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What Constitutes 'Approved' Content for Localism?

(Note: The following editorial criteria is only being implemented temporarily until Localism is made open to public membership. At that time, a new revised criteria will be provided)

Since the newly revamped Localism was released, and is becoming fully functional, our editorial staff has been busy reviewing and approving articles that our members have written and categorized "For Consumers" and further geo-targeted for specific State, County, City, and Community locations.

One of the main complaints that we've fielded from our members since the early beginnings of Localism has been a concern over the amount of sub-standard or poor quality content that has been published to Localism. This content not only bears a poor reflection on our Network as a whole, but doesn't aide in attracting consumer readership or encourage their involvement in the conversations. Reviewing and approving content is a response to a majority opinion of our members, and will help to ensure better quality of content on Localism.

Initially, when the new Localism was launched, we were reviewing your articles first, and then, if they were approved, they would show up on the relevant community, City, County, or State pages. If the post wasn't approved, it would become part of your archive that shows up on your Localism blog profile.

As of just recently, your posts will now be automatically and immediately published to Localism. They will remain on the relevant geo-target page until such a time as the editors can review and approve it. If it is not approved, it will continue to show up on your Localism blog profile.

So this now begs the question, what constitutes 'approved' content for Localism? What specifically are the editors looking for to help form their decisions?

ActiveRain Co-Founder & CEO, Jonathan Washburn, shared some initial insights in the official Localism Q&A post:

"We are still establishing a written set of guidelines. Right now I am instructing the editors to accept posts that they would find interesting and valuable if they were looking for information on that particular area. It is important to note that the more granular the post is tagged the less picky the editors are. For example, a marginal quality post will likely be accepted on a Community blog, but a very good post may not make the cut for the state blog page. To have a state level post accepted, it needs to be exceptional."

Jonathan also shared some helpful tips in "10 Steps to Localism Success."

Initially, we're asking our members to focus their writing on content that isn't specifically 'real estate related.' Our goal in the first phase is to attract consumer readership/participation (neighbors & residents of our communities). In order to achieve this goal, we need to have a wider variety of topics. There will be a separate link/tab on each Community Page to direct people to real estate specific posts, such as Listings, Market Reports, etc..

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

With those things in mind, allow me to expand things further. Let's take care of some of the technical aspects first:

1) Spell Korecklee: Use the Spell Check function. It's working now, thanks to our resident stud, Jorgen. If we claim to be professionals, we need to convey ourselves as such.

2) A Blog is NOT a BILLBOARD: A blog post is not an ad. While some aspects of your post will naturally be self-promotional in nature, that doesn't mean that your entire article should read like one massive billboard touting how awesome you are, and plastered with every conceivable means of contacting you, along with a link to every website and web-page you own. Less is more.

3) People Like Pictures: It's a proven fact - good relevant graphics/pictures improve/enhance blog readership. Take your digital camera with you wherever you go. Take your own good local photos and you'll never have to be concerned about copyright infringement.

4) Aim for the Bullseye: Be as specific or niche-oriented with your geo-targeting as possible. By that, I mean, post your article to the most narrow and specific location, as applicable. It will be much easier to have an article approved for Poinciana, than it will be for the whole State of Florida.

5) Use Your Own Voice: Don't 'Copy & Paste.' There are no 'quick' & 'easy' shortcuts to effective blogging.

Now for the more 'creative' aspects (think 'DO-BEE's of Effective Local Content Blogging):

1) BE YOURSELF: It's not rocket science. Sometimes we have a tendency to over-think these things. Most importantly, be yourself. That is one of the foundational aspects of conversational blogging - to convey your own unique personality, perspective, and passions. Your readers want to know who and what you are; what makes you tick; how you conduct your business. Allow 'YOU' to always come through in your writing.

2) BE 'CONSUMER-CENTRIC:' Don't talk all about yourself. Share information/resources that consumers will find helpful, interesting, and valuable. Put yourself in the consumer's shoes. What would attract them to your post? What would they find most engaging?

3) BE 'LOCAL MINDED:' Remember to stay focused on relevant local information, news, events, points/places of interest, etc. Think Little League, church happenings, interview local leaders, fund raising events, profiles of everyday people, neighborhood merchants & business owners, garage sales, local politics, school activities/sports, local neighborhood flavor & ambiance.

4) BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR: Find meaningful ways of giving back to the community, i.e. volunteer work, charity functions, fund-raising, etc., and then blog about it

In a nutshell, our editors are going to be reviewing your articles through the eyes of the consumer. They'll be looking for articles that:

capture the consumer's interests
are aesthetic (well constructed & formatted)
read well (convey thoughts intelligently)
reveal the writer's personality
provide value to the reader (relevant local information)

By incorporating these aspects into your hyper-local blogging efforts, you'll generate good local content, attract greater readership to your blog, and improve your chances of having your posts approved.

Posted by Rich Jacobson Your Kitsap County WA Real Estate Agent on 07/17/2008 02:42 PM

Comments (143)

localism, approved content

Originally posted at: "Singing in the Rain!": What Constitutes 'Approved' Content for Localism?

Post is included in group: The New Localism
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Post is included in group: Active Rain Newbies

143 Comments on What Constitutes 'Approved' Content for Localism?

JUL

2008

Localism has always meant something different to me. It has always included real estate and mortgage etc. although I can understand where you folks are coming from and how you want to start this up with a bang.

I have always geared to localism with 'about area' posts and then I started mixing it up with the area, the ammenities and then a short market stat.

Is this acceptable? Or should I just cut out everything real estate related in it?

Rich - THANK YOU! This is a great step towards understanding what we should and shouldn't be doing for localism. We will continue to work to meet the new standards!

I'm working at getting better at my localism posts. The more I practice write the better I become. It is an important platform to talk to the locals!

I have been wondering about all that. You know some of us ... just hate change!! I have to say I like the new localism format, though I will have to adjust my blogs to fit the more narrow column.

Rich - I really like the monitoring aspect. I'm very conscientious of what to post and where to post it whether Localism or not. However, if a post is not approved, will the Author be notified?

Rich thank you for fixing the spell chek sonetines i juxt camt spell. Great job as usually

Thanks, I hope some of the editors are women with my most recent "salon" post. LOL

Rich- I am along the lines with Sally and same question as Sally has. Also, can you please address how being selling agents will fit into Localism? Like informational posts about short sales and foreclosure defense, helping these sellers going though a rough time, letting them know they can turn to us for help. How will that or does it fit into Localism?

Rich, thanks for all your help. All I have to do now is get out and take more photos.

Rich- some people had found and were giving examples of low quality junk that passed screening.....what happens to these posts if that's true? It appears to me more people are writing a lot more localism stuff right now...so I'm sure the communities will get some good stuff.

Rich, Thanks for posting these "guidelines". While I'm sure they will change along the way it's good to know where to start. The Poinciana Winn Dixie has 2 for 1 chuck steak this weekend. OK that's the best I can do. Man my community is booooooring:)

I think there was a Blogging Bertha sighting though. Stay tuned for more details.

Sally & Katerina: "Initially, we're asking our members to focus their writing on content that isn't specifically 'real estate related.' Our goal in the first phase is to attract consumer readership/participation (neighbors & residents of our communities). In order to achieve this goal, we need to have a wider variety of topics. There will be a separate link/tab on each Community Page to direct people to real estate specific posts, such as Listings, Market Reports, etc..

Let me ask a question: Where do you get your Selling clients now? I don't know about you, but most of my Selling clients are referral-based, or from people within my SOI. These are people I 'touch' regularly, thru mailings, personal contact, etc.

Localism will become an extension of your SOI. It will simply become a place where you can make meaningful connection with people in your community/neighborhoods. If you continue to contribute, as you have been, relationships will naturally develop. When they are considering selling, who do you think they are going to call?

Kathy: As of just recently, your posts will now be automatically and immediately published to Localism. They will remain on the relevant geo-target page until such a time as the editors can review and approve it. If it is not approved, it will continue to show up on your Localism blog profile.

Hi Rich, This may not be the correct place ask but today I posted a blog for localism and clicked on my state NC and clicked at the top "View All Neighbors" and I am not on the list. Just curious what determines that list. I am a Stager and all the names currently on there are all Realtors except for 2 mortgage brokers. Thanks in advance and God bless,

Rich,

Not that I'm braggingbut I just listed a short sale today and they found me on the Internet from one of my short sale blogs...so how would you classify that?

Are they going to review photos on Localism (NOT IN THE POSTS... the Community photos) before this goes live?

Dayton Ohio the one and only photo has an agents website url on the sky... just watermarking to protect his copyright? I don't think so the Alt Text is a call to action to contact him. Not an acitive ActiveRain member... another Ohio market a real estate office is the picture representing the office. I thought the garbage like that had long ago been removed from Localism.

Great post and I'll try to work on better content.

Thanks for clarifying what you are looking for on the localism pages. Would a posting for a free educational seminar be okay content for a local post in a small state like Delaware?

So....you're saying don't mix mine up right?

Just leave it local area...don't include anything else or do separately?

Maureen: Yes, that's the plan right now, to review all the photos before we come out of private BETA.

Sally: I would say keep doing what you're doing. The real estate stuff - market stats, reports, and such will go to the tabbed page. And your other stuff will be reviewed. You write great local content, so I wouldn't change a thing!

Neal: That's obviously a real estate related article. Cool that they found you!

John: It depends on what kind of education you're providing.

Rich, sounds good to me. I hope this is what I am posting because these guidelines match my own!

Rich,

Thanks for specifying the guidelines on what is good content and bad content. I hope this clears things up for some people that have not caught on yet. Thanks!

Rich, I was really thrilled to see some of my photos picked up and I love this idea of being the "town Welcome Wagon". Very cool. Thanks and I'll just keep cranking out photos with client based information. It all helps sellers of course as well!

I Google-alert my own name and found I got picked up by photos/posts I had done.

Rich, is there a way we can tell if we are on the right track? I guess I'm asking if it has been there a few days, is it what you guys are looking for? Or is it taking longer than that?

And I hate to go off topic but I have posts showing up on the state level that I marked for county level but they don't show up on county level - I'd rather have them at county level than state. Can you point me to some help?

So our market reports and updates are localism, or not?

Am confused... probably because I have been looped out and have not read about all of the new changes.

oops, that's us above.

"until Localism is made open to public membership."

Rich - will the public join directly at Localism, or will they join thru AR - will we be able to invite them to join?

Georgina: They will join thru Localism. AR is only for RE professionals.

Richard: You are SOOOO on the late show. Remind me to slap you around next week. Market Reports are localism, yes. They just won't necessarily get approved/featured on the community pages. They will go to their own seperate section/tabbed page.

Michelle: If you geo-tarketed your post down to the county level, and it was approved, it should show up at the lowest level. You should also be receiving some kind of notification that a particular post has been approved. I will verify that and let you know.

have been busy. wish it was selling stuff. but that kinda stopped with the latest round of great national news.

will talk to you about localism when I see you. willing for a few pimp slaps to get it understood.

we just gotta have our do at a seafood place somewhere, don't you think?

Thanks Rich...just wanted to be sure.

Rich~Thanks for the summary of Localism and on ways to make sure our content is there now and in the future. I am fairly new to A|R but am excited with the energy and efforts being put forth. Keep up the great work!

When will the add photo feature be turned back on... or am I missing something?

I saw a previous response (different post) that it was turned off due to some tech issues... but was expected back shortly.

----

So - when I tell local agents about Localism.com and talk to them about using it... are the following statements accurate?

- Built and managed by the same people that brought you A | R

- Initial content fed from A| R members

- Will be opened up to general public at some time (eta?)

- So basically, you are looking at a destination site that people have a high chance of finding when they search for "local area" information and has a high probability of placing higher in google search results than your site... so, it would be good to have a presence there.

----

I haven't read every post / comment about localism... but I've got the feeling that some A|R members are missing a important point... Localism.com is for the masses... and A|R is giving it's members first shot at populating it and reaping that benefit before other businesses in the local area. I would fully expect that 6 months after public access... there will be some stiff competition in some markets.

Rich: Thanks for clarifying that bit of information for members--the problem that I was having with just anyone purchasing the TOP DOG spot is that some posts are NOT quality and they only send the shopper off to another site, losing them altogether in Localism. Those who didn't purchase the area that they TRULY know, lose out on those shoppers because of the poor content of the first one that they see. I THANK you for this post Rich!

Debe in Charlotte

Thank you so much for clarifying this for me. I had just asked about this in my last blog and am so happy to read your guidelines.

But, I recently wrote a post called "California Avenue Delicatessen~1201 California Avenue, Reno, Nevada" and it did not make it to Localism. I feel or thought I had covered what are in your guidelines but apparently it is not .... up to the AR standards? ! I am not sure waht the article is missing.

What am I not seeing here. I really want feedback so I can correct, if that is the right word, my style. I am not here to say I am right you guys are wrong, but I would love to improve my skills here on AR. So any criticism will help.

Thank you for taking the time to help out with this.

Terrie

THANK YOU for this informative post. It always helps to know what criterial the editors are using. The more I have thought about it, the more I think that writing Localism posts will give us a reason to make new contacts. And, follow up afterwards...."See what I wrote."

Gracious Rich...

I have chosen not to think for awhile. It's my best foot forward right now. However, not thinking did not stop me from chuckling at the following:

--> plastered with every conceivable means of contacting you, along with a link to every website and web-page you own <--

I sure hope The Members start getting their heads around that. A Website is advertising. A Blogsite is connecting. Or perhaps I'm just over thinking it :)

TLW...ROAR!

Interesting...

I am thinking perhaps we should send Blogging Bertha out meat shopping. We could then post the video of her walking out of the Winn Dixie with her basket full of meat :)

I'm sorry Gracious ... I just couldn't resist ... I'll go away right after I tell you that I think Jorgen is a stud too :) He also has a wonderful sense of humor. I endearingly called him 'Code Monkey' and he took it like a REAL man. I know you get that last remark :)

TLW...ROAR!

Rich - Thanks for the update on what you are looking for. At times it has bee a mystery to me. Now it should be clearer.

Thanks for clearing that up Rich. I have heard some different things about this. I think approved content is a GREAT idea for Localism!! I'm excited about the changes.

Rich - this is very helpful and it is a good guide going forward. I am actually having people call me and ask me to do a localism post on them! Very exciting.

Hi Rich, LOL. I'm still confused but that's ok. Just watching to see what happens.

I have a feeling that a lot of the posts that I write will not pass the editing person since it appeals to such a small niche of people that the masses may not find interesting. But, we'll see.

I think that it is a great idea to scrub the content...get rid of copy and paste maybe? That's a good thing.

thanks for the update, I was already picked up by Google in Google alerts for localism and am taking a Buyer out Sunday that found my hyper local blog on Stonebridge, cool huh?

I just got my first google alert for a localism post...within about 30 minutes of posting. Not bad at all :)

I think you need to include some lifestyle areas within the Localism structure. You like... Homes for Auto Enthusiasts, golf homes, Big Garage Homes, lake homes, Working Garage Homes, or equestrian properties. Just a thought... ;^ )

These are good guidelines and nice to see in print. I am also glad to see they will post immediately and then be reviewed. I can see time sensitive posts becoming obsolete waiting for the review process.

My question: I post everthing I write to my city of expertise. My article may not be directly related to what is going on in THIS particular city but it is market related and shows my knowledge of the real estate market. Will these make the Localism post?

Janice

Thanks for the update. Am I clear that at this point in time you do not want us to post listings to Localism, just local pertinent information that will draw visitors?

Rich, thanks for detailing it out. I have one question. Will we be notified if we fail to make the grade. I would love to know so that I could do some tweak and fixin and do and then delete it and re-submit. I know right now that must be a task - let's say when you are all caught up with past content.

Rich, What safe guards are in place to make sure inferior post don't slip through?

I LOVE Lane's idea.

Please...GREEN ...

FYI, 3.45 M links noted on Google when you search 'green homes active rain'... Pretty cool One of those is how HGTV did a series by finding a really awesome Green broker on AR.

;0)

I hate to bother you guys, but spell check is not working for me. I have to cut and past everything onto Word - or something else before putting it on AR. I try to do that fo posts, but - for comments - no. Just thought you''d like to know.

I use a Mac - that might have something to do with it.

Rich, I have a question about photos in Localism. When I was a newbie, I tagged some of mine incorrectly. How can I fix that now?

I have so many ideas....yet so little time! Thanks for the tips!

Tina in Virginia

I'm glad our posts will atomatically become part of localism. Thanks for getting a set of rules out

Ruthnarie: No bother. I'm on a Mac, and the spell check works wondefully!....

Lisa: I'm not sure you can re-tag them at this point. How many did you upload?

Jimmy: Well, we have human editors, so there will always be a margin of error. But the obvious ones that offer little or no value, shouldn't remain around for long.

Karen: That is correct, especially if you're wanting it approved and featured on the community pages. However, there is no reason why you shouldn't continue to publish your market reports and listings, if that's what you've been doing consistently.

Jo: Yes, it's my understanding that there will some kind of email notification of approval. Otherwise, you can assume it's been passed over.

Janice: All of your articles will make it to Localism. They will ALL show up on your blog profile, just like they always have. The only diference is that some articles will be approved and featured in descending order on the relevant community pages. There will be a separate page for market reports and listings.

Remember that whatever content you post to AR and Localism is crawled and indexed by the Search Engines. Consumers will always find your articles through relevant search terns.

Sounds good. It's great to get the guidelines out there for everyone to see.

Rich, I'm finding a handful of errors in where some of the photos are placed. My bigger concern is that New Orleans is still showing up as a city in Jefferson Parish, when it is located in Orleans Parish. There are some other small errors in locations that will need to be addressed eventually.

Another question - if there are no existing photos for a community in Localism, there is no place to upload any. Is this a bug? For example, Belle Chasse, LA has no photos. I have some to upload, but the option doesn't exist when I'm on the Belle Chasse page.

Lisa: We are adding a 'Contact Localism' to all the pages. Whenever you find an error in one of the community names, just drop us a note, giving us the error and the correction, and we'll take care of it.

The photo loading feature is not working right now. It will be enabled soon.

Thanks for clarifying the guidelines Rich. It's ironic to me that Localism got its start on a real estate network is now deemphasizing real estate content. I'm trying to keep an open mind about the overall vision. I just don't see very many thriving online hyperlocal communities in the future.

So Rich,

Where do I post my listing's for the public...through AR? I mean the point is to get them out there...If we are supposed to post through AR...where will they end up?

Watching this post to learn more. Thank You

Thank you so much Rich, for this informative post that helps to clarifiy what posts will be approved for, Localism, and for providing some useful tips for all of us to keep in mind as we write. I do wonder about the de-emphasis on real estate. After all, what is this site, and Ar, really about. Are we trying to become an all-encompassing informational website? Seem to me that piece is a little undefined. I can appreciate the desire to offer a broader experience to the consumder but I have to wonder whether this will make determining what is appropriate content more difficult. Anything goes? Hmmm.

I'm hoping the larger issues of inappropriate photos, communities listed in the wrong places, and the like will be addressed soon. It will only add to the integrity of the site overall and make it less confusing and ambiguous for readers and posters alike. Plus sometimes the information in certain communities is simply wrong.

Jeff

Jeff,

I totally agree with you, but was afraid so say it. After all AR is for Realtor's(R)...

Rich, will we be able to write in our own communities to help straighten them out? Or, when the land rush begins will we be limited to choices you give us? Thanks and Later in the rain~Deb

The should and should nots of localism, I think you nailed it right on the head. Thanks for the post

Rich, Are there any SEO issues with copying and pasting from my outside blog, which is a blog for my community? I've heard that Google has an issue with duplicate content across sites. It would really strain my brain to have to create separate content for two hyperlocal sites. Thanks.

I have posted a couple of posts to Localism in the last few days, and they have never shown up. So the "automatic pre-approval" isn't working for some posts.

The first (admittedly small) town I posted about doesn't even come up on the Localism community search, even though it shows up in AR's dropdown list, and some other even smaller local towns do show up in Localism's search. Who knows who I should ask about that!

Since that didn't work, I wrote a nice post for a larger town, and sent that one to Localism as a test too. Still nothing, and I worked all day on making it a good post.

I know you guys are trying hard and that this is new for everyone, but it is so very crazy to play a guessing game about what will show up, and then have to try to get "tech support" by reading and responding to blog posts!

We need somewhere central to get Localism questions answered in a timely way, or people are just going to give up and go to outside blog mode.

I will stop here and say thank you for all your hard work, I do appreciate it even though I'm very frustrated right now.

Rich--I am so glad that you posted some guidelines...Any idea when all of the pages will be reviewed? The MN page has a double post of with a "billboard" advertising their new real estate office. Great for their blog but not what your post outlines as good local content. The "Good Neighbors" haven't posted in months. Again not keeping with the "Good Neighbor" criteria.

I am guessing some of these things will take time to review. We have a number of great localism bloggers in MN. I would love to see the page taken up a few notches...I am certain it takes time to hit all 50 states.

I am looking forward to getting a few posts worthy of the new site put together soon!

Thanks to you all for doing such a great job with the new Localism...I have always said it is the best part of the AR Community!

Gee - what is wrong with me then??? Sorry to bug you, but the spell check is definitely not working for me. Is there anything I should do?

Ruthmarie...It doesn't work for me either...so there are still issues...I guess they just don't realize it.

JUL

2008

So happy I found this post. I am a Newbie and had never wrote a Blog, nor do I really know how to. I have LOTS of pictures but can't figure out how to add them to my Blog page.

Linda Mae,

You have to use the tree...two left from the ABC spell checker...then resize them to about 300 on the first number...the second number will adjust on it's own...name the picture or not all will see it. If you need help...email me or call...if I don't know how to help...I'll hook you up with someone who does! :-) Karen

I appreciate you explaining precisely what Active Rain will be looking for in the Localism posts.

Rich: Great information... It could not have come at a better time

John: We're only de-emphasizing RE content right now, prior to the launch for consumers. We want to make sure there is loads of good, relevant content that they will find interesting and engaging, and not feel that this is simply a real estate site. Does that make sense? Once we launch, you will be able to post whatever you wish, to your hearts content.

The Internet is litered with remains of failed hyper-local content sites. But there are a number that are doing quite well, actually. I personally think Localism has the best chance for attracting a much larger national presence.

Jeff: Our request to contribute non-real estate content is only temporary. We wanted to ensure that we had loads of fresh, relevant local content published when we launched for the public. Once we launch, it's totally up to you...

And yes, we plan to clean things up a lot prior to the launch. There is now a "Contact Localism" button on each page for members to provide input on what needs to be cleaned up or corrected.

Deb: You will be able to create your own communities after the Land Rush. And there is a "Contact Localism" button that you can submit any errors or corrections that need to be made.

Gail: Bob Stewart wrote a great post about duplicate content that should answer your question:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/567743/Duplicate-Content-and-Outside

Judith: I will try to find out why your posts aren't showning up. They should be in the Webb City and Miller City pages. I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of amending your two article titles and tags. Good Titles and tags are HUGE for enabling consumer searches to find your posts.

This helps a lot. I hav bn guilty of creating some of the billboard posts as I have understood what it's all about. I thought I was supposed to market listings on localism and use back links

Thanks Rich

This is a great working guideline which should help everyone in the transition of Localism. Too often the billboard technique is used and I for one was so glad to see you covered that! Thanks and keep up the great work.

Rich - can I second the notion that we be notified when one of our localism blogs is removed due to inappropriate content? That way we can learn better what works and what doesn't, and perhaps repost the blog with corrections.

THANKS!!

Ok Rich....I made it the best I could with the time I had...but there won't be any flashing lights or colorful clown faces...just raw data and some great links...oh and I forgot...a nice slide show of the community that I made with my own two hands...almost like baking cookies.

Rich, just wanted to thank you for your efforts in following up my posts, I sure do appreciate it!

Thanks for fixing tags, etc...I will be interested to see how a "pro" did it, will help me in the future.

Rich, are we able to submit localism posts for areas we are visiting? Like say we are on vacation, outside our area of specialization, and we want to write a post on that location, if we post it to the correct geo area will it be put there?

The reason I'm asking is because I posted to another community CLOSE to my "assigned" neighborhood and it never showed up there. This was three days ago.

I don't see at least one of my posts on Localism. I posted it last week: YOUR SERIOUS ABOUT SELLING...NOW WHAT?

Where will the reports and listings be posted? I like the idea that they will be on a separate page.

Also you say, "All posts will make it to Localism." To that point, my more specific question is:

IF the article is not "Community" related...but INDUSTRY related...will it post to the "CITY/COMMUNITY" I specify? This is important to me b/c I want the people I am targeting to be aware of my expertise not in just their city...but the industry. It would be difficult to always post articles specific to one city/community.

Also, I do have concerns about the "Land Rush". I have a big note on my computer for July 31 but that I may not get my community b/c someone else beats me to it and is not a regular poster to my area.

Where exactly do we go on July 31 to make our selections?

Thanks,

Janice

Rich, the points that you make here are very interesting. I actually thought that the more content that we sent to Localism the better. However, if it is not relevant content to the consumer, what is the point of posting it in Localism. Thanks for writing this, and from now on, I will only post blog that relate to the consumer. You Rock.

Thanks for the clarification on localism! It is very helpful to this newbie active rain/localism blogger!

Hi Rich.

I might be just a bit dense when it comes to Loacalism rules because I am still confused.

I recently added a very nice blog about a recreation event that was even chosen as 'featured." It met all your above criteria and it still does not show on Localism for neighborhood, city, town or state.

I actually have several other recent & similar blogs that are not on Localism for Neighborhood, city, town or state.

In addition, I Also added about 6-photos to a neighborhood and did not receive any credit for them. The photos are there...

I must still be doing something wrong but just for the life of me... can't figure it out. I've read everything and followed every instruction. Are there instructions I'm missing?

Update. The new posts I added and the new listings I added are still NOT in the community, neighborhood, city or state. Nothing. And the photos are not showing up in the correct neighborhoods.

Pam

Hi Rich, Thank you for posting this for our new group about real estate information for the consumer. Others have questioned the limited and focused scope of the new ActiveRain Localism as defined by location.

Our group is about consumer information in whatever form it may take but the important part of your post talks about the professional attributes and quality of posts and no one could disagree with that.

As to directional focus of Localism, that is an internal decision and not for groups of one sort or the other to be concerned with. I would encourage everyone to relax a little and give things a chance to be fully developed. The goal of our group to focus on providing the best to consumers and for all of us associated with this group to focus our best efforts in doing so. If we do that , we are a success and worthy of support from all of ActiveRain. In the end, this aspect of ActiveRain is about consumers, first and foremost. ActiveRain has more though, with the professional side which we all have embraced and have benefited from immensely.

Thank you again for posting this message and from a professional perspective, it is a good one and we need to all embrace the message in it.

wow I have pictures and stuff, I wonder if my posts would be good enough for localism. I like to do a little humor, and some off topic stuff. :)

Rich, I do these think these things are important. As somone who writes and has written mostly for localism I always try to think about buyers and sellers really want or need to know. I think if we keep the consumer in mind first then our content should match.

JUL

2008

Those are reasonable guidelines. You guys are taking on a monumental task in policing Localism.

Teresa, you're killing me here.....

Pam: Which article of yours was 'featured?' Where was it 'featured?' One of your post currently shows up on the Idaho page, the Kootenai page, and the Coeur D Alene page. It's the one titled:

Coeur d'Alene is Full Speed Ahead!

All I know is that every localism article is currently being populated to Localism immediately after publishing. Then the editorial staff reviews them, and selects the top articles, and the remain until other selected articles push it down in descending order.

But here is the more important thing to remember. Consumers will find your articles, regardless of whether they show up on the community, city, county, or State pages. All of your articles are placed in your Localism profile archive, and are searched/ranked by the search engines. When consumers enter in relelvant search terms, they will find your article, and YOU!

Rich- To answer your question , where do we get our listings:

We get 60% of our listings from our Localism posts about short sales on Active Rain and about international real estate and our other seller related posts on our blog on AR. I do not have an outside blog. I track our sellers very carefully and get exactly what words they type into google and what came up for them, 1/2 of them are from Localism and 1/2 are from Active Rain. The key words they used in their search- we show up for those keywords on google page 1, 2 spots from Active Rain and 2 spots from Localism and one spot from our point 2 site. We get 2 to 3 listings per week just from active rain and localism. That is why I am concerned.

We get 30% of our listings from our direct mail expired listing program.

We get 10% of our listings from past clients and referrals. Most of our sellers are not move ups here, they are move outs. So our SOI is much different here. Most of our clients move to Georgia or North Carolina, Tennessee or back up north to New Jersey. 90% of our sellers move out or have already moved out when they find us.

We do not go out to network anymore. ALL my networking is done on Active Rain now. The results are much faster and better than traditional networking. I belonged to BNI for years and years and retired from BNI after getting my first 6 listings from our Active Rain blog. So from this information I believe you can understand my concern of losing those 2 spots from Localism on google searches.

Rich- We rarely get a buyer from our posts, because we don't blog for them. We are listing agents. My audience is a seller not a buyer. And now I am coaching other agents on Active Rain to do what I do to get listings. And they are getting listings.

If a listing is not accepted by Localism editors, the editors should have the common courtesy to provide notice and a reason for the rejection.

Rich,

Clarifying localism content would be good. The cut and paste reports may very well dry up the readership.

I do think it would be a good idea to take the time to send a brief standard email (create a couple signature in your outlook) to notify the reason of the deletion.

It would make it easier to QC, most members would not continue the unacceptable posts.

If marketing reports and listings belong somewhere else, post some examples. Some "listings" are extremely well done and would belong in a localism post, I would think.

I, also, think the issues expressed from some one who is successfully using Active Rain in marketing to the public needs to be taken very seriously. I am a newbie, Katerina is successful here.

Richard

Now this is going to make me look real small...

There will be a separate link/tab on each Community Page to direct people to real estate specific posts, such as Listings, Market Reports, etc..

top neighbor in my state has market reports. A daily market report for a few months. Will these be in the section for market reports at some point?

the front page of the state there is an ad for a notary. It's an ad... nothing more... says mention this flyer...

pictures there are photos with the agents website url on the sky... watermarking to protenct the copyright? The alt text is a call to action to contact the agent. Other photos a real estate office.

whine, whine, whine ;-)

Rich- thanks for spelling it out for me...now its game time!

Thanks for the info Rich. This answers several questions I had about the new Localism.

Maureen: What you are seeing now is NOT what will eventually show up. There will be a separate tab/link/page for listings and market reports. Currently, everything you post to Localism is showing up there. How long it stays depends on how quickly the editors can review it. The pictures will be cleaned up. Please be patient with us. It takes time to address all these issues.

Richard: We take EVERYONE'S opinion and feedback seriously. It's my understanding that some kind of notification will take place, so that members will know whether one of their articles has been approved by the editors. Whether there will be specific explanation as to 'why' the post was not approved, I don't know what the plans are there. I have been 'featured' good examples of localism posts, including market reports, on the AR Blog Dashboard.

Will: That may be rather challenging to accomplish. With the sheer volume of articles that are reviewed each day, it would be difficult to respond at length to each individual post. We may be able to incorporate some 'auto' response reasons, like Richard suggests. Thanks for your input...

Katerina: Not trying to downplay your reponse here, but the way and manner in which you've been attracting Sellers through AR and Localism hasn't changed. They will still find you in the exact same manner as they always have. My previous question was meant to provoke the question:

At what point does a consumer become a Selling prospect? At what point in the process do we start networking and building relationships with people? Our Sphere of Influence incorporates many people who are neither buyers or sellers. They simply recommend us to people who are, or they eventually will need to relocate at some point. Localism will afford us the opportunity of making additional value connections, and increase our Sphere.

However, you will still be able to publish quality content, containing good relevant search terms, that will be found by both selling and buying clients.

What two spots from Localism are you 'losing' from Google searches?

I applaud your launch of the new localism but, days later, I'm still looking at it with a bit of skepticism.

So far I don't show up as a neighbor. Nor are many of my posts there. It's quite an undertaking to go through so many posts and I know its a matter of time before each of them is verified. I don't envy the bleary eyes earned by such a process.

The new localism is good news for the new blogger though. Someone could very easily begin right now and create quality localism posts for high placement.

One concern I have is this: it appears that the easy way to get on localism is to write market conditon posts. Many of these are (in my opinion) dry and statistics-laden. Though such reports have merit for a limited time, quantitative reports have a "freshness" problem. Their value diminishes quickly AND many "market condition" posts tend to fall in the numbers-overload and contain insider-jargon that the average consumer finds confusing or boring.

The other way to recieve higher placement appears to be blogging at a micro-market level. That is to say- to blog about a neighborhood. I'm hopeful that agents stay clear of confidentiality & fair housing issues. In addition, those who blog about new home communities may discover that they will be leading more-than-a-few potential customers to such communities without buyer representation.

Finally- selling spots is understandable. Your generosity has gone far beyond most social network communities. You are, after all, a business not a charity. Still- it will be difficult to create a merit-based system in an enviroment where a few dollars lands such nice positioning.

In summary, I have concerns. I'm not in the "boo-hiss-localism" crowd but I'm not sure that localism 2.0 will be as beneficial to me as the 'localism 1.0' was. That is, of course, unless I want to get out the credit card and buy positions, as I (and many of my fellow agents) have with other web products that have taken the same route to profitability.

Thanks for creating this community and for being open to reading and responding to the comments. Your hard work has not gone un-noticed by many of us who have reaped great rewards by our participation here. Though I'm assuming you've already heard many of these arguments I just wanted to add my voice to the conversation.

I write a LOT of Localism posts and as far as I know, I haven't had any posts rejected. But then, I am a bit of a perfectionist =/

one of two things are likely to happen. with no wii experience, you both won't show up in the ring, or you'll knock each other out at the same time. will make a good video in any event.

Rich- Thank you for taking time out of your day to keep the lines of communication open. I am not thinking that you are downplaying my response. I think that you are thinking one thing and I am thinking another. Maybe we are not on the same page and somehow through our conversation we are both trying to get there. We do have many people who follow our blog for a while prior to contacting us to list their house. They are developing that trust in us through our blog. I do think that the point a consumer become a selling prospect could be at many different junctures. It is different for each person I would suppose based on my conversations with sellers who call us to list from our AR blog. Some just do a google search for short sale agents because their attorney told them they need to get an agent who knows short sales, others fall upon our blog looking for international buyers as FSBOS and turn themselves in to our listings based on what they have read on our blog and the name of our company attracts them, and then we have those who are actually researching about their situation and our blog shows up for them, then they read and become connected. When the pain is looking for relief.:)

The two spots I am referring to is this:

If I write a post about short sales right now on my active rain blog and post it to region, and city in localism, it will show up on google searches; 2 slots with ar domain and 2 spots for localism domain. If my short sale posts are deleted from localism, then I lose those 2 slots that have the localism domain.

Katerina: HUGE misunderstanding. NONE of your posts get DELETED from Localsim, EVER. Whatever you post there, remains there. What we're talking about here is similar to the AR Blog Dashboard. If your article gets featured, it shows up on the community page, and will stay up there till it gets shuffled down by other articles, just like the AR Main Blog Page. But everything you post remains on Localism and is archived to your Localism profile. Nothing gets deleted. What would be the sense in that?

JUL

2008

To Chuck's remark, I do write market reports. My target is to the people who live in my community. I do agree that for some these posts are "dry and statistic laden." However, to the person who is analytical, they will thrive on this type of information. I believe my job is to put the information out there in many different formats to appeal to as many different readers as possible while at the same time, showing my expertise and knowlege of my area. I do see some market reports that appear to be "copy and paste" and show little effort. The market reports I do are not cut and paste and require a substantial amount of time and effort on my part. I am very glad to see the new Localism will have a separate place for these posts making them easier to find for those who do enjoy reading them.

Janice Slaven, Realtor, ABR, Prudential GA Realty

Well, I am way behind the curve on this one and still don't haven't wrapped my head around Localism. More homework for me, I guess. But thanks for the tips.

JUL

2008

Rich, Thanks for the information!

Thanks! This was simple and easier to understand than Jon's post.

Rich: I have bookmarked this one so I can print it out and follow it more closely. I am always looking to improve and appreciate the masterful guidance. I've learned so much from so many on Active Rain and it's great to always be improving my technique.

Rich,

You are the best, you have patience with us in all of our concerns...thank you...obviously we all care about your efforts...

Karen: Thank you. That is the nicest compliment I've received in quite a while. You're right. I do genuinely care. I am a licensed RE agent. I got my start here on AR just like everyone else. I learned through trial and error. I have learned to appreciate first hand what ActiveRain offers its members. Keep paying it forward, Karen. Your example will help others to discover the value of the Rain as well!

Rich,

No problem ever...I know it is frustrating to some, however, I know you area all working very hard to help us all. I for one get frustrated with the new stuff now and then. However, AR, is always there to set the record straight...Thank you so much!

JUL

2008

Rich: Thanks for the clear consise description of approved content on localism. Very helpful. I think ActiveRain is an amazing tool for Realtors.

JUL

2008

Rich,

You wanted to know which of my posts are the ones that never made it to Localism and I can't figure out why.

The Hiawatha Butt Stripe - It's worth it! - Another Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Adventure (This was featured on Both Internet Empowered Consumer and TravelingRainers) It never appeard on State, County, City or Neighborhood.

Jaw Dropping Fireworks display Hayden Lake Country Club - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho area ( It never appeared on State, County, City or Neighborhood)

End of a Beautiful Day - Avondale on Hayden

Wake-Up Coeur d'Alene, You could pay allot more for a home by Waiting!

Sales Report for Kootenai County Idaho - Jan 2008 - July 2008

8903 N. Newcastle Lane, Broadmore Estates in Hayden, ID 83835 - $264,000

And about a dozen others that have never shown up. Please let me know if it is something I am doing wrong. Only 2 of my recent submissions have shown up.

Thanks again, Pam

Great Advise Rich.It certainly puts all of us on the spot but some shaking up was needed.

I'm excited to rise to the challenge to be great so that I can be included in the new localism!

JUL

2008

Clarification - that is always a good thing! thanks for the clarification!

JUL

2008

In other words, a good blog like we should be writing for ActiveRain! LOL.

JUL

2008

It's interesting to re-read this a couple of weeks later. Perspectives change over time, and I think now that we're through the initial barrage of Localism questions, we can focus a little more on good content.

John: Like we used to say as kids on vacation....."Are we THERE yet?"

AUG

2008

LOL...

Hang in there Gracious...It will be quite awhile before we can actually say we're there yet :)

TLW...ROAR!

I think this one (CLICK CLICK) is a fine example of what Loco wants.

Interestingly enough she did it without even trying. You gotta respect the natural talent there :)

TLW...ROAR!

AUG

2008

Like my competitor John, it was better to come back and reread this one :)

AUG

2008

Rich, you said,

BE YOURSELF: BE 'CONSUMER-CENTRIC:' BE 'LOCAL MINDED:' BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR

Okay, I posted a couple of articles to Localism that fit all four. One article was about the logo of our town. One is about school starting, one is a welcome to Owasso, and another one is why someone would choose to live in Owasso (with pics).

If you ask me, these types of things seem to fit the four criteria you outlined and yet NONE OF THEM WERE ACCEPTED. I'm sorry but I don't understand this at all. And quite frankly I'm rather PO'd about it. IF YOU WILL NOT APPROVE THESE COMMUNITY KINDS OF THINGS THEN WHAT WILL YOU APPROVE??? We are a small town where these kinds of things are relevant to every single neighborhood and person. I'm sorry, but your editors are absolutley clueless when it comes to smalltown application of approved content - especially when they approve some of the things that they have approved for our page.

I'd love to hear an explanation 'cause right now it sure doesn't make any sense in this part of the world.

Thanks.

Bob, I feel your pain. I followed ALL the criteria for an acceptable post. I took great time producing excellent quality community interest bogs (one was even featured twice) and they didn't make it into the state, county, city, neighborhood, nothing (only my about me page). Yet several other trivial, not near as good, not near as informational or beneficial did make to the state, city, county & neighborhood sites. I am still baffled.

Because I followed all the guidelines, I even posted a BLOGand begged for someone from Localism to explain to me what it was that stopped them from going through. (I asked for help in all the localism sites and included a copy of the link). I'm a newbie, I need to know so I don't make whatever mistake again... If I don't know, I can't fix it. I Followed all the proper criteria for Localism. This throwing it to the wind thing doesn't seem right.

I never got a response from Rich or anyone else. So It will be very interesting to see if anyone responds to yours.

If there is something mysterious we are doing wrong.... we really need to know so that we can get our quality posts into the Neighborhoods we Claimed/Sponsor.

Still felling your pain. Pam

Hmmm....

I think I'll wait it out. Sounds like posting ASAP comes with a bit of frustration.

T-iiiiiiiiiii-me is on my side. Yes it is. La La La.

Pretend I'm singing...It works better like that :)

TLW...ROAR!

Pam,

Thank you for chiming in. I've complained before also only to feel like it felt on deaf ears. Been a couple of hours now and no response. Hmmmm. Rich? Oh Rich...where are you Rich? Rich??? Come out and talk to us...PLEASE

Broker Bryant's Wife...I'm hoping time is on our side!

Bob

Great post, I have actually seen some incredibly well written material here and It's been eyeopening and along with some of the great information and support I am improving and learning more all the time. Hmmm...this is starting to sound rah-rah but I am just glad to have found this place!

One thing. for some raeson I do not have spell check but when looking at another persons computer I noticed it was there. I am not sure whay this is happening!

AUG

2008

I love it! What a great list to go by and hopefully we can get everyone on the same page for localism posts

AUG

2008

Thanks for the tips!.. I'll be sure to implement them next time a post blogs on localism..

- Toronto Mortgages

Rich, has it gone public now? When is it scheduled for? Thanks, Deb

AUG

2008

Hi Rich. I have written lots of posts for Localism, and I think that every one of them have fit the whole scope of the site. I was browsing the new site a few weeks ago and was pretty turned off by the fact that a post about how to be a great kisser was right on the front page for SC. Definitely NOT something I would be looking for if wanting to find out about SC.

AUG

2008

I love the concept of Localism but the towns and communities in my area are a mess. I replied to "Errors on Localism, Let's Get Them Fixed" on August 10th (as I did want to sponsor additional communities) but still nothing has been corrected.

I realize that this is a big undertaking and I am hoping that these issues will get worked out.

AUG

2008

Abusing Photo Upload

FYI...I recently noticed...what appears to me to be abuse to uploading photos...some are uploading photos of themselves, listings with visable signs, and realtors logos. Is this permitted?

AUG

2008

What is approved content might vary from market to market, possibly? My content wasn't the absolute best, but I was getting leads and closing transactions from it. Will those who "approve" articles take different market needs, demographics, etc. into consideration when reviewing articles for inclusion in Localism?

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