blogs: Just had to share - 10/25/09 08:45 AM
Everyone blogs for different reasons. Sometimes its for strictly informational purposes, other times to share a personal experience or observation. Visitors often comment for the same reasons. I recently received a comment on our First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit post that I would like to share:
Thank you
On October 18th, 2009 Anonymous (not verified) says:
I would like to say.
Thank you Jacqulyn Richey for placing this post up for us to read and reply to. This is one of the most imformative sites I've found.
Its things like this, a simple comment that makes its all worthwhile. That … (2 comments)

blogs: Which CMS do you prefer? - 06/15/08 03:40 PM
With so many real estate agents jumping on the blog bandwagon, the number of platforms to pick from keeps growing. But which platform is right for you? Really most of them come down to personal preference and your own level of technical knowledge. Let's take a look at some of the more popular content management systems out there.
Blogger. Everyone has heard of it and there are a ton of real estate blogs using this platform, like this self-hosted Arizona Real Estate News blog and there are some being hosted for free by blogger, as this Las Vegas Homes Blog is. … (12 comments)

blogs: Kudos are great link bait - 12/20/07 12:17 PM
One of the things that seo experts talk about in blogging are different hooks. An effective hook is a great tool to gain links to your site. One of the oldest and still most successful is the ego hook. Recognition. We all like it. I mean, who doesn't like to be recognized for their hard work and success, right?
One of the easiest posts you can put it up is a top ten list. You see them everywhere. People have a tendency to look at them, because it doesn't take a lot of time and most importantly, its scannable. Looking through my … (5 comments)

blogs: A new look - 11/05/07 04:39 PM
For the past several months, you may have noticed that we haven't been around too much. Since the end of summer, I've been working on our website, lvrealty.net. The new site was completed and moved to a Drupal based site over the weekend and is now live on our new host. I transferred over 300 pages of content from our AA site and added several new pages in the process as well, like this page about Mantova condos. I would like to thank Max Chirkov for his invaluable help, advice and calming words.  So far over 30 new pages have been indexed … (3 comments)

blogs: The 300 - 06/10/07 10:08 AM
RAINERS......PREPARE FOR GLORY!!!  Okay, so its not that 300, but our 300th post. Well, its been just under a year since I received an invitation to join Active Rain. So many changes have happened its hard to name them all. New features added, then removed (anyone remember the forum?) and the site is still evolving. Even the look of the site has changed quite a bit from the original vision. Others were invited to join (a shout out to our Canadian friends) and now there are over 33,000 rainers.
You try to make milestone posts special, but today I'm just coming … (12 comments)

blogs: The Best Posts Never Read Part 1 - 05/28/07 11:35 AM
Well here is the first version. I found so many good posts that deserved attention that I've decided to break it up into a weekly (or so depending) post, kind of like a week in review type of thing. If any of you have put out an exceptionally well written post, great information, funny, etc that never really sees the light of day, send me the url. I'll take a look and consider it for a future post. Here are my top ten best posts never read:
Katrina - its been awhile and people are still homeless there and trying to put … (13 comments)

blogs: Looking for a guest blogger? - 04/26/07 12:02 PM
Lately I've been doing more posts on different blogs. My latest piece was on the evolution of the blog on rsspieces.  In turn that piece inspired our on Toby Barnett to throw in his own two cents on the subject on the Seattle PI blog.  Toby's post titled real estate websites in the latest post there. He adds his own insights and experiences and is worth the read. -Charles … (0 comments)

blogs: Guest blogger - 04/09/07 10:15 AM
Recognition can be a wonderful thing, not to mention opening doors of opportunities. I had been talking to Mary McKnight of Rsspieces.com and eventually the conversation turned to the subject of guest bloggers. (if you haven't checked out her site, I highly recommend it). 
I was fortunate enough to be offered a guest spot and just put up my first post there titled the websites of future. I'd like to thank Mary for the opportunity to expand my blogging skills (or lack thereof!) into another arena. The post ran really long so I've broken it up into a few posts. I'll be … (5 comments)

blogs: My Blog Log - 12/26/06 10:24 AM
As I was sitting in the after glow of yet another very, Merry Christmas, I was checking on my various profile pages on different networks. One of my favorite sites (besides this one of course) is mybloglog.com. Think of it as a myspace for bloggers. I added my profile here, under Jade456. (For those of you wondering, Jade is my Electus Parrot). Quite a few Active Rain members are already there, but several of you are missing!
Basically the site helps you expand your readership, add your various different blogs and websites. The site has some cool widgets to add to your … (5 comments)

blogs: Bookmark feature now active - 10/02/06 07:42 PM
One of the promised upgrades has been delivered! In every Active Rain blog post (in the rating box) you'll see a bookmark graphic. This allows you to "bookmark" any blog you like, making it easier for members to store and retrieve blog posts they feel are important and want to save.
Matt, I was wondering if you'll have any data on how often this feature has been used, say by the end of the month. I'm curious to see if items requested are indeed, used.  Also if you've given any thought to the couple of requests that I had made. -Charles
… (2 comments)

blogs: Tagging your AR blog posts - 09/27/06 09:53 AM
Lately I've noticed that not all members are tagging their posts like they should.  Some seem to overtag, others leave out important tags.  Tags are a great tool to help a user find the information they are looking for. Another benefit to tagging your posts correctly is search engine rankings.  Tags help a search engine determine when and where it should rank that post.  The better and more accurate the tags, the easier time a SE will have determining what to do with your post.
Recently I went back through all of our posts and updated the tags.  All of the posts that have been marked … (6 comments)

blogs: Has AR taken over your life? - 09/22/06 09:42 AM
A comment by Ken prompted me to write this post. Has Active Rain taken over your life?  Judging from the level of activity by some of the members, I would have to say yes.   There are several people on this site everyday wihtout fail, adding new blog posts, posting in the forum and inviting new members.  I'm curious.  For those that are very active, how has it affected other parts of your business?  Have things slipped?  Are you adding content to your own site often enough?  Posting to other blogs or forums?  There have been quite a few posts about the … (15 comments)

blogs: More blog resources - 09/18/06 12:24 PM
I was looking around and came across this site, BlogShares.  It has an unusual twist to it compared to the multitude of other blog directories and resource sites. It has a fantasy stock simulator, which allows to buy and sell "shares" in different blogs.  Every blog entered is assigned a "market" price, broken down by links, both in and out, age and other factors. You can claim as many blogs as you own and trade shares on each. I've added both my blogs and am just waiting for my "claim" to be recognized. -Charles
 
… (4 comments)

blogs: Where to "blog" up - 09/06/06 01:33 PM
Bloging has taken the internet by storm, especially in the real estate industry. Almost every realtor that has a serious web presence has a blog.  But are they doing them any good if no one can find them?  I put together a short list of directories, forums and blogging tool sites that will help make sure your blog is found.
Blog Directories:
http://www.blogio.net/index.php http://www.all-blogs.net/http://directory.autismlina.com/ http://www.bloglisting.net/ http://www.theblogresource.com/ http://www.freeblogdirectory.net/ http://www.whatsreallyreal.com/
http://www.ibsteam.net/wsnlinks/  This real estate directory is run by Max and allows you to add your atom/rss feeds into your content page. Very cool.
Sites that will help you provide an rss/atom feed:
http://www.feedburner.com/ http://www.twistermc.com/shake/RSS-index.php
Forums that allow you … (5 comments)

blogs: Copyright reminder - 08/30/06 08:39 AM
It seems that the infringement issue is on the right track (or things are being posted from really obscure sources).  Although I still see some old posts that should be removed by the poster, most of the blogs being put up are original content. There is something else I have noticed. Quite a few people are putting up pictures in their blog posts. I'm all for it, as long as they have the right to use the photo.  Posting someone else's graphic, photo or clip art that has not been released into the public domain is copyright infringement.
Graphics released under … (10 comments)