One Week To Change
UPDATED!
I’m sitting here in my room in Washington DC, after presenting my case to the MLS Commitee. The whirlwind of activity over the last week has my head spinning. I never expected to be whisked to DC and the online support has been incredible.
Jay and I addressed the committee and Jay is so much more at ease in front of a large audience; me, not so much. I expected to only address the committee, but there must have been about 400 people in the room. Be still butterflies!Nervous, who me – you bet!
Those who know me know I am a one on one type of person and large audiences, they petrify me, like roller coasters and looking down from top of the Grand Canyon. My only security came in knowing Jay was speaking behind me.
Through previous conversations last night I knew the MLS Committee was aware of the issue and had read up on it. Yes, there was obviously some people who did not want to see change; I observed the reservation and overheard conversations. Change is always tough.
The MLS Committee has recommended a policy change which will go before the NAR Board for approval on Saturday.
It has been recommended the language of 15.2.2 of the MIBOR MLS Rules and Regulations be revised to state the following:
Participants must protect IDX information from unauthorized uses. This requirement does not prohibit indexing of IDX sites by search engines.
The previous language is incorporated in many MLS boards, just numbered differently. The was not without a lot of hard work and the support of many REALTORS® across the nation. Although this is a victory, we must see the changes implemented. I have maintained, as REALTORS® we have a vested interest in protecting the integrity of the MLS data and providing accurate data for the public.
I wish to thank everyone here and a special thank you to the National Association of Realtors for taking quick action on an outdated rule, the CRT tech guys at NAR, MIBOR and the NAR board members at the conference who have been most professional in their response and willingness to incorporate the rule as soon as it is approved.
I spoke at length with Tom Renkert, MIBOR”s Information Services Director, after the committee meeting and gained a better understanding of the processes which forced them to uphold the ruling in the first place.
Oh and my room was fabulous, wish I could have stayed just to relax, but am glad to be home. Thank you NAR.
Now, back to work and a special thank you to …Benn, Lani, Jay, Mike Taylor (my broker), Jim Duncan, Michael Wurzer, Todd Carpenter and Cliff Niersbach, Morgan Carey (THE real estate webmaster); to Missy Caulk and everyone else who took the message public on their blogs and Todd Waller, whose sense of humor added comic relief to the discussion. ………
UPDATED: at 11:00 p.m – 5/14/2009
