I first heard about Chat Roulette about a month  ago. Since then, about 20% of the people I know have tried it out at least once. For the uninitiated, Chat Roulette is an even mixture of exciting, random, creepy, and desperate. You simply go to the website, click new game, and you will randomly connect with a perfect stranger online (note: webcam required!)

When I first tried it out, I did so with the thought that this could, perhaps, be yet another way for Realtors across the nation to make money. Think about it: you are talking to random people across the WORLD. There’s bound to be someone who’s moving somewhere, right??

In most cases, no. Chat Roulette is filled with adolescent teens, creepy exhibitionists (all of which are male), and a very small minority who are actually looking to talk to someone from a different part of the globe. In my first expedition, I was myself: simple, boring, Zane. Only one out of every 15 people actually bothered to talk to me; doubtless because I was neither an attractive female nor a shirtless teen with a gallon of gel in my hair. Nevertheless, I was determined to try and find SOME way to monetize this for you Realtors out there.

That is precisely why I decided to execute the following experiment. Documented below, you will find my alter-ego trying very hard to sell some real estate. It will become obvious that Chat Roulette is filled with distractions; I have edited out all graphically obscene incidents.

In all seriousness, there is some potential for Chat Roulette as a way to make money via viral marketing exposure or audience participation (see bit about Miller Lite) if you’re a band or national/global company. Otherwise, it’s just  place to kill some time. Or brain cells.

**On a serious note: I recommend that any parents out there strongly guard against their children going on this site. While, ideally, it’s a great forum to meet new people and explore new cultures, in reality, it is a haven of men exposed in real time from the waist down.**

Watch in Full Screen to read text:

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.

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.

The advent of Social Media, alongside its subsequent utility in the professional arena, has  been the topic of much conversation over the last 18 months. As a matter of fact, no Real Estate conference this side of Mars hasn’t had a panel discussion or outright speaker’s session on how agents can use Social Media to their advantage.

Somewhere between 18 months ago and today, I began to feel a lurid anticipation towards these types of events. From locally organized get-togethers to those held on the national (and international level), there wasn’t a program to be found that didn’t have at least 45 minutes dedicated to the topic of, you guessed it: Social Media.

As my eyes scanned any given agenda, I would become excited at what I might learn that day… “New Websites That Provide Powerful Tools for Your Company and Agents” at 10:00 AM. “Latest Technology Created Specifically for the Real Estate Industry” at 12:30 PM, “NYU Economist Predicts How Long We Will Face Recession” at 3:00 PM. “Networking Hour. Open Bar.” at 6:30 PM. All of these things flooded me with a certain expectation that promised to fulfill the itch for knowledge I had woken up with that very morning.

Then, out of nowhere, my darting eyes would abruptly stop. The momentum that was picking up in my brain would smack into a solid brick wall that was built around the pillars of Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin. Without fail, a bead of sweat would slowly roll down into the corner of my eye as I looked about aimlessly, confused and afraid. Will this be the one? I’d ask myself. Will this be the one where I learn something? Will this be the one that is somehow different than all of the other ones?

The answer, as we all know by now, is a very resounding “No”. You know it, I know it, we all know it. The only thing new about the Social Media panels we’ve been attending for the last 18 months are the Social Media Gurus who have been speaking at them. They tell us things we already know, and we go back to our Company and tell our agents a lot of the same things that they already know.

It’s time to make a stand. I’m a Social Media Guru, and there’s a very large possibility that you are, too. So as Gurus, it’s time to step up to the plate and change the game a little bit. After all, if we say the same thing for another 18 months, my Luddite friend from college will cash in on becoming a Social Media Guru, too. Kind of like how he waited in line to get his Real Estate License back in ’05.

So, we’ve all been to the SocMed101 class. Some of us have taught it (time and time again). And, undoubtedly, SocMed101 still has its place. But it’s time to start enrolling people in SocMed102. How? It’s simple, and here is the course outline:

• Bebo, Hi5, and QZone: why it’s time to know what these are, too
• Social Media Aggregates and Apps (plaxo, ping.fm, tweetdeck, seesmic, etc.)
• Strategic Social Media Content Placement (understanding the fundamentals of Passive vs. Active Marketing)
• Social News and Bookmarking- how it’s shaping what you know (Mixx, Digg, Reddit, Delicious, etc.)
• Targeted Ad Marketing on Facebook (why hasn’t anyone talked about this yet??)
• Controlling Your Google Page 1
• Blogging (ok, so we’re starting to skim the surface with this one, but not effectively)
• Peer-review sites (yelp, epinion, etc.)

These are just a few of the things one could discuss, and there are plenty more. The samples above, by themselves, are more than enough to fill 45 minutes of discussion.

(cue pipe organ) And so, my fellow colleagues, tech enthusiasts, brokers, managers, and gurus: the time is upon us to TEACH the people what they need to know! Long are the days that face us when we have to toil over our spiral notebooks, coming up with new ideas and content to present at our next social media panel, but short be the nights that are filled with people who don’t already know the same things we’ve been talking about for almost two years! I say to you now: you shall rue the day that a fellow guru comes up with new and exciting topics of discussion as it relates to social media before you! I say to you now: the time has come to educate and empower our agents with newer, better, and bigger tools and ideas! I SAY TO YOU NOW: go forth and renew the people’s interest in social media so that we may once again shine in the eyes of our peers as what we were always meant to be… SOCIAL MEDIA GURUS!!!!

<ahem> I may have gotten a little carried away there (the soapbox in my head was made of pearl encrusted gold, in case you were wondering), but I think you get the point. One of two things is going to happen the next time you get up to speak about social media:

1. 2 people are going to take notes, and everyone else is going to say I already know this in their heads (there’s a look people give now that says that exact thing to someone else from across the room… I’ve become an expert at interpreting it)
2. They are going to take notes and right down all of these things that they’ve never heard of at a social media panel and try at least one of them when they get home. They might work, they might not.

I’d rather be known for the guy who talked about new potential ways to enhance our career via social media than the guy who said the same thing the last 50 guys did…. wouldn’t you?

Zane Burnett talks about how to keep your online identity safe

My company is holding an Intro to Social Media class this evening (with yours truly as the instructor). Only 55% of the people who registered for the session are members of Facebook, and 45% indicated that they didn’t belong to any social networks at all. As a matter of fact, some people claimed they were scared to join up on some of these networks because of the amount of info they felt as though they were required to input.

As Fillmore Real Estate tries to empower its agents by allowing them to recognize the vast power of social media, it is important to remember two things: not only is it beneficial to establish your online identity, it is potentially dangerous not to.

For every milestone in technology, there will always be those who seek to exploit the users of that technology who aren’t thoroughly familiar with it. The same can be said for social media. Increasingly, people over the age of 50 are joining the ranks of Facebook’s ever-growing community. Unfortunately, this is the exact demographic that scammers are targeting. I came across an interesting article here. It tells the story of someone who fell victim to “Facebook Identity Theft”. I encourage you to read the article. After doing so, remember these key points to protecting yourself online:

1. Look at the URL of Your Login Page: The most common way for “phishers” to steal your information is by creating fake login screens. These pages look exactly like the Facebook login page your accustomed to, with one key difference. If you look at the address bar in your browser when you login to facebook, you should see something like this:Notice that the domain is “facebook.com”. This is ALL your address bar should say. Sometimes there will be a “/login.php” extension, and that is acceptable. Observe the difference in this URL:
   Notice the difference? If you were to fill out your login info on this page, it would get sent to a person collecting Facebook logins, and not to Facebook. Once you click submit on the phisher’s page, it will redirect you to the actual Facebook login page, where people just assume their connection hiccupped and they login again, thinking nothing of it. Just remember, if it doesn’t begin with www.facebook.com, it isn’t really facebook!
   
2. Use Common Sense: I once received this message from a friend:
   
   It was clear to me at once that her account had been hacked. Why? First and foremost, the subject made absolutely no sense to me. Secondly, it was sent to several different people in a manner that didn’t make much sense.

   You know who your friends are, so if something seems a bit out of place, message them back before you actually click on the link. Ask them if they meant to send it to you… you won’t be hurting anyone’s feelings. If anything, you may be making them aware of the fact that their account was compromised.

3. If you don’t have an account, GET ONE!: As part of my demonstration for a class I once did I, I tried to show the true danger of not having an account. Beforehand, I perused the company website. There was a nice section of all the employees along with their individual picture. I selected my target and checked to see if he was registered with Facebook. After confirming that he wasn’t, I simply took his picture from the website and used it to create a profile on Facebook. I had his name, his picture, some minor info, and that was all I needed…First, I searched everyone else in the company and friend requested them. Then, as I made more friends on Facebook, people started sending me friend requests. Before long, I had a list of about 85 friends, all of whom thought I was someone I wasn’t! Now, what would’ve happened if I sent each and every single one of them the following message: “You won’t believe what happened to me last night! While I was sleeping, a couple of burglars came into my house and took so many things… they took some of my jewelry, some silverware, and they even managed to take my wallet off of the nightstand. I was so terrified, I didn’t know what to do.Listen, I hate to ask you this, and I’m certainly too embarassed to ask you in person, but do you think you could send me some money via Western Union? If not, I completely understand. If so, a hundred dollars should do the trick until I sort all of this craziness out (I’ll definitely pay you back). Either way, let’s just please act as though I never asked you when we see each other in person. It would be way too embarrassing for me.”Certainly, if your friend sent you this message, it would make some sense. If I followed through with sending a message like that, I guarantee you at least one person would have sent money. As a matter of fact, when I informed the class that they weren’t actually friends with the example person I used, they were shocked… imagine if I had sent them the “I need money” message!

The moral of the story is this: in order to protect yourself, you have to be aware, be informed, and be online!!

To say it in practical terms, Facebook Connect is what could be compared to a virtual European Union. Several entities are providing the capability for users to streamline various media outlets and sites via Facebook as a platform.

What does this mean to you? If you’re not familiar with Digg, I suggest you vist their site here. For those already familar, it will place what your friends have dugg into their news feed for you to see.

If your feed is anything like mine, there are tons of news links posted everyday that I have to sort through, deciding what’s worth clicking and what isn’t.  With this new feature, I’ll now be able to see what news pieces are popular amongst my friends, giving at least some indication of my level of desire to actually click through to the new post.

Facebook Connect also partnered with a few other sites, such as tech crunch and joost.