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relationships: Ruffled Feathers makes for some Good Flapping in the Rain - 04/09/08 09:20 AM
When Active Rain "works" it does something quite wonderful. It grows, and expands, and teaches, and challenges. It creates dialogue in places and spaces where there was none.
I think sometimes we forget that we all here are a community. An ever growing community, but a community non the less. In the "good old days," when there were only a few thousand members, there was a daily banter of ideas bouncing back and forth. Those of you who were lucky to be here then know what I am talking about. Some of what was shared was of great "industry" value; some was just plain "trivial … (20 comments)
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relationships: Is Your Ignorance Bliss or a Missed Opportunity? - 04/08/08 09:39 AM
I have been writing here on Active Rain for nearly 2 years now and have seen the presence of home stagers explode here. Even though we share much of ourselves to this great community, in general it AMAZES me how ignored, snubbed and misunderstood our message has been by the overall Realtor community here on AR... and, to be honest, out there in markets we serve. So many Realtors seem to have shut down ANY possibility to understand ANY opportunity staging offers. There has to be a message that will finally alter the perception the general Realtor community has of who we are and what … (47 comments)
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relationships: Best Blog EVER Finally Hits Its Target... of ONE - 04/02/08 06:39 AM
Daily hundreds and hundreds of bloggers post here on Active Rain... all with the hopes that what we write connects to an audience. What makes blogging on AR uniquely different from other blog platforms is the fact that because it is a social network, posting here first reachs a tighter member audience made up of professional from all areas of the Real Estate industry.
Comments from our peers can give us the immediate "gratification" of knowing if what we said, what we wrote, worked or not.
Sometimes when we write something particularly well, the All Mighty & Mysterious Rain Gods will feature our posts and send it into the … (15 comments)
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relationships: ANNOUNCING: James Frazer as April's "Editor-In-Chief" of Stage It Forward... - 04/02/07 03:26 PM
A core value, of Stage It Forward is that by creating one united voice... all home stagers will benefit.Since the groups start-up in November 2006 I have been "Editor" of the group... which means I select and give a small yellow star to those posts WITHIN OUR group that are featured each day.Recently, I had lunch with fellow stager and group memeber, James Frazier. We were talking about the group, and managing all the great posts so many have written and how it could be "done better"... and still keep the group's dynamic fresh and fair.We came up with the idea of creating ROTATING EDITORS... so that … (12 comments)
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relationships: And the FOOL in the Rain Award Goes to... - 04/02/07 07:59 AM
Yesterday, April Fool's day, was a special day here in the Rain. It was a day that brought out the "Fool" in many. So if you like to smile, I thought I would pull together one of those of oh-so-famous and much enjoyed REVIEW posts... but, for this review compilation I got it easy, I just had to go through one days worth of material.
Anyway, as they say, here are the nominees for the 2007 A.R.F (Active Rain Fool) Award in no particular order... (YES! This WAS a contest YOU FOOLS!!!... but only in my head)
In order to get to the bottom of this … (61 comments)
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relationships: Held Within A Comment... - 03/22/07 06:52 AM
I woke up this morning thinking about my recent (NBC) post and the many thoughtful, supporting and encouraging comments that were made by so many... that I just had to do something to show just how much I appreciate all of your kind and generous words. So this is my "collective Comment of Thanks" to all your comments.
What is so odd about Active Rain, is that while you can find amazing and well written blogs that teach so much, share so much, and help so much... it is in simple short Comments where "volumes" are often spoken.
It is the Comment that gives Active Rain life. For in the Comment something magical happens … (59 comments)
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relationships: STAGE IT FORWARD... by giving IT back - 03/11/07 06:59 AM
The importance and willingness to give back is basic to what the group of stagers in Stage it Forward are all about. Its so basic, that in the group's short description here on Active Rain, the words "share" or "sharing" is used in 3 separate places.
For me however, Stage It Forward is more than just helping other stagers grow their businesses... for me, Stage It Forward meant using my time, talent and treasure to benefit my community. So at Real Estaging, our current Stage It Forward effort centers around the creation of a spectacular community wide fund raising event for Brickton Art Center... a WONDERFUL not-for profit organization (grounded in outreach) in Park Ridge Illinois.
This year we helped … (10 comments)
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relationships: Real-Time Networking Event in the Spirit of Active Rain! - 02/07/07 07:16 PM
I know I have been kinda quiet in the rain... but it has been VERY busy here at Real Estaging.
However... for all my Chicago-land Active Rain collogues I am VERY proud to announce a very cool event that I am co-sponsoring along with 2 other Active Rain Members. (Tripti Kasal of Real Living Infinity and Joe Zekus of YoChicago.)
The event embodies the SPIRIT of what Active Rain makes possible... in REAL TIME. AND... the cool thing about the seminar is that it is a networking event that teaches real time networking skills!
After attending a SIMILAR event, geared to the general business … (23 comments)
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relationships: 1 Golden Rule and a bunch of Lemmings - 01/28/07 08:29 AM
One of the things that attracted me to Active Rain is the way ideas flow freely back and forth.
There is room and need for a variety of opinions on MANY subjects here. Disagreement is the fertile ground for growth. Let's face it, if we all just "Lemming-ed" our way through life, we would all without question go over that big cliff.
Quite often people hold on to their opinions as if they are GOLD. But here on Active Rain I believe that the real GOLD is the open dialogue and understanding gained from it. The real Gold can be found as each of us as individuals chooses to apply, adapt, … (36 comments)
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relationships: Standing Out in the Rain... a Lesson to take to Localism. - 01/04/07 01:10 PM
Yesterday it was announced that of the 27,229 blog entries* posted on Active Rain since its début on June 25, 2006 my "very personal" post entitled "The Gift of Tears" was voted the Most Memorable post for the year. First, I have to say WOW and huge thank you to all who voted!
And while I am flattered and grateful, it got me to thinking... Why? Why THAT post? Did that post REALLY have anything to do with Real Estate?
As a professional in the Real Estate industry I know that working with people is at the core of what I … (40 comments)
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relationships: The gift of tears - 12/15/06 07:00 AM
Well, when it comes to ActiveRain I have been kind of quiet all week long. While I've popped into the rain here and there... and made some comments, I have not posted. I didn't post for a couple of reasons. First, after reading many of the last few posts by Jeff Turner I have been moved deeply and profoundly and I am doing much reflecting, both personally and professionally. Next, since this was to be my 100th post, I wanted it to share something of value, something thought provoking.
Many of you who have read my posts have enjoyed my "unique" sense of humor. I've … (73 comments)
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relationships: I can’t hold it any longer… this old Blog-Dog is gonna hit his 100th Post. - 12/08/06 09:25 AM
Well I am about to a hit a personal milestone here in the rain. My next post will be #100!
And while that may not seem like a lot for some bloggers here in the rain... it is for me. You see prior to joining Active Rain I barely knew what a blog was... let alone write one. (Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?)
Anyway, now that I have been a part of all this am I am grateful for all I have learned AND the fun I have had. Yes... FUN! Fun has been for me part of my personal Return-On-Investment … (33 comments)
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relationships: Sometimes it feels like somebody's (just) watching me. - 12/04/06 08:14 PM
I've noticed something lately... well actually I have been watching since the rain gods have provided us with the VIEWS & TIMES CLICKED ON counters. (Which are just to the left of the "Bookmark" button.)
And something feels a bit off.
Considering there are over 10,000 rainers, why are so many just "SEEING" what we say and choose not to comment. The number of comments and commenters seem to have stalled out.
I ask this because I find comments VERY helpful. They help me understand what is "connecting" and what is "DIS-connecting" with those who read my words.
Comments are also a GREAT way for someone new to Active Rain … (36 comments)
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relationships: A BUBBLY WAY... to share your thanks & your message - 12/03/06 07:19 PM
I know I talk a lot about staging. But my REAL passion is advertising and marketing. I LOVE to find new ways to break through the typical "advertising noise" and connect with people. (Staging just happens to be an amazing marketing tool that does this too... that is why I am so adamant about it.)
Anyway, a few years back we decide to divert some of our advertising dollars away from print and find a ways to connect to our clients and potential clients in more creative and effectiveways. So what did we do? We throw a party!
Well, actually we always had a personal holiday party... we … (13 comments)
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relationships: REALTORS... tune into this opportunity NOW! - 11/15/06 05:13 PM
So I've been talking to Kim Segal a researcher working for HGTV. The BIG OPPROTUNITY and news I was hinting at in my earlier blog from today is that HGTV's #1 Real Estate Show wants to feature realtors in Chicago! (Kim is also looking for realtors in Denver, Raleigh, Vancouver, and Montreal!)
"BUY ME" is HGTV's reality-based TV series that chronicles the real-life drama of selling a home. From "For Sale" to "SOLD", each episode features a new story with a different entertaining twist.
"BUY ME" will tell your story by taking their viewers behind-the-scenes to meet your sellers, buyers, contractors, stagers and home inspectors. Televised across Canada and the … (19 comments)
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relationships: WOW does this stager have "IT" or what? - 11/02/06 07:40 AM
With nearly 170 Real Estate Stagers now listed here on Active Rain I tend to only have time to "check out" those who have jumped further in the puddle and participate more fully by blogging and commenting.
Recently I stumbled upon Jessica Hughes of Ambiance Staging. a new stager that I believe has “it”... in every sense of word. I believe she has a GREAT start, a GREAT attitude, GREAT talent, GREAT acumen and most importantly… tenacity.
A little while back I shared a “secret” on how to easily evaluate a stager. In that blog I said… “USE YOUR EYES and see the good AR stagers … (11 comments)
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relationships: Blog Comments: Thorns amongst the flowers. - 10/30/06 10:47 PM
When I posted my “Little Orphan Rodney” blog this morning I never thought it would create such a firestorm of comments.
I been so inspired by the spirit of kindness and generosity on Active Rain that I try hard to make my voice here be a voice of inclusion, a voice a sharing… with a dash of humor.
Two simple little AR blogs in particular have touched me, inspired me and have COMPLETYLY changed the way I now approach my blog and my industry. They represent generosity in the purist of sense. Neither blogger needed to share their “secrets”. But they did. Those two blogs (from a while … (10 comments)
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relationships: For the love of Pete... Give it a rest! - 10/15/06 07:10 PM
To all you sending me emails wondering why I shut my mouth... THANK you for your concern. When you have a type A personality it is hard to allow yourself time to get away. But this weekend I did.
I followed Eileen Landau's fine example and traveled over to Galena Illinios for a long weekend. (Actually I had planned this way back in July.) Galena is a little jewel of a community in the furthest NW corner of Illinois.
I slept WAY more than I expected... waking up on Satruday, having breakfast and then hitting the pillow for 2 more hours of Zzzzzzzzzz's. Then of course … (11 comments)
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relationships: Real Estate Stagers establish a new record here on the A.R. Blogger Hwy. - 10/07/06 06:16 PM
Well, I personally want to welcome Active Rain's 100th Stager: Maureen Henry of Rockland Home Staging.
Being #100 is truely is a milestone for stagers here on AR... who currently expirience a ratio of 40:1 when you compare realtors to stagers here on AR.
Realtors... more and more stagers are out there.... I encourage you to find one you know will be a wonderful resource for you and your sellers. STAGING WORKS!
Again, Welcome Maureen!!!
AR looks forward to hearing from you Maureen!
… (14 comments)
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relationships: DIVE IN to the "INSIDE JOKES" on Active Rain - 10/02/06 07:28 PM
To all the new members here on AR I just want to point something out... you and your words are welcome.
PLEASE do not be afraid to dive in and post a blog or make a comment.
You may notice that others here have quickly established our own way of expressing ourselves (i.e. “inside jokes”)... WE NEVER WANT or INTEND to alienate others.
So if you feel a bit outside of the loop because you don't get the "inside banter" just share your “confused ignorance” with us. We will be more than happy, willing and delighted to … (27 comments)
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Craig Schiller
Chicago,
IL
More about me…
REAL ESTAGING, a nationally recognized leader in Staging.
Address: PO BOX 5267, Aurora , IL, 60507
Office Phone: (847) 384-9369
Email Me
These are the creative writings of Craig Schiller, a home staging professional, passionate real estate marketing professional and founder of the Real Estaging, one of the nation's leading home staging companies.
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