How do you get a blog to be a featured post?

I have had a ton of blogs and have not had a featured post.  To be featured in a group the group organizer picks the features blog.  You have to come up with some really good info, with pictues and good points and so on...

Joyce, you get 200 points for every blog that you post...but it must contain at least 50 words. You get points for the first 10 blogs you post each week.

Becoming a featured post is a bit nebulous to me, but in general there are "people" (community builders) that are on the lookout for well-written, informative, interesting posts. One way to come to the attention of those making the decisions is to write a post that attracts a lot of comments. That seems to a sort of indicator as to whether the post will be selected to be a featured post.

I think there is a fellow in Nigeria who has the answer.  You just need to send him your credit card info!

Golly no wonder i have problems getting points.   My posts are on the shorter side.  I'll have to add more verbiage.

Don't worry about being featured.  It will happen before you realize it.

The most important thing right now is read and learn.  Suddenly you will be posting information and getting featured.

Try showing us some of your before and after staging jobs.

I believe you did was I did. If you post within a group, you don't get points. You must write a Blog.

Featured? that's my goal.

Hope I helped.

How to get featured is one of those great mysteries. I can tell you what has been my experience. I get an idea for a blog, research it, find some great photos and clipart, put it together, proofread it, and submit it. No feature. I get an idea while lying in bed exhausted. In the morning I throw something together with a last minute photo, and next time I'm on my computer I see that it got featured. ;)

Good question!  I am still learning all the ins and outs with Activerain and blogging but it has been fun.

Yes, I think Nancy is right.  Don't post directly to a group...go into your Blog and add a new post, once you finish writing them, add the groups to which you want it posted to and then hit submit.  You can add your post to multiple groups that way.  Good Luck!

There was a whole smattering of posts on this subject a few weeks ago prompted by my own post about the similar subject.  Clicks and Views or is it Cliques and Viewpoints? Getting past the bias on SIF where I posed the question about why some were featured and others that were on the same subject or received many hits were not in one particular group.  There was not a clear answer from anyone just a debate on the merits of the moderatos behind the scenes.  There are dozens of sites for home stagers - Gary Barnett just did a blog post on this recently and you can find his here: AND BEHIND THIS DOOR IS......

In a nutshell, each group you post to is moderated by the person that started it.  Even if they have others "helping" them in that role, they are ultimately responsible and the helpers decide who gets stars and who does not.  So it is totally subjective as far as what gets featured status, and it is totally up the person behind the screen to determine who is worthy.  Because of this bias and leaning towards "friends" or favorites is going to happen since it is not regulated with any set of firm guidelines.  For the most part a moderator tries to be fair and feature things that are most noteworthy and there is no way to feature every person.  So just because a post does not get a star does not mean it is not a good one.

The best advice is to just post because you enjoy it and whether or not you get a star.  The doling out of the status to me is not necessary as we can decide which posts are the ones that are worth reading - and we do that - and you can tell because a post will have a lot of looks and probably a lot of comments.

And you do want to always post through your own blog home - and then when you are done you can post to groups you have joined. So first go and join all the groups you would like to frequent and be found in - and then you will be able to post to all your favorite groups.

- Jennie

I agree with Elaine.  Out of the four I've had featured on the main AR dashboard, they were just things that hit me as "I should blog about that" and not something that I actually put a lot of time and effort into.  It's kind of like going into Home Goods - it's hit or miss!  Just keep posting.

Joyce - 2 suggestions. At the bottom of the page is a link "Help/FAQ"...if you go there, you will find loads of really helpful tutorials on a wide variety of subjects. On the ActiveRain Home Page, in the upper left is a link "Online Resources"...you will find a lot of great stuff there too!...Have fun!

Joyce - Welcome to AR!  I'm so glad you are finding your time here well spent.

This is a question that is asked a lot and as a moderator of SIF, I can tell you that the answer is content, content and content. Plus writing well and respectfully.  There are 2 posts you can read on this subject - one is what NOT to post in the group and one is a radio interview with myself and Yvonne Root that is a very candid Q&A about what it is we do here. Of course, this only applies to SIF, not AR in general.  Youcan find them here:

As much as We hate to, We gotta do it...

SIF Radio - Moderators Exposed! Replay here...

This really is a debate that has been going on since the inception of AR and is not a new question, hence Rich's ability to point you in the direction of the info already in place.

The best thing to do is enjoy blogging, blog inspired and post what will create a well rounded blog in regards to yoru business and will represent you well.  Remember, the public is reading...

And again, welcome!