As TheREALTYgram Blogger approaches its three-month-old birthday I am compelled to issue thanks to the people who inspired this blog. There would be no blog without the The Lehigh Valley Assn. of REALTORS®, where member censorship has become the byword in communications.
LVAR manages a member listserv that was designed to enable a free flow of information among members and the association. The listserv is a model of the national RealTalk listserv published by Internet Crusade. The RealTalk listserv has a subscriber list of approximately 12,000 real estate professionals across the continent, and offers members' comments in an uncensored, unabridged format. The RealTalk listserv creates a virtual community that may serve as a model of listserv communication in any industry. It is a form of communication where members argue, brainstorm, and share useful information about current affairs, business models, technology, and a host of topics that has no limit. Its founding fathers are affectionately known to their subscribers as "The Crusaders."
The LVAR listserv has taken this communication technology to weave threads of self interest, and summarily dismisses posts that present positions contrary to its own. In late 2004 the association acquired a real estate homes publication. I wrote a listserv post that asked questions about the magazine's demographics and contained some observations about a design format that I described as a "typographical hodge podge." LVAR took two steps: (1) not publish the post; (2) remove my name from the subscriber list at the direction of the president of the association. It was clear that I needed to find another venue to air my voice. TheREALTYgram Blogger was conceived at that time, and born shortly thereafter.
I continue to post at RealTalk, where I learn more from other members than I could possibly offer. I was reinstated as a local subscriber and continued to offer occasional posts to the LVAR listserv. I am inclined to resign as an active poster to that forum. I submitted a post last week about the pending legislation about association health care plans and the post was censored. The censorship angst that may have ignited in pre-blogger days is absent this time. I invite comments to all of my posts and I will publish those comments without hesitation. It is my policy to reject only those containing obscene, pornographic, or illegal matters or obvious spam . Happily, those type of posts have not presented. All comments offered to date have been posted "as-is". See you in the Blogosphere!
And thank you very much for your free-flow of information! Your efforts with with TheREALTYgram stemming from an intolerance of censorship are highly commendable.
C.S. Lewis once wrote, accurately, that "the most dangerous ideas in a society are not the ones that are being argued, but the ones that are assumed."
Based on your story, the LVAR and its [past] president are classic examples of how people self-incriminate themselves by showing that they can't handle the truth getting out. If they really had faith in the side on which they stand, they would combat opposing views it in the public arena for all to see.
Posted by: Robert Creek | April 28, 2005 at 10:08 AM
A free flow of information? What a great concept. I belong to a small association that has, historically, been very "good old boy" network. A few years ago I was the agent representative on the Board Of Directors and called more than once by the EO about my dissemination of information to the membership without approval from the Board. Can you imagine being discouraged from sharing information with the very people I am there to represent? Shortly after that I resigned, determined to carry on my own rebel ways without interference. I am moral, ethical and very professional in my business. Let's keep the free flow flowing! Thanks, Carol
Posted by: Carol Williams | April 30, 2005 at 04:35 PM
Oops... I forgot part of my URL on the last post. I linked you to another sight. Darn it. Anyway, keep up the good work on the free flow of information. Carol
Posted by: Carol Williams | April 30, 2005 at 04:38 PM
Congratulations on a 1/4 year anniversary. Your blog is coming along nicely, and is full of good writings & approach.
Posted by: hanan levin | May 01, 2005 at 08:33 AM
Yes it’s definitely a good post, very useful information to consider.
Good work keeps it up!
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