I couldn't help noticing that some hyper-local posts have been appearing recently on the "Featured" dashboard of the Activerain homepage.  They don't generate quite the number of comments that general posts do, but maybe they should.

Featured posts are usually well written, full of good information, and - in the case of local posts about a specific neighborhood or community - they are a great source of ideas for our own writing.  Please... take a minute to read and comment on these, if you haven't already:

Diane Aurit's post, Lake Norman Overview September 2009, demonstrates for us that a market report does not have to be full of statistics packed into all the charts and graphs we can possibly display.  In fact, it's an interesting narrative that will probably inspire local consumers to read from start to finish.  Isn't that something we should all be doing with our consumer-targeted Activerain posts?

Teri Eckholm's TEN GREAT Reasons North St Paul, MN is a Perfect Place to Call Home! had me scratching my head, trying to think of of ten great reasons my market is a perfect place to call home.  Yes, I've done a list like that before, but she had some really interesting things, and her list did not sound like a travelogue or an ad.  Couldn't we all find some inspiration in the things she chose to list?

Mike Jones's post, Unique Architecture: Ez-Kim-In-Zin Picnic Area In Tucson's Saguaro National Park West, features one of his fabulous photos and makes me want to include this picnic area on my "must see" list when I visit his corner of the world.  I have no doubt that local residents read his blog regularly, and I wonder who they'll think of first when they want a home purchase or refinance mortgage.  Not just because of his low rates or great service, but because they know him through his blog.

These are just a few of the recent "local" posts that have been featured on Activerain, BUT don't stop with featured posts...  there are several groups where you can find posts with local content.  Local Experts and Posts to Localism are just two of them which I encourage you to join and read because you will be inspired by the posts you find there. You will probably never suffer writer's block again, if you do, because you will have a new resource for blog topic ideas. 

Not only that, you will meet new friends who may become your best friends on Activerain when you read and comment on local posts.  That's because the local posts don't generate as many comments, so yours will be more appreciated than it is as one of sixty+ comments on a typical featured post.  Your comment is more likely to result in reciprocation, and that is how Activerain newbies (and oldies) build relationships here on Activerain. (That's a topic for another day.)

And you will have a new destination for referrals, because you will naturally be inclined to refer your relocating clients and customers to an agent who loves their market.  What better way is there to make the case that you deserve business in your area than to write about it in loving terms?

Those are some of the reasons I enjoy reading Localism posts on Activerain.  Why do you read them?