Day: August 23, 2017

Food for Thought: Anil Dash’s “The Year I Didn’t Retweet Men”

Carl Setzer
Twitter's Megaphone

I’d forgotten about Anil’s post to Medium a “little ways back”, so I was able to look with fresh eyes.

“The Year I Didn’t Retweet Men”

I really appreciate his efforts to amplify responsibly. And have tried, over the years, to take the same idea to heart. I may not have Anil’s reach, but I have a significant online following. Significant enough that I feel a certain responsibility to use my platform justly.

I like how his efforts changed:

  1. the nature of his online interactions
  2. the flavor of his feed
  3. and how it changed his perceptions about the world
  4. made his experience on Twitter happier

Though not a fan of the whole “resolution” thing, and since it’s August, seems kinda silly anyway, I like the idea of making purposeful decisions.

I intend to be much more thoughtful about what I share. I have tried to avoid the meme-du-jour, and things everyone else is doing. I also have avoided any hate-retweeting. Our world has enough rage, including the things that drive me towards rage. I have been trying to focus on the positive, yet avoiding a Pollyannaish approach. Positive and effective efforts, change, thoughts: that’s what I try to amplify.

So, doubling down on this. Thanks, Anil, for the reminder and motivation.

Thoughts on my latest real estate journey 

Carl Setzer

As you may know, I took on a new role at the beginning of the year: managing feasibility and permitting for a builder. What a journey it’s been! 

I don’t know how clear the title is, but “feasibility” is critical to our company. Can we build at a profit? To state the obvious, in our culture, profitability equals survival. 

The Northwest Multiple Listing Service provides a form specifically for this. I’ve been asked a lot about it lately: most agents never use it. And they don’t understand what it’s for. 

The purpose: time to explore the components of build-ability. For some projects, say a custom home, we’re exploring whether the costs fit into your budget. Will state, county or municipal rules let you build at all? If so, can you afford it?

Construction is cleaner but more complicated. Can what you are able to build sell for for a profit? 

In Snohomish County, well, the whole state, we have challenges related to growth management. Important concerns, for the good of the community, and the ecosystem we draw our life from. I’ll get to that soon.