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The Top Ten 4-Letter Words of Real Estate Blogging

Real Estate Blogging is more than an online diary of available listings ... WAY MORE. When pondering the ins and outs of real estate blogging, MANY 4-Letter words come to mind, but here are the Top Ten 4-Letter Words of Internet Blogging that I felt were appropriate to share.

TIME
First, make sure that you have TIME to blog. And? Use your time wisely. Make sure that your Blogging ROI (Return on Investment) is WORTH your time. ROI is more than just closed deals directly resulted from blogging. Although THAT can be a very important factor, for me, ROI also includes education and friendships created. But make sure that your blogging doesn't take needed TIME away from your business and family.
BLOG
Create a BLOG. (Duh.) Active Rain is a great place to start a real estate blog - a great place to learn about real estate blogging and read some great real estate bloggers. (Join Active Rain for free here.). Once you feel like you have some kind of a grasp of "this whole blogging thing" you need to get your OWN BLOG. There are all kinds of platforms for real estate blogging - from FREE to super-custom-full-service-bad-a$$. Here are just a few of the blogging platforms that you will find. (* denotes my personal favorites...)
- FREE Blog Platforms
  - Wordpress.com *- MY favorite FREE blog site. You can post directly from MS Word 2007, pictures and all and there are plenty of customizable features. Pretty user-friendly, too. For a few bucks you can even have your own domain name. (Sample Wordpress.com Blog: SpringsRealtyScoop.com)
  - Blogger.com - Although this Google-Centric blog site is harder to use pictures with and there is less customization options, this is a great place to start and does have a nice WYSIWYG interface. (Sample Blogger.com site: LivingInGreenhaven.com)
- CHEAP Blog Platforms
  - Wordpress.org - The subscription version of Wordpress.com. The features are better and the user interface is great. (Sample Wordpress.org site: AirForcePCS.com)
  - TypePad.com - a Favorite among many real estate bloggers. (Sample TypePad.com site: NYHouses4Sale.Typepad.com)
- CUSTOM Blog Platforms
  - RSSPieces.com *- Custom Web 2.0 real estate blog sites that could easily replace the conventional real estate website. They offer extensive SEO, training, support and some killer amenities and their different packages are comfortably priced. (Sample RSSPieces site: MIAMISM.com) *No Longer Active
  - TomatoBlogs.com - The Real Estate Tomato offers custom blog sites along with training and full-service SEO. (Sample Tomato Site: RealOpinionated.com)
NAME
Create a compelling NAME for your blog. Make sure that it has something to do with real estate/ mortgage and maybe what area you are in. This can be the header for your blog, and should be a part of your domain name as well - if possible. Your NAME will be what you promote all over the internet. Make it good.
IDEA
Have an IDEA.
- What are you going to focus on? (residential or commercial, condos or ranches, urban or suburban, ...)
- Who is your audience? (Investors? Relocation? First Time Buyers? Military? ...)
- What is your purpose for having and maintaining a blog? (It really should be for education and for making your and your business REAL to your readers.)
PLAN
"He who fails to plan, plans to fail" - Italian Proverb. Make a PLAN and follow it. How often are you planning on blogging? Once a week? Once a Day? Pick something and BE CONSISTENT. Once you have a PLAN that you are comfortable with, you need to time block. This will ensure that you are consistent with your blogging and that it doesn't leak into parts of your life that it shouldn't. (See #1, above.)
FIND
FIND your voice. Your voice is what makes YOUR blog different from every other blog out there. It is your Online Attitude. Now, you will not FIND your voice right away. It is a process that takes some time, but you will FIND it. Just be persistent and patient. (FreshBlogger.com has a great article on Finding Your Blogging Voice.)
AREA
If you are trying to become the "AREA expert" make sure that you have PLENTY of AREA information for your readers. (For some great ideas on Local-Content posts, check out Localism.com.)
READ
READ other bloggers. And not just other Real Estate Bloggers. I get some of my best inspiration from non-RE Bloggers like Seth Godin, Joel Spolsky and GapingVoid. Once you READ another blog, please comment on it. Comments are reciprocal (meaning that you will get what you give) and everyone loves them.
NICE
BE NICE. No throwing daggers and hatchets at your readers or other bloggers. Well, unless you WANT to be known as the Online
Hatchet-Throwing-Dagger-Monster. Be respectful of others' thoughts and opinions - no matter how "wrong" you think they are.
BEER or WINE
Please blog sober. Drinking and Blogging is never a good idea. Don't risk your professional reputation. Take a tip from Ernest Hemmingway: "Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut."

All the other 4-Letter Words I will let you come up with on your own.
The longer you BLOG - the more you will have. Trust me.

Update: There is a super-important 4-Letter Word, that my friend Mike Mueller reminded me of. He commented:

"# 11: SAVE - Always SAVE your work. I can't tell you how many award winning posts I have written only to have lost accidentally with an errant click of the mouse."
I always try to write and save it in WORD before putting it online.

Posted By: Mariana Wagner - Colorado Springs Real Estate Blogger

Posted by Mariana Wagner ~ Colorado Springs REALTOR® on 08/15/2007 09:54 AM

Comments (97)

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97 Comments on The Top Ten 4-Letter Words of Real Estate Blogging

AUG

2007

Very creative Mariana. I now have a Wordpress and a RSSpieces site to go with AR. Too much blogging and not enough time. This stuff is waaaaay too addicting.

Mariana, little butterfly, very well done. great samples and information. ahh.. life doesn't get any better! ;)

Wow! You are quick! I guess I am following along in your footsteps. I, too, have a Wordpress and RSSPieces site! Addicting? Nah ... Well, okay. We DO need ARA.

"Hello My Name is Scoop. I have a blogging problem. No, wait. Let me blog about it instead."

Fun, enertaining post, Mariana. You are so creative. And what a great way to get across some important messages for bloggers.

Jeff

NICK MISSISSIP! (I left off the Y and PI) Flap flap ... Tahnk you for stopping by! Missed you!

Jeff- Thank you! Important messages can never be put acroos too often, IMHO.

Good post Mariana.

Yvette - Thank you!

Mariana~ ANOTHER good reference piece. Gosh remember when we were just newbie bloggers, soaking up all this blog info..? Look at you now...! Whooda thunk it..?

Mariana, I was laughing at your number 10 here.... Did you see the movie Sideways? Then you know, "don't drink and dial". I guess our rule should be "don't booze and blog"...

Laura- It seems so long ago - yet not really! You and I started about the same time, right?

Tracey- Love it! Don't Booze and Blog!!

Mariana- You really nailed the basics with this post. I think this has to be required reading for anyone new to blogging. (A great reminder for those who have been at it awhile too.)

Mariana- What a great to the point post! This is great especially for new bloggers. This is effective information. Katerina

Geordie - Thank you! Sometimes I need to be re-reminded of these as well.

Katerina - Apparantly, there is a new blog created every second. I wonder how many NEW RE bloggers there are every day?

I love your posts...so informative, well written...something to aspire to. I just found wordpress the other day...I LOVE the format, but am still figuring out the differences between it and blogger. There's so much to learn and I must say how nice it is to have so many people on AR writing great blogs like this so I can learn from them.

Pamela - Many thanks! Blogger is brain damage (from my experience) with uploading pictures and is not as easy of a transition from MS Word 2007. I also like how customizable WP is compared to Blogger. However, Blogger has a more user-friendly interface for posting directly from Blogger - unless you compare it to WP.org - which is super user-friendly.

Excellent tips and suggestions Mariana. My outside blog is a wordpress.org and I love it.

This is a great post Mariana! Love it!

Hi Marianna - Yet, another great piece for new & old (bloggers that is) alike. Keep it up.

You must be reading my mind today. I had a long conversation with a web marketing company today as I was inquiring about setting up my own BLOG. I think I'm ready to take it on and am looking for good hosting outlets. I will look into the formats you mentioned - as always, thanks for the great info!

Great post!! Really makes you think about the process instead of just the action of writing! Thanks for breaking it down.

Monika - I like your blog too! I wish I could take your classes.

Melissa - Thank you!

Steve- Some things are ALWAYS worth hearing again ... amd again.

Chrissy - We are replacing our website with a blog. For us it makes sense.

Rick and Lynn - No problem. I hope it helps!

This is terrific, where were you a year ago when I needed all of this help?

Where was I? I was where you were ... wondering what the heck I was doing!

Great post. Just one question. You said wordpress.org is a subscription blog. I think you may have the .com and the .org mixed up. The .org is the downloadable platform.

Thank you - as a new blogger your blog is a great reference for me

AUG

2007

Mariana, why replace the website with the blog? You can have both with wordpress. That is what I did and I love it! Now the blog traffic comes directly to my website so they benefit each other.

Thanks for taking time to compile such helpful info on the blogging community. This is the first blogging experience I have actually enjoyed. I will stay here until I feel like venturing out. It is great to know that there is so much more out there in cyberspace.

Take care, Have a great day.

Very nice. Thanks for the wisdom. I'm a newbie blogger. Stanford MBA, Real Estate Broker, Undergraduate English Major from Berkeley...roll up to making me an aspiring blog author... all I need is more time. (Oh, yeah, that's a 4 letter word...) www.MidPenRE.com

Great Post Mariana!! Thank you!!

Brad - I do not know much about the .org version other than that it does cost a few bucks a month to maintain. The .com is definitely the free version, though.

Vanessa- Here is the #1 3-letter word about blogging: FUN! Have fun!

Joanne - You are right. You don't have to replace a website with a blog, but some of those custom blog builders (like RSSPieces.com) offer the same functionality (IDX, CMA request and featured properties) of a traditional website that there really does not become a need for maintaining the separate website any longer. But until my new site is launched I am driving traffice to my site via my WP blog.

Dionne - Cool! AR was my first blogginh experience that I enjoyed - or that made sense. Have a lot of fun - and keep learning!

Don- English Major! (Me too) Be careful - the traditional writing rules do not always apply, here in the Blogosphere. Sometimes it can be too formal. However, someone who chooses to major in English, should have a BLAST blogging. Good luck!

Monika - Thanks!

Awesome post! Very creative and informative! Thanks!!

Very informative, instructional and as Jason said, creative. Well thought out and written -- good flow. It has great links to the "why" "where's" and "how to's" -- consider it bookmarked and flagged!

Thank you!

Great advice and information. Thanks!

That is a great post! Besides the Blogging Sober part, I've made it a personal rule to not Blog before coffee. Nobody rolls right out of bed and walks 5 steps to their first appointment...just as nobody should do the same when posting a blog...I learned that one the hard way. :0

M-

I think you need # 11

One of the most important 4 letter words every experienced blogger has had to learn usually via the Hard Way.

# 11: SAVE - Always SAVE your work. I can't tell you how many award winning posts I have written only to have lost accidentally with an errant click of the mouse.

Terrific post with great advice! Thanks for sharing it with us -

So creative, so well organized, so content-rich! This is great, and I'm going to bookmark this one for new member invitees. Thank you!

Jason - Hope it is helpful!

Sondra - Thank you very much!

Christi - Happy Blogging!

Shannon - Yes! Coffee is SUPER IMPORTANT and you are SO RIGHT!

Mike - AH! I am going to add that. Thank you.

Jason - Thanks! Caring is Sharing...

Margaret - Cool! I hope that it helps!

Mike - that is soooo true! I need to do that.

Outstanding ideas, I'm glad you got featured. Now if I can only implement some of them myself.

Hi Mariana - this post rocks!!! GREAT advice in every one of your tips above, and I'm glad this got featured! That FreshBlogger post is really good - thanks for sharing that link.

S-A-V-E - yep, that's a word that most of us learn about the HARD way, unfortunately. I do as you do, write it and save to Word before posting it. I've lost far too many posts that had hours of work in them......hopefully never again!

Ann

Mariana, I especially like #10. I agree that loopy and blogging do not go together! And it's not just about typos!

Great post!

Are you sure these are the TOP 10? LOL! I can think of a couple not on your list!! Great post with valuable information for bloggers. Thanks Mariana! B-)

Always enjoy your post and this one is no exception to the rule! These are valuable tips and I'm gonna pick some and try to follow them. Thanks for sharing this with us!

Regards,

Lisa

Mariana - your posts always give me great thoughts for blogging - first A-Z for Localism now this - thanks - keep it coming!

Margaret - Some lessons are learned the hard way ...

Jim - Baby Steps!

Thank you Ann! I know that "we" have done a few posts on Finding Your Voicebut the FreshBlogger post was WAY COOL and more comprehensive.

Patricia - drinking and blogging turns BLOGS into BLOOGS and BLOGGERS into BLOOGERS

Brad - ah, hem! I said "appropriate" 4-letter words. I definitely have an arsenal of "other" 4-letter words - especially when I "lose" a post w/o saving it first! ;)

Lisa - Thank you very much!

Cyndee - Thank you. I have the last 2 installments of the A-Z posts ready for this weekend ...

STAR - what you earn for a great post here.

SYNC - goes along with TIME. Make sure all parts of your life, including your blog, are in SYNC.

Sharon - Wonderful! I love the SYNC concept. GOLD STAR - a two fer!

great post - very intertaining... I'll have to keep this short... lot of other bloggs to post...

***TIP: never hit the back button on your browser until you've saved your post! hahaha!!

Been there, done that.... wrote the post on it, and got the t-shirt!! LOL! ;-)

I just love it when I come across a great post! Absolutely wonderful information. Thanks!

Interested in buying or selling a home in Oakland County? Deborah Johnson is your Farmington Hills, MI real estate expert!

Don't forget www.realestateblogsites.com they do our custom blog platform. Its great!

Thanks for the great post. I find the TIME part the most difficult. Any tips on how to manage multiple blogs? I have one on typepad as well that is languishing.

Thanks for this post. Has anyone ever used the http://www.realtownblogs.com?

Good information.

Mariana,

Wow! this is a REAL lot of information.....it defininetly is a 5 and also a saved blog! Thankyou.

Dick Beals

Good post. You covered all the basics. Thanks for posting. Am sure this will help a lot of people.

Debi - There is ALWAYS something to blog about ..
Brad - Oh, yes ... the BACK button ... !
Deb - I hope that you find this helpful.

BHC - I had never heard of them before. Thank you for sharing the link.
Shawna - Time Blocking is important. Decide ona schedule and stick to it.
Nicki - I have heard of them, but do not know anything about them.

Dick - Thanks!!
Bob and Carolin - Thanks for stopping by!

Excellent advice!!! Very creative!!!

Thank you Irina!

I am delighted that you did such a fine job laying out this post. I think it is actually one the better posts that has been on ActiveRain. It is articulate, loaded with information ( but not too much), detailed in direction, colorful in design and an easy to read. I rate it a 10. Very Well Done!. I also bookmaked this so that those I invite to ActiveRain, I can give it as an example as well as an informative post that will assist them.

Wonderful! I agree with William on all counts...and again...bookmarking.

William - Well, thank you VERY much. If anything, I try to make things easy to read. Thank you again!

WHOO HOO!! Thank you! :D

Great info on the Do's and Dont's. This is benificial for the newbies and the oldies.

Great post! Thank you for sharing the helpful information.

As I've been getting my ducks in a row , including a spiffy new camera (what a difference from my crummy little 2 megapixel guy) I've been going back over blogging platforms and this is just what I needed as I was caught between Typepad and Wordpress.

Now, if I could only stop schlurring my wordz after doubleshhhotz of rsspieces....

AUG

2007

Mariana,

I didn't think anything could top your Localism ABC posts, but this one is just chock full of information. These 4-letters need to be used & repeated everyday in order for every blogger to stay focused. Thanks for the great post!!

Thanks for sharing your ideas. I especially like your suggestion about saving it into Word before posting!

Chuck - Some things are great to hear for the first time as well as the second, third and fourth time.

Lisa- Hope it helps!

Irene - LOL! Double Shots!!

Harold - Thanks! It IS nice to an arsenal of 4-letter words.

Cindy - SAVE! Yes ... Don't learn the hard way!

good post and very helpful, thanks

Seth - Thanks! Have fun with it!

Thanks for the very helpful and informative post. I am not at the "blogging site" point yet, but I will definitely check them out.

Mariana, great post ~ informative and encouraging, just what I need right now!

AUG

2007

Erica - Baby Steps! Dont bite off too much too soon!

Joddie - Yay! I hope that it helps...

Corina - Dont be gun shy. My first post was a mini-book review. It really helped get my feet wet.

Learning to be a good blogger takes time, discipline, and a whole lot of practice. Through AR I've learned quite a few new techniques and my blogging has developed along the way. Nice post.

Tracy- I think that TIME and PRACTICE are the TOP 2 things that make a blogger a GOOD blogger.

Too many people fizzle out after the first few months. DON'T GIVE UP!

thanks......I have bookmarked this blog!

AUG

2007

Mariana, wow - I didn't know there was so much to learn about blogging. Thank you

Christine- Thanks!

Brenda- THere is ALWAYS something new to learn. I learn at least one new thing a day ...

AUG

2007

I love your idea of structure to blogging... It's so easy to get caught-up in the excitement and search, learn, blog until the entire day is over. Time Management - even online!

Great list. TIME is definitely an issue here. Thanks for the useful tips.

Mariana, Great list and most are true. Thanks for sharing.

Mariana, Thank you for this beautifully crafted post. For many of us newer bloggers it will be read and re-read. Thanks again.

Mariana - You are amazing!!! You give so freely of your time and knowledge. We all ppreciate what you do :)

Marianna - Thanks for the simplicity, I will keep this post handy for reference in the future.

I started using wordpress a few weeks ago and now I'm going to check out some of the other ones you mentioned. Thanks for all the great information.

AUG

2007

Great blog, I can't wait to read "The Top 10 four letter words that shouldn't be used in Real Estate Blogging" (haha). Thanks for the info, I'm going to work on a few of those myself.

AUG

2007

I think you should add, take a deep breath and count to 10 before posting a comment on a blog. Sometimes you get rankled over something, but once it's there, it's out there.

Great job, Marianna -- as everyone has already said. I get so busy doing my own blogging, I never have enough time to read other peoples. I didn't know I could blog on Word and move it... heck... now I have to figure out how to do that. I have Active Rain and Wordpress... oh man, where did the day go?

AUG

2007

Now this post was interesting, and may I add, I "saved" it.

SEP

2007

Great post. I had bookmarked it .

Thank you for the very informative post.

OCT

2007

Marina,

Thanks for the ideas. I need to create an interesting name for my blog. I'm such a dork I just realized my blog is still just Tina' Blog!

FEB

This is still a great post, even 2 years after you wrote it. :) I have the active rain site, and website. I have a wordpress site too. I am not sure how to divide up the two sites - one real estate and one fun and local info? Learning as I go. Thanks for the tips.

Monica

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