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REALTOR® ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE
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  The Best of the Web, 2007 Sixth Annual Outstanding REALTOR® Association Web Site Contest This year’s winners provide the business tools members need Refocusing this year’s competition to highlight great features of Realtor® association Web sites (as opposed to entire Web sites) was a reminder of just what a powerful tool the Internet is for serving members. From 24/7 online continuing education classes to lead-generating property searches to electronic publications that keep members (and their clients) informed, Realtor® associations are delivering the services that keep members happy and profitable. Outstanding e-newsletter or e-publication: (two winners)  Minneapolis Area Association REALTORS® (9,700 members) About the site: This weekly e-newsletter delivers timely and relevant information on key aspects of the industry that affect members, including market data and key local and national policy and procedure changes. “Members read it,” says Erin Milburn, marketing and communication director. “We know because they call if they don’t see it in their mailbox.” Judges said: Everything you need is right in front of you. Professional, consistent, and clean design. Excellent use of graphics throughout to break-up text. This newsletter is very scannable with easy navigation. Good use of URLs throughout to provide readers with additional information if the topic piques their interest. I like that all the hyperlinked headlines are at the top of the newsletter. This way, users know right away what’s in the newsletter without having to scroll down. Pinellas REALTOR® Organization, Fla. (7,000 members) About the site: Pinellas’ online version of its PROView magazine isn’t just a large PDF file. Although the online magazine retains the look of the popular print edition, visitors can e-mail articles, click through to class and event registration, and even search the magazine by keyword. Additionally, the electronic version, unlike its print counterpart, doesn’t have tight space constraints. Judges said: It’s professional and makes me want to click through each page—every one. For an online magazine, there is a variety of information, including advertising to help pay for it! I think members would absolutely love this site. Unique, attractive, and informative—what more could you want?! Fabulous design, great color photos, and even a zoom option. Looks professional and provides the feel of a real magazine. Outstanding Property Search: (one winner) Houston Association of REALTORS® (25,000 members) About the site: HAR.com’s property search ranks in the top 20 nationally recognized real estate Web sites. This acclaim translates into literally millions of leads and referrals for members. Included among the features of this tool are a new Google-based mapping function, a Click-to-Call feature that allows consumers to automatically connect over the phone with a Realtor® from a listing, and the My Cart feature, which allows consumers to conduct side-by-side comparisons with up to five listings. Judges said: I like how you can find a variety of items, such as open houses, new listings, and a photo gallery (love how you did the photo gallery). Probably the best site for searching real estate that I’ve seen. Like the map search and the ability to search based on the street name. HAR does a great job using technology to support its members. Outstanding Design: (two winners) Florida Association of REALTORS®(165,000 members) About the site: This site was completely overhauled in late 2006. “Within each page, the Realtor® brand of professionalism, ethics, and trust is emphasized visually and with content placement," says Peggy Musial, the site's editor. "Depicting our organization and its members in a professional manner to our viewing audience was a huge priority when designing the site. The goal was to create a magazine look, use images that our members could identify with, and use a color palette of orange, green, and blue that shouts out ‘Florida.’” Judges said: The FAR site is an amazing tool for Realtor®. From the opening page, FAR is serving the membership with the tools that they need to be successful. From the menu bar to the search bar, I found everything I was looking for without having to “look.” St. Louis Association of REALTORS® Commercial Division (1,000 members) About the site: Launched in late 2006, the St. Louis site for commercial members represents the elegant simplicity of a great member site. Judges said: Design and colors are professional, clever calendar icons with dates in the event listings. Modern, clean, easy to read. Aside from showcasing the mission statement and “Who We Are” sections front and center, this site features clear labels, intuitive categorizing, and concise but very informative editorial. Nicely done! The site balances current Web trends and common sense, serving up content with clean design and reliable functionality, sparing users frivolous bells and whistles that can only stand to confuse. Outstanding Education Feature: (two winners) Houston Association of REALTORS® (25,000 members) About the site: The Real Estate Course Finder is the largest database (more than 8,700 classes) of real estate training in Greater Houston and includes the participation of eight real estate schools. “Our goal is to provide members a single platform to search for real estate training,” says CEO Bob Hale. Judges said: I’m really impressed. I believe that this site helps make it easier for agents to do their C.E. and take professional development courses to help them become more successful. The design for this is spot-on—intuitive, professional, informative. This amount of information could easily be spun into a hard-to-use mess, but HAR has done a terrific job of making it accessible, informative, and easy to act on. There are in-line links, drop-down menus, and other common Web features that make for a solid experience. Can I give this site two 10s? San Diego Association of REALTORS® (11,000 members) About the site: Education offerings on this site include live instruction (updated every two to three days), hands-on labs, and free seminars (added every week), all packaged in a user-friendly design that makes the decision to register easy. Judges said: Education at your fingertips—a great tool. Once you are on the online education page, the preview of classes with the demo button is very useful. I think the preview and demo ability will please the members. Does a good job of telling/showing them what they are buying before they buy it. We get tons of calls asking us to describe classes. This tool answers that question and keeps routine calls to the staff to a minimum. Great feature. Education with this site is one-stop shopping. Outstanding Member Service Feature: (two winners) New Jersey MLS (8,800 members) About the site: The MLS’s public Web site’s lead-generation feature yielded more than 12,600 leads in 2006. The “Request Showing” and “Contact Agent” buttons included on both the search results summary page and the listing detail page enable rapid communication between consumers and agents. Consumers can also locate members through the “Find an Agent” or “Find an Office” search options. When the consumer clicks on one of the contact options, they are prompted to identify what motivated them to visit the site—advertising, Internet, word-of-mouth, etc. Judges said: These features would definitely appeal to most of my membership. They are keeping the member center in the transaction. Attractive design looks very up-to-date. Very clear and easy to use. I really like the school and neighborhood information features. Texas Association of REALTORS® (90,000 members) About the site: Making use of the latest technology to keep members informed, Texas introduced an RSS (Real Simple Syndication) feed in late 2006. The association established an RSS feed on TexasRealEstate.com, enabling members, their clients, and prospects (if they choose) to receive headlines and links to the latest content on the association’s consumer site. This content includes market data, housing trends, mortgage info, and more. The RSS feed has doubled traffic to the site. Judges said: I think members will love this feature—especially the techies. It’s one more thing that makes them look professional and credible to the public. It will save them time if they are managing their own Web site content. The 2008 Best of the Web competition opens in December 2007. Winners receive: Display in the Spring 2007 issue of REALTOR® Association Executive magazine, a frameable certificate, and a logo to display on their Web site. Visit Last Year's Winners View Judging Criteria Visit the Field Guide to Redesigning Association Web Sites 2007 Judges: Helen Carter, rce, cae, e-pro, Knoxville Area Association of Realtors® Diane Cole, Communications Director, Arizona Association of Realtors® Kathy Hartman, rce, CEO/EVP, Beverly Hills Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors® Debbie Junkin, rce, AE, East Metro Board of Realtors®, Ga. Peggy J. Kayser, rce, cae, cips, CEO, Realtor® Association of NorthWest Chicagoland Denise M. Keron, e-pro, CEO, Santa Fe Association of Realtors® Sharon Kerrigan, EVP, South Tahoe Association of Realtors® Don Klein, EVP, Greater Nashville Association of Realtors® Eleanor Lightsey O'Key, EVP, Hilton Head Area Association of Realtors® Doris Nurenberg, rce, CEO, Flint Area Association of Realtors®, Mich. Kathy Pencek Harbaugh, e-pro, EVP, Realtors® Association of Central Indiana Jill Randall, Education Director, Idaho Association of Realtors® Rosemary Scardina, rce, cae, e-pro, CEO, Lehigh Valley Association of Realtors®, Pa. Brandee E. Spencer, Information Director, Flint Area Association of Realtors®, Mich. Christy Stinger, V.P. of Administrative Services, Kansas Association of Realtors® Elaine B. West, rce, cae, cips, Greater Lansing Association of Realtors®, Mich. Theresa Wilson, EVP, Williamson County Association of Realtors®, Tenn. Maura York, REALTOR.org Kelly Quigley, REALTOR Magazine Online Melissa Tracey, REALTOR Magazine Online Frederik Heller, NAR Information Central Ian Smith, Center for REALTOR Technology Krystal Allen, Leadership Development Cindy Sampalis, Leadership Development Carolyn Schwaar, REALTOR® AE Magazine Lorelei Brown, REALTOR.org |
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