ActiveRain - The Official ActiveBlog

Brad -  Excellent post. Glad to see this has been done. Excellent resource for all A/R people. Great job! Wow am I first to comment on this? lol Bob H

Awesome!!  Thanks to everybody that contributed, can't wait to see it!

Bob - always love that first comment, now I'm at peace and can get back to work!!  lol~  Thanks my friend.

Jared - these guys and gals have contributed so much to AR, they have earned and deserve ALL our appreciation.  Thanks for acknowledging them. Now click on the book, it takes you right there. :-)

Hey, Brad. That is awesome. I am going to check it out now. I appreciate all your hard work. Take Care, Jim

Brad, thanks for pointing us to that guide, it will be a great help in our blogging pursuits on Active Rain.

Brad - I always love reading your posts because I always learn something new.  Today is no exception...Thanks for the manual!   :)

The ActiveRain Guide is "FINALLY" available but will probably never be completed.

Thanks Brad!

This will be extremely helpful.  I recently came to the same conclusion about ActiveRain.  It will probably never be "completed" because it's constantly growing and changing. 

I now compare ActiveRain to a roller coaster.  I'm just happy to be along for the ride!  :)

BRILLIANT BRAD !!!! ... sincere thanks for all the hard work that goes into things like this !

Love it Love it !!!!

Cheers !

Sheldon

This is honest-to-God the most fabulous BOOK of GENESIS for AR users. THANK YOU for all the hard work that went into this---and that is going into everything beyond this! You all are THE BEST EVERRRR!!!!

Hi Brad-As a AR newbie and someone who is treating this just like a classroom. This is fabulous. This is so much better than a classroom for so many reasons. A lot of hard work I know most have gone into this. I want to THANK YOU and everyone involved in making this post and the AR community possible. I have never seen anything like this anywhere. The integrity, work ethic & heart that makes this place possible is why it is growing by leaps & bounds. CONGRATS ON A DONE WELL DONE!!! GBU

In a word: Fantasterrific.  That's a word right?

Brad, Thanks to you and everyone else for the hard work that I know went into this. I have always gotten a lot of help from the tutorials on your home page and I've no doubt this will clarify things further!

Hello Brad.  Great idea.

After a year of active blogging, I still don't know how to do so many things.

New non tech members must have a tough time getting started.

Thanks for writing,

Ken

Brilliant way to leverage some of the best resources for the entire community Brad!

Brad - I have a bunch of additional posts that I can add soon.  Great idea to have a real guide like this available!

Brad, this is absolutely great. I am constantly saving posts so that I don't have to go back and look for it. Now It will be saved in an orderly fashion on line!!! I am so excited. Thank you.

Brad,

That is absolutely great and I look forward to seeing it evolve.  You are right in that it will never be complete in that it should be a living document to understand and improve on what ActiveRain is all about. What' new to some will be old to others and something old will be new to others and long as this community continues to grow and thrive.

Brad,

Wow! I quickly glimpsed at the 9 page long ActiveRain guide and it is packed with useful info to be come more proficient in AR.  Thank you for all the efforts you put in to come up with the holy grail of AR.   This is one Bookmark I plan on revisiting many times in the future!

Does it cover how to put together an A|R Party Gathering?  You guys going to make it to VA RE Bar Camp and REtechSouth?

This is great I have been encouraging Mason county to get on board. We have a lot of members on, infact i think my whole office is on now,but they are not all contributing. This will answer so many of their questions and get them out and posting. Thanks so much for putting this together, I will be passing the info and the link along!-Dinah Lee

I'll opt not to utilize my "What's ActiveRain" comment.

Newer folks have a tremendous advantage in utilizing this forum to its utmost with these this resource.  Nice work, gentlemen (and ladies).

most of us have been futzin' around figuring things out on our own...now you come out with the book ;)

Hi Brad- what took you so long....LOL  and you even got a GOLD STAR, well deserved...this looks very promising.  Now onto the re-writes, you know this is the Never-Ending Project!  Thanks for all the time you spent on this.  Now go have a weekend :-)

Thank you for posting this. It is exactly what I was looking for.   I joined a long time ago, but havent been too active.   I wanted to restart but spent hours yesterday reading and getting confused.  Now I can finally figure out how to use AR correctly.

Thanks!

With a smile,

Yalda Alawi

Phoenix Real Estate

Brad,

My friend...don't feel bad...I've been a member longer than you....since Oct 2006 when there wasn't even a phone number to call or a person to answer it:) I've seen more changes than most and there were only maybe a thousand members and most weren't even active here...I rarely ever complained about anything but I do remember when you came on...you called me to help me with something...big change now since you're a big shot you never call me any longer:)

Thank goodness, great timing just last night an agent friend of mine Deana and I were on the phone compairing notes on how to do the basics. thank you thank you thank you  

Brad, It's a good idea but would be much better if it were searchable or had categories. Or maybe I'm just missing something. 

@ Neal - No worries, Brad has snubbed me too:)  I've been here since June of 2006, so you ain't got nothing on yours truly!  MWA!

Thank you Thank you ...Thank you!    I hope this will be of help for me who is technically challenged.

Patricia Aulson/ Portsmouth NH Real Estate

@Bryant-  Stepping in for a second to answer for Brad who is always up to his eyeballs in work :)

The ability to search as well as categorize topics on outside blogs is a feature slated for implementation in the very near future...you aren't missing a thing my friend, you're right on target...

Great information, Thanks Brad and all the staff at AR

All the best!

Brad - rock on !!! A great idea and a superb resource this will be !!!!  Have already learned so much from AR and continue to do so every day.

Brad, I'll have to check out the tutorial on how to put those cute little "Subscribe To My Wonderful Blog" thingies at the bottom of my posts!

Thanks so much!!! Being a newbie is not easy!  There is much to learn and keep up with.

((hugs))  Shawn

I've been on AR for over a year, but I'm sure there is a LOT more that I could learn.  This is great!

Brad I am sure this is an awesome manual. As a suggestion you should have AR program an email to go out with this as an attachement to ever new member that joins...just a thought:)

Brad- Congratulations on the tutorial. I think it is testimony to how "developed" Active Rain has become. I joined in 200 although my points don't reflect it. (I obviously don't know how to get them.) However, when I joined (it seems like 100 years ago) as you say, there was not much to go by. Some thughtful Rainer's initiated a guide for newbies, which I found helpful. I am sure it is outdated by now , we have had so many changes.  I am sure I have it bookmarked. Could have been a great resource for you.

Thanks for your efforts.  Writing the guide must be like trying to get your arms around a giant octopus. It will of course, never be finished because AR will keep changing. I haven't looked at it yet but know I will use it.  Thanks

!

Thank you so very much. Now I have the "Stuff" I need in on place..

Thank you Brad!

Cindy

Brad - Like Broker Bryant, I also think it would be nice if I were able to search for a specific topic in the guide or if the guide outlined topics.  Also, rather than have to bookmark this post, it would be great if we all had a link to the guide on our home pages.  Being a newbie, I don't know the feasibility of that request but please feel free to educate me on the possibility and/or practibility of doing something like that.

P.S. - Great post and thank you for all the hard work; I appreciate it (even though I forgot to mention before).  :)

no worries, search tools and more are on the way, you'll also be able to search by topic  (be sure you're using topics when you post!) ....and did someone say widgets too?  It echoed all the way over to facebook, so I came running....   lol~

Ahh Brad...you'll always be my hero! Thank you so much for all you do to help us all get everything we can out of Active Rain!  And a big thank you to all who contributed to the Active Rain Guide!

WoW! Thanks Brad.  This is Great!  As a newbie of about 9 days, I'll have to study this a bit and get a better idea of all of the things I still have to figure out.

It's amazing how far Activerain has come since I joined when there were 21000 members. I had no idea how to blog.

A great accomplishment!  I am sure everyone will benefit from this guide.  Thanks for taking the time to put this together.

I'm member 120K xxx.  I wonder if we will reach the day where I can look back and say that I was member x and people will go.  Wow you jumped in early.

Hello Brad...hope things are well with you. Love AR and you guys...you do rock! Have a few concerns about Localism and blogs (single and multiple). We seem to have lost some cool custom style features. Our custom blogs don't look so cool any more and even our blogs and their custom features don't "rock"! Localism has not finished with it's potential with listings and more....love you guys and know the creativity is going nine directions.....but you still have people out here committed to an unfinished LOCALISM and contributing on a daily basis. We blogged and envisoned at length on LOCALISM and it's delivery....can we finish this feature to include LISTINGS....and them MORE. I love you guys and support you totally. However, any development effort must finish one feature and maintain stabillity in the platform before introducing another feature. Guys.....you can't go every direction at once......okay maybe you can....but can we?

Brad _ you know I've been asking for this for a long time, and now you have it. I'll have to find something else to ask for. Keep up the good work.

Hi Brad, It's so very nice to have this guide, long time in the making! Now I have more tools to share with some of the newer 'Rainers.

Hi Brad...A big thanks to you and the others for this gift from heaven Fairfield, CA.

Kate

Brad, finally an index for all the great tutorials on AR! So, this means I no longer have to have dozens of bookmarks stacked up waiting to be studied and implemented?  Honestly, I have felt like I was back in college since joining here, but in a good way :) See you in March!

Great idea!  Can't wait until it's searchable!

I'm gonna have to read the guide. I've been here forever, but so many changes have happened in such a short period of time, that I honestly don't know what's going on anymore.

I will read any guide that comes out, the amount of time that must have went in to this guide must have been tremendous. 

Brad- Activerain is moving strong and I am very excited to be a part of it. By the way, I didn't read my name on your blog! (Just kidding my friend)!

Hi Brad - You're probably already working on this ... but instead of 'Archives' you should have some broad categories like 'Getting Started', 'Images', etc. Even better would be a link in the nav bar to a Table of Contents, as well as a Search function.

SSSAAAAAAWWWWWEEEEEEETTTT.Just what I was looking for. You can bet I will make it around to thank everyone. Thank you!

It's a great source of information, Brad, and a bit of history. It will always be evolving as we do. Should be required reading. I know I had no clue when I started a few months before you.

jeff

This sounds like a wonderful tool and how nice to have all of the questions answered in one place rather than having to search for them.

Hi Brad!  EXCELLENT group and excellent resources for newbies and oldies alike!  Thanks for putting this together for all of us.  You're the BEST!

Brad - This is very exciting for me.  I am sure I will use this on a regular basis.  You are so right when you say "You don't have to know everything, just know the members that do."  Truer words were never spoken, and that's why I love the rain.  Thanks Brad, and everyone who has, and will, contribute to this guide.

Truly amazing...  Thank you so much!!!   How many pages if I decide to print it. 

It's a rainy day in South Carolina today so after I finish prospecting and taking some brochures out to homes, I'll spend some time with the manual.  It'll be great to have a resource like that.  Thanks!

Mary

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.......

This is so helpful. I am actively working with REALTOR®'s in my area encouraging them to join Active Rain. Now, I have a very easy site to send them to for information as well as a place I can go to.

I have been learning through the posts and know there is so much more this site can do. I was able to take a quick look - I could get lost for hours exploring the features - and the site is great.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.... just can't say it enough!

Have a wonderful day,

Catherine

Awesome tool to have, Brad.  But isn't an online manual always in the process and never quite finished?

Brad,

This is so awesome for newbies but the best part is that it is a constant source for us not-so-newbies who have let some things slip or just haven't been able to keep up.  I know that there are a reasonable amount of folks who have the ability to consistently blog and keep their business afloat but somehow I just can't get both of those oars in the water all the time.  Thanks for all of your effort and that of all the contributors, it will be very beneficial to all!

Brad- best post I've read today! lol.  Another one for me to bookmark and come to. I'll probably have to print out articles for my own little reference book.

thanks!

Incredible - wish this was around when I joined too! Thanks for your efforts to make AR such a worthwhile place to be!

Thanks for the guide (Brad, et al) and a great post!  The one thing I keep telling people when promoting AR membership is the feeling of community--it is greater than the sum of its parts.  Each one of us who participates, gains from the knowledge & experience of others exponentially.

Brad

I have a couple listing routers now, and now I just need to figure the outeside blog I purchased.

All my best

Tom

Wow, this is soooo exciting to me.  I am hoping I can find some of the answers to my questions and gain a better understanding!  I just need to get time to visit the guide now!  Thanks to all who put this together!

Brad - I loved your tutorials from the time I joined as very user friendly and very detailed to the point. I applaud everyone who is a contributor. I've been waiting for this for a long time and now it's here. Congratulations to you all.

congrats

Awesome. I only joined about a year and a half ago and even then it was sort of a painstaking process. If my mom didn't get on board first and help me out, I probably would have lost interest quick and not be where I am today. I'm so thankful to her!

Dear Brad,

This is terrific news. Maybe now I can stop bugging people so much!

Thanks,

Barbara

Hi Brad,

Thanks for keeping us informed.  I've learned so much on this site in the past year since I joined. 

                            :>)))))))))

That is awesome!  Can't wait to see it!

Thanks for asking me to participate bard!  I hope to keep add some excellent material to blog.

Hey Stranger,

WOW, this is awsome to have every thing in one place!  Not only will it help the new people but is is a Hugh help for "old member # 26,000 (and something:)" who have been away from AR for awhile.

When I felt good enough to sign back on I thought "Oh my God they have changed everything and just when I almost knew what I was doing". 

Thanks a million,  Jeff Turner, Jason Crouch, Katerina Gasset, Justin Smith, Mike Mueller, Kristal Kraft, Rich Jacobson, Jeremy Blanton and my main man, Brad , you guys & girls ROCK and have made this computer illiterate a very happy blogger.  Big Group Hugs, Liz

thank you Brad. YOu work so hard for all of us.  You are still amazing.

thanks for your help Brad... AR can be challenging to figure out when you are new to it... it is great to have a place to start to understand it... the new improvements are awesome... thanks again..

Sheila

Brad ~ I just took a quick peek at the new guide and it is amazing .  I can't wait to "dig in" and read more of it.  Thank you for all that you do to make A/R the great community that it is for all of us! 

Greating timing as I'm teaching my first 2 classes next week..........is there and index or table of contents listing the contributions? Categories....?  Anything like that?  Maybe I missed it......Thanks, 

Thanks for all these great comments, as usual, there's no way I can reply to you all, but I do always read every comment.  Bob Stewart kicked me off the computer today, so this is my first chance to sneak back into AR and comment.  (I guess that little time stamp and yellow background really keep me accountable eh! lol)

Thanks once again to ALL our contributors on the ActiveRainGuide Blog, it's just another great example of how  these outside blogs can be a great resource, and of great value when there's "value-added" content, and an interested visitor.  Imagine what these blogs could and will do for your interested visitors.

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

An ActiveBrad Micro-Blog Post

So now that many members have had the chance to setup their own individual and outside group blogs, and we've had the chance to work out some of the initial kinks, (there's a tutorial), we'll now be adding the ability to search and link to "TOPICS" which is like having a category type of search on your blog sidebar. 

IMPORTANT TIP:  Be sure that you are using the "Topic" feature when creating new posts on AR, this will help index your posts for easy searching on your outside blogs.  You'll also be able to add widgets including a search widget that will allow visitors to search your outside Blog, or the web.  Widgets are almost done...

Also look for more themes coming soon....

QUICK TIP:  Don't go out and buy a domain name anywhere else, then you'll have to go in and setup the DNS records and point the nameservers to the right location. It can be done...Blah Blah Blah,  It's much easier to just let us do it, and get your custom domain names right from ActiveRain. I'll give you 1000 points if I can't set you up in under 5 minutes with a domain name claimed from us!  Otherwise give yourself hours or even days to get it done.  (Just ask Jodi Bakst)  

FINAL TIP:  Remember to keep ALL your videos, photos and images under 600 Pixels Wide on ALL YOUR POSTS. (200-400 is optimal)  This will keep ALL your (AR Blogs, Outside Blogs, & Localism) formatted properly and looking consistent across all three platforms.  This is one of the common issues we are seeing repeatedly when setting up members outside Blogs. 

Have a great night!  

                                                                                                             Ciao & Cheers!!  :-)

Thanks Brad, great job and well worth the wait!

Thanks again Brad for the time and effort-I will be using the guide constantly. 

These are some great heavy weights who have done a super job contributing here on Active Rain.

Hi Brad~ I think it is great to have all of this in one place.  Some things I learned the hard way.  Now I know, look and there are probably directions posted and just follow them and do it the easier way! 

Hi Brad - it's about time you came up with this.  What the heck have you been doing with all of your spare time lately?  Geeez!

hahaha Virginia - you think I should give up my needle knit and crochet and get back to work?  lol~

Brad - Yes, as soon as you finish those booties for my grandkids!  One blue, one pink.

Brad .. thanks for this article about ActiveRainGuide.com, which I will check out and expect to make good use of.  I didn't know about that and already had positive contact with Jason and Jeremy and others. Harrison

Brad,  thank you for taking the year(s) to create something for someone who is new to Active Rain to get up to speed more quickly and effeciently.   There is something to be said for someone who cares and genuinely wants to help others from their own experience.  

Brad:  So much work for such a long time period.  You are and have been an invaluable resource for so many of us.  Thank you for all you do !  Take care...

Wow!  Active Rain for Dummies---of which I am one!!!  This is perfect----but being the paranoid person I am, I will still save all of those bookmarked posts from the past.  Thanks Brad!!

I am so glad this finally came out. no more searching and guessing, and good ol' experimenting!

Thanks for all these great comments, but I also have to give kudos to those contributing.  Our newest contributor is James from Zipvo, he just added a great post on how to create headers and banners for your Blogs using picnik.  Check it out at ActiveRainGuide.com.  Thanks James and everyone for all the love and support you bring to myself and this awesome community. It and all of you are one of a kind!!  :-)

Thanks for putting everything in one place!!

Sweet. Dude. Sweet. Dude. Sweet.

Mike - "How Sweet It Is!"  :-)

Yippeeeee!

Thanks!

Hi Brad,

I am learning so much from the many postings on ActiveRain. Thanks for making things clearer.I plan to be a committed member. I still have more learning to do, but am learning something new every day!

Randi Steckler

Hi Brad,

 I'm having trouble viewing this link. Can you advise?

I can't wait to dig in. Great site, enjoy being a part of the community.

Pat - which links are you having trouble with?  I just checked them all and they seem to be fine in my browsers.  Let me know an I'll try and figure out why you are having difficulties.  Thanks.  :-)

Brad I am knew and can't seem to find a good source of on help here. At the moment I can't seem to find where I can install a picture of myself that will appear when I comment on someones post. Could you direct me in the right location.  Thanks

Thanks! I will save the file, and read, read, read!

Guess this page is dead? I tried clicking on the link and got a "We are sorry, something went wrong" message. Seems like a great idea. Guess I will have to dig a little deeper. FAQ's here I come.

I'm Back Mack - looks like AR must be working on some things. 

The ActiveRainGuide.com is an ActiveRain Outside Blog and I can't get into it either right now.

You can always go to http://ActiveRainManual.com for help and over 500 posts of how-to's and tutorials, it's hosted on a godaddy server so I haven't ever seen it down.  I'm sure AR will have this one up and running here again in no time at all, they're probably just upgrading and making the site even better, so it's just a temporary broken link.  Thanks. :-) 

How do you delete blog posts on localism that was orginally posted for "Memebers Only" but ended up on Localism? The AR blog post has been deleted.

Monica - you should be able to delete it from your localism account when you login on the localism side of the web.  You may need to contact one of the AR employees or staff if they changed it to an admin only feature.  Let me know. 

I've called several times but left on hold and have emailed with no response. Brad I would heve deleted from Localism if I could have.....so yes do I need help on this please. Thank you

I'm still waiting for assistance....Please Help me!!! No one is picking up the AR hotline.....what gives?