The answer is simply: authority.
Authority in the eyes of the readers and the search engines.
There are far too many blogs out there to create an unbiased list of what is quality and what isn't. If you're searching thru blog networks for blog posts related to what you're looking for, you're very likely going to find something of quality. Unlike privately owned weblogs, blog networks are subject to some sort of moderation, so you are not likely going to land on a page with garbage. Google knows it.
That form of moderation is to some degree helping Google do their job suggesting that the likelihood of a web searcher being satisfied with his/her search result is fairly high when landing on a blog post made on a blog network.
I have recently made a blog post on the Real Estate Webmasters Blog Network called Real Estate in Costa Rica and within 2 days it ranked number 3 for "Costa Rica Real Estate Blog" (even though for some reason it has since disappeared). On the first 2 pages you also see Active Rain, Netscape and a few other results from Blog Networks.
This is not a major keyterm, but still: Looking thru the SERPs, you can tell that Google is picky with who gets listed on the first few pages. In addition, my integrated link moved up a few pages in Google for the anchor text's keyterm. That can be a rewarding side effect if you have a page with good additional information to add for those who want to know more. However, I strongly recommend not forcing yourself into the Google results pages. Passive aggressive is the way to go.
Google should be ignored to some degree. Build the best site you can and use blog networks to get the word out about yourself. Not just for Google. Think outside of that box and realize that a lot of internet users will not use Google once they have found a site like Active Rain to rely on when it comes to finding real estate information.
Put your best foot forward and share your knowledge. Post something useful and those who want to know more about you, will follow your profile right into your site. Start a blog on your own as well, network on Netscape, Digg and other social bookmarking sites to promote your best blog entries. There are no limits to what you can do when it comes to marketing your business online.
Allow the search engines to find you thru those sites, tell visitors something new. Be unique and write without getting into too much detail. If you don't think that you're a good writer, read thru some of the stories on the networks to inspire you. What makes blogs so successful is that they allow readers to get more of a feeling for who you are than a static site.
All you have to do is be you and become known for who you are, what you do and what you believe.
Business and especially real estate is all about connecting well with the client, and forums, blog networks and blogging in general has helped tremendously in bridging the gap between computer terminals and the human beings using them more and more relying on the convenience of finding more and more information as well as services and products on the internet. Blogging is so easy. It's amazing how many people out there don't even know what a blog is. The way I explain it to them: "Blogging is like sending an email to the world".
Feel free to make a comment, give me feedback and some advice if you have it.
If you've stuck around long enough to read my whole post, thank you for your time. And good luck with your blogs. :)
Mike Dammann
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