ActiveRain - The Official ActiveBlog

Fourth of July Weather is Calling for "Rains" Over Most US Cities

The national weather and climate control at ActiveRain is forecasting HUGE Rainstorms all across the country via the ActiveRain Community and Network.  It's time to bring out your FireWORKS, or put them away.  Sorry, this post almost started off sounding like some type of warning news or a sad attempt at a press release.   ha-ha...

Over the past few years, we have tracked an increase/spike in traffic, particularly over the Fourth of July Weekend.   We're looking for "Local Fourth of July" posts to feature over the next few days.  If you have any events, parties, fireworks, concerts etc. in your local areas, we need your posts.   We're looking for posts that are well written with hyper local content for your geographic areas.  Keep in mind that consumers in your area are looking for this same stuff too.  What better way to give them what they need and potentially lead them to your local Blogs. 

As one of the most popular Holiday's draws closer, we thought this would be a great chance to give members a heads up so that Google will have some time to find your posts, featured or not.  Here's one quick tip:  One way to successfully do this is to make sure your Blog Post Title's include area specific location information, and that your first 1 or 2 sentences includes precise event or location details.  As you know, when people search Google, results found are most often by their titles, and only the first sentence or two appears in the search results. 

This is important in order to get found on Google and also, to get "keyword searchers" to click on YOUR links and read. 

• Maybe Something Like This as an idea or sample...

Fourth of July Event - Fireworks Over San Francisco, CA. - World Famous Fireworks Display
World Famous Fourth of July Fireworks over San Francisco, CA.  This is the most spectacular event being held in the Bay Area.  Looking for something different to do this 4th of July?  Entertainment, Great Food, World Famous Fireworks Display, FREE parking, and more all located at the Pier in San Francisco, CA. from 4:00-11:00pm. Bart transportation running every 15 minutes.

Wouldn't it be great having this sample show up somewhere in the top 5 on Google tomorrow?

1. San Francisco 4th of July Celebrations - Fourth of July in San ...

   A guide to San Francisco 4th of July fireworks and celebrations. The guide includes information on festivals as well as fireworks cruises on San Francisco Bay.
   sanfrancisco.about.com/od/.../qt/sffourthofjuly.htm - Cached - Similar -

2. Fourth of July Fireworks in San Francisco - July 4th Fireworks and ...

   Map showing places where you can view the 4th of July fireworks on San Francisco Bay. Includes information on Fourth of July celebrations in San Francisco ...
   sanfrancisco.about.com/library/sfmaps/bljuly4map.htm - Cached - Similar -
   More results from sanfrancisco.about.com »

3. CBS 5 - San Francisco Bay Area's source for news, weather, traffic ...

   San Francisco Bay Area news, weather, traffic and sports. ... the number one question every Fourth of July: Where can you watch the fireworks this year? ...
   cbs5.com/ - Cached - Similar -

4. Fourth of July Event - Fireworks over San Francisco, CA - World Famous Fireworks ...

   World Famous Fourth of July Fireworks over San Francisco, CA.  This is the most spectacular event being held in the Bay Area. activebradsblog.com/ - Cached - Similar -
   
   

You've got nothing to lose with an "explosion" of opportunity like this.  I hope you'll take advantage, and start getting those "Local Neighborhood and Community Fourth of July" posts up. 

Are you still here?  Why aren't you gone yet and writing that "Fourth Of July" post for your area?  There are people out there searching for things to do in your area right now while you're sitting here reading this!  In advance, CONGRATS on your featured post. :-)

Tips about Your ActiveRain "Settings" Page

So much has changed since my initial post from 10/07 regarding the ActiveRain "settings" page.  I'm creating an updated post for our new members joining the network.  To access your settings, make sure you're logged into AR, then go to your "MY HOME" link located at the top of any page.  Next, click on the "Settings" link located on the left hand side of the page.  I'll explain each section of the "settings" page below.

  This is your Blogs Title.  Be sure to give this one some thought, it is the theme of your entire Blog.  

  Your Blog Description.  This is an important area of your "Settings Page."  This is where you can add Widgets and their HTML codes to your Blog.  This includes any ActiveRain Approved Widgets that are available.

  This is your Blogs Description.  (Text Only - NO HTML Allowed Here)  This is where you should describe your Blog, it's content, and it's value to your readers, but remember the SEO opportunity.  You are limited to 100 words, so focus your description and keywords.  This is often times the most overlooked area by new and existing AR members.  Maximize your SEO (Search Engine Optimization)  

  Allow Non-Member comments.  Be sure you have this box checked, otherwise readers who are not members of Active Rain will be unable to comment on your post.  Unless all your posts on your Blog are members only, I would make sure it's checked!

  Sharing your comments.  Your comments are already shared in the posts where you've made them.  If you want other members and readers to access "All" your comments in one easy access location, you can check this box and allow them, it's your preference.

  Twitter Settings.  Enter your user name.  Be sure it's the one you have setup on Twitter.  Detailed Post Here

  Add your password for automatic Twitter updates.  You may also wish to tweet your "Members Only" posts.  By checking the box, you are allowing your "members only" posts to be broadcast over the twitter network.  If you don't currently have a twitter account, you can get one here at  Twitter.com

  Your Email Settings.  This is a very important part of your settings page.  You have to decide how you want your email notifications to work and be managed here.  Do you want to get emailed every time someone adds you as an associate?  What about the comments you'll receive on your Blog Posts?  How about the groups you've joined, the founder or administrator can do mass emails to the group, do you want to be notified?  There is even manual score and point adjustment email notifications.  This is really up to each members own discretion. 

Under the General Settings, the option to allow others to see when you are on-line is no longer available.  This feature will be removed in a future update and release.  It was available when the member count used to appear in the upper right corner of AR pages. 

  Reblogging Option.  Reblogging allows others to "ReBlog" your posts on ActiveRain.  If you check this box, other members will have to option to Reblog your content on their ActiveRain Blog posts.  To find out more about Reblogging and how it works.  Click Here.

  Hit Router Settings.  This is one of the Super-Power features on ActiveRain.  Over 100,000 consumers use this per month on average.  The Hit Router allows consumers to search specific geographic areas for homes from nearly every Blog post and AR profile.  Be sure to setup your Hit Router,  maximize Hit Router and create your Market Area Campaigns when you leave this post.  This is a great lead generation tool for directing traffic and visitors to your IDX sites and listings.  Here's some important information about Hit Router you'll want to know about.
The Final and MOST IMPORTANT TIP HERE:  Don't forget to click on the after making changes.

A--------C---------T---------I---------V-----------E-----------R------------A------------I-------------N

This next section is actually part of your "My Home" page, but let's cover it while we're here. 

My Comments.  Here's where you can go back and track every comment you have ever made on Active Rain.  Use the "My Comments" link to go directly to any post you have ever made a comment on.

Notifications.  This is a new feature that allows you to review comments made when you've checked the "Notify Me Of Comments" on another members post. They can also be deleted from the list here.

Points Summary.  This is a breakdown of points earned.  It shows your total points on Featured Posts, comments, regular points, inviting new members etc.  ONLY YOU can see the breakdown of your individual points.

Statistics.  How many comments do you receive?  How many views do you get on your post?  How many clicks are your posts getting?  It's all on this page.  Another great feature of the Statistics page is that you can see every post you've ever submitted on AR.  Using the stats page will help you determine many things about your Blog and posts.

Associations.  These are other members that have added "YOU" as an associate.  When you add someone as an associate, don't forget to put a comment in the box at the bottom of the page.  When someone adds you as an associate, hopefully, you'll reciprocate.  In my opinion, this is one of the best reference and referral here.

Invite Others.  Use this link to send an invitation to someone who is NOT currently a member.  When you invite other Real Estate Professionals, and they accept, you will be credited for their membership and get a percentage of points for everything they do on AR.  You can also send an invitation outside of AR, just be sure to use the proper link so you can get credit for inviting them.

Blog Bookmarks.  This will take you to ALL the posts you have bookmarked on AR.  We all get the comments from members that say "I've Bookmarked Your Post!"  This is so they can be referred back to at a later time.

Link To ActiveRain.  This page will give you the options and graphics to place links and images on other websites and Blogs.  It allows you to promote your Blog and membership here at AR.  You can use these HTML codes on most outside websites and Blogs.

Review Pending Outside Blog Posts.  Another new feature, this allows you to deny or approve other members posts to your Outside ActiveBlogs.  Depending on how you setup the admin rights will determine how you end up using this feature.  You can find out more about Multi-Authored Outside Blogs here.

Feel free to modify your AR settings anytime.  Hopefully, you have a better understanding of what each of these areas and links covers.  If you have any questions on how to do ANYTHING here on ActiveRain, there are hundreds of instructional posts available that I can point you to, or you can just ask me, and I'll find you the answer.  Thanks and Enjoy!

The Value of "FREE" -vs- The Perception of "Price"

They say that there are no "Free" lunches, and that nothing in this world is FREE.  We once had a neighbor who put his couch out on the sidewalk in front of his house, then placed a sign on it that read "FREE!"  It was a really nice couch with great upholstery and no stains or damage.  The neighbor simply purchased some newer furniture and didn't have room for that particular piece.

Well that couch sat there for three days, and no one took it.   IT WAS FREE!   After 3 days, he was going to haul it off to a goodwill store and donate it when he decided to test his theory of the value of FREE vs the perception of price, so he placed a sign on the couch this time that read "For Sale" $100.00.   That night, the couch was gone.   Yep, someone stole it right out of his driveway.  Can you imagine? 

What made the difference?  Was it the perceived value of 100.00, or was it that people truly believe there is no value in things that are FREE?  Something must be wrong with it if it's FREE right?

REALTORS in CT, DC, MA, MD, NJ, NY, PA & VA - Win a free landscape makeover!

Bob Stewart sent me a link to a post last week about getting a FREE Landscape done for your clients valued at $2500.00.  Is it really free?  It's worth 2500.00 dollars so how can it be FREE?   Here's the catch.   You can steal this one by simply sending in a photo as explained in this post by Kristen.  There's been a few responses, but nothing like what we would have expected.

So we're removing the FREE sign and seeing if anyone will steal this opportunity by us placing a $2500.00 dollar price tag on it.  Snap those photos and send em in, it doesn't get much easier than that.  It's not too good to be true, maybe it's just too true to be good?!?
Deadline for submission is July 8, 2009 - The winner will be notified by July 29, 2009      

Back at the beginning of this month (June 2009) we announced the introduction of the ActiveRain Approved Business Builder Program. At the time, the pickings were pretty slim by way of Vendors and more importantly deals for our members (if your clients all want a deal, why shouldn't you get a deal).

Over the last two weeks our team has been working hard with lots of the companies out there to bring some great deals to the table for our members. The companies we are lining up to work with are being impressed upon that the culture here at ActiveRain is one where we lay all the chips out on the table and allow everyone and anyone to have an opinion.

In order for the Approved Business Builder program to really have an impact on the businesses of our members, we need your participation. If you have ever used the services of any of the Vendors in the program, we (and the other members on the site) need your feedback. Did you have a great experience? Let everyone know. Did your experience leave something to be desired? Leave constructive feedback so that the company can have a chance to grow from your experience and potentially rectify that portion of their business for the next person using their service.

Are you a bitter bitter person who has it out for everyone and everything that comes in your path that doesn't turn your $99 investment into $1,000,000? Think about how you can be constructive. The idea here is not to bash or beat these companies into submission. If you truly had a poor experience, be constructive in your feedback. We have decision makers at all of these companies following the feedback of our members. Your constructive feedback will get you so much further than a rambling rant. Hopefully our research into these companies has produced a crop of the top vendors in their field; none of them having ever had a dissatisfied customer. Of course that's a pipe dream!

If we can leverage where these companies have fallen short to help them raise the level of their service and their product, then we have something valuable for everyone involved.

We want you to become familiar with the ActiveRain Approved Business Builder Blog so that when you see it, you stop by to check out the special deals that are being announced. We also want you to use this as a tool to investigate products and services before you take the plunge into buying something. Of course, that depends on the feedback of our members. So if you've used the products or services being offered, take the time to leave your comments. You can find each of the companies on the home page of ActiveRain, on the right hand side under the 'ActiveRain Business Builder' title, directly under the featured members.

Hopefully everyone can see how the vetting process here could be very powerful. Not only can your peers see your experiences with particular companies, we also have an opportunity to help raise the level of service for these companies across the board.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be featuring a profile or an offer from each of these companies on the ActiveRain Approved Business Builder Blog. As these companies make additional special offers we will be featuring their posts so you can be made aware of it. Check the newsletter as we will be running special offers from these companies in there as well. The idea is that you are already buying these products and services in the course of your business. As a group, we have the potential to get a better deal, let's take advantage of it. (who doesn't love Costco or Sam's Club, right?......buying in bulk is the coolest).

Get familiar with this image:

When you see it on the feature board or in the blog roll, it means another company is ready to bring you a good deal. Right now below my post is an offer from the folks at Real Estate Lead Source. Take a minute to check them out. You'll see many more in the days to come.

Some of the links in the Business Builder area on the home page say 'coming soon XYZ Company'. You can head off and check out the companies website right now, their special offer and blog post to give feedback on is on it's way.

If you are interested in getting more infomation on becoming part of the ActiveRain Approved Business Builder Program, you can contact Chris Martin, ActiveRain Director of Sales.

At 12:00 Pacific Time on June 1, 2009 we will be introducing the 'ActiveRain Approved Business Builders' feature on the home page of ActiveRain.com. The 'ActiveRain Approved Business Builders' will be an area where we highlight some of the many tools available to help take your business to the next level.

On the Home page when you are logged in, you will simply see links for a series of different categories ranging from 'websites' and 'IDX providers' to 'signs' and 'print and mail'. We are starting with 14 different categories. You can see them here:

As we bring on approved business builders, the power of the network will take place behind the simple link. After clicking on any particular link, you will be able to see a list of vendors in that category. Looking deeper at any particular vendor will take you to their 'ActiveRain Approved Business Builders' blog post where they will be able to give a basic description of their product, tell about what sets their product apart, and potentially provide our members a discount on their service.

We will be strongly encouraging our approved business builders to offer best case pricing and in some cases will be able to get pricing at a better rate than ever before provided. Bulk discount pricing because we have such a thriving network is a great start, but being able to get immediate feedback on products from your peers may be even better.

In true social media fashion, the 'ActiveRain Approved Business Builders' will have their blog posts on the ActiveRain Approved Business Builder Blog and will be able to allow comments from users of their product. This healthy discussion allows members considering using the product to see the experience of other members. It also allows the vendor to get candid feedback from users of their product thereby helping them perfect their service. This is the essence of businesses participating in social media and we hope to bring some transparency to the multi-million dollar real estate vendor business. The great vendors deserve to have their praises sung by the people that use their products with success.

At launch today, things are going to be a little bare as we have a team of people and lots of interested vendors putting the finishing touches on some great product offers. As new vendors come on we will be featuring their posts on the home page so that you are aware of some of the great offers that will be available. However, make sure that the next time you get ready to purchase some kind of service that you take a look at the 'ActiveRain Approved Business Builders' area and make sure you are making a smart decision based on the experiences of others and that you are getting a great price.

Vendors: If you are interested in having your product represented, you can contact Chris Martin, head of advertising here with ActiveRain for details.

Beautify your listings instantly.  Manage your leads automatically.  Convert your 'traffic' into satisfied clients.

What is Vision?

Vision is an integrated IDX website and contact management solution that allows users to convert visitors into prospects at industry leading rates.

The consumer facing IDX side of the website is streamlined to deliver property listings to consumers in an easy to digest, simple interface..Vision has all the user friendly tools a consumer needs to find a home in your market with accuracy and speed.

Visions back-end contact management solution is fully integrated with the IDX front end allowing you to create specific links to specific variations of a home search for maximum conversion rates.  See exactly what homes a prospect has looked at, automatically suggest similar listings based on their search patterns and employ a host of accountability tools that make sure you are focusing on the warm prospects at the right time in their home search cycle.

The Vision system offers automated home searches that deliver new listings to your prospects, makes a virtual library of content available to send to potential clients and your listings are automatically syndicated to all the top websites.

Why are we offering this product?

Prior to launching ActiveRain back in May of 2006, our core team had a real estate brokerage. The backbone of that real estate endeavor was our website, Briorealty.com and a back end lead management system, ActiveRain.net (that's a history lesson for you, btw).

A similar product is now available on a large scale. That product is Vision and we're really excited to be able to offer it to our members at best case pricing...yep, can't get Vision cheaper anywhere than AR. 

What does our co-op with Market Leader mean for you?

It means you can utiize this cool product for $99/month and have the option to cancel at any time. It also means you don't pay the $195 set up fee.  This is the first time that Vision is offered as a stand alone product and we've secured an exclusive deal for our members.

How does Vision work with Listing Router and your Blog posts?

Its a turn-key system...Convert traffic from Listing Router and your blogsites into prospects and prospects into clients with Vision.  

AR members can drive substantial traffic to their own Vision websites through their blogs and our Listing Router. Blog posts and participation in the Listing Router marketplace can generate a lot of traffic, but where are you sending that traffic when they want to look at listings?

I help a few people every day that are sending that traffic to the home page of their website. Is this the most effective use of your traffic? NO! absolutely not. You want to be sending them to a page that is specific to exactly what they sought...Property Listings

Let's say you have a Listing Router campaign set up for 'Bellevue, WA'. Someone comes to your blog and after reading your post decides they want to look for homes in Bellevue. At the top of your post, they type in Bellevue, WA and off you whisk them to the home page of your website. How many clicks does that person have to make in order to actually find homes for sale in Bellevue? Four? Three? Two? Any of those answers is too many.

Vision allows you to create specific links directly to homes for sale in a specific market. It also allows you to create specific links for any variation of specific search terms.

For example:  Let's say you write a blog post about all the great values on Condos in XYZ neighborhood in YourTown. Create a specific link for that post that directs prospects to 'Condos between $100,000-$200,000 in XYZ neighborhood' so when the consumer clicks that link, *Shablam* they find exactly what they are looking for.

What are our current members saying about Vision?

Vision puts your leads on auto-pilot giving you the opportunity to focus on the money making opportunities while your contact management system works in the background to convert the others in your database to the point they are ready to buy or sell and then you take over and collect the commission. - Todd Clark

One of my favorite parts of the Growth Leader system is the ICW or Initial Contact Wizard.  This wizard dude keeps me on track........  If the contact leaves a phone number he will direct me to make the call and make it ASAP. He will give some scripts and show me just what I should do...........He gives me the confidence to MAKE THE PHONE CALL FIRST (when there is a number) That has always been difficult for me but with Mr. Wizard by my side and with him showing me what I should say I have overcome my fear of that first phone contact.! - Jo Soss

Vision is pretty self explanatory in terms of its use, so you don't have to spend days/weeks/months trying to figure it out.  Don't let its simplicity fool you though, its got what you need to get the job done............I feel like I have an assistant reminding me of all of my talking points before each call. - Matt Stigliano

From the consumers perspective (yes, I tried it all out myself) it's very user friendly, great landing page, which really encourages buyers to register..and we all know that's half the battle...and for me, best of all, my listings are imported directly from my MLS, right on the front page, no need to upload to yet another site!  Konnie Mckee

I have used the Vision lead generation management system tools for nearly 3 months and I find it one of the most amazing contact management and lead generating systems I have ever used. Vision goes way beyond other competing systems in the market place with many of it's features being fully automated. From the moment the consumer lands on website with it main purpose of encouraging them to discover all the available property information in a clear easy and non-threatening way, their experience is a good one. Receiving e-mails of thanks over and over tells me this system is like no other. One of the other key features of Vison also provides for promotion of all my current listings through Craig’s list. - William Johnson

How do I get started?

Simple.   Fill out your basic information HERE and someone will contact you within 24 hours to get started.

There are currently 83 MLS's covered by the Vision product. You can find a list of the specific markets here.

Connecting socially in the On-line World is great, and important, especially for networking, building relationships and business, but connecting in person after that cyber handshake is what makes it even more exciting and awesome than you can imagine.  These are extraordinary times.  Inman.com calls their annual event "Inman Real Estate Connect" and it's pretty clear as to why.

"Visitors to Real Estate Connect enjoy 3 jam-packed days full of the industry's best networking opportunities and the very latest business intelligence that will help you rethink, re-frame and recharge your business."  Inman.com

The AR community has been a big supporter of "Connects" all the way from San Francisco to New York, and we're doing it again this year.  The good folks over at INMAN have extended an "Early RAIN" special discount to ALL ActiveRain members in hopes you'll join us there this year.  Jon, Bob, Jeff and I will be there, and we're excited to see old friends and finally get to meet many of you.

Here's some of what's been planned for REC "09"

• Bloggers Connect - Familiar names and friendly faces will be speaking like Jeff Turner, Daniel Rothamel, Dustin Luther, Jim Cronin, Reggie and Nicole Nicolay and others.  A one-day workshop that is worth the time and investment it takes to get there.
• ConnectTECH - Look at these topics and speakers they have which include Matt Lerner - CTO at Walkscore, Gregory Cosmo Haun - Chief Programmer at ForeclosureRadar,  Zach Scott - COO at Point2 Technologies.  Grab your notepad!  :-O
  
• Internet Marketing Summit - The great debate with Sean Black - VP of Sales at Trulia, Alex Chang - CEO at Roost.com, and Tom Tognoli - Founder, COO, and VP of Intero Saratoga.  Here's your monies worth.
  
• Top Experts and Speakers - Warning: the list is LONG!  In addition, rumor has it that our own Jonathan Washburn and Jeff Corbett will also be speaking this year.  Even if this is just a rumor, the AR Gatherings are not. (more on that coming soon...) 
  
• Start up Alley - What's the future of real estate technology? Start-Up Alley, the newest addition debuting at Inman Connect.
  
• 2009 Innovator Awards - See who's The Most Innovative Brokerage or Franchise, Most Innovative New Technology, Most Innovative Web Service, Most Innovative Blog, Most Innovative Media Site?  These awards started back in 1997.  Previous winners included ActiveRain, Roost, Estately, AgentGenius, Frontdoor, vFlyer, Altos Research, Google Earth, Curbed.com and many more.
  
• Social Networking - This is happening before, during and after the event on sites like LinkedIn, FaceBook, Twitter etc.
• Sponsors and Exhibitors - Stroll the isles and see the latest and greatest products, tools, and services for your business from some of the greatest vendors and minds in the Real estate Industry.  This is one of my favorites.
• The ActiveRain Gathering - To Be Announced!
  

Inman Videos From Past Conferences

Looking back at years past, I have never regretted attending one of these events.  They just get bigger and better every year.  If you have never attended an Inman Connect, it's difficult to put into words the value and benefit they bring to your business, and if you have attended in the past, then you know exactly what I mean.  Come meet many of the ActiveRain members you may already know on-line, and also come away with a good understanding of what is needed to survive the future of the Real Estate Industry.

My trip down "Memory Lane" from previous connects:

VIDEO:
Video from Inman Connect 2007

ActiveRain Member Interviews from Inman Connect 2008

PHOTOS:
Inman Connect San Francisco 2008

Inman Connect - New York City 2009

We hope you'll join us August 5th -7th for another exciting "connect" and "gathering" and just FYI, ActiveRain Gatherings in the City By The Bay are the absolute best!  So go get that member discount, and come join us for a time you'll never forget.  We'll see you in San Francisco. :-)

Click Here for ActiveRain Partner Pricing
Deadline to register at this discounted price is June 19, 2009

ActiveRain Members - HGTV’s "House Hunters" Is Now Casting and Looking for YOU!

HGTV’s hit TV series, House Hunters, is looking for Homebuyers and Real Estate Agents who want to appear on the show!  ActiveRain and HGTV are working together in an effort to find qualified candidates who may be interested in sharing their "House Hunting" journey on National Television. 

This could be a huge opportunity, and a lot of fun for some of our members and their clients.

House Hunters follows buyers and their agents on the hunt as they find just the right house for them—and every story is different.  If you’re an energetic and outgoing Real Estate Agent currently working with a Homebuyer, we'd love to hear from you. 

Are you in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Missouri, Minnesota, Georgia or Colorado?

House Hunters is currently looking for Homebuyers who are:

Buying within a 90 min. drive of downtown Philadelphia, Denver, Atlanta, Minneapolis/St. Paul and St. Louis

Closing in the next 1-2 months, this includes buyers who are actively bidding on a home or newly under contract

Fun, enthusiastic, and have a great story to tell

If you're interested, let me know and I'll forward your information to their Associate Producer.  If you'd rather, you can also apply directly at HouseHunters@HighNoonEntertainment.com.  Thanks for helping us find some members and clients for their show, we're excited about assisting them with this endeavor.

House Hunters airs weeknights at 9/8c on HGTV and is produced by High Noon Entertainment.  To learn more about the show visit HGTV.com/HouseHunters.  We appreciate your support with this Casting Quest.

There is a need for some clarification as to how RAINdexing or Indexing your Outside Blogs works on ActiveRain.  With all the options available and the inter-connections between AR Blogs, Localism and Outside Blogs etc.,  I am going to try and simplify how it all works and what it all means.  Since my recent post "poll survey results" concluded that reading was the #1 best way for the majority to learn, I'm opting to do a Blog post on this topic.

Here's the 5 areas we'll cover in order to help you grasp and get your arms around how this all works: 

Channels, Topics, Localism, Outside Blogs, Categories & Local Post Widgets.

MAXIMIZING INDEXING ON OUTSIDE BLOGS - PART I

Indexing Your Outside Blog Categories Using Channels and Topics

TIP: The Channels and Topic options are located just below the Visibility Section when creating or editing a post.

When creating a new Blog post that you want to appear on your Outside Blog, it's imperative that you are adding the post to Channels and giving it a "TOPIC".  Topics will appear on your Outside Blog as "Categories" and will be indexed or RAINdexed accordingly.  When you apply the Categories Widget to your Outside Blog, your "Topics" will appear on the sidebar as "Categories."  See below.

Here's a Screen-shot from the Outside Blog Sidebar
(This is referred to as the Category Widget)

A---------C---------T----------I--------V---------E---------R---------A--------I---------N

MAXIMIZING INDEXING ON OUTSIDE BLOGS - PART II

RAINdexing your Outside Blog Local Posts Using Localism and the Local Posts Widget

TIP: The Localism options are located just below the Visibility Section when creating or editing a post.

To have your Blog posts RAINdexed and sorted by Geographic Location, you'll need to add them to Localism for this Widget to work on your Outside Blog.  Adding posts to Localism allows you to select State, County, City, and even down to a specific neighborhood.  Having these geographic locations broken down this way allows viewers to search those specific Hyper-Local posts by "Index" for the areas they may be interested in.

Here's a Screen-shot from the Outside Blog Sidebar
(This is referred to as the Local Posts Widget)

A---------C---------T----------I--------V---------E---------R---------A--------I---------N

MAXIMIZING INDEXING ON OUTSIDE BLOGS - PART III

How To Add The Indexing / RAINdexing Widgets To Your Outside Blog

Step 1:

Go to your Outside Blog and Log-in

Step 2:  

Click on the link at the top of the page and then click the button.

Step 3:

Open the "Add New Widget" pull-down menu and select "Categories" or "Local Posts" then repeat.
(you can only add one widget at a time)

Step 4:

You can use the button to align your Index Widgets by simply dragging and dropping them where you want them to appear on your Outside Blog sidebar.  Once you're finished, just click on  .

Step 5:

Click here to see a sample of how this has worked well for another AR member.  RAINdexing is Powerful.

I hope this post clears up some of the confusion or misunderstanding of how all these tools work together to get you the best possible results and indexing of your Outside Blogs.  As always, if you have any questions or need any assistance, our support staff and team are always ready and willing to help.  If you do not currently have an outside blog but might be considering one in the future, taking these steps now will ensure you won't have to go back and make edits to your posts in the future. 

A---------C---------T----------I--------V---------E---------R---------A--------I---------N

Related Articles To Assist You

How To Create and Maximize an ActiveRain Outside Blog - 10 easy steps

5 Suggested Ways To Maximize Your Group/Team Outside Blog

How To Drive Traffic To Your AR Outside Blogs

ActiveBlogs - Link Love and SEO

Are you a Real Estate Broker or Manager?  Do you support your Agents Blogging?  Should a Real Estate Brokerage have a company Blog in addition to their own personal Blogs?  What is the value of having a Brokerage or TEAM Blog with multiple contributors?  Who are the "key" people that should contribute to a group Blog?  What should be the focus of a "Brokerage Blog" vs "Personal" and what kind of time commitment is involved?  What tools can be incorporated to bring more value to your Blogs and to the consumer, and why the Heck should you care?

This Friday, we'll share some insight about these and other questions.  The CRB  (Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers)  Northern California Chapter has invited AR to attend and represent the community.  The question of whether to have a Blog or not is really no longer the question at all, especially if you're in todays Real Estate Industry and Market.  The real question is; "how do you support, budget, and integrate time and technology so that the individual and Broker Blogs work, and are not something that can cause you or your office problems, lost business, or big money?"

Consumers are using the Internet more and more for research causing Agents and Brokers to take a deeper look at their involvement with Blogging, WEB 2.0 technologies, and their Internet presence.  Is it time to be in tune with them and to find more ways to support them?  Every Brokerage should consider having a Group/Team Blog.  In the very near future, this won't be a choice or option, it'll be an Industry standard, just like "the website" was.

The only choices soon will become when and how...

Building a Team or Broker Blog with Multiple Contributors doesn't have to be challenge or nightmare.  Understanding some basic key fundamentals can help you establish a powerful presence both on-line and in your Local Community.  ActiveRain programmers, developers, and our staff have put in many hours of time and research to determine what works and what doesn't.  Without a doubt, it takes commitment, focus, time, and a plan.  Investing these four basic elements will deliver a multitude of positive results.

Making the decision to have a Blog or Team Blog is the easy step, but knowing how to make it work and what things to implement, along with who should be contributing, is the key to ANY multi-authored Blogs' success.  If you're a Real Estate Broker/Manager, and you do not currently have a Blog or TEAM Blog for your Personal, Brokerage or Office, this may be an enlightening Luncheon for you to attend.  Joe Banuat from Coldwell Banker  (also the NOR-CAL CRB Executive Director) is inviting ALL OF YOU to join us in Sacramento this Friday for:

"Technology and YOU - the Broker/Manager"

brought to you in part by:

All Licensed Real Estate Agents are Welcome, you DO NOT have to be a Broker or Manager to attend this event.