I love the old cliche, “Do something even if it’s wrong!” I am a broker who needs to be creative and diligent in connecting with buyers and sellers, and rather than sit around scratching my bald head, I decided to launch my own small town online newspaper. I have a huge Internet presence already with my real estate sites, but I was convinced consumers wanted a good online newspaper that was easy to navigate, had good content (without the regular diet of negative stories), offered free classifieds (that are more powerful than Craigslist), offered a free online business directory, and gave non-profits the opportunity to publish articles and news so they can connect donors and volunteers with the needs.
Of course, the exclusive rights to advertise a real estate brokerage are mine. But this site is about so much more than just connecting with potential clients. It is about community service, helping local businesses, providing a very powerful forum for readers and writers, and much more.
I got on this before the Seattle PI shut down, and before we learned they would continue with an online presence. I’d like to think they are following my example, but I’m not so arrogant. It’s more about consumer demand and preferences, but I am having a ball with this online newspaper that has taken off like a rocket.
Call me crazy if you want to, but I’m going to do something, even if it is wrong. Oh, the newspaper, if you want to see what it looks like, is at Sequim-News.com.