ActiveRain Updates - A Few New Features

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ActiveRain Updates - A Few New Features

ActiveRain Updates a few new features

There were a few changes and updates made to the network yesterday both internally and for members. Just wanted to make sure you knew about them in case you hadn't noticed already.

The first of which is pretty obvious are the New Badges. They have been moved from covering the upper corner of your photo and placed below the photos now. This should help those members whose photos were being interfered with by the old badges.

We've added the RSS feed now for the "featured posts" that appear on the homepage. Non logged-in users can only subscribe to a feed of "public" featured posts. Logged-in users can subscribe to an additional "public + members only" feed of featured posts.

To add the RSS feed to your reader or to get the proper link to do so, just click on the RSS Icon located in the address bar of your browser. I use Google reader for all my RSS feeds, but you can use any RSS reader or feed device.

Here is the RSS link if you need it for the "Public Posts" - http://activerain.com/index.rss

There's now a New way to earn points: every day, a member can earn 100 points for "logging in" to ActiveRain. These points will be awarded even if a member has opted to remain logged in. This applies to every member. You can now be rewarded points just for showing up to the community, but we hope you'll continue to engage with others through Blogging and commenting.

As many of you know who have been here a while, we are continuously trying to improve and better the network and community for our members and visitors on a daily basis. Some of these features and updates may seem trivial, but combined, they do add value to the site overall. Enjoy!

Tutorials | Training | Mobile | Widgets

"May this blog be just one more planted seed of wisdom that helps you or your business blossom today!"

Posted by Brad Andersohn on 08/20/2009 02:35 PM

Comments (221)

New Features in the ActiveRain Channel

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Originally posted at: ActiveRain - The Official ActiveBlog: ActiveRain Updates - A Few New Features

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221 Comments on ActiveRain Updates - A Few New Features

AUG

2009

I clicked on 'Professional" blogs and it's blank ...is that gone forever?

P.S. How rude...I didn't comment on the rest of the stuff...I like all your efforts to make this an exciting platform with so many useful tools!

Thanks for the info Brad, not to mention the continued improvements to this great site!

Thanks Brad, want our points to look like the one in your post. Working on it each day.

Al and Peggy Cunningham

Ok I'm here. Give me my 100 points! In fact I'll be back. So give me some more.

Nice Brad, For the most part, I like these new toys. There are many things that still need to be addressed as we have discussed before. The only way they get attention is when someone blogs about them. When I simply use the address a concern function, I never hear back. You get things done, Thank-you Brad!

The way I see it,
Paul

I don't understand some of the new functions, but I'll put on my thinking cap!

Nice new badges!! But, "wipe custom domains" when Waaaayyy over my head....I have an outside blog thru AR...is this something I need to change or re-do?

Brad, that is all good news. Thanks for keeping us updated on everything, we all appreciate everything you guys do for us members.

I like the new look of the badges. And thanks for the 100 points...nice surprise! Thanks, especially, for writing your posts so clearly that newbies like me can understand them!

i guess I'm the only one... but I find the new badges, while they are less intrusive to the photo, to also be less visually interesting. Sorry.... they're just bland and "there". The badges, were least visually appealing.

Thanks, Brad. I noticed the new badges today and the 100 points too ... and what I really loved this week was the back up feature. Keep up the good work ... and maybe eventually .... these new 'rainmaker badges' can look a little more ARish? LOL (these are just plain ugly) :P
Why not just remove the whole rectangle, and leave only the AR raindrop attached to the word? I don't have any brighter ideas right now, but I think it will look better, until someone else comes up with a beauuuuuuutiful one. :)

Dear "Staff Member"....haven't commened to you in a very long time!

Just wanted you to know....you're still#1....and do a GREAT Job (even without a badge)

Nice, these new features. Points for logging in? My day would not be complete without an AR visit and now I get points...the AR bosses are too kind~

Brad, I'm just conjuring up what to do with the extra 3,650 points I'll receive in the next year. Can we get bonus log-in points if we log in from more than one IP address?

Brian's comment made me laugh...... "hey Brian, great idea....go try it"......

Brad, thank you for helping us in making Active Rain a better place to blog, learn and network.

I have to agree with Lil' Elvis up there a few comments ahead of me. The old circular badges looked sort of cool, these new ones looks sort of cheapie and not much in the way of a nice design. Heck, even I can put Times New Roman words in colored box.

I like the idea, but think the design of the new badges looks pretty crappy.

Also, I like the 100 pts for showing up, but you should also deduct 100 for not showing up and clean up some of these old abandoned accounts from people who are out of business, retired, or moved on.

Glad to see the site isnt stagnant though.

You guys do keep us on our toes. We certainly can't be gone for more than a few days without missing some exciting tool or change. I love TLW's info about color as well!

I like the new badges! A lot of new upgrades all at once! ActiveRain is awesome :)

Brad - there have certainly been a lot of chnages recently - it's hard to keep up. Not sure I get the 100 point thing but why complain about free points.

Jeff

Like the changes, especially the points. Thanks!

Thanks for the updates Brad. Any idea when consumers will be able to comment on Localism? I know you told me back in the early sping or winter that they were working on that.

Hi Brad - I saw the new badges and am not really a fan, but I do appreciate the fact that you guys are always trying to improve AR. For that, I THANK YOU ;-)

Brad, I thought that logging in points one was pretty creative on the staff's part... On any banner I just wish it wouldn't obscure ANY of the profile photo.

Sally - wasn't aware of that change, might just be a glitch, I'll have to look into that one. Just found another glitch myself. I typed in the wrong keyword at the bottom and lost my entire response to all these comments. That's a glitch for sure and the way I type and mispell, we'll need to get that corrected too. Let's see if I can type karanda this time... lol~

Paul - if you are putting in tickets to AR and they are not getting addressed, I need to know about it. Just to clarify that the "Report a Concern" link you mention and see in the comments is just to report spam or other concerns with that comment, you won't get any kind of response back from those. We deal with them behind the scenes. If you use the "Contact ActiveRain at the bottom of every AR page, we will always get back to you. Writing a Blog post about any issues you may be having may or may not get spotted by our staff, you'll get a much faster response and result by using the contact AR link.

Christine - that's wipe domain tool is for those who accidentally make a booboo. IE: I want my OB domain name to be MyOutsideBlog.com but I accidentally call it MyBoutsideClog.com. (something I'd do... haha!) Not a problem if you want it corrected now, just wipe it and register a new domain name for it. Hope that makes more sense. Only to be used when the domain name linked to your outside blog is or has a problem.

Well at least the new badges don't obscure the members photos anymore. Maybe we can have the designers try to come up with some other ideas. The reality is that no matter what we come up with, we will never please every single member, but we will continue to try for sure. Maybe we shoiuld have a contest and let YOU guys come up with some designs??? That could be kinda fun and exciting?

Very cool - as usual! the Active Rain Rock Stars at it again!

Brad, the RSS feed has been on my list of things to figure out. Too tire right now but I know that if I follow your instructions and I can't do it, you're always there to help. Til Tomorrow. :)

Hi Brad. Love the extra 100 - gracias! Ouch on the badges, huh? Don't you love retaggr?

Wow! Thank you for the extra points, who doesn't like extra points? I love Active Rain!

Blog-N-Roll Brad...

I didn't do my homework. I have a couple of good excuses though:

1. The cat ate my mouse.

2. The dog ate the cat, before I could dissect the cat, to retrieve my mouse.

3. The alligator ate the dog, before I could dissect the dog, to get to the cat, that ate my mouse.

P.S. Consider that either a Value added comment or a load of Crap. You choose :)

TLW...ROAR!

Hi Brad - What size should our profile photos be so that they're not obscured by the badges? Your photo looks like it sits just above the badge rather than the bottom being covered by it.

I was wondering about this change this morning as I logged in. Now this post make clear the changes you have added. You guys are always "brain storming" .... I do love the free points, "thanks so much!"

Patricia Aulson/portsmouth nh real estate

By the way, where is the information on extra points.....I've missed this I gues..

Patricia Aulson

Brad...

AR has really evolved over the last few years, and it's always great to see everyone trying to improve the system every day.

I wasn't crazy about the 100 login points at first but after thinking about it, so much MORE reason for MORE members to log in every day, and that's a good thing!

I love it. I get rewarded for doing something I love to do! Thanks

Thanks TLW for the laugh, I needed one today!

As usual, more cool stuff coming from AR, now I get points just for breathing (online breathing that is).

Hi Brad, I'd pass up on the extra 100 points just to have that glitch with the misspelling of the secret word fixed. It happened to me again yesterday and it's such a pain. I know other members have mentioned it also in the past.

B-Rad !

Thanks for the explanations and updates ! I saw the 100 log in pts this morning - thank you ! I saw the badge adjustment - looks fine, wasnt aware of the wipe feature (although there's just something weird about the word 'wipe' ??) and the RSS feed addition is very cool !

So thank you to you and your A|R peeps for the constant efforts to improve !

Cheers !

Sheldon

I like the new look. Nice to see continuous improvement.

How great, must admit I like points and was surprised to see the 100 pts today and now I know why.

Brad - I Love Points!!! I haven't read anything about the RSS feed, so that's something I definitely need to learn about. Thanks!

Brad - I'm with Alfonse on the new badges. They just seem to lack something. I know it's hard to please all of us though, so I'm sure it will work out in the end, one way or the other. Perhaps it's just that they're too square?

PS I just got beat by the misspelled word too. Although I swear I spelled it correctly.

Brad,

Thanks for the information on the updates. I do like the look of the new badges they make for a cleaner look.

Ok, so if I log in and out 300 times today, can I pass Jim? Oh, nevermind... it only works once a day...

Thanks! I must not be an old dog . . . 'cause I'm learning new tricks ALL the time here on AR!!

Thanks for the enhancements Brad. Gonna have to bookmark this page and come back - too much good stuff. Love Brian's comment ;-) I have 2 PCs and a lap top.

WoW! Activerain keeps getting better and better. Thanks!

Brad, I actually sent in an email about that glitch a long time ago, and when nothing was done, I assumed there was a reason, so I've learned to copy my text, before I type the word, just in case ... and of course, I sometimes have to paste the text back, because I lose it ... but it beats retyping it. :)

Wow Brad you got so many comments! if you were an agent you would be millionaire, hahaha

Thanks for the infor buddy.

Carlos Morales

Brad - I was in the middle of my blog this afternoon and the badge all of a sudden changed. Now I know. You guys are terrific making AR getting better and better. Thanks for the extra 100 points.

Hi Brad, I saw the 100 pts earlier and much confusion until I read your post. Thanks so mcuh for all your hard work and improvement to AR.

Allways good to learn about improvements, thank you for the ongoing support. THere is always something to learn

Brad,

As AR evolves, it continues to improve.

Brian

Brad ~ Also not a huge fan of the new badges, but appreciate the continued efforts to improve the site. 100 points for showing up?? Like Jeff I'm not sure I get it, but who's going to complain about getting points? I guess I'll make it to 10,000 all the sooner now...:-)

Brad - I like the fact that Activerain continually upgrades and improves its platform. However, you didn't mention the changes associated with tools deleted in this recent upgrade. I liked the feature that allowed you to identify the top 100 most subscribed Activerain bloggers - as well as the the feature that allowed you to do the same by state. It is no longer on the subscription page. Is it located somewhere else or is it no more? I really liked the feature and helped me sort through who to read - especially early now.

Brad: As always.. you guys and gals are making great strides here in the rain. The new points are great too... Does this affect the other points system for comments, ect ?

Thanks for all the updates. I need to keep updated with all the changes coming fast and furious

Brad- I never stopped "showing up", but haven't written that much in the past few months. Now you've made me feel guilty, getting 100 points just for showing up. I guess I'll have to get back to blogging and commenting.

Hi Brad ~ Great to hear about the updates. 100 points huh? Cool!

Any word on the Professional category? It hasn't worked since the blog roll format was changed and truth be told I can't hack making my way through the "All" category. It's been interesting - I've run into some bloggers I've never read before -but I all in all I don't really enjoy it - it's just too much. I **really** miss the Professional category.

Liz

Isnt' is strange that relatively normal adult... pretty much do anything for points.. ;)

I love the free 100 points. I like the new changes as well.

The changes are great... I am sure everyone will enjoy the points for logging in!

Brad-you guys certainly keep us on our toes. I saw the 100 points for logging in today and couldn't figure that one out (glad to have it though) but your post explains it.

Don't have a big complaint about the new badges.

Someday I'll figure out the RSS feed, but still working on the other new tools you've given us.

And the "wipe custom domains" flew right over my head. Needless to say I've bookmarked this (as I do all of your posts) and will re-read this tomorrow.

Thank you for keeping AR fresh.

Thanks for the very user friendly updates. I saw the extra 100 points this morning - always welcome - wasn;t going to question it but glad to know why.

Michael

Hi Brad -- I like the old logos better. Glad to see the improvements.

Brad, I can't keep up.

I have had to book mark your last 3 posts and Jeremy's.

Someday we will have snow and I will do lots of catching up.

My orange Ambassador badge clashes with my red frame around my head.

Other than that I am happy....and overwhelmed.

I like the 100 points for checking in, but agree with the above comment...at what point do you deal with those signed up who never check in for months or years? some members got lucky and invited the right person, and even though they never participate in AR, they are racking up sponsoring points...

i was wondering what the extra 100 points were. What a great idea.

Brad If AR did not continue to make changes many would have abandoned the network. All the hard work is greatly appreciated.

Brad,

Thanks to you and the entire staff for how well you take care of us.

I have noticed alot of members in my area who's point total hasn't changed for awhile ! So the 100 pts. per day will automatically push the now tuned out crowd start to decrease. You know you should start to lose pts. for lack of participation !

Hi Brad, sorry I liked the old badges they looked more like watermarks and was classier.

I like the 100 points thank you.

The blog thing has me confused and the RSS feed. Takes time to absorb all of this.

I had the same thing happen this morning with a key stroke that wiped out everything===GRRRR

Thanks Brad! Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY tomorrow!!!

Brad,

I wrote a blog about that graphic issue a while back: So, if I accidentially mis-type the graphic by accident, why do I lose my comment?

I also liked the old badges and I agree with Bonnie...much classier.

Thanks for the 100 ppd...

Thanks for the update.

Hmmm, I'm confused a little by the login points. I don't shut down my computer every day, so I'm always logged in. Should I be logging in and out for any other reason?

Hi Brad - The ActiveRain team has done some great programming in the current upgrade.

1) 100 points a day just to login. That's 36,500 points per year (36,600 in a leap year). Wow!!! I wrote a post earlier in the morning when I first saw but didn't know it was daily at the time.

2) Signature blocks - Great 1.0 version. I look forward to seeing 2.0 when you implement multiple signature blocks and allow people to use the appropriate one for the post (e.g. consumer signature vs. members only signature). I've seen several comments requesting this feature.

3) Early in the morning, I sent a Contact Us comment as well as posted a comment to one of Loreena's posts about the fact that the new Staff / Ambassador / ActiveRainmaker rectangle was covering up the bottom of profile photos. Don't know if any of the behind the scenes people read my complaint but it was fixed by later today so it looks much better. On the other hand, I liked the old round badge much better since it looks like an award / certificate etc. As many other people have said, the rectangle design is very boring and any 2 month old could design it (especially these days when everyone uses a computer at such a young age).

4) Backup feature in XML - Although I have only read about it and haven't delved into the mechanics yet, the fact that you have the feature reinforces ActiveRain's position that the account owner owns the content and not ActiveRain since you allow us to get it back.

5) You need to change the "Wipe Custom Domain" description to something else. It is very confusing to a lot of people, both to those who are very familiar with computer terminology, like myself, and those who have minimal familiarity. "Delete custom domain name" would be better. What does "wipe" mean? Does it mean "clean up the domain"? The only time I recall seeing "wipe" in a computer context is when security companies say something along the lines of "we will WIPE the data on your harddrive clean in accordance with US Department of Defence or US government standards using multiple writes of 1s and 0s."

Keep up the great work.

Brad- LOVE the new badges- very classy. Thanks for working so hard for us!

Happy Birthday.

I appreciate all you do for us, and I think the new badges are better, as they're not covering faces.

Thanks Brad! I was surprised when I saw the extra 100 points just for logging in. What will you guys think of next?

Hi Brad,

You guys have really stepped up your game. Who knew how great Active Rain would become when I first logged on in 2007?

Brad, thanks for keeping us up on Active Rain's constant improvements. Love the 100 points a day!

I tried the RSS feed for the Features on the Home page and it said it didn't exist...glitch I suppose. I'll try tomorrow.

Sharon

AUG

2009

Hi Brad -- thanks for the great updates you stay on top of and keep us informed. I'm not sure why just logging in gets us a 100 points, but, greatful none the less!! Thanks

Sue of Robin and Sue

Hi Brad,

Now the 100 points for just showing up is a remarkable change. How was that determined as a need, now fulfilled. I certainly think it is great idea but I would never have thought of it. Fascinating and the logic behind it would be interesting if you shared your perspective.

The other cool thing is what Jeremy added with the permanent signature line. That is awesome and a real time saver as well.

But I have to admit, the re-condensing of all the business resources blog you have been providing under the business development banner is just extraordinary. One of the things that was brought forth was ListGrabber and people seemed in their comments not to understand it so much. I purchased the software today and it works like a snap. I paid a consultant to move some of my web leads into a site for a drip system. The person I contracted only accounted for about 150 web leads. Now I can do that and so many more things and I am even setting up a new niche and the contacts are all coming form the yellow pages. Now that is cool. I would never have been able to accomplish that. This software is totally worth the samll cost and I am so impressed with AR for bringing it to us and providing for our needs even if at first we didn't even think we had that need.

So, not only are we the biggest network but the staff has made it one one of the best values in any industry. How lucky we are Brad and you have benefitted all of us so much and so often. It gets a little boring always saying thanks. But Brad, Many Thanks to you and the whole staff for making AR so incredibly awesome.

The changes sound great. I wasnt aware of the 'signing' bonus until someone pointed it out to me in a post (of course). Im still a little unclear of the 'wipe domain' but Im going to play with that and see what happens. Thanks for keeping us informed Brad.

More stuff to play with and I haven't finished learning the other stuff yet. There is so much to do and read here. Thanks for giving us such a wonderful environment.

Thanks, I'm becoming an addict...I hope the cure is Chocolate.

How do you become an ambassador again?

Sorry everyone, I screwed up about the "Wipe Custom Domain feature" this is for admin and staff only, it was a mis-communication on my part. It's one o'clock in the morning here in Nevada, and all I can think to say at this point is "what an idiot I am". This Post was edited to reflect these sentiments! Sorry about that! :-(

Hi Brad..no rest for the weary. But Ar now has some neat new things- I too like the idea of rewarding faithful followers with the log in- what a lovely token of appreciation as well as a measurable result to determine who is Active in the Rain. For those of us who make AR part of our dailt ritual, it is a nice perk.

Noticed the badges... personally I did not have a problem with the old ones.

I did notice the bookmark feature is gone?

I appreciate all that you and AR does for us. Thank you!

Hello, Brad. I appreciate the update. I am getting REady for a REal day. I mainly wanted to cruise by and say thanks.

PS: I love your banner. Sometimes I get a bit too intense and forget enjoying what I do is a top priority. Great REminder.

Brad - And you couldn't just go back into the original post and delete the wipe custom domain" statement??? It must be really late or you're really overworked with all of these changes you guys are implementing...:-)

About the 100 points...way cool. It'll be easy racking up 100 points a day ...

About the badges - have to agree with those who like the old ones. Much classier than these new blocks, IMHO. But as it has already been stated, you can't pelase everyone...oh, and why did you change the badges anyway? Just curious...

Now if I could just get American Express to give me points for taking my credit card out of my purse and looking at it every day....

Congrats on the new features!

Gotta give a high five to Activerain... always working to improve things. Just one thought, as the badges continue to evolve in the future...

Don't you think the badges might confuse consumers? "What does that huge highlighted thing mean?" or "What's a rainmaker?" has got to cross their minds instead of "This agent seems to be really sharp!" or "I should contact this agent". I think the thought behind badges is good valuable, but you gotta remember the target audience for many of us (at least some of the time)... consumers... and present the badges in a way that does not give consumers pause.

Love the 100 points, don't understand some of the changes, and I liked the old badges better.

My two cents.

Brad,

Thanks to you and the rest of the team for regularly giving us gifts!

Thank goodness the rainmaker badges were re-worked in design Brad. It was covering up my legs & favorite crinoline slip...I liked being racy ;)

I like the new badges and the colors as well. Thanks for continuing to make AR one of the best places to be on the net!

Brad - thanks for the information on the updates that you all are making here on AR.

I've been noticing a few changes lately. Thanks for all that you guys do to continue to improve the AR experience.

The best way to be active and competitive on AR is to read all of your posts. Thank. I even got a new idea for my signature. Have a great day!

William - it was very late when I made that edit. I did that for those who happened to see that update feature I mistakingly posted, and then commented about it. Great idea though, so I'll go in and just remove it now. (The confession has been made in the comments!) LOL~

Regarding the change to Badges, they were covering up many of the members photos and wonderful smiling faces. Thanks! :-)

Points for showing up!!! WAHOOOOO!!!! I should get that since I am on here every single day some times multiple times!!!! SWEEEET!!!

Jeani

I like the rss feed option. That is nice. Also, the points for logging are are nice too. Thanks!

Hello Birthday Boy, Hope you will take some time for yourself today! You are always so willing to help and your information is non stop. Again, I may have to retire from real estate just to keep up.

Happy Birthday!!!

Especially like the new badges Brad. I still miss some of the old features like the blog role returning to top when comments are made but I really appreciate the attention on constant improvement of an already great thing.

Get more sleep lol!

Cool stuff. I noticed the 100 points for logging in - and thought - what the heck is that about. And then I saw it again this morning and knew I had to go back and read this post cause I missed something.

Hey Happy Birthday Brad!

Thanks for the changes and the updates. You guys are always trying to enhance the experience.

Great job to you and the team at ActiveRain for continuing to offer us great value added tools. ;)

I love the points. Thanks.

You gave us a present on YOUR birthday! That was nice!!

Brad,

Great additions. Now if only the pages could load on a dial up system a little faster...

Ann

Thanks for continuing to update and improve your site. You'll never know how much the value of this site is actually worth for learning from all the rainmakers.

Thanks Brad. I must admit I don't understand half of what there is to enjoy here in the rain but it seems I learn something every day. I log in every day so I appreciate the extra points. YEAH!!

Love the 100Pts per day. It's like the old adage, showing up is 90% of success.Now we'll see real rewards for it.

You are in Nevada and you didn't come see me? Or is it a vacation?

As an admitted new "addict" to Active Rain, I welcome the points! Thank you for your continuous hard and thoughtful work Brad!

Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you!

Oh, Happy Day, when Brad was born...

Long ago, on a sunny morn...

The world rejoiced, the doctor said,

"Oops! I dropped him on his head!"

I love the idea of points for logging in each day. Great way to make the community more active (not that it needed much help there in my opinion!)

Just subscribed to the Featured Post feed.

All terrific ideas as usual. Inplementation also top notch. I love the idea of points for logging in. Hopefully will encourage more participation.

These are all good improvements. I would like to see people get points for clicks on a post, not just comments. Although comments should get more points.

Can't keep up with all your constant improvements. Thanks for the gift of 100 points for signing on (not a hardship). I kinda loked the old badges better, but appreciate the improvement to non-blocked pictures. WIsh I understood the Rss thing.

Hope amidst working on the changes you managed to take some time off to just enjoy your special day. Happy B-day!!

Hey Brad - Great job keeping AR alive & well. Now let's get all ARers in ActiveRain tees!!

Thanks for always trying to make AR a better place to be!

I think you should go with your thought of having a "banner creation" contest. I think we'd get some pretty great stuff, as we always seem to from other contests.

Brad - wanted to wish you a happy birthday. Since it's your birthday shouldn't WE be giving YOU points, or I mean, gifts? I mean, don't get me wrong - I love points....especially since THIS COMMENT GIVES ME 100k!! Woo hoo! Have a great day!

Hey Birthday Boy...

May I have this dance? :)

And just so you know, I'm thinking RainJack :)

TLW...ROAR!

Wow! 100 points just for logging in! That could be 36,500 pts a year!

Hi Brad,

Boy, I feel so far out of the blogging loop. What are badges and please excuse my ignorance.? Also if I'm addressing the general public does the entire AR community still see is our do I have to post it to the AR community as well. I've got sooooo much to learn but I sincerely thank you for all your prompt and courteous responses to my pleas for help. I don't know what they pay you but I still think you're under paid for the amount of time you continually put in. If you ever decide to leave AR please talk to me. I would definitely make room in my organiztion for someone with your never ending energy and enthusiasm. keep up the good work.

John

P.S. Do you know of any good blogging courses, seminars, conventions, etc that I could participate in that might help me improve my blogging prowess? Does AR ever have any conventions, conferences or get togethers of any kind? If so please let me know. I would definitely participate.

You guys are the best! Thanks for all the Bday wishes and greetings, you should see my inbox! OMG!!

So here's what's happening:

My wife sent me out for the best massage ever, I came back and she decorated the room, (it's for a surprise party tonight after the show I'm not suppose to know about)...shhhh... room 1269 at the Don Laughlin Riverside Casino and Resort. Come by and see us...

They said to Rock out like a rock start, so I did!! hahaha!!

Thanks again ya'all, this is the best Birthday ever!!

@Virginia - come on by, we're here till Sunday.

@TLW - I'll be waiting on the dance floor... hehe. :-)

Skynnyn Lynnyrd is Lynyrd Skynyrd... reloaded! :-)

Don't worry guys, it's just a temporary alter ego! lol~ What a blast though....

Be back to comment more later, my email inbox and cell phone are making funny noises right now, I think they're about to crash! :-O

Great stuff, as always, Brad.

You guys make ActiveRain rock!

LOL...

We both know that deep down you really are Blog-N-Roll Brad :)

Absolutely love the photos. Tell your lovely I like her hat :)

And my next song choice is probably more appropriate for the occasion. Assuming of course that I can find it :)

Hmmm....If load enough video I wonder if I can break your phone :)

TLW...ROAR!

Points for logging in? Awesome! Next we'll get points for simultaneously walking and chewing gum while being logged in, right?! Although I don't like gum very much. I do like points. Cheers, Robin

Stop trying to confuse me! >.< When I first saw that new 100 points for logging in thing, it really blew my mind. O_O

Brad,

So, thanks for the points and all the new cool stuff. If only I had time ti figure out what it all is! It seems like I could spend a week straight and forget my real estate clients and still be out in the cold. Just kind of overwelming sometimes. Do I get 100 points as soon as one of these blogs like this one, or do I actually have to go to the web site and log in?

Wow. Brad, I knew you rocked. I just didn't know you rock literally. :)

By the way...

Why is that all the really cool people live on the West Coast? :)

TLW...ROAR!

@TLW - The cool ones get a break on their taxes to live on the west coast.

Hi Brad, Hope you have a terrific birtday! Thanks for the 100 points..We love Active Rain and all the Google juice...:) grin. thanks for sharing!

Keep them coming Brad.It's good to see how hard you guys work to keep improving AR. What does an Ambassador badge mean?

Hey Brad, You guys just keep finding new ways to keep us engaged and Rockn" !

Guys...

I can't RainJack this Blog all by myself. Or can I? It's not like I actually need anyone to talk to. I love talking to the white space. The white space rarely talks back.

Why do those things always sound so much better in my head? :)

Virginia...

Tax Break? I'm there :)

TLW...ROAR!

TLW, If you have to ask why all the cool people live on the West Coast, then you must have not spent enough time here. A lot of us moved her because it is a 1000 times more beautiful here and more temperate, of course.

I love the 100 points just for logging in, great incentive for participating. I think I log in every day anyway so this will be some easy points. I think a contest to design the badges are great- however I notice some people in my area that have never done more than create an account have a badge though...possible glitch??

Happy Birthday, Brad!

The 100 points for logging in is a brilliant way to keep traffic coming. I love the RSS options.

Keep it up!

@TLW - Actually, I have seen some of the Rainjacks that you have done all by yourself. Very intertaining. And they can all come back later and listen in while you talk to yourself in print. If you start arguing with yourself and getting rude to yourself, then that would be even more entertaining. But of course, you are never rude. Just direct. And entertaining.

I guess Brad is playing some music in Vegas - I am 80 miles from there, I might talk to my husband about taking me out tomorrow night to go see them play.

I'll be back.....

Brad, first HAPPY BIRTHDAY... Secondly, thanks for all the hard work the AR staff has done...you all have been pretty busy. I like all the changes.

NOW ...TLW....I will admit there are really cool people on the West Coast....but OMG lets not forget all the cool people on the East Coast....

Hi Brad...Excited about all the new changes at AR!! Is it possible to get an Active Rain Points cheat sheet? Or maybe a condensed post on ways we can earn points reflecting the new changes? Or perhaps a reblogging post if someone has already covered it....Thankyou for all that you do for us active rainers Brad! Nancy Flanagan Wainwright Real Estate Virginia Beach Va

Thanks for all the comments and questions and Birthday wishes etc. I'll be back again later to continue.....

TLW - I'll help you rainjack it!! LOL~

Let's talk about the weather here in Nevada, 117 degrees outside! YOUCH!!

Gotta run, the show must go on....

If you decide to get into an argument with yourself, hold off for a bit till I get back... us west coasters just like to watch!! :-O

Party starts at 10:00pm tonight..... come on by.... :-)))

First - Happy Birthday!!!!

Second - Love the idea of being able to get AR posts on google reader.

OK Brad: Where did you hide the RSS button? I don't seem to have one. Could you send me an email and tell me where it is hiding. Thanks.

Oh, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

It seems like you guys are coming up with new additions daily!

Is that a birthday being mentioned -- have a happy one! -- and had noticed the new features - nice.

Oh my Brad.... Sounds like this was a great show.. Hope you had a great birthday... looks like you did :)

AUG

2009

I loke the 100 daily points, but I miss the old rainmaker badges:(

I keep myself logged in all the time. I didn't see the 100 points from yesterday that everyone was talking about nor did I see the 100 points for today. ****SOLUTION**** Log out and then log back in. The 100 points will be there but the 100 points from yesterday will not. Rob in Kansas (who thought only west coasters were getting points!!)

Dear Brad, Maybe I don't understand how the 100 points for just logging in works - it appears I am the only one skeptical about this. Do we get 100 points as a limit per day for logging in, or 100 points each and every time we log in? I think it's great that we can earn points so easily - just log in. But I think it is not really fair to those who actually log in, create a blogging post, and work a bit harder for the points. Do we at least have to read a blog post, and make a comment, first? I have to admit I have been remiss in putting up posts of late as I am first trying to complete my new website before I start driving traffic to it, but . . .

Maybe I just don't get it.

Brad, I like the changes! I was not so sure about the Rainmaker Banner though. I didn't know it was not working well with some members Photo's. The old ones looked better, but now I can see why the change is for the best! Thank You, for explaining Judy

Brad, I love that the staff at AR are keeping things interesting for us! Thanks for your efforts. As for the 100 points, I am confused. I haven't seen the extra points yesterday or today. Are you trying to tell me something? Looks like you had a "rocking" birthday! Glad you had a great time!

Blog-N-Roll...

I was really hoping the night crew would arrive. CTann's Club Chaos button is broken again. She tried to get the crew over here but her RainJack flag kept getting lost in space.

Speaking of lost in space, that's where I am at ten o'clock at night. WidowMaker won't let me blog after I take my meds :)

It has something to do with pressing buttons when I shouldn't be :)

TLW...ROAR!

Brad, Thanks for all that Active Rain does for its members. Remarkable. And I also get great information from the comments on your posts! Added benefit.

Geez- extra points just for logging in?! I think I'm ALWAYS logged in. Active Rain is like oxygen to me!

I thought you were doing the 100 pts to motivate me to hit the 100,000 so I can be an Ambassador. Now I see it is for everyone- be good cw

Brad: Awesome new badges - how cool is that? AND I see a feedback bar on the side too.....

Cannot keep track of all of the AR innovations. ;-)

Brad, As always, thanks for helping to improve the way we communicate with each other! Much appreciated! Kathy Opatka

100 points BAM! And a comment BAM! 25 more. The points are an outgrowth of the learning.

More great features. Thanks for all the work you guys do.

Brad, Did you guys come up with those badges to cover up un-necessary cleavage? I like the 100 points to sign in. My homepage is set to always pop into AR. What is the deal about the signature?

Hey Brad! Thanks for the update! When every I need anything...about online marketing I always come to your blog First!

Is there a way we can add the Feedback widget to our AR site - If we are a paying memeber? I will send this as an email to you...as I know how much work it is answering comments and you have over 100 of them here so far.

There are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't :)

My software never has bugs. It just develops random features :)

I would love to change the world, but they won't give me the source code :)

A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history - with the possible exceptions of handguns and liquor :)

The truth is out there...anybody got the URL? :)

Smash forehead on keyboard to continue :)

All wiyht. Rho sritched mg kegtops awound? :)

To err is human - and to blame it on a computer is even more so :)

Black holes are where God divided by zero :)

Smith & Wesson: The Original Point And Click Interface :)

Failure is not an option. It comes bundled with your Microsoft product :)

I thought Broker B didn't let you comment after taking meds.... He must be out setting up one of those counter offers whiles you're in the house having these thoughts and conversations with your conscious and sub-conscious mind on my Blog! ROFLMFAO!!!

HELP!! - I've been TLWJacked!!

If at first you don't succeed; call it version 1.0 :)

@TLW - OK... I get it, you just wanted to get your 250 points for comment today right here on this post!!!

Here's one for ya...., what do you do when one and one makes three?

LOL...

And who said I didn't mind talking to myself? Only problem is: you're listening :)

BTW...It's WidowMaker that won't let me Blog after med time :)

P.S. Are you gonna take away my comment points for copying and pasting jokes on your pretty post? :)

TLW...ROAR!

Answer...

Call a Code Monkey :)

I hope you don't mind. I'm just trying to make your B-Day weekend special :)

ROAR :)

When you don't have the Chaos Crew you make do :)

If it were just about the points, then what would be the point? :)

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahha!!!

You have cvertainlu made this an unforgettable Birthday and weekend. Regarding points? On the contrary, you should be awareded Bonus points for having the nerve to do some of the craziest things on earth that you do!

Love you and your Spirit TLW, you're beautiful, don't EVER CHANGE!

Hugs, Blog & Roll out...

you know where I gotta go now :-))

Awe :)

Rock on Dude. TLW over and out :)

TLW...ROAR!

Hey Brad...Happy Birthday my friend. Have you seen TLW? She seems to have gone missing.

Actually Brad...I don't let her in the room with me until I've taken MY meds!!! Rock on...

Brad - Awesome updates as usual ! I get confused about the RSS functions though. Did not find it in my toolbar but went to the link and added it. I guess I will figure it out : )

LOL @ BB :)

For those of you who may not know better...My RainJacked logo, is just that, MINE :)

It's time...Snore :)

TLW...ROAR!

Happy Birthday a day late Brad! Hope you had a great day!

Did my eyes see correctly? Did TLW write: why do all the cool people live on the west coast? Am I Chopped Liver?

AUG

2009

I want to thank all those behind the scenes for all the great features that have been coming out. I still haven't gotten my Localism points though.

Thanks or the info,.... now give me some points!!

It is a party time, so I am not going to spoil it. I miss that feature in the groups where the last comment is on top. Was very convenient to follow the action.

Happy birthday!

AUG

2009

Thanks Brad. I noticed and like the new badges and points too! Trish Giassa in Crested Butte, CO

Thanks to you Brad and the support team of AR for all that you do for us! You guys and girls are just awesome!

Brad - Thanks for the new badges...they were interferring with our pic. :)

Thanks again for the update

Hi Brad! Thanks for explaining why I kept receiving 100 points for logging it, I wondered about that. Active Rain certainly keeps adding so many nice features. Thank you so much.

Thanks for the useful info. I was wondering why my points went up so much after only 1 comment (from logging in).

AUG

2009

People keep telling me the points really don't mean a thing, but I have to wonder what the numbers are saying about how many people are just logging in daily to get the points?

Hi George - points do move you up on the featured spot for your geographical areas on AR, however since this is a newly added feature, I don't feel there are too many members logging in to just get the points, at least not at this time. Once a member discovers the value of being an AR member, and all that comes with it, points will become the least of their objectives here. We hope to inspire folks to provide great content and to interact with each other to enhance and grow their business and professional relationships.

Brad, thanks for the info. I learned two things today...The fact that I lost my comment because I put in the wrong keyword is a glitch....That really ticked me off because of course it was on a comment in which I wrote a ton of "stuff"...So then I just re-commented with one sentence. :)

The other thing I learned is that you are also an August baby. My birthday was on Sunday (Aug 23rd) although all I did was work on my yard. Didn't do anything special. It was just another day to me. :)

Will the 100 points for logging in be a temporary incentive? What was the reasoning behind adding that feature?

Chanda panda

Chanda - a special belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you, next time don't work!! :-)

Regarding the points, as I'm sure you are aware, there are some members who aren't as regular as others. We are hoping to inspire them to login more often only to find that not only are they awarded some points, but by logging in and participating more often, they'll find some of the great values and rewards that others have by doing so.

It's hard to remember whats on the menu and how good it is if you rarely visit your favorite restaurant. :-O

My next post is being created but it may really get me in trouble! hehe....

Thanks for the idea TLW!

AUG

2009

Hey Brad, Just looked at my points summary and saw 100 points added for logging in...since I'd been away for a few days I'd missed this change, but I'm certainly happy about the extra points!

Have a great day,

Anne Rains

Brad,

Thanks for the extra points! I'm still just getting used to all the tools available! Like a gentleman said a few comments before, it's kind of overhelming when you start diving in, but I'll figure it all out!

Jealous of your party!

Blake Russell

SEP

2009

Thanks for the updates and love the 100 points per day for logging in! Happy Belated Birthday, too, Brad:-)

Thanks Debra - have 100 on me! lol~ Thanks for the Bday wishes too, to be honest.... I'm sure glad it's over. I thought I was going to be a year older than I am, what a great gift that was! haha~ :-)

SEP

2009

Hi Everyone,

I represent the ListGrabber Blog in Active Rain Business Builders.

I would really appreciate if all of you could check out my blog in Active Rain Business Builders under Lead capture tools - (ListGrabber)

http://activerain.com/blogsview/1169865/listgrabber-lead-capture-tool-for-real-estate-professionals

Please give your valuable comments.

SEP

2009

Thanks for the info. I figured out right away I was getting points for logging in, but didn't know about reporting spam. Logging in frequently also will give newer people like myself a chance to pass by the ones who signed up early but have stalled out and haven't been active in a long time.

SEP

2009

Thanks for the points! It's like Christmas in September. :-)

OCT

2009

I realy appreciat the way AR is always improving!

This blog does not allow anonymous comments

Brad Andersohn

Fairfield, CA

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Zillow - Outreach Manager

Address: I am always Mobile, but right now I'm in, Fairfield, CA, 94534

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