Disqus - Latest Comments for mattstigliano

Re: Under Construction

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 15:33:24 -0000

The hardest part of redesign is letting go and saying ok...let's launch this thing. I just went through that recently and it was really hard. I still have some cleaning up to do and I'm still building out some sections that I want to grow, but at some point you just have to put it up there. And in an industry like real estate, you can't close the doors for a few months while you tinker. Looking forward to seeing all the changes Mike!

Re: QOTW: Modifying the functions.php file safely

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 15:02:33 -0000

Excellent Mike! This is just what I wanted (needed) to hear.

Re: Highly Questionable Email Subscribers

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 13:40:33 -0000

Normally, they do it in the hopes that you're too stupid to use bcc. Mailing lists are a delicious target for those seeking more email addresses, because we all know how many people out there don't know how to use bcc. But if you're using MailChimp - that problem is eliminated, so it seems kind of senseless. Of course they could just be hunting for data of any kind by signing up to any random list they find in hopes they can connect enough dots to have a good database filled with data to sell to someone else?

Re: 5ive Questions with Matt Stigliano

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 11:30:26 -0000

Thanks Mike! Always enjoy reading the site, so feeling pretty awesome to be included!

Re: AG shutters Agent/Genius

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 21:35:29 -0000

Farewell AgentGenius. You were my introduction to who I wanted to be in real estate and helped guide me and shape me - both as a news source and a starting point. You introduced me to some fantastic people and gave me tons to think about. I'm honored to have been a writer with you, a trek that helped kick start my love of and understanding of the world of blogging. I will always be thankful for the countless hours you entertained, informed, and debated with me. Whatever may be coming, you will never be replaced.

Re: Editorial: open letter to the National Association of Realtors

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 14:58:34 -0000

Daniel - I'd like to personally thank you for writing what I wish I could have. You've neatly tied up many of the loose ends floating through my head since I became licensed in 2008. I'd like to specifically note the section about the COE and how I feel about that. While I believe in the COE and what it stands for, I have never been able to wrap my head around the fact that "real estate agents" (as opposed to REALTORS) may not have a piece of paper stating their ethics, they can certainly abide by these same standards. Of course, the argument is that they don't have a course to take action against those that violate it. As someone who recently dealt with an ethics complaint (I filed against someone), I agree that the course of action has less teeth than me calling up the agent and calling them out on it myself. Over a year went by before action was taken. The action? A piece of paper telling them they did wrong. That's it. Certainly not worth the hours of research I poured into making my case or the 100s of pages of copies I had to supply to the the ethics committee.

As a side note, I'd be curious to see the numbers on how many people actually use the member benefits on things like cars and computers. Personally, I could care less if these items exist or not.

Re: Watson, And the Future of Real Estate Technology

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:43:53 -0000

Thanks for the laugh Ken.

It's not that hard to believe Rob. Yes, we can all say "don't worry people will always want belly to belly," but I have to say I don't think they always will. Sure, I don't see a future where we're all digital with no human contact whatsoever, but I just look at my business relationships today and see how they're different from (pick a year). I have clients who I barely ever speak to...but we communicate a lot. Texts, emails, and other forms of messaging dominate my contact list. And that's by their choice. People know they can communicate quickly and effectively without uttering an audible word. Sure, there a times when a phone call is necessary because trying to explain something requires more than a text message, but the fact is, we are using these digital communication points and I don't see us turning back (if anything, we'll invent a new form).

I can't wait to see what things like Watson and Siri develop into.

Re: Facebook Events Just Got A Lot More Group-Like...And Confusing

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:02:40 -0000

I just wish they'd make people stop inviting me to events halfway around the world. I barely pay attention to my events anymore....most of them have just become poor advertisements for whatever someone seems to be selling this week.

The language definitely doesn't make any sense. I've never called a friend and said "Yes, I'd like to join your birthday party."

Re: | News - Home

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:24:26 -0000

Ursula - happy to hear about you demotion! There is always a time when life and work balance must be readjusted and it sounds like you needed it. I will try to catch you during the day whenever I can. Good luck to your new adventures in "nighttime motherhood." I'm sure you'll succeed at both.

Re: Big Announcement Time: Diverse Solutions Acquired by Zillow

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:32:41 -0000

I've been watching and waiting to see the comments that this inspired. Me? I'm hoping that much of the "bad" stuff never happens (who knows?), but overall like this for one reason and one reason only: innovation.

It's obvious that DS needs more programmers and development staff, considering how long it takes to add new things to the mix (I give them credit for getting some things added swiftly, but things like the modules are old and outdated in my opinion). Hopefully Zillow will really take this to heart and dive in and add more ways to widgetize and utilize the data (whether IDXpress or SearchAgent).

I love the product, despite some glitches I've had here and there (interestingly, my experience with support has been stellar so far, other than the occasional "dead end" of "it's the way the feed comes to us").

Spencer and team - Good luck, I truly hope you prove the people wrong that have been panicked about the buyout. My gut tells me that the intentions are good...for now. I hope they remain that way long into the future.

Ricardo and DS - Congratulations. Hope this means great things moving forward for all of you and the products. Keep rocking the way you have in the past.

Re: When is something worth paying for?

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 19:43:22 -0000

Here's my take on it. And I throw the same "disclaimer" out there...I've met Chris and spoke with him, I trust him and value his opinions.

The hype surrounding Google+ is almost too much to take. I myself have logged in, looked around, but there isn't anything I love about it...yet. I'm not saying I hate it or will never use it, I'm just saying I don't feel the need to shift any focus over to it at this point in time. My guess is that Chris will provide some valuable insight, info he's learned from trial and error, and even set up a bit of a visionary take on what comes next. If I felt i had a compelling need to understand Google+ right this second, I'd probably join in. Again this goes back to the value and trust I place in Chris from my own interactions with him. Would I buy this course from John Smith? Probably not. Would I buy it from you Ricardo? Probably would under the same conditions as I would Chris. Again, that is based on what I already know about you from past experience.

The sad thing is that there will be people out there shouting they have the solution and they'll run off with the big bucks (like the guy who RE/MAX of Texas hired to talk to us about social media who had no Facebook presence and a total of 3 followers and 12 tweets on Twitter - wonder what they paid him?). It's going to happen, we've seen it before. The new status of "Google+ guru" will be touted, used, spit out, and hated within a short period of time - yet someone will collect a fat sum and laugh all the way to the bank. I would rather see the earnings going to people who are actually active and have been thought leaders beat them (the various hucksters) to the punch.

Me? I'm bored with all the talk about Google+ for now and can't wait for it to die off a bit. Then I'll sneak in when no one's looking and perfect my own personal ways to utilize it.

Re: Hanging Out on Google Plus

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 09:34:00 -0000

I have yet to test out hangouts yet - which I find the most interesting feature so far. Will have to stalk you and catch you when you're there. :)

Re: Introducing the New Diverse Solutions Design

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 21:48:52 -0000

Looking good. So good that I'll be bringing some new clients to you all soon.

Re: Lego Star Wars Miniland

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 11:58:03 -0000

Thanks for sharing your photos Neven. As a huge Star Wars fan and a child who played with Legos like crazy (but didn't have all the cool Star Wars pieces and playsets) I love this!

Re: The Bearded Jackass

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:03:33 -0000

Yeah, I've always been a firm believer in the book/cover theory. Got to hang around with a lot of "odd" people who some people wouldnt give a second's thought to, yet they were amazing people when you got to know them. Extra sad as there wasnsomeone else in the car with him.

Re: Fans: Friends, Foes, and Frustrations.

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Sun, 08 May 2011 14:25:47 -0000

@dave_van_damn - Thanks for the compliments. It was something that we all took pretty seriously. It all was really born out of out own interactions with bands, both when we were growing up and after we entered the touring circles and started meeting our idols. We always figured that thanks to the fans at shows, we had jobs. I hate to sound like Lady Gaga, but we did truly owe a lot to them.

The tough part was when you just weren't in the mood to be friendly or had things on your mind or were feeling sick. That feeling of not wanting to be bothered was a struggle - you didn't want to be some pop-diva about it, but you also didn't want to be a jerk because you weren't really paying attention.

As for your unanswered questions - no we never did do the song with them, we wanted to and they wanted to, but I think their management thought better of the idea. Who knows if/when Hooray For Groupies will ever be released. Releasing One Fierce Beer Run was quite a hassle as it was. There is some unreleased material, don't know if Jim will ever post it, although I doubt it. There were two songs in particular from Hooray For Boobies that never got released, I know one of them he always planned on reworking, and I hope he does, because the guitar riffs in it were awesome.

Loved the photo - one of the few where I don't look absolutely awful after a show. Not that I look stellar either.

Re: Separation Anxiety

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:10:38 -0000

It was always hard trying to explain it to people - because there is a lot of fantasy tied in with a ton of drudgery. I mention it one of the other posts that it often felt a bit like being manic depressive. One minute up, the next minute you'd crash. Rinse and repeat. You find ways to cope with some of it, but unfortunately a lot of the coping comes at the bottom of a bottle or worse yet a empty syringe (too many guys I know went that route).

Re: Why you DON’T want to convert your profile to a Page

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:18:29 -0000

But Mike isn't this a great thing for all those people who never created a business page, but are conducting business like activities on their personal profile? I just think this is the beginning of a warning to move business off of the personal side (which they clearly have intended all along).

I'd just hate to see people find themselves deleted one day because they've been in violation of TOS for so long.

Re: Facebook Questions – just noise or a gateway to spam?

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:44:13 -0000

Considering how many people invite me to events they know I could never attend, I see this in much the same way - people spamming with their 365 pages and talk about their town/real estate market/product/service/what-have-you. I don't like it one bit. Facebook has been good at controlling what is technically classed as spam, but if the marketing messages begin to outweigh the human messages, I think we've all become spam. I picture it as being almost as annoying as when everyone got a business page and needed enough likes to get a custom name. I "like" a lot of agents out there, but most of them don't get liked on Facebook as a business page.

Re: Lance Armstrong – You ROCK!

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 21:23:25 -0000

Mike - I've been blown away since watching it. I am so impressed that Lance took some time to shoot that and so thrilled for Clint.

Re: Top Realtor Facebook Pages

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 13:59:15 -0000

Hey Jenna, you've got a BR tag inside the link for the Fan Page - the link doesn't work because of it.

Re: In which I explain my decision to retire the stripes

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 20:30:46 -0000

Daniel – When I first read about your letter to The Lones Group, there was a moment of sadness. Not because I think you need the Zebra moniker, but because in principal, I associate it with you and hate to see someone take that from you. Of course, I believe it was both Todd Carpenter and Jeff Turner who really made the case for “you make the stripes,” not the other way around.

So I hit Scribd and read the letter. By page two I had lost my little glimmer of sadness and instead felt pride and happiness. Your letter is a testament to the man you are and how you deal in business. Excellent work and awesome points. I agree with you that I wouldn’t want to drag my family through a case, but of course my blood would have boiled and I would have been ready to fight the first few days until I sat down and thought a little calmer.

I look forward to hearing Denise’s response and hope you gain a favorable outcome (ie, no lawsuit).

In the meantime, I think you should take the “rockstar” moniker and run with it. As far as I’m concerned, you’re more than welcome to it.

(PS In the video the other day you talked about raising ‘LilZebra right – my friend, you just wrote a quality life lesson for her.)

Re: You wanted to #savethezebra, and you have

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 22:05:58 -0000

Daniel - I have a habit of throwing around the word awesome quite often and maybe use it more often than I should.

Watching this video, was absolutely awe inspiring to me. I'm thrilled to hear you talk about it, but I got more out of it than just a story about what the Zebra is up to. Maybe there was something in there that I needed to hear at this exact moment, I can't say, but it certainly has encouraged me to remember the love and work just a little bit harder.

Keep on rockin' (the stripes) and thanks Daniel. There's been a lot lately that I have found to be encouraging and inspiring - I believed social media and the connections we make through it had a purpose and a meaning. I'm beginning to think I actually underestimated exactly what it was capable of.

Re: http://www.mikebowler.net/?p=1514

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 02:24:53 -0000

Pretty cool video Mike. It's at a point now where I can barely read all the posts.

Re: Are Zebras Endangered

Matt Stigliano - @rerockstar — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 23:30:41 -0000

Chris - I think you summed it up nicely with the comments about the person that Daniel is and the inevitable cost for him and his family. No matter what the outcome, Daniel will be put through the ringer with this (as will Denise). I hope the case goes away quickly for him. I will be interested to see what the cost is in reputation, online presence, and overall perception will be in the end for The Lones Group. I do think it will cost them greatly in that department regardless of how good Denise is at her work (and I've heard good things from those that have spoken about her during the past day or so).

In the end, the lawyers and courts will decide the fate of attaching zebra stripes to your marketing. What the cost will be in the online world is only started to unfold.