Einsteinsurance.com Discussion - Ask Your Questions Here

[Josh]

i see you have a strategy to bring agents to your website but how do you plan to bring consumers there?

I'm going to guess quality content. Sure looks like a great deal of effort has gone into creating a site that's easy to navigate and provides fresh, unique content. Google just might like this on it's own.

 

[somarco]

Simple question. What's in this for you (Einstein)?

Why will consumers go to your site, and how will they find it, when established sites like Yahoo! Answers - Home get much more traffic?

OK, that's 2 questions . . .

 

[rousemark]

Who checks the answers for accuracy? The very first question/Answer I looked at is in error: The poster, speaking of life insurance states:

"There are two types of life insurance too. Term insurance only covers you for a period of time and whole life covers you for a lifetime and you are guaranteed a payout."

I wasn't aware that Universal Life was no longer being sold.

 

[InsuranceLibrary.com]

The agent that answers is responsible for the content, just like if he/she was answering a question on any other website. Basically, it's in their best interest to get it right since it's their name, photo, etc. associated with the answer.

 

[rousemark]

The agent that answers is responsible for the content, just like if he/she was answering a question on any other website. Basically, it's in their best interest to get it right since it's their name, photo, etc. associated with the answer.

So, you are OK with claiming to provide the consumer with information about insurance but not taking any action to correct errors or making it possible for others to comment on the answer in order to correct errors.?

 

[InsuranceLibrary.com]

Well, I am not "OK" with incorrect information being on the site - but unfortunately it is bound to happen. I work in the B2B online marketing business for my "day job" on a much larger scale (not insurance, but a relatively similar professional service) and have found that no matter what, you can't rely on everybody to be perfect (or even "good" for that matter) all the time. Sometimes you need to place the onus for accuracy on the "professional". This website is designed as a vehicle for insurance professionals to increase their exposure - and if they want to do that by providing inaccurate information, it will certainly catch up with them.

I appreciate this feedback, and I think there are 2 opportunities for me to look at:

1. Opening up public commenting so other contributors can raise awareness to these inaccuracies

2. Include some sort of "report inaccurate information" button or link with every answer.

Thanks again for pointing this out - these are things I am needing to nail down during the beta.

 

[rousemark]

Well, I am not "OK" with incorrect information being on the site - but unfortunately it is bound to happen. I work in the B2B online marketing business for my "day job" on a much larger scale (not insurance, but a relatively similar professional service) and have found that no matter what, you can't rely on everybody to be perfect (or even "good" for that matter) all the time. Sometimes you need to place the onus for accuracy on the "professional". This website is designed as a vehicle for insurance professionals to increase their exposure - and if they want to do that by providing inaccurate information, it will certainly catch up with them.

I appreciate this feedback, and I think there are 2 opportunities for me to look at:

1. Opening up public commenting so other contributors can raise awareness to these inaccuracies

2. Include some sort of "report inaccurate information" button or link with every answer.

Thanks again for pointing this out - these are things I am needing to nail down during the beta.

I commend you for giving consideration to a vehicle to "correct" information that might be in error.

The same poster has several misstatements in this post:

Does Life Insurance Pay Out For Suicide?

The end result of what she has to say is correct for the most part but she makes several errors in terminology and does not take into account that not every jurisdiction is the same. She is certainly far from being an "expert" on life insurance.

 

[InsuranceLibrary.com]

Thanks for pointing these out Rousemark. Accuracy is very important as it is the key value proposition to consumers. Looks like there is some cleanup that needs to be done here in beta.

 

[AgentProvocateur]

Thanks for pointing these out Rousemark. Accuracy is very important as it is the key value proposition to consumers. Looks like there is some cleanup that needs to be done here in beta.

You may be surprised, but there are many experienced agents, as well as new agents, who are not experts, but will want to contribute to your site.

Here is what could happen with your site:

There is another message board I visit, where consumers ask insurance questions, answered by agents and moderators, and the amount of incorrect (and sometimes harmful) information given there is astounding. Sometimes wrong information is corrected by others, and sometimes it is left unchallenged. I corrected a moderator there, when he said something egregiously wrong, and now he challenges what I say any time I post. I don't mind a correction when I'm wrong, but this moderator is almost always wrong when he corrects me. So I have to correct him. Then it turns into a ridiculous argument.

If you have a comments section, you will have conflict between agents, each trying to establish credibility, which may require extensive moderation.

Also, agents really knowing their stuff, will find inaccuracies in almost any answer not given by them. Knowing when and how to correct an answer may be difficult for you, if you decide not to have a comments section.

Rousemark points out correctly there are more than two types of life insurance, but I think the author was trying to distinguish between term life, and the various flavors of permanent insurance, to simplify it for the laymen. Mentioning all the types of life insurance could be overwhelming for the reader. Should the answer be corrected to term versus permanent, or should it explain all the types of insurance, that is WL, UL, VUL, etc.?

Without having the insurance knowledge yourself, you may not know how to best correct mistakes.


So, I see three problems for you:

1. Bad answers from agents.

2. Essentially correct answers other agents will criticize.

3. Knowing the difference between 1. & 2., and knowing how they should be corrected.

 

[somarco]

I wasn't aware that Universal Life was no longer being sold.

You didn't get the memo?

You may be surprised, but there are many experienced agents, as well as new agents, who are not experts, but will want to contribute to your site.

True, and it is very disturbing what I read here sometimes. Even worse on "consumer" sites.

For a while I would respond to LinkedIn questions but finally got tired of trying to be heard over (1) agents with an agenda and (2) folks that responded and had no clue what they were talking about.