Much has been said about blog commenting here on ActiveRain, but what about blog commenting out in the real world? I'm talking about commenting on blogs that are not on the ActiveRain platform. Do you comment on other blogs within your niche? Do you try to grab the attention of the big boys? Why would you want to? How can commenting on other blogs help you?
Commenting on high profile blogs outside of A|R can have a huge impact on your publicity, your search engine results, and your overall popularity within the blogging world. Okay, so you won't get any A|R "points" for commenting outside of A|R, but there is a much larger benefit to be had.
Benefits Of Blog Commenting
Grab The Attention Of The Blogs Readers
Grab The Attention Of The Blogger
Increase Your Brand Awareness
Create More Back Links
Yes, blog commenting can do all those things, and much much more, however, there is a catch. You actually have to be a real life genuine human being when your commenting. None of this sissy, "great post thanks for sharing", stuff. You have to add value to the readers of the blog, and you have to add value to the blogger themselves. "Add Value" is the key.
GRAB THE ATTENTION OF THE BLOGS READERS
There are people out there that have never heard of you, never heard of ActiveRain, and surely don't know that you are a fantastic blogger. You have to show them that what you have to offer is something they might be interested in. Besides, they are already commenting on blogs and reading information in your niche, all you have to do is prove that you're worth their time.
How can I grab their attention?
It works much the same outside of ActiveRain as it does here. When commenting on most blogs, you get to add a link to your website or blog, which people will click on if you add value to a conversation. Here's an example:
Go to Google and search for your niche, and add blogs to the search like this:
As you can see by just doing a general real estate blog search, I have over 100 million choices to choose from. Now, click on a few blogs, and check out how they do their blog commenting. Make sure that when you comment you are able to leave a link back to your blog/website. It should look something like this:
The box that says website is where you want to enter your web address to your blog/website. That's all there is to it. Find blogs, leave comments, add value to the conversation, leave a link back to your blog/website, and use your analytics (click that link to learn how to install analytics on your blog) to watch the new traffic come in.
GRAB THE ATTENTION OF THE BLOGGER
When people comment on your blog, how does it make you feel? I can bet it makes you fell warm and fuzzy right? I'm talking about those people that leave a comment that makes you click on the link to their profile, add them as an associate, and go find their blog to leave them a comment. Those comments are the comments that get blog writers attention, and in a big way.
I found a blog called New Homes Blog. I started commenting on the blog, and I really enjoy reading what the writer had to say. So, I left some pretty meaty comments, and he emailed me. He asked me to be a guest blogger for his Utah section. A guest blogger! That means that he lets me write blogs on his blog, and leave a link back to my websites for Google juice. I got his attention by commenting with some great comments to add value to his blog.
The more you put in the more you will get. Start building a relationship with the blogger, and soon enough they just might start talking about you in their own blogs.
INCREASE YOUR BRAND AWARENESS
The more and more you start to show up on blogs in your niche, the more and more your brand is going to get recognized. By commenting on blogs all over th web,you're going to increase your online visibility.
The more you show up, the more people will be curious as to who you are, which will make people more likely to click on your link to learn more about you. Human curiosity!
Think about it. Who are the most popular people you know of on ActiveRain?
These people comment a lot and for good reason, they are creating brand awareness. The more you see them, the more you want to know who they are, and that gives you a click through to your blog/website.
How many comments have you made today?
CREATE MORE BACK LINKS
(If you don't know what a do-follow and no-follow link are, before reading this section, I would recommend you read this blog on no-follow and do-follow links first.)
Just like ActiveRain, when you comment on some blogs, you get a do-follow link to your website.
Every time you make a comment on ActiveRain while logged in, you get a do-follow link pointing back to your profile.
In order to find blogs that are do-follow around the web, you will have to do some research.
So far, I have a list of 25 do-follow blogs that I am currently commenting on. I don't do it just for the link, I also add as much to the conversation as I can.
If I don't have anything to say that is going to add value, I don't say anything at all. I found these blogs by searching Google and researching real estate forums. Unfortunately, I am not going to give you my list of do-follow blogs, I want you to find your own, because it will be more beneficial to you if you do.
What I am going to do is, give you a head start in the right direction. Finding do-follow blogs is actually pretty easy once you have the Firefox plugin as mentioned in the link above.
Start out by searching Google for do-follow blogs:
I use these tools and they helped me get a start in the right direction. If you're serious about ranking high for your keywords, commenting on do follow blogs can help you attain your goals. Remember, just because a blog is no follow, doesn't mean you can't get value out of it. Leaving your link is going to get people to click on it, which will bring traffic your way, and increase your brand awareness.
What's It All Mean?
Commenting on blogs is one of the most fundamental aspects of social media. You are interacting, creating relationships, and adding value to the on-going conversations around the web. Building your awareness through blog commenting takes time and effort to be successful. But I can attest that if you do it with genuine care you soon will start to see an increase in your blogs activity. Good Luck!
If you have any stories about how you comment, leave me a comment about it. Or better yet, write a blog about it, and leave a link in the comments so you can add value to my conversation!
Think Clarksville * Think Fort Campbell * Think Real Estate * Think Roland
Licensed in both Tennessee & Kentucky. Please don't keep me a secret, if you know anyone looking to BUY or SELL, Please send me an e-mail and give them my name and number.
I refinanced a loan this week for some past clients. I did their purchase loan in 2005. We did an 80-15-5 because they had another home that had not closed yet. The 15% second was a home equity line of credit. Their previous home sold and they paid off the 15% second in March of 2006. They never drewanother dime on the equity line.
June 2008: They received a letter from Countrywide telling them their 0 balance equity line was frozen. They were not allowed to take any draws on the line because the value had decreased. No problem for them. They weren't using the line anyway.
Like lots of other people, the equity in their home has evaporated but current rates are still better than what they had on their first so we put together a Freddie Relief refinance - a great deal for them. We are able to drop their payment $200+ per month and because they didn't have PMI on the original loan, there is no PMI on the refinance even though their LTV is now 95%.
October 2009: Bank of America (aka Countrywide) rears its ugly head! There had never been a Deed of Release recorded for the "no longer usable" home equity line of credit. The title company received a notice from BofA that there would be a $350 Early Termination Fee in order to do the Deed of Release. Early Termination Fee? On a line of credit they were no longer allowed to use?
Really??This Early Termination Fee showing on theHUD1would prevent them from completing the Freddie Relief refinance.
My client took BofA the statement from March 1996 showing where they had paid it off. She took them the letter from June 2008 saying they no longer had a home equity line of credit. She took them the statement showing the $350 Early Termination Fee. She asked them how in the world they could expect an Early Termination Fee when they were the ones who terminated the line. BofA's response - "We didn't close the line. We just won't let you use it." My client spent over an hour discussing this with the Wizards of BofA. At one point they actually told her "if you do your refinance with us we may consider waiving the fee".
Really?? My client told the Wizards of BofA "either this fee gets waived and you allow the title company torecord a Deed of Release or I will go to the Attorney General and see what they think! You CAN NOT haveit bothways! I didn't terminate the equity line - you did."
Guess what? She got it! Refinance paperwork is all signed - we will record and fund on Monday.
BofA - what are you thinking? How many other people are you pulling this stunt on?
Jane Penttinen, Sr. Loan Officer
Sunstreet Mortgage, LLC
520-547-4150
If you, your friends or family require the services of a mortgage professional, please don't hesitate to call me. I am never too busy for any of your referrals.
BK090736
Think Clarksville * Think Fort Campbell * Think Real Estate * Think Roland
Licensed in both Tennessee & Kentucky. Please don't keep me a secret, if you know anyone looking to BUY or SELL, Please send me an e-mail and give them my name and number.
The ActiveRain RainCamp Tour is Official! Our first ever RainCamp in Seattle was sold out in just two weeks. Now there's a demand by many of our members and non members to bring RainCamp to cities all across the Country. As you can imagine, this is a huge undertaking for our staff and team. There are so many details that go into setting up this event, but our members and guests are not only worth it, they deserve it.
The "Rainergy" and "Buzz" that comes from a RainCamp is like no other event I've ever experienced. You have to witness it for yourself to understand and grasp the full value and impact it will have on you, your Business, your relationships in your community, and the industry. Here's what a few of the folks from RainCamp Seattle had to say:
RainCamp is coming to San Francisco on December 2nd, 2009 for a full day packed with great content, presentations, and some of the most useful and applicable ideas and processes that you can implement immediately into your Social Media, Networking, and Blogging Business Strategy and Plan. The Location and Venue we've selected is once again a "Top Notch" off the hook spot.
How is RainCamp different from other Conferences?
Assess how you stack up in the modern market.
Listen to people that are practicing what they preach, and having outstanding success doing it.
Learn the methodology of a newer agent who has leveraged the Internet to become a 'Mega Producer'.
Walk away with executables you can put into action immediately.
Hard core real estate technology education. This is not a fluff event!!
What Do You Get?
An Action Packed Day: At a State-of-the-art conference and meeting room is just the beginning of our package at Mission Bay Conference Center at UCSF. They have Gorgeous meeting rooms with City and Bay views. Great layout with plenty of seating, wireless Internet Access, and much more.All the comforts and ammenities of a 5-Star Resort. "This is one of San Francisco's only full-service conference facilities."
There will be approximately 140 seats setup classroom style (with tables) reserved for attendees with laptops. It is all open seating so those seats are first come first serve the day of event. We are limited to only 500 seats max capacity, so register right away. There will be On-site paid parking available, street parking and/or complimentary shuttles from the BART and Caltrain stations. If you're wanting overnight accommodations, here's the Unique Venues Site.
RainCamp tickets are available NOW at a retail price of $159. However, we have reserved 50 tickets for our "early adopters" at a price of $99. This is a great value, so make sure you register today before they're gone, it will sell out.
"When is RainCamp Coming To Your Town?" We'd love to come to every Major City, and may do so eventually, but currently we are starting in San Francisco, then in no specific order, we'll be in Miami, Washington DC, Dallas, New York, Atlanta, Arizona and more. I'll be announcing those date and locations soon. We're still working out all the calendar and venue details.
This is our last West Coast event planned for a while, andwe are really looking forward to coming to the "City By The Bay" and bringing the "Rain-Storm" with us. Just like in Seattle, we'll be hosting another exclusive "VIP" event/gathering after RainCamp, we'll have more details about that coming up later. It's going to be a day you'll never forget, I hope you can make it to join us. We put a ton of heart, soul, preparation, and passion into RainCamp, and we don't want anyone to miss out. So RSVP NOW! :-)
Check out the RainCamp.com Blog. Also follow the twitter stream using #raincamp.
"RainMaker" Special - Signup Here and Get New Member Discount
Think Clarksville * Think Fort Campbell * Think Real Estate * Think Roland
Licensed in both Tennessee & Kentucky. Please don't keep me a secret, if you know anyone looking to BUY or SELL, Please send me an e-mail and give them my name and number.
Are you ready for the changes at the closing table starting January 1, 2010 ? Gary tells us what to expect and also provides links to the forms.. See below
Come January 1st, 2010, as a REALTOR or a consumer at the closing table things are about to change as far as the Good Faith Estimate (GFE) and Settlement Statement (HUD-1). Links below will allow you to print these out to familiarize yourself with them. Both now are three pages in length. The highlights:
Revised Good Faith Estimate (GFE)
GFE tolerances on settlement costs (1/8 point allowed to be in error)
Revised Settlement Statement (HUD-1)
Revised definitions for application, Good Faith Estimate, and Mortgage Broker
Additional definitions for changed circumstances, origination services, loan originator, prepayment penalty, third party, title service and tolerance
Elimination of 1% origination fee cap on FHA loans
RESPA (Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act) forms apply to federally insured or backed loans such as FHA/VA/Conventional and NOT cash deals. There is also a 30 day cure period to give lenders after closing the ability to meet the tolerance. The closing script is eliminated as it is contained in the revised HUD-1. Average charges can be used by service providers and is not limited to loan originators.
Bottom line is it looks like the new GFE and HUD-1 want the borrower to be as crystal clear on everything related to the loan. It looks like the fastest you could go from app to close is about three weeks. On page three of the new HUD-1 boxes compare GFE and HUD-1 costs. On page 3 of the GFE they clearly in the instructions state what charges CANNOT increase past the GFE, can increase up to 10%, and what charges can change. It is VERY clear. The only thing weird I saw on both the new HUD-1 and GFE is it never clearly says the PITI monthly payment but just principal, interest, and mortgage insurance in the loan terms.
It looks a lot different for most of us, but print yourself out a copy and take a look. January is NOT that far off.
With closings averaging 130 pieces of paperwork both the REALTOR and the consumer need to know about these documents ahead of time. One last tip for both groups in this area, be sure to show up at the table with a U.S. government issued ID with a picture and your signature. This is mandatory for identification purposes. Good luck and happy closings!!!
Think Clarksville * Think Fort Campbell * Think Real Estate * Think Roland
Licensed in both Tennessee & Kentucky. Please don't keep me a secret, if you know anyone looking to BUY or SELL, Please send me an e-mail and give them my name and number.
ActiveRain awards members points based on participation and their individual involvement within the network and community. While there is a much more complicated and technical explanation of how the point system works, this post is to provide you a general overview of how points are earned and distributed that to ALL ActiveRain members.
ActiveRain points are earned based on a members individual activities and efforts. Points are accumulated over the duration of the Calendar week which "Starts Monday morning at 12:00am Central Time, and Ends Sunday night at 11:59pm Central Time."
The following are some ways you can earn points and move up the "Featured Member" ladder in your Local Area.
200 Points for each Blog Post (Max 10 per Week) (50 Word Minimum Required)
25 Additional Points when Post is added to Channels with a Topic
400 Points for Featured Post on ActiveRain.com (Excludes Posts Featured in ActiveRain Groups)
25 Points For Each Comment (Max 10 Per Day) (Comments on Your Own Posts Excluded)
25 Points for Each Reblogged Post (Max 10 Per Week - These do not Include Your Own Posts)
ActiveRain Profile Points (Building Your AR Profile will Build points)
Received Comments on Blog Posts (No Blog Post to exceed 450 pts.)
100 Points - Logging In To ActiveRain Each Day (This applies 7 days a week)
250 Points When Someone Accepts Your AR Invitation (Must Sign Up under Members Invite Code)
10% of Total Points Earned By New Members Invited By You (IE: Invited Member Earns 1000 pts. - You Earn 100 Pts.)
ActiveRain and Member Approved Contests - Points Will Vary (These show up as Bonus Points in your Point Summary)
Staff Awarded Bonus Points - These are issued by the AR staff (Member Humanitarian, Paying It Forward, Helping Others etc.)
Weekly Point Scenario: The potential of points available per week, per member would be as follows: 1750 for max comments, 2000 for max Blog posts, 700 for logging in daily, 250 for adding to Channels/Topics, and 250 for max ReBlogged posts. The Weekly potential of points would be 4950 (this does not include featured posts, comments received, invitation and percentage points, contests, and staff awarded bonus points.)
Point Disclaimer:The Points System created by the ActiveRain Network was developed and implemented to motivate, inspire, and reward members for their participation and involvement within the community. These points are subject to change at the discretion of the ActiveRain Mgmt. Team, with or without cause, warning, or notice.
"RainMaker" Special - Signup Here and Get New Member Discount
Think Clarksville * Think Fort Campbell * Think Real Estate * Think Roland
Licensed in both Tennessee & Kentucky. Please don't keep me a secret, if you know anyone looking to BUY or SELL, Please send me an e-mail and give them my name and number.
That's right you read the headline correctly. Nine Banks failed in one day. All 9 banks failed on Friday Oct. 30th making it the largest number of bank failures in one day in US history!
That brings the total of bank failures for 2009 to a whopping 115. How does that total compare with previous years you ask? Well in 2008 there were 26, in 2007 there were only 3, and in 2005 & 2006 there were zero (statistics obtained from FDIC at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/banklist.html)
☺
Matt Toll Free: 888-NCFIXER (623-4937) Toll Free Fax: 888-FAX-4020 (329-4020) Local: 860-282-6181 330 Roberts Street 4th Floor East Hartford, CT 06108
Think Clarksville * Think Fort Campbell * Think Real Estate * Think Roland
Licensed in both Tennessee & Kentucky. Please don't keep me a secret, if you know anyone looking to BUY or SELL, Please send me an e-mail and give them my name and number.
How to Choose the Right Days to Market your Real Estate Services Online
Effective real estate marketing online has a lot to do with timing. There has been a lot of research conducted, mainly for industries outside of real estate (i.e.retail, hospitality, automotive) on the best days and times to market services and products online. Implementing the right timing to deploy marketing campaigns into your online marketing strategy is an effective way to ramp up your results.
Here are 5 tips on choosing the right days to market your real estate services online
Frequency of great original content is still important in building your readership and traffic to your blog. I recommend to my clients that they blog a minimum of 3-5 times per week to be considered as a true content provider in the eyes of their readers.
That being said when is the best time for a blogger to publish their meatiest, most important blog posts? Darren Rowse of Problogger addresses the timing factor in When to Publish Blog Posts-Timing Considerations,
"If I have a very important post that I want to get as much attention as possible I generally will publish it on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning (my time)."
Rowse's post also gives some advice as to publishing posts on weekends and holidays that is worth the read as well as the comments on the post (82 so far).
Clearly publishing your most important blog posts midweek is a winning strategy.
3. The Weakest Link for Email Marketing is Saturday
You may have several email campaigns in your real estate marketing campaign: email flyers, email follow-up, email newsletters. Email marketing is a heavy hitter for real estate professionals but when is the most effective time for you to deliver your messages to your prospects and customers?
According to EMarketer.com the best days of the week to send email marketing are Mondays and Tuesdays and the least effective time by nearly 50% is Saturdays.
The best advice I found and agree with is to survey your email subscribers and ask them when they would like to receive emails from you.
**Allow me one deviation~ What I find more or equally fascinating is the 6.49% CLR (Click Thru Rate) of marketing campaigns such as polls and incentives that are run on Facebook business pages. Fans are clearly interacting with their friends on Facebook in a big way and their interactions are also being seen by their friends.**
"LinkedIn use is predominantly an 8AM-Noon activity with very, very little activity in the evening. Of particular interest is that LinkedIn users tend to arrive at work earlier than Facebook users do....Those serious early morning LinkedIn users will spend an average of 29 minutes reading real Email before they get around to checking your connection request which they could have read first if they wanted to."
While this is a small sampling of members on LinkedIn and their behavior I can attest that this mimics my LinkedIn use. The first online activity I do in the morning is to check my email(which of course includes my blog activity) and the first social network site I check is LinkedIn and this occurs normally between the hours of 7:30-8:30 a.m.
Take into consideration the times and days that people are online and engaging in these online activities when you create and implement your online real estate marketing strategy.
Once you taken action use an analytics tool to measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. Tweak the times you deliver your marketing messages based on your analytics and direct feedback from your recipients.
Get your game on and use the 5 tips on choosing the right days to market your real estate services online.
Rebecca D. Levinson is a real estate marketing consultant with 17 years of experience serving real estate industry professionals.
If you need assistance with online marketing, offline marketing, social networking, or blogging contact Rebecca D. Levinson at #262-203-5231 or email rebecca@bloggingintherain.com.
Think Clarksville * Think Fort Campbell * Think Real Estate * Think Roland
Licensed in both Tennessee & Kentucky. Please don't keep me a secret, if you know anyone looking to BUY or SELL, Please send me an e-mail and give them my name and number.
Think Clarksville * Think Fort Campbell * Think Real Estate * Think Roland
Licensed in both Tennessee & Kentucky. Please don't keep me a secret, if you know anyone looking to BUY or SELL, Please send me an e-mail and give them my name and number.
Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams has spoken and Vince Young will be starting QB today against the Jags as the Titans seek their first win of the season.
Vince Young has not started a game since the season opener last year against the Jags when he left the game with an injury then replaced as the starter by Veteran Kerry Collins. So far this year the Titans are still searching for that first win of the season. Can Vince Young use his legs and help the team rid the goose egg ?
Ironically the Tennessee Titans have not won a game since they lost to the Steelers last year. So many claim it's the curse of the towl. It has been reported that Keith Bulluck and LenDale White have autographed a terrible towl and sent it to the Allegheny Valley School with a note. "LenDale and Keith wish you all the best. P.S., please release the curse,"
Now I will hear from my many Steeler fans I'm sure... But I will still be a true Tennessee Titans fan and and say GO TITANS! Lets look for the Titans to get their first win of the season and finnish out the season with a decent record. Yes.. there is still time to at least break .500 or better.
Think Clarksville * Think Fort Campbell * Think Real Estate * Think Roland
Licensed in both Tennessee & Kentucky. Please don't keep me a secret, if you know anyone looking to BUY or SELL, Please send me an e-mail and give them my name and number.
Just a friendly Reminder: Time Change - Set your clocks back 1 hour. Tonight we get to gain an extra hour of sleep as it's time to fall back with our clocks tonight. The good thing in the fall, if you forgot to turn your clocks back, you may just be an hour early for church or what ever you have on your daily agenda. Of course there is nothing wrong with that. It's much better than missing church in the spring if you forget to set you clock in advance.
Hope everyone had a great Halloween. November is here and it's going to be a great month. Just think Christmas is only 55 days away and 2010 will be here before you know it !
Think Clarksville * Think Fort Campbell * Think Real Estate * Think Roland
Licensed in both Tennessee & Kentucky. Please don't keep me a secret, if you know anyone looking to BUY or SELL, Please send me an e-mail and give them my name and number.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
When people comment on your blog, how does it make you feel? I can bet it makes you fell warm and fuzzy right? I'm talking about those people that leave a comment that makes you click on the link to their profile, add them as an associate, and go find their blog to leave them a comment. Those comments are the comments that get blog writers attention, and in a big way. 
The more and more you start to show up on blogs in your niche, the more and more your brand is going to get recognized. By commenting on blogs all over th web,you're going to increase your online visibility.
(If you don't know what a do-follow and no-follow link are, before reading this section, I would recommend you read this blog on 
Excuse me BofA! You CAN NOT have it both ways!
ActiveRain awards members points based on participation and their individual involvement within the network and community. While there is a much more complicated and technical explanation of how the point system works, this post is to provide you a general overview of how points are earned and distributed that to ALL ActiveRain members.
Kenmore Washer and Dryer set For Sale 
Sunday Nov 1, 2009
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;)
