Home : Blogs : ActiveRain Real Estate Network : The Official ActiveRain Blog

What is Localism?

For several months we've been talking about how we are going to construct a consumer facing side to ActiveRain. There has been a lot of speculation on what form this would take, so we decided to give our members a sneak peak into the ongoing development efforts at Localism.com We are still several months away from an "official" launch of the site.

In the same way in which we launched ActiveRain about half a year ago, it will start off very rough but we will continuously improve on it and add functionality. Localism is essentially a sister site of ActiveRain, displaying a much more consumer friendly view of the content written by our members. As development efforts continue we will add several very powerful tools for creating connections and interactions between our members and the consumer. Ultimately it will be able to compete for consumer eyeballs with other portals such as Realtor.com, Trulia and Zillow but in a much more agent centric fashion.

What is localism?

Or more appriately, what will localism be? Localism will be the premier spot on the Internet for accessing local real estate information provided by those who understand local markets the best, real estate professionals.

Find meaningful real estate information, not just demographics and listings.
Get perspective on local real estate markets from the experts.
Interact 1 on 1 with agents to get your questions answered (without providing personal info).

How will Localism make money?

We might as well address this straight out of the gate because this question has already come up. Localism will NOT be a lead aggregation site, it is built to send free traffic back to contributing members. We will provide some premium sponsorship opportunities and run some additional advertising that doesn't create conflicts with our members interests.

I'm sure you will see Localism morph on a weekly basis over the next several months in the same way ActiveRain has. We welcome any feedback you have, as it will help us in developing the direction for this site.

If you live in the Western Washington area, Kirkland ActiveRain Get Together December 19, 2006 at the Wild Rover

Posted by ActiveRain Real Estate Network on 12/18/2006 03:23 PM

Comments (72)

localism, activerain, activerain features, activerain benefits, activerain updates

72 Comments on What is Localism?

DEC

2006

Wow -- looks like you have a great start here! Where did you get the photos of Marco Island? If you need some, just let me know... It looks really great! Congratulations!

Hey guys looking good, I like the layout and concept. Congrats should be another winner.

Thanks Jay

This will be a great jolt to all of us to try and move our comments and news locally as well as globally. I saw a recent post about areas instead of just towns. Since many of us cover more than one small area.

Holy moly, that is great! Now I need to get in gear and write some local content. You've just really mixed it up for me. Excellent work Team AR!

I definitely like the idea of a consumer side. Of course, consumers can find us on here, but ActiveRain is really more geared towards real estate professionals.

Thanks for keeping us abreast of the latest developments!

Dear Active Rain Staff:

Looks like a simple and easy platform for the consumer to use. Very user friendly! I will take a look at it even more and let you know if I have any suggestions for you to think about.

Thanks,

Nima

OK, so where do we sign up?

Looks interesting... I like the name "localism"... Hopefully you'll be able to make this a profitable venture for yourselves.

Good stuff Matt. I like the simplicity and I think "Interact 1 on 1 with agents to get your questions answered (without providing personal info)." is a great idea. Great job guys!

I love it guys. I think it looks great so far.

The site looks to have great potential - yet another benefit provided by Active Rain! I noticed Bryant's comment - but could not find the Q&A link - is it "live"?

Off to a great start - the more consumer involvement, the better.

The site looks good for being in Beta stage. Looks like I need to write some more local posts. Thanks for all you have done.

The QA stuff that Bryant mentioned is still under development. We've got a lot of great tools planned that we're not ready to talk about publically at this point.

Yes! Great idea!! One of my concerns with ActiveRain has been the confusing mix of Agent-centric vs. Consumer-centric information. This is a welcome enhancement to serving the public.

Will there be a way that we can identify our articles for tutorials, news, property information, etc. as well as 'group' by Selling, Buying, Moving, Local Resources, etc.?

Thank you!

Come on Matt, this post is members only..........you can let us in on them, hahahaa.

See you tomorrow in Kirkland? Can Ben make the human test trilobites? I'd sure like to type in Calymene or Olenoides instead of Strawberry.....:P

Bob

Hey Lawrence, you will be the king on this site. I don't think any one comes close to the amount of consumer content that you have. Great job!!!

Oh my - shows the gaps in Bloggsville Arizona! I must plan to fill those gaps - with carefully written quality content - and that it is no quick blog post!

Lawrence: We will continue to improve the way members can catagorize posts for display. Will add your suggestions to the stack.

Bob: I'd actually thought about changing them to trilobite names, or maybe on april fools simply finding words that are at least 30 letters in length. You must have done some research to find a couple of trilobite names, now if you can spell them without a guide, I'll let you into the club :) Dorypyge, Elrathia, Marjumia, Bathyuriscus...

Matt, what are the plans for driving traffic?

Jeff: We plan to drive traffic as a combination of search engine marketing, and also via national press we are going to be able to generate due to the "coolness" factor of some of the features that we will be launching. We also expect members will probably help us promote the site at a grassroots level. The site is still under development, but it has some amazing potential with what we are planning...

Ah ha ! ! !

I just knew something like this was coming. It's a natural. I've been batting out those Market Reports like crazy in anticipatio of just this. No one reads them but they are great reference for the public and Google.

Well done.

Lenn

it's looking quite sharp! =) you guys rock. if i may make a suggestion that i've made in the past (and would be truly helpful on localism)-how about making blogged listings appear in their city plus county plus state? that way, when consumers find the information and are in the learning stage, they can see a broad range before hammering down to one particular area?

Ahhhh. There she is. Active Rain's Sister site. Love it. :) TLW...ROAR!

Leigh: Was just having a conversation about Caleb about that, along with allowing members to be listed in multiple market areas.

Matt,

Thanks for the update. I'm getting a really good feeling about this. The preview looks great. Thanks.

wasn't localism when I surf in others 'territory' and they kick sand in my face?

well.. the site looks great and we are looking forward to it.
now perhaps these silly posters will get serious! cant wait! high-five!

This is very appealing to me, especially the graphics and the simplicity, not a lot of 'stuff' and flash features - reminds me of why I loved Apple Computer so much, VERY user friendly. I will do everything I can to promote this, I know most of us will, just let us know when! You guys are off to a great start...and wow, I again am blown away by your creativity.

The categories are easy to surf; ok ok I'm done lol

How cool! Super user friendly, too! Now I know what I need to beef up in! Great!

Great site, Matt...... looks like Active Rain and Localism will go hand in hand...I am hoping Localism gets all the ranking and presence AR is currently getting and more....

=-D

So far it looks like something else to give a try. It could go either way.

Looks terrific.

"We also expect members will probably help us promote the site at a grassroots level." Well, you can expect the support of RealEstateShows.com. Well done.

I keep wondering when we'll see a revenue-generating business model for ActiveRain - make it happen, this wonderful site is around for years to come!

What is the effect on posts that are now just labeled for consumers, but not in a general area; should we now have all of our blogs ( the pertinent ones) assigned to our states and regions?

Appreciate you sharing this with us in development. I'm sure the Rainers who write local content will really promote the site. The challenge will be in creating enough quality content to attract readers, hold their interest and encourage them to come back.

DEC

2006

HOT DAWwwwGG! This is exciting. THX!

This is great news and I think a terrific addition. It will give consumers a better opportunity to get the info they need, even more so than they can now. I write a fair amount of consumer stuff so this will be great. Looking forward to it.

I share Nick M's thoughts. I always thought localism was the practice of beating up an outsider who tried to infiltrate "your" beach.

Seriously, great idea. How about "selling" each "franchise" to locals?

Nice to see it made public...and great answer to the advertising question and can't wait to hear more :) Where is a KUDOS button when you need one ;)

Very nice looking site and hopefully beneficial to us all! A good incentive to keep blogging about our areas.

localism is real. I have a strong local site, and even publish statistics and demographics too, number and much much more. I think localism will be different in different cultures and for different demographics and parts of the country. I have a strong local presence that is of more use to me than it is to anyone else. The only way to get localism is to take people like me and have them do it for you. What would motivate us to do that? What is your value proposition?

Look great so far; keep us posted. I am excited about the future of AR.

Is there anything we should do differently with new posts that are consumer oriented?

Will there be a way for system and for viewer to differentiate between static and dynamic/timed information?
(For example, a listing, or comment about current event or special topic discussion will usually have limited "shelf life" in comparison to a resource guide, tutorial or introduction on buying a property, investing, etc.)

Also, will there be a way to differentiate so that items with "longer shelf" life won't get lost among all the "current" items?)

What about an "Ask the Local Experts" section? (Which could be live, or better yet, would convert a question to a blog search based on an area(s) they optionally designate?)

This is great.. guess I better get cracking on local market reports....Seriously.. this is what we as a community of REALTORS® should be doing to let people know the wealth of information we offer to the public. Real Estate is local.. it always has been and always will be.. which is a point missed by those who think a national MLS will get rid of the need for a local MLS and of course all local agents.

I can see all the collective AR Member light bulbs suddenly coming on all at once!

So blogging about our local auto repair shop really CAN make a difference?

Sheer brillance!

So says the King of Kitsap Kounty Kontent

DEC

2006

Just adding my wish list here, which I know you know from many of us, and that is trackbacking. I know, one thing at a time!

Oh this is exciting! This is a great way to get the public involved. I have the radio show this Sunday Christmas eve. Let me know if you are ready to promote. My talking about AR up until now has been directed to the real estate pros. I would love to help you promote it to the rest of the world. Please let me know how I can help.

www.Homerome.com

Baltimore,Md

oooh! I got goose bumps! Can't wait! Kudos...you da site!

DEC

2006

I can't believe I missed the boat on this post when it first came out...I'm so excited about Localism.com Matt...Thank you!

DEC

2006

I just took a look at the site and think that it's a fabulous idea. I'm grateful for the additional exposure that will result from our blogging efforts.

You guys are the best!

WOW!!! Kudos to you guys!! I hope that AR members have first shot at advertising opportunities!

A consumer facing side to ActiveRain - this will be interesting to follow.

DEC

2006

I think restructuring the point system would be necessary. In the short time I've been here, it appears that you get more points by talking about things that will get an agent's attention than writing about local real estate, which would be of value to consumers.

Great idea to go reach out to the consumers now.

So Matt, Just how does one submit posts to localism?

This is going to be a fantastic site for clients and consumers. I personally will like it and use it.

Ken

JAN

2007

I like the concept of Localism.com, but not the name. Reminds me of WA's MetroNatural...someone got it but it's a bit too "insider".

Is there time to change the name before it goes public? How would someone find it if they are looking at real estate?

Cheryl: To get posts on localism make them on ActiveRain and make sure to mark them as "For Consumers". If they are "About a Region", "News and Events", "Market Reports", "Listings", they will feed into that area of localism automatically. Write now General real estate articles are being hand choosen by use, but that will change to being automated shortly.

Ardell: We can change the name before launch if a better one came up and we could get the domain but it's fairly unlikely. It will be promoted to consumers through a combination of SEO (will take a few months to start showing) and buzz were going to create at a national level leading up to the official launch. We've got some big plans around that, but those are top secret at this point.

JAN

2007

Great idea, but my county is NOT listed. Please add Tuolumne County to California. Thanks

JAN

2007

I just started learning about this and I can't wait to see the end product!!! It's exciting to be able to see this take off. Congratulations!!!

JAN

2007

ActiveRain has so many advantages as an Internet tool for real estate. It:

facilitates sharing and gives us all a wonderful opportunity to learn from each other.
facilitates our keeping up with national trends in real estate and areas in which our affiliates work.
allows lots of venting.
allows us to advertise
provides a great network to give and receive referrals
supports writing about the areas we serve and about which we are most knowledgeable.

Point no. 6 is important because we want to promote and educate about the areas we live and work in-the area we are selling and of greatest interest to the particular client I am interested in reaching. Ultimately, as we hear over and over again, real estate is local. The person who is interested in buying in my city does not care much about prices on the other coast except in a very general way. S/he needs local mortgage rates, is subject to local laws, and of course is most interested in the type of homes of the particular locality.

If I am seeking to send a referral to another region, I would like to know that the person receiving the referral knows about the the area s/he serves.

If this is what a localism site is about, I think we all will be well served. it sill strengthen and deepe the development of local knowledge and serve the our community well.

JAN

2007

just a great idea

JAN

2007

I have just created a new "group" on ActiveRain for anyone who is interested in Localism. I have called the group Localism Beta for lack of a better term.

I have seen a number of different blog posts on the topic recently, including yours and yet there is no central place to locate articles that are written on such an important topic.

I would like to invite you to join the group and the edit your post and include the group as part of the distribution for others to easily find. I would then encourage you to look and see what others have posted on the topic and share your thoughts and insights. I am sure most of what we will see is support for the site as well as a tip or technique to best leverage it's potential to our benefit.

I am also certain that there will be some lively debate over the direction that Localism should go. Now, I do not know what the ultimate business plan is and how much tweaking management will do on behalf of the users who have their own ideas on the site and how much is already set in stone - but certainly a debate is good for all.

So please, post your article and join us.

Now Have a Blessed Day,

John Occhi. Hemet CA REALTOR®
www.JohnOcchi.Com

PS - All who read this post are more than welcome to join as well. Please get involved and learn how to make this your most valuable internet resource.

JAN

2007

Nothing but good things

OCT

2007

So what's the update on Localism now? Has it met expectations? What's next?

MAY

2008

A good site for Buyers and Sellers to find good agents and info.

JUN

2008

Wow--I have been mean to find out what is "Localism" glad I found this post

JUN

2008

I still don't understand localism. Do you post there. or post here and it gets moved over, or automatically shows up there?

Jeremiah (Ace Mortgage): Think of a two-sided coin. Heads is ActiveRain, the Network for Real Estate Professionals. Localism is Tails. Much of what we publish on ActiveRain is automatically transferred over to Localism. It depends on how you categorize it. Anything for "Consumers" finds its way over to Localism. However, Localism is currently undergoing a complete facelift, and things are going to be changing soon. You should see an annoncement coming shortly.