“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!!”

About the author

Ross Kaplan has 19+ years experience selling real estate all over the Twin Cities. He is also a 12-time consecutive "Super Real Estate Agent," as determined by Mpls. - St. Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business Magazine. Prior to becoming a Realtor, Ross was an attorney (corporate law), CPA, and entrepreneur. He holds an economics degree from Stanford.

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