My lastest assignment: Real Estate Blogging

Well, as it turns out, this blogging thing is tougher than I thought. As a professional journalist who also blogs as part of his job, I was under the mistaken impression that maintaining my own blog on a two topics I love -- technology and real estate and technology would be a breeze. Not so -- as my recent post history would attest. The biggest challenge, obviously, is finding the time each day to sit down and do your thing.

Well, in the interests of turning over a new leaf, I'm using my latest freelance assignment for the Boston Globe -- to document the fast evolving world of R.E. blogging -- as a kind of self education. I've already spoken to some of the best in the business -- Teresa Boardman over at St. Paul Real Estate blog, and John Keith of Boston Real Estate. Both have been very generous sharing their tips about what it takes to be a successful R.E. blogger, and also on how their blogging has led to big changes in their thinking about the R.E. industry. Not to give too much away (the Globe story will run this week and I'll link to it then), but my sense is that R.E. blogging is just the latest crack in the wall that has protected the mega firms like Coldwell Banker and Prudential from being overrun by hoardes of independent agents.

I'm still looking for thoughts/feedback. If you're an agent out there and you're blogging (or thinking about it), let me know your thoughts -- what's worked? What hasn't? How long did it take to get things running? What was the response of your boss/manager? What's the next big thing? Should the profession be doing more to educate up and coming agents about blogging and how to use the Internet?

I also hope to put together a top ten tips for a successful r.e. blog. I've got some things already (blog well and often, pictures help, don't use your blog to push properties, be yourself), but I'm open to more.