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NEW BLOG CATEGORIES

By David Farrell

Real Estate Appraiser with David V. Farrell Co.

April 19, 2008 08:03 AM

This is a request that members of AR get together in an effort to add new categories to the AR Blog categories that already exist.

In the future, I'd like to see a categories like this:

RELIGION
POLITICS
RANDOM THOUGHS
PERSONAL ADVERTISING WITH JUNK ATTACHED TO MAKE IT LOOK WORTHWHILE
ONE OF MY RANDOM LISTINGS WORTH 200 POINTS TO ME ONCE I HIT SUBMIT
STUFF I'VE CUT AND PASTED FROM ELSEWHERE FOR 200 POINTS
REAL ESTATE - HELPFUL STUFF YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY BE LOOKING FOR ON A REAL ESTATE NETWORK

Under the final category for real estate, maybe we could actually have a bunch of choices based upon what the blog is for, like:

Help for Real Estate Agents
Help for Real Estate Brokers
Help for Home Inspectors
Foreclosures
Personal Advertising with meaningles

I don't know, but to see people's listings scrolling down the blog board that haven nothing to do with real estate bugs me. I'd rather see that board move at 1/10th the speed, but have it filled with helpful articles.

I don't say this to censor. However, people can publish a religious blog 100% free in thousands of places. It doesn't mean that AR has to support and promote them. Somehow, I personally think it would be awesome if real estate blogs made it to the blog page while others made it to a "religion" or "politics" page.

I feel like I'm in a minority of one with this opinion. But, I feel like writing a religious post here is like asking your local priest to add all your listings to the parish bulletin. It's just not approriate.

If your priest said he wouldn't put your article on real estate in the parish bulletin, would that be censorship?

David

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Patrick Lambert

ALLY Real Estate - Waikoloa, HI

Hawaii Real Estate Expert

Good thinking and great follow up to yesterdays blog. Sometimes I am unsure where to post a particular blog myself and would like to see a few more categories and some organization to the large amount of blogs posted.

Apr 19, 2008 08:09 AM

Patrick Lambert

ALLY Real Estate - Waikoloa, HI

Hawaii Real Estate Expert

One more thing ... There is already a specific category for advertising a listing. I like to post listings that are available because they post to localism and then when a search is done on a specific area they come up giving me more exposure. The more exposure per listing the better. Not everyone posts their listings for points.

Apr 19, 2008 08:12 AM

Pam Winterbauer

Pam Winterbauer Real Estate - San Ramon, CA

"Providing Blue Ribbon Service"

David.....interesting post. I wonder how many comments you will get on this one.

Apr 19, 2008 08:13 AM

David Farrell

David V. Farrell Co. - Garden City, NY

Licensed NY State Real Estate Broker

Patrick - I think I'm missing something though. I think that it's great, really great, that we can post to localsm. But, that should scroll down a separate column, or something like that. I know it's not for points in a lot of cases, though it is in some. Furthermore, I'm beginning to understand that everyone really likes AR for different aspects. Everyone should be able to post to AR, but maybe they just need to have it categorized (more/better - I don't know) so that it is easier to navigate.

It's so easy for me to criticize. I'm glad I don't have to be the one at AR to make these decisions! Right now, I guarantee the've got 84,000 different opinions on the issues to deal with. Let's hope in a year, with some good membership growth, they've got 1,000,000 different opinions!

Apr 19, 2008 08:16 AM

Bart Whitmore

Keller Williams- Louisville - Louisville, KY

Real Estate Agent

You bring up a lot of interesting questions, maybe the powers that be should research this--bart

Apr 19, 2008 08:21 AM

Chris Fisher

Your Virtual Assistant - Concord, CA

David - I think you're overthinking all this. : )

If it was only real estate blogs here, it would be too boring to imagine. I want to see someone's personality in their blog. I've learned whose personalities or opinions I HATE and I don't read their blogs at all... sometimes run into them in other places during comments, but that's it. I've chosen people on AR to work with because I like who they seem to be from their (almost always off-topic) blogs. The category for off-topic, goofing off, etc., seems enough for that.

Just my two cents.

Apr 19, 2008 08:50 AM

Jennifer Esposito

JenRan Realty, LLC - Woodstock, CT

I've learned there are three things that don't mix with business: Politics, Religion, and Sports. We just don't discuss these things with customers/clients and keep our opinions to ourselves. Not sure how many people would post to the religion and politics groups...

Apr 19, 2008 08:54 AM

David Farrell

David V. Farrell Co. - Garden City, NY

Licensed NY State Real Estate Broker

I'm learning a lot here. I think I'll enjoy the good stuff and stop letting the others continue to bother me. I guess, I'll just be happy I don't have to be them. [And they can be happy not being me.] Thanks for the feedback everyone.

Apr 19, 2008 10:12 AM

Jason Sardi

Auto & Home & Life Insurance throughout North Carolina - Charlotte, NC

Your Agent for Life

David - While the core of what this network is about is Real Estate related, I have to disagree with the premise and concepts above. Don't get me wrong, I get peeved at one-sided spin auctions that harvest enough brain cells only to substantiate their own existence, yet I like the discourse & debate involved. I have to disagree with Jennifer Esposito above, who says, "I've learned there are three things that don't mix with business: Politics, Religion, and Sports." Lo Siento amiga, all those ARE business. I'll never understand why we turn a blind eye to any of it. It is worthy of discussion, it is worthy of debate, it's a microcosm of what we are.

As far as being on Active-Rain, there's more good than bad David. AR is like life, you take the good...take the bad...take them both and then you have.....CLICK HERE:-)

Apr 20, 2008 01:09 PM

Utah Dave

UtahDave.com Neighborhood Experts - South Jordan, UT

Homes for Sale - Utah

Now you are asking for active rain to heat things up even more huh? Religion and politics.....the 2 topics that passion starts to fly around. :) Im sure they would get a lot of clicks.

Apr 21, 2008 01:53 AM

Diana Dupre'

San Diego, CA

Behind the scenes making people look great.

Well really it already is separated by where you chose to post the blog. I can choose which group it posts in and I for one actually only posts blogs to the appropriate groups. You will not find me blogging about my non real estate related day and posting it on the real estate group, but you may see it in "The Lounge" or "This Does Not Belong On Active Rain" groups.

...unless you actually search blogs, not groups.

Apr 21, 2008 02:56 AM

David Farrell

David V. Farrell Co. - Garden City, NY

Licensed NY State Real Estate Broker

Thanks Diane - that makes sense. Maybe we should all be required to post directly to where our posts belong. That's a simple answer and a good one. However, I think these categories should also be spelled out a little better for us.

Apr 21, 2008 08:41 AM

Simon Conway

Orlando Area Real Estate Services - Orlando, FL

Your blog is a window into who you are. I want my clients to know that and so I post about politics; I post about sports; I post about my family; I post about songs that inspire me; I post about the things I do outside of real estate (specifically my radio career and my high school tennis team) and people get to know me. THAT is the point. I actually had someone contact me BECAUSE of what I posted about illegal immigration to this country. He felt the connection and thought I was the one who should represent him.

If you look through the list of groups on AR, you will see that the VAST majority have nothing to do with real estate. And that's OK because AR is a social network of people who happen to work in the real estate and finance fields. They all have a lot more to their lives however, than their work.

If you start down this road David (and I know you already started a group), then censorship is the only outcome. Been there; done that on another forum. One of the moderators actually deleted the First Amendment and couldn't see the irony!

Apr 21, 2008 09:36 AM