Snippet from wikipedia.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web2.0

Web 2.0″ trendily hints at an improved form of the World Wide Web, and the term has appeared in occasional use for several years. The more explicit synonym “Participatory Web”, emphasizing tools and platforms that enable the user to tag, blog, comment, modify, augment, select from, rank, and generally talk back to the contributions of other users and the general world community has increasingly seen use as an alternative phrase. Some commentators regard reputation-based public wikis, like Wikipedia, as pioneering examples of Web 2.0/Participatory Web technology.

HomeGain also hs a program that they have branded BuyerLink. It works more like the HouseValues program, but for people looking to buy real estate. You choose a state on the map, then a metro region, then a city (loosely) and voilà! – You appear at the agent’s Home Search Registration Form, behind which (if you’re lucky) is an IDX search. Instead of having to kick back a percent of the commission, agents pay a ‘per visit’ fee to HomeGain or a reseller. The ‘per visit’ costs can be any where from 50 cents to $2.50 (in my experience) depending on the demand.

I have worked with (too) many agents that have used the BuyerLink program and you’d be surprised by the results. I know you (David and others) are turned off by the idea of revealing your identity to get to the info behind the door, but up to 18% of visitors to these registration forms via BuyerLink are actually providing (mostly) honest personal info. I know… it’s hard to believe.

I think that the success (18%) comes from having the visitor jump through 4-5 hoops before getting to the single option of filling out Joe Realtor’s registration form. This is in stark contrast to the results of someone finding you through the search engines directly (try less than 2% success).

No, I don’t work for HG, nor do I resell BL; I just thought that you might find it interesting that 18 out of 100 will actually fill out the form when we all feel it to be so repulsive.

As for presentation, the base map on the intial respone was different than the market snap shot (showed a road that doesn’t exist), DOM outliers weren’t culled resulting in too large of a scale on the graph- too hard to read – the data points weren’t live so you couldn’t expand on anything. The popup on the comps was good – too bad it was rebranded (or should i say debranded) and the listing on my street had a wrong photo

I get what you’re saying. The same type of MLS function that agents set up to generate automatic emails to clients is generating the data for your reports. So it needs to be tied to an MLS member number.

One obvious work-around: Some one at HomeInsight becomes an MLS member, and that member number is used to generate all reports. And the report would just show the HomeInsight logo instead of an individual agent. But that kind of blows the income stream

Is Top Producer going to market it this to their own user base? Or is it going to be offered to any and all agents separate from TP?

Thought 2: If a company wanted to get into the lead-generation business, I personally think the original “HomeGain model” is preferable to the “HouseValues model”.

In the HomeGain model, a prospective buyer or seller posts a “request for proposals”. Agents in the area respond with their proposals, the prospective clients corresponds and meets with the agent(s), chooses one, and that agent pays a referal fee to HomeGain on close.

In the HouseValues model, a prospective buyer or seller fills out the contact form, and the one agent who has purchased that particular zip code, or neighborhood, receives the lead. Period. And the agent pays whether or not the lead ends in a sale.

In my humble personal opinion, the Home Gain model is more transparent to the consumer, and gives the consumer more control.