31 Days To Build A Better Blog - Improve Your Blog By January 1st. - 11/29/10 11:57 AM
You CAN build a better blog.
You've probably heard me talk about 31 Days To Build A Better Blog a few times and you know I'm a big fan.  Having run the challenge on this blog and RErockstar.com (as well as covering my efforts as part of the Build a Better Blog Group), I not only had a good time doing the daily tasks, but learned a ton of information from Darren Rowse, one of the most recognized names in blogging (if you don't read his ProBlogger site, you're missing out).
Through the course of the challenge, Darren gave us a … (9 comments)

Top Ten Real Estate Domain Names - 11/27/10 10:45 AM

Is your URL a Perfect 10?
Thanks to Renee Burrows (whose name I consistently spell completely wrong) and her shackdiva.com domain name, I got to thinking about URLs and what I liked about various real estate domain names.  Some are funny or witty, some define the real estate agent that owns them, and some create a whole universe around them.  Acquiring a domain name can be a fun process (and it can be hellish when every good idea you dream up seems to be owned already) and selecting the right one can make a huge difference.  Finding a domain name … (13 comments)

ActiveRain Housekeeping - 11/25/10 09:44 AM
Quiet day, time to clean.
I've been taking some time this morning to do a bit of housekeeping on several of my sites and ActiveRain is no different.  I thought I'd add a few new things, clean up a bit of code, and make a few things better.  No major surgery, just a few tiny things you probably wouldn't even notice.
New Links.
I've neglected the links in the sidebar to the right for sometime now and haven't added or updated them.  I probably haven't changed them since I first put a few up there.  I wish I could organize them … (12 comments)

Happy Thanksgiving from RErockstar! - 11/25/10 06:17 AM
Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope all of you have a great day and a great holiday season up ahead.  My coach, Chadi Bazzi, reminded me of something yesterday and although the actual text of the email was based on someone else's writing (and therefore I'm not going to reprint here), the message was simple.  Stop and be thankful for all the "bad" things in life too.
Be thankful for the struggles, the setbacks, and the times when you were ready to throw in the towel.  Be thankful for the failures, disasters, and mishaps that you didn't want or enjoy.  Be thankful for … (4 comments)

Linking outside ActiveRain - 11/23/10 02:24 PM
Linking to members' posts.
A few weeks ago, while referencing a few articles by other ActiveRain members, a thought occurred to me.  I spend a lot of time linking to articles, posts, and profiles of people whose blogs I read.  I'm a big fan of crediting authors who inspired me to write something or who I may have quoted.  Most of you do as well, especially when a post here at ActiveRain gives you an idea for your own post.
If you've read anything about SEO, you know how valuable incoming links are to a site.  The more your site or … (49 comments)

Ambassador Series: Taking your ActiveRain Contact Page one step further: The Signature Part III - 11/07/10 11:51 AM
Recommended reading before you read this post:
If you haven't been following this series, I would suggest you read the following posts in order: 1) Ambassador Series: Putting Email Links into Your Blog Posts on ActiveRain., 2) Ambassador Series: Taking your ActiveRain Contact Page one step further: The Signature Part I, 3) Ambassador Series: Taking your ActiveRain Contact Page one step further: The Signature Part II.  We will be working on the "thank you" post - I will be referencing my version of the "thank you" post in this last piece of the series.
Now to dig deeper...
One of the … (5 comments)

Ambassador Series: Taking your ActiveRain Contact Page one step further: The Signature Part II - 11/03/10 03:47 PM

View larger version in a separate window.
In case you missed the earlier parts of this series about adding email links and using the ActiveRain contact page in your posts and blog signature, I have included the posts (in order) for you to read.
Ambassador Series: Putting Email Links into Your Blog Posts on ActiveRain.
Ambassador Series: Taking your ActiveRain Contact Page one step further: The Signature Part I
My "thank you" page: Thank you for contacting me.
A note about the dissection of the URL in the video:
(If you feel geek-speak challenged, just skip over this section - … (4 comments)

Ambassador Series: Taking your ActiveRain Contact Page one step further: The Signature Part I - 11/02/10 11:07 PM
Embedding the ActiveRain Contact Page in your signature.
In my recent post about using the ActiveRain contact page, "Ambassador Series: Putting Email Links into Your Blog Posts on ActiveRain., " the idea was to help prevent spam to your email and also integrate the contact page that ActiveRain provides you into your links, to help keep uniformity throughout your ActiveRain blog.  During the comments that followed, Ann Arbor real estate agent Missy Caulk, posted a comment that raised an interesting question.
Because the focus was on linking within an individual blog post and returning the user to the same page they … (9 comments)

Thank you for contacting me. - 11/02/10 10:26 PM
Your message has been delivered.
As lightning fast as the internet is, I'm not quite as fast.  I will respond to your message soon.  If you need to contact me immediately, please call or text (210) 646-HOME.
As I give my clients my full, undivided attention I do not answer phone calls or emails during showings or appointments, but leave me a message and I will get back to you as quick as possible.  There is nothing more annoying (in my eyes) than an agent who is yapping into the phone with one client or has their head buried in their … (14 comments)