The first post I ever wrote on Active Rain was one year ago and was titled; What A Great Place Active Rain Is. I did not know how to add images, where to even go to get images and even how to upload my own images! I did not understand how to use the Active Rain editor; how to add links, how to bold or make my posts look more appealing. What A Great Place Active Rain Is- WoW, that is an understatement.
What I did know was about tags, keywords and SEO and all about paying it forward. In order to receive you must give first. That was my goal from the very beginning of blogging on Active Rain as you can read in my very first post I wanted to add value to the Active Rain Community. The very first posts I wrote I wrote from that perspective. When I write a post or get an idea for a post, I ask myself if I will be helping anyone along their journey. When you write for your audience and know who your audience is, your blog will become compelling.
Well, now one year later I am teaching members on Active Rain how to add Pizazz, color and texture to your blog posts! I am always on the path of growing and learning whatever I can find to add value and to improve upon what is. One of my very first friends on Active Rain was Cyndee Haydon who told me about Snagit and how she got those cool torn edges on her images in her posts. I received so many emails asking me how I got those torn edges I wrote a post to answer everyone with that question.
The very first person to ever make a comment on my blog was Tom Burris and he was the only comment on my very first post. I was SO excited that I received even one comment. I have been involved with on line marketing for real estate coaching and some other coaching I do; it is a rarity to get a comment on your blog. To go from one comment to over a hundred comments on posts has been an amazing achievement and very exciting as well. I treasure each one of the comments I receive and I still get just as excited seeing that first comment on one of my posts a year later! As a writer, knowing you are being read and getting feedback are the pinnacles of success. Gratitude fills my heart for all of you who comment on my blog.
Here is my point and activity chart for right now, one year prior, remember, I started at ZERO! You can do this too!
I have grown as a person and as a writer this past year in the rain. I have learned a lot through reading many blogs and getting to know so many awesome people. You will not find a greater and more caring group of people anywhere else on line. I promise you that if you come on board with a giving attitude looking for ways to share and to give, you will be paid back in many ways including an increase in your income and friendships. I give more of a perspective on this in my post of my journey to 200,000 points.
When I was a little girl at the age of 12, I started keeping a diary which evolved into writing poetry and eventually culminated into writing from my heart about all that I am passionate about. There are more posts that I want to write than there is time to write them all. Unfinished books on many different topics lay in wait in my desk drawers and new ones form in my mind on a constant basis. Blogging on Active Rain has given me the final push to finish these neglected literary and informational compilations. Our path does not always go the way by which we think it shall. I am writing my book about The Secrets of a Successful Real Estate Agent when due to popular demand, our Short Sale Success book was birthed. None of this would have happened had I not joined Active Rain one year ago. Our Short Sale Success book will be an EBook by the end of August of this year. Going far deeper into thought has also given reason to quench more of my thirst for expression through Katerina's View which will be on line shortly.
It was not until September of last year (3 months after joining and writing 10 posts per week) that we received our first referral from Tom Weiss, an Active Rain member and a local mortgage broker. Our second referral came from Mathew Blum, a local mortgage broker and who is also a member of Active Rain.
In October we began to get listings from our Blog on Active Rain. The first one was a lady who owned 3 properties that we listed. That is when the real fun began. By December we were getting 2 listings a month and by March we were getting 2 listings per week from our Active Rain blog. To learn more about how you can get 2 to 3 listings per week from your Active Rain Blog read our post that was featured in the very first Active Rain newsletter in June. We acquired 52 listings and 3 closed buyer transactions as a result of blogging on Active Rain in one year. You can too!
This is just the tip of the iceberg. My love is coaching and I coached a lot of people outside of Active Rain and now my clients are primarily Active Rain members. The results have been phenomenal as you can see here in my spotlight on Fred Carver on how I helped him get to the 1st page of Google for his main keywords. Another client is Brandee Bradford, an agent who is using our Expired listing program and got a 1.3 million dollar listing in 3 weeks. Not all the members want me to mention who they are but suffice it to say I coach some top producers in their markets. Active Rain has given me through my blogging a platform from which I am able to share with others a touch and a glimpse into my coaching style.
If you are reading this post and have not set up your blog yet read my post; What Is Holding You Back From Writing Your First Post? It is time to jump in with both feet. Get wet! You will be glad you did.
We all grow in the rain. One of the areas that I am very uncomfortable writing in is humor. I am afraid I won't be funny. Comedy is an art form and I never thought that I could or wanted to be funny. Serious is more my style. But as I have fun reading Broker Bryant's humor and Paul Slaybaugh' s humor I slowly became adjusted to the discomfort and finally wrote my first humorous post. I have only written 4 humorous posts. That is four more than I would have ever written without the support from all of you. Paul Slaybaugh left a comment on my attempts at humor that he enjoyed my funny side. That one comment gave me untold confidence. I felt like I could take on the world because someone as funny and talented in comedy as Paul would say that he thought I was funny. If you ever think that the words you say don't mean anything to others, think again! I then went on to write this humorous post on the secrets to getting featured on Active Rain.
Making friends in cyberspace has now become second nature to me. I treasure the friends I have here on Active Rain. The friendships run deep, solid and I know I can count on many of you for your support and prayers when I ask for them.
I would be remiss if I did not in this anniversary post express my deep gratitude to Bob Stewart, Jonathan Washburn, Rich Jacobson and Brad Andersohn for all they do to make Active Rain the best on line real estate community. Bob Stewart goes out of his way to make sure you get the best. Brad Andersohn has been on the phone with me for more than 3 hours working on issues with my blog when people were not able to read without scrolling on my blog. This was something that Brad could have just shrugged off and said, no big deal. But he didn't. I am proud to be contributer amongst these great men who care so deeply in their vision.
Adding value to Active Rain, helping each and every one of you get the most of your time here blogging on Active Rain, getting you to do your SEO, to encourage you to write for Localism, to encourage you to reach out to others here in this community, to do your part in making this a place better still; is my intention.
Katerina Gasset, CIPS, Realtor ®, Business and Life Coach, Speaker and Author. Reach Katerina at: 561-753-0135
Disclaimer:The information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice. Wellington Homes Blog does not guarantee or is any way responsible for its accuracy, and provides said information without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. Entries on Wellington Homes Blog represent the opinions and ideas of the author(s). Wellington Homes Blog does not express the views of International Properties and Investments, Inc or those of the broker.
Copyright © 2008 By Katerina Gasset, All Rights Reserved.. *What A Difference A Year Makes! * Contact Katerina Gasset for Customized Business and Personal Coaching.
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