So, RainerNation, what's a girl like me supposed to think when on a regular old Friday afternoon, amid all the normal mortgage madness, the phone rings and the caller identifies herself as one of the producers of ABC's "Good Morning America"?
Check the caller ID. Yep, area code 212 (New York). Oh my gosh, you mean this isn't one of the jokester mortgage brokers in my office who relentless tease me about being "The Blogger"?
"We want to interview Jake". For just a moment, my mind spins as I think, "Who the **** is Jake?"
Then I remember. "Jake" was the pseudonym I gave my client in a featured post last week on ActiveRain. I had hoped to give a sympathetic spin to those homeowners in California who are "upside down" ...that is, owe far more on their houses than they are worth.
By coincidence, Good Morning America had the same idea and was doing a feature the next morning on this exact topic.
Within an hour, Jake had agreed to be interviewed at his house in Oakley, California, and the camera crews were on their way. He nervously called me multiple times, but fortunately there was just not enough time to think about what he would say. The camera crews would arrive at his house at 4:00.
This morning at 7AM, in pj's and with coffee in hand, I watched in total amazement as the piece aired, and Jake, thanks to ActiveRain, was on national TV, putting a face on all those homeowners across California that are struggling as the housing crisis spins out of control.
To watch the segment which features Jake, click here
Now while it is true I feel an enormous sense of pride by having something to do with bringing this story into the national spotlight, what I really want to emphasize is this: writing posts rich in real estate content derived straight from the trenches of your life in the real estate industry is what ultimately will propel ActiveRain into national prominence as the most respected source of real estate information in the country.
At the risk of repeating my mantra (yes, I have written about this multiple times, search under RainerNation), I ask you once again...is the post you wrote something that could appear as the feature on the front page of the Wall Street Journal? Are enough of our features geared towards national real estate issues that impact Americans?
Here is proof positive the media is watching us!
Perhaps this sounds lofty, but I will once again state that the goal of ActiveRain should be to have the media clamouring to interview our writers. That ActiveRain become the place that everyone thinks of first when they need honest "in the trenches" real estate information.
It is only then that we will unleash the monumental hidden potential in the RainerNation. The potential to be the most influential and respected online authority in real estate is ours for the taking.
Never, ever, underestimate the power, as yet unrealized, of ActiveRain. Your words just may change the world. Or they may just provide help or affirmation out there to one soul in desparate need.
Either way, its all worth it.
Confidential to "Jake": You were fabulous, you were right on, you are the best ever. Heck, you are a STAR!
Written by Janet Guilbault, Mortgage Lending Expert Based Out of the San Francisco Bay Area
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