Upstate New York REALTOR®
At Prudential Nutshell Realty, we pride ourselves in being the leading online destination for upstate New York real estate, more specifically Ulster County and Hudson Valley real estate. With this in mind we have dedicated a good amount of money, time and resources towards dominating the online market place here in Ulster County and the Hudson Valley and to date, we have done just that.
Due to our success in the online marketplace we are constantly watched by our competitors for two main reasons. The first reason being the obvious, to see what we are doing, so they can do it themselves. The second reason is to watch that we obey all the rules. Here at Prudential Nutshell Realty, we operate by the strictest of ethical standards and do our best to abide by all the rules. Most people who live in Ulster County and the Hudson Valley that have done business with us know the level at which we perform.
One rule that we inadvertently broke was the use of the word REALTOR®. We were called on it by a competitor (and rightly so) who brought it to the attention of our local board, Ulster County Board of REALTORS®, the MLS board, Ulster County MLS and the national board, National Association of REALTORS®. We were contacted by every association and asked to make changes to our website. As you might have guessed, we made all the corrections required to rectify the situation and through that process I have come to learn the rules regarding the use of the word REALTOR® very intimately.
To demonstrate what I have learned, I am going to take a little from the National Association of REALTORS® Membership Marks Manual to show you (and my competitor directly) that I know the proper use of the word REALTOR® because oddly enough, the very same competitor that reported my unknowingly incorrect use of the word is using incorrectly herself.
My competitor used it incorrectly twice, once by using the display "Hudson Valley Realtor" and again by using "Upstate New York Realtor". Both prominently displayed on her home page for the purpose of getting ranked in search engines for the term.
How exactly is my competitor misusing the term REALTOR®?
According to theNational Association of REALTORS® Membership Marks Manual (NAR membership required for link), my competitor is illegally using the terms in two ways. The first being in Form and Context* and the second being Geographic Limitation*.
Form and Context*
The word FORM refers to the distinguishing style or appearance of the word REALTOR® with respect to accompanying text, punctuation or symbols (e.g., capitalization, boldface type, italics, spacing, color and use of the federal registration symbol "®"). The correct form for the word REALTOR® is for it to be entirely in caps and never without the registration symbol ®. My competitor breaks both rules by not capitalizing the entire term and leaving out the registration mark in the term Upstate New York Realtor and Hudson Valley Realtor. The word CONTEXT refers to the meaning or definition likely to be attributed to the word REALTOR® by the public as a result of accompanying wording or the overall setting of the use. My competior misuses context as well, read below.
Geographic Limitation*
The only time the word REALTOR® can be used in conjunction with a geographical location is when used by a local board e.g. Ulster County Board of REALTORS®. It may NEVER* be used to differentiate among members or in a manner which creates or permits the impression that a firm is an association or subpart of the local Board of REALTORS ®, or in a way which suggests that all REALTORS ® in a geographic area are part of a single firm. e.g Upstate New York Realtors or Hudson Valley Realtors.
Will I report my competitor the way she reported you?
No. Instead I will very carefully write this page, get it ranked above her's in the search engines (for the term Hudson Valley Realtor and Upstate New York Realtor) and bring it to her attention that way while demonstrating my SEO prowess.
* FORM and CONTEXT: NAR Membership Marks Manual, Part One, Section I, Sub-section c.
* Geographical Limitatios: NAR Membership Marks Manual, Part One, Section IV, sub-section c.
* NEVER . . . Uses to avoid: NAR Membership Marks Manual, Part Two, Section VI.