Feb 26th, 2009. The Rocky Mountain News closed its doors after 150 years of operation.
Rather than link to the story, I thought this 45-slide photo gallery of Rocky employees as they gathered to hear the news might serve as a dose of healthy reality to those within our industry who continue to resist change.
Yesterday, after speaking to a small group in Southern California, an agent rose and told the room about his dilemma in Pittsburgh, where MLS rules are preventing him from displaying IDX on his own site. I actually called the Pittsburgh MLS today to learn more.
Got voice mail.
Another agent spoke of her broker, in Chicago, who forbade her and her agent colleagues from having their own IDX display. She asked me what I thought she should do.
I suggested she leave and join the competition.
Driving home I heard an interview with the rapper Fifty Cent. He spoke about selling his Connecticut mansion and how he had to fire his broker because he did not know how to market the property internationally — where Fifty believes his buyer lies.
A gangsta who has a deeper understanding of property sales, marketing and merchandising than a so-called real estate professional.
It's sickening just thinking about what will happen to those newspaper employees. These people did not resist change. They simply could not keep up, no matter how fast they ran.
In our business, too many are just standing still.
- Davison
Local, Mobile, Social and the future of real estate
20 Tools to Bring your Real Estate Business to the Cloud
15 Ways to Make Your Marketing Mobile
You nailed it! Living in Boulder, I am affected by the Rocky Mountain News going out of business. It sucks: I feel like America is losing part of its history.
All said and done: this game doesn't stop and their demise is an exciting/sad reminder.
Sad about the Rocky Mountain News. And the possibility that the San Francisco Chronicle might close is a real shocker. Another Hearst pub, the Albany Times Union in New York, just announced layoffs. In New Jersey the Newark Star Ledger is tottering. The Ledger does some of Jersey's best corruption coverage. If it folds, a lot of pols will be glad to see it go…
it is not just the newspapers loosing or shutting down due to not changing with technology. Many businesses are shutting down because they are not embracing technology. I'm holding a technology seminar in Kansas City. I have had well over 100 businesses that have written to me and say that their business does not depend on technology. Out of last years group. 23 businesses have gone out of business. It is sad, but I feel that these businesses and newspapers are choosing their fate. Embrace and use technology or go out of business.