So many dramatic changes in the real estate industry....we are almost through the "transition period". In the post-internet world, the consumer holds the power of decision, and also sets the benchmark for a marketing presence that encourages their action. Print media continue to disappear, as their advertising base dries up. Specialty magazines may still be in evidence, but they are quickly emphasizing their internet sites...print has now become the loss leader side of their business. It's difficult for all business models that had "the success secret", in the latter years of the 20th and the first 8 years of the 21st Century, to successfully jump the fence into the shift of the "now". That goes for "hybrid"/BG ("before google") realtors, too. The franchise system in real estate, with its agent-centred business model, is limping along, struggling to stay out of the abyss of oblivion. Pre-internet, their referral systems did offer an edge. Now, the company playing field is level. The mls system, late to the table of change, continues to try to stuff the former model of information control into a web design that calls for free dissemination of data. Costs of realty companies, mls and board affiliations, continue to escalate and these costs are always passed on to realtors. At the same time, the role of a realtor has changed, in the perception of both the seller (purveyor) and the buyer (consumer). Specific commission recompense, for services rendered, is no longer "a given". The reality is that commission structures are falling in the favour of the consumer, not the company or realtor. Further, at the same time that change was visiting the way real estate information was made available to consumers, the economic meltdowns occurred and the housing bubble burst...the industry was plunged into a massive downturn. The aftermath of such enormous change is always chaotic. In change lies opportunity.... So important to keep practicing our peripheral vision exercises, with that wider field of perception, to ignore the siren song of tunnel vision, and to sniff the wind like wolves, seeking the new that leads us beyond the confusion maze.... Whether or not it makes sense to us, it's essential to take part in the building of business relationships on the social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube could be the momentary "big three". There are bound to be others, coming along.... The rules of good face to face marketing need to be translated into the dynamics of social media marketing. Remember when websites were thought of as unnecessary to a successful career? Not so long ago.... The one to one nature of the web holds promise for a relationship sales model...if we think about the service of real estate sales, at a mainstreet/grass roots/community based level, then it's an easy dance to offer that at the global village level. Technology is just about methodology...content is still the mainstay. What's in your brain? The watchword for the "now"? Try it...don't hang back...leap into the new that keeps popping up newly. What is it called? The Net? Well, that means the jump lands into safety, right? Go for it!