But vFlyer. Liked that alot, mainly the idea of creating a flyer and being able to distribute it among all the classified sites, once.

You're totally right. A little goes a long way nowadays.

What's interesting to me is how so many web 2.0 applications today are built to deliver an old school sensibility of what agents, especially the veterans, are or were all about.

For the past 10 years web apps created more of a wedge than connection. Think auto responders and voice mail and sign in form and links out to data. An agent is not like that. Realtors are giving people. They want to serve and service their clients. The great promise of the web for the ten years, distilled that service.

If real estate is all about the relationship, I charge that most of the tools build over the last decade did not support that agenda.

But today, they do and agents can reclaim whatever may have been lost over time. Maybe all of it.

For me, that's exciting.

If agents aren't already using Flickr (or something like it) to show and share their own images, they will not think of using Flickr when it comes to posting their property photos. If agents aren't running the rest of their lives through MySpace, they won't be running much of their business through MySpace either. If I'm not posting content and watching videos on YouTube or Hulu, then I'm sure as hell not thinking of posting videos online.

Seth Godin's new book, Meatball Sundae, does an excellent job of explaining this new divide and further pointing out how those businesses that have been commodotized must do more in strategically re-positioning themselves than simply trying to adopt the latest widget. Using technology-based tools when you and/or your company can't keep the cultural promise represented by using those tools won't cut it.

I think that everyone in our industry will have to answer this challenge in 2008. Those that really "get it" will win big. To lots of other brokers and agents, trying to answer this challenge will simply mean 'business as usual' — posing for one more photo with the dog until the last traditional/analog client has died.

But vFlyer. Liked that alot, mainly the idea of creating a flyer and being able to distribute it among all the classified sites, once.

You're totally right. A little goes a long way nowadays.

So many options exist online to enhance the listing, it's scary.

Good digital cameras are cheap.
2mb storage discs are cheap.
Uploading hundreds of photos to the web are cheap.

Its amazing how far a little bit can go.

Great post. I thank you for it. I'm going to make sure that all the addresses I buy when I sell homes, 8080 W Wildcat Drive.com, I'm going to have many many pictures.

The eBay example… Great paradigm shift.

-Ron