Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's a case of a great idea that didn't have time to fully develop before being hatched. Either way, I really don't understand Localism, the way it works, the way it's suppose to work, or even the value of spending $9 a month on my sponsored city.
I read a post last night from Rich Jacobson about Localism and the changes that have been made for approved content. Evidently, AR had some kind of editorial review group that filtered and approved posts for Localism to insure that the information going on there was consumer driven. But they've abandoned that now in favor of a free for all. Come one come all to Localism. No need for any standard, evidently.
I have so many issues with the site and the concept that I'm not sure where to start. In the spirit of full disclosure, I will admit that I have not learned what I need to know about uploading photos, or what I'm suppose to do now with my sponsored city. But I have been diligent about writing and submitting posts that are about my area.
Rant #1 - We are in a small market in western North Carolina that has long been a destination for seasonal visitors. We also have (had) a strong second home market. But, if you go to Localism, then to North Carolina, it seems Charlotte has now been dubbed the center of the universe and the rest of us are mere specs in orbit around it. It's a cold hard fact that if the information on Localism is a direct result of what is posted by AR members, we'll never have any real visibility as a featured community, a top city, a top neighbor, a top anything for the sheer fact that Charlotte and other large markets have more agents to feed the system. But is it really in the best interest of the public to have us all in one big pot? Seems like there ought to be a way of offering the consumer some choices. The people that want to know about our area don't want big cities...they want the lifestyle you'll only find in small towns. So how are they suppose to find those small towns? If you look at the list of "popular cities" for North Carolina, you'll see Charlotte up there in big 32 pt type. Then waaaaay down at the bottom is little ole Southern Pines in about 7 pt type. Southern Pines is a lovely area...what's the point with the point size difference? Wow...if Southern Pines is in 7 pt type, you'd need a microscope to see Brevard!
How about a "interactive map" that a consumer can click on to get more information about the cities in a particular region. Right now, except for a few select cities, all the consumer gets is a list of counties to explore. Hmmmm....how many people do you think know that Brevard, for instance is in Transylvania County, but Asheville is in Buncombe County. The same is true for every state on Localism. People don't search for information about counties...they search for information about cities.
Rant #2 - Localism is suppose to be a site where consumers can get more information about an area. Again, open North Carolina and in the first 20 posts, 4 are listings, 1 is a political statement about off shore drilling, 2 are business to business ads, 8 are Realtor ads (pick me! pick me!). Only 4 posts have the kind of information I thought Localism was about. One post had to do with upcoming festivals, one was about area taxes. If the folks at AR want Localism to really be a site that features information about a particular area, and not just another spot to advertise your listings, this isn't it.
Rant #3 - I've posted several things to Localism in the last week, and none of it is on there. Is there an unspoken password, a secret handshake, a protected code that I'm not aware of?
Rant #4 - SPELL CHECK - USE IT!
Rant #5 - What are we spending $9 a month for? I've already admitted that I haven't devoted enough time to my sponsored city information so I went in search of other sponsored cities to see what everyone else is doing. I look in several states, and then to cities that were listed as "popular" (a misleading adverb for sure!) and I could see nothing that would indicate a sponsored city. So what gives? Am I missing something?
Rant #6 - I will refer back to the fact that I've not gotten familiar with loading photos onto Localism...but just the same. Do you really think anyone gives a flip about an entrance sign for a subdivision??? Come on folks, I know you can be more creative than that! I've seen some amazing stuff on AR. How about thinking of things from a consumer's standpoint. How is a picture of a subdivision sign, or some nondescript store front of any value to a consumer? If Localism is left as a free for all, and AR no longer cares about any recognizable standard, I'm sure I can find another way to spend my $9 a month.
Lastly...Charlotte is a great city. One of the best in NC if that's the kind of place you're looking for and my comments were not intended to disparage it or the agents who work there. There is a lot more to NC than Charlotte, though, and if Localism doesn't change, the rest of us can just forget about spending any time fooling with it. If markets like ours are destined to be small fish in a very large pond, I have plenty of other things to do than try and swim upstream on Localism.
Carol Clay, Broker/REALTOR Brevard NC Real Estate Specialist
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I'm with you...Localism was supposed to be new and improved, but so far it's not working out that way. It's almost the WILD WEST and I thought I would give them a little time to fix the problems, but as I don't see that happening, I won't be paying for my neighborhoods again.