It must stop
Barely a month into the new year and already one of the more high profile employees of The National Association of Realtors has embarrassed himself and his employer. To top it off, he’s done it in front of the Governor’s office of the State Of Indiana and the Indiana Association of Realtors. Got to give it to him, when Todd Carpenter screws up, he does it on a big stage.
Frankly I’m sick of the boorish, arrogant, self centered behavior by the Social Media Director of OUR Association. It MUST stop. I have 95 pages of documented information and can also direct you to the people at the IAR who can also attest to what you are about to view. Here’s my question to all of you: is this the type of behavior that your dues should be paying for? Oh…and 1000 points to the first person who can identify my favorite word of the week. Enough with the preamble…..on with the show:
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Remind me again why I pay dues to these bozos? Disgraceful!
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Phenomenal! Of course, this comes from someone (moi) who has inspired a little pique from TC in the past, so you may want to take it with a grain of salt.
I would think that the Social Media Director for NAR would be going about building bridges, solid relationships and strong advocacy for Realtors and Realtor Associations in the social media space. I don’t think TC sees his job that way. He obviously has no clue as to how to separate his professional responsibilities from his personal lifestyle. The Realtor community is already overcrowded with folks that detract from our professionalism and public perception. It’s only makes it worse that NAR actually employs someone to represent it in the social media space that can’t build solid, positive relationships with Realtors and Realtor Associations outside of his small clique.
It sounds like Indiana’s REBAR Camp was a resounding success *in spite* of NAR’s Director of Social Media. Good for you.
This is going to spark some excitement. Would love to hear Todd’s version
I belong to several non-profit organizations (including NAR), ranging in size from the Non-Commissioned Officers Association, American Legion and Fleet Reserve Associations to a small local Chief Petty Officers Association. I support these ventures with my attendance, participation in events and fundraisers, and money. They exist – as all non-profits should – SOLELY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THEIR MEMBERS. Like NAR, they are not charities, they are not churches, they are fraternal organizations of individuals who share a common belief, experience, career, or trade.
To see my NAR dues (which I just paid) paying the salary of an individual who espouses none of my values, my culture, or my ethics is – to understate – dissapointing.
If this is the face NAR is putting on what is undoubtedly the organization’s most important public relations position – then I for one am frankly disgusted. He was hired to lead NAR through the Social Media Revolution – not to commit social suicide with the very weapons he was hired to man.
Navy Chief, Navy Pride
What is this BHB? Totally don’t agree with putting up posts like this flaming people, whether it is Todd or not. It’s shamefull and I expected AG to be the last place this would happen (especially with past history of several people from this same platform being majorly offended by exactly the same thing).
Is there a link to this tweet?
…one would have thought…
Great job, Greg. And #rebcin was a SMASHING success. YOu and Duke and Rock and the rest of the crew and the sponsors who put it together deserve much thanks.
NO thanks to the aforementioned dork, however. The dude whose salary is wholly paid by us.
Someone watches a liiiittle too much Glenn Beck…
Greg,
Wow,
First, The embarassment of the IAR and the fence mending that took place on their behalf and in front of the Gov. and his staff. Indescribeable. You just had to be there!
Second, We all volunteered…for……Oh, I thought it was to interact,learn,network,and gain a better understanding of our business and our State Assoc. I did’t think I volunteered to defend our National Association to it’s actual paying members You just had to be there!
Third, If you stand on the squeaky soap box and don’t expect to get swung at.GET OFF THE BOX. Greg ,for the rest of us members of NAR.Thanks for standing up on the Box!
I have to say I am with Ines on this one. I see it as a rant (justified or not) with no potential to move forward to a solution.
“An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind. ” – Ghandi
NO one should have to stand in front of the Governor of his state and explain why one of the officers of his national org has hashtagged their event with #fail. That also felt a lot like a flame. If that behavior hadn’t occurred this post wouldn’t be here.
Gee, I thought I typed AgentGenius into my browser, not BloodhoundBlog or HousingPanic.
I thought this place had more class than that.
Apparently I thought wrong.
How about a link to this tweet? How about quoting Todd’s Twitter profile completely, not just the part you want to hear that fits your rant?
The irony is incredible. Ranting about the actions of someone and then calling them a hater and a jackass. Commenters calling them a dork. I don’t get it.
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Behold the awesome power of Social Media. It’s a Swiss Knife, a weapon, a tool, a toy, a bridge, a bomb.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
A line from the Wolf in Pulp Fiction – “Because you are a character does not mean you have character.”
Brand Management is no joke, don’t treat it like one.
Yet to be witnessed, but sure to follow, a case study in Newton’s Law of Motion, “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.” as it applies to On-Line Conflict. Where ever this goes, we’ll learn some lessons on how to handle conflict and confrontation, resolution and recovery.
Years of experience have taught me not to prejudge until I’ve heard both sides of the story. Usually there are 3 sides, what he said, what she said and what really happened. Having said that, when all the facts are in and stories told, what’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong.
Months and years of work can crumble and crack in 140 characters and more.
Beware the viral velocity and capability of your online content.
I believe Greg has the right to post his bold and out loud opinion. Our NAR leaders should understand and accept that possibility as part of the job description.
One of the things I repeatedly tell my kids when they are in a sibling squabble is to be the bigger person. It doesn’t matter if “she did that” or “he did it first;” nothing gets better until someone steps up to be the better human.
This could have been addressed in a better way. The postings I read online about RE Barcamp Indiana were enthusiastic and proud. The event obviously succeeded and people came away with much from a great day. That is your triumph.
Perhaps this could have been addressed in a non-confrontational way that would have made a point AND caused a constructive discussion. Instead, shocked that I find such a flaming rant on one of my favorite informational RE site, my impressions and opinions of those involved has taken a negative hit. That saddens me.
Who embarassed who here? My profession just took another hit.
This was attacking–for the most part–Todd’s actions and using facts. The line was crossed a few times, but the arguement is solid.
just like my arguement that Greg is acting like an entitled nincompoop is also solid. Greg may be a nice guy. But, TODD IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION to thumbs up an event. TODD may NOT want to give stuff the thumbs up, ever. Acting as if that you are entitled to TODD’s support…
…and then calling him out when you don’t get it? That’s thuggish. And, that’s a clear signal that you currently lack that maturity to do business with on this or any other level. If you’re going to personalize some perceived slight, and demonize someone that happened to be too busy to fawn over an idea you had…
…what DOES that say to your vendors, greg cooper?
…what does that say to your clients? What does it say about your emotional state?
If I was going to go into business with you, and saw this video, I’d stop immediately. Because you’re willing to go to serious lows in order to get your way. The rhetoric: fine. Saying that Todd Carpenter had no business doing that? That’s fine. Probably even on a congenial blog like AG.
Just like it’s fine for me to say “Greg Cooper Whines Like an Entitled Bitch When He Doesn’t Get Enough Attention.”
Grey,
I didn’t think we were doing public lynching anymore. Guess I was wrong.
1 Tweet = Your Video, kinda like using an M16 to shoot a fly.
I’m with Ines, Jay and Elaine.
If you have an issue with someone, take the appropriate channels and deal with it like a professional.
Wishing I had headphones on when I played this with a 6 year old in the room.
Carpenter says Cooper’s baby is ugly. Cooper says Carpenter is ugly.
This could be fun.
Wow! You had a government official at your BarCamp. Why? And how does this government official feel about being a part of this rant? This has taken things too far. Just be happy your event was what you wanted it to be. There’s no need to resort to props and name calling. My dues do go to pay NAR staff. However, my dues are not responsible for dictating what a staff member may or may not say on a social media site under their personal account. There are a few more important concerns that we should be focusing on in this market. I’m incredibly disappointed in the actions of this poster. It definitely changes my opinion of certain people.
I try and stay out of the RE.net kindergarten romper room. But after listening to the video above I decided to find for myself the tweet saying the event would fail. I found the tweet I believe is being reference. Since it is the only tweet in Todd’s twitter stream with #rebcin going back as far as January 1, 2010.
I quote Todd here:
“Amazes me that the peeps the #rebcin peeps hassled me over and over to link from rebarcamp.com, but never bothered to reciprocate. #fail”
For those unfamiliar with 140 character blogging, translated this means. If you want a link you reciprocate with a link. #fail = without a link you won’t get one.
This is a far cry from saying an event is going to fail.
Terrific response, Dave. Well-put.
Well put Mr. Cooper… I applaud your communications skills.. and congratulations on what sounds like a very successful event and speaker agenda for your local bar camp. Cheers!
Dave, Thanks for taking the time to bring the facts to light.
My response to http://agentgenius.com/g-rants.....nt-genius/ (Not sure it’ll pass moderation.)
Bill Lublin wrote, among other things, “3. Nobody has still explained to me what the heck a governor has to do with an “unconference” like a BarCamp – if this was just an Association event it should have been promoted in that manner, and the entire controversy would possibly have been avoided. BarCamps are specific types of anarchistic events where peers gather to define the event – not Association events where politicians come to promote their own agendas – But I digress”
My response:
A. There was an IAR Legislative Conference happening at the same time in the same hotel, so the Gov’s lunch was a coordinated event between reBar Camp and the IAR. Happy coincidence at best.
B. If the Governor’s office made the connection between Todd, NAR and #rebcin, it doesn’t matter one iota what you or I think about Todd’s tweets. What matters is how it was perceived by others who may not be connected to the industry and to whom we look for political and professional support.
C. Todd posts from his Twitter account where he describes himself thusly: “Social Media Manager for the National Association of REALTORS®, and these are my personal opinions. Oh, and I’m a crummy speller. Deal with it.” Whether you see it, agree with it or get it, his posts DO ABSOLUTELY reflect an opinion of NAR. If he wants to rant without that association being built in, he might consider having a separate personal Twitter account without that description.
Was Greg’s post over the top? Perhaps. That’s a matter of personal opinion. I understand his perspective and frustration.
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Seriously Greg? Seriously folks bashing NAR? You think that all your dues go to pay one person? One person’s alleged actions mean an entire organization is bad?
There are plenty of non-Realtor offices that folks who don’t take the time to get involved in NAR can join. If you don’t see value, leave. Or better yet, get involved in a positive manner and CREATE value.
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Greg,
The cool thing about Todd is when I piss him off (and I have) he doesn’t post videos on it. He contacts me.
That said, if real estate doesn’t work out, at least you know you have a career in bus driving.
Greg – Was the Tweet from Todd quoted in Dave Smith’s comment what set you off?
Link: http :// twitter DOT com/tcar/status/7883166526
If that’s it, I’d love to see the other “95 pages of documented information” you claim to have on this incident.
If that is the Tweet, it doesn’t remotely come close to saying #rebcin was going to fail.
You’ve got a link to the Tweet in question. In the name of “news” and “journalism” why don’t you link to it?
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Got to agree with Jay here .. that Tweet (to me) says not reciprocating the link was the #fail …
Goes to show … communicating is only successful when the other person understands exactly what you want them to.
Of note, we don’t *know* if this was the Tweet that set Greg off. If it is, IMO he owes a lot of people an apology. If it’s not, I still have to question why *nothing* more than saying, “I have 95 pages of documented information…” was provided as a backup to his claims.
That’s just a *very* poor job of documenting pretty serious claims.
I have it from a “reliable source” that Greg is unavailable right now but will be addressing this as soon as he can.
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Can open. Worms everywhere.
After reading Dave Smith’s account of the actual tweet that caused this whole kerfluffle I find myself needing to apologize for my hasty rush to judgment. Clearly there was fault on both sides here. So true that there are 3 sides to anything!
Well…having read both this post and Bill Lublin’s post, and having read what is ostensibly Todd’s tweet that precipitated this mess, and having then dissected all the words and rhetoric and posturing in, I hope, a logical and dispassionate way, all I can say is…
HORSE HOCKEY.
While respecting Mr. Cooper’s right to speak his mind, I think he should have handled this in a totally different way. This video sounded like so much whining and sour grapes it’s pathetic. It sounds to me like both he and the Governor’s aide totally misinterpreted Todd’s tweet and use of the #fail hashtag. And the name calling made me very uncomfortable; to hear a presumably professional person use those words in that tone of voice was, in my humble opinion, misguided and counterproductive. If Mr. Cooper had such a big issue with Todd, why not pick up a phone and clear the air instead of airing his dirty laundry for the entire RE to see? I think this entire brou-ha-ha could have been averted with a little bit of common sense and forethought. Or is that too much to ask from respected members of AG and the RE.net? Mutual respect seems to be flying out the window. Hopefully this gets put to bad fast so we can go on to bigger and better things…
Wow — I have to say I’m with Jay, Sarah, Ines and Mizzle and many others. This isn’t a hockey game where you just punch the other guy until you feel better. The lack of professionalism in this video is indecribable. If in fact the tweet Jay and others have listed as the reason for this rant, shame on you Mr Cooper. Todd was simply saying if you don’t reciprocate links = #fail. I thought we learned THAT ONE in Twitter 101.
Having put on a REBarCamp in Silicon Valley and having Todd’s help to do so, I know some of the politics that go on with being an employee of a real estate association and putting on the BarCamps as independent people wanting to create an opportunity to help Realtors. Attacking Todd as a person representing the NAR, while he was acting on his own behalf and all the ugly things that were said about his personal character was very upsetting. Its this type of “social media backlash” that can ruin the open and free spirit of the medium. I happened to have seen the tweet in question when it first came out and knew the concept of the #fail hashtag. Obviously, it was like an inside joke that got taken out of context and spiraled out of control…ending up with this vicious video. Todd has his moments, yes, but like everyone said…a well placed phone call/email would have been a professional way to handle this.
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Dave Thanks for finding the “tweet that launched a thousand blips” I can understand how the governor’s office could misunderstand the #fail hashtag – which indicated that the lack of reciprocity was a #fail NOT that the ReBarCamp was going to fail – Makes this whole rant seem even sillier – and points out that Todd’s tweet was not responsible – it was a lack of knowledge on the part of the reader’s -
wow, understand the #fail hashtag is what needs to be understood. A 30 second phone call could have fixed the entire problem.
Can’t really figure out why NAR was dragged into this, but whatever…
Who cares if a politician swung by to stick his greasy head in. I think most people would rather listen to a baby cry for 24 hours straight then listen to another BS politician.
I’ve been involved in setting up the Minneapolis RE BarCamp (shameless promo) website and as far as I’m aware of, that’s the only thing Todd has requested is a link back to one of his sites. Pretty fair exchange for all the effort that he and many other individuals have put into the movement.
I’ve never met Todd face to face, but he has done a lot for the industry (including organizing the upcoming real estate related wordcamp that I’m planning on attending). If he wants to venture up to #rebcmn, I’ll make sure to cheers him with a Maker’s Mark
I’m sure there is more to this but then again there hasn’t been much to go off of either.
Moving on.
Oh Good Night!
One of the first rules of thumb of being online (ANYWHERE) is that once it’s there, it’s there for your grandchildren’s grandchildren to see.
I don’t understand what the big deal was that Todd didn’t want to participate, I don’t get why Greg is so bent over that. On his end, as professional courtesy, Todd could have called and said yes or no instead of putting Greg off. How many times do we wish agents would return our calls and with all this talk about RTB (Raise the Bar) it seems like that would have been the right thing to do. I’m NOT Todd so I don’t know and certainly don’t cast judgement.
Second rule of thumb is BE YOURSELF. Greg should understand that.
I’m a little disappointed that Greg took it on himself to post a video blog bashing someone else.
Granted, Todd works for NAR, but he is still TODD…he posted his disclaimer that the thoughts are his own personal thoughts….much like most people on the planet who still believe in the right of free speech.
If the tweet posted is what set Greg off, I think he should have investigated further before publicly humiliating, himself, Todd and all of us who strive to be professional and still be ourselves….keep your dirty laundry out of the limelight…no one ends up looking good…
I Still respect Greg’s right to express himself…giving him the same respect I give Todd…regardless of whether or not I agree…but next time…put on your big girl panties and pick up the phone!
I also give MAJOR PROPS to AG for allowing freedom of speech…this one is not going to be easy to work through, but we will all soon get caught up on the next shiny thing on the web and keep on living our lives. Kudos AG…hope you don’t get bashed too hard.
Anyone who takes this tweet as an prediction of event failure, obviously needs to look at it again – objectively. http://twitter.com/tcar/status/7883166526. What it says, imho, is that the refusal to provide a reciprocal link is the failure. To take it beyond that is just a further demonstration of sensationalism and sad. Any English teachers out there want to examine the statement and explain it’s meaning also?
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Apparently and allegedly the actual comment has been deleted, but the one you’ve found left for your consumption- fortunately, I’ve been made aware that the timeline was physically copied and will be made available shortly.
I might enjoy the chance to provide an outsiders perspective:
First, it is my opinion that the implicit involvement of the state association here in Indiana was a great move, showing that associations are finally getting the point … what they do is becoming less and less valuable. to us. Better step up and join the future.
Second, Governor Mitch Daniels and his staff know social media well. They were also informed that there was an earlier argument between two competing groups who both wanted to do a Bar Camp in Indy. The first group did their camp in the fall, and the attendance was average but less than they hoped. This group had much higher activity due to the cross marketing with the state association but still REALTORs in general were too lazy to actually show up .. many signed up and still didn’t show. My guess was that the Governor’s staff wanted to make sure that NAR’s negative comment didn’t mean the event was going to fail.
Third, Barcamps in general are pretty free flowing … this one was a little too structured and in the future sponsors should not be allowed to structure the time and speakers … that said if you can get a Governor or President to speak, that’s a no brainer DO IT!
Greg, you got angry with Todd … Todd you talked down to Greg and his team a bit much. Greg you probably can pull back now … Todd you probably can understand his frustrations. Right?
Thanks for bringing more information to the forefront Steve.
There are a lot of things that can and will cause issues. Heck I was just in one about a week ago — nearly 40 DMs back and forth — but guess what — we got it worked out. Took more time than Greg committed, more effort than Greg committed, but in the end no one has egg on their face.
I’m sorry Greg, but I think Chris’ sentiments are totally right on.
With everything going on in the world today. This and a rebuttal post is what lights up AG Not Hati, Not World hunger Not the abortion debate or not the fact that everyone is out of work and losing their houses. Amazing. I had a listing appointment today or maybe I would have had more to say. OH BTW I got the listing.
P.S Greg and Todd can handle their own business. Godspeed to them both.
Duke said, “P.S Greg and Todd can handle their own business. Godspeed to them both.”
Good point. Then why drag it out in public? Especially with absolutely zero supporting data (other than a claim of having 95 pages of documented information).
Without the support of even a link to the Tweet in question, this comes off as nothing but a personal attack. A rant that, in my opinion, has no place on a public forum that claims, “Our primary goal is to educate readers to improve their business as well as the overall industry with the end goal being improvement of the consumer experience.”
And this video meets those wonderful goals in what way?
Many people consider AG to be a “real estate news” source. Here is just one comment that was posted to Facebook:
I am shocked at how a respected RE news organization let that video out
This video isn’t “news” by ANY stretch of the imagination. Journalism? Puhlease.
Unless of course one considers the National Enquirer a news source or journalism. Publicly calling someone by name and position a “hater” and a “jackass” isn’t reporting “news”. It’s sensationalistic bullshit.
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Jay,
I know you are just repeating what was tweeted “I am shocked at how a respected RE news organization let that video out”. In the defense of AG, I believe the writers should hold themselves to high standards since they’ve been entrusted, and agreed to, deliver relevant content.
Agreed completely Brandie. The simple fact alone that many in this space consider AG a “news organization” means the contributors here should be aware of that and act accordingly. No, they aren’t journalists. But it’s not that difficult to back your statements with something, anything, that can be verified and to not go down the personal attack / name calling road.
Here’s a comment someone left on my Facebook page about this:
Well I’m glad I’m not an agent, the guy in the video seems like a big ‘ol jerk with an ego to match.
Videos like this do **nothing** to further this industry. In fact, they do the opposite, which flies in the face of AG’s stated goals.
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Great points, Jay. Yes, we (anyone that provides content – anywhere) have a responsibility to be accurate. And, if we can’t back something with facts/data, then say it’s an observation or speculation. Yeah, I wouldn’t rant publicly … funny, I think I remember Greg making a point in his video about the reputation Todd is creating for NAR … wonder if Greg will feel any ripple effects from his video?
Funny you should ask. I just think this is a perfect case study in reputation management. When people google Greg this will come up…and if they know anything about social media they’ll realize that this magot brained mashed potato of a man is wrong here.
Srsly, Genuine? Did you really have to go there?
I can’t get the audio to work on the clip and from the tone of the comments here, that is probably a very good thing.
Carry on.
Judy M – you need to make sure you are using the IE browser – won’t open in Chrome or Mozilla (at least for me).
Holy cow! Someone on AG took a stand! Good on ya, Greg Cooper!
The video is good, too, an excellent performance.
Describing Todd Carpenter as “arrogant and self-serving” is so far from the truth. This is a man who has divested himself of all of his very successful business ventures to take a job at N.A.R. He spends his life working to help bring social to the world of N.A.R. He deserves some credit here for his grit, he’s trying to blaze a trail where there is none.
As far as examining his Twitter stream, I bet we all have embarrassing moments from misunderstandings to outright typos. Who really wants that to be taken seriously? If you are offended, go to the source. I’m sure when all is said and done Todd will be the first one to make things right.
Grandma said “when you have a problem you go to the source.” It is really a sad state of affairs to grill someone in public for something that is obviously a misunderstanding of a 140 character comment. To use this venue to air a grievance makes me feel less and less likely to give credence to anything that is said here.
WOW!! I don’t Todd or Greg but have to say the video is really well made and certainly does a good job of expressing Greg’s opinion. Not quite sure why any of this is such a big deal. Todd pissed Greg off and Greg called him out. Truly there are more important issues in our lives than this. Aren’t there?
Did anyone else notice that somewhere in the middle of that diatribe, Greg Cooper said, “Call me Kooky…”
Dear Kooky,
The neighborly thing to do would have been to help the guy in the background of the vid with the bag of leaves. Now who do you think your neighbor will list their home with?
Greg, I can only assume that you’re talking about the link that Dave Smith unearthed. It was never intended to be perceived as a prediction that RE BarCamp Indiana would be a failure. I’m sorry.
As you might remember, you asked me to link to your site via (an @tcar) tweet. You then implied that it was NAR’s official site. I responded indicating that REBarCamp.com is not a NAR site. It’s a site that I work on in my spare time. Something I don’t have a lot of. Unfortunately, lately I have let a lot of people down in getting information up onto the site. I considered shutting down the site all together. Your public tweet followed several private emails from others in your group. I’m sure you were frustrated. Bottom line, I should have got to it sooner, and I just didn’t. I’m sorry.
I linked to it the next day, or maybe that night. After I did, I @replied to you to ask for a reciprocal link. After several weeks, I was looking at your site and noticed you never linked back. That’s what made me decide to tweet what I did. Again, after all the requests from your group to link to your site, I felt like the simple courtesy of linking back was a #fail. Nothing more.
I have never predicted an RE BarCamp would fail. I never would. I personally don’t see the value in key note type speakers at an event that is supposed to be about collaborative discussions, but if that’s what you wanted to do, great. I’m happy to hear the event was a success.
As for what I post on twitter, that’s really my business. If you don’t like what I say there, you should unfollow me. My bio is written the way it is for transparency sake. I believe in telling people where I sit before I tell them where I stand. I think it’s important for people to know who I work for. I also think it’s important to tell them that while I do work for them, this is where I intend to share my personal opinions.
Concerning your 95 pages of content, I just forwarded you my supervisor’s email address. Feel free to address your concerns with her.
Todd,
Glad to see you took the less traveled high road. Perfect example of what to do in this social media age when responding to very personal attacks.
Frankly I would have been tempted to use the dog bone in a less than a professional response to Greg’s video – particularly when someone is attacking my job.
Reminds me of an old saying, don’t wrestle with a pig, all that will happen is you both get muddy, and the pig likes it. Please let me be clear that I’m not calling Greg a pig – but rather commenting on how everyone looses in these instances.
Twitter
Speaking as a slightly interested observer with no horse in the race, I think Greg Cooper did a fantastic job of giving Todd Carpenter a platform to demonstrate how to run social media professionally. This was a most educational thread, but probably not for reasons the author had intended.
Is this the Twitter post that everyone is referring to? http://twitter.com/tcar/status/7883166526
If it is, I don’t see anything on here about Todd saying or insinuating that this event will fail in any way. I think there’s a COMPREHENSION #fail here.
He’s clearly referring to the lack of a reciprocal link. In fact, I’m not sure how it could be interpreted any other way.
If an “issue” justifies public attention, it should be done without flaming. From what I am reading here, it seems this is a misunderstanding that exploded unnecessarily. That’s sad for all of us.
The silence from the author of this post is deafening. . .
I came across this post from Bill’s post. I read Bill’s post… then the comments, then came here… read the comments. Then I watched the video.
You hung your entire attack on a misunderstanding of a tweet?
Unfortunately, the power of “google never forgets” will hold true. This wonderful example of unprofessionalism will now likely show up when people search the Indiana REBarCamp. If those people read this, it could have a judgmental impact on you and on your beloved BarCamp. That’s a #fail on your part.
You referenced Twitter 101 as a slam to Todd? Greg, YOU’RE THE ONE WHO #FAILED HERE. A basic understanding of Twitter 101 on your part would have prevented all of this. Another clever trick was referencing only PART (the convenient part) of Todd’s bio on Twitter. You called him a jackass. You are classless.
I really have to believe that you knew all of this going into it, but that you have some underlying agenda here. It was so misrepresented, it’s amazing.
Those 95 pages would sure be nice to see. However, I doubt the’ll ever surface. They’ll likely just add to your lack of credibility.
So let me get this straight…
All of this; the video, the responses, the follow up post, the investigation into what was or wasn’t said, the Governor’s office (and aide), the local association, all of this, was started because someone (Todd) didn’t put a link on their website?
Wow.
Here’s a rule of thumb for EVERYONE, including AG:
***Public praise, private criticism.***
This was not a classy post and it reflects poorly on AG, regardless of whether or not the gripe has any merit. I am disappointed in you guys. I’m not going to chase down Todd’s tweets, but even if you’re correct in what you said, you could have contacted him privately offline to encourage the same “public praise, private criticism” rule of thumb.
Um Mary,
I myself have had not-so-pleasant experiences w @tcar. I actually know many, many people that feel the exact same way that Greg does.
Further I have a problem w/ your statement “public praise, private…”
Um, I don’t know if you noticed or not, but you just criticized AG PUBLICLY?
Classy post? He’s been mean to so many members, it’s a joke.
He’s the meanest person around
Actually, I praise Benn and Lani and Greg for airing this heinous mistake that NAR has made by entrusting the NAR brand to a buffoon
The best rule of thumb to do public praise, private criticism and it’s a totally fair reminder for all parties since this was a very very intentionally public raking over the coals.
I’m not defending Todd – I don’t know what he did or didn’t do – but I’m saying that the public video response is inappropriate. And yes, since it’s all public and in a forum that requests comments, I’m commenting.
It would have been better, had Greg had a “bone” with Todd, to take it to him personally. That failing, take it to his boss.
Whether or not you have had prior problems with Todd or Greg or anyone else is irrelevant. We’re talking about this one incident. Should you video slam someone based on a misunderstanding of a tweet? I don’t think so. If you do so in a public forum that solicits comments, be ready to get them. You invited it.
Mary
Did you see the tweet. Benn just posted it. It’s exactly what it looks like…that’s why @tcar took it down. There is no way to justify it. NONE. But yet—everyone here is telling Greg how to act.
I think you guys need to look at the tweet (there is NO OTHER WAY TO view it but the way it was written) and turn to the person who caused this situation and tell HIM how he should act.
Jay
What happened to you anti-NAR websites? They went away when Todd got you nominated on a NAR committee, no?
What happened to your NAR stance? And what changed it? wink, wink.
Kevin –
I’m not even going to go down this road with you again.
The site is still up (though I no longer post to it), and you are 100% INcorrect in your assessment that I stopped giving my opinion on the NAR when I joined the MLS committee.
If you really care why I stopped posting on NAR Wisdom, go read the post. I’ve written several times on my blog about NAR, and commented others countless times since joining the NAR MLS committee.
What this has to do with any of this is beyond me. And you’re more than welcome to come back here and say something about me again. I can’t stop that, but I’m not getting into a conversation about it after this comment. It’s all out there on the internet, plain as day so there is no point in further discussion here.
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Much of todays to and fro made me think of this…
Way back when I was a kid, parents could spank their kids, in fact, it was considered good parenting, a way to teach your children right from wrong.
When I was a teenager, one day I ended up at the Safeway grocery store with my mom.
We lived in San Diego.
Anyway, down one aisle, a little boy, around 7 I’d say, the little boy punched his younger sister in the arm. She yelped and started crying. Their mother snatched up the little boys left arm in her left, and with her right hand, she spanked the crap out of her young son, between whacks, huffing, “Don’t. Ever. Hit…your sister. Don’t. Hit her. Again….or I’ll spank you tiny butt till it’s. Red! Now they were both crying.
I looked away and thought, “why is she hitting him, telling him hitting someone is bad, while she hits him?”
It’s ironic you know?
Ken, Will you marry me?
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I would if I could Duke, but Polygamy is illegal. Look at all the trouble stewed-up on Big Love? Cheers and Chuckle.
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Duke, you have to get in line behind me
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With all due respect to Duke, Brandie, please move to the front of my very short line:-)
I’m just going to try to say this as simply as I can. We all do wrong. We all piss people off. Hopefully not intentionally. If you have a problem with Todd, this is not the place to post it. Go to his supervisor with reasons you are upset with him if you got no resolve from him in direct contact. Have specific reasons. If I were being pummeled like Todd is right now I would want specifics, ways to defend myself and ways to remedy the situation. If you feel that his title on his Twitter badge is misleading, just say so. Don’t post a video and publicly pummel a person. I thought his response was very honorable and others used this as another way to keep the battle going. Do we want solution to this and let Greg and Todd work it out or are we going to keep picking sides? Todd could have very easily picked out a “bigger bone” but I respect him for saying sorry and wanting to move on.
Amy
We’ve said so for months! How come Todd can gut people online but nobody else can?
I don’t know if you know Todd from before he was at NAR—but if you did, you would know the irony of the situation here.
Jay,
Jay
just curious that’s all.
It seems that NAR brought in the two people most vocal anti-NAR people and made them believers.
It is true, tho.
Wow. Very short response. Almost, would I dare say, DEAFENING.
I love all you guys! Wow!
With all of the hubbub spilling over to other venues that I frequent, I had to stop by and peruse the two posts in question and the ample (to say the least) commentary to find out who died. Now I’m just a schlub who sells houses, not anyone associated with the fictional national Real Estate scene, but I cannot summon anything more than an extended yawn over this and the accompanying diatribes. All of this angst over a pissing match not worthy of my toddlers. Tweets, hashtags and egos, oh my! Get a grip, folks. A Jackson 4 reunion makes for more compelling discussion. Kick the dog, hug your spouse and find something more worthy of your passion.
Unrelatedly, did you hear what so and so said about whosywhatsits in the break room?
Hey, Hey…
If I learned one thing at the few barcamps I have been to…
Hey, that is barcamp…
Dave
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@tcar twitter timeline, check the last page for the deleted tweet in question.
This is a hard copy print of the timeline that was scanned in for your consumption. There’s more but 23 pages and the missing tweet is enough.
http://agentgenius.com/wp-cont.....meline.pdf
WOW Benn… game changer… off to make another bag of popcorn
Ben,
Take this how you will, but consider the viewpoint in which this is written; that of a newer agent trying to avoid the traps and pitfalls of being a Realtor in the 21st century. In other words, your target market. This is the way I see this whole ‘controversy’.
I understand from your bio that you are the founder of this website, so pageviews matter to you, especially for all of the revenue dollars the ads on the right side of the page bring in. But there is such a thing as negative publicity.
In reading through the comments on both this thread and the rebuttal by Bill Lubin, a few things occur to me.
You want to post hard copy of another user’s Twitter stream (passive aggressive much?) as evidence of their character (or lack thereof). But would your Twitter stream stand up to the same criticism? I don’t think so, and that makes you a hypocrite at best. At worst, well, rather than step in and moderate the way I’d expect a good editor would, you instead choose to pour gasoline on the fire. I understand from your bio that you’re “not scared of controversy”; but does that mean you aspire to be as credible as, say, Jerry Springer? That’s up to you, but I don’t know if that’d be my goal in life or for my company.
Further, if you are going to take one user’s stream and treat it as an ‘official’ stream, then should we do the same for yours? Your bio states: “Founder Agent Genius Real Estate Mag & New Media Lab”. Should we conclude everything on your stream is also an ‘official’ stream; peppered as it is with profanity and derisive references to a piece of equipment for holding the fluid used in douching?
The tweet, deleted or not, was not nearly as offensive as some would like it to have been, and certainly not worthy of a five-minute video. You know what ‘fail’ means, I know what ‘fail’ means, I’m pretty sure most commentators on these two threads know what ‘fail’ means… heck, I’d bet even Greg Cooper knows what ‘fail’ means (even if he chose to ignore it to further an agenda). The fact that a politician (or their aide) didn’t know what ‘fail’ meant; well, let’s be honest here- is that really a surprise to anyone here?
Bill Lubin’s rebuttal is actually trending higher on Google than this one; is that really the publicity you, as the founder, want for your site? Again, just asking, only because it seems counterintuitive to me.
These two threads were the first two I’ve read on AgentGenius; based principally on your behavior in the comments, they’ll probably be my last.
Many social sites experience some growing pains, and most of them end up instituting a Terms of Service (if they didn’t already have one), and most ToSs that I’ve seen have a section about personal attacks. A cursory search of AgentGenius does not turn up anything; when you institute a policy, let me know, and I may be back. Until then, I’ll do the same to AgentGenius that I do to The Jerry Springer Show, Maury, most reality TV, The National Enquirer, MySpace, and the like- I’ll just ignore it and go on with my life.
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Dan,
I’m new to real estate as well, although I’ve been in marketing/advertising for a while.
From an almost realtor to a new realtor, I’d rethink your decision. This is one if the better places I’ve found for technology and good practices for realtors. And not directing this at you, but a lot if realtors can use the help and insight.
I’ve commented on these posts, but haven’t touched the whole Gregg vs Todd thing. Ignore these two posts if you will, but I wouldn’t write off the whole site. There are a lot of contributors and authors on this site with great info and ideas for realtors. You’d be missing out.
Benn,
After reading the tweet there is no way to explain oneself out of this one.
It’s now very, very clear why it was deleted.
It seems that Jessica Horton is calling out Ines and Jay on this baby!
http://www.screencast.com/user.....199ea7f2fe
Girl
!!!!
I could care less what Jessica Horton thinks of my blog. I seriously doubt she’ll be buying any real estate in Phoenix. She’s entitled to think whatever she wants to think.
Jay
The tweet is reprehensible. There is no way to explain it. Damning.
The “tweet” in question is fake. Use Measure It! plugin for firefox to measure the spacing and we’ll notice that someone was lazy. And even so, I’ve started with hashtags or @’s and it enter prematurely. I generally take that out, but it sticks around in my feed.
I want to address one part of this. I am not taking sides, I may not agree with the way Greg called out Todd, and I am not going to take a side on what Todd may or may not have said. But I want to address the “on personal space can do what you want” theory.
While I want to agree with it, that is just not the case. I used to manage political campaigns. If one of my staffers were to ever say something in public that was overly derogatory about an opponent you bet your ass I would reprimand them and maybe let them go. Now if they said something over the top say about a sports team or a movie? I would not care because that was not related at all to their work.
Even if you say something on your personal space it is still reflected on your employer and the associations you may work for. If the lobbyist for the teamsters went on his personal space and said something bad about a teamsters organization dont you think he should be reprimanded?
That being said I go back to I am not passing judgement on Todd because I was not part of the conversation and even if he did say derogatory things I do not think this was the best response.
Just pointing out something I find VERY curious….
Off all those 180ish Tweets in the PDF file Benn linked to, the ONLY one with a hard line break before the time stamp is the “#rebcin #fail” Tweet.
That’s quite strange that the Tweet in question would be formatted differently than every other Tweet in that list.
See the short Tweets at top of page 10 and 19. See how the time stamp follows IMMEDIATELY after the message?
Yet the “#rebcin #fail” Tweet has a line break after the message, forcing the time stamp to a new line.
And that’s the ONLY one in that entire list formatted that way.
You can interpret that however you want, but you can’t deny that it’s quite odd this suspected evil Tweet is formatted differently than every other one on the list.
Oh, and it’s been deleted too….
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Although there are no other two word tweets, here are some locations with similar formatting of single line tweets on one line with timestamp on the second line:
bottom of page 6
2nd tweet on page 17
mid-page 19
bottom of page 21
top of page 22
bottom of page 22
tweet in question
Some two line tweets that have room for the first part of the time stamp but instead have a break:
page 2
2nd tweet on page 5
2nd tweet on page 12
mid-page 18
There isn’t much curious here except the tweet in question and why it is not in the current timeline.
If it happened just like Todd says (or doesn’t say) it happened then NAR can explain it to IAR.
Every one you mention looks like a natural line break to me Benn, not a hard break like in the evil Tweet.
The two very short Tweets I mentioned above were the closest I found to the length of the Tweet in question.
But maybe that’s me.
“And now a word from one of our sponsors….” REBarCamp….aaahh what have you gotten us all into now? This innocent little meeting format has developed into a strain of a powerful virus, infiltrating organizations, stroking egos and pitting people against each other, still popping up all across the United States with little central control or guidance. There’s no guidebook, oversight, or organization; just a viral demand from real estate pros and the vendors hungry to get their name in front of those who attend. Todd controls the best website for a REBarCamp, yet does not have the time or money to maintain it. AND he has gotten himself in a pickle about it. There are enough comments here about Todd, Greg and their transgressions. We can’t change what happened, but we can do something to create some sense and organization out of a great concept (REBarCamp) which has outgrown the homegrown charm conceived by of its founders and is now becoming a catalyst in creating issues like we have here and recently in NY. (The organizers of REBarCampNY suffered fallout when word got out that there was a possibility the registration list might be given to vendors. However it does seem to be okay for a vendor to run the successful Virtual REBarCamp and collect names. Confusing to say the least.) Organizing a BarCamp is hard work, done by volunteers and it’s time for one of the founders of BarCamp, namely Todd Carpenter, to create a template and short operating manual along with some guidelines for NAR members to follow when planning a REBarCamp. And it’s time for NAR to figure out a way to get someone to work with Todd and his website, or some vendor to create an official REBarCamp website so locals do not have to re-create the website wheel and everything else whenever a REBarCamp is scheduled. “And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming….”
How does a guy like that get to be head of Social Media?
Oh my, this is better than listening to Barry White.
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Thankfully we can multi-task and do both, we win twice. Cheers Susie;-)
Social Media can be a bit unforgiving, whether you choose sides or not.
Paula,
Succinct and wisely stated.
Hi Benn,
Please stat the source of the document in question.
Please forward me the names of the people involved at the Indiana Assoc and Governor Mitch Daniels office.
This is all very curious. Greg stated in his video that the tweet I made came while the association was trying to get Governor Mitch Daniels to commit to RE BarCamp Indiana. The blog post on their web site confirming the Governor’s participation was published on January 13th.
http://www.barcampindiana.com/.....p-indiana/
The tweets on page 23 of your document are timestamped January 17th. That’s four days after the blog post was published.
So again, what exactly was the tweet in question that endangered the negotiations to bring the Governor to this meeting?
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I’m happy to address the document issue, it came directly from Greg Cooper via email in PDF, uploaded, and posted at the request of commentators.
Regretably having two open houses and hours worth of addtitional work after did not allow me to participate in this discussion Sunday as I would have wanted but I’d like to offer some basic thoughts.
First, countless people have insinuated that somehow I’ve fabricated this issue or exploited this issue. They had stated in so many ways that Todd Carpenter never did what I accused him of on Sunday….calling our event a failure before it took place . For those who have ANY doubt as to whether this is something that I’ve fostered, let me ask you this:
Why did the Governor’s office of the state of Indiana and the Indiana Association of Realtors believe that NAR’s social media director had slighted an event that the Governor was going to appear at? Why did THEY on their own believe that Todd Carpenter had associated our event as being a failure. I had no contact with the Governor’s office. NONE. No emails, no phone contacts, nothing. So how did they come to this conclusion on their own if I didn’t initiate it?
From the countless emails and direct messages I received yesterday I am more certain than ever that how Todd treats the members of our national organization is bad for our industry. There is no reason for the level of mean sprited, disprespectul, insinuated threats and bullying that come from him to be a part of how Real Estate professionals who are members of NAR are treated. None. People who I know personally have recounted numerous incidents that were just unecessary. Not misunderstandings…just flat out bad treatment. Of course people are hesitant to come forward. Just look at the staggering amount of misinformation and villification that were directed at me yesterday. There is more than one person who posts on Agent Genius who have felt threatened by his messages to them.
For those of you who think that I am incorrect in stating that because Todd leads his Twitter page with his title and company and includes that the posts are just his personal opinions, here’s what a very successful litigation attorney told me in viewing the page.
“If his company knows he has placed them and his title with them on his page, they are liable for litigation that may arise from content on that page. If they have not told him to remove them from the title, they are tacitly approving of the information he may post. The so called disclaimer will be cut to pieces in about 2 minutes by any good attorney.”
Not that it matters but there were those who questioned why a Governor was even at a bar camp event. The Governor spoke at the luncheon of a cohosted event by IAR and the bar camp. He sat at our table, asked great questions about the event. He was unaware of the event before and was duly impressed. At one point in a side conversation about the housing industry I heard him say that (paraphrasing slightly) that it was ‘great the Indiana real estate industry was being a part of the solution.’ For those who mock us for having the Governor at our event, do you think it’s a postive thing for a Governor with a 70% approval rating to speak well of your industry? You’re probably right….next year no way.
These are but a few thoughts….there will be more to come. Here’s the simple summary. If Todd Carpenter had not commented on this event with his multiple negative insinuations, this conversation doesn’t occur. Period. HE IS THE SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR FOR NAR. I didn’t make that up. The Governor’s office didn’t make that up. He identifies himself on his personal page as such. Would I handle it differently in retrospect? Probably. The anger and passion I exhibited in that video came from the people who spent an incredible amount of their personal time and felt disrespected by his comments. Not by anything I had done.
There will be additonal thoughts that I will post shortly. In the mean time these are but a few things to consider as we start our week. For now we all have work to do…myself included.
With regards to REbarcamp it has been my experience that someone always comes away resenting something about the event. With that said, there are far more people that come away having been satisfied.
It’s an impossible endeavor to try and please everyone with something that has little to no structure to it. People will get involved at different levels expecting different results for their part in it.
For Todd, REbarcamp has always been something he did on his personal time. The expectations thrust upon him for his owning the site were unmanageable for anyone at the rate this movement has been growing. The guy has a day job and at times has asked people to be patient. That’s all. Patience.
Since taking on his role at the NAR it seems that any expectation or affiliation with REbarcamp has been confused by others. As has the concept of what an REbarcamp is, which can be found on the site as well as around the web these days in different discussions. The REbarcamps have been for the most part done without any support of local or national associations.
Where it always seems to get confused is where it’s looked at as some sort of vehicle to do something other than learn from your peers. Be it a party or an opportunity for personalities to shine or influence.
What can we learned from what has happened here, Greg? Todd apologized for what he recognizes as a misunderstanding. Is that not acceptable? If not, then what?
Live, learn, and grow. It’s a unique opportunity we have here folks to be succeeding and failing in the company of our peers.
Hi Greg and everyone,
I am Todd’s manager at NAR. I’d like to commend you and everyone who worked with you to organize REBarCamp Indianapolis. I know those events take many hours and many people to set up, and the fact that the event’s attendance was so high is a testament to that effort.
Todd, too, has put in countless hours of his own personal time to organize REBarCamp events, as well as unconferences for his colleagues in the world of associations.
Todd has been a wonderful asset to NAR since joining us last March. He has educated our staff and elected leaders, as well as staff at many state and local REALTOR® associations, about how to use social media to listen and to share more transparently, as well as how to manage the benefits and risks of the personal/professional crossover that is inevitable in social media. He advises our departments about how to use Facebook and Twitter to share information about the benefits that they provide to REALTORS®, including programs, events, information, discounts, and other resources.
NAR has multiple social media Twitter profiles, the primary one being @realtors. Several of us on NAR’s staff post relevant headlines, resources, and information on that feed — and you will never see anything personal on there, since it is not a personal profile.
Todd made it clear to me from the time we first met that his personal profile would express his personal opinions and experiences, drawing from both his time at work and at home. I don’t monitor or judge what Todd does in his spare time any more than I do the other people on my team — that’s their business. If Todd shares some of that information with people who choose to follow him, that’s between him and them. My concern is about his effectiveness in his role. I would love to talk to folks who feel that Todd has treated them in unprofessional ways. (Kevin and I have already chatted, as he informed everyone on the other post.) Please feel free to contact me at hmarsh@realtor.org.
Hilary Marsh
Managing Director, REALTOR.org
Hiilary, you lost me at Rebarcamp Indianapolis. That was another event. Check your facts get the correct event to reference to and then I will pay attention to your comments. Is a simple wording or ommission important? You did say you work for NAR! You tell me!
Hillary:
“He has educated our staff and elected leaders…how to manage the benefits and risks of the personal/professional crossover that is inevitable in social media.”
Oops. That didn’t go over very well, did it?
“I don’t monitor or judge what Todd does in his spare time any more than I do the other people on my team — that’s their business.”
Perhaps it’s time for you to reconsider this policy. When Todd publishes to Twitter or Facebook or other media and represents himself as the “Social Media Director for NAR,” I expect his posts to be monitored. He’s speaking as a representative of my Association no matter what his quaint little disclaimer might say.
Or, failing that, I would expect that you’ll agree to take full responsibility for the repercussions of his postings. When he posts as such, he’s also representing ME whether he likes it or not, and whether you agree or not.
My guess? A little bit of “I’m sorry. We have learned an important lesson.” would go a very long way towards making things a bit better. So far, all I’ve heard is rationalization and justification for Todd’s behavior. Not a single speck of humility or accountability.
Frankly, I don’t know Todd from Adam. My feedback is not personal. It’s professional. How can you and I communicate publicly in a way that supports our membership, encourages growth and innovation, and ultimately strengthens our economy? #fail is a #hugefail.
Even knowing neither of you, I have very high expectations of you and Todd; purposefully and publicly undermining the work of the members who keep you in your chairs just ain’t kosher.
As an additional comment…..apparently there is a lot of confusion about who thought what because of which post. Let there be no mistake. There absolutely was an additional post. It was hashtagged exactly as they other post with #rebcin and #fail. It’s printed and despite the fact that it’s being called into question, there are others who saw it and WILL BE VERIFYING that on this site. So here’s my question. Todd are you stating for the record that there NEVER was another post? That nothing was ever deleted referring to this event?
For what it’s worth I also saw the post in question. Was it deleted? Hey ,I ‘ve deleted things from my stream in the past.
As a side note this is a pic I sent to Todd and Matt In Oct. sometime. http://tweetphoto.com/4125089
So the question is, Am I in the Todd fan club or not?
From my view far across the lunchroom, it appears there’s a fight at the cool kids table. It seems that the seniors didn’t give proper attention to the sophomores…and now it’s a big mess. Class President Todd has been taking quite the beating in this fight both due to his “I don’t care if you like me” attitude and his seemingly all-powerful position at NAR. And I suppose from the perspective of the cyber-kids, he is all powerful. He’s also human. He gets to have an opinion. He even gets to make some mistakes. Although it appears that the only mistake he’s made is that his success may have some “haters” at the table. Sorry Todd, sometimes it sucks to be the quarterback. No worries, though, chicks still dig it.
Amy,
I’m not a hater, But I was definitely the quarterback. If you had the conversation I had with Todd about his dating experiences….. You had to be there !!!
“He gets to have an opinion. He even gets to make some mistakes.”
Correct and correct. (And you know the saying about opinions, right?)
However, when he publishes a very unfavorable opinion of NAR members while self-describing as a NAR officer of some sort, that opinion suddenly takes on new meaning and is now more than Todd’s opinion.
When the quarterback talks trash about a blocking fullback, I can guarantee you that in the next game a block is missed and said quarterback get his clock cleaned. To use your analogy.
Benn–
I’m not afraid. I spoke with more than three people yesterday (umm, members) who have been snubbed or treated badly from Todd Carpentar/ @tcar in Chicago–who tweets for National Association of Realtors. I, for one, am one of those people.
As Benn said—perfectly >>>
From the countless emails and direct messages I received yesterday I am more certain than ever that how Todd treats the members of our national organization is bad for our industry. There is no reason for the level of mean sprited, disprespectul, insinuated threats and bullying that come from him to be a part of how Real Estate professionals who are members of NAR are treated. None. People who I know personally have recounted numerous incidents that were just unecessary. Not misunderstandings…just flat out bad treatment. Of course people are hesitant to come forward. <<
@hilarymarsh
FYI this is be far the most "popular" post. #stillmortified
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I think those comments are Greg’s comments.
Benn,
Does google spider your comments (wink, wink)?
I feel so cold an scared and alone. **rocks back and forth in a corner with a blanket**
There’s another clarification on this despite my time being short.
Todd’s remaining Twitter post on 1/17 states that he can’t believe we didn’t reciprocate about linking our site to his. Again….NOT fully accurate. He linked us early and December and sent me a DM asking for reciprocation. I have saved and will forward to anyone my response to that DM. December 7, 202pm (from myself to @tacar) “Todd, thank you for the link. Please let me know what we do in return.” No response. I sent it again two days later. No response. Perhaps it was just another opportunity to include #rebcin and #fail in the same post.
..and people wonder why the public perception of realtors is not so great. Call in CSI Indiana…I am sure they can solve the mystery of the missing tweet and while they are at it maybe than can figure out who really shot JFK.
All though I must admit I found this high school drama mildly entertaining yesterday as there was no relevant football games to watch.
Hilary
With all due respect, his personal experiences “and the like” make US look bad because the Twitter profile in question has NAR on it. No other company would risk their brand by having their name on a personal account.
It’s not right, nor good SM strategy to have a person representing a corporation chatting about what Todd chats about. He should know that. Every other SM (training etc) person knows it.
Could you imagine someone from Dell tweeting “Wow, I’m drunk from this Maker’s Mark–this is friggin incredible?”
This is not SM 101 this is Business 101.
“No other company would risk their brand by having their name on a personal account.”
You’re obviously entitled to your opinion, but I 100% disagree with you on this point. Multiple companies have their brand on multiple personal accounts and have derived huge value from that (think Microsoft and Scoble). Individuals don’t want to interact with brands, they want to interact with people. The risk that goes along with letting individuals be themselves online is worth the tradeoff in my mind. Sure, you could have a PR firm screen everything anyone posts to their personal profiles — but that’s just not real and it’ll come across as such.
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I’m posting this comment that I posted on the other thread and walking away… Nice and slowly…
I do not have a “dog in this fight” either.
But I do think it’s a little ridiculous to assume that what Todd says on Twitter won’t be somehow connected to the NAR. He’s not a chef at your local olive garden who talks on Twitter, he’s the SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER for a large organization. In a sense, yes, you lose your freedom to say whatever you like because you ARE affiiated with the organization in a high profile position.
Have you ever seen @scottmonty ? He’s the social media guy for Ford and you better believe if he said anything personal from his account, which is his own name, Ford would have something to say if it caused a problem.
Bottom line is if you are a SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER for any organization your Twitter account is not as free flowing and personal as you might like it to be. What you say can have repercussions regarding who you represent. Period.
What if @scottmonty said women can’t handle a mustang? Might make some ladies mad right? (just an example, he did not say that) @scottmonty is a great example of how social media works by the way.
Again, I’m not against Todd. I’m not personally bothered that he likes Makers Mark or whatever he likes to drink. I’m not even sure that his tweet wasn’t taken the wrong way, it may or may not have been.
But you better believe if you hold a social media position then what you say from your Twitter account will be linked to the company. Not that it can’t be personal… Because it can. Just kind of use smart PR for yourself.
It’s amazing the lengths some folks will go to get a little web traffic.
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wow. The whole time I have spent reading the back and forth I couldn’t stop focusing on the fact that Greg actually went out and bought a bone. That pretty much hung me up there. Great had an issue and from his side I can see his point. Todd had an issue and from his side I can see that to. Is it appropriate for the level of their dispute to have a staged and preplanned video response? The M16 killing a fly analogy fits there. What about speak softly and carry a big stick? hmmmmmm, he actually went out and bought a bone…… (and Ken, I’m lining up behind Duke and Brandie)
Suppose we form we a tight circle instead of line?
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that’s what the pioneers did
yep, that is barcamp
“that is barcamp” … I think REBC is what ever the participants make it. That’s why I’m attracted to it… we’ve had several in the Seattle area now and each one is unique. If anyone has a beef w/REBC, I suggest they get off the sidelines and be an “active volunteer”…it’s a lot of work and I think worth it.
When I first gave Todd a “heads up” that we were planning on doing Seattle’s 2010 REBC in March…he let me know he was pretty busy and couldn’t be a lot of help w/the site…perhaps we’d want to do our own if we needed something ASAP. He was upfront with his time and I appreciate that.
I think it is very neat that this conversation can take place. All good points, love Fran Thorsen’s take actually the most. Fran always brings the boomer levity. I agree with Ines about Flaming too- and I actually appreciate Todd Carpenter- I have trained a few very successful agents that remind me of him, and I will just say, no one is perfect, and wine gets better with age. In the meantime, don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater, Todd is a good egg and wouldn’t we all like to be young and crazy again…. maybe he has a right to be a little full of himself, and wouldn’t we all love to have that kind of creative position at a time in history where … well… how can you track results and ROI for NAR on twitter in this brave new world and maybe just maybe there is a little jealousy sprinkled with an agenda or two BUT… hats off to Greg Cooper – the GOVERNOR came to your BAR CAMP… good for you! Good Job, in-spite of the obstacles. … I still am glad to see Todd Carpenter in his position – I mean people- don’t we all have agents, brothers, friends, co-workers like Todd in our lives, aren’t they the people we like to hang around, a little smarter, funner, more real. I would hire Todd every day of the week if he wanted to work in my office – here is a great guide for Change Agents – you know The Cast of Characters that have commented and posted on this post! Cheers http://www.slideshare.net/bhaz.....nge-agents
Great rant! It’s too bad that he made this mental misstep. I’m sure he’s overall a good guy, but the NAR sure does seem to hamper us in so many ways. I still dream of the day that r.com does NOT compete with us.
For someone with no real interaction with Todd in the past, this comes off very clearly (and entertainingly) as a big ego that got bruised, now trying to get some revenge. Maybe Todd has treated people poorly, maybe he hasn’t. Maybe he deleted a tweet, maybe he didn’t. Either way Greg, it seems it’d be a good idea to take all that energy and those obvious segment producing skills from your radio days and direct them towards Todd to work with him on how you think he can serve us better.
PS. The big rawhide bone was a nice touch!
Malicious Intent or Stupidity, the Background, and the Bigger Question
Malicious Intent or Stupidity
A question to ponder is – was Todd’s “#fail” comment malicious or just stupid? Neither one is good. And, you would expect better from the Social Media Manager of NAR. And you could all continue to debate when Todd is acting as an individual, who happens to be the SMM of NAR, or the SMM of NAR who happens to be Todd Carpenter. What can’t be disputed is that Todd posted a tweet that had no redeeming quality, regarding a NAR member driven event, being held in conjunction with the Indiana Association of Realtors. Why? What was the intent?
Nobody asked, but in my opinion the post was an example of bad judgment. Posting at the same time that ….”I really need to slow down on the makers mark if I’m going to get anything else done tonight” may have been yet another example of bad judgment. (http://twitter.com/tcar/status/7887875500)
Could Todd have sent Greg or me a DM or e-mail about the link? Sure. He had my e-mail address and he certainly knows how to DM. Could he have picked up the telephone and called a NAR member (Greg or Duke Long) or any of the individuals organizing Bar Camp Indiana and asked if he could help in any manner and inquired about the link? Sure, but he didn’t. He should know better.
The Background – More than a “#fail” and you wanted facts
As many of you debate the merits of Greg Cooper’s choice of forums to vent or the delivery of his message, I would like to add some additional background to support Greg’s frustration. I can offer this perspective as I am part of the team that organized Bar Camp Indiana. I will do my best to give you the Reader’s Digest version. Which for me isn’t easy. ( Right Duke?)
Early in our bar camp planning process, I had reached out to Todd Carpenter on behalf of our BC team to ask for his insights, access to our BC site, and the possibilities of having a senior executive from NAR keynote our event. I shared that our initial BC team was divided. The majority had one vision, one of the area’s top agents, the connections, and experience hosting agent events. The minority had a different vision and controlled the BC website. In fact, the other members of the camp had begun promoting the event in a manner not agreeable to all, IMHO not in alignment with the spirit of a REBC and would not allow the one person with true marketing experience (it’s her job) access to site despite many requests. It was a divided camp, much like this particular forum.
In those initial conversation and an e-mail on 8/25, I shared with Todd, that our side of the camp had the event site secured, we had included a member of our local association, and that we had entered into talks with both the Indiana Association of Realtors and the Indiana Commercial Board of Realtors about working together on a REBC for their membership. An excerpt from that e-mail – “…we are capitalized, have the resources (financial and staff), have the distribution channel, have the committee members that are a draw in and of themselves and we have the location under the contract.”
Todd had offered us our own website as a solution. Fair enough. To paraphrase Todd’s response – “they asked first, if you can’t agree – no worries, I’ll create another site for you and go create your own BC.” We accepted his offer the next day, and the same day we did so his response was “Rock, I’m sorry. I changed my mind.” He went on to say that if we couldn’t get along with the individuals that had the passwords to the site we could go do this on our own.
In our minds, we had made it clear whom we were aligning ourselves with – the Indiana Association of Realtors and its membership. Todd made it clear that he was aligning “with his peeps”. We had asked for support from NAR and had just been rejected. You can all argue all day long as to what capacity Todd conducts Bar Camp affairs – individually or as the Social Media Manager for NAR. It is really a blurry line isn’t it? Perception received is perception believed…
My response to Todd was to respectfully withdraw from the original bar camp committee. That included me, Greg Cooper, and Duke Long. We wished the remaining members all the best with their event. And, on behalf of Greg and Duke, I apologized that our visions didn’t align and for asking Todd to address any related issues. In short, it was a graceful exit in my opinion.
On September 8, I spoke with Todd again but this time in regards to a REBC site for Bar Camp Indiana. I shared with him again our event would include the IAR, we would reach out to the commercial agents too, when the date would be, and that this would be a state-wide event. On September 9, I followed up on that conversation with an e-mail basically stating the same thing and asking could he create a website for our event. There was a verbal commitment by Todd for a site, but I wanted our request in writing.
On October 1, I followed up on the 9/9 e-mail to ask for a status on the website. I do find it ironic now that over three weeks go by and no website, yet while admittedly drinking Makers Mark one night in January, he can generate a few sites in a matter of minutes. Not meant as a cheap shot, but it is interesting.
A few days later, Todd posted that he was no longer going to create additional bar camp sites. If we had known weeks earlier, we could have started on our website with a different provider. But, we had had a commitment from Todd a month earlier for a site. We eventually did find a sponsor and creator of our own site.
On November 4, I reached out to Todd yet again to inquire about how we could get a listing on the REBC site for our 1/25 event. And yet again, I mentioned the date, the site, and that it would be held in conjunction with the Indiana Association of Realtors Legislative conference. And, I even told Todd we would love to see him in Indianapolis. Since our site was not completed, Todd would not mention the event, that he was busy, and to check back later in the month. A “Coming Soon” listing, our date and location would have been wonderful. But no… nothing. On 12/4 we asked for the link again by e-mail – to no avail. And, it was not till Greg Cooper asked via Twitter did we get the link. And when we did, the return comment was less than professional.
So, by this point in time we had asked for assistance from Todd and received nothing but a link that took several attempts to get (which Todd admitted), we had asked for a REBC site that Todd had offered – and then the offer was later rescinded, we had identified that we were working with IAR (a dues paying group right?), we asked for his guidance, we had mentioned by e-mail and telephone that we would love to have senior management from NAR visit (and got no response), and we had even invited Todd several times.
At no point, not one, did Todd offer insights into how to make Bar Camp Indiana more successful or give a positive shout out on twitter or any other blog about the event. What we did get was ignored for the most part and when not – sarcasm and comments like “#fail” during a night he admittedly was drinking. Plus, I had the pleasure of being asked by IAR’s staff about that comment and had to address the concern expressed by the Governor’s office. (Mr. Carpenter, thank you for that pleasure.)
Before someone makes another comment about “they just felt ignored”, let me say that being ignored is not what this is about. What this is about is a missed opportunity by a “leader” of the REBC movement and more importantly, a member of NAR, the Social Media Manager, to contribute in a positive manner to the success of its dues paying members. One of which is a frustrated Greg Cooper. Let’s see….#fail?
Truth be told, it was not the first shot fired by TCar. But as I have better things to do, we’ll let that sleeping dog lay for now. At some point, enough is enough.
The Bigger Question
So maybe before you judge Greg too harshly, you might consider there just may be a little more to the story and that his frustration may have stemmed from more than just a “#fail” comment by someone that could have been under the influence. Someone that wants kudos for being behind the REBC, yet never offered one tiny bit of insight, a single word of promotion, or the smallest token of advice. And, who had to be asked repeatedily for something as simple as a link or a Word Press blog site.
Perhaps he was just frustrated from trying to figure out when Todd is acting in the capacity as Social Media Manager for the Association he pays dues to and TCar, the twitter persona that is free to post at whim with no social responsibility to those that follow, those impacted by his tweets, or the organization the employs him.
And at the end of the day, whether you liked our BC format or not—it was our Bar Camp. We had close to 500 individuals register for our event and well over 300 in attendance. As volunteers we did our best to help agents become more profitable, knowledgeable and productive. We had a major political figure as a keynote speaker. Plus, we helped the Indiana Association of Realtors reach out to a segment of their membership in a way that had not been done previously. And, we have received a overwhelming amount of positive feedback from those in attendance. So, a good question to ask is: “How many Bar Camps can say all of this?”
The Bigger Question:
“Where was Todd Carpenter, Social Media Manager for the National Association of Realtors?”
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Rock – for what it’s worth, here’s what I get from your reply:
1. Todd, specifically b/c of his job, should only Tweet things of “redeeming value” on his personal twitter stream
2. Todd should have DONATED additional PERSONAL time to help this Barcamp be “better”
(Note to self: Contact the 2 charities to which I GIVE my very limited and valuable time to help with Marketing efforts so they don’t throw me under the bus.)
Rock, it’s obvious that I don’t have the time to operate the rebarcamp.com site, provide logistics, mediate disagreements between RE BarCamp organizers, or continually remind people that this was a personal effort, done in my spare time, and not affiliated with my work at NAR.
I suppose there’s more to my side of the story, but I don’t see the point in continuing this dispute. I’ve already apologized to Greg. I apologized to IAR offline, and let me say it to you. Sorry Rock.
I have severed my connection with REBarCamp.com. The URL has been transferred to Andy Kaufman. The site will migrate off my server as soon as possible.
Todd,
I’m not sure that any words can express my sincere wish for your continued personal and professional success. And to that sir, I say …CHEERS Sir…. CHEERS/
Todd –
Apology accepted. The REBC movement that you and others spearheaded has created the opportunity for others to become more successful. That should not be lost in all of this debate.
Contrary to what others may think, I believe that Greg Cooper’s post will generate more good than bad. I can just imagine the offline conversations that have or will occur because of the debate surrounding his video. And as other posters have more deftly articulated, there are a lot of lessons to be learned in all of this.
Best wishes for much personal and professional success.
I heard really great things about this Bar Camp… apparently missing, however, was the session on the courtesy of reciprocal linking and the Twitter session on “fun things you can do with hashtags.”
I am sorry, I read all 140 characters of that tweet… twice (s-l-o-w r-e-a-d-e-r) and i think the only REAL mistake Todd made was the assumption that the people who would read it would understand what it meant…
#understandingtwitterspeakfail
You’ve go mad writing skills my-man. Cheers.
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Rock and Greg,
While I understand your frustration with not getting help from NAR for your event, there is something that I find really bothers me about your complaints. You can say whatever you want about the fact that you didn’t get support from NAR for your bar camp, but when you bring up the subject of whether or not Todd was drinking or drunk when he did whatever he did, that crosses the line. In my mind,it borders on criminal and you are lucky that he doesn’t sue you for defamation of character. How in the hell do you know what state of mind he is in when he posts? That part of your complaint is ridiculous and is the core of what makes me completely disregard anything else you have to say! You sound like spoiled children having tantrums because you didn’t get what you want!
Don’t get me wrong. I think NAR should have supported your event, but the way you are complaining is unprofessional and nauseating.
Rock – didn’t read through your lengthy rant on Todd because quite frankly I’m a little sick of this topic. He apologized, turned over reighns to the barcamp site = this was all done on his free time. Drop it, move on and let’s all get along. We are supposed to be a community banded together to help our consumers.
Amy,
I think it’s quite bold of you to tell someone else that they can’t speak their mind.
Jim Marks said: “I think the only REAL mistake Todd made was the assumption that the people who would read it would understand what it meant…#understandingtwitterspeakfail”
I am absolutely 100% with Jim on THAT one. This is comical…to say the least.
#justsayin
Amy,
I have a question for you:
Don’t you think Todd should play nice as well? I read these comments and the majority of people are telling Rock, Greg, et al, to shut up and be nice….but what about Todd?
His actions/tweets / lack or respect caused this, no?
I wonder how greg would feel if his clients, past and present, knew that he was blowing his own obtuse misunderstanding into a charachter attack. #justsayin
Kevin – I’m sorry if you interpreted my comment as telling someone that they shouldn’t speak their mind. I am all for freedom of speech. My point is, Todd apologized – accept the apology or not. Of course we should all play nice. Hopefully some lessons have been learned (by all) about your online presence and how one tweet (or more) can completely spin your brand/image/name.
And I pay dues to NAR why??? As bad as Carpenter’s behavior is, Cooper should rise above it and not blast Carpenter so much. You want reconciliation, not more controversy.
In all fairness to Greg Cooper and others who reach out for help, be aware there has been very mixed messaging coming from the halls of Chicago relative to NAR’s relationship with the BarCamp initiative. NAR takes OWNERSHIP of BarCamp at the Social Media Business Council!
This appears on today’s calendar of events:
National Association of REALTORS: How to run a customer unconference
Todd Carpenter, who serves as the Manager of Social Media at National Association of REALTORS, will lead a members-only conference call, “National Association of REALTORS: How to run a customer unconference.”
The National Association of REALTORS is building face-to-face relationships with its Real Estate BarCamp. More than 30 unconferences across the country have strengthened their community, and dozens more meetings are on the way. You’ll learn:
* What it takes to get nationwide unconferences off the ground
* How moving an online community to in-person meetings can make a positive impact
* How to give your customers the power to contribute
http://www.socialmedia.org/eve.....onference/
NAR can have all the conference calls, meetings, whatever they like about RE Bar Camps. They aren’t, and won’t be, doing anything to run or organize the Phoenix REBCs. That’s all done by a bunch of dedicated, kick ass volunteers.
That being said, should any NAR staffer happen to be reading this, we’ll gladly accept NAR sponsorship money. But they won’t be treated any differently than any other sponsor.
Personally, I think it would be fabulous if NAR, state and local associations learned how to pull off an unconference style event (and that sounds like exactly what this call is about — not about taking ownership of REBCs). It would make attending NAR Midyear, NAR Annual, and state/local association conferences far more enjoyable and effective.
AAR (AZ Association of Realtors) is having a Bar Camp like session at this years Winter Conference. Good for them! They are also a sponsor of Phoenix REBC. Neither of these facts even remotely means they are taking “OWNERSHIP” of PHXREBC.
100% agree with you Jay.
Each event is pulled off by a team of volunteers and if anything it’s owned by the community of participants.
Additionally, Todd has turned over the control of REBarCamp.com to me and we’ll be changing hosts shortly. This is a site that he spent countless volunteer hours working on in his spare time.
In the past couple of days I’ve been contacting upcoming REBCs to make sure that they’re up on the main site and to answer any questions that they might have and there’s some good ones in the works.
If you’re planning a future REBC and you’re not on the site or have questions please contact me.
> Each event is pulled off by a team of volunteers and if anything it’s owned by the community of participants
and to that I say…
The un-official policy of the non-existant complaint department of REbarcamp has and always will be “blame your own damn self”.
Jay,
REBCIN= IAR member volunteers. We just did it ,and had lunch with IAR today to start Mini-Barcamps.Other than possibily “sponsoring” promoting and creating additional value for their members ,they have no other involvement. I think it is called member driven.
That great Duke, that’s how it should be (though I’d encourage any REBC organizers to also include non-realtor’s in their planning — lenders, title people, inspectors, etc can all add very valuable input).
My comment was really just trying to point out that NAR has never had “ownership” of REBCs, and won’t ever have ownership of any REBC I help organize. I don’t think NAR has any interest in owning REBCs. A conference call scheduled to discuss how to organize and run an unconference doesn’t mean NAR is trying to take control of REBCs, which was (in my opinion) what Frances was saying in her comment.
I don’t understand why people expect, or want, NARs assistance in planning and organizing REBCs.
Jay,
Agreed. We had a title co and a mtg person on the committee from the start. I think in Rocks tweets not 2 seconds after our event he stated that we were not affliated with IAR. In the conversations today IAR offered additional help. They do not want any part of ownership.The reality ..in my opinion..is that the Rebcin events success was directly because if the IAR involvement.
Again I agree and we are completely working it
One of the best things we did was reaching out to the Indiana Association of Realtors (IAR) seeking their involvement with Bar Camp Indiana. IAR trusted us with the show and only asked how they could help. Collectively, not only were we able to add value to their membership in a whole new way, but their leadership walked away with new insights and ideas to consider for the benefit of their membership. Plus, we reached a lot more people than we would have alone.
I find it interesting to read or hear negative comments about any involvement in a bar camp by a national or state association. Mostly, it seems to be in the vein of “anti – establishment” or “that isn’t a bar camp”. Or even the fear of “who owns real estate bar camps”. Personally, I think it is wasted energy and distracts from the opportunity for agents, broker/owners, subject matter experts, related real estate professionals and yes even association leadership to share and learn from each other.
IAR offered resources, connections, and a venue that we would not otherwise have had access to or would have taken more time, energy, and/or money than we as volunteers wanted to contribute. They get the whole bar camp thing. They understand the balancing act. They don’t want to own it – they want to foster and fuel it.
And now they are asking if we can do more events. How is that not a good thing?
Jay,
I was not suggesting that NAR wanted control of BarCamp. I was simply citing the characterization of ownership appearing on the Social Media Business Council web site. Shortly after I wrote that comment the page was deleted. The text from that page appears in the AG content as is appeared, including:
“The National Association of REALTORS is building face-to-face relationships with its Real Estate BarCamp. More than 30 unconferences across the country have strengthened their community, and dozens more meetings are on the way.”
This gives the reader a mistaken impression that the RE BarCamps are a province of NAR. Someone wrote copy that misrepresented NAR’s role in the BarCamp phenom and nobody at NAR caught the mistake and fixed it. My point is that legitimate reasons exist for people to be confused about NAR’s role with BarCamps, and that this messaging exists right up to today.
When did the NAR announce that it had assumed control/taken over/hijacked or otherwise claimed that REBarcamp was theirs? I don’t believe it has happened or evah! will happen.
It will continue to be user driven event that seems to be most effective in a minimally structured environment. It doesn’t take a huge skill set to put one on. As Duke and Jay both point out, it’s volunteers, pitching in on their time to help bring something about that will benefit the community attending. It’s not just for the NAR members either. There are vendors to the RE industry, partners, affiliates etc that have all cooperated in bringing these events about, and helping each other look at their business in new and different ways.
And an new philanthropic trend has become intrinsic to many of the events. In San Francisco it was for a homeless initiave (forgive me Ginger, Brad, Andy for not remembering the exact name); In Columbus it was underwear for MFFO. I’m sure there were many more local charities that benefited in some way thru the generosity of the folks that attended.
Frankly I am getting tired of misinformation in this stream, and potshots being taken by folks with minimal experience or first person exposure to the events and the people attending them. If you don’t participate, frankly you may not get it. If you attend, but don’t participate you probably won’t get it either. And that’s ok. It’s not for everyone. (Purple shoes and civilty aren;t for everyone either.)
Feel free to go build your own event the way you like, no one is stopping you. Volunteer your own time and do your own thing: Build your own movement and then deal with those who want YOUR thing done their way, in their time, on their terms. peace.
btw, in the last 8 months I have attended 6 REBarCamps all across the country. All different, all sizes, all successful. I have seen it work. I will continue to participate in the process and the community that has evolved around it. These are people of vision, value, and action.
This is why I gave the site to Andy. I see now that people don’t make the destination between me owning a site that I work on in my spare time and my work at NAR. For the final time, NAR does not own RE BarCamp.
I think that the pdf of Tcar’s tweets is incredibly enlightening and Im amazed at how none of his defenders has picked up on one of Tcar’s habits that should be debated at greater length. Now, while I have absolutely no opinion (a 1st) on the video or the use of the hash tag, I do have to weigh in on the fact that Peets Coffee is much better than Starbucks and Im willing to back it up with a video.
@Tcar, I would be willing to help you with the management of the rebarcamp site. I have no agenda with regard to REBC and have voiced enough NAR complaints that should counter balance any claims of NAR interference or influence with any one REBC event publicized on the site.
Let me know.
I am really glad I have been busy enough to miss this.
Keynote Speakers, presenters and sales pitches are not what BarCamp is. It was more discussion, collaboration, give and take. The three BarCamps I have been to was about giving away what I have learned and possibly picking up new ideas. I learned more about math in college when I became a tutor. When I talk about Video in Real Estate or Virtual resumes, it’s the discussion on the hows and whys with the others in the group that really makes the thing worthwhile. Discussion makes you think.
Barcamp is about industry colleagues helping one another, all the other pomp and circumstance is just a distraction.
I don’t need a website to tell me about BarCamp the word gets around the RE.net space quite efficiently on it’s own.
Jay
You have to understand that most people getting on board with REBC’s don’t have the skill-set or connections that you do.
They aren’t asking for NAR to step in…they were asking for some guidance.
The “cool peeps” need to pull their heads out of their “exclusive” behinds.
Jay people don’t understand the concepts, or SM like you do. Chill.
Remember you get much more from inclusion than exclusion.
Exclusion be gone!
I hope that I am NOT considered a part of the re.net. To me, the re.net, is akin to the UES (upper east side) blowhards.
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We’re still beating this horse? Thought it was dead and stinky by now …
been wanting to comment for the past two days, work got in the way….had to say what I had to say.
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Tony … That wasn’t directed at you specifically – just the issue as a whole. (oh, wait, a communication misunderstanding – apropos, actually!)
Puedo comprar el hueso?
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For those that don’t speak Spanish, Lenza is asking if he can buy the bone. LOL
Yo quiero comer el hueso.