BrokerAgentSocial.com - All you need is the web site link of the video from YouTube.

Previously you had to have the actual video file on your computer to post a video. This is still an option for you, but now one of two choices.

In addition, allowed video posts have been increased from Five to Fifty given that YouTube video postings use far less server resources.

When you post a video it will:

1. Show up on the "recent activity feed" on the home page and in your subnetwork
2. Be available to Members and tens of thousands of visitors through the "Videos" link on the top menu bar
3. Be eligible for exposure through our weekly e-letter to tens of thousands of other real estate professionals
4. Be available through your main profile page on your "videos" tab
5. Be available for search engine indexing

Please consider your Peers and other Members of BrokerAgentSocial.com when posting video or any other item. The general rule of thumb to consider with all your posts is "Would I want one of my peers sharing this post with me?"

To see the first YouTube video post, which is a duplicate of the humorous parody on the real estate downfall posted a few months back using the traditional posting method, please use the link below:

http://www.brokeragentsocial.com/BrokerAgent/video/150

To post your video, either from YouTube or from a video file on your computer, follow these steps:

1. Log in
2. Use the "My Apps" drop down on the main menu bar
3. Select "Video"

To receive instant notice of future Blog posts from me, please use the "subscribe" link below my picture on this page while logged in.

For the past three years we've been offering an electronic measuring device as a premium, along with a reduced price, to encourage magazine subscribers to take out a multi-year subscription to our magazine.

It's been a genuine way to help subscribers save money with a multi-year subscription as most renew anyway, while passing along our appreciation with a gift agents can use that retails for for around $30.

We only have a few hundred of these measuring devices left and are debating on whether or not to re-order more. Personally, I think we might be ready for something new as many subscribers are coming up for three year renewals and already have this device.

About the best ideas we've come up with are a nice USB device which subscribers can use to handily carry around files with them as the need arises, or a slim compact calculator for agents on the go which provides basic mortgage and financing calculations.

We're hoping for any feedback on how desirable either of these items might be for the average agent and/or any other ideas that might be out there with a retail price of $20-$30.

Thank you!

Extreme thanks and appreciation for those who voted and provided feedback through last week's poll to help provide guidance for the Group area at BrokerAgentSocial.com

As a result of Member feedback, a bit of common sense, and our desire to foster the best quality community for Members possible.... 64 Groups have been reomved - Yesterday there were 239 Groups. As of this post there are 175.

Those which were removed are not likely to be missed by anyone, but we're hopeful having removed them will result in a better experience for a vast majority of Members now and in the future.

If you haven't visited the Group area lately, we hope you will give it a look. There are several fantastic people waiting to connect with you.... As well as a new opportunity for you to create new groups in a much less cluttered environment.

To create a Group, while logged in simply use the drop down area on the "My Apps" icon on
the top menu bar and select "Groups" to get started.

Here are the three primary things you should know when considering creating a Group at BrokerAgentSocial.com moving forward:

Self Promotion
Groups created out of primary motive for self-promotion do not serve the greater good of the Community. Not allowing these types of Groups makes it easier for the vast majority of Members to better experience BrokerAgentSocial.com. If you are interested in advertising through Broker Agent please contact us.

Lack of Activity
If a Group hasn't had activity for more than 30 days, it's likely not serving any purpose for its creator or Members. These Groups will be reviewed on an individual basis moving forward and a request to the group creator to re-move, combine, or re-position (with our help if needed) the Group will be requested before removal.

Referral Groups
Our staff has spent tireless hours reviewing and approving candidates to endorse for the 30% Referral Directory. Those endorsed also financially support BrokerAgentSocial.com - In fairness to them, groups whose primary purpose is to create a referral base are not permitted.

While a few may not be pleased with these changes, we're hopefull that most will.

As we continue to work towards creating a more focused, streamlined, and meaningful community for you please consider lending a hand by taking a moment to vote on our newest pole concerning Blog policy here:

http://www.brokeragentsocial.com/BrokerAgent/polls/236/

Members: Be sure to use the link below my picture to subscribe to my Blog for instant notice of important changes at BrokerAgentSocial.com

For over a decade we've served the Real Estate industry with the best quality Magazine and E-letter possible.

As one of the first to provide a National E-letter for the Industry (before the NAR even) as well as one of the first in any Industry to provide a National print medium after starting out solely on-line, we've been at the forefront in many regards.

Although dead last in the social networking arena, we're still quick and eager to learn.

What we've learned in the past short few months is that the Industry does NOT need another massive free-for-all network based on the goals of mass content and the inactive Members that result.

Rather, we feel we can best continue to serve the Industry, and our Members, by instilling the same quest for quality here as we have through channels in the past.

With a focus on quality content and quality Membership we're confident a need can be filled by providing a more exclusive and streamlined experience. Not only for the few thousand Members here, but also for the tens of thousands of our readers who choose not to become Members.

Consider that for the month of January - in it's first real month of existence, BrokerAgentSocial.com had over 81,703 visitors. These were not web-bots or other Internet crawlers, but real, live people.

Does it really matter how many are Members here and how much content can be created? From our vantage point, what matters most is having a valuable resource for Members and Guests alike.

As a Member, would you rather stand out for your solid contributions, or just get noticed briefly because you posted something? Would you rather attract peers with your intelligent insights, or annoy them by posting things they could care less about?

Our hope by moving forward with this community in a more thoughtful, meaningful, and streamlined manner is to facilitate a means whereby those wanting to give and get more out of their profession can - Without being drug down or run off by those only looking for a flash in the pan and a way to exploit.

To begin meeting these objectives, we've been actively studiying all areas of BrokerAgentSocial.com in order to provide new, and perhaps stronger policies to help foster the best possible participation and membership qualities.

Sometimes it’s important to take a step back before you can move forward. For those that join in this effort, we'll continue doing the best we possibly can for you on our end

Looking forward to any comments (good, bad, or ugly) along with a request for Members to feel free to use the "abuse" link liberally. We will be on the other end.

Members: Be sure to use the link below my picture when logged in to keep up on important posts regarding BrokerAgentSocial.com

Unlike many other network communities, a primary goal of BrokerAgentSocial.com is to remain focused, meaningful, and concentrated for its Members.

With the new addition of "Sub Networks" and deletion of inactive accounts, we hope to better realize this goal and provide active and Contributing Members with a more meaningful Community experience.

Subnetworks provide you an easy way to see what's happening in just your primary field of expertise. For example, if you are a Mortage/Title professional you can quickly and easily view only activity and posts from only other Mortgage/Title Members.

Here is a break down of available subnetworks:

• Real Estate Sales
• Mortgage and Title
• Training and Education
• Real Estate Support (Media, Insurance, Attorney, Vendor, etc.)

A common complaint from numerous Members is having to wade through posts from vendors and others who may post on issues not related to the practice of real estate.

Vendors, please note that you are welcome at BrokerAgentSocial.com - But only so long as your contributions here are meaningful and enjoyed by the overall larger base of real estate and mortgage professionals. Also note that many inactive Groups, Polls and Blogs are being reviewed for deletion due to inactivity and/or blatant attempts at self-promotion. Efforts to create these in the future should be avoided.

Subnetworks will help to solve some of these problems and this is why it is now mandatory for any member to be registered in their line of business only so as not to dilute sub-networks for others.

For example, if you are a Mortgage professional you must be registered as a Mortgage professional  - If you are a Vendor, you must be registered as a Vendor.

Yes! You can have more than one profile at BrokerAgentSocial.com (for example, if you are both an educator and a practicing real estate pro) but you can only be logged in under one profile type at any given time.

No! Just because you now have the availability of a subnetwork does not mean you won't be able to still see everyone else's posts. Your subnetwork simply provides you a tool to filter posts down to only those others in your primary business area.

You need only do this once as new Members from this post forward will automatically be placed in the appropriate subnetwork:

1. While logged in, Hover over the "Setting" icon on the right of the top menu bar.
2. Select your appropriate account type.
3. Save Changes.

Then...

1. Hover over the drop down arrow on the "Profile" icon on the top menu bar and select "Edit Profile Information"
2. Make sure all your information is correct.
3. Save Changes.

Now you're ready to begin enjoying a more focused and clutter free experience... if you choose!

After you've done this, any time you are logged in use the drop down arrow on the "What's New" icon on the left of the top menu bar and select "My Network" to view only other Member activity in your subnetwork.

Important Notes:

• All activity posts will still show briefly on the home page. But you will only see activity from those in your subnetwork on your subnetwork page.
• Full Member activity will not show in sub networks until everyone who originally joined before this post goes through the process of re-saving their profile information.
• Any Member who intentionally joins a sub network for which they are not qualified will be subject to immediate Member termination.
• In a short period of time we will be reviewing Members that have not updated their account for possible deletion due to inactivity at BrokerAgentSocial.com

If you have any questions regarding Subnetworks, please comment on this post below. For other questions, please first check the Forum Boards, or the FAQ link at the bottom of any page, or use the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of any pages as a last resort.

To receive immediate notice of future updates from my Blog post use the "Subscribe" link below my picture on the top right of this page. You can unsubscribe from this any time you like.

A lot of lost sleep and time from family occured this week past week for many of us... but it was worth it.

In bringing BrokerAgentSocial.com to you, we thought we'd just be happy if everything worked!

But what we're really excited about is the excellent group of Early Adopters who took the first step with us, the many names we are now able to put a face to, and the terrific feedback and embracement we've received.

One of our biggest concerns with the launch was avoiding major technical difficulties. This is why we chose one of the least active weeks of the year to bring the network to you. Other than a few questions and minor issues, we are happy to report the platform has proven itself to be stable and off to a fine start.

If you're not familiar with us, we've been serving real estate professionals and helping them succeed for over a decade through what many of you may know as Broker/Agent News - Hopefully NOT to be confused with the now defunct Broker/Agent Magazine.

To be Frank, a lot of this technology is new to me personally. But technology in and of itself means nothing without being able to successfully apply it.

While we weren't the first ones to bring you "Internet Social Networking", We were here serving the Industry and bringing success to real estate professionals long before it had even been thought of. Having watched and learned from the shortfalls of those before us we do not intend on making the same mistakes.

We believe we have the experience and resources to bring together the right kind of Community for you - One that, with your support, can be unrivaled in the Industry and create success limited only by your imagination and what your willing to contribute. 

Quite possibly, this platform may be the last chance our Industry has for a meaningful venue to connect, collaborate, and promote our profession.

With this in mind, I'd like to thank you once more for your Membership, and in addition extend to you a promise that we will be working diligently towards ensuring this Community is a place you can call home and provides one of your most positive and fruitful career experiences.

Sincerely,

Chad Golladay
Editor-in-Chief
Broker Agent News

- To create your own Blog: Log-in, then select the drop-down menu from the "My Apps" button and select "Blog"
- Use the link below my picture to Subscribe to this Blog and receive notice when there are additional posts.

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Moving forward, I'd like to use this Blog as a tool to keep you informed about the Community and receive your feedback and questions.

Rather than try to cover multiple topics in one Blog, additional blogs will be created to cover new developments and address common member feedback in more detail as issues may arise.

Here are three easy guidelines that should best facilitate your needs and get your questions answered as quickly as possible:

1. Use the "FAQ" link at the bottom of any page first. It is quite basic right now but we will add common answers as they develop.
2. If you have a user specific problem the FAQ deosn't answer, use the "Contact US" link at the bottom of any page.
3. Check the other Blogs I will be putting up to see which one may already have an answer for you.

Looking forward to any of your comments, ideas, and suggestions on any of my Blogs, and once again, Welcome to the Community!