WWGD? What Would Google Do?

Some teenagers still wear bracelets with the letters, "WWJD?". "What Would Jesus Do?" 

In our born again Real Estate world of Web 2.0, our Agent bracelets should read: "WWGD?". "What Would Google Do?"

In an off-blog exchange with a Move Inc/Realtor.com employee, he told me: "Move Inc and Realtor.com are "Getting It"; with blogs, with Real Estate 2.0, and with the Internet.  Finally!  Or Finally?

An NAR blog? An NAR President's blog?  A Move Inc blog?  A Realtor.com blog?  What Feedback?

Comments, and Track Backs and Emails!  Oh My!

I'm still waiting for the: "Who?, What?, Where?, When?, And How? And How Much? And How!"

Is it enough for the NAR, Move Inc (formerly the multi indicted HomeStore.com) and Realtor.com to just "Get It"? 

The only "Get It" they seem to "Get" is our dues.

They have what it takes; to take what we have.

Have NAR, Move Inc and Realtor.com ever met a service (offered by Google, Zillow and the other Search Engines for free) they didn't charge us for?

Is it enough for our leaders to follow?  Aren't they supposed to lead?  Do they get paid the "big buck" just to follow?  When will they charge us the big buck for the services Zillow gives us for free? 

Where's the NAR's blog?  Where's the NAR's Real Estate Blog Galaxy?  Where's the NAR's Carnival of Real Estate?  Where's the NAR's Real Estate Wiki?  Is the NAR less interested in the our Wiki, than our Wiki-Wacky-Woo?

Zillow will never be "Big Real Estate" unless we abdicate our leadership role and let these outsiders dictate our fate.  Great nations and great organizations don't fall from without.  They fall from within.

For now, Zillow just wants to be the Commoditizer-In-Chief of public tax data.  They've taken pages from the Google Playbook to give free content and free services, to drive traffic, then to sell ads.  Zillow's business model is that of Google and Network Media:

Free Content > Drive Traffic > Sell Ads

Zillow's makes money like Google, Selling Ads.  Not like you, Selling Houses.  The Newspaper, where you buy print ads (and maybe some online ads), could sell houses too.  Are you worried they might start selling houses?

Zillow wants to be "The Google of Real Estate", not the "REMAX of Real Estate."  There's more money, less hassles and less competition in Real Estate ads than in Real Estate sales.

For some reason Google hasn't gone after selling Real Estate Search ads (on Google Base) the same way they've gone after the keyword-relevant search ads. 

There are areas where Google has not significantly ventured > dominated:

• Social Networking (MySpace)
• Blog Search (Technorati)
• Real Estate (Zillow)
• Even in Video Search; they took a page from the Microsoft and Cisco Handbooks and bought the company (YouTube).

WWGD? 

For Agents the "Big Questions" are: "What Will", Not "What Would":

• WW-NAR-D
• WW-MLS-D
• WW-R.com-D
• WWZD

And most importantly:

WWYD?:

"What Will You Do?"

GOT NEXT!  Happy Searching.

WebHomeUSAblog; The Blog of Real Estate Search Marketing

Comments

[john harper]

Oh kindered soul! The link I provide to my name links to a post I did the other day. Zillow and the rest of them have a geat marketing plan under the guise of "Free the Consumer."

The NAR - ah - don't get me going!