What Constitutes an Expert in Social Networking?

What math class did they teach "loyalty" + dollars = “experts”?

We are becoming so dependent on these sites for our “expert” advice. Is one an expert because they pay to play? How do we qualify those who we are taking advice from? When did an expert become a paid advertisement? Social networking had become the means in which we get ourselves out there. It is our new means of exposure and with any advertising there is cost involved. But when did our expertise become based on how much we pay or in this case, how much our company spent over the years.

When doing my evening round of “social networking”, I saw a posting that appeared to go out to the entire local Realtor® association calling for members to apply to be one of their “experts” on their new real estate social networking site based on shared knowledge of “experts” with hefty fees involved for the those who participated. As a big social networker who has been successful converting leads from this medium, I looked at the qualifications they were seeking, and thought I might have a chance to be part of this new venture.

Thinking I had a great resume, I applied. After all, I have been an active Realtor® in the area for a decade participating in hundreds of transactions myself representing buyers and sellers in new development and the secondary market as well as short sales. I also had the benefit of gaining knowledge from others in an agent support capacity in my company. Reporters call me and I have been published and posted internationally regarding real estate. Unpaid publications called me the “expert”.

For almost my entire real estate career, I have served the Realtor® community volunteering thousands of hours of my time for the Realtor® Association (the same one he had addressed the posting to) at the local, state and national level as an advocate on behalf of the real estate community and home owners. My years of association participation afforded me the opportunity to canvas the entire city. I received the President’s Community Service award, one of only a few. I have also been greatly involved in my local chamber of commerce in the same capacity.

I went to the online application, filled it out and inquired how long the process was to find out if I was accepted or not. The response was I am not currently being considered because he will only “reward loyalty” at this point. They are only accepting real estate agents as “experts” whose companies have done business with a company the creator of this site has.

In the posting to an association with over 13,000 members it did not specify that if the company you are with did not spend money with him, you need not apply.