I completed the following proposal to RIN/NAR on Christmas Eve, 1995…20 years ago…time, and Santa, fly. And so it begins:
CONFIDENTIAL
REALTORS INFORMATION NETWORK – Training and Publishing– 12/24/95
Executive Summary
Discussion
Billy Chee, 1993 President of the National Association of REALTORS® summed it up in two comments.
“Don’t expect REALTORS® to go to the technology, you have got to bring the technology to the REALTOR.”
Any online system to be used by REALTORS® must have instant applicability. They must know how to use it and it must be easy for the REALTOR® to fit into what they are already doing.
Billy has also stated on numerous occasions that the level of REALTOR® computer literacy is low. During the alpha and beta testing of the RIN software, we learned that even those who are fairly proficient computer users will have some problems in adapting to and dealing with this online service at this point in its development. One of the worse things RIN could do would be to deliver the software and let the consumer determine it is “under powered” or “too cumbersome” when in fact it is not; but because they have not figured out the easy way to perform a function, they abandon the software. All of us who are users know what I am talking about. Our experience at the pilot locations also shows us that:
- Not everyone who signs up actually bothers to login after the first login.
- Those that do, quickly lose interest and their online time rapidly decreases.
- Less training equates to less participation online (statistics available from BAH)
The conclusion is obvious: software delivery and training must be headed down parallel runways.
The successful weaning of REALTORS® from their current sources of information and products and moving them to accessing information and products in an online environment (and the RIN online environment) will require much more than the sale of software. An “online mentality” and awareness must be developed. This will require training in the use and business applications of the software (Training Plan) and then an ongoing link or “conversation” with the user (REALTOR®) in an open dialogue and “conversation” in those areas that affect their businesses and their lives (Publishing Plan). This “conversation” (RealTalk) will “keep them engaged” with RIN. It is said repeatedly that REALTORS® are “people people” and that real estate is a “people business”. It is important to note that the only product on the RIN network that is an interactive, people oriented product (other than email, which is more service than a product) is RealTalk. Properly resourced and managed, this will become the number one attraction on RIN and the driver of all the other product offerings. Under this Training and Publishing Plan, RIN offerings will be so rich in content and value that the REALTOR® would never consider moving their business to the competition. The “conversation” (RealTalk) will also (credibly) point the user to other products and services available to them through RIN.One thing research has shown us is that with REALTORS®, there is a desire to learn “what to do next”.
Training Plan
Training in technology and use of the RND is essential to the success of RIN. The customers (REALTORS® ) must be taught the basics of technology and use of the RND, followed by the more advanced learning required for the use and access to the GeoData product. Courses must go beyond the “how to install and use email” to “how do I use this in my business” (to help me make more money and/or help me become more productive). The current level of computer literacy of RIN’s customer base is elementary to non‑existent. Training must also include the motivational aspects required to change the culture of the user from one that depends on the telephone as the primary communication device to one where the computer competes with and hopefully becomes the primary communication device in the business of the customer. A prestige must be developed in those who are trained. This will be accomplished through the RIN Certified REALTOR® (RCR) Program. Properly resourced, training has the potential to become a significant revenue stream for RIN. If done properly, training becomes a marketing vehicle for RIN and for RealTalk.
Training will draw an audience and there are many companies that currently fund trainings in the real estate industry. These companies would be (are) interested in funding RIN training programs. Industry related companies such as lenders and title companies as well as technology companies, both hardware and software companies, and communications companies, that currently spend marketing dollars to be in front of a REALTOR® audience.An example of a powerful strategic alliance in RIN’s educational program would be RIN, NAR, Microsoft, MCI (AT&T), and IBM (Compaq, Gateway, Motorola, etc). This Strategic Alliance will provide the sponsorship and dollars to pay for what RIN must do anyway, train and be involved with the REALTOR® as they learn. As sponsors of our programs, these strategic partners are in front of their potential clients, in an interactive, learning environment. It must be recognized that education is the “programming” around which advertising can be sold. This is a critical aspect of this Training and Publishing Plan and the potential source of major marketing dollars for RIN.
Training Program will be divided into the following initial areas:
- Rollout Training ‑ of initial users in current rollout areas
- Certified Trainer Series ‑ to produce a faculty of RIN Certified Trainers (RCT)
III. REALTOR Technology Skills Enhancement Series ‑ for coveted RCR Designation
- Curriculum Development ‑ REALTOR Technology Empowerment Series
- Additional Programs and Revenue Sources ‑ Computer Based Training (CBT), Video, Direct TV, Live presentations
The first aspect of the training program to be implemented will be in concert with the rollout at the stated rollout locations. It is here where we will refine our marketing efforts for mass distribution in the second quarter of 1996. Instructors have been trained (completion of the training will take place in Honolulu) and are strategically located geographically.
The first “Team” of instructors are also Moderators on RealTalk. We must make RIN “personal” and using Moderators as trainers gives the REALTOR® user base a chance to start in the “conversation process” with a human being, in person; a conversation that will then be moved online. This gives us a dual benefit from the Rollout Training. It is beneficial to have Moderators in front of as many REALTORS® as possible as often as possible, to build that following. Trainers must be skilled in building followings. Our Moderators have been chosen because they have these skills and because they have loyal existing followings.
The training plan also calls for the development of a Certified Trainer Series and a REALTOR® Certification program. These are revenue generators and our initial conversations with NAR staff indicate an interest in the project. NAR’s involvement in the certification process is beneficial to RIN in a number of ways. First, experience and distribution, and secondly, it keeps NAR in the loop and involved with the ongoing success of RIN. It will help us build allies within the NAR staff, a staff that is presently less than 100% supportive of the RIN efforts, and can be..
In summary, the initial training venue serves as a marketing and sale venue and the potential of providing a revenue stream as well. Multiple purposes are accomplished, conserving resources and creating a cost effective method of software distribution. Secondly, the funding can come from outside sources and even provide excess revenue for this RIN profit center. Lastly, a coordinated, well thought out and consistent training message will keep the user coming back for more, because they will truly understand the value of RIN and the content it brings to them. Rich content does not happen all by itself. It is a process that requires specialized skills and administration. This is covered under the Publishing Plan.
Publishing Plan
Publishing and managing discussions and information (content) in an online environment is a developing art form. Most online experts will tell you that the keys to the success of an information network is the logical flow and maintenance of the timely and pertinent content and additionally (of equal or even greater importance some argue), something known as “community”. Community is the key to accomplishing the cultural shift necessary to move a body of people from “off‑line” to online. In today’s world of “information overload” and unlimited Internet choices, the REALTORS® Information Network (RIN) has a unique opportunity to electronically publish the information and ideas REALTORS® need to maintain the competitive edge in business and in their lives.
Key to the success of the publishing plan is the National Electronic Publisher. This is not a clerical publishing position but a hands-on executive position. The Publisher (with the aid of a publishing staff) continually works to insure continuity of all modules on the RIN Network Desktop. This can only be accomplished by adherence to an overall Network Publishing Plan. “Text without context is pretext”. To look at each RIN product module separately is to view them out of the context and may not give an accurate picture. While this plan focuses primarily on RealTalk, it does bring into consideration necessary links to the other product modules. The six essential ingredients in the Publishing Plan are:
- The Publisher
- RealTalk
Publishing Responsibilities
Moderators
Revenue
Marketing
III. RINTalk
- Educational and “publishable” products
- Related RIN Modules
- Links to the Training Plan
Publisher
It is proposed that the role of Publisher be filled by a separate corporate entity, the Real Estate Electronic Publishing Company (a current corporate structure has been set up for this possibility. It may be prudent, however, to have corporate attorneys review the benefits of incorporation in states such as Delaware and Nevada). This will further remove RIN from many of the yet to be determined liabilities of online publishing (copyright infringement, defamation, anti trust). RIN will have the option of becoming a stockholder in this entity, now or at some point in the future. Another option would be to hire a Publishing Team either as independent contractors or as employees. These issues need to be further discussed. The Publisher is tasked with knowing about all the content, on the private network side as well as the Internet side of RIN.
RealTalk
When it comes to online services, content is king. At the heart of this plan to provide top quality
content to RIN’s business and communication network are the National Electronic Publishers, a team of whom are arguably considered the most highly qualified individuals serving in this capacity on any online service in the world. RIN’s Electronic Publishing Team of Saul Klein, John Reilly, and Jack Harper have over 70 years experience in the fields of real estate, communication, law, and technology (see resumes in Supporting Documents Section). Together they lead a group of nationally known real estate personalities and subject area experts, who serve as Moderators, or discussion group leaders. In order to insure that content is current, accurate, and responsive to the immediate needs of the user, procedures have been set up to evaluate existing discussion corners, create new ones, and stimulate increased participation. The current structure of RealTalk is as follows:
16 “Corners” (technically these are known as banners)
26 “Discussion areas” (books)
160 “Discussions (threads)”
Each area is monitored by an appropriate subject area expert, and the overall content is reviewed numerous times daily by the publishing staff. Moderators and publishers serving the dual roles of Moderator/Trainer, will give RealTalk the marketing boost it needs to take off during the rollout period. Even Colin Powell and Hillary Clinton have to do a book tour to get people to buy their books. Not only do we need to motivate them to buy, we must motivate them to read (substitute “use”, get online, participate). This requires interaction.
In addition to the on going discussions, action plans have been drafted to create and implement a series of online seminars using expert panelists on hot topics and forums on “hot products”. A rich feature of these seminars is the ability to tap the wealth of knowledge of the audience, many of whom add a fresh perspective to the expert’s discussions. Also planned are online interviews and seminars with top industry personalities, including authors of leading edge books (e.g., John Tuccillo). In some cases, technology vendors will pay a fee to be interviewed online and have the ability to explain the advantages of their products in direct dialogue with the consumer. Further content is made available by maintaining a software library for downloading helpful shareware and freeware.
Recognizing that content is only valuable if it is easy to find and use, RealTalk will develop online features to facilitate the task of filtering down the information relevant to individual users; for example, use of the ticker tape screen; a splash screen for highlights; a “personal alert” system. The most important user tool will be an efficient Search function, to identify by key words those topics appearing throughout the RealTalk discussions,Library, and even RINmall. As a supplement to the RIN Training program, RealTalk will encourage online discussion of user problems, issues and shortcuts ‑‑ demonstrating how to use RealTalk to solve a problem and obtain free advice.
Sources of Revenue:
- Online time charge ‑ Publishers (and Moderators) will perform internal marketing activities to promote usage of E‑Mail, Library, GeoData, RIN Mall, Info, Look‑Up, and News through our direct contact with the user in RealTalk. A user who questions “How can I get my prospecting on track” will be advised to go to the RIN Mall and take a look at the Top Producer Product to increase their productivity and get them on track (or the XYZ product to help them reach their goals). When a user asks for advice on “how to build a killer listing or buyer presentation”, the Publisher will explain the process of creating powerful GeoData based packages.
- Software and Hardware (product) Forums. Imagine the value to a company like Top Producer in being able to host a Top Producer seminar in RealTalk for a week or two. Participation in the seminar would be promoted through Email, Ticker, and potentially the Splash Screen. The vendor companies would be willing to pay a handsome fee for the opportunity to discuss their latest products to such a targeted and large audience.
Publishers will continue to identify opportunities for value and revenue. The goal is to enhance the users experience and provide additional revenue for RIN whenever possible. Such opportunities include a series of RIN sponsored publications, such as training manuals and technology newsletters.
- Seminars. We anticipate hosting several monthly seminars in RealTalk. These seminars will be a more formalized version of the regular RealTalk discussions, with the added value of featuring a “celebrity” or “expert” guest speaker. Many of these people hold live seminars and are recognized speakers within the industry. The REALTOR® will usually pay a fee to attend these live seminars, where they do no more than sit and listen to the speaker talk about a topic. In the online seminar, the user will still pay, yet we anticipate that the fee will be lower, due to amortization over a larger audience than can be accommodated in a live forum. Additionally, the user will be able to interact directly with the guest, through posted messages. This will add the value of making the seminar more directly geared toward each specific user’s needs. The seminar dialogue then becomes a content resource for the Library or perhaps future publishing efforts (e.g. edited version available for a fee on RINTalk). All Seminars will be free in 1996.
- Publishing: Sale of actual content to MSN/AOL/Compuserve, or “sell” our publishers and moderators time to other services (to participate and enliven their programs, or perhaps, re‑write their programs).
- Web Site Sponsorship ‑ Because the RINTalk web pages ( separate from the rest of RIN’s web page) are visited by both consumers and REALTORS® , there is an ever‑increasing value in offering page sponsorship to many types of companies. Title Companies, Lenders, Home Warranty, Attorneys and more .
RINTalk
The major business objective of RINTalk is to take advantage of the WorldWide Web to disseminate information about RIN to the widest audience in the least expensive manner. It is the link to the vast number of consumers on the Internet. RINTalk showcases to the online world the exciting events happening on RealTalk (and other modules of RIN’s closed business network) ‑‑ for example, the expert roundtable seminars, interviews with key figures, and fast‑breaking hot topics. Such highlighting of “mini‑discussions” will illustrate why a real estate licensee should subscribe to RIN (after first becoming a REALTOR®) and why the consumer should prefer to deal with a RIN‑assisted REALTOR®. RINTalk becomes a useful tool in marketing RIN to those already on line and who are likely more impressed with electronic marketing than with standard print brochures. RINTalk can promote the RIN Presentation Team who will be conducting key seminars and presentations across the country‑‑with information on profiles, schedules, and interactive requests for appearances.
Educational Products
The acceptance of computers and online communications have paved the way for a variety of educational offerings including online seminars for a fee to narrowcasted groups, downloadable computer based instruction programs with or without state mandatory continuing education credit, books/booklets, software, power presentation programs, etc.
While RealTalk will regularly have free online seminars, there is a market for narrowcasted seminars, especially on specialized topics ‑‑ for example, dealing in commercial properties in Russia. Typical live seminars require substantial commitments of travel time and money for participants ‑‑faculty and students alike. People are recognizing the value in being able to listen to high‑profile experts, and pose questions to them and engage in dialogue, all from the comfort and convenience of one’s computer desktop. The seminar business has been big business ‑‑‑ online seminars will take this to the next level and we are on the ground floor of this new business. Many states are updating their education regulations to permit computer based instruction as an acceptable alternative delivery system to live classroom hours. There are obvious benefits to students and school administrators. Courses can be for CE credit , for specialty designation, and for pure information purposes. As our Moderators expand their national reputation, opportunities will arise for them to develop computer based instruction programs under our direction and development expertise(requires a Course Administrator/Acquisitions Editor). In some cases, computer based instruction can be combined with live classroom presentations. The marketing of these courses will be thru RealTalk, RIN Mall and RINTalk, as well as to our ever expanding data base of prior students. RealTalk will be able to develop its own products such as Year‑End highlights .
The Publishers will create new ways for authors of real estate information to publish their material as electronic booklets and downloadable software. Traditionally, talented authors have had to decide between giving their copyright to a national publisher in return for a very low royalty (below 10% of gross revenue after discounts to trade stores) or going the self‑publishing route in which they had to contend with inventory, marketing and fulfillment issues. With electronic publishing, overhead costs are severely reduced (no printing, binding, postage, returned books, etc), thus increasing percentages of profit for both author and publisher.
Related RIN Modules
The Publishing function extends to other RIN modules, especially Library, LookUp and, to some extent, RIN Mall. There is a need to have a common “look and feel” to all items in the Library. Even though there is a need to publish state‑specific information on a state‑by‑state basis ‑‑ there must be a structure against which the user will be able to perform efficient searches. The searches will fail if applied against multiple formats of data and text. Publishing is required here, to the level of a publishing‑capable programmer. Although RIN will be able to draw upon many NAR sources for library content, the Publishers can add significant value to this content area, feeding information to the library from all standard and some non‑standard sources; creating strategic relationships with outside sources of information; Legal Reviews, Real Estate Educators and Authors, Motivational Providers and so on. Under these relationships, these source providers will receive visibility to the RIN user base, while RIN then provides this as value added content to its users.
Conclusion
RIN has an opportunity to take advantage of what Bill Gates refers to in his book, The Road Ahead, as a “positive feedback loop”. The forces that are in play and those that can be brought to bear will create a synergistic marketing plan that will insure the success of the RIN launch, the Training Plan, RealTalk, and RIN in general.
Business Plan Document
Vision:
To create a profitable education and seminar company, Real Estate Education and Training Institute (REETI), which will bring REALTORS® swiftly into the age of information and keep them involved in new technologies and methods of communication (to insure their professional survival) by:
- Creating an army of trained RIN users that not only understand the benefits of technology in general and RIN in particular; but utilize the tools of technology available to them consistently in their business, and recommend it to others.
- Becoming the primary source of information, educational courses and materials dealing with technology and its application to the real estate industry.
Company Overview:
Proposed:
The forming of the Real Estate Education and Training Institute (REETI) will be owned by RIN, NAR, a yet to be selected Strategic Technology Partner, and the Real Estate Electronic Publishing Company (REEP). Percentages of ownership have yet to be determined.
Background and Purpose:
The successful and profitable weaning of REALTORS® from their current sources of information and products to accessing information and products in an online environment (and the RIN online environment) will require much more than the sale of software (RIN Network Desktop: RND). An “online mentality” and awareness must be developed. This will require training in the use and business applications of the software (Training Plan) and then an ongoing link or “conversation” with the user (REALTOR®) in an open dialogue and “conversation” in those areas that affect their businesses and their lives (Publishing Plan). This “conversation” (RealTalk) will “keep them engaged” with RIN. It is said repeatedly that REALTORS® are “people people” and that real estate is a “people business”. It is important to note that the only product on the RIN network that is an interactive, people oriented product is RealTalk. Properly resourced and managed, this will become the number one attraction on RIN and the driver of all the other product offerings. Under this Training and Publishing Plan, RIN offerings will be so rich in content and value that the REALTOR would never consider moving their business to the competition. The “conversation” will also (credibly) point the user to other products and services available to them through RIN. . The purpose of this Training and Publishing Plan is to define the objectives, the resources required, and chart the path to successful implementation and profitability. Training and Publishing will each be addressed separately and also tied together in the Executive Summary. Each part of the plan may be viewed as a separate plan but there is a synergy in implementing all aspects of the Training and Publishing Plan as outlined here. From this Plan an operating plan can be quickly drafted. Many of the required steps have already occured and some materials have been prepared in anticipation of this plan.
Personnel Resources and Skill Sets:
Saul Klein (complete contract and resume in Supporting Documents section)
Practice side – Extensive background in the practice side as a broker/manager/owner (large residential sales office management as well as small broker owner, property management company, real estate syndication, commercial and small business owner). Considerable knowledge and experience in buyer representation.
Academic side – credential college level real estate instructor (courses taught include real estate principles, real estate practice, real estate finance, real estate law, real estate appraisal, tax aspects of real estate, ethics, agency and more). Course author and frequent expert witness and litigation consultant.
Industry side – Numerous directorships and committee chairmanships; 1993 president, San Diego Association of REALTORS®, State director and regional chairman. Various NAR forum memberships and frequent NAR forum speaker. Industry consultant (association leadership conference and strategic planning facilitator).
Training side – recognized national trainer and public speaker in consumer as well as industry issues.
Technological side – highly proficient computer user. Frequent internet real estate bulletin board participant and contributor. In depth understanding of online world. Extreme knowledge of RND use and application.
Personal side – well known and well thought of in all areas of the real estate industry. An “industry influencer”.
John Reilly (complete resume in the Supporting Documents section)
Practice side ‑ real estate attorney for 25 years in the business of advising real estate practitioners in all aspects of the real estate profession, working with broker/owners , agents, developers, consumers, lenders and settlement companies.
Academic side ‑ strong suit; author of ten recognized real estate books (the Language of Real Estate having sold over 100,000 copies); taught in law school, college, proprietary pre‑license school, association (local, state, national Realtor). Past President of the Real Estate Educators Association; Distinguished Real Estate Instructor (DREI designation). National test consultant (AMP exam), and former resource advisor on Agency to the national Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO) and to NAR’s Agency Task Force.
Industry side ‑ long time member of the Hawaii Association of Realtor’s Standard Forms Committee (past Chairman); past Director of the Honolulu Board of Realtors; frequent broker forum speaker and guest lecturer on real estate law issues. Past Consultant to the Hawaii Real Estate Commission on Agency and on the issue of Educational Standards. Frequent lecturer to the Hawaii Bar Association’s Real Property Section.
Training side ‑ recognized national trainer and public speaker on Agency issues and on education concerns. Owner of Hawaii’s top real estate continuing education school, the first to obtain approval for interactive computer based instruction courses.
Technological side ‑ proficient computer user, spending considerable time on the Internet participating in numerous real estate discussion groups, bulletin boards and online services including Lexus Counsel Connect (using the same desktop design as RIN). Solid knowledge of RND use and application.
Personal side ‑ widely known and highly regarded in all areas of the real estate industry, especially in the legal and real estate education community. One of the nation’s top real estate educators.
Moderators – (contract included in Supporting Documents section)
The expert Moderators play a key role, not only in creating the content and shaping the discussions that add the value to the RIN closed network, but also in the training and marketing of all the products and services available through RIN. They are RIN ambassadors with their own following. In addition to participating online, most of the Moderators will find ways through their publications, seminars, and businesses to bring the word of RIN to Realtor and non‑Realtor licensees. Many will become RIN Trainers and have an opportunity to deal face‑to‑face with future online participants, helping to build an online community. Of course, the Publishers are always searching for top caliber Moderator prospects.
Access to pool of talented people – With the over 70 years combined exposure and experience in the real estate industry, Saul Klein, and John Reilly have a wealth of yet untapped human resources they can call upon as RIN continues to evolve.
The RIN Moderators and Presentation Team are continually speaking in front of tens of thousands of REALTORS across the country. Here’s a teaching technique that adds spark to the classroom and effectively markets RIN in a soft sell:
“The teacher asks the class to pose a question they would like to ask one of our expert Moderators; the teacher then goes online and posts a comment to the Forum and explains to the class that if they would like to receive a copy of the response, then leave their business card with their email address; the teacher can then demonstrate the ease in creating a distribution list for this class; when the online discussion and responses are complete in a few days, the teacher can then post a copy to the new mail list of students, along with subscription information about RIN.”
Publishing Plan
Discussion and Objectives:
Publishing and managing discussions and information (content) in an online environment is a developing art form. Most online experts will tell you that the keys to the success of an information network is the logical flow and maintenance of the timely and pertinent content and additionally (of equal or even greater importance some argue), something known as “community”. Community is the key to accomplishing the cultural shift necessary to move a body of people from “off-line” to online. In today’s world of “information overload” and unlimited Internet choices, the Realtors Information Network (RIN) has a unique opportunity to electronically publish the information and ideas REALTORS® need to maintain the competitive edge in business and in their lives. This Publishing Plan will explain how the publishers will develop, present and maintain high quality content in the discussion forums, resource libraries, and online educational offerings(separate from the live training programs) of RIN. In addition, it will explain how REALTalk acts as a focal point of communication with our primary customer, the REALTOR® subscriber.
The primary value of, and the initial impetus for the RIN development is the providing of material information that will enable the REALTOR® to offer valuable services to the consumer, allowing the REALTOR® to maintain a position that is central and essential to the real estate transaction. Key to this objective, will be the ability to gather and distribute that information in a timely and convenient, user friendly manner and in a format that is both professional and meaningful to the client.
This is one of the primary functions of the RIN Publisher. The RIN Network Desktop has been designed to be, and will become a valuable storehouse of information that is fast becoming critical to the successful practice of real estate. Within this repository, data and information is stored and accessed in a variety of locations and with a variety of paths. Due to both the nature of this information and the size of the information files, it is difficult to provide “single path access” that will enable the user to quickly gather that which is needed and assemble it into a deliverable report to the client. One of the major functions of the RIN Publisher will be to provide direct and indirect links to the data that will help the REALTOR® perform this activity. Initially, we will provide text‑based descriptions and instructions that help the user understand “where to look” for the information. As time allows, we will provide a “cross reference” ability so users need only look in one location and find pointers to the other information that might have relevance to their immediate need.
As the RND evolves, we anticipate feature additions that will allow us to continually build hyperlinks from one location in RIN to other locations that hold relevant information. These links will be probably located within RealTalk. As an example, assume that the user needs information on putting together a transaction in a given city, and of a given type. . . and that the user desires to build a Distribution List for communicating status to all participants to that transaction. We would create a topic and threads that would contain instructional messages on how to use GeoData to gather the required information about the property and area, including direct hyperlink statements that would take the user directly into the GeoData module. We would also have messages describing the creation of a distribution list, including hyperlinks directly into the appropriate area. These are simplistic examples, but one can begin to imagine how these tools can be of tremendous value to the user.
As is indicated by the above, the duties and responsibilities of the Publisher go beyond RealTalk. The Publisher continually works to insure continuity and use of all modules on the RIN Network Desktop. This can only be accomplished by adherence to an overall Network Publishing Plan. “Text without context is pretext”. To look at each RIN product module separately is to view them out of the context and may not give an accurate picture. While this plan focuses primarily on RealTalk, it does bring into consideration necessary links to the other product modules. The six essential ingredients in the Publishing Plan are:
- The Publisher
- RealTalk
Publishing Responsibilities
Moderators
Revenues
Marketing
III. RINTALK
- Educational and “publishable” products
- Related RIN Modules
- Links to the Training Plan
Each will be discussed separately, but in practice they all work together to enliven and enrich the conversations between the REALTOR® and RIN; Vendors and RIN; Vendors and REALTORS®. Some of the educational products will generate revenue; RealTalk, will not only have direct revenue but will have a tremendous effect on increased sales of the RIN Network Desktop (RND) and overall REALTOR® participation and use of all the products and services offered through/on RIN.
Implementation of Publishing Plan
- The Publisher
Necessary to the success of the plan are the skills and experiences brought to RIN by the Publishing Team, led by Saul Klein as the RIN Publisher, and John Reilly and Jack Harper as Associate Publishers. Their credentials and expertise are available in the Supporting Documents section (resumes) and bring a credibility to the effort that is unmatched in the real estate industry today. They also bring the intangibles of personality, so essential to the establishing of community online.
It is proposed that the role of Publisher be filled by a separate corporate entity, the Real Estate Electronic Publishing Company (a current corporate structure has been set up for this possibility. It may be prudent, however, to have corporate attornies review the benefits of incorporation in states such as Delaware and Nevada). This will further remove RIN from many of the yet to be determined liabilities of online publishing (copyright infringement, defamation, anti trust). It will also serve as a “political buffer” from the politics of organized real estate. RIN will have the option of becoming a stockholder in this entity, now or at some point in the future. Another option would be to hire the Publishing Team either as independent contractors or as employees. These issues need to be further discussed. The Publisher is tasked with knowing about all the content, on the private network side as well as the Internet side of RIN.
- RealTalk
When it comes to online services, content is king. At the heart of this plan to provide top quality
content to RIN’s business and communication network are the National Electronic Publishers, a team of whom are arguably considered the most highly qualified individuals serving in this capacity on any online service in the world. RIN’s Electronic Publishing Team of Saul Klein, John Reilly, and Jack Harper have over 70 years experience in the fields of real estate, communication, law, and technology (see resumes in Supporting Documents Section). Together they lead a group of nationally known real estate personalities and subject area experts, who serve as Moderators, or discussion group leaders. In order to insure that content is current, accurate, and responsive to the immediate needs of the user, procedures have been set up to evaluate existing discussion corners, create new ones, and stimulate increased participation. The current structure of RealTalk is as follows:
16 “Corners” (technically these are known as banners)
26 “Discussion areas” (technically known as books)
160 “Discussions (threads)”
What makes RealTalk different from most bulletin boards is that each area is monitored by an appropriate subject area expert, and the overall content is reviewed numerous times daily by the publishing staff.
In addition to the on-going discussions, action plans have been drafted to create and implement a series of online seminars using expert panelists on hot topics and forums on “hot products”.
A rich feature of these seminars is the ability to tap the wealth of knowledge of the audience, many of whom add a fresh perspective to the expert’s discussions. Rarely is there time in live presentations to respond to audience questions and entertain comments. Because the online seminars are open for a two week period, there is ample time for all to participate. Many authors/panelists are excited about the opportunity to obtain immediate feedback from the audience ‑‑ in some cases this direct contact with the end user motivates the experts to redirect their thinking about key issues. Transcripts from these seminars will be archived in the library for later review or downloading.
These online seminars can vary between open posting and narrow‑cast postings. This presents an opportunity to charge a fee for participation, which fee can partly be used to attract some of the more visible “for hire” industry celebrities.
Also planned are online interviews with top industry personalities, including authors of leading edge books (e.g., John Tuccillo). In some cases, technology vendors will pay a fee to be interviewed online and have the ability to explain the advantages of their products in direct dialogue with the consumer. Further content is made available by maintaining a software library for downloading helpful shareware and freeware, with the Publishers making certain the files are tested and scanned for virus prior to being made available in this forum. There is a RealTalk library to archive files and articles by Moderators and other contributors (including downloadable pass‑alongs, like checklists and forms that users can give to clients and prospects).
Recognizing that content is only valuable if it is easy to find and use, RealTalk will develop online features to facilitate the task of filtering down the information relevant to individual users; for example, use of the ticker tape screen; a splash screen for highlights; a “personal alert” system. The most important user tool will be an efficient Search function, to identify by key words those topics appearing throughout the RealTalk discussions, library, and even RINmall. As a supplement to the RIN Training program, RealTalk will encourage online discussion of user problems, issues and shortcuts ‑‑ demonstrating how to use RealTalk to solve a problem and obtain free advice.
Publishing Responsibilities
Considerable time and effort will be expended in the original and ongoing design of the RealTalk module, so that the topics stay fresh and relevant to the real estate practitioner’s daily needs, creating a feeling of “up‑to‑the‑minute” conversations. Good design requires a common‑sense flow to the menu banners, topics, subtopics and subsequent discussion threads.
Once the initial design has been set, constant and frequent monitoring of the activity within the topics and threads will be conducted with these objectives in mind:
- Track activity high points to be able to predict the direction of discussions, providing new distinct topical areas for discussions of high activity.
- Evaluate low‑activity threads and topics to assess their value. If the value is good, yet the input needs a motivating boost, the publishers will direct the Moderator to begin a carefully orchestrated series of postings, designed to elicit response from the subscribers.
- Manage the length of the discussion threads and keep threads to a size and content that remains fresh and interesting. This will result in purging many of the appends and reposting them to appropriate archive slots for future access, inserting in the newly cleaned thread a pointer to those archives.
- Continually seek and create new topic ideas ‑‑ this involves direct solicitation of input from Moderators and subscribers, frequency tracking , and analysis leading to a decision to add a new discussion slot on the menu.
- Monitor each thread on at least a daily basis to insure that improper postings are deleted before problems arise. Improper postings include personal advertising, excessively inflammatory messages, foul language and the like. Improperly placed messages will also be deleted and reposted to the correct thread.
Publishers will regularly schedule limited‑term online interviews and seminars. These seminars don’t just happen. They must be carefully planned, with key panelists selected. In some cases, an outside expert will need to be trained in posting on the RIN system and provision made for temporary use of a RND Desktop. Revenue generating seminars will require special attention, especially where state continuing education credit is sought.
As noted earlier, Publishers have created an area within RealTalk where subscribers can find certain software and documents helpful in their practice. In some cases, important documents will need to be scanned and turned into text files for easy access. Publishers must constantly solicit new material and monitor the information to keep it fresh and relevant.
Because of the direct contact with the entire user base, the Publishers will be called upon to explain certain features of RIN and their usage, and point users in the direction of Customer Support if questions concern a support issue. Publishers act as an Information Conduit for these purposes, gathering and passing the information between the correct departments, and providing noise‑level feedback. We all have a stake in responding promptly to customer concerns.
Many of the Moderators and Publishers are in constant touch with the Internet for real estate specific purposes, continually scanning for new and valuable information that would assist the REALTOR in performing more efficient services. Through the RealTalk Internet Forum, moderated by RINTALK’s Webmaster, we will feed a steady stream of URLs, FTP addresses and real estate related newsgroups that will be of value to the subscribers of RIN.
To accomplish the above, the publishing staff will be trained in the programming requirements to build new discussion banner slots, as well as create effective search tools. With the overwhelming amounts of information available in electronic form, it is essential that every bit of information be entered into the RIN system in a format and style consistent with the specifications of RIN’s search tools. Without a doubt, the search feature will be the key to an efficient system, one that stands RIN apart from the competition. We must be able to create a Personal Preference Profile for each subscriber. The ideal is to turn on the computer, click on Personal Alert and see a list of new postings in areas of special concern to that particular subscriber. Such an added‑value feature cannot be accomplished unless there is order and consistency to the monitored postings.
Moderators
At present there are over 20 Moderators. Rather than provide direct compensation, the Plan envisions creating opportunities for Moderators to make additional income based on the exposure they receive as part of the RIN Moderator team (also known as the RINner Circle). Some examples of this indirect income are free home page on RINTALK; free RIN Desktop and usage; discount on sale of personal products thru RINmall; sales commission on sale of RND; teaching income as RIN Trainer; development of CBT courses, books for sale; and yet to be created revenue ideas.
Moderators agree to abide by a set of operating guidelines. Detailed procedures and policies for the recruitment, training, supervision, and compensation of Moderators will be established in a Moderator Manual. Part of the Moderator’s responsibility is to provide periodic updates for the RINTALK home page on the Internet, and to seek out cross‑links for RINTALK and NAR home pages with other pages. As noted, the Moderator’s job is to spread the RIN message to as wide an audience as possible. In addition, Moderators are trained to use the resources of RealTalk to market NAR, RIN, Real Property Ads, and the other modules on RIN. Their principal responsibility is to keep the threads alive with fresh conversations among a variety of participants, acting more as a facilitator than as an author of information.
Moderator Benefits and Compensation:
Free Access to RND
Free Home Page on RINTalk
Special RIN Mall Section with Moderator products
Seminar potential as a RCT
Exposure to the RIN audience
Potential revenue sharing based on success of their “Corner” (after adaquate data is available, 1997)
Revenue
There are two types of revenue to consider; direct and indirect.
- Direct –
- Online time charge – Publishers (and Moderators) will perform internal marketing activities to promote usage of E-Mail, Library, GeoData, RIN Mall, Info, Look-Up, and News through our direct contact with the user in RealTalk. A user who questions “How can I get my prospecting on track” will be advised to go to the RIN Mall and take a look at the Top Producer Product to increase their productivity and get them on track (or the XYZ product to help them reach their goals). When a user asks for advice on “how to build a killer listing or buyer presentation”, the Publisher will explain the process of creating powerful GeoData based packages. Users looking for contract language or the latest rulings on agency or disclosure will be directed to the appropriate section of the Library where they will find the answers.
Users who are not frequent RealTalk participants will hear from the Publisher (in an informative and valuable way) on a regular basis. Publishers will track all usage on a user/slot basis, and will send “teaser” snippets of discussions to the non-users in an effort to attract them through value-demonstration. Complete user profiles are imperative to this sort of effort and our request for what we would like to see in the profiles have been submitted to BAH (through Jennifer Condro).
- Software and Hardware (product) Forums. It will be necessary to solicit sponsorship and advertising for the online seminars from the many vendors who currently sell products to the real estate industry. Imagine the value to a company like Top Producer in being able to host a Top Producer seminar in RealTalk for a week or two. Participation in the seminar would be promoted through Email, Ticker, and potentially the Splash Screen. The vendor companies would be willing to pay a handsome fee for the opportunity to discuss their latest products to such a targeted and large audience.
The relative merit to the vendors will be assessed by tracking sales volume of their products through the RIN Mall during the seminar time period. Example: Software Corner moderator hosts a two week forum on Top Producer, Super CMA, where sponsor participates in Q&A with subscribers. Vendors will be able to spend a few weeks discussing their products and plans directly to their prospect base in a conversational format, thus obtaining feedback for the vendor as well. This is at a fee to the vendor. REEP will design the forum, market the concept effectively through our existing industry contact base, and manage the internal promotion and implementation. Publishers will continue to identify opportunities for value and revenue. The goal is to enhance the users experience and provide additional revenue for RIN whenever possible. Such opportunities include a series of RIN sponsored publications, such as training manuals and technology newsletters.
- Seminars. We anticipate hosting several monthly seminars in RealTalk. Thes seminars will be a more formalized version of the regular RealTalk discussions, with the added value of featuring a “celebrity” or “expert” guest speaker. Many of these people hold live seminars and are recognized speakers within the industry. The REALTOR will usually pay a fee to attend these live seminars, where they do no more than sit and listen to the speaker talk about a topic. In the online seminar, the user will still pay, yet we anticipate that the fee will be lower, due to amortization over a larger audience than can be accommodated in a live forum. Additionally, the user will be able to interact directly with the guest, through posted messages. This will add the value of making the seminar more directly geared toward each specific user’s needs. The seminar dialogue then becomes a content resource for the Library or perhaps future publishing efforts (e.g. edited version available for a fee on RINTalk). All Seminars will be free in 1996.
- Publishing: Sale of actual content to MSN/AOL/Compuserve, or “sell” our publishers and moderators time to other services (to participate and enliven their programs, or perhaps, re-write their programs.
- Web Site Sponsorship ‑ Since the RINTALK web pages ( separate from the rest of RIN’s web page)are visited by both consumers and REALTORS®, there is an ever‑increasing value in offering page sponsorship to many types of companies. Title Companies, Lenders, Home Warranty, Attorneys and more will be very willing to pay a fee for either an advertising splash in these pages or a direct link from our pages to their pages. Critical mass of listings and interest in RIN and NAR will generate massive volumes of “hits” to our pages, the fee for this advertising can create a fairly lucrative income, more than offsetting the cost for these pages.
Marketing
RIN has an opportunity to take advantage of what Bill Gates refers to in his book, The Road Ahead, as a “positive feedback loop”. The forces that are in play and those that can be brought to bare will create a synergistic marketing plan that will insure the success of the RIN launch, the Training Plan, RealTalk, and RIN in general Marketing will be accomplished through:
- The Training Program – The first group of RIN trainers will be moderators. They will, at the Rollout Trainings, have an opportunity to “rub flesh” with the user, to personalize RIN and draw new users to RealTalk where they will be able to speak online with someone they met and were impressed with at a RIN presentation they attended. The following series of courses will also be taught by the expanding base of moderators, always inviting the REALTOR® to join us in “conversation” on RealTalk. These trainers can demonstrate all the online features designed specifically for use in the REALTORS’® practice, thus distingushing RIN from other commercial online services.
- Online
- On RIN – ticker, splash Page, selected email and online promotional events.
- On other online services – using member search tools to identify and communicate with all those people with “real estate” and other well chosen search words in their user profiles.
- WWW pages that pertain to real estate will be included in an email campaign as well as specifically targeting currently well populated real estate “bulletin boards” on the internet.
- Cross linking to other sites that promote RIN (AOL and REEA currently point to RINTALK).
- On RINTALK with a “state of the art” web page designed to capture “net surfers” and provide them with a reason to come back. As the content of this page gets better and better, more visits, and revenue stream from sponsors. Content will be provided by Publishers and Moderator Team.
- Snail Mail campaign – from association mailing lists, base choice of mailing on profiles of members contained in NAR member and/or convention data base.
- Utilizing the resources of organized real estate, getting key association volunteers and as much staff as possible to start using RIN as a way to communicate with the membership (NAR Staff, State and Local Executive Officers and Board Presidents).
Affiliated groups such as Women’s Council (speak at all their events in 1996).
- Through our Moderators and their followings. Through our army of new RIN Certified Trainers
- Sponsors and Partners – Utilizing different marketing pieces and events of our partners and sponsors to promote the discussions on RealTalk.
III. RINTALK
The major business objective of RINTALK is to take advantage of the WorldWide Web to disseminate information about RIN to the widest audience in the least expensive manner. It is the link to the vast number of consumers on the Internet. We will integrate into RINTALK the written material found in RIN brochures and flyers, and we will direct efforts to register RINTALK with many search engines; establish cross‑links with popular real estate and related web sites; and spread the word to real estate newsgroups and mail lists, as well as encourage Moderators to reference RINTALK in their publications and presentations.
RINTALK showcases to the online world the exciting events happening on RealTalk(and other modules of RIN’s closed business network) ‑‑ for example, the expert roundtable seminars, interviews with key figures, and fast‑breaking hot topics. Such highlighting of “mini‑discussions” will illustrate why a real estate licensee should subscribe to RIN (after first becoming a Realtor) and why the consumer should prefer to deal with a RIN‑assisted Realtor. RINTALK becomes a useful tool in marketing RIN to those already on line and who are likely more impressed with electronic marketing than with standard print brochures. RINTALK can promote the RIN Presentation Team who will be conducting key seminars and presentations across the country‑‑with information on profiles, schedules, and interactive requests for appearances.
For RINTALK to be effective, it requires a full‑time Webmaster whose job it is to make RINTALK as entertaining and informative as possible, so that viewers will drop in to visit on a regular basis. Moderators will be asked to contribute portions of their hot tips, frequently asked questions, and articles. The Webmaster will also develop an active Related Web Sites section using hypertext links to valuable information in a simple point and click format. There is an email system to alert viewers when updates are made. Planned is a hypertext glossary to explain key words found in the text.
RINTALK keeps us in touch with the marketplace. Already in place is a simple point and click email comment system so consumers can instantly send questions and comments to particular Moderators who can then decide which material is worth bringing to the attention of Realtors in RealTalk discussions. Online polls and surveys can gather statistical data on key issues such as buyer brokerage or real estate agent satisfaction levels.
- Educational Products
The acceptance of computers and online communications has paved the way for a variety of educational offerings including online seminars for a fee to narrowcasted groups, downloadable computer based instruction programs with or without state mandatory continuing education credit, books/booklets, software, power presentation programs, etc. Authors for many of these offerings are found within our own Moderators who can use the discussion forums to talk about the issues and promote the material in RINTALK as well.
While RealTalk will regularly have free online seminars, there is a market for narrowcasted seminars, especially on specialized topics ‑‑ for example, dealing in commercial properties in Russia. Typical live seminars require substantial commitments of travel time and money for participants ‑‑faculty and students alike. People are recognizing the value in being able to listen to high‑profile experts, and pose questions to them and engage in dialogue, all from the comfort and convenience of one’s computer desktop. The seminar business has been big business ‑‑‑ online seminars will take this to the next level and we are on the ground floor of this new business.
Many states are updating their education regulations to permit computer based instruction as an acceptable alternative delivery system to live classroom hours. There are obvious benefits to students and school administrators. Courses can be for CE credit , for specialty designation, and for pure information purposes. As our Moderators expand their national reputation, opportunities will arise for them to develop computer based instruction programs under our direction and development expertise(requires a Course Administrator/Acquisitions Editor). In some cases, computer based instruction can be combined with live classroom presentations. The marketing of these courses will be thru RealTalk, RIN Mall and RINTALK, as well as to our ever expanding data base of prior students. RealTalk will be able to develop its own products such as Year‑End highlights of key discussions.
The Publishers will create new ways for authors of real estate information to publish their material as electronic booklets and downloadable software. Traditionally, talented authors have had to decide between giving their copyright to a national publisher in return for a very low royalty (below 10% of gross revenue after discounts to trade stores) or going the self‑publishing route in which they had to contend with inventory, marketing and fulfillment issues. With electronic publishing, overhead costs are severely reduced (no printing, binding, postage, returned books, etc), thus increasing percentages of profit for both author and publisher. Purchasers can complete the sale online and have the book in their computer within minutes of deciding to purchase. Electronic marketing can be managed inexpensively using RINTALK and email broadcast to the growing database of RIN clients.
REEP is on the leading edge of introducing living textbooks for the real estate industry. With the extensive use of hypertext, a single text can address the needs of novice and expert alike. Using tax exchange as an example (Moderator Mike Garcia is one of the top international tax exchange experts), the text could hypertext key concepts, words, or statute citations ‑‑‑ the novice would click on a word or a lengthy statute cite and receive a full explanation, whereas experienced exchangers would keep reading until they found hyperlink material worthy of a quick reference. The books become longer or shorter depending on the background of the individual reader. In essence, each book is customized to the reader.
- Related RIN Modules
The Publishing function should extend to other RIN modules, especially Library, LookUp and, to some extent, RIN Mall. There is a need to have a common “look and feel” to all items in the Library
Even though there is a need to publish state‑specific information on a state‑by‑state basis ‑‑ there must be a structure against which the user will be able to perform efficient searches. The searches will fail if applied against multiple formats of data and text. Publishing is required here, to the level of a publishing‑capable programmer.
Although RIN will be able to draw upon many NAR sources for library content, the publishers can add significant value to this content area, feeding information to the library from all standard and some non-standard sources; creating strategic relationships with outside sources of information; Legal Reviews, Real Estate Educators and Authors, Motivational Providers and so on. Under these relationships, these source providers will receive visibility to the RIN user base, while RIN then provides this as value added content to its users.
Lookup – an often overlooked tool
What a great feature if one could look up community members based not only on location, name, or company, but also based on designations, and specialization. Imagine the value of a tool that would enable you to immediately search for a CRS in Pittsburgh, PA who specializes in multi‑family properties and is willing to pay a 30% referral fee. This is added value. Users could build distribution lists based on searchable criteria (all GRI members, for example) and use these lists in a referral promotion campaign.
Taking this one step further, we could make this list available, on request, to the general public through RINTALK. The search will present a list of members meeting the criteria and allow the consumer to send an email message requesting information from one or all of the matching members. Here’s a real reason for a REALTOR to decide to subscribe to RIN ‑‑ a tangible benefit that will put money back in the REALTOR’s pocket.
Supporting Documents
Resume of Saul Klein
Resume of John Reilly
Terms and Conditions for Use of RealTalk
Moderator’s Agreement and Guidelines
SAUL D. KLEIN
6151 Fairmount Avenue, Suite 201
San Diego, CA 92120
(619)283‑7300
PERSONAL: Date of Birth: March 3, 1949
Place of Birth: Honolulu, Hawaii
EXPERIENCE:
October 1979 National Speaker
to present Courses and seminars offered in real estate, personal finance, taxation, leadership and management, time management and personal productivity. Over 10,000 “platform hours” of public speaking experience.
April 1986 President of Saul D. Klein and Associates, Inc.
to present A one‑stop financial services organization. Products and services include tax preparation, tax planning, financial planning, securities sales, insurance sales and general business consulting.
February 1985 Director of D. F. Anthony Group
to present A real estate service and education company. Experienced in acquisition, sale, and property management of residential, residential income, and commercial properties. Public and private seminars. Litigation consulting and expert witness services.
October 1979 President of People International & Real Estate 2
to Feb. 1985 Involved in all aspects of real estate: property management, sales of single‑family residential, condominiums, multi-family , business opportunities, and raw land. Property management experience includes residential management supervision in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Nevada.
October 1979 Investment Counselor and Real Estate Broker
to 1983 Involved in troubleshooting and consulting for over 100 real estate limited partnerships. Participated as a general partner in approximately 20 successful limited, general, and tenants‑in‑ common partnerships.
October 1979 Instructor for Anthony Schools of San Diego &
to June 1990 Grossmont College
Courses taught include Real Estate Practices, Real Estate Principals, Tax Aspects of Real Estate, Agency, Ethics, Real Estate Office Aministration, Syndication and Economics. Subject areas include forms of ownership, encumbrances, land and legal descriptions, contracts, real estate law, real estate finance, tax aspects and appraisal.
March 1977 Sales Manager of “The Condominium Center”
to Oct. 1979 Managed a staff of up to 25 sales agents. Responsible for all aspects of operation. Developed policy manual and training manual which included training in common interest subdivisions.
June 1972 Naval Officer ‑ Surface Warfare
to March 1977 USS Mount Vernon (LSD 39) – Aug. 1972 to Mar. 1975
Repair Officer
Combat Information Center Officer
USS Elliott (DD 967) – Mar. 1975 to Mar. 1977
Navigator/ Personnel Officer
COMMUNITY President, San Diego Association of REALTORS® 1993
INVOLVEMENT: President, Adams Avenue Business Improvement District‑1987
Secretary Adams Avenue Business Improvement District -1986
Treasurer Adams Avenue Business Association-1985
Member of the Mid-City Revitalization Task Force and Finance
Committee 1982-1989
San Diego County Sunset Review Committee Taxation Task Force – 1994
Life Member – Disabled American Veterans
EDUCATION: Herbert Hoover High School ‑ San Diego, 1967
United States Naval Academy – Annapolis, 1972 BS
California Teaching Credential:
Real Estate, Taxes, Math, History, English, Government
Graduate REALTORS® Institute – GRI
College for Financial Planning – CFP
LICENSES: California Real Estate Broker
General Securities License ‑ Series 7, 24, & 63
Life and Disability Insurance
Certified Tax Preparer
ORGANIZED REAL ESTATE ACTIVITIES
San Diego Association of REALTORS® Activities:
Professional Advancement Committee – 1979
Professional Standards Committee – 1988/89
Director – 1989/90
By-Laws Committee Chair – 1990
Strategic Planning Committee Vice Chair – 1990
Vice President – 1991
Executive Committee – 1991/92/93/94
Strategic Planning Chair – 1991
President-Elect – 1992
Executive Committee – 1992
IMPAC President – 1992
BORPAC President – 1992
President – 1993
President SDCCAR – 1993
Escondido Merger Task Force – 1993
SANDICOR Shareholder Representative (MLS) – 1993
Membership Committee Vice Chair – 1994/95
MLS Task Force – 1994
Nominating Committee Chair – 1994
Salary Review Committee Chair – 1994
Strategic Planning Committee – 1994
Executive Officer Review Committee Committee Chair – 1994
Employee’s Retirement Plan Review Task Force Chair – 1994
Orientation Speaker – 1992/93/94/95
Real Estate Trustees – 1995/96/97
Professional Standards Committee – 1995
California Association of REALTORS® Activities:
Director – 1991/92/93/94/95/96
Taxation Committee – 1991/92
Commercial Investment Forum – 1991
Board President, Leadership Forum – 1993
Assistant Regional Chair – 1994
Nominating Committee – 1994
Regional Chair, Region 24 -1995
Taxation Committee – 1996
National Association of REALTORS® Activities:
Legislative Forum – 1994
Real Estate Finance Committee – 1994
Risk Management Forum – 1995
Membership Development and Promotion Forum – 1995
Fair Housing Forum – 1995
Public Policy Forum – 1996
California Association of Buyer’s Agents
Director -1993/94/95
REALTORS INFORMATION NETWORK – National Electronic Publisher/REALTOR® Consultant
Author of Real Estate Courses
Ethics, Professional Conduct, and the Real Estate Professional – Approved by the California Department of Real Estate for 3 hours of “Continuing Education Credit”
Agency– Questions of Choice: Practicing Real Estate in California – Approved by the California Department of Real Estate for 3 hours of “Continuing Education Credit”
How to List Buyers – Approved by the California Department of Real Estate for 6 hours of “Continuing Education Credit”
Financial Planning for the Real Estate Professional – Approved by the California Department of Real Estate for 3 hours of “Continuing Education Credit“
Tax Aspects of Real Estate for the Real Estate Professional – Approved by the California Department of Real Estate for 3 hours of “Continuing Education Credit”
Faculty Member
California Association of REALTORS®
San Diego Association of REALTORS®
Advisory Board
The Robert Bruss California Real Estate Law Newsletter – 1993/94/95
America Online – Real Estate Section
Consultant
REALTORS Information NetworkÔ
National Electronic Publisher – REALTORS Information NetworkÔ
PROGRAM SPONSORS AND ENDORSERS
CITY OF CORONADO
SANDAG (combined governments of San Diego County)
SAN DIEGO GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY
BANK OF AMERICA – Hawaii
CHASE MANHATTAN BANK
HOME SAVINGS OF AMERICA
GREAT WESTERN SAVINGS AND LOAN
WELLS FARGO BANK
PR MORTGAGE
AMERICAN MORTGAGE EXPRESS
NATIONAL HOME MORTGAGE CORPORATION
COMMONWEALTH MORTGAGE
MC MILLIN REALTY
WESTSTAR ESCROW
COASTAL COUNTY ESCROW
GATEWAY TITLE COMPANY
FIRST AMERICAN TITLE COMPANY
STEWART TITLE COMPANY
CHICAGO TITLE COMPANY
FIDELITY TITLE
MC MILLIN COMMUNITY NEW HOME SALES
BREHEM COMMUNITIES
PARDEE CONSTRUCTION
PRINTING INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION OF SAN DIEGO
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
HAWAII ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
HONOLULU ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
MAUI BOARD OF REALTORS®
ALBUQUERQUE BOARD OF REALTORS®
SAN DIEGO ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
SAN JOSE REAL ESTATE BOARD
INLAND EMPIRE WEST ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
POMONA VALLEY BOARD OF REALTORS®
WOMEN’S COUNCIL OF REALTORS®
ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVES INSTITUTE
CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF BUYER’S AGENTS
UNION TRIBUNE PUBLISHING COMPANY
HONOLULU STAR BULLETIN
HONOLULU ADVERTISER
SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
BUILDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
MORTGAGE BROKER’ S ASSOCIATION
KEMPER FINANCIAL SERVICES
DELAWARE GROUP
OPPENHEIMER FINANCIAL SERVICES
INTUIT
COMPUSERVE
Saul has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Business Journal, Good Housekeeping, San Diego Union, Frontline, New York Times, Scientific Research, San Diego Executive, California Real Estate, Michigan REALTOR®, as well as numerous radio and television media.
Introduction
Listening to Saul Klein, 1993 President of the San Diego Association of REALTORS®, you begin to understand why experts throughout the real estate industry line up to hear what he has to say.
He is a nationally recognized speaker who, over the last 15 years, has spent more than 10,000 hours in front of real estate professionals, consumers, association staffs and volunteers, most recently as the REALTOR® Consultant to the REALTORS Information NetworkÔ.
“In all areas of our lives we are witnessing and experiencing a great social, economic, and technological revolution. The real estate industry, like all industries, will be forever changed and restructured in the next 5 years. Is your association, and more importantly, are your members ready to participate in the opportunities that will be created? Or will they be casualties of the revolution?”
How is your Association preparing for:
- Board of Choice
- Possible mergers and/or consolidations
- Declining membership
- Information system technologies and regional multiple listing services
- Changing roles of staff and volunteers
- Future leadership
- Public Access to MLS
- Challenges to Ethics and Agency
Change will continue at an accelerating pace as we race into the future. The way we conducted our individual businesses and ran our associations 10 years ago is not the way we run them today, and the way we run them today will not be the way we run them in the future. The time to prepare for the change is NOW.
Saul’s presentations are tailored to your specific needs. Bring a member’s perspective, staff’s concern, and consumer’s awareness to your next Annual Meeting or trade show, strategic planning session, or leadership program. You won’t be disappointed.
JOHN REILLY
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Born and raised in Ossining, New York
53 years old
Married, three children
State of Hawaii resident since 1970
Business address: Pitluck Kido Sato & Stone
701 Bishop Street, Ground Floor
Honolulu, HI 96813
Tel: 808‑523‑5030
Fax: 808×545‑4015
E‑mail: jreill04@realtor.com
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Ossining High School, Ossining, New York
High School Diploma 1959
Hamilton College, Clinton, New York
B.A. 1963
Fordham Law School, New York City, New York
J.D. 1966
REAL ESTATE RELATED COURSES
Real Property I ‑ Fordham Law School
Real Property II ‑ Fordham Law School
Mortgages ‑ Fordham Law School
Tax Aspects of Real Estate Transactions ‑
University of California, Berkeley, California
REAL ESTATE RELATED EXPERIENCE
1966‑1971
Judge Advocate’s General’s Corps, U.S. Army, Captain, Legal Assistance Officer, Real Estate Officer at Oakland Army Base.
1971‑1973
General Counsel for two Hawaii based real estate developers; Hadley Properties, developer of the AMFAC Center; and General Hawaiian Corporation.
1973‑February 1975
Vice‑President, Stapleton/Reilly Associates, Inc.
Real estate development consulting and real estate education.
July, 1976 to July, 1977
Educational Consultant to Hawaii Real Estate Commission.
March 1975 to present
Attorney specializing in real estate law; author; and real estate educator.
July 1984 to present
Agency consultant to Hawaii Real Estate Commission and National Association of Real Estate License Law Officials.
National consultant on real estate testing to American College Testing (ACT) and Applied Measurement Professionals (AMP).
Consultant to Hawaii State Housing Finance & Development Corporation to write consumer leasehold disclosure information booklets.
Consultant to Coronet Films to develop video on agency disclosure.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Adjunct Professor, University of Hawaii Law School,
Real Property Transactions.
Since 1973, licensed real estate instructor for
salesperson and broker courses. Have taught over 15,000
students.
Organized and coordinated courses for private continuing education programs comprised of advanced courses in real estate law, finance, investments and sales.
Lecturer for various Hawaii Association of Realtors education programs.
Instructor, University of Hawaii Small Business Management Program, “Advanced Real Estate Contract Law.”
Lectured to Hawaii Association of Legal Secretaries on real estate practice.
Lectured on Agency, on Agreements of Sale, and on Leasehold Disclosure to numerous real estate brokerage companies.
Instructor in GRI program for Hawaii Association of Realtors, “Real Estate Contract Law.”
Lecturer to Hawaii Institute for Continuing Legal Education.
BOOKS WRITTEN ON REAL ESTATE
The Language of Real Estate in Hawaii, published October 1975.
Principles and Practices of Hawaiian Real Estate, co‑author with Paige B. Vitousek, Trade Publishing, Honolulu, Hawaii, 12th Edition, 1991.
The Language of Real Estate, 4th Edition, 1993 Real Estate Education Company, Chicago.
Hawaii Conveyance Manual, co‑author for Hawaii Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 1983.
Questions and Answers to Pass the Real Estate Exam, Real Estate Education Company, 1983, 4th Edition, 1993.
Agency Relationships in Real Estate, Real Estate Education Company, 2nd Edition, 1994.
Agency Relationships in California, Real Estate Education Company, 1987.
Agency Disclosure: The Complete Office Policy Guide, REVEI, 1988.
Consensual Dual Agency, co‑author, 1993.
Texas Real Estate Agency, Real Estate Education Company, co×author, 1994.
Who Represents Who?, REVEI, 1988
Hawaii Commercial Real Estate Manual, contributing author, HICLE, 1988.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Member of the Federal Bar and the Bars of Hawaii, NewôYork and California
Member of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the American Bar Association. Past Chairman of Sub‑Committee on Dual Agency/Buyer Brokerage
Licensed real estate broker in California and Hawaii
Member of Hawaii Association of Realtors and their Forms Committee and Governmental Affairs Committee
Director of Real Estate Educators Association (REEA) and Past President (1990).
Director of the Aloha Chapter of REEA.
Holder of DREI designation, Designated Real Estate Instructor (REEA).
Awarded the National Real Estate Educator of the Year by REEA. Nominated for NAR National Real Estate Educator of the Year by the Hawaii Association of Realtors for 1989 & 1990.
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MODERATOR AGREEMENT
THIS MODERATOR AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) is hereby entered into between REAL ESTATE ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING COMPANY (“Publisher”) and JOHN REILLY (“Moderator”), effective as of the date last below written (the “Commencement Date”), under the following terms and conditions:
- General Scope of Agreement.
Publisher provides a variety of online electronic publishing services, including publishing the RealTalk module of the REALTOR Information Network Desktop. In connection with the overall responsibility to design and maintain the topical discussions under RealTalk, Publisher is contracting with a number of area experts to moderate the discussions of certain topics within the RealTalk menu. The Moderator agrees to perform certain functions set forth in the Job Description and to comply with the Moderator Guidelines as set forth in the attached Schedule A, incorporated herein by reference. In turn, the Publisher agrees to provide certain Contract Benefits as set forth in the next paragraph.
- Contract Benefits.
Provided that Moderator is not in default in performance of the functions required in the Job Description, Publisher agrees to extend to Moderator the following benefits:
- free installation and unlimited monthly access to the RIN Desktop for all RealTalk activities
- free listing of personal products on the RIN Mall
- free listing on RINtalk home page(which as a premier jump from thje NAR/RIN home page at www.realtor.com), including a jump to personal Moderator home page with bio, picture, personal promotion, plus a link to any personal page of Moderator on the Internet.
- 50% discount on RIN Certified Training programs, which open up opportunities to teach RIN certified courses for a fee.
- national exposure through RIN promotion of RealTalk Moderators online and in national marketing efforts.
- participate in the cross‑marketing efforts of other Moderators, and network to develop related business opportunities that evolve out of the new online technology.
- Job Description.
Moderators are a combination of editor, writer, and traffic cop all rolled into one. They are responsible for checking into the Network regularly, preferably daily in order to encourage others to participate, to reference other resources on the topic, and find ways to obtain key resources for posting in the Library. Moderators need to start new threads and post comments frequently, but at least one per week, and to use personal email to thank, encourage and question others.
Moderators are responsible for preparing a Highlights of the Month summary for submission to RINtalk. On a particularly hot topic, the Moderator should, with the help of Publisher, organize an online seminar, involving panelists who are experts on the topic. The Moderator helps to plan, promote, conduct, and summarize the seminar. The Moderator also serves on the RealTalk Advisory Committee and is expected to provide suggestions for expansion and improvement of RealTalk.
The Job Description is basically this: the Moderator must insure that their discussion Forum is consistently populated with rich ideas and information, and that there is interactivity with the membership and response to their stated needs for information.
- Term of Agreement.
With respect to the obligations and the services provided by both parties, the terms of this Agreement shall be effective as of the Commencement Date and, unless terminated earlier, shall continue in full force and effect for a period of one (1) year from the Commencement Date. The term shall then be renewed for successive one‑year periods unless either party notifies the other party in writing at least thirty (30) days prior to the expiration of the then current Term that the Agreement shall not be renewed.
- Exclusivity.
Moderator understands that Publisher will spend considerable time and effort developing a national online community exposure for Moderator in return for exclusive services. Moderator agrees not to enter into conflicting Moderator arrangements with other online service providers during the period this Agreement is in force and effect. Breach of this agreement is grounds for termination by Publisher.
- Original Content.
Moderator represents and warrants that its own original content and the content of anything transmitted over the RIN Network by Publisher on Moderator’s behalf shall not infringe or misappropriate any copyright, trademark, patent, or the trade secrets of any third persons, or otherwise violate this Agreement or any applicable law. If notified of any claim to the contrary, Publisher may, at its sole discretion, remove or request the removal of the subject material. Moderator shall defend, indemnify and hold the Publisher harmless from all liability and expense (including, but not limited to attorney fees) arising from such claim.
Moderator shall not post any information that, in Publisher’s sole judgment, may be in bad taste or in violation of law, may constitute libel or slander, may be inconsistent with Publisher’s public image, or may fail to meet community standards regarding obscenity or indecency.
- Ownership of Material.
Publisher has the sole and exclusive right of ownership of the RealTalk discussions and any other work created in whole or in part by Moderator in connection with services rendered under this Agreement.
- Assignment.
Moderator may not assign or transfer this personal services Agreement or any rights, interests, or obligations hereunder without Publisher’s prior written consent, and any attempt to the contrary shall be void. This Agreement and Publisher’s rights, interests, and obligations hereunder (a) may be assigned or transferred by Publisher without Moderator’s consent, and (b) shall inure to the benefit of any entity that succeeds to Publisher’s business and assumes Publisher’s obligations hereunder.
- Entire Agreement.
This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof and supercedes all prior and contemporaneous agreements, understandings, negotiations, and discussions, whether oral or written among the parties hereto.
- Independent Contractor Status.
Each party and its people are independent contractors in relation to the other party with respect to all matters arising under this Agreement. Nothing herein shall be seemed to establish a partnership, joint venture, association or employment relationship between the parties.
- Governing Law.
This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflicts of laws rules.
- Arbitration.
The parties shall submit any dispute arising out of or relating to this Agreement to arbitration. The award of the arbitrators shall be binding upon the parties and enforceable in any court of competent jurisdiction. Any such arbitration shall take place in San Diego, Cailifornia.
- Moderator’s Forum.
The Forum over which Moderator has responsibility under this Agreement is the DUAL AGENCY FORUM IN THE AGENCY CORNER.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, for adequate consideration and intending to be legally bound, the parties have caused this Agreement to be executed on the dates set forth below by their duly authorized representatives.
MODERATOR ___________________________________
Date:__________________
REAL ESTATE ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING COMPANY(Publisher)
by:___________________________________
Its
Date__________________________________
SCHEDULE A
MODERATOR GUIDELINES
(1/10/96)
The role of Moderator is so new in the online community that there is little information available concerning responsibilities and guidelines. Therefore, we will evolve our own set of guidelines as
we populate the RealTalk discussions on RIN. The initial guidelines for Moderators to follow are
THE ROLE OF THE RIN REALTALK MODERATOR
- The discussion Moderator should check in every day to maintain a continuing presence in the message chain of their Forum. This is done with a combination of three kinds of communication; the Moderator
(1) calls attention to the specific topic under discussion if wanders off‑topic;
(2) promptly provides help when it is asked or implied in an appended message; and
(3) gives positive suggestions and encouragement to keep the thread moving forward and on‑topic.
- The skillful Moderator will state his or her personal views “as part of the discussion” but not as the final arbiter of truth in a matter. Often, the Moderator’s personal view/response/append is a significant stimulator to further discussion or to open up a new facet of a topic that has started to fizzle. The Moderator must not “impose” personal views in the matter being discussed. This is an important Moderator trait in maintaining the movement of the thread. If the Moderator”pontificates” on each and every appended comment, the topic will soon die. The RIN Moderator acts as a resource, not an oracle.
- The Moderator must maintain personal views, but in a provocative way. It is possible to restart important threads and direct conversation, but not if you are afraid to venture an opinion. Any Moderator who fails to inject good, provocatively‑phrased opinions and questions could see the Forum wilt and die. Lurkers turn into contributors when you push a button (albeit gently) that they feel strongly about.
- The Moderator keeps appended comments in the proper place ‑‑ even if they originally get posted into the wrong area. Comments and appends in the wrong thread will cause the thread to become disjointed, and the original topic will quickly become lost forever. The Moderator should notify the poster as to why and where the message is being moved (Publisher makes the actual move). Often the novice user posts an email message to the Moderator that should have been posted to the thread. The Moderator should first ask the poster if it is ok to make the comment public. This task of redirecting postings requires both patience and sensitivity toward the users.
- Moderators need to look out for flames and inappropriate language. There in nothing wrong with very sharp differences of opinion provided they don’t fly off into a flaming rage. Moderators will have to impose some discipline upon posters now and then. Some posters will flame, some will post with a six‑pack of Miller Lite beside their keyboard, some are just plain obnoxious people. Some posters will be the salt of the earth and a joy to a Moderator’s heart! The best rule to follow is the #1 management axiom: “Praise in public; Censure in private.” There is almost an irresistible urge to really “blast” someone in front of everyone on the Forum. Resist the impulse. Such action will inevitably create a group of defenders of the miscreant as well as encouragers of the Moderator. The result is a totally failed Forum ‑‑ and a Moderator whose effectiveness will be tarnished for months or years after the incident. On the other hand, the awarding of “attaboys” in a Forum can create a solid community of sharers and also serve as an example for new participants and lurkers to use in their initial foray into the discussion. It underlines “acceptable and responsible” net activity.
- Try to post frequently in an effort to keep several threads currently active, and to begin new threads on a regular basis, and to reactivate older threads. View each thread as a hybrid of both an ongoing discussion and a continuing accumulation of pointers to other resources. Aim for a diverse mix of topics, because you can never be sure what will attract the REALTOR’s interest.
- Just as the secret of success in real estate is location, location, location ‑‑ the secret of success as a Moderator is timely, timely, timely. Because electronic communication has an immediacy to it, people who post messages expect a rapid turn‑around response. Don’t let them down.
- Regularly use private e‑mail to thank, encourage, and/or question users further about their posts. The personal touch produces results.
- Make an effort to seek out users who, based on their posts elsewhere, may be interested in participating in Forum discussions. Constantly strive to generate a hard core group of regulars who will stop by the Forum frequently because they know there is always plenty of activity and information there which is interesting, practical, and entertaining. Point out the beauty of RealTalk: open conversations in a non‑competitive environment.
- Try to make the Forum as interactive as possible, perhaps focusing on problem solving. Look for “great ideas,” ones that will produce cost‑cutting results such as shortcuts to reading and composing messages offline.
- Self‑Promotion‑‑do not use the Forums to toot your horn and solicit business. This is why we give Moderators a free home page on RINTalk. The idea is to impress users with your great content; they will then wish to contact you directly by e‑mail or indirectly thru the home page if they want to buy your products or make deals. Subtle promo is fine; blatant promotion is counterproductive and can give a bad name to the RINner Circle. The best promo is solid content which will make users pick your Forum as a Favorite.
- Keep your auto signature to three lines. Anything more than that looks too cluttered. RIN is a private business network; users will be able to look up your address and numbers in the Network Director. Your bio will appear in the RealTalk Introduction section.
- Only publishers can remove inappropriate comments/replies; let one of the Publishers know if you want a thread relocated or moved.
- Take pride in your postings; use the built‑in spell checker if necessary.
- If you have articles to post, submit them to the RealTalk Resource Library (contact RIN Publisher); then you can point to that reference in your Forum discussion. We will be attempting to build up valuable Resource Library, and your contributions will be much appreciated.
- Once again, check in at least once a day to monitor your Forum. You may wish to click the Favorite button so your Forum moves to the top of your menu.
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