Here are a couple of salient facts, evidently unknown behind the Rust Curtain of the Inman Empire:
- To the extent that Glenn Kelman is a weblogger at all, he is a corporate weblogger. He doesn’t know anything about real estate weblogging, as he made plain in his sweet, charming, engaging keynote address at last summer’s Blogger’s Connect.
- Lockhart Steele publishes real estate porn. I’m told Curbed is a fun read (I don’t read it), but it’s not real estate weblogging as we understand it. As with Kelman, I’m sure Steele knows many interesting things. They’re just not the things real estate webloggers might hope to learn by attending Blogger’s Connect.
So: Inman runs an event, Have a Cigar as far as I can tell, and delivers speakers who know nothing about the topic.
This makes sense to whom?
The logical choices for the keynote address were me, Dustin Luther, Brian Brady or Joel Burslem. Brad Inman seems to carefully identify and recruit coveted audiences so he can spit on them, but, in this case, I think the man simply doesn’t know what he doesn’t know.
Come to the Blogger’s Connect keynote address and learn how to… what?
Truly stoopid…
A big bonus for BloodhoundBlog Unchained, in any case. We were going to kick ass anyway, but the contrast will be that much more telling.
Technorati Tags: blogging, Inman, Inman Connect, real estate, real estate marketing, real estate training
Todd Carpenter says:
During Kelman’s PPT presentation, he took the time and effort to include a bunch of charts to show us all how his traffic ebbs and flows throughout the week. He also took the time to remove the actual numbers. I couldn’t help but wonder just how many bloggers in the room were doing better.
December 4, 2007 — 6:24 pm
Bob in San Diego says:
Inman. What a piece of work. First he tells us that the Internet will be the death of real estate agents. Then he spawns Homegain which proves how willing so many agents are to chase the low hanging fruit, and pay for the privilege.
He relishes in insulting and spitting in the face of the industry. He did this with Barry Diller a few years back. What amazes me is the willingness of the ego driven agent to be part of the Inman circle jerk.
December 4, 2007 — 7:08 pm
Michael Wurzer says:
The last Inman show I went to was something like five or six years ago, because I found it less than useful for me at the time. Now I’m returning in NY because they asked me to sit on a panel about MLS issues. Though I’ve been skeptical about the value of the Connect conferences (a good opportunity to spend a lot of money), I’m honestly quite happy about having been asked. I’m more excited about Bloodhound Unchained, because I think I’ll learn a lot more, but that doesn’t detract from Inman for me — at least until I experience it again and see what it brings.
December 4, 2007 — 8:46 pm
Greg Swann says:
I have no opinion about the event in the large. People keep talking to me about how much they gain in the hallways of business conferences, which sounds to me like what President Bush calls “the soft bigotry of low expectations.” I’m all for networking, but if the main event isn’t the main benefit, you might as well unconference. In any case, all I’m reacting to is having big names from outside the RE.net teaching what purports to be the praxis of the RE.net. Not as stoopid as having Bill Cosby talk to the NAR, but pretty damn dumb.
December 4, 2007 — 8:55 pm
Mark Madsen says:
I actually refer to them as Inman’s News.
We’re excited about the Unchained Conference and I’ll tell everyone that I know.
December 5, 2007 — 1:40 am
Benn says:
I wonder, will Inman News cover the Unchained event?
December 6, 2007 — 7:44 am
Greg Swann says:
> I wonder, will Inman News cover the Unchained event?
Don’t care. But reflect: We win either way.
December 6, 2007 — 8:59 am
John Phillips says:
I guess you’re a bit upset that you weren’t invited to speak. A bit disgruntled I might say. Instead of being upset about it you should just beat them. Stop whining and show them your stuff. If you feel that you can compete then just do it.
December 7, 2007 — 7:05 pm
Greg Swann says:
Your web site is fake — a snare for mistaken searches. Are you a sock puppet?
> A bit disgruntled I might say.
This is called psychologizing, a form of the fallacy ad hominem. The argument is what it is: For the second time, they’re blowing a huge opportunity.
> I guess you’re a bit upset that you weren’t invited to speak.
To the contrary. I was invited before and withdrew.
> you should just beat them.
What do you think I’m doing?
Welcome to BloodhoundBlog. Write back when you figure out who you’re talking to.
December 7, 2007 — 7:38 pm
Greg Tracy says:
Greg,
There is value in the Connect conference for those who want to meet and network with industry and technology people, and keep up with new trends. ‘Bloggers Connect’ is only one piece of the conference (I’ve not been to Blogger’s Connect), but the overall experience is pretty good.
There aren’t any other events I know if where an agent can go and meet so many technology and real estate people together, specifically in sessions discussing how the two come together.
I’ve developed some good relationships with many good people at these events and I’ve taken more away from them then from any of the Board of Realtor events I’ve attended.
I also happened to speak on a panel about blogging at the last Connect in San Francisco and think I offered some insight into real estate blogging that hopefully the (room-full) audience appreciated.
You would be a great speaker at the event, but there are others of us who have knowledge to share and experience in real estate blogging.
Congratulations on the growth of BHB!
GT
December 8, 2007 — 2:31 pm