I read an article from a technology reporter in a business publication this morning who was of the opinion that the Social Networking phase of the interenet is probably at a peak.

He mentioned that some recent moves by governements and industry to prohibit their employees from using such sites as Facebook (for productivity reasons) is just the beginning of the end. The Pentagon, Canada's largest city - Toronto and biggest province - Ontario are all recent "banners".

It seems when adults involve themselves in social networking - and this could also include blogs - they usually do this from a computer at work instead of actually doing the work they are paid to do. This is leading more and more companies and organizations to clamp down of what employees can actually use the office computers for.

I know the majority of real estate website leads happen during the day when people are at work. I am sure that we all know people who seem to always be on the computer and rarely doing actual work.

The writer was of the opinion that once people are not allowed to use the computer for personal pursuits like social networking - they will pretty much stop as the vast majority of people have better things to do in the evening than spend hours in front of a computer.

If that were to come to be - that people are discouraged from using the computer at work for personal purposes - I suppose it could impact the leads Realtors get from the web as well.

What do you think about all of this?

I have to agree I think alot of the surfing people do is because they are at work. They wouldn't be able to spend as much time on personal internet time if they can't do it from work. That would require them to be more selective. I think if some one is seriously looking for a house they will do so on their own time. It might cut down on the window shoppers though, which is not a bad thing.

MySpace has become one big free internet dating site. Facebook I have never looked at and blogs have been called a "fad". Blogs got to a fast start but has been in a big decline. People like them for SEO but in my opinion it is a complete waste with a bunch of useless rambling that is not needed for SEO.

Well I do disagree with the blogs being a waste of time. I have had one for about 6 weeks. I went from getting no hits from Google to getting about 10 a day. Not much I agree but better than ZERO. I can only hope that number will go up. Oh and what good are hits unless you get leads? I have one of those as well. No these numbers are not terribly impressive except I have been watching my stats for over 2 years sit at ZERO. That is just my personal site the blog got over 85 unique visitors today. The only client I got from my site found me from an online ad. But that isn't to say that if employers are to ban personal Internet use that we won’t see a decrease in "business hours" surfing. I still say the "serious" buyers and sellers will surf on their own time. And right now that is all I am concerned about.

How many e-mail addresses did your blog capture?

Do you mean automatically? I don't do automatic. Otherwise as I have said I have gotten 1 lead. Yes, I know that isn't much but as I mentioned it is more than ZERO. So, it is a step in the right direction. As I have only been doing it about 6 weeks I am happy. I am improving my content which is helping me get more traffic.

As someone who has been the victim in the past of automatic email captures, I would never do that to someone else. NEVER! I once visited a site for a free recipe and then for weeks on end kept getting spammed from that site. It's annoying as all get out!

That's why I disagree with forcing people to give emails for access to the MLS. That's how you get a lot of mickey@mickeymouse.com emails.

I'd rather get a FEW emails that are actually authentic from people who seriously want to contact me, than go chasing after the curious or the people just getting their feet wet.

Perky that says it perfectly. I don't force people to register unless they want a daily listings update then I do need some information. Otherwise they can search incognito.

That's what I am saying you can do other things just as effective at SEO and more productive than a blog.

Blogs are good for fresh content but there are other ways to add fresh content and be more effective. I use for example an FAQ section called "Ask Your Real Estate Expert". I add one question a week with an answer, some that were asked by clients, potential clients or I make questions up with bogus names as if they were submitted. Each week it is fresh content added to the site. After reading that particular question they can submit a rating, a box pops up asking their name, e-mail and rating. The majority of the time their e-mail is legit. It will then post first name and last initial Secret A found this helpful 5 stars. I don't bother gathering a phone number, I'll gather that info once trust has been built.

Much more productive than a blog

Sounds like a weekly blog to me. Please explain how it is different than a blog?

I will try to grab an e-mail every chance I get. 99% of the time I get legit e-mails. Every lead capture I have has a privacy statement that says... Your information is private, I will not nor have I never shared, traded or sold information to any other company. This information is for my records only and quiet honestly, I am just a real estate agent that doesn't even know how to go about selling, trading or sharing your information.

It's all about building trust. They understand your not some big company that will result in massive amounts of spam.

Glad you think so. Glad it works for you. There are many who will disagree with you.

But hey. That's what makes America grand.

I read alot of real estate blogs, the majority of them are bunch of useless rambling, old news or can't grab your attention from the start. Yes, I update it weekly (most of the time)as you would a blog but it doesn't exactly follow a blog format or content.

IMO blogs and other social networking sites are good not only for SEO, but another way to capture the interest of a prospect who hopefully will visit your main web site. Once there, you definately want to capture their email address so you can follow up with them. The best way to do this is to give them something of value in exchange for the email. It might be a report on local market conditions, information about local points of interest, or any number of things. The key is to give something of value so you can begin building a relationship with the prospect.

I got a lead from myspaz. Seller didn't go for it but she didn't know me from there, it was her ex who did. He told me she needed help and asked me to door-knock her, which I did. It was all very surrepticious - he had his daughter in on the deal so she'd be sure to get her mom to the door when I popped by. She's not going to sell, though she should and I can't overcome that objection but it was cool that it happened in the first place. Can't wait for my next chance!

I have a real estate related myspace (www.myspace.com/lianesells) and I am going to register for a facebook account. I also blog on ActiveRain.com. I have gotten quite a few leads from both my MySpace and my ActiveRain profile. I think it works - and its free marketing, so why not try it?

Social networks have a variety of uses, outside of personal use. Some employees may abuse this and if a company is worried about that I suggest they implement guidelines about usage. Monitoring an employee's computer use is not difficult.

Social networking a new way of connecting with a consumer base, not just marketing 'at' them. Companies could also benefit from the relationship their employees have with customers.

No, they as a category haven't peaked. Social networking is here to stay, it's just the websites that will come and go. MySpace will probably slow down more as it has. Facebook is more of a user utility than just a network so I project it will keep growing. Integrated mobile social networks will be next.