As a VR owner, my profile on Facebook literally lets my “friends” (which can be true friends, friends of friends, colleagues, neighbors, etc.) know who I am. And I am also able to discern when I get an inquiry if this is for real since I see immediately who is contacting me.

Right now, the biggest open question on Vacation Rentals from a renter’s perspective is whether an owner is truly the owner, and from an owner’s perspective the question is whether the inquiry is sincere.

Rental guests will know who it is they are contacting and property owners will know who is contacting them. It’s an unbeatable formula for starting a dialogue with transparency as its base.

I am on Facebook/Second Porch, both free, and also advertise on a dozen paid for vacation rental portals.

Social media channels like Facebook and Second Porch may or may not knock paid for advertising right out of the box. But I have no doubt at all that they will give them some real competition and simultaneously offer an improved process for finding, renting and communicating.