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I Have Tunnel Vision . . . Can Someone Explain Why Multiple Blogs Make Sense?

By
Industry Observer

First, I was invited to join Active Rain sometime last year, I think, and had not a clue what it was all about. I wrote one blog for public display (which I have subsequently deleted), and a few for members only (all but one that I have deleted).

In the meantime, last January, I discovered wordpress.com and created a blog there http://debsbeachblog.wordpress.com/

I recently checked out AR more thoroughly, and began trying to figure it all out - how it works into the scheme of things. I think the advent of localism spurred me on more than anything else.

So now I am posting in AR and the effect on "My Other Blog" is negative . . .

In conclusion, I have no idea why people post to more than one blog.

HELP!!! 

Comments (12)

Cheryl Johnson
Highland Park, CA

Many people focus on different things in different blogs. Compartmentilization.  :-)  For me, when I write on AR, for the most part, I figure that's a conversation with the professional real estate community.  My main outside blog is mostly a calendar of what is going on in my hometown community.  Someone with a special interest in, say, woodworking or quilting, would probably want a separate blog to just talk about those subjects.

May 16, 2007 10:47 PM
Maureen McCabe
HER Realtors - Columbus, OH
Columbus Ohio Real Estate

I waited... for someone else to comment Deborah but gave it a star hoping we'd get some conversation... You may not be able to get a lot of conversation started in this group...the way it is posted just to the group.

Different people are going to have different reasons to blog on JUST on  Active Rain or blog on Active Rain and another platform.  There's some strong opinion about it out there.  Lure Teresa Boardman and a few more opinionated Rainers  to the party and you'll get a lot more conversation about this.  Teresa might even bring some chips with her. 

Brad Inman had an interesting entry yesterday on Inman Blog. I started reading one of the comments and thought "Hey who is this?" and it was of course Matt Heaton.  Here are two of Inman Blogs's What's Next's  in the list ... when I started reading Matt's comment on #7 I did not have to look at the bottom to see who it was.

7. Many real estate social networking and blogging sites will fade because of no business model.
8. Agent blogs will soon replace traditional Web sites as their primary marketing tool.

Matt's comment on #8 as well is interesting.  I ran into someone out in the blogosphere who sells a class on using WP.org blogs for business.  This fella has an opinion of  "What's Next"  that envisions AR kicked to the curb by Google.   "Islands" is the word Matt used to describe separate blogs in his comment on Inman's #8. 

I did not know that ActiveRain was blogging when I joined. Then I just did Members Only entries for a long time.  I go back and forth about Localism. 

May 17, 2007 12:31 AM
Deborah Ryman
Santa Cruz, CA
M.A. Feng Shui Services, Santa Cruz County
Thanks for your comments, Maureen . . . I think my confusion is a result of being a rookie blogger. I would be interested to see what others had to say, but maybe this topic has been beaten to death by now.
May 17, 2007 03:03 AM
Deborah Ryman
Santa Cruz, CA
M.A. Feng Shui Services, Santa Cruz County

Thank you, Cheryl. I am beginning to see that I had a mental disconnect about AR and blogging, so that I joined AR and had no clue what it really was and then later I had an epiphany that I wanted to blog - I ruled out AR at that point because I thought it was just focused on agent internal networking.

I don't see any difference between my two blogs, really - other than design elements.

On the google issue, I will be interested to read more.

 

 

May 17, 2007 03:10 AM
Lisa Dunn
Edina Realty - Minneapolis, MN
www.TwinCitySeller.com

1. http://www.realsageadvice.com/  This blog is targeting seniors and thier adult children. This is a niche i specialize in.  It's interesting to note that most start on the blog, go to my website, then either call or fill out a form. This is largely because of one of the offers i have on my blog, is a link back to my website.

2. I just launched a new baby blog that is a geographic niche vs. a demographic niche. www.lisadunn.typepad.com/longfellow_nokomis

3. Finally, I do a lot of professional networking and learning here on active rain. I've decided not to post a lot of new information on localism becuase I think we get lost in the crowd.  But, because of the google juice of localism, I'll post once in a while with a link to one of my other blogs.

Each are targeted to different consumers. Having more than one place where people can find you also increases the chance they will find you.  That's why many blogs have links and other memberships they advertise. This is about a web strategy vs. just having one single static web site.

 I like your blog. You've got a good start! Kick it up a notch by adding some pictures, and a blogroll. If you post here, link back to your blog. Keep at it!

May 21, 2007 11:45 AM
Michelle DeRepentigny
Success Realty - Athens, GA
Broker Athens, GA
I do alot of agent to agent networking through member only post on AR.  I target my localism.com post to relocation and my "outside blog www.allaboutathensga.com is hyperlocal and targeted to my current community, although I have adjusted it some to start pulling relocation leads because it just naturally started going there!  I think there is definitely a place for multiple blogs, you just have to be careful  what you post where!
May 21, 2007 01:36 PM
David L. Britt
Platinum Realty, LLC - Olathe, KS
MBA
Deborah, by posting to mulitple blogs you can increase your SEO traffic.  However, you can not use the same information on both blogs, this will be rejected by the search engines.  Just my two cents!
May 21, 2007 04:55 PM
Rich Schiffer
Swarthmore, PA
Referral Agent, e-PRO

The reason I use multiple blog sites is a bit more complex.

  1. Each blog (Active Rain, Myspace, etc.) has a different demographic that use them as a portal to the rest of the web.  I want to attract business from each of those demographics, and being there serves as a "foot in the door" for some consumers.
  2. Each blogging platform has a different effectiveness with the search engines.  Myspace blogs tend to be junk, (no offence to myspace or its users is intended, but a lot of spam is generated via myspace) so I think that google doesn't rank them very well.  Active Rain, however has become a trusted site, and consistently ranks very high with search results.  Even the comments get ranked high.
  3. Each blogging platform has different features.  I really like the interface that Active Rain has created, and the continuous introduction of new features.  Some other platforms will allow for a greater degree of customization than Active Rain does.  I like what I see here just fine.
  4. I use a different "voice" or tone of my writing, depending on which audience I am writing for.  By using different platforms, I prevent "worlds from colliding." 

 

May 21, 2007 05:20 PM
Deborah Ryman
Santa Cruz, CA
M.A. Feng Shui Services, Santa Cruz County

Hmmmmmm. Interesting! Thanks everyone.

Since I mostly write about local history, if Localism is effective (and I have heard some people say it isn't - I guess because of competition?), then AR might be the place for that.

I do also write pieces with philosophical, psychological, or sociological slants (since those are my interests and background) and I am not sure of the best forum for those pieces. I was not getting much traffic at all on wordpress - not sure if it is because I am still in the google sandbox or "other."

 

May 22, 2007 04:04 AM
Maureen McCabe
HER Realtors - Columbus, OH
Columbus Ohio Real Estate

 Deborah wrote:"Since I mostly write about local history, if Localism is effective (and I have heard some people say it isn't - I guess because of competition?), then AR might be the place for that."

Really?  Localism is ineffective?  I'd like to see that discussion.  Some don't want to be muddled (is that a word... even?) in with others in their market.  Or is Localism really not effective?  Everything you write on Active Rain that is categorized for consumers goes to Localism.com doesn't it?

May 23, 2007 01:35 AM
Lisa Dunn
Edina Realty - Minneapolis, MN
www.TwinCitySeller.com
With Localisms google juice it's hard to imaging it isn't effective.  I think this might be an issue of just using the wrong word.  Localism IS effective, some members have some mixed feelings about whether or not to use it because they might get lost in the crowd
May 23, 2007 02:21 AM
Deborah Ryman
Santa Cruz, CA
M.A. Feng Shui Services, Santa Cruz County
Maureen and Lisa: Thanks for your comments on Localism, re: "effectiveness." I don't know if I actually read here that it was ineffective or if that was my interpretation of what I read. In either case, it's good to clarify that "effectiveness" or lack of isn't the issue.
May 23, 2007 02:43 AM