Use the Web to find Gen Y homebuyers

If you're a broker in a college town with students who might be looking for a home, you may be able to link them into your site so they could get updates about neighborhoods they might want to live in after graduation. Realtors are also connecting to one another, setting up relationships that can be profitable by increasing your referral network.

Whether you're working in the world of real estate or some other business, here are things to think about if you're going to dabble in Web 2.0:

Social networking takes time. Connecting online can help build your business, but it takes a lot of time - and time generally is in short supply for real estate agents.

Be flexible. You can start with a plan but be prepared to make changes along the way.

Stay attuned to new technology and Web sites.

There are thousands of real estate agents and mortgage lenders who have signed up for these social networking sites and are spending time trying to forge connections that will bring in business.

What is becoming clear is that you have to be there, or you might be left behind.

Contact Ilyce Glink at www.thinkglink.com, or by mail at Real Estate Matters Syndicate, P.O. Box 366, Glencoe, Ill. 60022, or call her radio show at 800-972-8255 from 11 a.m. to noon Sundays.