How do you feel about the point system on Active Rain? Do they motivate you to blog more, do they hold you accountable to yourself. Are the points fun or do you think they are silly?
Chances are you could find a hundred different opinions, applauds and complaints. I designed websites for people and have had a few online communities. For an online community to be successful it must have people actively participating. I will tell you folks that is a hard thing to do. Little gimmicks like the points helped Active Rain to become what it is today.
You can't buy groceries or pay the mortgage with them.... Or Can you???
While it would be a little fun to see the look on the checkers face while I explain that I will pay in points. I am pretty sure I really have bought groceries with my Active Rain points.
When I first joined I thought the points were a little silly. I am competitive in nature so it didn't take long to make a game out of it for me. It was a bit fun to see my name raise higher and higher on the leaderboard. After all if you are at the top they will find you.
Then I had a referral from an agent that mentioned that she checked out my blog because I had a fair share of points for being a newbie. She had learned so much about me from my blog posts and felt that I would be the one for her clients. Right after that I got a listing from a gal that used to be an agent and she had been watching me on AR. I have had a few of these but those are the ones that are directly related to those little points.
Then came a milestone and I got my Active Rain subscription a bit cheaper each month. In the real estate world where we get hit with tons of charges for every little thing, it was kind of nice to see the cost go down.
I also love the various challenges and contests which often have extra points. How fun is that? The main thing is striving for those extra points always makes me take the time to write blogs, learn something new and interact with fellow rainers.
I have had several sales through the years with clients that found me here in the Rain. I had a post back in 2011 where I had 3 closings in one day and all three were clients who found me on Active Rain I am pretty sure I bought some groceries with those proceeds.
The points in and of themselves might not mean anything but they are indicitive of how much you are blogging and interacting with other members. My blogs allow people to get to know me a bit as a person and not just a real estate agent. I get to meet and learn from some of the best agents out there and I get to help others along the way.
Let us know the next time you buy groceries from your hard work!
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