Thanks to each of you for responding. I found your information to be most helpful!

Mon Jul 14 2008, 08:04

Greg,
I was introduced to Trulia by another agent. My business focus has always been to help educate people whether they end up working with me or not. That is one reason I like answering questions on Trulia. I make sure that I don't try to answer a question that would require specific knowledge for a particular City/State if I am not familiar with it.
I don't think the majority of the agents are looking for "pushing their stats" but it is possible that a few could be.

I learn alot from reading what other agents say. Even after 30 yrs in this business, I always learn something new every day. We never stop learning.

Thu Jul 10 2008, 09:32

As a Trulia Voices participant for a year, I can shed light on pros and cons of out of state answers. As Cameron indicated, many questions have answers which are general and not restricted to geography.

Everyone has different motives.

Within the last week or two, I have seen a Voices Member answer many out-of-state questions that were short, irrelevant, and many were totally useless. That deteriorates the quality of the board. It is hard to imagine another motive for this, other than an attempt to increase count on the leader board.

There are other posters who answer questions based upon the topic matter, and one can notice a trend of the type of questions that person answers.

I have heard the accusation that anyone who answers an out-of-state question does so for the count, and that is simply a false accusation.
There are posters who answer a multitude of questions across many state borders and a variety of subjects, and do so with phenomenal insight and accuracy. I appreciate these people much, as I learn much from them. At times, their posts have provided a new perspective on a matter for me to consider. These posters do not answer for the “count”, as evidenced by the depth, sincerity and passion in their posts.

All RE Pros need to careful about answering questions that require specific knowledge of a given local market. But, there are so many Q&A which are not area specific. If so, we could not have national training seminars for real estate agents that taught generic principles. Nor could we have columnists as Ilyce Glink, currently featured on Inman, or the late Robert Bruss.

What it comes down to is that Content Rules and Common Sense Matters. RE Pros need to use good judgment when determining appropriate responses. No buyer or seller has ever called me to say, “You answer a lot on Trulia, so I figured you could help me.” But, I have had people email and call me because an answer on a particular question hit home for them. Those who choose to simply answer questions for count should take note of that. If your content is not valuable, no one cares what your count it. If your count is lower, but your content is great, you will be noticed by your peers and just might receive a few calls from buyers and sellers, too.

The public also reads Q&A by subject, and not just geography. I have had a NJ seller or buyer call me, as a result of an answer that I wrote on an out of state question. Because the topic was relevant to the NJ client, and my answer was, there….we made a connection. Buyers and sellers find Truia Voices posts in Google searches. Your potential buyer or seller in your state might be reading a CA, AZ, TX or FL post because the topic matter is relevant to them.

My participation increases and decreases on Trulia, based upon my schedule. The value in Trulia Voices is multi-fold. It creates a network and relationships between pros, is a learning experience that has rivaled many of the better education classes I have taken, and allows a platform for buyers and sellers to connect w/ RE Pros.

When out of state responders aren’t careful, they can provide erroneous information. That is usually corrected by a local RE Pro coming in on the thread and correcting any misgivings. Out of state responders who simply answer for count do themselves and Trulia a disservice. Luckily, that reflects few posters, and is usually a temporary behavior. Once the person experiences enough TD (thumbs down), comments, backlash and no positive results, it stops.

Deborah

Thu Jul 10 2008, 09:14

Greg,

Many questions deal with concepts that cross state borders and area boundaries. There are as many different reasons to answer a question as there are agents answering them. Some agents feel that they need to built a total number of questions (really doesn't do a lot of good if you ask me). Other agents simply like to help people, regardless of what state they are in and whether or not they can benefit from providing the assistance.

Cameron Piper

Thu Jul 10 2008, 08:14