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Off to Chase The Next Big Storm AR's V.P of Sales and Blog Trainer Signing Off.

Reblogger
Real Estate Agent

 

I can't believe I missed this! That's right - Douglas Ching and Stephen Graham have officially left the building. OMG! ActiveRain has gone through so much change and you can't help but feel for them... I don't know about you, but I plan to support and stay committed to ActiveRain for what may be some growing pains that they may continue to encounter for a while - this is such an amazing community and I'm a raving fan. Simple as that! 

Buckle your seatbelts folks - it may get bumpy (but it'll be a fantastic road trip!!)

 

Original content by Douglas Ching

bird taking flight on the shore in ZurickIf you ask Jon Washburn he will tell you that he is “not a sales person”, but don’t let this fool you!  What began as an innocent lunch back in 2009 resulted in me leaving my successful business behind to join forces with Jon at ActiveRain. The goal was to find a sustainable revenue model for a company that was on the brink of running out of the capital.

ActiveRain was a robust community at the time with a little over 100k members but very little dependable revenue.  Jon, in my opinion, had two choices: he could clutter every page of AR with advertising, or we could start charging our new members to take advantage of the reputation (SEO) the community had built.  Thus, the Rainmaker concept was born. 

A few months later I began noticing that the agents who were upgrading to RainMaker with the hopes of increasing their online presence didn’t have the training required to make that possible. So I turned to my trusted friend Steven Graham, who within two weeks developed SEO strategies for those members of AR who needed it the most, and turned it into a two hour training class for new members.  This single class evolved into ActiveRain University, led by Steven, which currently has over 10,000 graduates.

This company was Jon’s vision and legacy. ActiveRain is now at over 200,000 members, and in January alone of this year we signed up just shy of 1,000 new paying RainMakers! We were fortunate enough to be asked to join Jon on his journey to accomplish that vision, and we hope his legacy of ActiveRain-- and now DailyTicket-- will continue to grow and thrive. 

Now that Jon’s active role in the network has ended Steven and I have decided to find a new vision.  Changing lives, both within the ActiveRain community and at the ActiveRain corporate offices, is the reason we came to ActiveRain and the reason we stayed. Jon gave us the freedom to create a unique culture here that you couldn’t find anywhere else. The community thrived, as did the employees of ActiveRain. Since the changing of hands, we have grown to miss the creativity and challenges that come with building and maintaining this type of culture.

As of today Steven Graham and I will no longer be employed by ActiveRain. The time has come for us to find a new home. We have been invited to help ePropertySites.com develop a social media and SEO blogging platform as their V.P of Sales and SEO Blog Trainer. Imagine every tool you could possibly need to succeed online in one tool box. That is ePropertySites.com, where we will both continue to do the work we love, and although we’ll miss being part of what goes on behind the scenes at ActiveRain, we’re excited to embark on this new adventure.

if you have any further questions or concerns please feel free to contact us at:

Doug@epropertymail.com

or

Steven@epropertymail.com

Posted by

 

Emily Read
Director of Marketing and Technology

Keller Williams Salt Lake City

  
www.KWSaltLake.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments (5)

Jon Quist
REALTY EXECUTIVES ARIZONA TERRITORY - Tucson, AZ
Tucson's BUYERS ONLY Realtor since 1996

I now need a scorecard to see who is left. That would be easier than who has gone away. Yikes.

May 23, 2011 06:47 PM
C. Lloyd McKenzie
Living Albuquerque - Albuquerque, NM
Living Albuquerque

There is more than meet the eyes.  Let's wait and see.  Market Leader will have to do a delicate dance.

May 23, 2011 06:52 PM
Emily Read
Salt Lake City, UT

I'm still in shock...!!

May 23, 2011 06:56 PM
MichelleCherie Carr Crowe .Just Call. 408-252-8900
Get Results Team...Just Call (408) 252-8900! . DRE #00901962 . Licensed to Sell since 1985 . Altas Realty - San Jose, CA
Family Helping Families Buy & Sell Homes 40+ Years

Yes it's now easier to track how many are still here rather than who has left.

May 23, 2011 08:20 PM
Carol Faaland-Kronmaier
Weichert, Realtors; Hillsborough - Hillsborough, NJ
PhD, e-PRO, Manville, Hillsborough, Somerset NJ

Emily, I am newer to Active Rain, so I hope that the changes will not effect everything that members brag about. I also plan to ride the wave for now! Carol

May 23, 2011 11:18 PM