Writing a blog in the past was a simple proposition. You found something interesting and wrote your opinion of it. Real estate blogs are all over the landscape now. Some are written by vendors, Realtors, and just plain old bloggers like myself. That is a great thing.
But like anything else in life, there are risks involved. the Insurance Journal has come up with some of the biggest risks that bloggers face and I thought I would share with your some of my favorites.
• Do readers consider the blog a credible source of information and depend on it for up-to-date information (a matter of opinion that can be judged based on analytics and comments)?
• Is information in the blog accurate or is the blog rife with mistakes and misstatements?
• Have facts been checked (as required by due diligence standards) or have they simply been accepted as heard or read elsewhere without further verification?
• Have facts been attributed to the original sources?
• Are information sources reliable?
• Are rumors and gossip printed as fact?
• Are opinions labeled as such?
• Are comments in news and opinion pieces fair and based in fact or could they be considered malicious, libelous or defamatory? via Insurance Journal
The liability of blogging is something I have thought about, often! One one of my other sites that I no longer run, we would have people threatening us with lawsuits quite regularly and even had a small island country threaten us with lawsuits. (The site Scared Monkeys was instrumental in covering the disappearance of Natalee Holloway on the island of Aruba. We set new ground on citizen journalism and interaction with blogs, but that is another story for another day.)
So when I write about real estate I do one of two things:
- I write something that is very clearly my opinion, or
- I append my post with the original source.
That is why on most posts I have a paragraph of the original article. It is not for the search engine optimization benefits, it is so if the original source changes over time, I have a record and so does any litigator.
Corrections happen and I do not have the time to go back and check sources for all of the 2,500 posts I have done. If there is an error in the source and I have shown the error it allows the aggrieved party to contact me and correct the record. Simple, professional, and effective, and does a good job of CYA… 
Real estate agents, continue to blog and enjoy it, but remember where the line is. You all live in a world of very tightly controlled ethics as proscribed by your local boards and the National Association of Realtors. As some one who blogs about real estate I live under a different code than a Realtor that blogs. What I can do can end up getting you in a great deal of trouble if you are not careful.
So have fun, if you are writing on something based upon someone else’s work, please give attribution. If you are writing under your own opinion, think of how the target will feel and make sure that you have created a defensible argument based upon fact, not malice.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, good advice. Never thought about those issues before.
Brian Patton, CCIM
commercial real estate
Capital Realty Advisors
In writing a blog you must first consider who will be your reader – what they want to read? Is my topic interesting?
You must provide a good content; accurate, concise, make it more appealing.
Well written post I totally agree with you. As a Realtor myself I realize that the information I put on my blog needs to be accurate along with feasible. Clients come to our websites to find out valuable information on market trends or just current real estate news. I try to keep my blog up to date with any new market trends in the San Diego area along with listed homes and interesting tips.
I try to maintain our Beiler Campbell Commercial Realty blog as a valuable local resource for our local clientele to know what our area has to offer. We also cover recent Property News, Listing Opportunities and Development. Presenting the facts and giving correct references where they are due is essential. Providing your opinion is a balancing act because you do not want to portray your opinion as fact. In some cases, sharing your opinion connects you with your blog audience on a more personal level. Company blogging is very different than personal blogging and we must remember who we are representing as well. Feel free to check out our blog when you have a moment. I would encourage feedback. http://www.beilercampbellcommercial.com/about/
Your post is something to talk about. I am blogging about real estate and yes, it is a broad topic. Real Estate Bloggers can talk/discuss about investments, houses, condos, mortgages, but does it look appealing to the readers? I love the way you gave the pointers. Making a blog is easy, maintaining it and putting articles/contents on it is the hardest part.
yea.. I guess the most important thing is to give useful information with attractive picture to attract and persuade readers. and besides, the blog must look professional, clean, and simple. Sometimes, comments by readers are also important as comments act as tool to persuade readers, too! Categories that you listed out help readers to browse the article/topics that they are interested in. Useful article!