Is Someone Seriously Calling Themselves The 'Real Name Police' For Facebook?
Someone who has nominated themselves to be Facebook's "Real Name Police" has launched a Twitter account (only three followers so far) to show others how to report drag queens using stage names to Facebook.
Sister Roma alerts everyone to this weird new "police" account, which has posted a flurry of 130 tweets in the last 4 hours like the ones below. It looks like a baldfaced bid for attention in the sad world of profligate Twitterers, but it remains uncertain how or why drag queens became the most recent "targets"of Facebook's "real name" algorithm, or if someone out there was specifically flagging and reporting them for malicious reasons.
This round of "policing" appears to primarily be focusing on drag queens and other well known performers like Michelle Visage.
As Heklina (who has lately had to go by Steven Heklina Grygelko on Facebook) puts it, "Ok what the fucking fuck is going on here?"
Photo“It was a Kafkaesque thing,” said Michael Letwin, of Brooklyn, after he discovered his Facebook account had been disabled.Credit Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times
MICHAEL LETWIN, a lawyer living in Brooklyn, went to sign into his Facebook account, as he does almost daily, and received a surprising — and unpleasant — message.
“Your account has been disabled,” it said. “If you have any questions or concerns, you can visit our F.A.Q. page.” Mr. Letwin, who besides his personal page also helps administer a Facebook page for the group Jews for Palestinian Right of Return, clicked onto the F.A.Q. page and found a reference to Facebook’s community standards, none of which he felt he violated, along with the option to appeal.
He did. And then he waited. And waited.
Mr. Letwin’s situation is not unusual, or new. The question of what role social media companies should play — a hands-off observer that steps in only in extreme circumstances, or a curator that decides what goes up and what comes down — has long been debated.
Recently, Twitter refused to allow posts with links to videos of the beheading of the American journalist James Foley. Facebook is involved in a battle with drag queens whose accounts were disabled because they used their stage names in their profiles. Using anything but your real name is a violation of the company’s rules. The furor led this week to a meeting with Facebook representatives and a news conference called by a San Francisco supervisor.
“We don’t realize how ingrained Facebook is in our everyday lives,” a drag queen named Heklina told KNTV in San Jose, Calif. “I was shut out of Facebook for 24 hours and felt like I had a limb chopped off.”
But few users, until they are faced with a similar situation, are aware of how little control they actually have over something they view as their own — their pages, their posts, their photos.
“When Facebook makes a termination decision, it’s potentially life-altering for some people,” said Eric Goldman, a professor of law at Santa Clara University in California and co-director of the High Tech Law Institute there. “They’re cut off to access to their communities” and possibly to their clients.
That is not to say that Professor Goldman thinks social media platforms should be completely unregulated. And, he said, Facebook and other social media companies largely do a good job of monitoring so many users and posts.
His and others’ main criticism focuses on transparency.
“The average person’s soapbox is now digital, and we’re now in a world where the large social media companies have a governmentlike ability to set social norms,” said Lee Rowland, a staff lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union. “It’s a massive power and it comes with a responsibility.”
These questions arise with all social media, but the relationship users have with Facebook is particularly passionate, Professor Goldman said. Even as some say its impact is waning, it still provides 1.3 billion people — compared, say, to Twitter’s 271 million active monthly users — with access to news about their friends and to community groups.
“Our goal has always been to strike an appropriate balance between the interests of people who want to express themselves and the interests of others who may not want to see certain kinds of content,” Monika Bickert, head of Facebook’s global policy management, wrote in an email.
Social media companies have every legal right to take down content or kick someone off, said Danielle Citron, a professor of law at the University of Maryland School of Law.
Facebook, like other social media companies, has a list of standards that users agree to abide by when they set up their accounts, even if they never read the standards.
Among other things, they prohibit posting of hate speech (which means individuals or groups cannot attack others based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability or medical condition), encouragements of self-harm, graphic content or threats of violence. And the user’s real name must be used.
Anyone can easily file a report against a user. And Facebook has hundreds of people working globally, around the clock and in 30 languages, reading and responding to reports of violations.
Obviously, many of these categories are open to interpretation. Breast-feeding, for example, is something Facebook has grappled with in the past — essentially, how much of the breast can you show before it becomes graphic?
If Facebook decides to remove content, it sends a warning to the user about the action. People can also be locked out temporarily for a few days or a week. Grounds for immediately disabling an account include using a fake name or promoting child exploitation.
But Heather Dorsey, who lives in Milwaukee, had not done any of those things when she found herself barred from logging onto Facebook three years ago.
“My profile didn’t break any rules. I hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary prior to getting temporarily kicked off,” she wrote in an email. “It was frustrating not knowing how long it was going to take to get the issue resolved, as I do use Facebook to stay connected, particularly with friends and relatives who live out of town. I am a freelance writer and social media consultant, so it was also an issue for my work.”
She tried to call, but ended up in an endless circle of recordings. She found an email address for advertisers and contacted it, asking what she had done wrong. And as suddenly as she was taken off, she was allowed back on.
In 2012, the website Gawker published a far more detailed list of Facebook’s Abuse Standards Violations used by the company’s regulators. Facebook refused to confirm that the list was valid.
While the community standards are global, the company does obey a country’s laws.
For example, visually or verbally insulting Turkey’s first president, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, is illegal in Turkey. If Facebook is notified of such a post, it limits the visibility of that post in Turkey. The same with Holocaust denial in countries where that is against the law.
Facebook would not release the number of reports it receives nor how much content it takes down. But it does not take more than a quick search on the Internet to see that many users are confounded when they try to log in and find they cannot.
That includes the American Civil Liberties Union. The organization last year posted a photo of a bare-chested bronze female statue in an article on its Facebook page about controversial public art in Kansas.
Facebook took the post down, telling the organization that it had violated Facebook’s community standards. It then blocked the A.C.L.U. from posting for 24 hours, contending it had posted again, which it had not.
Once the A.C.L.U. contacted Facebook’s public policy manager, apologies were given and the post was allowed back up. But as Ms. Rowland said, “Our ultimate success is cold comfort for anyone who has a harder time getting their emails returned than does the A.C.L.U.”
Professor Citron, author of “Hate Crimes in Cyberspace,” said of Facebook, “I think it’s a positive thing that they’re allowed to set community norms.” The problem is a lack of “technological due process,” she said.
Ms. Bickert of Facebook acknowledged that “one area where we’re focusing is improving the information we share with people about our community standards and when we take action on reported content.”
For Mr. Letwin, that can’t come soon enough. A month after his account was disabled, he received an email apologizing, saying it had all been a mistake on Facebook’s part.
A Facebook spokesman said a report was filed against Mr. Letwin for using a fake name, which he had not done, and a reviewer looking at his account then mistakenly thought it violated Facebook’s standards regarding promotion of violence and terrorism. But the process took far longer than it should have, he acknowledged, saying that typically, an appeal should be responded to within a few days.
“It was a Kafkaesque thing,” Mr. Letwin said. “You don’t know if you did too many posts, too many likes. The rules are constantly changing.”
One of the problems with Facebook’s News Feed is that older posts stay at the top for a while. Facebook is addressing this issue by updating its News Feed algorithm. Facebook said that its goal is to show the right content at the right time so that important stories are not missed. The update to the News Feed will be based on two factors: trending topics and engagement (the rate of “likes” and comments).
“We’ve heard feedback that there are some instances where a post from a friend or a Page you are connected to is only interesting at a specific moment, for example when you are both watching the same sports game, or talking about the season premiere of a popular TV show,” said Facebook in a blog post.
You may have noticed that content is surfaced when it refers to trending topics, which are displayed on the right-hand side of the desktop version of Facebook. Facebook said that early testing of trending posts has shown more than a 6% increase in people engaging with the stories.
To decide the posts that surface to the top, Facebook is also going to factor the rate that people are liking or commenting on a post. Facebook currently looks at the total number of likes that a post received, but now it will look at when people like, comment and share posts. People that engage with the story shortly after it is posted means that it was most interesting at that time, but will be less interesting at a later time. This means that posts that receive likes, comments and shares faster will be posted higher in the News Feed.
Facebook Post Trending
Will this cause any changes for Facebook Pages? If a Facebook Page posts about a trending topic or if a post sees high velocity of engagement early on, then that post may see increased distribution sooner. “Pages should keep producing great content that is relevant and resonates with their audience,” added Facebook.
Some Facebook Page owners claim that their posts are getting less “organic” attention. Because of this, Facebook has been accused of making Page owners pay for more ads. Facebook responded by saying that Pages are seeing less organic traffic because of an increase in competition and the lowering of click-bait titles.
Why is Facebook making these changes? Facebook did not explicitly say why the changes are being made, but there is speculation that it has something to do with the Ferguson, Missouri protests. During the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, Twitter was the preferred platform for related discussions. In that same timeframe, Facebook was dominated by ice bucket challenge videos. This is because ice bucket challenge videos received more “likes” than content about the protests in Missouri.
Razorfish’s senior director of social media marketing Matt Heindl believes that there is a fundamental difference between Facebook and Twitter. Heindl said that Facebook is not a place for hard news compared to Twitter. “Facebook is a place for friends and family and fun,” said Heindl via DigiDay. “People want it to be their happy place.”
Last year, Facebook said that there are 1,500 potential stories from friends and Pages for users to see every time the News Feed is visited. This includes photos, news links, and check-ins. Facebook shows more content based on user feedback such as hiding something or liking something. This lets Facebook prioritize an average of 300 stories out of the 1,500 stories to show at any given time.
Do you think Facebook already does a good job of showing you the right stories or do you think it could be improved? Let us know in the comments below!
If you didn’t get shares of Alibaba (BABA) at the $68 offering price — it’s probably too late to chase them. But don’t worry, there are better choices, according to analysts.
With shares of Alibaba trading at $90 a share, that’s already about the $92 a share that analysts think the company is worth. But there are 7 other Chinese stocks that trade on major U.S. stock exchanges that have more potential upside, according to analysts.
Chinese stocks like Cheetah Mobile (CMCM), Qihoo 360 (QIHU) and Sina (SINA) have 40% or more upside before hitting the average Wall Street 18-month price targets and that have at least five analysts covering them and are rated a “buy” or “outperform,” according to a USA TODAY analysis of data from S&P Capital IQ.
When it comes to upside, it’s hard to beat Cheetah Mobile. The company sells devices and services for mobile computing users in China. It’s a hot area — but surprisingly analysts still see astounding upside. The average price target on the stock by the six analysts covering it is $197.59. If that target is on target, that represents a 722% potential upside from the stock’s current price of $24.04. And it’s easy to see why analysts are so bullish. Earnings are expected to grow 183% in 2014.
Chart source: MSN Money
Then there’s Qihoo 360, which provides computer mobile and Internet security services in China. Analysts are calling for 74% upside on this stock with the 18-month price target of $132.13. Shares are now trading for $75.86 a share today. Again, it’s another story of rapid growth. Analysts expect the company to post 45% higher earnings in 2014.
Lastly, rather than being bummed about missing Alibaba, check out Chinese online media company SINA. Analysts have an 18-month price target of $66 a share on the stock. That’s a big-time upside of 47% from the stock’s current price of $44.90. Sina is expected to have a down year, with earnings forecasted off 28% in 2014. But earnings are seen taking off in 2015, jumping 91%, says S&P Capital IQ.
So if you missed Alibaba at $68, that’s a shame. But you can perhaps do better.
Below are the seven Chinese stocks trading on U.S. exchanges that have at least 5 analysts and the most potential upside to the price targets:
The Dow Jones Industrial Average notched a new record, capping an upbeat week in which the Federal Reserve reaffirmed its easy-money policies and investors snatched up the biggest-ever U.S.-listed public stock offering.
The Dow on Friday advanced 13.75, or 0.1%, to a record close of 17279.74. The blue-chip index posted a 1.7% weekly gain.
Investors also applauded news that Scottish voters had rejected a referendum to break from the U.K., heading off concerns about the fate of the world's sixth-largest economy and its currency.
Many investors see smooth sailing for U.S. shares in the months ahead, given the Fed's commitment to low rates into next year and a steadily growing economy.
"The U.S. economic data has been pretty good, and we believe the path of economic momentum will likely continue," said Susan Bao, portfolio manager at the J.P. Morgan U.S. Equity Fund, which manages $11.5 billion. "We believe the trend is going higher, with higher highs and higher lows…If we get a correction, it will be short and shallow."
The S&P 500 made an early push to an intraday record but stalled, closing lower by 0.96 point, or less than 0.1%, to 2010.40. But the S&P 500 ended the week with a 1.3% gain. The Nasdaq Composite Index on Friday shed 13.64, or 0.3%, to 4579.79.
Ms. Bao said her fund has embraced big bets on companies tied to the broader economy, including shares of technology and industrial firms. She said those companies should outperform as the economy steadily improves. She has avoided especially interest-rate-sensitive stocks such as utilities, which are up sharply this year and could take a hit when rates rise. "They're going to be under pressure," she said.
The S&P 500 Utilities index is up 12% this year.
"Nothing's spooked the market yet. All the big stuff this week, and nothing's spooked it," said Tom Carter, managing director at brokerage JonesTrading. "You've been hearing for a while, 'OK, this is the top…we're due…this is the right time of year for us to move a little lower.' And it's not."
The bond market initially weakened as the rejection of Scottish independence removed an element of geopolitical uncertainty, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rising to a two-month high of 2.655% before New York trading began Friday. When bond yields rise, prices drop.
But the high yield on U.S. government bonds compared with other developed-nation sovereign debt drew investors back, pushing the yield down to 2.589% by the end of the day. For the week, the yield on the 10-year note barely budged.
"U.S. bonds should remain especially preferred for foreign buyers given the outlook for inflation, interest-rate differentials" and a rising U.S. dollar, said Christopher Sullivan, who oversees $2.3 billion as chief investment officer at United Nations Federal Credit Union. The dollar Friday hit a fresh six-year high against the yen and a new 14-month high against the euro.
The economic calendar was relatively light Friday. The coming week, however, will see a number of high-profile reports, including data on existing-home sales Monday and new-home sales Wednesday, and a third reading on second-quarter gross domestic product Friday.
Volumes on Friday shot to their highest level since March, with more than 8.6 billion shares changing hands.
Shares of YahooYHOO -2.74%Yahoo! Inc.U.S.: Nasdaq$40.93 -1.16 -2.74% Sept. 19, 2014 4:00 pmVolume (Delayed 15m) : 231.10M AFTER HOURS$40.65 -0.28 -0.68% Sept. 19, 2014 7:59 pm Volume (Delayed 15m) : 2.77M P/E Ratio 33.83 Market Cap $40.71 Billion Dividend Yield N/A Rev. per Employee $378,594 09/19/14 Alibaba Debut Makes a Splash09/19/14 Yahoo's Core Business Value Cu...09/19/14 Alibaba IPO to Give Yahoo Wind...More quote details and news »fell 1.16, or 2.7%, to 40.93. The company is one of Alibaba's biggest stakeholders and is set to earn about $5.1 billion on the IPO as one of the biggest sellers of shares.
Top ten stocks which can give up to 16% return in next 4-5 days
NEW DELHI: The S&P BSE Sensex staged a smart rally towards the end of the week to record sixth straight week of rise. However, US Fed uncertainty capped gains and both Sensex and Nifty registered marginal gains for the week ended September 19.
The S&P BSE Sensex closed 0.1 per cent higher, while Nifty ended 0.2 per cent up. The Midcap index closed 1.4 per cent higher while the BSE Small-cap index ended 0.2 per cent up.
Benchmark indices got some boost towards the end of the week's trading after the US Federal Reserveat the end of a two-day policy meeting on Wednesday, 17 September 2014, maintained a commitment to keep US interest rates near zero for a considerable time.
The outlook for the Indian markets during the week remains volatile, although buyers are expected to emerge on corrections.
The market may remain volatile as traders roll over positions in the futures & options (F&O) segment from the near month September 2014 series to October 2014 series on Thursday, 25 September.
"Trend in investment by FPIs, trend in global markets, movement of rupee against the dollar & crude oilprice movement will dictate near trend on the domestic bourses," said Rohit Gadia, Founder & CEO, CapitalVia Global Research Ltd.
We have collated list of ten stocks to watch in this coming week which can give up to 16 per cent return in next 4-5 days:
Analyst: Puneet Kinra,AVP Research (Equity Technical), Bonanza Portfolio Ltd. Aditya Birla Nuvo: BUY (1696-1666), AVG BUY PRICE (1681), TARGET 1760 AND 1800, STOPLOSS 1625 (Daily closing basis) Time 4-5 days.
On Friday, AB Nuvo Breakout above its resistance level of 1660 with higher volumes. Bulls are having control at the moment. Investors can buy 50 per cent at 1696 and the rest 50 per cent on decline at 1660 levels. We may witness buying interest till 1800 levels in next few days.
Tata Elxsi: BUY (669-649), AVG BUY PRICE (659), TARGET 730 and 775, STOPLOSS 615 (Daily closing basis) Time 4-5 day
On Friday, stock breakout above major resistance at 635 levels with higher volumes and made all time high at 688.80 levels. Buying momentum till 775 levels may be continue in the next 4-5 days.
Dishman Pharmaceuticals: BUY (189-183), AVG BUY PRICE (186), TGT 200 AND 210 STOPLOSS: 174 (Daily closing basis) Time: 4-5 days
On Friday, Dishman breakout above resistance at 178 levels with higher volumes and made 52-week high at 193.90. Upside target of 210 may be seen in next few days.
ITC: BUY (359-355), AVG BUY PRICE (357), TGT 365 AND 372 STOPLOSS: 350 (Daily closing basis) Time: 4-5 days
On Friday, ITC showed strength for 4th consecutive day. The stock is making higher bottoms and is expected to break 360 resistance on upside and rally till 372 may be seen in next few days.
Finolex Industries: BUY (335-325), AVG BUY PRICE (330), TGT 350 AND 360 STOPLOSS: 318 (Daily closing basis) Time: 4-5 days
On Friday, Finolex made all time high at 338 levels on the NSE and also breakout above resistance at 325 levels with higher volumes. The stock may rally till 360 levels in next few days. Analyst: Rohit Gadia, Founder & CEO, CapitalVia Global Research Ltd. ACC: Target 1549-1576 Stop Loss 1495
The overall trend of the stock is bullish. The stock is showing correction since few trading sessions and has bounced from its major support recently. Currently, it is sustaining below the falling trend line and facing resistance mark of 1522.
The stock is sustaining above 50 and 200 days moving averages with the RSI of 50, which indicates further buying opportunities for traders in the stock. Traders can get targets of 1549 and 1576, where they can put strict stop loss of 1495.
JustDial: TGT 1840-1900 SL 1660
After registering all time high of 1894.40, stock is showing correction since past few sessions. The stock is trading sideways on the daily charts and accumulating below the resistance mark of 1750 with positive sentiments.
The stock is sustaining above 50 and 200 days moving averages with the RSI of 54. Traders can initiate long position above its resistance mark and expect targets of 1840 and 1900 in the stock. It takes support of 1660 which acts as technical stop loss for the stock.
IndusInd Bank: TGT 664-690 SL 612
The primary trend of the stock is bullish. The stock is trading near 52-weeks high and consolidating at the same since past few sessions. The stock is trading below the resistance mark of 638 with the RSI of 68, which indicates further upside movement in the stock in upcoming sessions. Traders can expect targets of 664 and 690 in the stock, where they can put strict stop loss of 612.
Hindalco Industries: TGT177-187 SL 159
The stock is showing correction since past few session and it has bounced from its major support recently. The stock is forming reversal pattern on the short term charts and sustaining below the resistance mark of 166.50 with the RSI of 48.
It is likely to show upside movement in upcoming sessions above its resistance mark and show the levels of 177 and 187. The stock takes support at 159 which acts as technical stop loss for the stock.
Kolte- Patil Developers: TGT208-214 SL 188
The major trend of the stock is bullish. Stock is trading at the higher level accumulating near to the major resistance of 196 since past few sessions. Stock is sustaining above 50 and 200 days moving averages with the RSI of 55, which indicates further buying opportunities in the stock.
The stock may continue its bullish trend in upcoming session and show the level of 208 and 214 in the stock, while the technical stop loss is at 188 which acts as technical stop loss for the stock.
(Views and recommendations expressed in this section are the analysts' own and do not represent those of EconomicTimes.com. Please consult your financial advisor before taking any position in the stocks mentioned.)
Azrieli Group, a real estate firm based in Tel Aviv, has purchased the 8 West Centre building. Core Real Estate sold the four-story property, which is fully leased to Cameron International Corp. and Helix Energy Solutions. The building, at 3505 W. Sam Houston Parkway North, just north of Kempwood, contains 227,045 square feet and was completed in 2013. Dan Miller, Rusty Tamlyn, Mark West and Trent Agnew of HFF represented the seller. Matt Kafka and Wally Reid of HFF arranged financing through Aegon USA Realty Advisors.
Industrial
Prologis has purchased 15151 Sommermeyer, a 57,550-square-foot, tilt wall, crane-served warehouse and distribution center in Prologis Park West by Northwest. Rusty Tamlyn and John Rogers of HFF represented the seller, Foundation Properties. The property sits on 3.4 acres at U.S. 290 and Sam Houston Parkway and consists of 31,850 square feet of grade level warehouse space with three crane-served bays, a 26-foot clear height and 21,900 square feet of office space. Proserv Operations leases the building.
A local investor has purchased a 5,200-square-foot building on 1.6 acres at 1255 Lindbergh in Beaumont. J. Milton Prewitt of J.M. Prewitt Company represented the seller, Pike Electric. Denise Ksiazek of Cypressbrook Co. represented the buyer.
Hospitality
An affiliate of Summit Hotel Properties has purchased the Hilton Garden Inn Houston Energy Corridor. The 190-room hotel opened in 2008. The seller's general partner, developer, and operator, an affiliate of Houston-based American Liberty Hospitality, will continue to manage the hotel for the new owner. Tandy O. Lofland of Intergroup Cos. represented the seller.
Land
CDI Real Estate has purchased a site at FM 3083 and Loop 336 in Conroe for a Stripes convenience store. Jody Czajkoski of MHW Real Estate represented the buyer.
Leases
Industrial
American Tile& Stone, a Berkshire Hathaway company, has leased 121,795 square feet at ClayPoint Distribution Park at 8760 Clay Road. Matteson Hamilton and Justin Robinson of Stream Realty Partners represented the landlord.
Foundation Logistics and Services has leased 17,646 square feet of office and warehouse space at 15370 Vantage Parkway West. Dylan Schopper of Northwinds Commercial represented the landlord, Soundstar Properties. John Hornbuckle of Cypressbrook Co. represented the tenant.
Retail
Brookefeather boutique has leased 1,200 square feet at River Oaks Shopping Center on West Gray near Shepherd Drive. Debbie Adams of Edge Realty Partners represented the tenant. Brooke Harvey of Weingarten Realty Investors represented the landlord.
CoffeeIcon has leased 1,600 square feet at Village Plaza at Bunker Hill Shopping Center. Debbie Adams of Edge Realty Partners represented the tenant. Ashley Williams of Fidelis Realty Partners represented the landlord, VPBH Associates.
Kenyon International Emergency Services has leased 10,524 square feet at 612 Spring Hill Drive in Spring. Brandon Brooks of Lincoln Property Co. represented the landlord. Joyce Sterling of Cypressbrook Co. represented the tenant.
EWC Fashions has leased 1,732 square feet in The Yorktown Plaza Center. Cilki West represented the landlord, Hunington Properties.
Agents with REMAX Real Estate Concepts pay a flat annual fee to the brokerage rather than paying a portion of the sales commissions, as many real estate companies would have them do.
The arrangement gives agents an independence that makes the Des Moines-area real estate company one of Iowa's top workplaces.
"Here, you really have the freedom to be your own CEO," said Matt Mauro, a broker who has been with the company for eight years.
Robb Spearman founded REMAX Real Estate Concepts in 2000. Today, the company has seven offices with 105 agents and 8 staff members.
The company sells 18 percent of the homes in Des Moines and 11 percent of those in central Iowa, according to the Des Moines Area Association of Realtors.
While it's not the largest real estate brokerage in central Iowa, Spearman said REMAX Real Estate Concepts punches above its weight class. He said agents in the Des Moines Area Association of Realtors sell an average of six homes a year, and agents in REMAX's nationwide brokerage sell an average of 17 homes. Agents with REMAX Real Estate Concepts, meanwhile, sell an average of 26 homes per year, he said.
What's the secret?
"Our agents are not coming into real estate as just a job," Spearman said. "They are each building their own business."
While agents are given independence to be their own boss, the company also fosters a sense of teamwork, employees said.
"This is probably the only place I've worked where no one has a 'What's in it for me?' attitude," said Marcy Ashley, a transaction coordinator in the company's West Des Moines office. "It's a 'what's in it for us' attitude. That makes it easy to get up in the morning and come to work."
Spearman said it's important to build a positive environment for agents and employees to succeed. The company holds monthly breakfasts as well as training sessions. Agents can use any of the company's offices around the metro as their own.
What Spearman looks for in an agent is an entrepreneurial spirit.
"They have control over their business," he said. "They're go-getters, self-starters."
Agents with the company said it doesn't hurt to have the backing of REMAX's national brand. The company, which uses a franchise system, says it has more than 90,000 agents in 90 countries.
Ryan Rivera, a broker with the company's Grimes office, said REMAX has embraced technology like paperless offices and the ability to sign paperwork on tablets, or smartphones that make doing business more convenient.
"The leadership, the management, they're forward-thinking and are in the trenches every day, so they know what's going on."
Lance Hanson, a broker who oversees agents at the company's Altoona office, explained the company's success in simple terms.
"We have great agents — that's the secret," he said.
REMAX Real Estate Concepts
Location: West Des Moines
Founded: 2000
Ownership: Private
Real estate agents: 105
Employees: 8
Top executive: Robb Spearman, broker/owner
Q&A with Robb Spearman, owner/broker of REMAX Real Estate Concepts:
Q. What's one benefit or perk you offer that makes your workplace stand out?
A. We're always trying to innovate. We also have monthly breakfasts for our employees and individualized training and coaching.
Q. What's your biggest challenge in attracting qualified candidates?
A. For agents, the biggest challenge is finding someone who is fully engaged, a self-starter and entrepreneur who really wants to grow and do this professionally.
As far as staff, it's finding employees who really have a helping attitude and want to go above and beyond for our agents.
Q. How do you show employees they are part of something meaningful?
A. When a person buys or sells a home, it's typically the largest financial decision they'll ever make. Our agents really care about our clients and want to make sure they make the right decision.
Q. How do you show employees that this workplace is going in the right direction?
A. We make it fun. We make it vibrant. We don't attract people who are very negative or who aren't team players. Drama and negative attitudes, we stay away from all that. In the end, people really just have to enjoy what they're doing.
