Anthony, It is always good to keep things simple but I guess when things start growing, that is a difficult task! 

Great post, Anthony!  I, too, remember logging on and seeing specific real estate info, tips, and advice.  Please, don't get me wrong, I enjoy the occassional funny or recipes but lately I have come across some posts and have to wonder why they are here....I am with you - KISS

You have a good point. Most of the origional bloggers have gone on to their own blogs as I have to concentrate on the local issues in their communities. The ads for properties are not for me. Localism is a great tool but not much is said anymore about the value of that platform. Times change and people move on.

Could it be that the original post is usually pretty good...then after the 15th or 20th post, it has gone from informative to nonsensical?  There is just such a blog happening right now...somehow it got to donuts and cookies from politics..I lost the main idea a long time ago.  Maybe stopping the abiity to respond after 20 responses or something might improve  quality...but then I am new at this and a rookie, so I am sure the more seasoned veterans have the better ideas.

Anthony - I'm a newer member of the ActiveRain community, and in the few weeks since I joined I've really obtained some great ideas & excellent site referrrals.

My presence on Google has also improved. So for me, it's still good ....

I know there is a lot but how do you really "clean house"?  There is just a lot of information overload, sometimes good, sometimes not so good.

Simply Brilliant :)

I think you're right in that there is a lot of crap and posts I don't want to wade through. But I do.  Slowly, I discover those blogs I want to subsribe to.  But I feel there is something missing.  If this is truly a real estate network - I think we need something more to engage users.  After I've read through the posts I like, there's nothing to do.  What if there were a library of tutorials created by folks who know what they are doing. 

Roberta  Difficult, you're right.  ActiveRain is an excellent community and considering the rapid growth.

Leesa  Thanks for your support & comment!

Eric  So I guess we've reach a crossroads and have to decide individually if we too should "move on" or if there's still value here.

Paula  Great point.  How many posts about "are open houses worth your time" can one read before wanting to jump out a window.  Thanks for the comment  :)

Stewart  Don't get me wrong, I learn something new everyday, but have to filter through an increasing amount of junk first.

Cristal  I think the AR gods keep pretty good tabs on who's who among the members.  It's just a matter of making that decision to draw the line.

Justin  Brilliant?  I'll take it. Thanks for reading!

Bo  I agree.  Any other suggestions?

Difficult decisions moving forward. I, for one, have certainly enjoyed learning and sharing here on AR. Yes, not all blogs are pertinent, but overall we have a good thing going on IMHO.

Bo, I love the idea of tutorials!  Also, maybe a list of the latest and greatest real estate tools.

I agree with Vicky that I have been very fortunate and in a short period of time of being on AR, I have gained tremendous gems of knowledge, made some new contacts and friends and have received leads that turned into buyers from my localism posts.  We all have different personalities and use AR for different reasons...some of us form connections, marketing, advertising, or just plain validation and the knowledge that someone is in the same situation or just that you are being heard.  It is just growing pains...some will come and stay...others will fade away.

Many of the posters here blow my mind with their generosity and information.  I also would like to give props to anyone who has never really blogged or written much before...they are stepping out of their comfort zone and should be commended...maybe their posts will become better with time, validation and the confidence that we can give them by leaving appreciative comments about their posts.

Personally, everytime I see that someone has left a comment on one of my posts...it makes me smile.

You're right.  There is a high junk content here.  Too many people posting for points.

Kristi - My experience is that people generally like to share their knowledge - so long as the recipient is out of State and doesn't farm the same area:)

Anthony, point WELL taken.  Active Rain's biggest problem is the point system.  That is the reason there is so much garbage on AR.  Bloggers are encouraged to post junk to raise their score, without quality or relevance being involved.  To prove this, pick a state or an area and look at posts from the highest point scorers:  boiler plate, cut and paste, long posts broken  down in to numerous smaller ones, and many, many irrelevant words.

Get rid of the points and AR will be a truly world class blogging platform

Thanks for the honorable mention and I have known to post crap from time to time but the crap level has been out of control for awhile. 

The political posts drive me insane.  With election year upon is, so many people have let it consume their blog. 

Some people have said listings don't belong here but I get some great localism leads with those listings.  I say live and let live.  I USED to read all professional blogs every single day.  Haven't done that for almost a year my friend! 

You write what you want to attract!  If you want to attract a small minority of people who believe in your political views, so be it.  If you want to attract people who like to cook, go on and post those recipes.  If you want to attract people who like your certain sense of humor, keep posting those jokes.  If you want to attract people who are buying and selling real estate, you might want to write about it and post those listings.

Just my thoughts and humble opinion.  Don't want to censor anybody by any means!

Vickie  I think the question at hand is how do we keep it a good things or improve upon it as it grows?

Paula  AR has tons of tutorials (Jeff Turner has dozens himself), so perhaps AR needs to be organized in a different way?  Channels or more conceptual groups rather than groups about nothing?

Kristi  We certainly have a lot of generous contributors here on AR.  I just wish I could trust that every contributor offers valuable content rather than have to wade through the rubbish.

Joe & Joe  You both mentioned the point system.  No points?  There are voodoo dolls with your name on them out there now.  I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, but do you think AR would continue to grow without the point system?  Without points we wouldn't have the state rankings, so how would AR encourage great posts?

Renee  I am delighted you stopped by to comment!  I post listings because this is a real estate network and in real estate listings are your inventory.  You're so right in that individuals should blog for who they want to attract.  Some, however, don't realize it has the opposite consequence; I avoid some people simply because I can't stand to read about how much they hate a certain demographic, for example.  Personally I think if you want to blog about politics, jokes, etc.,  you should go sign up for a free wordpress blog.  Thanks for reading!

I am an avid localism poster but I also post on many non-real estate industry related topics. To me AR is also a forum for prospective, current, and former clients to become acquainted with me as a professional certainly, but also as an individual. I live off of referrals and relationships and for me showing the human side of myself is part of that. I do know that many believe that only the business side is important and they are entitled to use whatever manner of business works best for them. To silence any portion of AR except that which violates its Community Guidelines seems to be a slippery slope that I for one do not wish to test. While I appreciate your perspective, I respectively do not agree.

good post..I always enjoy reading these blogs...It is good to be able to learn new things and to get some good tips.

Rich  Thank you for sharing your opinion.  I am not a great writer - I don't even consider myself a good writer - but I always try to let my personality, humor, interests, and relate-able qualities convey in my posts.  I believe that one can accomplish all of the things you mentioned in your comment without alienating the reader or "cluttering" the landscape of a network like this.  Thanks again for the comment!

Micheal  If you don't know Renee Burrows (she's in LV also) you should make a point of getting to know her.  She's a smartie.  Thanks for the comment!

Anthony, very well said. I agree 100%. I'm still fairly new (2+months) and I've seen quite a bit of change in this short time. I've been advocating where I could to keep it simple and i've also mentioned that one of the reasons I like AR is because of its simplicity like google, craigs list, etc.

All of my blogs have been aimed at being very imformative, yet they get very little hits/views.  I find this interesting, because many other blogs that discuss things like the weather and what types of cookies to set out at an open house can often get 10x more traffic.  I find this suprising > leads me to believe there are more people on Active Rain for pure social pleasure rather than effective network and learning.  Can I blame them?  Well, no, but it definately makes me want to stop putting my energy into writing informative blogs for the memebers.  Thanks for your  post!

Great comment, Anthony.  Greetings from St Louis!

Hi, Sometimes in order to say what has to be said you have to be harsh. Yes, AR has changed a lot and I think most of us are guilty of the type of posts you have mentioned. However, if the amount of non-related stuff is kept down or mandated I think we might be able to go back to where we started.

I don't want  to open the content can again so I'll just say that I agree w/ the concept of keeping it simple. It's growing and doing just fine....but you're right in that it's getting harder to find really good quality posts.

Anthony~ I still think activerain should be centering more on what the consumer wants  and needs and provide real estate information that mostly would appeal to consumers.  We are the experts and our insight can and should be useful to them, right?  It needs to be the place to go and get information for consumers too.  I know it is the place to go for Real Estate Professionals already, so why not get it on board for consumers?  But, hey!  I am pretty new here, so what do I know? I know one thing for sure, I wish I would have became active in the rain sooner than Feb.22, 2008!!  

It would make sense to start with dropping the "members" who signed up and then never went beyond a profile.  Then you might have a window of time between postings.  If a member doesn't post for 60 or 90 days they would be notified of a pending inactive status.  The same could be said for groups that the moderators have dropped.  There are benefits to Active Rain and I'm happy to have found the platform, learned many new things and made some new friends along the way so I'm willing to lend a hand to make it even better.

Peter  Thanks for the comment and support!

Stefan  My readership isn't very large either.  I think exposure on AR has a lot to do with it.  The more I comment on others' posts and the more groups I post to, the more response I get to my own posts.

Tim  Hey, thanks for the comment!  Hope all is well in STL.

Mana & Colleen  I totally agree with both comments

Vickie  I guess I might clarify what I mean about the consumer.  I certainly think the content needs to be built as a resource for the consumer, but I do not think the consumer should be encouraged to contribute to the same degree as industry folk.  Otherwise it may turn into a FSBO or Realtor-bashing site like so many others have.

Cindy  I think those are great suggestions!

Interesting food for thought.  In an ideal world one might be able to keep the quality and get ride of the quantity but I can't see how the AR guys and gal can make that happen.  Like you, I keep up with my subcribe list and reciprocating comments and that's about all I have time for these days.  I say just ignore what bothers you and appreciate the great information that we share!

I don't know - I just started recently and I don't think it's as junky as you think. When I am WWILFing around (What Was I Looking For?), I love AR!! I gain knowledge of good and bad ideas - and I learn how to do better.

In my opinion, it's still too early to implement it, but a good time to develop the plan for 500k membership. It's growing, let it grow.

Anthony, I laugh every time someone quotes the number in the corner of the screen (currently 88,167) as proof of how sprawling ActiveRain has become.  My guess is that less than 25% of those "members" have logged in this month and even fewer have posted anything.  Web 2.0 is about creating numbers that look big to attract a buyer, just like Web 1.0.  That's why I doubt we'll see Cindy's suggestion to drop inactive members, which sounds completely reasonable, implemented.

Most of the posters who were active when I joined have faded away.  Some have more business, some have been forced out of the business, and many have simply decided this isn't how they are going to get business.  That shouldn't be seen as an indictment of AR or blogging in general.  The dropout rate is comparable for all forms of RE marketing.  Those who persist usually succeed, but most choose not to persist.  There are many Flying Dutchman blogs here in the Rain.

Diane  I've definitely learned to ignore  :)  I think it is a challenge for the AR gods, so that's why posts like this are important so that they can get fresh ideas from members.

Dawn  I couldn't stop the growth if I wanted to  :)

Frank  I love watching that number!  I think the 80/20 rule applies to AR just as it does to real estate; 80% of the content (at least the quality content) comes from 20% of the membership.

I honestly thought that the content debate had ended a couple of weeks ago.  I think I understand the gist of your post, but I could not disagree more with you on this point (if you are saying what I think you are saying).  The day that ActiveRain decides that real estate content is the only item on the menu is the day that I will leave.  Thankfully, I have made some terrific friendships and I have developed a pretty big following during my time here.  I write about real estate as part of my blogging "mix", but not exclusively.  Your suggestion to "clean house" is a cavalier one, and I am truly a bit saddened that this post was featured, because it means that someone at AR likely agrees with you.

I agree Anthony. It seems AR is becoming more of a social site and less real estate oriented. As in any business, you need to find your niche and cater to it to be successful.

I KISS on my own. We are each in control of what AR is to us. We can read "crap" or we don't have to.  I use the search tool to find articles that are of interest to me and I also do a random fly by of the daily posts. I can go to groups that have no real estate content but then again I don't have to. I make AR fit what I want it to be and because everyone on AR has a different idea I am able to find my AR the way I want it without any type of "censorship".

Hello Anthony, Interesting that you posted the membership at 88,108 when you posted at 9:52 this morning.  One hour later the membership has already risen another 60 members.  "a lot happening" is an understatement...

I don't really care what people post.  iIt is very easy to unsubscribe to blogs or groups if they are out of control. You are what you blog! And in posting you open yourself to the world.  What is relevant to you may be irrelevant to me.  I don't advocate censorship, just posting in appropriate places- and remembering the audience we want to reach.

I relish the thought of voodoo dolls in my image being pierced over my opposition to the point system.   Doing away with points would let the cream rise to the top.

In the meantime, I have this thick book of real estate terms I am going to post 50 words at a time, and after that I thought I would do a couple of versions of the Bible, and try to get permission from Mark Bitman to post his cookbooks.

Jason, one side telling the other side "if you don't like it, don't read it" isn't going to end the content debate.

If you don't like what Anthony is saying, don't read it.  See, that simplistic advice cuts both ways.

Jason  Thank you for sharing your opinion.  My post should not sadden you; it is an exercise in continuing the dialogue about making ActiveRain a stronger community.  As I mentioned to Rich above, it's possible to post about a wide range of topics that can still be relevant to consumers and other members - but I don't see how blonde jokes and bashing a particular politician simply because of their party affiliation (not specific issues) helps the community.

Wayne  I see that trend as well.

Gary  I actually posted last night.  I think that time stamp is when it was featured.  Regardless, that increase is significant.

Jo  I do the same; we're forced to.  One point I am trying to make is that it is much harder for a new member to "find his fit" today than a year ago.

Joe  Yes, we each have our own concept of relevance.  However, just as the AR gods have created community guidelines, they could also be charged with the responsibility of creating a litmus test for content.  Just because I think something is relevant doesn't mean it's relevant to the community.  Otherwise I don't see the purpose in calling it a "real estate network" and it would be another myspace or facebook.

Frank  Thank you, but be nice  :)  LOL

All  I have updated the post title with a question mark (?) to better represent my purpose. Thanks so much for the great comments!  Thank you also for the gold star!  It is much appreciated. 

Anthony - I agree with you on that point about jokes and slamming politicians, but you said this in your post:

I think the solution is to clean house.  There is so much content here that is totally irrelevant to the real estate industry. 

I post a lot of stuff about my family - is that "relevant"?  What about the post I recently wrote about my friend who committed suicide, or my friend who died of cancer?  I am certain that there are people here who felt that those were not relevant to our industry (and they're probably right). 

I guess my point is - once you start down the road to determining what constitutes valid content for this site and what does not, it could end up encompassing far more than we bargained for, and my guess is that the active membership would drop precipitously.

Good post, Anthony!  I've started to feel a little overwhelmed trying to wade through so many posts.  And it's frustrating when you find a really great post that's about a month old!  Like a lot of people, I stay mostly on my subscribed list when I check posts.  And you can miss a lot of great stuff that way - especially from some of the newer members.

After seeing this post featured...I am completely convinced that there is an agenda here even though loud cries have been made stating that there isn't one.  Or, it's all about the controversy of getting 2 passionate sides riled up to debate back and forth and keep the viewers on the site.  Either way...it saddens me.  It really does.

As one commenter said in a recent post: Tastes Great! Less Filling!  Tastes Great! Less Filling! The debate goes on and on...

It doesn't taste great!  In fact, it sours my stomach. 

It isn't less filling!  There is no substance to this debate. 

Most people just want to drink the darn beer in PEACE and in QUIET without being told how to drink it, when to drink it, where to drink it and what temperature it should be before drinking it.

Well, Active Rain is a FREE site but I am one of the members that just so happens to PAY by adding money to my AR Ad bank account. And I am getting a little tired of seeing this debate go on and on and on, on the HOME PAGE.

The fact that I chose to pay for advertising doesn't make me a better member or blogger.  It just means that I believe in the network enough to support it financially and I am in a posistion to do so. I am sure others would gladly do it to when they can.  That is why they are here..to improve their business AS THEY SEE FIT.  My advertising dollar may not be much in the grand scheme of things...but I do chose to pay to be here.  I do put my money where my mouth is.

If that is how Active Rain wants things...so be it.  But they need to come out and say it instead of beating around the bush. I'm not seeing balanced features here on the home page on this subject.  There was another great post a few days ago that gave a "minority report" on this that didn't get featured.  It was well written and offered a great perspective on the subject. 

I keep hearing talk about there not being an agenda here.  I'm sorry...your actions show otherwise, Active Rain. 

If that is where Active Rain wants to go (as all the features IMO would imply) so be it.  I will chose whether or not that direction is right for me.   However, I am getting very tired of the members on here telling others what they should and shouldn't do.  Either by just coming out and saying it or implying it in their posts.  I am also a little tired of the "subliminal" messages on the home page. 

Some view Active Rain as a way to use technology as a way to promote and grow their business.  Some view it as a way to improve relationships.  Some are here for SEO.  Some are here for SOI. 

Personally think the official policy once and for all should be:

IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT....MOVE ON!  And Active Rain shouldn't give any attention to these type of posts any longer.  Unless, there is an agenda that needs to be advanced or they get tickled by the debate.  If that is the case:

Active Rain, just come out and say it....



My John Hancock is signed below.


P.S.  I don't normally do a signature...but it is part of my comment.  I hope you will humor me by asking me not to remove it or doing it for me.

I am at the NAR conference in DC, so I have time on my hands.  I would definitely vote for keeping AR real estate related.  I think Localism has incredible potential.

I understand that AR is the only blogging platform most members use, which is probably why we find such a variety of content.  I have done quite well with Google's Blogger, and it is as simple as AR.  If you know a little about SEO, you can get some pretty good indexing in Google and spread your fame even further than AR.

Jason  I don't read your blog, so I can't comment on the relevance of your posts.  Perhaps membership would decline if the content was limited.  That would certainly be a factor the AR gods would have to evaluate.

Patricia  I agree.  Thanks for your post!

Jessica  I think blog posts by nature have an "agenda" whether it is to inform, persuade, or open a dialogue.  My purpose was to open a dialogue.  I'm not sure if your comment is condemning my post, ActiveRain's featuring system, or what exactly.  What I do know is that I'm not telling anyone how to drink their beer, I'm simply saying if we want the best tasting beer, perhaps we need to consider the way we brew it.

Joe  I would like to see a little more focus on Localism as well.  Wonderful potential!

 Hey Anthony, Well, I have to disagree, in some ways cloning and controlling the conversation in a conversation platform is what kills conversation. The idea of community is that yes there are people who will put flowers on their blogs and blog about their cat, but they are Realtors also and their conversation is important to other cat blogging Realtors.

I would say fine tune it so it's interface is more user friendly and provide a few more ways to integrate it for other uses, but let it grow, if it isn't broke, improve it gently so you don't disturb the success it is having.

Anthony:

And may I ask, who is to say what the best tasting beer is to taste like?  Is it you?  Is it me?  Is it Joe Blow down the street? 

"we need to consider the way we brew it."  Are you saying that we don't consider it?  Are you saying that we don't put any thought into how we spend our time?  What we chose to blog about?  When we chose to blog about it?  How we chose to blog about it?

Are you saying that we haven't put any thought into who are target audience is?  What they probably want to read?  Why they want to read it? 

Are you saying that beer blogs should be brewed written a certain way?  You aren't?  Well, aren't you really?

I am not condemning your post at all.  I will stand up passionately for you to be able to write it on here.  Even though it doesn't have anything to do with real estate on a direct level.  Neither does the election...but it does.  Neither does religion...but it does.  Neither do recipes..but they do. 

I have no problems with your post being featured.  I'm just not seeing balance on the subject.  And that bothers me.  It leads me to believe that some are speaking out of both sides of their mouths on the subject.

Ross  Perhaps you are right and some fine-tuning is all it will take.

Jessica  The consumers are who decide which beer tastes best.  That's why I don't buy Budweiser.  And the users decide which network is best for them.  If ActiveRain was nothing but recipes I never would have joined, many would have.  As AR grows and evolves, just as any entity, the powers-that-be have to consider whether or not things need to change.  Maybe they do, maybe they don't.  That's exactly why I raise the question.  Thank you so much for your comments and taking the time to contribute.

I agree and disagree... There are some posts that are totally meaningless...like the 1 liner blogs with a simple question.  That is what the Q&A is for.  And there are the blogs that I see is repeated over and over again.  Those should probably be cleaned up....but like everyone said...who is to monitor all of that.

And yes, not all blogs are real estate related but I have gotton responses from consumers several times about my blogs that they read.  It helps them relate to us.  So I definitely see your point...but who are we to judge... I guess we shall see what Active Rain says.

I for one am glad AR doesn't dump a person for non-activity after a set amount of time.  Things happen, not all of us are tech savy or ready to totally immerse- BUT there is time and room for all.  Give us slower to join the pack people some elbow room to grow and develop like you fast bloomers did.  I bet when you signed up no-one was asking for you to get kicked off for not being a brilliant writer.  Cream rises.  Very good discussion post- look at the points your got!  cheryl

OK I hate beer so I brought some popcorn in and I am parking :)

We do listen more than you may know or think...

Dare I stick my neck out here? Yikes!!  Or should I remain silently parked?  Not this time. I'm the newbie with the ActiveRain Team and may be out of line here, but since I am here, I will stay as politically correct as I can.  This is just my opinion and perception for the record. 

I have spent over a year on AR as a new member trying to do exactly what their mission statement had suggested and claimed.  To BE part of A FREE place COMMUNITY  to promote and grow my business.  To network with other professionals, to build business relationships, and to grow and promote my business with the prospects of referrals through Blogging.  In the past year, I was fortunate, and had done just that.
I was able to utilize the tools and platform that ActiveRain provided for me at no cost except for MY time.  I always wondered how can they do this for free? Now that I get to talk and work with ActiveRain staff on a daily basis, (7 days a week) I have to make a stand in their defense. 

Here's my analogy:

Everyone loves Disneyland as it's perceived, but do they realize what's going on behind the scenes? Have you ever been underneath the Disney theme park and seen first hand what it takes to run a park community like that? I'm sure there are those that are sick of Disneyland, but just like ActiveRain, the owners and staff are always looking for ways to better the park and keep their visitors and guests happy!!  The ActiveRain staff are no different.

I will also say, IMO, you couldn't find a better group than the AR TEAM to care more about it's members from my experience. I am on conference calls, IM's, text messages, and the phone everyday with these guys and other members, and now I know first hand ALL that I took for granted as a member here.  Every time we have our conference call or meeting, we discuss AR issues, ideas, suggestions, our future research and development, and implementation of upgrades, enhancements etc.  IT'S ALWAYS ALL ABOUT THE MEMBERS!  Some of the staff stay up all night sometimes just so they don't interfere with your on-line experiences here.  They are incredible!  However, as we continue to grow here, there are inevitably going to be some growing pains, and the people who may not like change are the first that come to mind.

I can't say too much here (darn, I wish I hadn't signed that non-disclosure statement with AR..lol~), you have no idea how hard these guys are working at bringing in the good and stripping out the bad from this community and network.  Our last conference call on Tuesday was discussing our plans for June, and you'd be shocked at what's coming down the line. (I'm sworn to secrecy) :-)  I am so excited about it!!  I wish I could spill the beans...but I can't do it.

We spend a great deal ALL of our time trying to make this a better place for each of you, the members. I think that's why we are so passionate and call ourselves community builders, it's because we DO CARE, but if we have to spend our time digging out posts to try and get your ideas, suggestions, concerns, complaints, feedback etc., then our time gets used up in unproductive and reactive ways with comments such as this one. I'd rather be doing what you're asking for in this post.  If you could just contact one of us on the "ABOUT US" page, or just pick up the phone, we'd love to hear from you and discuss whatever is on your mind. I am here to do that! It's my job! I love my job!!!

If you want perspective, try getting the folks at any other of the global networks to email or call you back, or even listen for that matter. Many of them, their numbers are too large and they've had to give up on trying to make members happy anymore. It's all about development and monetizing, and it's all become so impersonal.  ActiveRain? We're not giving up!  There is no organization in the World that can please everybody, but I know of one that does their very best "everyday" to at least put their heart into it and try.

(...and Brad steps down from the podium humbly, with a smile of gratitude and great respect...)

Disclaimer: This is NOT the opinion of ActiveRain or it's staff or management team, it is the sole opinion of Brad Andersohn as a member. So do I still have a job? lol~ (Big Smile) My link is below if you'd like to talk, and I wouldn't put my phone number on my profile if I didn't want and hope you'd use it.  :-)

My name is Rich Jacobson, and I 'featured' this article. I featured it, not because I necessarily agree or disagree with it, but because the point is worthy of continued discussion. There is no agenda. I repeat, there is no agenda.

I wrote an article last weekend entitled "ActiveRain: A Purpose Driven Community"  In the article, I suggested (note the operative word 'suggest' as opposed to demand, require, or dictate) that people evaluate their involvement here on ActiveRain, in light of the core purposes/goals of our Network, and analyze if what they are consistently publising to their blog serves to support and further the core goals/purposes.

It just seems to me that if you're a real estate professional, actively participating on a real estate network, that at least some small portion of your articles should actually have some slight relevance to real estate.

Anyone who knows me and has read my blog, knows that I am perhaps one of the biggest supporters of 'off-topic' content, and the belief that ActiveRain is indeed a 'social network.' Some of our members don't like that label because they feel it opens up a negative connotation that somehow will lead AR to become the next MySpace.

One of the primary aspects of conversational blogging is to convey your unique personality, perspective, and passions. To reveal a part of yourself through your writing. I agree with Jason. Many times my most favorite reads, the ones that connect us so intimately with each other, are the ones that have no real estate related content, but share our hearts and hurts.

I simply want people to find balance, however they perceive that balance to be. It is for each of us to decide. No one can or will tell you what you can or can't write here on ActiveRain. Ultimately, each of us must decide what we want to contribute, the topics and views that are most valued and important to us.

As one who is responsible for 'featuring' articles to our beloved dashboard, it's a thankless, often times demeaning job. I sit at my computer until the cows come home, my wife complaining that I'm not in bed getting sleep, desperately trying to find articles that will bring value to our discussions. But it's part of my job and something that I take very seriously.

Anthony, I understand your views here, and to some extent, I find agreement with you. But the truth is, we can't clean house. That would infer that someone goes around determining what stays and what gets thrown out with the garbage. That's censorship, and we will never go there.

If you're concerned about the quality of content here on ActiveRain, then by all means, contribute quality content. Start with yourself and be an example to others.

Hmmm glad I had the popcorn here!  I second Rich's comments.  I am all for suggesting and gently guiding.  Hell, even I post private, personal tidbits from time to time.

Brad and Rich:  I, for one, will not bitch and moan about what you or ANYONE AR provides.  AR decides what it wants, and if it doesn't fit MY agenda (we all have them, no?) then I move on!  Y'all ROCK and I don't envy all the crap you put up with!

I do think, as a suggestion, we need to keep posting real estate related content to keep this site real estate related (for SEO reasons!)  As I said before though, whatever may float someone's boat and drives them business, go for it.  What works, works.  I will continue to post what I post unless AR tells me to stop.

I certainly understand your point of keeping it "simple."  However, HUMANS get bored and start getting antsy if new ideas aren't created.   AR was good in the beginning and AR is great now. If you only have so much time to spare to AR, that's all you can do.  Thankfully, we can pick and chose the posts we want to read. There is SOMETHING (topic) for everyone in here. 

GOOD topic here, by the way!

Naoma  No judgment  :)  Thank you for the comment.

Cheryl  There certainly is a learning curve and a period of time where one must "find their groove."

Brad  First of all, you mentioned that you had to stand in "defense" of AR; I hope you're not defending AR from my post, but perhaps some of the comments..?.?  My post is meant to strengthen the community and help its members contemplate AR's future.  Although I clearly state an opinion of my own, I wanted to gather feedback, opinions, reactions from other members so that I could form a more educated "vision" for what I want AR to be.  Thanks for all your hard work and for taking the podium today  :)

Rich  Thank you so much for these lines:  I featured it, not because I necessarily agree or disagree with it, but because the point is worthy of continued discussion. There is no agenda. I repeat, there is no agenda.  I appreciate your entire comment actually and think it's a very fair response.  I, too have been responsible for some pretty trivial posts, but at least 95% of my content is directly real estate related.  In regards to the "cleaning house" portion, perhaps removing content isn't the solution, but organization is the key, i.e. channels, more structred groups, or more categories.  Self-discovery - that's what this is all about to me.

Renee  Thanks for returning to comment.

Kat  I read a book when I'm bored  :)  Thanks for the comment!

Anthony...way to backtrack!  I give you a 10 on that 180 degree turn!

I take issue with this post referring to other people writing "crap".  Please define.  You talk of "cleaning house".  Please define.  Then convince me that you aren't trying to impose your beliefs on others.  

"There are members on here that do nothing but spew political proganda, advertise their wares, or are just plain ignorant."

I would dare say this election is VERY critical to our industry and our country as a whole.  I would dare say that advertising yourself is the reason MANY folks are here.  We just go about doing it differently.  I would dare say propaganda is spelled like that...but you making a typo doesn't make you ignorant.  I make them all the time.  There are some Webster Police on here that would say that you were (they would throw me under the bus or in front of the firing squad because I am really bad).  That doesn't make it so.  I just found your post to make you sound like a bit of an elitist.

Your post is completely irrelevant to the real estate industry on the surface...yet you wrote it.  You wrote it because you felt it was important to write.  It was important to you.  It has been important to others. 


Brad...I live here and come into constant contact with the AR leadership.  I know the hard work you guys put in.  Nobody doubts your dedication and commitment. AR is all that Jon ever talks about! 

Rich...would like to see a little more balance on both sides of the fence.  Actually, I would prefer to see less of both sides of the fence on the front page.   I'm just saying we haven't been very balanced on the home page about this IMO. But that is just me.  When I see repeated post after post basically saying the same thing...yes, I do tend think there is an agenda.  But again...that is just me.

Jessica wrote: < When I see repeated post after post basically saying the same thing...yes, I do tend think there is an agenda.  But again...that is just me. >

That very thing causes many of us to wonder exactly what Jessica's written.  I, too, have been wondering if there was a message/agenda being sent by these features.

Ann

 Two things:

The potential of localism has yet to be realised.

Consumers ultimately decide the fate of the marketplace.

Steve

Obeoman

Jessica  I haven't "backtracked" on anything, simply expounded and clarified.  I posted with an open mind and as I read each comment I take in what has been shared and give consideration to all.  If you read the entire post and all comments you'll find examples of what I consider "crap" and "cleaning house."  If you feel I'm an elitist, you have my blessing to pass on reading my posts.  This particular post is ALL about ActiveRain, thus very relevant to the network.  You are, of course, welcome to comment but please do so in a way to contributes to the dialogue and maintains the same respectful tone myself and others have been able to use.

Ann  The topic of "agendas" has already been discussed in earlier comments.

Steve  Thanks for sharing your opinions about the topic!

Anthony, you are on a featured role!!!  Congratulations, you are always raising the bar.  This was a great post and it is about KISS and just getting back to the basics.  Many think I am too Localism heavy, but I am here for the prospecting benefits as well as networking, and learning.

Ray  Thank you for being positive and supportive (as usual)!  This post was as much about "AR is great, let's keep it that way" as it was "does AR need a revamp," but some don't get it.  I simply don't know the answer and although I gave an opinion, I know there are many out there that are better.  Thanks for the comment!

Leave me along and let be write some "hard core real estate", blow off a bit of steam from time to time and the rest of the time I work Localism for business. 

I'm a happy camper.

I'm a happy camper

...and and inspiration to us all, though I wish Localism was a more attractive consumer portal.  I'd like to see the 1-800-DENTIST lead capture sites put out of business by a portal with real local experts instead of canned content as a false front for outsiders posing as a real estate site.