An Update On Brokerate
You can beta test something to death, but sometimes there’s no substitute for the real world. When we began planning Brokerate we struggled with how to handle comments and the potential for abusive behavior. At the time, we thought that we’d provide the platform, appeal to everyone’s sense of decency and let the market take…
You can beta test something to death, but sometimes there’s no substitute for the real world. When we began planning Brokerate we struggled with how to handle comments and the potential for abusive behavior. At the time, we thought that we’d provide the platform, appeal to everyone’s sense of decency and let the market take care of itself. After watching things play out over the first few days, we’ve grown increasingly uncomfortable with the number of mean, trite and foundationless comments. While our goal in creating the site was clearly to provide the consumer with a useful tool, we’ve decided that on balance the comments are too destructive; while we are unapologetic about the need for more transparency and accountability in the profession, we have to listen to our own conscience–which has served us well navigating the sometimes dicey waters of Brownstoner–and balance that need with the fact that peoples’ livelihoods are at stake here. So here’s the plan: We’re keeping the rating system (which has a control in place to limit each user to voting only once for each broker), replacing the comments with a references (if you feel strongly about a broker, you can leave your email for potential clients to contact you), and are going to work over the next few weeks to build more functionality and searchability into the broker profiles (hopefully to include things like neighborhood specialization and lists of closed transactions). We hope to have the changes to the comments section done by the end of the day today. We’d also appreciate everyone’s ideas about additional functionality they would like to see in the future.
Thanks,
Brownstoner
This whole discussion is a waste of time. Foxton’s allows you to bypass the broker and keep the profits.
Ka-$$ching!
You’re reading it wrong. Ed posted the comment above his name…
I just posted a comment as “Anonymous” but for some reason, the post is showing me as someone named “Ed” with a yahoo e-mail address. Brownstoner may want to check your software… I am a female and one that would NEVER have a yahoo e-mail address.
Someone mentioned adding agent photos to the site. This would create copyright problems for you, unless you get the agent’s permission and I can’t imagine any agent doing that for this type of site.
Having been an agent/broker for over 15 years, I can say with no uncertainty that this is one of the most competitive businesses out there. I personally know agents who would do whatever it took to ensure that their ratings were high and/or other agents’ ratings were low (especially if the other agent killed a deal for them in the past so they have an axe to grind).
I also know that human nature being what it is, most people are quicker to share complaints than they are to share recommendations. Every buyer/agent (and seller/agent) relationship and transaction is unique and agents are all too often blamed for things that are completely out of their control… but the buyer doesn’t care and has to blame someone (never themselves, of course).
Personally, even if I were a non-licensed person, I doubt I’d ever put much faith in these types of ratings sites (of which there have been several in recent years, none of which has been successful). Word-of-mouth referrals are best and come from those who you KNOW have used the person’s services as opposed to all these “anonymous” people rating (mostly each other).
I think that there are good and bad brokers out there – class acts and sharks – no doubt. I also think there are consumer advocacy benefits to be had by this kind of endeavor along with the potential for abuse and damage.
I think that says more about brokers than it does about Brownstoner.
Brownstoner, You cannot believe how many agents are just working the system to make sure they game your site. There is no way you can stop this. Why couldn’t an agent start up an anonymous e-mail address? Also who cares more about hurting other agents than their competition? This is such a bad idea all around. It’s still going to be somebody with an axe to grind sitting in front of a computer terminal making up lies. And why would you want to just promote lying?
I’m still not convinced you have the slightest idea what you are talking about, but I’m too tired to pursue this further. Good luck to you.
And Ed,
Re: My legal analysis, the relevant fact is not host vs. non-host but author of content vs. provider of service. The jurisdictional matter was in regards to the author of the content. Stick to what you know, Ed.