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How I Sold My ActiveRain Profile for $6,750.00

This will be my last post as Justin Smith of the Real Estate Tomato under this profile. It was fun... but look for me to come back under a different profile real soon.

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You heard it here folks. Damion Foxworthy is now the proud new owner of my ActiveRain profile. The story behind the sale follows...

I'm sure many of you have heard the controversy about the sale of MMORPG characters and goods. It is quite an industry actually, complete with overseas sweatshops where workers will spend hours mining for gold in World of Warcraft, or building up an Everquest Character for resale. You can even buy 50,000 "Linden" dollars on ebay for only $199.99, in the popular online universe known as second life. I even wrote a post about it a while back that discussed the implications of a lady that became the first millionaire from selling virtual goods.

It's an interesting topic... and it got me thinking. If people can sell virtual goods and money, why not ActiveRain points? ActiveRain isn't a game or an online virtual world, but it does deal with a potential commodity called: points.

In the early days of ActiveRain, it was pretty common to see people gaming the system for points. Writing 10 junk posts a day, or commenting 50 times a day just to build their points. But as AR has evolved there have been measures put in to make sure that in order for people to get ahead, they have to actually work at it. Which makes the points that much more valuable.

Let's discuss the value of points for a moment... As most of you know, points can help you get ahead of your competition in any given market. You can see here that I am currently listed in Colorado. Ranked 7th in Colorado, 2nd in Douglas County, and 1st in the town of Castle Rock. Not Bad!

arhoax1

But, lets say I decided to sell my profile to a real estate agent in Virginia... it's a hugely populated state, and represents a huge real estate market segment. But, there is very little competition for points. Meaning if I were to switch my profile to Virginia...

I suddenly catapult to the number 2 position in Virginia, 1st in Arlington County, and 1st in Arlington. Pretty amazing!

arhoax2

Not only does the profile now catapult me to the top of the Virginia members, but it also gets me to the home page of activerain for all the people from Virginia viewing the site!

arhoax3

It struck me like a ton of bricks the other day that my AR profile is valuable!!! And somebody might pay some serious dough to get an instant high placement in the state they work in. So, I went ahead and sold it to the highest bidder. I considered the fact that many of the AR member would be angry, frustrated, or even hostile. And if you happen to have read this far into the paragraph you'll be happy to know that none of this is actually true. I haven't sold my profile, I just wanted to see what kind of reaction it would get from the AR community. What if tomorrow you woke up and saw a profile selling for $6,000 on ebay? Would you be mad, upset, surprised, frustrated? What? Points are important to alot of people... whether you are trying to beat your competitor to the home page or AR, or trying to get to that coveted first spot on localsim. Points on AR are the underlying thing that drive the community.

The other issue to selling an AR profile is the content. What do you do with it? Let the person have it for free? Place a CC license on it so they can't duplicate it? You have to ask yourself, are you willing to let all that content slip away... how valuable is it to you?

Points rule activerain... and I plan to make a fortune from selling AR profiles. Who's with me???

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Posted by Justin Smith | SEO, SMO & Blogging Consultant on 11/16/2007 11:01 AM

Comments (243)

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243 Comments on How I Sold My ActiveRain Profile for $6,750.00

NOV

2007

New to blogging. Just had to read yours due to the captivating tilte!

I was about to start up a "Blackball the Tomatoe" campaign here on Active Rain. Some things are sacred. Selling your profile!?! You have redeemed yourself in the end.

I bet there will be rules in place soon to prevent this, if they are not already in the "Terms of Use".

Justin - We live in a country where grocery stores have entire aisles set aside to sell water. There is another section where they sell bags of dirt. In garden shops, you can buy bags of manure. I am not surprised that someone might find value in points on AR. The fact that they truly have no value and the fact that one server going down will render them invisible will not stop the american consumer from demanding the right to purchase them. I have printed some of my points on colored paper and used it for wall paper in the downstairs powder room. (No powder, just points.)

I don't have lot of points, yet. Sign me up! Contrary to R/E we need to band together and set a minimum number of $$ per point. What do you think, a penny per? Maybe 2? Whoopee, I might actually be able to make minimum wage for the first time in 30 years <|;>)

Interesting that this is the first thing I read on ActiveRain. Wonderful start ;)

I guess everything has a price! Interesting post and very thought provoking. Not sure what thoughts it is provoking though!

Hey Justin, You're not wacky...what's brilliantly crazy is the design gods of a system which created a network which gets busy people to post serious content day after day for nothing but POINTS! That is serious genius and we're the one's who are hooked! Now, for the question about what it's worth...well, depends on who you are..:) Fun post...enjoyed reading it.

Justin: I agree with Lola......amazing, the time we spend on AR for points. Could it be that this is really a competitive group? Very clever post.......

This was such a great post. Funniest (serious) thing I read all week.

My profile has 60,000+ - that's got to be worth a few grand. Then I can hire ghost writers for real cheap to build up another one. Then sell that one. Heck, I'm off to a ghost writing sweatshop. We'll be rich in no time.

Love the post... I think I had my mouth open and a blank stare going on for a few minutes after I read your post!

Wow, you really get the wheels turning!!! I joined AR because I'm very new to the business, 3 months actually, and I look forward to learning from all my fellow Active Rainers!

Best Wishes!

I'm hanging on to ~my~ points until after the sale of Active Rain to (fill_in_the_blank) is consummated. I'm gambling the value of my points/profile will skyrocket at that time.

Justin - What about your ActiveRain title Real Estate - Other? I don't think that you can change a profile from Other to Agent. I realized that it would still put you on the front page of your State though. Fun post. That is really thinking outside of the box.

The points would be meaningless. Without continued great content nobody would be reading the blog :)

Whew - That was an interesting read! I didn't know that the points would be quite that important to people. I just see it as a challenge for me to read and post lots... I figured I would learn a lot doing this. It's more a challenge to see myself at the top of my state list and wondering how long it would take to get there than anything. Lindsey

Justin,

I agree that the points are a strong motivator. I am working diligently to try and get AR to fix what appears to be a bug in the points system. I show as number 29 in the California rankings, but on my home page it says I am number 31. Don't know why but it bugs me. Yeah, the points thing was genius.

I'm with Jim...Sell my profile...should fetch a really nice chunk 'o' change here in WA State,...hire a ghost writer, hire a ghost commentor,...slam down a quick 50K points, and start the process all over!

Justin - Shock therapy!! I was amazed that you would consider selling your points . . .but I was relieved when I found out that you didn't. That would surely make AR bloggers end up in an uproar.

NOV

2007

$6750.00 is an interesting number...which made it seem all so real...sure you're not testing the waters?

@James

No Comment... ;-)

Seems to defeat the purpose and probably not a good return on your investment of time in gaining the points to begin with.

Interesting post. I would not sell my points because the time it took to earn the points is precious time.

I guess I'm to new to understand the points- I thought this was more about networking and helping each other work more effectivly.

I think for 6k, the content has to be sold with the profile. Just look at ebay, there have been some wacky things being sold on there in recent years! I do believe a profile with over 100k points is quite valuable. Being a featured member of a state or county can make the difference between getting twice as many leads or getting no leads. We're in an internet society. People who are looking at homes consult the internet first. If you're not being found, you might as well hang it up and find something else to do.

Sounds like a "slippery slope" to me. Like you mentioned, what would happen to all that localism content that you produced?

Interesting thought, Justin. At the end of the day, maybe "selling" a profile and its points may not be different than paying an assistant or ghostwriter to post to your account though? And there may be situations where this is legitimate...I'm sure there are agents out there who bring in a partner with the intent of eventually handing off or selling the business' "assets" (e.g., client list, methodologies for client relationship management, and web domains, including AR!) to them.

Great post Justin,

I sat reading it thinking, "Great, how should I handle this. I probably have to zero out the points on this profile now. But man, whoever bought Justin's blog is going to be pissed."

I think you all are right and we need to think through this issue and put some type of formal policy in place.

Hilariuos.....FSBO!

Justin

Just recently say two months or so, there has been people buying advertising on Active Rain. The points we get takes time to get and Time my friend is a commodity. What value do we place on that time? I have nearly 90,000 points and would consider selling them for a good price.

I know that there are members here that have more than one logon, perhaps they are able to see into the future or are just lucky, but in the end they may end up with something worth some real cash.

you can't be serious?!?!

I like your thinkng outside the box , your a momey magnet

Genius! Great thinking out of the box!

Great post. I need Christmas shopping money... how much do you thing 250,000 + / - points and 1st place in Ohio would go for?

I was at a meeting last night about social media in Columbus and I talked about ActiveRain and the points. How they are an incentive even if they don't have value. Or maybe points have lots of value.

If you sell, stipulate that you get royalties from all Real Estate transactions that create a profit! JK, folks!

You can have my points. The content is not for sale (mine is not the greatest - but it's mine)

Great post, Jason Justin.

Update - Poop! my fingers automatically typed my neighbors name instead of yours. Sorry!

The Terms of Service have no rules against it, so it seems like it would be ok to sell a profile.

Way to go Justin! You did however catch Jonathan's attention. NOT the way to go Justin! LMAO

justin,

I`m going to auction off my presence on EBAY.

Thank You for the idea..:)

I`ll let you know how things turn out.

Score:Members Invited/Referred:Blog Posts:Rank in Florida:Featured Posts:Rank in Broward County:Comments Received:Rank in Cooper City:Comments Made:Blog Subscriptions:

263757
18
1132
3
54
1 (Featured Member)
6836
1 (Featured Member)
3081
72

Justin Damion, ;) Great post - what I have taken away from your story is that AR has value to us - lots of value!!

Clever post. There is real value at AR but not everything can have a dollar value applied to it. I would consider the relationships developed here to be in that latter category.

Very amusing and thought-provoking post.

Looks like you've had a good turn out..I personally think it would be a great idea..I mean it is America right?

It may not be a high point count, but they took me too long to earn. Plus I have already made money from them through generated listings, referrals, and sales so they're not for sale.

What a concept captain J, kind of like dialing for dollars, or $$$$ $$$$ $$$$

Seriously deserving of a Feature Justin, Damion or whoever you become next in virtual space! :)

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with selling an AR profile and found your post quite humerous. You created the content and earned the points which is what would create the value. I don't see it any different from selling a website or a blog.

It would be interesting to see what would happen. Would the multiple posts with different headlines increase even more just for the points or would the quality of the posts created improve?

Hmmm, what an interesting concept! Just think about it for a second.....we build up our own profiles and content here, all of this making AR more robust and more valuable. We are rewarded with points - what value really is placed on our points, knowing we're building up the little engine known as AR? The little engine that could...... The value of our points? Our profiles? Our content? Veddy interesting to ponder....

What an interesting notion to test the value of our points and our placement in our areas.....

Ann

Congrats on getting paid. I wouldn't have paid that for any placement. Rather hire a writer instead, that way its ongoing growth..

Hope it doesn't inspire or throw more gas on the fire of meaningling posts just to gain points.. here come the point mongers!

we'll see... :)

It was only a matter of time until someone brought it up. I'm suprised someone in India hasn't picked up on this already. Still, a point made above is that selling it to a 3rd party one would notice content changes and more.

Justin, er, Damion, whoever:-) Interesting idea, personally I would never pay anyone for their profile or points....not my thing but in Capitalistic America, you are probably onto something. Worthy of a feature, unique post in of itself.

I wonder if I could auction off my services to individuals on how to lose points.....:-))

This is why the tomato is so successful. They have employees who think like this.

Justin, I opened up my blog subscriptions and thought 'who the heck is that? I haven't subscribed to him'...so clicked on it and well.... lol. I wouldn't sell my AR profile or points for any amount of money as it took me WAY too much time and mental and emotional power (not to mention heart and soul) to get where I am (number one in my province).

I think Jonathan is right though...they better kibosh this possibility quickly.

((-:

Ok you won...you got even me to read your article and I must say it was a riveting account until I got to the bottom.Great job making people "Think"!! Keep up those captivating headlines...you have just taught me that the headline is the hook...the line and sinker came later....

Regards,

Rick

Interesting Post. I think you captured me with the title. Obviously with the amount of comments, you did the same with others! It's amazing how the wheels start to turn with all of us. It would be an interesting thing if we could sell our points and our profiles!

Amazing. Certainly hadn't even come close to crossing my mind. WOW! I have to keep following this and blogging away.

Yikes! An interesting idea, but I think overall a real cheat to the system. I hope AR puts something in place to prevent this from happening again.

Smart. Join my team to build this out www.RealestateloanS.com , Gil

Anyone who feels they have to buy a profile to get a higher rank on here doesn't deserve to be a member of Active Rain. I did read your whole post and am glad you decided not to actually sell your profile!

Just out of curiosity I Googled Mr. Foxworthy's name:

He sure hit the top of Google page 1 in a hurry. :-)

I guess someone how to try this. Now the one bad apple that did this will cause a whole new set of rules. Congrats on your money. I guess it is easier to make money this way than actually earning it.

Justin, You make a lot of interesting points and I'm sure you got the attention of the "powers to be" on Active Rain. I haven't read the comments because I didn't want my comment to be tainted. I can't believe you would ever find anybody stupid enough to buy an AR site. Being in Virginia I'm curious to know when you plan to convert it back lol, Karen

I'm taking offers on Bonita Springs.

I guess everything has a price! Interesting Post. I think you captured me with the title. AR need to think through this issue and put some type of formal policy in place.

Boooo!

Very interesting topic. I would hate to see this site become a points game more than it already is.

For anyone who has an exit strategy to sell their business when they are done, the online presence will be a part of that brand. It's especially beneficial if the busniess is not name or person centric but rather one that is a catchy phrase. When owership changes, as long as the branding and quality of service stay the same, many will never know that the figurehead is gone.

So in this fictitious effort Damion would have been wise to remain as the current recognized and respected name and continue to strengthen the brand. He would start to reap the profits of the business and over time could evolve his new business in the direction he desires, gradually making his changes.

Or so I would imagine :)

food for thought

Shucks. I think you sold it too cheap.

That's the selling fee on a little $225,000 SALE. Or, I only need to make 3 referrals in the $337,000 price range and my referral fees are $6,750.

Now, the shell is worthless. Got to start all over. Cash flow is the secret. You lose the cash flow when you have to "Go Back To Go".

Nice read.

The benefit of Internet advertising over the print media is the "shelf life" of the web page or blog.

I can sell you on how to get 200 points, and then lose those 200 pts within a day.

Featured. Amazing place this ActiveRain.

Congrats.

( By the way, if the media picks up on this - we will start seeing a barrage of articles claiming this is the worst point selling market in the past 30 years and that people can't afford to buy points and that point predators are everywhere ..... )

Am I logged off?

For sale, the number on espot in Minnesota, to the highest bidder. I would do it in a heart beat if I thought it was worth a dime. On the other hand my St. Paul re blog is worth about 140K according to technorati, That would not be enough money for it becasue if Iadd up what it brings me in income each year and the fact that it supports my family I guess I would have to have 500K so I can start all over again.

I'm so far away from that points figure....I would never think of selling my profile, just as I'd never sell a myspace profile with a million friends. I'll sell a car, a service, or a home, but virtual products are somewhat blind to me. I haven't yet found the value. BUT, then again, information sold online is indeed virtual, although you could print information on paper. Food for thought...

Interesting... I was wondering who that character with the yellow background was when I logged on this afternoon.

Awesome post!

Too bad it's not original. Just like in the MMORPG world, there are people paid to play, there are people, likely other agents here who didn't buy their profile, but might as well. There are several agents who pay people to post for them. To take articles about local events and sort of re-write them.

I'm not sure I see a difference.

In all honesty, this is one of the best posts I've seen featured on AR. Good Job!

I thought something seemed fishy. Glad to hear that it wasn't true.

One would certainly have to prove the marketability of such a post. For me as a potential buyer, I would like to know how many "civilians" actually visit AR - and Virginia AR - before talking price - unless I'm a check-writing mogul like George Steinbrenner.

I am looking at that scenario.

Interestingly, I'm near the top in Wisconsin - only a few sloppy blogs and localism posts from #1 and now live in Florida. But because so many of my Blogs are Wisconsin-laden AND I represent Bill Quigley, too, shifting to Florida is not a black/white decision. As Florida has 10 times as many AR bloggers as Wisconsin, I'd be buried deep in the recesses of the Everglades in ranking.

Does it matter?

"Damion" - If you need a "partner" in Arlington, I'm your girl!

You had us going Justin...but you make such a great point that we truly believe Active Rain will grow so much more that we may just be (some day) able to sell our points, scary!

I admit that you had me going....

But then a started to wonder why the post got reatured, so I finally caught on.

So, my profile is like an ID of sorts, yes? And ID stands for Identity, yes? And so, my identity is sort of like my soul, in many respects...

So, are you saying I can sell my soul if I get enough points?

Fun and interesting concept, thanks for letting me know my sould has some value...

I see Bonita Springs is available. Chris, will you be including a set of Ginzu Knives?

Linda for a price you can have just about anything you want thrown in the deal. I prefer decimal points to comma's, by the by.

Chris - I am interested. Email me offline. If you would consider including a gift certificate to Spatula City, I think we can work a deal.

You're pushin' it.

Jonathan...

Put a policy in place? Ya think? :)

It was just a matter of time before someone posted something like this.

TLW...ROAR!

I think my photo alone is worth 6k :-)

Then I can reinvent myself as sally field :-)

I want to see if we can combine our points to create a huge blockbuster sale.....If Jacobson is in, I'm in....

Justin,

What an amazing concept, but I'm glad I read the last few lines. I enjoy your posts and wasn't looking forward to the change over and having to find your blogs when you moved on. Glad you're staying. . . but the concept. . .

Very thought-provoking post!

My profile is not for sale unless someone offered the right price. LOL

Haha...very clever post. I did't think it was too far off; I wouldn't be surprised if someone did this.

You got me! :-)

I admit it - I was in shock reading thinking this can't be happening. I would have certainly been upset thinking how hard I work to get where I'm at, and someone could buy their way in.

But... as said before, the content is mine, the points are nice, but there is so much more to this than just points.

How do you put a CC license on your content? I have a lot of original material I hate to see lifted w/o my permission.

For CC License info:

http://creativecommons.org/license/

Hmmm....it only makes me wonder what my #1 in Kentucky spot would bring on eBay. Hey Christmas is coming soon and real estate has been slow. I might be in the soup line soon.

Not sure how it all works out, but sure is interesting! I'm #1 in Lubbock, TX, but don't know what if anything it is doing for me so far. Thanks!

I do not have a lot of points. In all seriousness what is the real selling price?

I guess the value is going to be in the eye of the beholder. I think the question regarding content and who owns it is very important. I know there was some discussion about this when the gods sale fell through -- It is a great blog -- and it certainly raised a lot of eyebrows.

I figured this was as good a post as any to comment on to increase my points! ...;)

Good post. The title caught my attention! I was thinking rotten tomato. :)

We do have to work for the points. Seems like most agents in my town have forgotten about AR. I won't complain. A few weeks of blogging and commenting and I am now #1. But I am going for the SEO position, so I will be here for a while.

Aaaawwww . . . I could never sell my AR profile! My life would become . . . "pointless".

It's a good publicity stunt,I'm sure there have been many who have thought about it. Keep the lively posts going!

Sell it Sell it NOWWWWWWW.

Take care!

RJH

Darn, I was hoping Teresa would sell her spot for alot less. :(

Interesting post. You had me going there for a bit. Redeemed yourself though.

hmmmm.... I want to spend my points at the AR Blue Chip Point Store, I have been saving for an Active Rain hat. Getting $10,000 would be nice, but what about my hat gosh darnit!!

Can you imagine the uproar if you would have done this for real? I'm laughing, but you know, I bet this has happened already. With 55,000+ members, there is no way to keep track of who is doing what with their profile. I love a good thought provoking post even if it makes me squirm a bit.

Had me going for a second!!! Chris: does that include your pink crock shoes pictures?They say we all have a price. $100,000 sounds about right.

Not sure how late you stayed up at night to come up with this idea, but I must say, however controversial, it's not too far off from reality. I'm sure there are those that would actually shell out the dough to have immediate "fame" on AR.

New to AR and I always seem to find something of use...even if it's in the comments. Caught my eye with the title though! What I found in the comments was the googling of the name. I hadn't thought to do that since I started here, very interesting!

NOV

2007

I actually LOVE this idea. Any lender that's willing to pay $25,000 to me can have my AR profile and AR blog; I'll even tailor it to them by re-writing the posts to include their name in each one.

Maybe I should just sell my name.

I am sueing...My comments are not moving to another state. They were made for the specific author in the specific location.

Now what's the number to A good Cyber Lawyer? Heading over to 2nd life to find one.

Mr. Carney: Good point! Do ask if the lawyer handles Class Action issues. Now that you mention it, I realize my comments are my property, and I don't remember agreeing to a transfer of ownership of my property.

And if Mr. Foxworthy simply decides to delete all comments on all posts to avoid this issue, he has (in my opinion) significantly reduced the value of the content. And, he may in fact have an action against the seller of the profile (Mr. Smith).

Any other commenters ready to sign on to the Class Action? :-)

Brady, I'll buy your profile & blog! Do you take personal checks?

If not, I'll buy Griffith's.....

This is TOO FUNNY!!! How sad and true at the same time. You definitely had my attention and it's EARLY to be so captivated!! LOVED IT...well deserved of a gold star!

Justin - Damion - whoever - your name is not important your profile and points are. You may not be as out of line as some might think - there will be a time when you decide you will no longer be active in real estate. At that point your profile may well be a very marketable commodity just as a web site is that has very high search engine placement.

If you can market your web site why not your active|rain Blog.

Justin and now your alter eogo Damion,

Funny, interesting and engrossing....I am looking to see who plays you in the movie version.

Are there any other people in you we need to meet?

Not sure what the 100 plus comments say but this idea isn't so far-fetched. If I build up an incredible blog for my area and then move cross-country I think I should be entitled to sell my profile to another agent in my old area so they can benefit from the work I put in. Of course, that means I have to start off fresh in my new place or buy a new profile with my proceeds. Interesting post.

Do what you wanna do... ActiveRain and Life will go on. Best of luck!

You had me going there for a little while, LOL, was starting to wonder how much I can get for my profile. LOL

#1 in Manhattan - I think I'll price it based on Manhattan real estate values with a back end percentage so I can receive royalties for the rest of my life including any and all future technologies not invented yet.

While I'm on a roll I will sell The Brooklyn Bridge too....

So, I guess I could make up a whole bunch of profiles, and then hire ghost writers to fill them with content... and they could all recommend each other for features, and comment on each other's posts... like my own little world. And then, as they built up points they could be sold on ebay and craigslist.

Brilliant... but, too time consuming for me. I have real estate to deal with. Virtual estate doesn't seem worth the trouble... yet.

I'm in Arlington. I was in the featured top 2.

Nope, not anymore. You knocked me off.

Thanks!

Can I buy just 20,000 of your points?

Frank

Great post and the comments have been a blast to read. Since most of us are in real estate and are Realtors(c) I guess the question of ethics has to be brought into selling your profile. Is it ethical to sell your profile so that some one might get ahead in their area and at the same time is it ethical to buy some one elses profile. Just because it could be a lucrative business selling profiles doesn't mean it should be done. If every one took time to think ethically about things and not about the money business would be run very differently. Again great post, it generated alot of thought.

Sounds like it shoule not be allowed. I agree that there should be some type of rule against this.

Cool post. I'd never pay that kind of money for another's profile. Wouldn't have time to go thru every post and change their links to my links. And I have only been on AR for 7 weeks now, but already have moved to 9th in my city.. Charlotte, NC. In the lender world, I am 3rd. Not bad.

But I try to contribute everyday, so that helps.

Interesting post. I still don't understand the point competition

You bring up an excellent point and something worthwhile to consider. If the guidelines and groundrules do not prohibit the selling of profiles, I suppose it is ok. However, I would think that the essence of an on-line community is the integrity and truthfulness of the users who populate the community. It would not be neccessarily honest for the person buying your profile because in the community sense, he has not really earned the points. It is a dilemma and certainly one that will effect many community websites and blog arenas. Clever post and really had me going for a couple of minute.

Aloha,

Ron

I guess I am of the opinion it might be too personal for me to sell but show me the money and I might change my mind. Certainly something to think about.

I want in on the race, can anyone help me cath up?

Tomato may be winning but when aged it rots so I'm gonna be a ROCK and keep chipin away at the points lead. Anyone want to throw me?

Visit me for more interesting information..

Juan

info@mortgagefreefinancial.net

http://www.mortgagefreefinancial.net

Are U kidding? Too much work to sell it for $$$$$$$$$$$

I've heard of selling characters on Everquest......way different is selling your image...

I am new to AR and this is the first post I have read...and I have to say...WOW, that is thinking out of the box and you certainly ruffeled some feathers along the way; Pretty Clever.

Justin-- I loved the post of course. I have joked, in the past, that Broker Bryant's AR site, with it's PR 4 rating, could sell text links and it would be worth it to pay him. (It was in the context of "you'd be better off doing that then signing up for a bad neighborhood link farm.) But I digress.

I'm going to take the controversial side with this and say that we live in a free market and that I don't think that there is necessarily anything wrong with it. You know, I did all of the work and earned all of my points...and let's say I had a family emergency and couldn't put food on the table. I don't see why, as a free American, I couldn't let another Arizona mortgage broker take over my blog for a fee. It doesn't deceive anybody (because my face would be gone from the blog), and all of the old content- that earned those points to begin with- is still there to read.

Of course, I realize that there are two views to this and I don't really feel strongly about one's right to sell one's AR profile...but I thought I would play "devil's advocate." Again, great post.

Clever thought - but I don't see how transferring the points would do anyone any good unless the content was relevant to their marketing area and specialty. If you delete the content that doesn't apply to you, you also reduce the points that that content generated.

NOV

2007

It's all about the points. But to make money selling my profile. I don't know.

Hey why not? People have sold a lot of other things online like grilled cheese sandwiches. At least yours is something valuable.

Virtual real estate! I believe in it. I started a community blog when I could least afford it to become first mover in Internet space in my area. Others have tried to start community blogs in my area, but having established myself early on with a high quality blog, it hard for others to gain readership. I could see selling my community blog at some point in the future, because you are selling readership. With AR it's more difficult as you don't control the website and the rules could change overnight, eliminating points or AR could change ownership (it almost did). However, the same could be said of the virtual gaming and still folks have made money. Great post, because it gets you thinking about the value of your readership on the Internet.

OMG!

Selling your AR profile?

Wow....what if the new owner just isn't able to "maintain" your standards??

Holy cow! You certainly did get quite a reaction, didn't you?

AR is for sale so why not?

In fact, if someone comes along that we'd all rather see go away we could all pool our funds and pay them off just to get rid of them. Who wants to chip in a buck or two?

I figure if a Coldwell Banker brokerage is willing to pay $50K for virtual real estate on Second Life, anything is possible.

So it really does pay to blog....sweet

NOV

2007

HMMM Don't think I'd do it at any price. It is my identity and I write about things that are personal for me and reflect who I am. No, I/m not giving away myself.

Hi. I'm also new to AR but I have to say, I love the fact that this was one of the first posts that I read. I'm sure that many newbies like myself problay enjoyed the message and thought when they read it.... "This is definalty the group I want to be in!" Thanks for the post and the inspiration of thinking outside the box.... Loved it!

Brilliant, Damion. It's going to fuel the fire for ghost writing - having someone else blog and comment for you (as hinted by Real Estate Tomato above).

"What if tomorrow you woke up and saw a profile selling for $6,000 on ebay? Would you be mad, upset, surprised, frustrated? " You can bet that if this happened, I would be trying to get mine on ebay so fast it would spin you around. LOL It's never crossed my mind but you do bring up a very thought provoking topic, It was interesting to read the comments.

Very thought provoking. But honestly I would be very upset to know people were buying other AR accounts just to bump up on the point scale. It would just bring AR back to its very beginning point.

You should have a lightbulb for your logo. Pretty clever, my man! Keep up the good work! How did you manage to get so many of your posts "featured"? Any tips for me?

You actually had me going. I was wondering what I may be worth.

Hey, this is America if someone is willing to pay...why not!

WOW, who would have thought? I saw the title of your BLOG and I just had to see it. It appears as though I am not the only one who took the hook! Thanks!

Aha! So that's how Charles MacDonald racked up so many points so quickly! Anything to stay ahead of Brian Block!

Very funny post. The picture looks a little scary.

NOV

2007

Justin - saw this post go by the other day, then couldn't find it again, finally caught up with it today. Fun to read but also informative. I have only been on for 2 weeks and I couldn't in my head figure out how people got so many points. I have been very active with 10 posts in those 2 weeks and several (meaningful) comments, and when I look at people with hundreds of thousands of points I figured they either lived 24/7 on AR or points were done differently in the past. You mention they were done differently in the past, or at least a "cap" on points for certain activities now. Does this mean those who believe in AR and have come to the party shall we say "fashionably late" have no way of competing (point wise) with those who got in early?

John,

I wouldn't worry too much about it... with a steady pace, you'll be on your way in the points game soon. Many of the 100k point and above members have been on AR for at least 6 months.

And if it makes you feel better, there are very few people still on AR that spent alot of time spamming in the early days for points. I guess good content does pay off in that regard!

Keep writing quality posts, don't forget to post to Localism, and keep creating calls to action... remember, it's all about capturing leads. Building relationships and networking with other AR members is simply a bonus.

NOV

2007

Thanks for taking us through the possibilities. Who knows where Active Rain will be in five years, or how valuable your points will be to YOU.

Good for you. I might have to think about that.

NOV

2007

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Ok, you got me. I did read the whole post and found it intriguing.

I for one, do not do all my blogging on Active Rain for one reason. One day I may wake up to find that AR has gone in a direction I can't live with. I would hate for that to happen. Everyday I keep in mine that my AR blog isn't really mine. It exists on a platform that I don't control.

Therefore, I maintain my other blogs. One is on my website, I control it, I own it. The other is on Blogger.

Anybody want to buy my Active Rain profile?

Ok, you got me. I did read the whole post and found it intriguing.

Therefore, I maintain my other blogs. One is on my website, I control it, I own it. The other is on Blogger.

Anybody want to buy my Active Rain profile?

NOV

2007

I read about the 'second life' craze in the sunday news and wondered if I could start my own Virtual Mortgage company to make money while I'm making money. Is it that easy?

NOV

2007

I'm impressed. Selling a profile & its points seems to me just like selling any other already established, successful business. True, it gives the buyer a head-start that others might not have had, but so what? Stop whining! No one ever said life is fair. It should just be an additional motivator for the rest of us to get out there and make our businesses (or activerain blogs) better!

I really don't care if people sell their points. It would not bother me at all. To each his own. It really does crack me up though when people get themselves in a fret over what other people are doing. Just focus on your own business and the business will come. I can't say that I wouldn't be up for some free points. Hey maybe I'll create a couple of ridiculous AR screenames and start selling points. Hmm... What would 20k be worth say every 3 months ...an extra income? As far as my personal profile the points and SEO that come along with it are to valuable for me to part with. Thanks for the clever post.

DEC

2007

interesting idea!

DEC

2007

Price seems low. One lead from AR could get you more than you're asking price. Short-tram gains will undernmine long-term goals.

Scott! Wisdom for us all to contemplate. Jerry

DEC

2007

It is an interesting concept. People buy all kinds of virtual stuff everyday.

Capitalist society. Buy your way to the top!

DEC

2007

Wouldn't be any different than paying extra to be at the top of any site. But, wouldn't it be great if other sites had a point system too? Like, the more hits your listings get on Zillow, the greater your points and greater your chances of being a featured agent!

DEC

2007

As I was reading this I was thinking, who is so desperate for the "top spot" that they are going to pay for it. I was relieved to know that you really didn't sell your points.

DEC

2007

Way to think outside of the box. Not sure how large the market is and what agents will actually pay for this luxury of points... please post a follow-up

What poeple wont think of!

DEC

2007

I don't know why you'd sell it except for the money.

Patricia Aulson/Hampton NH Real Estate www.patricia4realestate.com

DEC

2007

AMAZING POST! 173 comments! Obviously you write provocative posts that generate lots of food for thoughts. Not sure who will buy it, but good luck!

Cheers,

Cindy

DEC

2007

That's a good one. Not very practical right now for the reasons that you yourself showed, but hey, there is the value, so selling is theoretically not out of reach.

Would be interesting to watch it though.

DEC

2007

You worked hard to get the points, if you can get a good price for it, more power to you! Everyone on here is here to make money one way or another; building clients, getting referrals, etc. Whatever it is, good job with yours!

DEC

2007

That's a crazy idea! I guess it's almost like an agent selling their entire database when they retire...

DEC

2007

Hey Thanks for the very interesting post! Definately a great way to look at your AR profile & great job in building up your profile to that level. You definately have me thinking, to say the least! I am new to active rain as of today. I am on tons of other networking sites and real estate sites but had never joined active rain so I thought I would look into it and I am glad I did! U definately have made me realize that joining and spending time around here is quite worthwhile! Congrats and keep selling those profiles!

DEC

2007

What Genius. I Tip my hat to you

DEC

2007

The funny thing is that it's really not about the points, the google juice that active rain gives is for the content.....content = points very interesting concept though - if this were to really happen the person would be paying for the content. Sooo. you could theoretically create a profile around a certain niche and sell the profilie & content together....hmmmm - now that's sexy!

DEC

2007

I am in AWE of you. I haven't been on AR long, and when I ran across this post it blew my mind! Wouldn't have thought of AR in terms of a commodity - but Hey! It worked for you!

JAN

2008

You had me captivated for a minute. If your aim was to get people reading, you did a great job ;0)

JAN

2008

Intersting post. AR is surely a valuable way to get your business noticed

Hi Justin,

You really know how to get the readers attention!!! Thanks for the 'heads up' about the value of being active in the AR community.

I dont doubt that the AR points (rankings) is valuable. If not, there wouldnt be some who just participate with silly posts (not worth time reading) and just adding Communities (with no contents) to gain points via Localism. I think that's not right. Heck, if you sold it for a few grand, do blog about it. It'd be cool.

JAN

2008

Very eye catching title~ I was giving you the congrats!

JAN

2008

A spin on AR points-very clever!

I had thought about that because here in Nova Scotia - I am the only Real Estate agent blogging on AR. ??

And last fall a stager from the Toronto market moved down here (with her points) and vaulted to the top of the heap. Ha - only for a while .

JAN

2008

Wow... You very clever thinker and controversy builder... I'm going to eBay right now!

JAN

2008

Hey tomatoe man, I was told to contact you (they will remain nameless)...see why :), you just racked up a ton of "points" with this post. But as in our real job of selling real estate, 'IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO REPALCE THE RAINMAKER", I've tried for 32 years. Call me, Liz

D---, I forgot to spell check again! I do it everytime :) Liz

Interesting Blog entry. I'm sure a few others have acutally thought of this as a commodity. It is a valuable tool if used right.

JAN

2008

Great post! What actually peaked my interest was someone making tons of money by selling virtual items. I think that is very cool and could be worth looking into. :o)

Cool Post! Now you got me thinking:

Anyone want to trade my points for a brand new Aston Martin???

JAN

2008

I'll give you $7,000. LOL Good post.

Jason:

Nice post I would seel my mom for 6000.00. She cooks pretty good. Any takers. Just kidding.

Nice job! I think that is great!

Thank you very much for sharing, I didn't have time to read all the comments, but I would be interested to know if anyone does make money selling their profile.

JAN

2008

Cool, do we get anything for helping you find your next buyer tomato?

JAN

2008

You earned the points. The value is yours, to keep or to sell. Just yesterday I was looking at my profile established 18 months ago. Too bad I put up a profile and failed to work it. Now I'm getting active and working so very hard to create the traction I should have been striving for all these long months.

Vickie Nagy http://www.besttrivalleyhomes.com/

Interesting, Scarry, Clever, but is this legal? I understand the concept, however what are we as REALTOR's really trying to do with AR? Make a buck, give advice to those really in need, share a wealth of information, market our listings or sell our souls. I have been on AR for a short while but what I've read from other Realtor's that have been in R/E for many years is knowledge I wouldn't have gained elsewhere but from AR, it would have taken years to meet the kind of people I've met here and it's a wealth of information all on its own. I think that you have an extremely creative mind and if this works for you, then great, but where do you/we draw the line? Was AR created for the use of making $$ alone or for quality, education and knowledge we gain and give willingly? Much success to you in 2008

Wow, I had no idea you could sell your profile, or BUY a profile.

JAN

2008

Interesting article. People make money selling Your online value is just as important as any other part of the business.

JAN

2008

Interesting thoughts behind the article.

JAN

2008

One must admit.... the story was sounding pretty good and all of a sudden... here it is....

And if you happen to have read this far into the paragraph you'll be happy to know that none of this is actually true.

Great Post..... Sure it has got some thinking..... espicially they ones who did NOT read the whole article.

JAN

2008

What is valve and who determine value?

JAN

2008

Fortunately the profile is you. The blogs are you. In all of our blogs a little bit of us comes out. Can you truly sell yourself?

JAN

2008

Oh my goodness! That is so funny to me as my husband was just telling me about people selling thngs for World of Warcraft in real life and thought that was crazy! My how this world is changing. I have yet to even check out MMORP and keep telling my husband that I am going to be totally "out if it" in a few months if I don't get up to speed with the latest online things!

I really enjoyed your post and laughed through the whole thing. I wouldn't be surprised though if someone did come up with a way to make money with their points!

what a great topic headline! thats marketing for you... you had me to the end! LOL great post.

JAN

2008

VERY INTERESTING..... YOU CAN DO THE SAME THING WITH MYSPACE, FACEBOOK, YUWIE, WANNA NETWORK AND THE LIKE..... I LIKE YOUR THINKING!

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT DOMAIN NAMES?

JEFF

JAN

2008

I read your post in complete disbelief and fell for it hook, sink and sinker. I'm sure you had some old-time AR members fuming for a while. Great Post! Ha. - AR (anthony rael in arvada, co)

Very interesting, I believe in a free market so if someone is willing to pay for your profile, it should be allowed.

FEB

2008

Justin, what a relief... you had me there for a moment!

What an interesting post. Just goes to show you that if you think, you could get rich.

FEB

2008

As long as AR will allow the "points" to be sold to a non-generator........this creates an opportunity.....sooner or later it has to be proven that a top AR listing generates Real Estate Sales dollars.....very creative

You actually had me...but I was not surprised. I imagine people gave sold stranger things before. I am sure people have tried.

FEB

2008

Nice :) Entrepeneurship is not always popular, but I guess that is why it is lonely at the top :)

FEB

2008

interesting article - will have to mull this one over.

FEB

2008

interesting thought about selling. not sure i'd be happy if you did.

Goes to show you... anything can be bought!

Thanks for thinking outside of the box and being original. Love it.

MAR

2008

Very funny. It would be interesting to see something like that happen.

MAR

2008

Sold you active rain profile? Interesting idea.

Jay

I believe that you should be allowed to do with your profile what you see fit.

MAR

2008

Wow...so it pays to be addicted to AR! I am kinda new to AR, but this is great news!

MAR

2008

Very good information....food for thought !

When I retire i fully intend to "sell" my business. All the work I put into Active Rain over the years ought to be included with the sale, in my opinion.

However, selling my points to someone in some other market seems outside the scope of what is reasonable. If that were to happen many people would simply throw up their hands and walk away from a system that is broken.

Still, it is only fair to allow a new owner to have your points if they truly buy your business.

You are hilarious! Even if you sold your points I believe AR is so addictive you'd be right back on with a few weeks. Great Blog you had me going...

MAR

2008

A FOOL AND THEIR MONEY ARE SOON PARTED ... ONLY AN IDIOT WOULD PAY FOR THIS PROFILE.

Now a real estate website that shows up on the 1st page of google for search terms like "Los Angeles Real Estate" ... well that could be worth thousands ... and I don't mean "Linden" dollars.

http://www.LAHomeSearch.com

P.S. I found a great toll free phone number for Los Angeles at http://www.1888LISTING.com. Your area may still be available.

MAR

2008

Wow you really had me going on your story, lol. I'd never sell it on ebay. These blogs can be beneficial to your personal web site. As well as help increase backlinks I hear.

I doubt anyone would want to buy my profile yet. lol. When I do ever get that many points I would never sell, well it would be tempting once you retire from the business, but that is many years away.

I believe I am following the crowd on this one. You are a crazy genius !

MAR

2008

The best part of the enitre post is all the people who got angry and didn't finish reading it and then posted nasty comments

If you could put a dollar value on points, the IRS might well want to tax it.

MAR

2008

The IRS probably has that established already :)

APR

2008

Very funny! You had me until I kept reading your captivating blog! You are clearly effective at what you do!

JUL

2008

I'd rather have the AR points and position than the $6750.00. Maybe $50,000.00 would do it.

NOV

2008

I love it, I would sell for that kind of money. The only thing is I would go nuts trying to get back where I was.

NOV

If I had a substantial amount of points and somebody bought a profile and leap frogged me I would be a little upset, but I think its a very smart idea to sell the profile. Its like selling your business to somebody else, if somebody wants to buy it and the price is right then you should be able to.

DEC

I think you ought to be able to sell it if you want, you worked hard to make it what it is and ranked where you are at. Correct? But, here is the downside of it to the lazy buyer who has the money to buy it and don't work for it to get to where you are at now, Would he continue to work the site and keep it up to your standards? A quick way to the top ranking of ActiveRain..but if he lets it go, then the sales price the buyer paid is worth nothing.

DEC

Well, even dating services state that you have to be honest about your representation. How can the representation be honest? I'm confused....not really...I'm not confused at all.....

JAN

I cannot believe the number of comments!!! OH wow, definitely got people's attention with this one, didn't you? I think it's a policy that really needs to be implemented if it's not already, that the profiles / blogs are non-transferable....you find someone in a coastal area with high rankings...they could sell their profile and retire! LOL