On August 4, 2008, I reluctantly joined ActiveRain at the behest of the #1 AR blogger in San Diego or maybe CA, I can't remember but I know he was way over 1 Million points back then, Russel Ray.
Russel was and still is one of my two trusted home inspectors. I had no idea what blogging was, I didn't know why people did it, and was even more mystified that with all the great books out there, "why would people read other peoples ramblings"??? I joined because I didn't want to disappoint his enthusiasm for ActiveRain; yep it was gentle peer pressure.
Out of The Gates!
I rarely signed on, in fact I think my first post wasn't until March 2009,8 months later. So, how did I go from barely remembering to log on a few times per month to now it's part of my morning coffee ritual?
What changed it for me and how I became a daily participant, author & Q&A contributor were:
- 2011 My first featured blog, which created a firestorm of opposition to my point of view, which was by design, polarizing. WOW! did my inbox blowup overnight-I was thrilled! This made me realize the more authentically-polarized your opinion, the stronger your beliefs and conviction, the more people were apt to read your blog posts. Now, thicken that skin because it's to love on them and to hate on them, but they read them! (WIN/WIN IS FOR AMATEURS)
- 2012 My first Featured blog that was enjoyed and went viral, that got me my first paid gig on ActiveRain; I was hired to sell a house off a blog post I wrote ...wow! (NO GUARANTEES)
- 2013 or so I discovered The Q&A. I found it a great way to interact with the members through shared philosophies, spirited debates and silly humor. I started making friends here. I also seeing true colors here, so it was a great filter.
- Meetups, I started attending Meetups sponsored by Jeff Dowler here in San Diego and began putting faces and personalities to names on AR posts & remarks. Jeff was actually my first friend I met in ActiveRain, aside from Russel who was my friend prior. Jeff was kind and I met him at an Encinitas Meetup roughly around 2011 I think and he and that group's warm welcome, encouraged me that there were some pretty nice folks in The Rain.
- I found out I truly love writing; maybe it's my creative ego, maybe it's to impact and hopefully improve the lives of my readers? Both? I know it's with the hope I build relationships in the process. Not just to earn referrals, but to enjoy the friendship and wisdom of those that I connect with. I realized that why I'll read your posts my fellow Rainmakers, why I'll consider your opinion or ask for your advice is you have a lot to offer with your life & work experiences. You come from different cultures, upbringings, tragedies you overcame, victories from your wisdom, work ethics & educations...and you care enough to share them. I finally got it!
I love to write & connect with people, points or no points... here I'd be. I say thank you Active Rain. Thank you to the 298 that currently follow my blog, I appreciate your interest & support. And most importantly, thank you, to you many individuals, I think you know who you are, that genuinely connect with me each morning and impact and improve my life in The Rain.
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