My 200th Post...........................It is time to get serious!

I started blogging on March 30th, 2007. I suspect that if I had realized then what I know now that I could be a real blogger with a significant voice, I would have started earlier. I am not at all sure what that voice is just yet, but I am told by my fellow bloggers that I have one.

Today I will be in a Webinar class for 5 hours being re-certified as a RELAY (the on-line transaction management platform endorsed by NAR) Certified Trainer. I received my certification in the fall of last year but the RELAY program is evolving so fast with so many new modifications and enhancements, it is highly recommended to be re-certified each year to stay fresh and on the cutting edge.

Class starts in less than an hour and I may not finish this post till late in the day. I will post this tomorrow.

As I mentioned in the title, it is time to get serious. Through the testing of various types of postings, I realize that Localism is where I must begin to focus more of  my attention. I did start the OUTLOOK Users group several weeks ago and there is so much there to be accomplished as well.

I would like to provide a weekly tutorial on the many different aspects of OUTLOOK from shortcut keys to expanding the functionality with add-on programs and user interfaces that are available in the market place. We have some great talented members of that group and the contributions thus far have a been wonderful. Stop by and if you have needs or questions about OUTLOOK, post it to the group and someone will help you get that resolved. If you are in a learning mode and would to increase your user skills with OUTLOOK, we invite you to join the group. If you have particular skills with OUTLOOK and would like to share you knowledge, we welcome you as well.

As I reflected on my 200 posts and read some of them over again, I am pleased that I have both learned and shared with equal dedication. In the new journey, I have made many acquaintances and a few friends along the way. I needn't name names or link their posts here, you know who you are.

For me, this new milestone represents both an accomplishment and a challenge. As I look inside myself, I see that anything I have given away, has been replenished and actually grown. My father, who I have spoken of before, gave me the sage advise that in life, the only things you get to keep are the things you are willing to first give away.

As a big part of this journey, I was fortunate enough to have connected up with Jim Cronin, owner of the RealEstateTomato. I learned from Jim about optimizing my blogging style and the core fundamentals of advanced blogging. Jim's genius was reflected in my new Blog Site The Real Estate Text Book which has been touted as the most unusual and creative of real estate blogging sites. We were both very pleased with the attention that was paid to it by the Wall Street Journal.

I have my marching orders clearly before me to continue to learn and then to participate on an equal footing with the best of the blogging world.

So on this day, I see the accomplishment as significant in that it is a solid step in a new direction. A right direction for me. I would complete this post by saying a special thank you to those of you who supported my decision to go in this direction, to those of you who encouraged me when I really wanted to quit, to those of you I have met and smiled at me and said, "hey you, you are nice to know", for the many of you who come and built up my spirit when it needed a boost and especially for the many of you who come to me with regularity as someone you trust. I feel good about this post, I said what I wanted to say. Best I should end this, there is always post 201 and beyond!