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I Have a Question About ActiveRain --What Do You Think?

who, what?

Actually, I have two questions. Here in the Miami area there are a few AR members who constantly switch their profile from city-to-city. One day their profile is in Miami Beach, one day it is in Sunny Isles and the next it is, say, in Miami Gardens.

Do you think that's cheesy? I plan to defer my thoughts on this until at least a few people weigh in with some insight.

Last question: What is the purpose of members with more than one profile?

Posted by Kevin Tomlinson - Miami Beach Real Estate on 06/04/2008 06:04 PM

Comments (54)

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Post is included in group: Realtors®

54 Comments on I Have a Question About ActiveRain --What Do You Think?

JUN

2008

Kevin,

Totally agree with you on this one....makes no sense.

Kevin, can't figure that out unless they want to be #1 in a smaller city. Love your toon.

Sort of thinking about the ethics behind it all. Seems a big gamey.

Hi Kevin, I don't understand the point of it. Maybe if I understood any reason to change your area back and forth..I could give a better response. :) For now, I'm just going to agree with Neal. It makes no sense.

Why don't they just blog about the other area? In the end it would be more effective anyhow.

the only thing I can think of is that they feel that they would get more exposure in on city over another...but that's too much effort for me... :) :)

Konnie

Does it seem "right" to you though?

These people need to concentrate more on what areas they know and not because they hear of someone who needs a Realtor 80 miles away. We sometimes see the same thing here on the West Coast, they are prop. just grasping at straws at this point trying to get anything they can. You will have less competition soon.

Makes no sense. They could blog about either city in Localism and post those blogs to the respected city - sounds like they are about the profile placement and not the value of the blog or locations.

Oh, what I would give to have that kind of time on my hands.........................

Laurie

That's a cr*p answer. I'm gonna talk to the AR gods and take ur 25 points back. You might as well said "good post."

What are ur thoughts????

I switch around once in awhile because I work Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, etc...and AR only lets you be in one place. Not very realistic from a real estate agent standpoint. I can see limiting it to 3 or 5, but ONE?

I'm #1 no matter where I go, so it has nothing to do with wanting to be #1. I'm #1 in the whole State.

Sometimes I do it just because...it's like saying Hi to Mr. Number one over there. Sometimes I do it to give Gerhard a break in Kirkland LOL!!! It's just for fun really.

As to your other question, when I was the Broker of Brio I wanted two blogs and two profiles. One as Broker and the other as ARDELL, but I scratched that idea AFTER I set up a second profile. I think Bob erased it for me.

Sometimes we're just experimenting, Kev. Playing around. Trying new things.

I just set up a couple of guys (I want you to talk to them about my style of mentoring :) BTW) and I set them up with 3 profiles. One for each of them individually, and one as the Corporate Blog. Slava put his picture on two of them and I told him to put the Company Logo on the Corporate one.

So sometimes people are just learning...getting started...trying to figure it all out. I know YOU know how that goes...

Give people the benefit of the doubt that they are doing their best, and will get better.

...in due course.

I would like to think so.

kt.com

ARDELL

Thanks for all the input and not saying "great/good post."

Hey, maybe taking the locations down to cities is just too narrow. Maybe we should all be in counties as the last tier.

Kevin

I don't do it, but, I can understand why I might want to. I handle 6 counties with very small towns, only one fairly large and that is Athens. It would be nice to be a featured agent in each of those areas. I will be adding more localism posts for those counties and towns that are not in my profile. We should be able to add some secondary geographies in our profile, that might stop that practice.

Can I prevaricate and say Wow! What a crappy post?

No, really, short, but interesting question.

How about "great pic"? :)

Great pic wins, hands-down

Kevin - I guess I should be answering this, since I decided to try out Miami Beach a couple of days ago. Like Ardell, I am number one no matter the city, I was not getting any results in Miami and decided to give it a shot and give Maggie a chance to number one in Miami for a while.

It's the first time that I switch in how ever long I've been here, but I do farm both areas and "Miami Beach" has better google juice than "Miami".

I'm always testing new things, and since I have not gotten one single lead from AR in many many moons, I really don't foresee the change to a huge deal, but will let you know if that changes.

Actually, Ines my post was not about you.

Interesting though--sort of a disconnect with your profile in Miami Beach and your "name" is Miami Shores.

I'm glad your #1. It seems to have benefitted you a great deal.

I don't think that Miami Beach has better "Google Juice" is just happens to be where everyone is now buying. I know agents in my office who do (or have done in the past) incredible business in Miami Shores and they are now "working" "The Beach" because that is where the cash is.

I'm glad I've always worked "The Beach" because ultimately the beach, the ocean and South Beach are the most desired destinations in all of South Florida.

In any event, there is enough for everyone.

FYI - Miami Beach does have better google juice, when you analyze keywords for different areas in Miami - Miami Beach is searched a lot more than any other city in Miami (Miami included). I love Miami Shores and it will always be my local and dearest marketplace, but there is not enough business there (only 34 sales this year) ....I think there are more agents than actual closings.

With that said, I never placed myself in Miami Shores - wanted to be more broad and chose Miami

I've always questioned the whole profile area expertise here in AR because it can be so different from one city to the next. Take a look at Mike Saunders above with 6 different counties (at least we only have miami-dade) - but there are tons of cities within Miami Dade that I farm and it would be nice to be able to choose a few.

Ines,

Sitting here thinking about the theory of your answer and it doesn't make sense. You gain NO "Google Juice" by switching your profile around. Your title is the determining factor with regard to where you come up in any SERP's.

I can see the logic if you thought that consumers go to AR and, in theory, pick the person on the top of the list, which you said yourself never happens.

Here is the query for Miami Beach Real Estate in Google:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=GGLJ%2CGGLJ%3A2006-34%2CGGLJ%3Aen&q=miami+beach+real+estate

You mean there are more searches in Google for Miami Beach as opposed to Miami Shores.

I would try to change your url in AR to something Miami Beach oriented.

Hi Kevin, I've seen people switch their Cities and I'm not sure why they do it. I THINK they do it because of point competition (better chance of being listed as #1 or #2 if there are lots of Agents with many points in their City) and/or because they expect to get business primarily by being found in the AR Directory for their City. Those who do it for those reasons fail to understand that total points and being listed in a certain City in the Directory really don't matter much as the majority of potential Buyers and Sellers will most likely find an Agent because of relevant content posted by the Agent /matching R.E. keywords, not because they went to the directory and searched for an Agent by City. As others mentioned, regardless of your City location, nothing stops you from blogging about other Cities. All of that being said, I've never switched Cities and can't imagine a great reason to do so. About the 2 profiles, maybe some have 2 professions and want to blog separately about each (like some people who are Agents and Mortgage Brokers, Agents and Stagers, etc.)

Yes, I'd tend to agree with you. I don't care about points (I've been number one back and forth with Ned) for the last year and I have never gleaned a client from it.

Seems more a ego thing than a business move---seems to be my prevailing thought.

I was taught by the great Esther Percal: "Don't EVER let your EGO make business decisions."

Kevin - I didn't know people were switching profiles until I read your post. Interesting discussion.

I have considered creating a second profile. I am in rural Missouri and cover three counties on a regular basis and a fourth one occasionally. The profile screen forces me to select on county. With two offices and a large area, that is hard to do.

The only reason I haven't set up profile #2 is the time it will take to post and keep it current. I do believe it would help me build my business in county 2.

There are more searches in Google for Miami Beach than Miami Shores, but that's not the point - I contacted AR over a year ago about the posibility of choosing one or more cities under one profile for those of us that have overlapping markets and they have chosen not to do that.

I am testing the switch to Miami Beach from Miami to see if I see anything different happen (although I'm not very active here anymore) - but I have no intentions of changing my AR url for now.

It would be so much easier if there was one big umbrella to fall under that would cover all the different cities.....fat chance!

Maybe I'll move to the islands and live happily ever after.

Kevin,

A crap answer? Matter of opinion. I could care less about people changing cities on AR. I take it you are whining because Ines bounced you into 2nd place in Miami Beach with a massive point gap. Don't worry about it babe. Your leads are not coming from AR anyway, they are coming from your gorgeous blog and website.

Realistically it is nothing short of a bloody miracle that you had that spot with a paltry 37228 points anyway. You don't write real estate posts on AR anyway, you come here to socialize and incite riot occasionally for your and my entertainment, lol...

Laurie

You assumed incorrectly. ASS_U_ME. I mentioned that when Ines mentioned that. What do you girls have a secret forum that you cackle in back-and-forth?

I was going to comment and give your my great ideas on the matter but now after reading the above comments I am a little scared...LOL!

Terrie

oh yes Kevinsito.....a secret forum where we only talk about KEVIN

you guys are cracking me up!

Kevin,

Actually I didn't ASS-U-ME anything. I checked the Miami Beach AR points and there you both were right up top.

Go ahead and be a smart ass, you know we have a private forum because I told you about it. You are just being pissy. I love you anyway, but just get over it.

FOR the FORUM

This is not about the lovely, and divine Ines. If you don't believe me, ask Bob@activerain.com and ask him if I have ever asked about a member (not being Ines) and switching cities.

OH damn so Ines' comment denying the forum is ....what?

Miss Laurie Manny please e-mail bob@activerain.com and ask him and post his response here.

Don t screw with me.

But Kevin, it is so much fun to screw with you!

wait, wait.....I didn't deny the forum...on the contrary:

"a secret forum where we only talk about KEVIN"

(although I did exaggerate about only talking about you)

This is all fun, but I don't lie. I don't even like the suggestion that I lied. Believe me we all use AR in different ways.

I love it here. It has a purpose for my business. BTW, I don't need POINTS, I need $$.

I'm number one in Miami Shores.

http://activerain.com/states/FL/Miami-Dade%20County/Miami%20Shores

Look at the players in Miami Shores, Laurie. It makes Miami Beach look like Seattle.

PANDANUS

You made me look! LMAO! (now you know why I don't want Miami Shores)

Honey,

That was small time.

I've moved on. I'm number #1 in Beverly Hills, baby.

http://activerain.com/blogsview/537145/I-m-1-in

That's more MY style; "Google Juice," you know.

What I find amazing about all of this is how many HOT cities have AR members with so few points! I never really looked around AR at other cities, I stay local focused. A lot of people out there really missed the boat!

So, why did you come to ActiveRain, Kevin :)

Because you made me.

Please note the annoyed people (rightfully so) that I moved my profile.

Just "testing"

http://activerain.com/blogsview/537145/I-m-1-in

JUN

2008

I've seen this question before. I don't have more than one profile, but I can see the need for it. Our cities are small and close together. We constantly cross all lines. I was born here, so I specialize in the entire county. I started with my profile in Port Orange, but I moved it to Daytona Beach because that's where most people start their searches.

I think I'll go to Seattle. Can I come to South Beach :)

OK, I'm back in Seattle again. You have to sing that to the tune of "Back in the saddle...again."

Whoa Nellie!! Looks like I missed some fun overnight! Did ya save any popcorn Kevin, or do we need fresh batches today?

I work towns in 3 different counties in 2 different states, and yet show up in only one. Would I like to show up in more than the one I'm in? Sure - at one time I thought about setting up at least one other profile so I showed up in the other state I work in, but I never did that. I've seen others here have more than one profile. But I haven't noticed anyone switching their towns. Had I noticed that, I probably wouldn't have thought a thing about it.

I guess I'm wondering why someone switching town/city in their profile would bother anyone else. What does that really impact? I would think it would be content that would matter, not the area one is listed in.

Two posts in two days from you - you gonna be hanging out here more now? If so, I'll stock up a little more on the refreshments.

Ann

I switched cities of record in my profile last year because I closed my office in Germantown and opened one in Rockville.

A disgruntled whiney member worte a post about how I was trying to gain benefit by switching to Rockville where there was probably more business. I posted the addresses of my offices in Rockville, Bethesda, Fairfax, Arlington, etc. Mr. Whiney has not been heard from again.

I'm a licensed broker in MD and VA. I should have two profiles, but my requests to AR have been ignored. So, I just keep the one in Rockville, MD because that's the address of my MD license. I would dearly love to have a profile for Virginia, where I live and am licensed, but I'll survive without out. I do, however know a few AR members who have multiple profiles. I suppose they never asked, just did it.

Folks shouldn't always assume that there are sinister motives at work when someone changes the location for their profile. It wouldn't make any sense for me to keep a profile where I had no presence to one where my office is located. I know agents who have their profile in Potomac because they believe it will bring them Potomac business. It doesn't.

I'm not overly concerned because I have a significant Google presence. It's almost impossible to search for anything real estate related in MD or VA without running into me.

Hi Kevin -

You obviously have lots of friends here:)

As to your question - I switched around in the beginning because I cover a few cities, too, but I tend to stick to Seattle for the most part..

You all are having way to much fun. I know some people have two profiles here. Not sure how they keep up. I work and Ann ARbor but live in Saline. I set up my profile for Ann Arbor a bigger city and who has ever heard of Saline ? Thought not...

JUN

2008

It just sounds like someone is playing the game king of the mountain. It might be easy to get to be the king but to stay the king takes more effort. Does it really mean anything?

JUN

2008

Kevin,

Two profiles. that's a lot of work to get google juice for both. Why would you really want to.
Switch cities. Does this really give you better juice for your key words or for the neighborhood. I don't know. But as Laurie said, it's your website. AR only enhances it.

JUN

2008

I have to say, I didn't read all your comment's. I think they do it for position...in the area.

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