The secret to getting a featured blog -----

Lewis i personally have never had a featured blog and i think you have to have a certain number of comments. You also have to have the highest rating by readers for that given day.

Eddy

Newbies usually get a featured blog shortly after they begin posting. Other than that, I think it is just up to the AR gods. Posting to a group sometimes receives some action.

You need to write a blog that captures attention. That means writing a good, quality post, one that discusses something relevant to our business culture. It helps to use more than 1 paragraph. Most good posts have at least 300 words or more. Use good graphics, they help attract readers. Format your blog well. Use the spell checker. Write on something you're passionate about in your business. Share an experience that you learned from. Read posts written by some of the top bloggers here on AR, and learn from their examples. If you have any specific questions, just let me know.

I'm in agreeance with Rich, when you write about something you've experienced and are passionate about, you will normally received a gold-star featured post.  I use to wonder the same thing until I wrote about my own experience and how it felt.   

The Featured Post

Check out the post I put up today and listen to what Rich said. 

I've written about some things that definetley made me money but nothing feature worthy.  Is it because there is just too much too read?

Lewis, a featured blog, and a blog with a lot of comments are not necessarily one in the same.  Rich and Laurie have already addressed the featured blog end of this so I will comment on the number of comments that a blog gets.

From what I have seen there are three main things that generate a lot of comments.  The first is to write about something controversial, or that creates controversy, but be prepared for what happens.  Don't write something controversial and then complain that people put you feet to fire about it, you created it so live with what you created.

The second comes from just being on here for a while and forming friends that look for your Posts all the time because they like to read what you write. 

The third is by commenting on other people's Posts.  For example if someone comments on my Post I try to also comment on their's, so the more you comment on other people's Posts the more likely you will get comments on yours, and after a while you will also form those friendships that I mentioned in point number two. 

Hi, Lewis!  I've had a few featured posts.  Generally they're the ones that get people's backs up (talk money, that should do it!) or ones that everyone can relate to because they aren't specific to area.  Featured posts are fun, but the local posts are the only ones that will result in contact from people that live here or want to live here.  If I had to choose between gold stars or contacts from prospects, I'll take contact any day! 

That is a good question we only had one and we were blogging about an AR get together.  Need to read one of the posts from the above comments

Don't feel bad Lewis.  I wrote some blogs that were GUARANTEED TO MAKE READERS MONEY and I had not even a handfull of readers.  I really wanted to share some great ideas and the handfull of readers that did read my blogs thanked me for helping them with some great ideas that are already making them money.  To bad for all the rest of the readers that passed my blogs by maybe because they thought I wasn't worth reading because I wasn't one of those cute blondes!  LOL

I too am kind of in ActiveRain purgatory on the featured blog thing Lewis.  Yet, anything that is featured will probably beg the question of why the others were not.  I've had featured posts that I thought were less thought out, not as well written, and not nearly as entertaining as posts I wrote that weren't featured.  In any forum, let the people decide because they will anyway.  Personally Lewis, I think you have numerous more featured blogs just waiting....at your fingertips.

You asked the question that most ActiveRainers share.  It does seem that some folks are featured very frequently - have they "cracked the code" and figured out what it takes, or does it have something to do with who they are rather than what they write?  I've had two featured blogs, and frankly they were no better than some of the others I've written.  They weren't controversial.  They had no graphics.  I didn't know then, and I still don't know.  Just guessing - if you're lucky enough to get a reader or two or three who give you 5 stars, or someone who flags your posting and recommends it for featuring...