Recently, however, I began to notice that I was getting what I deemed to be superfluous amounts of company updates sent directly to my inbox. Some examples:

In response to this, I gently suggested that the company reserve this type of information for venues such as company blog/webpage, subscription based newsletters, or even the Fan Page/Group wall. I reasoned that such company-specific news is something that people want to have the choice to read, and not sent directly to their Facebook inbox for them to almost have to read. After all, I’m going on Facebook to see what’s new with the people I want to know about (and to do a quick scan of the people who just show up on my feed).

My friend reasons that, if someone friends a business, they should expect to hear about that business. I agree, but only insofar as to the extent that I described above. Maybe it’s just me, but if I were to send everyone who is a fan/group member a message on Facebook about listings, recruits, etc., I would do so with the fear that I was being a tad offensive, and that I’d risk losing members.

For retailers, I can see getting messages about upcoming sales or specials- if I signed up to receive them.

What do you think… does joining a company group constitute consent to receive messages in your Facebook inbox? Are the examples above the type of information that should be getting sent out? I’d love some feedback.

Participants will include Eric Bryant, of MyRECoach.com, Tyler Hurst of TDHurst.com, Jay Thompson of PhoenixREGuy.com, and yours truly.

It should make for some interesting discussion. To further the drama, I am sticking to my guns as a proponent of why we SHOULDN’T be spending our time trying to guess what Web 3.0 is/will be.

I am ready to rumble.

Don't sell your haunted house!

As Halloween approaches, I thought this nice little bit of historical litigation was appropriate. In the 1991 case, Stambovsky v. Ackley, the New York Supreme Court ruled that the would-be purchaser of a home in Nyack, NY be reimbursed his initially forfeited down payment. Why? Because the house was haunted, of course.

Jeffrey Stambovsky, of New York City, was interested in a house for sale until he found out it was haunted. He made an offer, put down a $32,500 down payment, and then refused to attend the closing once he found out that the house- located 1 LaVeta Place- was haunted. He demanded that he be reimbursed his down payment, citing that the fact that the house was haunted wasn’t previously disclosed to him.

Helen Ackley, owner of the home in question, had previously advertised her house as having been haunted. She claimed that poltergeists roamed the halls of the lovely dwelling, and that her bed would be violently shaken every Spring (the ghosts didn’t like waking up early that particular season).

After a much publicized case, which was initially dismissed in lower court, the Supreme Court of New York ruled that, since the house was publicly advertised as having been haunted, it affected the overall value of the home. Subsequently, Mr. Stambovsky was  awarded the return of his down payment. Or, as the Court put it:

Where, as here, the seller not only takes unfair advantage of the buyer’s ignorance but has created and perpetuated a condition about which he is unlikely to even inquire, enforcement of the contract (in whole or in part) is offensive to the court’s sense of equity. Application of the remedy of rescission, within the bounds of the narrow exception to the doctrine of caveat emptor set forth herein, is entirely appropriate to relieve the unwitting purchaser from the consequences of a most unnatural bargain.”

More of the story can be read in this Wikipedia article.

While I was surfing the web, I came across a pretty nifty site. Rentshout is a site specifically tailored to those looking to get their property rented fast. While most of us are used to putting it our ads up on Craigslist or Postlets, Rentshout places your rental listing on about 60 different sites. It also has a lot of cool features that come with each listing, including: virtual tours, click to call, downloadable rental applications, and more. It definitely seems far superior to Postlets, which- as far as syndicates go- was probably your best bet up until  now. Heck, Rentshout even offers you your own “lead management system” for each specific property.

The only downside? Postlets and Craigslist are free, while Rentshout will cost you a few dollars. It’s $29.99 for one listing, and $90.00 for five. Considering all the tools and syndication provided, however, I say Rentshout is definitely worth the investment.