Tips about Your ActiveRain "Settings" Page

So much has changed since my initial post from 10/07 regarding the ActiveRain "settings" page.  I'm creating an updated post for our new members joining the network.  To access your settings, make sure you're logged into AR, then go to your "MY HOME" link located at the top of any page.  Next, click on the "Settings" link located on the left hand side of the page.  I'll explain each section of the "settings" page below.

  This is your Blogs Title.  Be sure to give this one some thought, it is the theme of your entire Blog.  

  Your Blog Description.  This is an important area of your "Settings Page."  This is where you can add Widgets and their HTML codes to your Blog.  This includes any ActiveRain Approved Widgets that are available.

  This is your Blogs Description.  (Text Only - NO HTML Allowed Here)  This is where you should describe your Blog, it's content, and it's value to your readers, but remember the SEO opportunity.  You are limited to 100 words, so focus your description and keywords.  This is often times the most overlooked area by new and existing AR members.  Maximize your SEO (Search Engine Optimization)  

  Allow Non-Member comments.  Be sure you have this box checked, otherwise readers who are not members of Active Rain will be unable to comment on your post.  Unless all your posts on your Blog are members only, I would make sure it's checked!

  Sharing your comments.  Your comments are already shared in the posts where you've made them.  If you want other members and readers to access "All" your comments in one easy access location, you can check this box and allow them, it's your preference.

  Twitter Settings.  Enter your user name.  Be sure it's the one you have setup on Twitter.  Detailed Post Here

  Add your password for automatic Twitter updates.  You may also wish to tweet your "Members Only" posts.  By checking the box, you are allowing your "members only" posts to be broadcast over the twitter network.  If you don't currently have a twitter account, you can get one here at  Twitter.com

  Your Email Settings.  This is a very important part of your settings page.  You have to decide how you want your email notifications to work and be managed here.  Do you want to get emailed every time someone adds you as an associate?  What about the comments you'll receive on your Blog Posts?  How about the groups you've joined, the founder or administrator can do mass emails to the group, do you want to be notified?  There is even manual score and point adjustment email notifications.  This is really up to each members own discretion. 

Under the General Settings, the option to allow others to see when you are on-line is no longer available.  This feature will be removed in a future update and release.  It was available when the member count used to appear in the upper right corner of AR pages. 

  Reblogging Option.  Reblogging allows others to "ReBlog" your posts on ActiveRain.  If you check this box, other members will have to option to Reblog your content on their ActiveRain Blog posts.  To find out more about Reblogging and how it works.  Click Here.

  Hit Router Settings.  This is one of the Super-Power features on ActiveRain.  Over 100,000 consumers use this per month on average.  The Hit Router allows consumers to search specific geographic areas for homes from nearly every Blog post and AR profile.  Be sure to setup your Hit Router,  maximize Hit Router and create your Market Area Campaigns when you leave this post.  This is a great lead generation tool for directing traffic and visitors to your IDX sites and listings.  Here's some important information about Hit Router you'll want to know about.
The Final and MOST IMPORTANT TIP HERE:  Don't forget to click on the after making changes.

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This next section is actually part of your "My Home" page, but let's cover it while we're here. 

My Comments.  Here's where you can go back and track every comment you have ever made on Active Rain.  Use the "My Comments" link to go directly to any post you have ever made a comment on.

Notifications.  This is a new feature that allows you to review comments made when you've checked the "Notify Me Of Comments" on another members post. They can also be deleted from the list here.

Points Summary.  This is a breakdown of points earned.  It shows your total points on Featured Posts, comments, regular points, inviting new members etc.  ONLY YOU can see the breakdown of your individual points.

Statistics.  How many comments do you receive?  How many views do you get on your post?  How many clicks are your posts getting?  It's all on this page.  Another great feature of the Statistics page is that you can see every post you've ever submitted on AR.  Using the stats page will help you determine many things about your Blog and posts.

Associations.  These are other members that have added "YOU" as an associate.  When you add someone as an associate, don't forget to put a comment in the box at the bottom of the page.  When someone adds you as an associate, hopefully, you'll reciprocate.  In my opinion, this is one of the best reference and referral here.

Invite Others.  Use this link to send an invitation to someone who is NOT currently a member.  When you invite other Real Estate Professionals, and they accept, you will be credited for their membership and get a percentage of points for everything they do on AR.  You can also send an invitation outside of AR, just be sure to use the proper link so you can get credit for inviting them.

Blog Bookmarks.  This will take you to ALL the posts you have bookmarked on AR.  We all get the comments from members that say "I've Bookmarked Your Post!"  This is so they can be referred back to at a later time.

Link To ActiveRain.  This page will give you the options and graphics to place links and images on other websites and Blogs.  It allows you to promote your Blog and membership here at AR.  You can use these HTML codes on most outside websites and Blogs.

Review Pending Outside Blog Posts.  Another new feature, this allows you to deny or approve other members posts to your Outside ActiveBlogs.  Depending on how you setup the admin rights will determine how you end up using this feature.  You can find out more about Multi-Authored Outside Blogs here.

Feel free to modify your AR settings anytime.  Hopefully, you have a better understanding of what each of these areas and links covers.  If you have any questions on how to do ANYTHING here on ActiveRain, there are hundreds of instructional posts available that I can point you to, or you can just ask me, and I'll find you the answer.  Thanks and Enjoy!