“Student-Athlete,” “Realtor-Blogger,” and Other Oxymorons
What’s the difference between “blogging” and “HAVING a blog?”
Only the first term is a verb (synonym for “writing”).
So, unbeknownst to most consumers, the vast majority of Realtor blogs out there — I’d guess over 90% — actually consist of syndicated content that agents license and republish for a monthly fee.
By contrast, every word in every post on City Lakes Real Estate Blog — totaling over 5,000 posts spanning a decade — has been written by yours truly.
Outsourced Blogs
How can readers tell the difference?
Three ways.
One. Vague sense of déjà vu.
Because syndicated blog content is usually non-exclusive, readers may see the exact same material on multiple Realtor blogs.
Two. Generic content.
Syndicated articles typically betray no sense of place or time — never mind an original, consistent point-of-view.
In other words, they’re generic and “feature-ish” rather than topical or newsworthy.
By contrast, “custom” blog content is more perishable, and more apt to have a “Who, What, Why, When, Where, & How” — the sine qua non of good journalism.
Three. Posting Frequency.
Bloggers who buy (rent?) their content typically sign up for daily or weekly pieces.
Ergo, they post new material — or not-so-new material 🙂 — with a metronome-like consistency.
Real bloggers who also sell homes** tend to write more in spurts, when their often roller coaster-like schedule allows.
**If “real” bloggers’ knock on “faux” bloggers is that they don’t actually write, what do you suppose is faux bloggers’ standard knock on real bloggers?
They don’t actually sell (homes) — presumably, because they spend so much time blogging.
At least in my own case, I have nine Edina Realty “Circle awards” that say otherwise . . .
P.S.: The above comments apply equally to emailed Realtor newsletters, market updates, and such.
See also, “Edina Realty 2016 Circle Awards (Hug Included)”; “Edina Realty Leadership Circle”; “Realtor Awards Season“; and “2017 Edina Realty “Circle” Awards“; and “The Best Realtor Blog in the U.S.?* You’re Reading It!!”