You keep me coming back for more.  Thanks.

And, blogging is really fun!  A lot of the people I work with are about a third my age, and when I tell them to check out my blog they think it's incredibly cool that I have one.  

Reading blogs is also a great way to learn new stuff, which happens every day on this site.  

Good post, and it's right on point. 

Dan Forbes - Bradenton Real Estate

Dan- Thanks. You are welcome here anytime. I have another secrets to success post coming after some more localism posts get done. So stay tuned! Katerina 

Patricia Kennedy

Patricia- It is fun! I love it! It is my writing outlet as I can not seem to finish my books at this point in my life. So it is a great creative release for me. I love reading blogs too. Active Rain and outside of Active Rain. Also, Squidoo is fun too. Katerina 

Thumbs up for yoU!

BTW, you can add a copyright symbol © with your Character Map.  I pinned it to my Start Menu so that its handy.

Go to your start menu, then All Programs ---> Accessories -----> System Tools -----> Character Map.  I sent it to my desktop as a shortcut as well.   Just pick the symbol you want, copy it and paste it.

You can get a whole slew of interesting characters, like these:

©¢®£¼¾ΨΫΩЖ€∏⅝∞∞≠√□

If you use a Mac, you can just get a © symbol by hitting the option key and then the letter G.

If you're still using a PC then you have to hit (C) and if you're in a Microsoft program it will switch to a © sign.  As you can see that doesn't work here on AR since it's not Microsoft.  

Just another reason to switch to a Mac.   

Katerina, I know you like to write, but for some of us it is a "chore." I am left-handed, Most left-handed people are dyslexic, and we have trouble with language. I do it because I realize its value. I appreciate reading your blog because I like what you have to say and the way you say. Plus I keep learning a thing or two. Thanks.

Bill Roberts

Hi Katerina! Another great blog....I have noticed on my google alerts that when I post on AR....it takes about 15 minutes to hit the internet. On my main blog---about 2 days. And my other blogs and websites...about 5 to 6 days. i love that google juice. I have been getting emails from people in my area asking questions about real estate so I will turn it into a series..I did the first one today. Can you please go check it out?  ( I don't want to put the link here because that doesn't follow AR guidelines) It is under my profile under links. Thanks lady!

Pamela Williamson St.Louis, Missouri Real Estate

I don't mind you putting a link here to your post that you want me to read. I think you are not supposed to put your links in posts to hijack the post and things like that. It is easier for me to just click your link and I welcome you to do that in my comments. That is great google juice going on there for you! Keep on blogging! Katerina 

Bill Roberts - "Baby Boomer" Retirement Planning

Bill- Thank you for your comments on my posts. I really enjoy reading your comments. I am glad that you realize it's value. Use spell check and thesaurus. My brother is left handed, he is an attorney and scored the highest LSAT score in the year he took it in the country. Now his son just beat his score on another one that they are like the highest in. My mother was a genius with little common sense, that is the downfall of genius. I am all about us all learning and blogging is a great way to learn more. I understand that it is a chore. I have a son who will not write, never liked it, never will and he is 28 now. He has to work with his hands. I have a step son who is left handed also. He is having a tough time in school, highly intelligent and  his mother has him in regular high school when he should be dual enrolled. Katerina

Karen- Thanks for the tip. I do fine when I am in Word but if I am just posting to draft, then it does not work as you know. I wondered how to get it and the (R) for after Realtor. Thanks for that info and I am going to try to do that tonight. Katerina 

Tracey Thomas Calabasas, CA Real Estate

Tracey- Sorry sis, I won't  be switching  but Karen just showed me how to get it on my desktop. Thank you for stopping by! Loved your sidewalk stripes BTW! Katerina 

Nestor and Katerina, I believe they are reading and want to hear WHO we are, they can look at static web sites if they just want data.

Great Blog....Good Job. You write so well and have such good solid advice. Active Rain is a changing environment and we have to be changing right along with it. You sure are leading the way!

I have subscribed to your blog....because of your good sound advice. Thank you.

Jeanean Gendron

Katerina - my 2nd attempt at a response here (the system ate it). Thanks for the tip about the end of post. Another thing I noticed about Google - sometimes it showed gobbledygook in the description of my post. I am not sure what causes it, and unfortunately I can't ask them.

We write here for business, but this week I am lightening it up a bit -writing about shopping- for ladies only. BTW, I will check Pamela's post too. if she thinks you will like it, I will probably like it too.

Thanks guys. I hate that it has to get so technical but everyone wants to be google friendly.

Katerina, great post.  I've been thinking about adding in the copyright to my Localism posts and appreciate your advice about not adding it right at the bottom.

Missy Caulk- Ann Arbor Real Estate

Missy- You are right. They also want to see how we market our listings, like the RES show on a condo we have listed; an investor loved it and called us to list 3 of her condos! So it works! Katerina 

Jeanean Gendron, CMS, RMM, RCC

Jeanean, I say it like it is, from my point of view. I am not one who goes with the flow as far as being politically correct so I can rub some people the wrong way. I take it as an honor that you subscribed to my blog, thank you very much. I really want to pay it forward for all the Lord has blessed me with in my career and businesses.  I love to write, speak and coach. You may want to go back in my blog and see some good informative posts on getting expired listings, writing good copy, and some self improvement posts. Thank you again, I appreciate your comment very much. Katerina 

Faina Sechzer-Princeton NJ Real Estate Expert

Faina- See, I wish everyone could see this. This is how it works the white hat way just like my post said, Pamela said something about her post, you saw that in her comment and now you are going to check it out too. The power of networking! 

You should lighten it up a bit too. The public wants to see your personal side, your lighter side. You never know what will be the one thing that is going to click! I also think you should have as many posts as possible posted to the public and very few to members only. I only have one post to members only.

Email me the post and the google description; maybe we can decipher what made that happen. Katerina 

Ann Krewson A.L.I. Designs, Inc.

Ann- Just take it one step at a time. The techy stuff used to really turn me off, but now it is exciting because I see the results as I do things. Thanks for your comment, I appreciate it. Katerina 

Brian Block -- Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate

Brian- I really enjoyed the your interview at active rain addicts. I learned that copyright thing the hard way. I first thought it might have been just because of google alerts with my name but then it started happening on our main keyword alerts too. Then I knew I had to do something about it. Now the descriptions are picking up our phone number which is a good thing. Katerina 

Great post!!!  You make it seem so easy and carefree!  Keep up the great blogs.

Barbara Martino-Sliva, Vero Beach Real Estate, Homes for Sale

Barbara- It can be easy and carefree, just go with your heart. It has a lot to say! The localism posts are a bit harder but I am getting used to writing them. Thank you for visiting. Katerina 

Katerina, once again you have educated me.  Thank you.  I knew the cute little spiders like blogs, but didn't realize they were picking up the last line.  I also use the copywrite symbol but didn't add any text after it (other than my name.)  Thank you!

Thanks for sharing the information. I had no idea how google picks up things.

Katerina,

Good advice, and your right Google picks up on certain key words, anmd they make a huge difference...

Tom Weiss

Katerina, it seems that you've got the best of both worlds: left-handed intelligence and right-handed glibness. How'd that happen? When I took the LSAT in 1970 I scored very high also but I dropped out of law school however. It wasn't for me. I'm glad your brother is doing well at it. You should get Nestor to do something for your step-son. Left-handed people need "special" help, if only from other left-handers.

Bill Roberts

Katerina, Blogging I think keeps me sane..:-P Just kidding I really have learned a lot from people on Active Rain who blog.  Not to mention the Referrals that I get..:-)

Katerina - Great article about blogging and hey, Bill Roberts just keep at it - I'm left handed too :-). The biggest thing I've learned is be consistent and stay on topic. I havent' had much problem with spiders reading my bottom of the post buttons - I like what you do though!   

KATERINA:  You made such great points in this post.  Thanks for the tip about the end of the blog.  I didn't even realize that was a possible issue.  While most of my blogs exceed the word count that you described, I agree that it is a very good length to strive for.  I'm just a little bit long-winded.  Very smart suggestion to speak conversationally and not like you're a college professor.  I personally take a long time creating my blogs, but my intention is to not only create something for people to comment on, but also something that I can use as a marketing tool.  I've been working on one for about a day and half, gathering info, writing, etc.  It started to seem like a long time, but then I realized what it is going to be when I finish it, and I know that it is something that I'll be able to use for a long time to come, so it's well worth it.  Thanks for a great post.

Katerina - No doubt about it....I blog for business! To be investing the time and energy in blogging, one would think that it would be great to get some kind of return in the business sense. Creating relationships here at AR is great but if I saw no results in the serps I would not be spending the kind of time I do.

Clearwater Florida Real Estate | Tampa Real Estate from Cyndee Haydon

I think your buttons are fine, they usually don't pick up buttons, they come across as blank space so they will pick up around your buttons.

Here is one I found on googling your name:

Tampa Bay Real Estate ~ Sandbars to Sunsets -We Cover it ALL ...

  This is from your outside blog. You will see the Copyright being picked up in the description. You are doing good because this was on page 2 of google. You did not have any on page 1 of google. It is picking up your name, granted. But I have found that even in specific searched this can come up. It is not bad, just that we can have better usage of the space from google. 

Thanks for your comment! Katerina 

Adam Waldman - Long Island, NY Real Estate

Adam- You are right. Some blogs take a long time to put together, especially the Localism ones. But like you said those posts will be useful for days, weeks and months to come. You do the work one time and get benefits from it over and over again, it is residual. Thank you for your detailed comment. You can have some longer ones but make sure to put some short ones in between the longer posts so that you can keep the readers attention. Katerina 

Bill Gassett Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate

Bill- You are right, not many of us serious bloggers would be putting this time in if we did not get some business benefits from it. Thank you for your comment. Katerina 

Matthew J Blum - MyFavoriteMortgage.net

Matthew- Yes, it is great for referrals and contacts and friends and ...... Thanks for commenting, Katerina

Kris Wales - Macomb County Michigan real estate blog

Kris- Thank you for commenting. I started to se the pattern of this on my google alerts. Do you use google alerts? The spiders pick up titles, first couple of lines and then last couple of lines. That is why you need to pay attentiong to the whole post and where you are putting your key words. Katerina

GITA BANTWAL, REALTOR BUCKS COUNTY, PA HOMES

Gina- The spiders look for keywords that are in posts.They usually start at the top of a page and then scan to the left and then down to the bottom. You can look at google's heat map to see how they travel. I don't have the address to it at the moment but you can google the words, 'google heat map' . You want to pay attention to the words you use in your blog posts and in your profile. Katerina

Thomas Weiss

Tom- Thank you for your comment. Keywords are very important and we need to use them accordingly in our posts and on our websites being mindful not to appear spammy. It is a balance. Creating good content is always the best for organic results. Katerina

Bill Roberts - "Baby Boomer" Retirement Planning

Bill- Well, I will take that as a compliment even though glibness tends to mean that one is off the cuff and thoughtless and careless in their writing and speech. I do not think I am those things. I usually think things through before I write. My brother loves law. He is very good at it, not so easy for me to talk to as I have commented on my comments in my post I wrote about attorneys. He is full of himself as most attorneys seem to be. Highly intelligent and that usually brings with it impatience for those who are less intelligent. Nestor is doing all that he can. It is a tough situation. The X is very controlling and keeps us away. His son lives in San Antonio. We will be writing a post about a situation that happened and that all non custodial parents need to know about. My mother was a genius and she was an artist.She had a full scholarship to Stanford when she was 17.  Extremely gifted. She must have passed some of those genes off to my siblings and myself. Katerina 

Katerina - good information! Since we are blogging for business it is so important to make sure Google is getting the information we want it to. I hadn't thought about the bottom of the post but I have been putting keyword rich links to my website there. So I hope that is showing up well for me.

Albuquerque Real Estate | Ashley Drake Gephart

Ashley- Well, you are a pro at working with keywords and have taught me alot on how to use them in Active Rain. I am sure you are doing well, are you getting business? Your weekly activities should draw in a good readership from your area. Katerina 

Katerina, you are right to take it as a compliment. To me "glib" means an aesy facility with language. It does not imply or connote thoughtless or careless. If I am wrong in my definition I appologize. I imagine that some people who are glib, are also careless and thoughtless. I would never ascribe those characteristics to you.

Bill Roberts

BTW my first wife "raised" our kids, so I know the kind of problems that can bring about. I hope the boy is fine.

 Bill Roberts - "Baby Boomer" Retirement Planning

 Here is the definition in dictionary.com. Of course I know that you would mean to say that I am this meaning in b. or 2. You are not wrong; it's just there are different meanings. As far as Nestor's son; we are doing all that we can within her controls. He wanted to live here with us, he really needs a father right now but she does not want her child support to stop. She constantly says to him, You are just like your dad. etc. It is not good. All I can do is pray that the Lord will guide him through this tough time in his life. She really does not like him much. Now she is on her third marriage and who knows how many boyfriends brought into his life! Nestor was her first husband and she has not children from the others, thank goodness! 

glib       (glĭb)  Pronunciation Key 
<!--BOF_HEAD-->adj.  <!--EOF_HEAD--> <!--BOF_SUBHEAD-->glib·ber, glib·best
<!--EOF_SUBHEAD--><!--BOF_DEF-->

1. 1. Performed with a natural, offhand ease: glib conversation.
   2. Showing little thought, preparation, or concern: a glib response to a complex question.
2. Marked by ease and fluency of speech or writing that often suggests or stems from insincerity, superficiality, or deceitfulness.

Katerina,

Perfect summary of why and how to blog.  The only thing you left out is that it is addictive!  

Rita Taylor | Sanford NC Real Estate & Homes for Sale in Sanford North Carolina

Rita- That is a subject for another post! Thank you for your support and hope all is well with you. Katerina 

Absolutely incredible.... I finally see how these efforts can pay off for the business, not using this as just as a social platform....... Thanks for obviou

Not that anyone asked, but I always thought glib was more of a negative description than positive - kind of smart-alecky, not serious, perhaps playful...but not necessarily a compliment.

And I'm a lefty and I'm not dyslexic, though I do have problems learning from just the written page (I'm very much an audio/visual learner - I need to hear it explained and have visual aids.  I have a difficult time just reading from a book and saying "Oh, I get it!"  LOL) 

Loreena Yeo - Realtor, Frisco TX proudly serving Frisco Home Sales

Loreena- THANK YOU! What a wonderful comment. I love blogging and helping so it is a good fit for me. Katerina 

Lake Wallenpaupack Pike County PA Real Estate | Karen E Rice

Karen- Well, the important thing is that I know Bill would never mean that meaning about me. He was giving me a compliment as I read in #1 of the definition. Bill, meet Karen, a lefty too! Katerina