Glenn- not only deliver something our readers would like to know about, but also something we want to talk about. If it is boring to you, it will be boring to someone else too.

Sarah- same here. Hard to imagine you would agree to room with someone when you have never met them face to face- the power of online relationships!

Norm- very eloquent. I love that – “what you need is a passionate minority”. EXACTLY.

Missy- Good point- it is about a “real” connection, not just reading a blog here and there!

Matt S. – a little balance is key. If it is all personal than we are taking the opportunity to show how qualified we are in our professions. I believe you have to do both simultaneously!

Bob- We each have our different styles and our different target market. I also don’t talk about animals, because I don’t have any, but I do talk about my kids (on a high level), and I find many of my readers and clients feel connected too me for that because I understand what kinds of decisions they are making.

Nick- That was all FAKE? You should be an actor! I think I still asked you what exactly you did, but when I asked, I really cared!

Sellius- Agreed. I think we attract like kind and opposites too! The point is that the online relationship can be the starting point for which “real” relationships develop, where they might not otherwise have begun because we demonstrated online who we really are.

Benn- I was the one applauding from the back of the room when you said you love cats.

Rich- Who has time to create a fake online presence. Get real people!

Todd- Yes, it was planned. Epic!

Larry- WOW, those are some thought provoking questions. By all means, do I share everything in my life, I don’t think that is neccessary. But, for me personally, I want to attract like minded people. The best way to accomplish that is by being real.

And if you don’t have a cat or a llama, you probably don’t really care if your clients do! You might be quite successful in the I hate llama group. )

Nick- Thank you. I knew I liked you from you first comments to me, and you cemented that in “real” life.

Jay- I agree, experts can say whatever they want, when money talks, I listen. You are exactly what I expected, and I love that I felt like I already knew you when I met you. P.S. How can we make sure you get a pair of those shoes!!

Vicki- Maybe not TOO much like us, however!

Kay- I think people have who written professionally have a much harder time- we were taught not to editorialize. I would have a tough time going back again to professional writing!

Jonathan- poor Brady Coy. He was sitting next to me during the cat discussion as I was getting agitated.

Kim- Aren’t I much better than flat Ginger?

Bill- I enjoyed meeting you too. I love being let out of the computer!

Matt- You nailed it- the personality is the differentiator because there are thousands of other agents who offer the same basic service. It is all about who we are, not what we are.

Jeff- I agree, some of the talking heads were really good, but the substance came outside the conference.

Thank you for putting this incredible concept into words. As a Gen Y’er, I am constantly poked fun of by others and how my online relationships are fake and/or shallow. So untrue and this last week definitely proved it. It gets the “and what do you do?” introductions out of the way because we already know it from our discussions online.

I publish information for the purpose of getting business. I target an audience with a specific need. In my market, that has become a rather large niche.

My connection with my audience is based on the ability to convey that I know how to solve their immediate problem. I haven’t written about the dogs, cat, gecko or hermit crabs because the audience I targeted doesn’t care.

At the end of the day, what you publish is a business decision. Some have a “Field of Dreams” approach – if i write enough stuff about enough stuff, someone will walk out of the cornfield and ask to play on my ball field.

I prefer the Russell Shaw approach – get in front of as many people as possible and convey the message that they could benefit from my services.

I wonder how many of Russell’s sellers know if he has a cat or not.

Technology can open the door, but a human still has to walk through it.

Jay Thompson – Experts are ok for advice, but they won’t buy a house from you.

I think a bit of personality is a good thing. Now of course, if your blog is nothing more than a personal blog, it probably won’t work in the real estate world, but connecting with someone REQUIRES a bit of the personal touch. At least that’s what I think.

“You don’t need the most popular blog, the consulting firm with every single company as a client or the flavor of ice cream that almost every single person loves. What you need instead is a passionate minority, a minority so passionate that they spread the word. Jackie and Ben call these people the 1% and they exist in just about every community.”

This post from Seth’s Blog opened my eyes to the fact that fewer close connections are better than more weak connections.

Very happy to count you as a friend and can’t wait to meet you in real life!

Eff ‘em. It’s my blog and I’ll play however I want to.

Experts aside, clients have told me they love it. And you know what? I’ll take clients opinion over “experts” any day.

I’ve got some online friends that I’d take a bullet for. And I don’t think I’ve EVER met someone in person after knowing them online that I didn’t like (assuming I liked them online to begin with).

It’s a new low, but I did the unusual and reflected on your proposal for a few long minutes. Your words struck a chord that spawned questions which I’m sure have been pondered before for while I’m unique, I doubt I’m original.

Do You Like Me seems to be the defacto crown we search for in our blogging efforts, but at what cost to us as private individuals. Where is that “sweet spot” that deliniates our personal life from the personal professional life we portray online. Should we and are we to wear two masks?

How much does one put out for ROI warm fuzzies? Are we real estate whores who at the slightest suggestion of making a buck become indiscreat and open the closet doors to blogosphere clients by exposing our last vestage of personal privacy? Can we hold nothing back?

These questions leave me in a constant flux when one reflects on the web’s declaration of pervasive permanence. It Never Goes Away! Must we accept that our online presence be an all or nothing affair or will a characterization suffice? Do we give them what we think they want and keep our realities in our closet? Finally, what ever happened to mystery?

P.S. I don’t have a cat, dog or a llama, so does this mean I’m screwed?