"Your post has been removed from the ActiveRain group...."

boo hoo... I got removed from a group. I got an email from ActiveRain that said:

"Your post 'Real Living - Just Say NO to comment spam' has been removed from the group 'RealLiving' by an administrator/moderator. You should either review the guidelines for the group or contact this person if you have any questions."

Wait I removed the 'Real Living - Just Say NO to comment spam' post from the Real Living Group myself... I am the moderator / administrator / founder.... or one of the moderators of the Real Living group. I rewrote it and was having trouble with the editing, so I deleted it and reposted it.

I had read that we get emails when posts are removed from ActiveRain groups recently. I had never seen one before. That should help groups. Or kill off groups, depending on how people take the emails. I have banned a bunch of "bozos" from a couple of groups because they just did not get it...kept posting stuff that did not meet the group guidelines, over and over. Mostly in the 'My other blog is...' group and the now defunct because of mischief 'Welcome' group.

I got an email from an agent (not with Real Living) recently apologizing for posting things to the Real Living Group:

"I'm so sorry that I didn't realize Real Living was a brokerage and not an HGTV like group.

Hopefully, you can forgive me! I know I read an awesome post once and thought I just loved the topic and misread the group for what it wasn't.

Happy Monday!"

Gracious of her huh?

Forgive her? Of course!

She is not the first to not understand that Real Living is a real estate brand, like RE/MAX, Prudential, Coldwell Banker. Being mistaken for a maqazine, lifestyle brand is not the worst thing in the world. The Real Living Group's Guideline says:

"Real Living is a brokerage. A group for those associated with Real Living and their friends. Do not post listings or ads to the group UNLESS you are a Real Living Realtor. This group is not strictly Real Living HER, Central Ohio... This group is Real Living brokerages across the US. If you are affiliated with another real estate brokerage please don't post to the group, unless it has something to do with Real Living. Thanks"

This morning there were two posts about another brokerage posted to the Real Living group. From someone from Columbus Ohio (Real Living is based in Columbus Ohio.)

Neal Bloom recently changed the guidelines for the Almost Anything Goes group.

The Ethics and the Realtor Group Monika McGillicuddy founded has this guideline:

" Anything to do with the REALTOR Code of Ethics...Questions on Behavior...The Enforcement Process...Lets talk the Code..."

A recent post to the Ethics and the Realtor group says:

****Please do not add your listing posts, market reports, political and religious post, self promotion type posts as they will be removed from the group.****

I like groups for reading ActiveRain, or the groups that are moderated anyway. I can read by topic using groups.

Do you pay attention to group guidelines?

Kool-Aid what's your favorite real estate flavor?

From Kraft Foods ...Kraft Foods owns the Kool-Aid Man who has his own website:

"NAME: KOOL-AID Man
HEIGHT: 8' tall and 5' wide
FUN FACT: I have 3 ice cubes in my head"

Is there a rule in real estate blogging about not pitching your company? What if your job is pitching your company?

Real Estate Brand - RE/MAX

Ken Tracy of RE/MAX - Naperville wrote a post on ActiveRain about Re/Max... Why RE/MAX?  

a comment:

"Easy Ken... that RE/MAX kool-aid is dangerous. You've broken the biggest blog rule by pitching yourself and your company. RE/MAX is just one way of doing business."

Well of course RE/MAX is just one way of doing business, Ken's choice and he's writing about it on his ActiveRain blog..."the  biggest blog rule" is against pitching yourself and your company?  Huh?  Do you feel there is a rule against blogging about your brand or company? 

Is being loyal to a real estate brand akin to standing in line to drink poisoned Kool-Aid? Re/Max, Coldwell Banker, Keller Williams, Exit, GMAC, ERA, Prudential, Century 21... IMHO one of the cool things about social media is that we mix with those from other brokerages.  Yeah we do that at the board for committees...too, kinda sorta.

Real Estate Brand - Exit Realty

An agent from my market, who is with Exit Realty posted an entry on her ActiveRain blog, Valerie McMichael wrote about Exit Realty

The first comment was:

"No offense Valerie, but is this real estate or Am Way"  I believe he must have meant "Amway."

Next comment....

"Your 30 second commercial is up.  This is not what AR is about."

A Keller William's agent understood something in Valerie's post to be Valerie referring to Keller-Williams so commented with a link to something he wrote, whatever he linked to has been deleted.

Brand wars?  It was Valerie's third and last post on ActiveRain.

Real Estate Brand - Real Living

The brokerage I work for, Real Living HER is part of Real Living, recently Chris Svec,  "the Vice President of New Market Development for Real Living, Inc"  joined ActiveRain.  Chris sells Real Living Franchises.  Don't want to buy a franchise or be recruited?  Run past Chris's blog... run quick. Or maybe Chris will start posting jokes and recipes on ActiveRain to win friends and influence people, only time will tell.

Last week Chris Svec had an agent with an indepependent broker camping out on his blog. edit He is with a national brand ??? I must have had him confused with someone else.  A funny comment on Brad Whiteman's blog (a Real Living Franchisee's blog) ABOUT Chris Svec says:  

"WOW, so the companies that were doing some of these things before HER/Real were not really the first one's? 

I am on a fact finding mission for half-truth's and lies out of the Real Living camp after reading some of Chris Svec's slanderous comments and witnessing his attempt to encourage real estate broker price fixing, even though he himself is not licensed and probably unaware of what he is and is not allowed to say when representing his employer...even though he thinks a disclaimer gets him off the hook.

I see that I do not have to look far for what I am looking for...it just took three or four clicks to find more.

Al Gore just called me.  He said he didn't actually invent the Internet, but that Real Living did.  (sarcasm, of course, since I do not practice lying...this little thing unheard thing called "code of ethics" that I adhere to.) "

Psst...  I believe Chris Svec is licensed in Ohio.  Wow... what did Real Living ever do to him?

I went looking for Chris encouraging "price fixing" or Chris slandering anyone or another brand and I can't find it...    If you read his blog assuming Chris Svec is not going to write about Real Living, you will be disappointed.  In fact you may become a raving, ranting lunatic if you continue to read Chris's blog if you have something against people blogging about their brand, or against Real Living.  Above is from Brad Whiteman's Who's First Real Living which is all about Real Living.

I was at the Real Living convention this week, Momentum 2008 but I must have missed the Kool-Aid.

"Join ActiveRain" Stefan Swanepoel said to....

In his keynote address at Momentum 2008 today Stefan Swanepoel told Real Living agents and brokers "Join ActiveRain"

Click to Join The

The dynamic blogging duo of Chris Svec and Scott Hoyt shared some of Momentum 2008, so far. Scott Hoyt of Real Living Partners from Cary North Carolina, is visiting Columbus. Chris Svec is Vice President of New Market Development for Real Living, Inc, and does real estate franchising and agent recruiting.

Scott and Chris have photos and videos of Momentum 2008 on their ActiveRain blog entries that include:

Great Morning in Columbus

Time for Registration!

Harley on why he's excited about Momentum 08

Merchandise At Momentum

Momentum 2008

Stefan Swanepole at Momentum

Harley Kicks It Off!

Momentum: First hour.

Real Living CEO Speaks At Momentum - Video

Dan Riley - More Momentum Video Dan Riley is from Real Living Realty One, in Cleveland Ohio.

Catchin Up With A-Mag - Video Andrew Magliochetti is the owner of Real Living Helios in Chicago

... and that was just Thursday!

The innate evilness of recipes on ActiveRain

I was surprised that recipes rated as high as they did in a poll about what should be outlawed on ActiveRain.

Recipes now have 27 votes or 19.15% of the vote in the very unscientific poll.

Now before any doofus starts whining, ranting or screaming about censorship, I personally have no problem with recipes on ActiveRain. I don't believe I have ever posted one but here goes....

From HER Realtors Cookbook Number .... No I can't do it. I have a degree in Home Economics (no cooking or sewing involved) and worry about being pigeonholed. Do I care if others post recipes on real estate blogs? In email newsletters? send out recipe cards?

I wrote about the history of cookbooks in ColumbusBestBlog.com the company I work for now known as Real Living HER used to be known as HER Realtors. HER Realtors (it's not Her Realtors, it is a man's initials, the founder's, Harley E. Rouda.) In a nutshell HER was founded in 1956. the company published a number of cookbooks over the years.

Here's the first edition HER Cookbook for sale on Amazon.com

On the " ActiveRain ought to have a law against posting" poll Lane Bailey commented that he voted for a law against recipes on ActiveRain:

"because of the stereotype of agents sending out recipe post cards."

The McCain presidential campaign just had Recipegate.

"Ooops, Cindy McCain's recipe for recipe plagiarism" on an LA Times blog says :

"It was a really popular feature. So the McCain folks are gonna put up new Cindy McCain favorite recipe pages. As soon as the oven reaches 450 degrees."

Sue Ann Niven, the Happy Homemaker was just a TV character...and "the Happy Homemaker was from the 1970's and times change I don't know there is something unsavory about calling the "Happy Homemakers" of ActiveRain "point whores." Monika McGillicuddy mentioned "point whores" on the post about what should be "outlawed" on ActiveRain, not in relation to Happy Homemakers or recipes. Just what "point whores" are in general. Could you "point whore" with recipes. You could, IMHO. Is there something intrinsically icky about recipes. Or is it that no one should just because you wouldn't?

There are recipe groups on ActiveRain and regional groups on ActiveRain which welcome recipes including:

Recipes

Founder: Keith Jeppson - Salt Lake City Real Estate
Founded: 11/29/06
Subscribers: 181
Posts: 588

"Suthern Thangs"

Founder: Jimmy Breazeale
Founded: 04/18/07
Subscribers: 45
Posts: 166

"A group for all things southern, from wild game recipes to Aunt Junie Mae's quilts. Guys, gals, and yes, even Yankees are welcome here. ..."

be careful... I was hankering for some ribs after visiting Jimmy's "Suthurn Thangs" group...

another poll a couple of doofuses I mean respected ActiveRain members commented on my post last Sunday said there ought to be a law against polls on ActiveRain.

Ha Ha...

move along...

ActiveRain - Localism Monopoly

What if I could divide up my ActiveRain points and become featured agent in Dublin, Grandview, Lewis Center, Powell, Upper Arlington, Westerville and Worthington... and still be number one in Columbus?

Heck maybe I should not even stop there... what about Delaware, Hilliard, Gahanna and New Albany as well? I just threw Grandview Heights in at the last minute I realized for a mere 101 points I can be number one in Grandview Heights, a lovely community. I have over 300K ActiveRain points right now...

Featured - All I'd lose my place on this list but who cares about that ...

Real Estate is local.

What it would take by Central Ohio community to be number one:

Dublin 8841
Grandview Heights 101
Lewis Center 25050
Powell 86430
Upper Arlington 1497
Westerville 5516
Worthington 2963

How would ActiveRain look with my face in each of those communities? Would that seem fair to you? Would I look like a point pig? By my calculations I'd still have 171,611 points for Columbus which would still keep me ahead...

ActiveRain at one point was discouraging multiple IDs. Now I understand they are OK. Good competition or silly game?

Happy 30th Birthday to SPAM

Happy Birthday to you

Happy birthday to you 

Happy Birthday dear SPAAAAAM

Happy Birthday to you!

e-mail SPAM that is. When I saw this via Darren Rowse on Twitter. Happy Birthday to e-mail SPAM I thought of the meat from Hormel first when I saw SPAM was having a birthday but I think the meat is from WWII.

I primarily use three mailboxes / addresses.  The primary address the SPAM filter usually catches anywhere from 300  to 500 emails but this week on Tuesday there were over 1100 SPAM messages caught.  There's two other mail boxes.... one does not get any spam... the other is a nightmare, not as much as the primary mailbox but... then there's my comment spam on my blogs... but that's different... or is it?

This article says the first SPAM email was not ill intentioned. It was just marketing.  Using a new medium to market.  The first SPAM  was sent to 400 people to sell them computers. Many of  todays e-mail SPAMs can be very ill intentioned.  We've all got the emails from the African princes, the Nigerian scams.  A European country was extorted via SPAM.. there are all kinds of new uses for SPAM today.

The article Rowse shared which is written by Karin Zeitvogel says:"But the most common form of spam remains the unsolicited message that tries to sell you a replica Rolex, a miracle weight loss formula, or medication to enlarge anatomical parts or enhance sexual prowess."

The article says the SPAM skit from Monty Python was the reason, that e-mail SPAM was called SPAM. I believe Wikipedia says e-mail SPAM was named SPAM because of the Monty Python skit.  I don't really get the Monty Python skit... what do Vikings have to do with SPAM? Why are there Vikings in a restaurant in England?  Why is there SPAM in everything on the menu? Or why it would be the source of the name of the icky stuff we have in our mailboxes.

Monty Python SPAM skit 

I believe the first comment on the link that Rowse shared is him and he says he understood SPAM meant "S**t heads Posting Adds for Money"  back in the early 80's on forums.

Will e-mail spams little brothers and sisters comment spam, link spam, splogs, mobile phone spam, forum spam, spamdexing, newsgroup spam, messaging spam, each get their own birthday? Or is it all the same thing?

Knock-Knock...

Here's my first joke on a blog. I think... maybe I have posted a joke on Columbus Best Blog, Discover Columbus or ColumbusBestBlog.com (my other blogs...) before...bad blogger?

From the internet... this is NOT original material?  Who has the copyright?  I have no idea.  Are there copyrighted Knock-Knock jokes... I am sure there are.  When you post a joke to ActiveRain or a blog are you concerned about copyright? 

Knock-Knock

Who's there?

Heaven

Heaven who?

Heaven you heard enough of these silly knock-knock jokes?

oooooh here's a knock-knock joke for those who are concerned about religion on ActiveRain too. How many people can I offend?  

"Knock-Knock!

Who's there?

Delores.

Delores who?

Delores my shepherd... (a play on "the Lord is my shepherd")"

I found that on the Wikipedia entry about Knock-Knock jokes... it says that joke was circulating in Cape Town South Africa in the 1950s.  Does the writer of that Wikipedia entry give credit to the person who originally crafted that joke?  I don't see it... Am I am violating the original joke teller's copyright by repeating it here?

ActiveRain ought to have a law against posting....

Before anyone starts boo hooing about censorship and their right to post jokes while I am not a fan of jokes on ActiveRain  I would defend your right to tell a joke on ActiveRain (unless ActiveRain changes the community Guidelines... Rich J want's more balance... I assume speaking for AcitiveRain as the community building guru... ) I would not encourage anyone to post a steady diet of jokes on ActiveRain.  ActiveRain wants more balance, Rich Jacobson said so. ActiveRain wants more real estate.  Anyone know good real estate jokes? Are real estate jokes what is posted in the groups that allow jokes on ActiveRain? 

In a poll of ActiveRain members about what they think does not belong on ActiveRain, jokes are right in the middle.  Recipes are a bigger turn off to many of our peers when it comes to "posting off topic" on ActiveRain according to the poll.  ActiveRain has a category for Off topic, humor etc.   Forgive me, although this is about jokes and I told two jokes this post is posted to ActiveRain Community because it is more about ActiveRain groups (there are groups for jokes, recipes), censorship, copyright and rules than it is about jokes... IMO. 

Jokes and copyright 

I've seen discussions about recipes and copyright on ActiveRain a time or two but I really have not seen a discussion of jokes and copyright...  although Neal Bloom has brought up copyright a time or two in the comments on the poll entry. Neal and I discussing joke in the comments on the ActiveRain Community Guideline is what prompted my post about what people think should be "outlawed" on ActiveRain.  

Copyright gurus: Aren't some jokes kind of in that amorphous area of something that is just out there... you don't need to attribute, search out who has the copyright, who told it first?  Fair use?  I don't really 100% get the concept...of fair use but I think it is important to anyone who is posting a blog or using anything web 2.0 in business to try to  understand copyright and fair use.  

Copyrighted Jokes 

Yes if I post Jay Leno's monologue from last night, I've stolen his material, violated his copyright.

If I post any stand up comics act I am stealing...violating their copyright.  If they've got a site and I go and "cut and paste" a funny interlude I am stealing, violating copyright. If i tell a joke I heard on The Tonight Show at the water cooler the next morning I violating copyright? 

If I post a Knock-Knock joke on ActiveRain  like the first one am I violating someone's copyright? Whose?

ActiveRain ought to have a law against posting....

Fill in the blank in this poll.  There ought to be a law against __________ on ActiveRain. 

What belongs on ActiveRain?  What does not?

Jokes?  Paid content? Recipes?  Animated gifs? Market reports? I've read people riled up over all those and more on ActiveRain... 

Neal Bloom and I discussed Jokes in the comments on the ActiveRain Guidelines post recently. Neal doesn't believe ActiveRain should allow jokes.  Neal wrote:

"personally I don't agree they should be posted...they are not industry related and to me don't seem to fit the social criteria either. Also ...who knows if they are actually the posters jokes. Maybe they are just copying the joke from somewhere...if they are such good original joke tellers then maybe they missed their calling...I see more of this...it's just another way to game the system for points....ego whatever.

Free Speech and all that stuff...

I don't post jokes.  I don't read jokes.  I probably would never even leave a comment on a blog that was just a joke because I would not want to encourage jokes.... but I will defend the rights of the ActiveRain jokers to post jokes as long as there is not a rule against posting jokes. Should a post that is just a joke "cut and pasted"  to ActiveRain get points?  That's another discussion.

What is on topic on a real estate network?

Is ActiveRain staying "on topic" important to you? It's a Real Estate Network why is a video about eating raw fish more popular than NAR videos about ethics? Rich Jacobson wrote of Videos on ActiveRain:

"And just for the record:

The Most Popular Video thus far?

"How to Eat Sushi"

The Least Popular?

The National Association of Realtors Code of Ethics (go figure!)

Glad to know we all have our priorities straight!"

I posted this entry in "ActiveRain Community" I'd expect jokes to be filed in "Off topic, humor, etc "  I believe that has been an option since I've been an ActiveRain member.

_For real estate professionals
_ActiveRain Community
_Industry News
_Tips and Advice
_Real Estate Opinions
_Off topic, humor, etc
_Advertising

What do you think there ought to be a law against on ActiveRain? Vote in the poll.  You can choose multiple answers and even add an other.

Gas Prices - "I'm Mad as Hell...."

missycaulk @MaureenMcCabe I filled up yesterday and it was 3.69.99, so basically 3.70. Why are people not outraged? Are we numb to this?

"I'm Mad as Hell ... and I'm not going to take it anymore."

That's a quote from the movie Network, from 1976... I have to admit I have never seen the movie... and I believe it is probably way over my head, but I have seen this clip... he (Howard? Harold? Beale) says something about oil prices his rant...

I was listening to the news in the car yesterday and they said Ohio average gas prices are/ were $3.48 now. What I see in my neck of the woods (northern Franklin County, Southern Delaware County) is $3.599. The west side of Columbus and Hilliard are notorious for having the best gas prices in our area. The news story I was listening to mentioned our surrounding states... West Virginia pricing made me think of Sarah Cooper, our neighbor to the southeast.. I asked Sarah Copper about West Virginia gas prices via Twitter bright and early this morning... The news story said gas prices in West Virginia averaged $3.63 now.

Gas prices in my area (Columbus Ohio) today according to GasBuddy.com:

The Tweet from Missy Caulk in Michigan (our neighbor to the north) made me think of this clip and go to YouTube to see what crazy newscaster H. Beale said in his on air rant back in 1976.. in the movie, Network. Can you imagine Sarah Cooper filling up her car in West Virginia today and screaming "I'm Mad as Hell ... and I am not going to take it anymore." I can't. I can't picture Missy doing it either....

How are gas prices in your area? Are you mad about gas prices? Would screaming "I'm Mad as Hell..." at the gas station help you?

Google YOUR name...

Google your name, make a movie on what you find

Not just your first name... your whole name. Of course you do it to see yourself on the www. Narcissism? Do you do it to meet people? Is there a point to meeting people with your name? There was for Jim Killeen.

This Friday there is a movie coming out on YouTube, by Jim Killeen who found other Jim Killeens around the world, visited them and videoed the Jim Killeens...

"Along the way, Killeen tracked down six fellow Jim Killeens: a priest from Cobh, Ireland; a traffic engineer from Edinburgh, Scotland; a CEO from Melbourne, Australia; a "sexual swinger" from Denver; a retired police detective from New York City; and a father of eight from St. Louis." Above is the link to the story on CNET.com

How common is YOUR name? Have you ever met anyone with your name?

Me? My name is very common. There is a Realtor in Florida with the same name. An artist in Massachusetts is named Maureen McCabe... I did not know about them until the www. I found the Realtor in Florida a few years back via the MSN search because an agent in my office was upset about her son searching for her name (with MSN) and another agent (with another name) in our office popped up first. She was concerned the other agent was doing something. I was already blogging at the time so a lot of the "Maureen McCabe" I found was me. I own the MaureenMcCabe.com domain... because I am a real estate agent and that's what THEY told us to do way back when.

Jim Killeen's Google Me the movie

Using Killeen's site most of the Maureen McCabes that come up are me (same as if I search Google normally as we all did at some point to see what others see when they Google our names.) I am kind of a Google hog due to blogging. I've broken the links so I am not link spamming myself here:

Discover Columbus

Maureen McCabe on artnet

See blogging has made me a Google hog. Just the last one is not me.

Location Location Location

I have never met another Maureen McCabe but hey I could go traveling, make a video... Nah It's been done by Jim Killeen and the movie comes out Friday.