Loof Network: another real estate social network

By Daniel Rothamel, the Real Estate Zebra, Wednesday, April 1, 2009.

Facebook. MySpace. Flickr. Twitter. Loof Network.

Loof Network?

That's right, there is another new social network on the block -- The Loof Network.

Still in private beta, the Loof Network promises to be "a one-stop source for real estate professionals to hang their social-media shingle," according to a recent press release. I know what you are probably thinking: "Do we really need another social network?" According to Loof, the answer is an emphatic "YES!"

The developers at Loof Network say they feel strongly about their chances for success, addressing social-media saturation in their press release: "We know that real estate professionals have a lot of options when it comes to social networks. We also know that none of these options gives them everything they want, all in one place. There is no No. 1 out there in the social networking market. We aim to be No. 1."

As far as a feature list goes, it would appear that Loof Network (not to be confused with Loof.com) plans to integrate all of the features found on disparate social networks into one platform specifically for real estate professionals: "Your Loof Network homepage will allow you to upload and share pictures, connect with friends, send private messages and even promote your listings as a means of generating referral business."

One of the more interesting aspects of the Loof plan seems to be the awareness of the perception of real estate professionals on social networks: "We are very aware of the frustration that real estate professionals experience when they try to promote themselves and their business on social networks. The public often misunderstands the nature of the real estate professional as a sales professional, and this misunderstanding leads to discomfort amongst real estate professionals. We want to offer an environment where the real estate professional can feel comfortable making pitches and selling whenever the opportunity presents itself."

As far-fetched as the idea might sound, it reportedly already has financial backing and promotional support from a worldwide trade organization, the League of International Real Property Agents (based in Poisson d'avril, France, and also known as "Ligue Internationale des Agents Immobiliers"). The board of directors for LIRPA released a statement in conjunction with the Loof Network press release that read, in part, "LIRPA is proud to partner with Loof in order to bring to the international community of real estate professionals this valuable tool. Real estate professionals who have yet to discover the power of social networking, and those who have experienced it first hand, will now have a place where they can congregate productively."

The press release makes no mention of any business plan or plan for revenue generation, other than to say, "After the private beta period is over, we will, of course, make membership in the Loof Network completely free to any real estate professional who wants to join. We expect membership to grow exponentially, at which time we will explore revenue opportunities."

Time will tell if the Loof Network can succeed in what is already a very crowded market for social-media tools. If it does, perhaps this time next year, we will all be asking each other, "Hey, just Loof me," or, "are you a-Loof?"

And as funny as the LIRPA-Loof network might sound, it kinda has a ring to it, especially when you roll it backwards ...

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