Sarah's Hurricane, WV Real Estate Blog

Inspire the Child

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:27:13 -0500

Mothers Fighting for Others presents Inspire the Child, a program that will provide a loving, nurturing home for orphaned girls in Kenya. These girls will grow into women who will raise the next generation, and giving them the best possible start in life CAN change the face of their country for the better.

Inspire the Child will work to build not only a home but also a school for these girls, and will provide them with health care and counseling.

My friend Rocky Turner will be making a return visit to Kenya soon to further the work on Inspire the Child. Please check the website for more details on how you can help make a difference for these girls and future generations in Kenya. Now that you know them, maybe you'll feel moved to help them.

See You There?

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:08:04 -0600

I'm packed, ready and will be in New York in the morning.

Will I see you there? :)

Meme Book Quick

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 07:53:41 -0600

I've been Meme'd by Jessica Hughes! I like her and have decided not to hurt her for this. ;)

The rules are:

1. Grab the nearest book you lay your hands on*

2. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book or the intellectual one; just pick the closest!

3. Open the book to page 56

4. Find the fifth sentence

5. Post the text of the next four to five sentences

6. Tag up to 5 people to do the same

*The Bible doesn't count!

My book was a gift from Drew Fristoe that my teenager and I both loved, and ironically page 56 is about Thanksgiving with the family.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

"First, I am very interested and fascinated by how everyone loves each other, but no one really likes each other. Second, the fights are always the same.

They usually start when my mom's dad (my grandfather) finishes his third drink. It is around this time that he starts to talk a lot. My grandfather usually just complains about [deleted] moving into the old neighborhood, and then my sister gets upset at him, and then my grandfather tells her that she doesn't know what she's talking about because she lives in the suburbs. And then he says how no one visits him in his retirement home. And finally he starts talking about all the family secrets, like how cousin so-and-so "knocked up" that waitress from the Big Boy. I should probably mention that my grandfather can't hear very well, so he says all of these things really loud.

My sister tries to fight him, but she never wins. My grandfather is definitely more stubborn than she is. My mom usually helps her aunt to prepare the food, which my grandfather always says is "too dry" even if it's soup. And her aunt will then cry and lock herself in the bathroom.

There's only one bathroom in my great aunt's house, so this turns to trouble when all the beer starts to hit my cousins ... "

Well. On that note, Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

I'll tag Drew Fristoe because he gave me the book and I loved it, and this seems strange to punish him like this but here I go. Sorry, Drew! The rest of you can be thankful I'm only tagging Drew. :)

Let's Play a Twitter Game

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 11:21:50 -0600

There is no rhyme or reason behind this, I'm just having a slow day at work and it's dangerous not to keep me occupied. I like quotes and I don't much care where I find them -- Twitter's a great place for them!

Care to play a game?

Who Tweeted it?

Well, that presentation could not have gone any worse. Luckily @drewfristoe was there to save me.
Writing next weeks column titled, "Who peed in your cheerios?"
Carefully reading my vacuum owner's manual to find where it says "CAUTION: May only be operated by women."
"Serve beer" is the 5th step in organizing/promoting a successful unconference.
If someone sends $20 to my PayPal account, I will go in and slap Bob Stewart.
In light of all the tech layoffs, i'll probably be laying off 10% of myself.
@rockson no, when you turn your computer off, I am still here, I checked.
Hating my iPhone's spelling corrector. No, iphone, I didn't mean to say "duck". You don't know me at all.
@TBoard reveals Web 2.0 secret - social media is not just for realtors. The world resonates with the impact of the revelation.
@ResPres watching kids through iPhone? There were no iphones when mine were little I had to look diectly at them. Life was different then

I Chose West Virginia for You, Child

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:19:36 -0500

Twitter Week in Review

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:11:33 -0500

I'm posting a Twitter Week in Review at the request of @MikeMueller, who is HOT. (I am contractually required to disclose that.)

If you don't know what Twitter is, shame on you. Just create an account. And then do NOT look at the public timeline because as a Newbie it will drive you INSANE. Find people you know and stick to Home. Twurk (Twitter lurk) for a while if it makes you feel better. I can only show you Twitter through my own perspective. This report leaves out most of my favorite Twitterers, but it's only meant to show you a bit of what Twitter is all about. You guys already know I love you.

I'm following @ResPres (Jeff Turner) across the country right now because he is tweeting (telling Twitter) all about his trip. And if you are following him, you're going to learn MANY different ways to communicate with people. That man is HOOKED UP. Learn from him!!

Anyway, here's a taste of Twitter. It's pretty random, so this is, too. :)

(That one was after someone used my name trying to sell something to a friend -- said I had endorsed them when I HAD NOT -- and it was through Active Rain. Check with me if you got similar spam.)

Of course there are interesting conversations:

Twitter is a great place to connect people to your other online territory. I got to hear Jeremy Hart (@NRVLIving) on his radio show, and I even got to feel like a participant. (PS I met him recently and he is fantabulous!)

You'll find lots of locals on Twitter. I have one friend that is doing GREAT business thanks to her local Twitter connections!! For me, it's more about getting involved more with my local bloggers. This is FestivALL week in Charleston, WV, and of course there is coverage of the event in Twitter.

I enjoy the randomness of SecretTweet, which reminds me of PostSecret. It's just people saying stuff they can't say other places, sometimes sweet, sometimes sad.

And we're all working on this one:

This is in NO WAY a complete report of what happens in Twitter. Because of who you follow, Twitter is different for each and every one of us.

This week I asked for book recommendations and got a whole long list of good reading material. (Thanks, guys!!) We've celebrated birthdays both real and fictional. We share coffee in the mornings, keep each other going during the day and sometimes even ::Clink!:: a glass together at the end of the day. If ever you can't sleep, you can tweet.

So come Tweet with us. ***Don't leave a comment***, join Twitter and find us, talk to us there. :)

The Power to Change Your World

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:50:57 -0500

I’ve been blogging and networking on a national scale for a while and just recently have even been able to meet some of my online friends in trips to Arizona and North Carolina. It is WONDERFUL to see that in person they really ARE who they are online! (Or at least that’s been my happy experience so far!)

But lately I’ve made friends with some local bloggers mostly thanks to Twitter. (Twitter is an AMAZING tool for getting in touch, getting to know people and learning about new stuff FAST!)

One local blogger, Jason Keeling of A Better West Virginia, has put some serious work into promoting West Virginia in a positive light and organizing other WV bloggers to help him do it.

He’s used West Virginia Day, a holiday celebrating WV’s birthday, as an occasion to begin changing the mistaken stereotypical ideas about West Virginia. One look at 304blogs.com (a tremendous resource for WV bloggers created by Bill Gardner and Dave Epp) and you’ll see the positive responses already flooding the internet!

We’ve had coverage in The Charleston Gazette, on WOWK TV and on West Virginia Public Broadcasting. I think that after today’s efforts, attention will only grow. Link love from so many sources is not a bad thing.

If you’re wondering why I’m telling you all this, it’s because this is something you could really learn from. We ALL have local bloggers. Seriously, if you look at WV here in AR, you’ll see why I’ve had friends that have joked in the past that I have the only computer in WV. There just have not been that many Active Rain bloggers from West Virginia. If *I* have a band of local bloggers, YOU DO, TOO.

Meet them. Make friends. Think about what you could do together to make your area a better place.

As a blogger, you ARE the media. You DO help create whatever impression people have about where you live.

There. Now that you know how to do it – what are you going to do about it?

I Met Arizona!!

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:43:38 -0500

Well, I met some parts of Arizona, and some of those fabulous people who live in my computer!

This trip was for training and meetings, and I think part of my job is getting to socialize and play with these online people. Well, I don't have a written job description that says that, so maybe I slipped that in there on my own. Hey, when your boss is Jeff Turner, maybe socializing just seems natural -- that man knows EVERYONE. (Or will -- if you haven't met him, just wait. It will come.)

I LOVED Arizona. It is a beautiful place and I finally got to figure out what "dry heat" is. In case you're like me, stuck in humidity all the time, it's like when you first walk out of the house and realize "it's hot out here", but before you want to race back into the air conditioning. It's almost like a reduced calorie heat, if you can imagine. Random tip: do not wear open sandals for a desert walk amongst the cacti. Lesson learned.

We RES employees got to learn a lot more about the company, it's direction and our place in it. As if I didn't already love Real Estate Shows enough, I love it even more now! There is a heart and soul to this company and I am so proud to be a part of it. I can't wait for the new stuff that's coming up! (You're going to love it!!)

But the best part of all was meeting the people! For the first time I met Juli Salvante (Jeff's sister and my boss), Bill Leider, Joyce and Jenna Harvey. I got to meet a whole crowd of RE.net people who live in and around Phoenix – Debbie Lieberman, Candace Jay Thompson, Steve Belt, Jonathan Dalton, Dru Bloomfield, Phil Sexton, Nick Bastian, Heather Barr, Max Chircov, Christoph Schweiger, Mark Eckenrode, Jon Griffith, Irene Hammond … and this is the danger with listing people – I know I missed some! If I missed you, please slap me upside the head and tell me to edit this, OK? Thanks.

You can see a little of our get together in my (what else?) Real Estate Show below. Nick, if only you’d gotten to me sooner, I might have worn that sparkly dress. ;)

BOOM, Baby!

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:32:02 -0500

OK, I still hate video. That is unlikely to change anytime soon, even as cute and easy as my little Flip is. (And I will tell you about the Flip, later. I will.)

But I thought I’d never want to get in front of the camera again. Why would I torture myself like that?? Seriously, people can stare at me and who knows what I’ll say or how it would sound? I’m a frequently foolish girl, but doing video is just really beyond even my pale.

And then Laurie left me a comment.

"The video is GREAT- except,
you really should have worn a mother of the bride dress for drama."

BOOM, Baby!

Suddenly, I wanted to make a video with me in that dress. Didn’t even matter what I was saying, I wanted to be in a gorgeous blue and gold sparkly mother of the bride dress, for drama.

See, Laurie and I go way back, in blogger-time. She stopped in first to visit me on a post where I was in a rant – rare for me but when I have a reason I will let fly. As this was the first she’d read from me, this is who she thought I was. (This is a constant danger – any post you write could be someone’s first impression of you.)

Laurie called me on what I was saying, and she had a good point. She was right about what she said. And I had just slammed that post up there and gone to bed.

Some friends here leapt to my defense (thank you, so much) and there was some back and forth, because … well, because Laurie is not a weak person, and she KNEW she had a point. (She did!)

I woke up to emails telling me not to worry, they were taking care of it. (Taking care of what?!) OH. Well. I guess if I’m going to rant, I’m going to have to be prepared to hear the other side of things, huh? I left it all to stand.

Well, Laurie kept reading. She realized that one post was NOT me. (Do not expect locals to give you another chance in this case. Not happening.) She wrote me, and we hammered out our differences.

A while back Laurie sent me some nice gifts, just out of the blue, and among them was a dress she had meant to wear for her daughter’s wedding. It is BEAUTIFUL, sparkly and swirly and ever so nice. It is one of the prettiest things I have ever owned. And it was from Laurie, just because.

She told me to party in it, spill wine on it if I want, but just to have a great time and celebrate with my little Chickies Tall One and Little One. She's my friend and she wanted share something beautiful with me, just because. Just so I'd smile. (You know I did!!)

Why am I telling you guys this? Because sometimes the person who slams you is not your enemy, so don’t be so quick to slam back.

And because sometimes all it takes to get to get over a silly fear is a sparkly blue dress.

Let's Mixpo!

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 11:56:16 -0500

OK, let’s talk about Mixpo. I’m still figuring it out but I welcome you to join me.

AR sent me a cute little Flip video camera (SO portable!!) and signed me up with Mixpo. There is probably a fee for Mixpo, I don’t know. But it’s cooooool, and I bet you’ll want it.

I've uploaded one video to Mixpo so far and it was EASY. It takes you through the process, step by step, and gives you some pretty nice options. I haven’t played yet with editing, my video was pretty straightforward. But I did like that it let me add some text up front (another opportunity to play with Rich, mwahaha!) and that it let me pick which shot from the video I wanted to use as the frame people see before viewing. (VERY nice option, YouTube just takes a scene from the middle and sometimes it is barely related to your main point or is just plain old unflattering. Better to have a choice.) It also was much faster uploading than YouTube.

So uploading is easy, just trust me. Follow their instructions, 1-2-3.

The cool thing has been looking at the stats on the video. Oh yes – this was designed for business and they mean to tell you what’s working and who’s watching. This is what you need to know.

As this wasn’t directed to my locals but to all of AR, I have views from across the country. If I were using this for work, I’d be zoomed in on WV and trying to keep them happy. (But as WV is not an AR hotspot, I have not a single view there. So sad.)

Here’s a screenshot of the Mixpo stats:

First off – I have no idea what “Impressions” would be and couldn’t find a definition on their site. I had to write them to ask and have not heard back. (Guessing that’s when someone watches a bit, just gets an impression? Maybe their eyes just touched the page the video was on? Really, no idea.) Then there are views, and conversions are I suppose the ones that took the bait and looked for more info. I have very little extra info in there yet, so if you looked I apologize for wasting your time.

Playthrough is pretty cool. I know that 204 people watched the video. Of them, 137 watched the whole thing. And as if THAT is not surprising enough, 27 people watched it AGAIN. (Why would you punish yourselves so??) Still, if this had been for business, that would be golden.

Then my favorite little bit is the map. See those little flags with Viewer Locations? They tell me who watched, how many times, and if they looked for more info. Oh, the things the internet gives away!! I had to check with a friend to make sure it was right, did he really watch it that many times? Yes, he did. (Cut it out, already!!!) <Still hate video. You can zoom waaaaaay in on the map and peek in people’s windows if you want. Really, TMI.

Last is referring sites, which I guess would be cool if I had some. It’s pretty much AR, Mixpo itself and then Twitter, thank you so much @gotbob. *Ahem*

So far my assessment of Mixpo is cooooooool. I like knowing who’s watching and whether they got anything out of it.

We need to be able to gauge how well anything is going to work for us if we’re going to give up some of our precious time doing it, right? Mixpo will help you put it together and put it in front of your audience. They'll also tell you whether or not it’s working and will help the people who find you get in touch with you from your ad, which is what they call the video. I suppose they’re right.

Mixpo, A+ so far. I’ll be back!

Hidden Gems in the Rain

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:32:13 -0600

I got tagged by the fabulous Diane Aurit (Hi, Diane!) to pick a “Hidden Gem” from the ranks of AR. This was started by our lovely Melissa Grant (And Hello, Melissa!) to try to help draw attention to some of the lesser-known but deserving AR bloggers.

This is really, really hard. Believe it or not, writing a Meme is easier!! (Seriously!) There are so many people that I admire and like here that it’s a VERY difficult thing to pick just one! I have a list of about 100 that I’d like to just print and say, “Here, read these.”

But when I sat and let myself just go quiet for a second, there was really only one choice.

My “Hidden Gem in the Rain” is Lysa Napolitano.

Lysa is an amazing person, caring and knowledgeable and FUN. The way she writes would be a good lesson to nearly everyone in AR – she writes about what has meaning for her.

She’s not trying to write about what she thinks you want to hear and hope it comes out OK. She writes about what she loves, and in reading her blog I feel like I’ve been offered a chair and asked to stay a while. She’s not fishing for business, she’s just communicating with people who share her interests.

This is an important thing for you to understand: Do not try to please everyone. Just being who you are is a niche all it’s own. Writing about topics that have meaning for you will connect you with people you’ll enjoy talking to and possibly even working with. Your blog does not have a formula you have to obey – follow Lysa’s lead and write about what you love.

From Lysa I have learned all about Florida wildlife. (Little One is using Lysa as a reference in a report at school this very afternoon, and is so impressed that I have a friend who knows all about whale watching!) Her pictures are amazing. Imagine the patience she must have!

Lysa speaks honestly about her past, exposing personal pains in the hopes of helping someone else. She has a true volunteer’s heart, knowing that it’s enough to help even if you don’t see the results. I believe that she has touched many hearts through her words. She writes about riding, fundraisers, protecting children and her own experiences moving. We know her pets, her favorite hangout and her Sweetie. (Does Steve mind if I refer to him as Sweetie?)

Lysa just does it RIGHT.
The pictures below are Lysa's and are used with her permission. (I asked and she gave without even knowing why I wanted them, you see how sweet this girl is?) Click the pictures to go to their corresponding posts. The graphic is Lysa and me on the MV Sparrow, which is currently traveling from Danger Bay to visit actual Active Rain members in their towns. This graphic is used with permission from Jack Boardman of the New Codgers.

And I suppose I'm supposed to tag two more people to write about their Hidden Gems. I choose Brande Bradford and Harold Watts. Go on, get to work! :)

Spelling with Flickr

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 07:34:47 -0600

Found: Cool "Spell with Flickr" toy.

Why: Because wouldn't it make a cool way to call attention to something important on your blog?

Awesome Detail: While using this letter generator, click on a letter you're not crazy about to see a new version. Aah, that's better!

Now: Go play. Thank you.

Thank Goodness Most of Us Don't Think This Way

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 03:49:35 -0600

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Still struck me as funny because it seemed so true.

My Snowy Yard, Up Close and Perfect

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 09:29:58 -0600

Who Owns What You Write? UPDATED

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:31:55 -0600

Easy answer: YOU DO. From the moment you write and publish an original article, it is copyrighted and protected as your intellectual property.

The copy and paste feature along with loads of content all over the internet makes it very easy for sploggers to steal work and publish it as their own. Even the RSS feeds that are meant to make it easier for your readers to keep up with your blog can work against you if a splogger syndicates your feed as his own. This is more common than you might think. (Happened to a bunch of us here on Active Rain recently!)

How can you protect yourself? There are a couple easy ways. One is setting up Google Alerts. These are free and will search for the key words of your choice, such as the name of your blog or phrases you might use often in your blog, such as “real estate” with the name of your city or area. (Some people use quirky words or phrases in their blogs to set off Google Alerts as an added protection.) It’s a good idea to also have a Google search of your name.

Copyscape is a low cost service that reads your entire site and keeps searching the internet for work that is similar to yours. They’ll alert you if they find a page that has a suspicious amount of similar words. Changing around little bits of your work won’t hide it if you’re protected by Copyscape. I use it and love it, and it has already alerted me to plagiarizers and thieves. I feel like my blog has a guard dog. Even using their banners on your site may protect you from someone who might have thought you looked like a nice target. (This works in much the same way that a security system sign can protect your home.)

If you are plagiarized, act quickly. Send a cease and desist letter to every contact you can find on the offending site. You ARE protected under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act and you CAN have their site removed from search engine results, effectively making them invisible.

I should note that not everyone who uses bits of your posts is using you. A site that uses a few lines of your post as a teaser, then gives a link to your blog to finish reading is doing you a favor. Digg, Stumbleupon or Technorati are valuable services that can send people to your site. Blogroll links are fabulous. If a reader likes what you write about, they'll probably be interested to know what you like to read as well. Tell 'em, pass on some link love.

Any site that uses your entire post is not your friend. Hiding links, not using your name or the name of your blog or changing the author information to look like they’ve written the post is stealing, plain and simple. Publishing your entire post leaves no reason at all to visit your site. They have effectively jumped in between you and your reader.

*** IMPORTANT UPDATE!!! Tricia Jumonville shares the following with us, and I didn't want it to disappear in the comments:

One quick correction - from the moment you write and fix the article (or any other writing) in permanent form (on your computer counts, per the U.S. Copyright Office), it is copyrighted. You don't have to publish it, register it, put a copyright symbol on it, or anything else - it's automatic from the moment of creation.

Thank you, Tricia. We needed to hear that.

What's Up With The Peas?

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:13:23 -0600

Meet Susan Reynolds. Susan was diagnosed with breast cancer. Susan is an ordinary person and never expected to have cancer. Who does?

She discovered something that is true, but kind of sad. When you have something seriously wrong with your body, people become uncomfortable. At a time when you need people to stand with you, comfort you, help you not to feel alone or just giggle with you for Pete's sake, sometimes they are so uncomfortable that they will even avoid you. Simply because it feels awkward not knowing what to say.

Susan came out of surgery and used an icepack to help with the pain. Icepacks can be heavy and uncomfortable, and she discovered that using a bag of frozen peas fit better and felt better. She fell asleep with the comfort of her peas and woke up smelling fresh peas, cooked with her body heat.

When she told people, they laughed. Humor, it gets us all.

Talking about something as goofy as having peas in her bra broke through the awkwardness and has given Susan a way to reach people. I play around in Twitter (more than I should, I’m sure) and nearly everyone I know there is sporting peas. In fact, some people are so creative with their peas that it’s nearly an art gallery of how you can Photoshop peas in there.

And people ask, and conversations start. Peas are silly. Cancer is not. But somehow one makes it easier to talk about the other.

Susan is in surgery RIGHT NOW. I’m sporting peas for her even though I don’t know her. It just feels like the right thing to do, and here I am.

Add your own pea pictures for Susan HERE.

Peas to you and yours.

Keep Me Guessing

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:05:02 -0600

Last night we went to my team leader’s house for a Christmas party. We were having a good time, enjoying the food and the company of each other and our families. It was getting late and I looked across the room at Little One. She used the American Sign Language alphabet to say to me, “I’m tired. Can we leave?”

My first thought was, “She knows sign language?!”

My second thought was, “She assumes I know sign language?”

I was totally floored! She said they learned it in class and she and a friend have been using it like a secret code since no one else seemed to take much interest. I’m impressed that she’s retained it so well. I’m pleased that these people I live with throw me enough curveballs to keep me guessing about them. I love my family!

Then today I wrote a post about a local college girl who has gone missing. I feel for her family and I hope they have her home safe as soon as possible. I want to write a happy follow-up to that post. She is someone else’s Little One.

Checking my stats I see today is the first day my outside blog has ever out-preformed my AR blog. I hate that it’s for a reason like this, but everyone is looking for information on Leah. I’m glad they're reading, the more people looking for her the better.

I realize that I am separating how I write for each place, compartmentalizing. My Real Estate Shows lust of course goes directly to them. I now have Mothers Fighting For Others for my Momma Bear instincts, wanting the world to be a better place. MySpace lets me be as loony as I care to be. The Scoop is about HOME and AR has become the place where I talk to other agents. Well, one of the places. And then there are more.

It could be writing all in one place, but I think this works. I think I can still surprise myself with the different things I have to say. It’s good to keep yourself guessing too, isn't it?

Please say a prayer for Leah and her family, OK?

The Internet Takes Distance Away: A Strange Way to Write a Book Review

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 12:05:26 -0600

The online world is a whole different place. There is no sense of distance. Friends in New England, Florida or California might as well be as close as my neighbors. We get to talk, laugh and learn from each other in places that didn’t even exist a few years ago.

We’re creating whole new worlds and I for one am enjoying the heck out of it.

And still, there are new surprises all the time.

I joined MySpace a few months back. Took me forever to do it because I just didn’t see the point. Now that I’m back in touch with a whole group of lost high school friends, I totally understand. What took me so long?

I’ve also made some new friends there. When people I don’t know ask to be friends, I check out their profiles to see if I can get a clue about what made them choose me. Maybe we’re from the same town or have friends in common. Sometimes it’s people I already know online, just with a picture or name I wasn’t used to seeing.

But one guy wrote me with a friend request. He said he saw that I liked reading Ken Follett (my favorite author) and thought we’d like to share talk about books. I scanned his profile quickly, saw we also shared an interest in Japan and wrote him back, babbling about books.

Later I went back and read his profile more in depth. The man himself was a published author, and I felt kind of silly about going on about who I liked and what books I’d recommend. I know that shouldn’t have bothered me at all, but it kind of did. I wished I’d already known his work or recognized his name.

He wrote back laughing, said it was OK, sometimes he couldn’t believe he was really an author either. Yep, I like this guy.

So I ordered four of his books and started reading. And you know what? They are GOOD. Not just good because, “Hey, I know this guy,” but good because they drew me into the story and had me identifying with a character that is about as far from me as you can get.

I like these books enough to tell YOU about them.

The author is Barry Eisler and the first book in the series is Rain Fall. His character John Rain is a paid assassin working in Japan. His descriptions of Japan are so rich I feel I’m there. The tech toys are good enough to make even Jeff Turner sit up and pay attention. Rain is a remorseless killer, and yet I like him and worry about him when he’s in a tight spot. I suppose his flaws make him interesting, but there’s more to it than that. I like him in spite of himself. Barry Eisler is GOOD.

Even though the books are very different, his series reminds me of John Sandford’s Prey series. If you like those books (Boomer) then I think you’d probably like these as well.

If you use the internet and social networks wisely, the world becomes a beautiful place where we’re all close enough to be friends.

And Barry, if you have Google Alerts on your name -- Hey, how you doing?

Was Your Blog Content Stolen, Too? UPDATED

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 05:39:41 -0600

Welcome to my 400^th post on Active Rain. (Public count is different, don't get excited.)

Yesterday Copyscape informed me that someone had duplicated the content of my outside blog, The Putnam Scoop. When I checked out the site, it had my Scoop posts listed under Real Estate West Virginia, so I knew this was someone from Active Rain taking my stuff. I haven’t mentioned real estate at all on the Scoop, aside from in the names of some sites in my blogroll.

Digging in a little further, I found several other Active Rainer’s outside content duplicated without their names or sites credited, only a small link to “This page” for original post.

I wrote to the site owner and told him to TAKE MY STUFF DOWN. He wrote back and said he would (thank you) but wondered why I wouldn’t want the extra exposure, especially as his site gets more hits than mine.

Well, isn’t that part of it right there? I don’t want him to get hits that might have led someone to my actual site. My site is more personal, with local pictures and a hometown feel. It’s just not the same experience to visit a site like his. I want local people to find a local site run by someone from HERE. We’re a small state that isn’t always appreciated for all it has to offer. I love this place and visiting my site gives you a little of the experience of being here. I want my readers to feel the pride we share in living here. You don’t get that from his site.

That wasn’t a real estate site that he used, it wouldn’t have done what he wanted anyway. He didn’t ask. He used my words, signature and pictures of me – and he did the same to people I consider friends. The link hidden at the bottom didn’t make it all better.

And I checked him out a little. I found stuff I didn’t care for and wouldn’t want to be associated with. He thought I’d be flattered and assumed I was hungry for business and would be thrilled. I have enough business that I don’t even use my site for work, but for the joy of where I live. I care about who my name is associated with and would prefer to have a choice in the matter. And perhaps I just don’t get it, but how would my hits going to his site instead help my business anyway?

If you can explain to me how this was a benefit to me, please do. (Just be nice!)

UPDATE: A friend pointed out that he's not "linking" to Inman, homes.com or Realtor.com, just us "smaller" bloggers. What if I got express permission from Teresa Boardman to use one of her photographs, or from Lenn Harley to use one of her maps? (Hey, it could happen!) It would then have gone directly to his site, without their permission.

I would hate to see what might happen then.

Mr. Fainting Reindeer's First Snowfall

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 05:14:57 -0600

Two hour school delay. Why am I awake??

The 2,548 Best Things Anybody Every Said

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 07:01:12 -0600

We’ve had Christmas #1 at my house already, and my brother and sister in law got me a book of quotes called “The 2,548 Best Things Anybody Ever Said”, selected and compiled by Robert Byrne.

I do believe he’s probably right, and as a kind of book review I offer some of the quotes that we really liked as we passed the book around last night.

A blank page is God’s way of showing you how hard it is to be God. ~Unknown

We had a quicksand box in our backyard. I was an only child, eventually. ~Steven Wright

Never let a computer know you’re in a hurry. ~Unknown

I wasn’t kissing her. I was whispering in her mouth. ~Chico Marx

The only normal people are the ones you don’t know very well. ~ Joe Ancis

Time is nature’s way of keeping everything from happening at once. ~Unknown

He’s such a hick he doesn’t even have a trapeze in his bedroom. ~Unknown

Why do writers write? Because it isn’t there. ~Thomas Berger

I have enough money to last the rest of my life, unless I buy something. ~Jackie Mason

Go away. I’m all right. ~Last words of H.G. Wells

I will always cherish the initial misconceptions I had about you. ~Unknown

There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is having lots to do and not doing it. ~John W. Raper

Don’t let it end like this. Tell them I said something. ~Last words of Pancho Villa

Old age means realizing you’ll never own all the dogs you wanted to. ~Joe Gores

If I had to live my life over again, I’d make the same mistakes, only sooner. ~Tallulah Bankhead

Just Because It Made Me Happy ...

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 06:12:01 -0600

Shopping Alert!!

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:02:40 -0600

Yes, it’s time for Christmas shopping, and I’m sure you have people on your list that just make you wonder what the heck you can get for them.

If you live around here, let me give you a big hint: Blenko.

If you think it might be a good idea to give something beautiful, you want Blenko.

If you want to give something that is one of a kind, it’s got to be Blenko.

If you want something distinctly West Virginian, crafted with pride, think Blenko.

I could go on all day. I love the gorgeous colors and there is just nothing like sunlight pouring through their glass.

Blenko has some special events planned for this Friday, November 23^rd.

They are introducing a new color, Pink Ice, that will be produced in a limited number of special styles. (Be the first to one this Friday!)

Also, Richard Blenko will be signing all purchases from 9:00- 12:00 and from 1:00 to 2:00. Sheet glass blowing demonstrations will be available for viewing from 8:00 to 3:00.

Also look for their special selection of Marshall and WVU products.

We are lucky to live so close to such a treasure.

My last trip to Blenko went something like this. My little girl needed a break from school and I let her play hooky and took her to Blenko. (She’s a great student and this was a one-off, it’s OK.) She was fascinated watching the artisans each take turn with their part in the process of blowing glass. They passed the red hot blob one to another, each doing their part. She was amazed to see glass so hot you could cut it with scissors. When they finished the piece, I looked down to see the big smile and look of wonder on her face. One of the artisans caught my eye, and I smiled and mouthed, “Thank you.” He smiled and nodded. I hope the awe visible on my Little One’s face made his day nearly as much as it did mine.

Take home a piece of handmade West Virginia for yourself or as a gift. There’s really nothing like it.

Blenko is located in Milton at 9 Fairground Road.

A Quiet Fountain

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 04:54:52 -0600

The fountain at Marshall University will be turned off tomorrow. If you’ve seen the movie “We Are Marshall”, you know why.

November 14, 1970, the DC-9 carrying Marshall’s football team, coaches and some of their fans clipped some trees just before the Tri-State Airport and crashed. All 75 aboard the plane were killed.

Although Huntington is our second largest city, it is still a small town. Imagine everyone in your town touched with grief. Then imagine them trying to learn to go on. That is one of the hardest parts of grief, living.

This fountain helped. It was installed two years after the crash, and is an inspiring sight even if you don’t know the story. But when you know, it means so much more.

A simple plaque at the base reads, “They shall live on in the hearts of their families and friends forever and this memorial records their loss to the university and the community.”

The fountain was designed by sculptor Harry Bertoia. It’s over 13 feet tall and weighs 6500 pounds. Along the top of the fountain you’ll see 75 points, each one representing one of the crash victims.

When I look at the fountain, I see 75 beloved souls soaring to heaven, and a town’s tears falling down below. The sculptor had intended that I see the living going on upon the waters of life. Well, with all art, we see what we see.

Tomorrow a wreath will be laid on the water and the fountain will be turned off until spring.

Keith Morehouse, sports director of our local WSAZ, was nine when his Dad died in this crash. Keith’s Dad was the Marshall Sports Information Director. His wife Debbie lost both her parents in the crash. At one of the previous memorials, Keith read this poem, which says it all too well:

What happened to the school who lost its team, once the players were all gone.
It mourned and grieved, yet still believed that the games they should go on.

A team showed up in ’71. Would Marshall be the same?
The coaches knew. The players too. This was more than just a game.

An incredible loss to come back from. The journey would be long.
But in its quest to be the best, this team was thousands strong.

The wins have come, but the seasons aren’t done. This is everybody’s team.
See we’ve been blessed, unlike the rest, to live our loved one’s dream.

Planning an AR Get Together -- Join Us in Riding the Beast

Sarah Cooper (Real Estate Shows) — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:30:24 -0600

This is my all time favorite, The Beast. We've been friends since I was a teenager.

And here is his son, Son of Beast.

Anyone want to meet up next summer at King's Island in Ohio and try 'em out?