After RealtorGenius.com was served with a cease and desist letter last fall and became AgentGenius.com, there was a lot of uproar. No biggie, a bigger tribal brand was born anyhow- take that, Rdotcom!
Now, Facebook has decided to disallow users to list homes in their marketplace but private time toys and terrorist paraphernalia still make the cut? That’s low, Facebook. What’s next, a local Realtor Association closing down a Facebook group for using the golden word “Realtor” in it? No way…
Seriously, what’s next? What is different between forming a group online or using the word Realtor in your URL than putting it on your business card or company name- they are both forms of marketing?!?!? Way to go NAR & NVAR, you’ve officially made “Realtor” classify as a curse word.
PS: for those of you offended at my flagrant use of the “R WORD”, I do apologize that I have upset your senses with my lack of self censorship.
Andy Kaufman
February 5, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Leave it to Lani & her ‘trucker like’ mouth to break this story.
Just to be safe, I just went ahead preemptively took it out of my email signature along with my beloved e-PRO credentials. Not sure if I want to flaunt that around either anymore.
I’m thinking that pretty soon, people may start talking to me again 😉
Benn Rosales
February 5, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Andy, I just did the same, I’d remove the naughty language from he sidebar but apparently we have to disclose it to identify ourselves- I don’t get it! arg#$@%@#%$
Benn Rosales
February 5, 2008 at 4:52 pm
I just joined the group… I can at least say I was ‘there.’
Jay Thompson
February 5, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Thanks for the NARWisdom fodder. This is simply…. appalling.
This little bit of stupidity ranks WAY up the list.
Ines
February 5, 2008 at 6:04 pm
I can’t believe you used the “R” word – consider your mouth washed out with soap!
Lani Anglin
February 5, 2008 at 6:19 pm
should I go to time out? when people ask what my husband does for a living, should i say, “he’s a ‘R word'”? is saint joseph the patron saint of the “r word”?
Robert D. Ashby
February 5, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Does that mean that someone who is an “R” ranks below us used car salesmen?
Charleston real estate blog
February 5, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Lani, just don’t bury Benn in the yard upside down, oh, that’s a different saint.
Lani Anglin
February 5, 2008 at 6:38 pm
different saint, but DANG that’s funny!!!
here’s the new official “R” business card- feel free to pop your OWN picture in… https://twitpic.com/1f
Dale Chumbley
February 6, 2008 at 1:38 am
Love the new business card. I may have to use that… It appears that I need to go through my MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc and do some housecleaning. I’m afraid I may not be compliant! Big brother is watching.
To top it off I got an email from YouTube tonight letting me know they took down my daughters “YMCA” cruise video for copyright violation. You can find 13,601, oops, strike that, 13,600 videos of “YMCA” on there… Must be an election year. ;?)
Lani Anglin
February 6, 2008 at 9:16 am
On a serious note, I think that’s what is frustrating Dale- sometimes it feels so arbitrary! If it were commonplace it would be no big deal, but if your traffic gets hot, you’re sticking your neck out there, I suppose.
NAR has every right to protect their copyright, but to punish actual members of NAR? I understand if non-agents like ME tried to use the word, but paying association members? Sheesh.
Frank Borges LL0SA- Broker Franklyrealty.com
February 7, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Frank here. I’m the one with the Facebook page that was shut down.
The NVAR CEO actually told one of the facebook members that they needed to “Take off that NVAR pin” because they were part of an “NVAR unofficial” facebook page. I don’t think that was a very professional way to approach a newer member.
Frank Borges LL0SA
Broker
Blog.FranklyRealty.com
Jonathan Dalton
February 7, 2008 at 8:00 pm
What is that? A pledge pin? ON YOUR UNIFORM?!??
Sorry, first thing that popped to mind. At this point, there’s nothing NAR or the locals can do that will surprise me.
Greg Cremia
February 8, 2008 at 11:46 am
and don’t even think about using the copyrighted initials for Major League Soccer. The term “MLS” is now taboo for NAR members to use. Neeeexxxxt.
Jay Thompson
February 8, 2008 at 12:30 pm
The National Association of Rocketry has a problem with us using the acronym for M. Licht & Son, Midcontinent Livestock Supplements and Multi-Lingual Software? (all of which have trademarked some version of “MLS”)
😉
Frank
March 1, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Lani,
Go check out the discussion over at VARBuzz.com about RPAC
Hunter Jackson
July 3, 2008 at 8:11 pm
There have been numbers of cease and desist letters lately going out about the use of the word Realtor if you are not a member of the NAR. My office has gotten 3 (The agents in my office that is).
Robin
July 4, 2008 at 7:30 am
And this is what I get charged for? The NAR running around spending money issuing cease and desist letters and going after bloggers and such. Yea..that makes sense. Reminds me of the music industry and the whole Napster /download fiasco
John
December 13, 2008 at 10:23 pm
OMG – the new R business card is too funny!