We are in the midst of a paradigm shift similar to the one following Gutenberg’s invention in the 1450s, only this one’s global, it moves at the speed of light and it’s on steroids. History shows us that chaos and uncertainty ruled the day during these major cultural shifts. It’s easy to find examples of this chaos right now, just ask any newspaper journalist or recording artist.
When things are this volatile it feels much safer to stick with business as usual, however sometimes business as usual means you’ll be OUT of business in less than five years. A Commercial Real Estate broker who chooses NOT to participate in social media is like a 1905 blacksmith whose specialty is horseshoes. He’s certain that the best approach is to keep his head down and keep working. He deludes himself by thinking, “Things will be just fine because my skills will always be valued. After all … only few people have cars.”
Think of social media platforms as virtual networking events where you can connect with industry leaders and potential clients – not restricted by space or time. You do not need to physically be at a Chamber After Hours event to participate, you can network at 4:00am when you can’t sleep. Social media platforms are also a great training ground for learning the language of the Internet. Every industry that wants to thrive in the 21st Century must learn the language of the Internet -Commercial Real Estate Brokers are not exempt.
Even if you don’t want to master the skill or leverage its power – you must understand the social media paradigm shift to protect your reputation. One of my favorite quotes to illustrate this truth comes from Winston Churchill, “A lie gets half way round the world before the truth has a chance to put its pants on.” Now a lie can travel to millions of Internet users around the world at the speed of light.
If you perform a regression analysis on major communication paradigm shifts, – when the new technology was introduced and the number of years required for that new technology to reach 50 million users – it’s reasonable to interpolate the next major paradigm shift will occur next Tuesday at 2:45 am EST.
Years to reach 50 million users:
My Space – 4 years
Twitter – 3 years
Facebook – 2 years
