Social Networking - Why All of the Resistance?

You hear it over and over again. I don't get it? What's the point? This is not useful. I don't want to .... Blah, Blah, Blah.

The sheer amount of negativity that comes with change never ceases to amaze me. In fact, it seems that, as a society, we're most ardent in our ways during periods of time when it's obvious that "the way we've always done it here" attitude is simply not working and the eulogy is all but written on the wall.

Now, with the latest social networking revolution of the web we're hearing the same rally cries from those who don't get it. Why all of the reluctance to embrace change? In essence, it comes down to one word:

IGNORANCE

I'm not providing this criticism to be negative. I get it. I started with all of the same thoughts. I know for most of you, all of this social networking stuff is relatively speaking new, different, and oftentimes confusing. Was the skepticism any different when people started using personal PC's (anyone remember the Franklin, Compaq - when it was, Commodore 64)? We all could give a 100 examples of what we would never use that we now can't live without.

As real estate professionals, we should be embracing the changes that come with the onslaught of all of this new technology and social networking platforms. Yes, there is a negative, when you don't want to be, you remain connected and it can be tough and downright frustrating to get away from time to time. On the flip side of the coin, this connectivity enables you to do a larger extent of your business operations from the comfort of your chosen working environment.

As a theme that reoccurs hear on The Realty Buzz, embrace these social networking changes and be a part of making the experience better. Instead of being frustrated by all of this newness, spend your time, efforts, and energy getting to know these tools to start using them to work for you!

As the saying goes, doing what you've always done gets you more of what you've always gotten. If that's good for you, I apologize for wasting your time here. For the rest, get movin' and usin'. Change is what you make of it.