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Potential "How To" Blogging Workshops for La/Tex gathering

The following is a proposed format and introductory list of "How to" Workshops for consideration. Please share your thoughts or ideas in comments. There are so many more topics. I simply wanted to get something posted as a "starter."

Ideally, agents will bring their air-card enabled laptops. Each workshop would offer an instructor to provide step-by-step instructions. Two or 3 knowledgable assistants (need volunteers) would provide help to those who get blogged bogged down. This is a very similar format as offered at the NAR technology workshops.

Topics for beginners could include:

How to create an Active Rain Blog
Optimizing your profile
Basic Editing (linking, inserting and aligning photos)
Utilizing popular photo enhancement programs
Social Networking (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc, etc, etc)
Active Rain Resources (tutorials, videos)

Topics for more experienced bloggers:

How to create a Wordpress Blog
- If Lisa Heindel would serve as a "presenter", I nominate her and WestBankLiving.com

How to dress up your Active Rain blog
How to install widgets
How to utilize free marketing services to promote listings
Statistical reporting (how to create those sexy charts along with resources such as the many videos offered on Active Rain)
How to write effective for localism
SEO
Create and insert video
Advanced Social Networking?

Posted by Mary Kay Hopkins on 08/15/2008 05:10 PM

Comments (14)

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Post is included in group: Texas Louisiana Get Together Planning Group

14 Comments on Potential "How To" Blogging Workshops for La/Tex gathering

AUG

2008

Hey MK.

I am glad to see that we are getting the ball rolling. I will be glad to hear from our friend Judi. I bet she is trying to catch up after her last mad dash to Lake Charles.

AUG

2008

It will be interesting to see if we need to have two tracks (one for beginners, the other for seasoned bloggers).

AUG

2008

I thought I had commented here, obviously NOT! Your friend, Judi is trying to recover from the whirl-wind trip to Lake Charles, followed by Austin AR Gathering, followed by daughter's wedding!

Depending on when and what we do for the Social/Dinner/Barbeque/Crawfish Boil/Dinner-Dance, I'm wondering if we can have a Sat. morning session too. We seem to have a lot to cover and I suspect by then there will be additional features offered by Active Rain for us to cover.

AUG

2008

The more I check out what they are doing in Arizona, the more I'm questioning if user groups may offer a better approach to achieve a superior learning environment. User groups offer the ability to constantly keep up with and tweak AR and other technologies and services.

While "the gathering" has all sorts of possibilities, I want to spend some time exploring user groups.

While I'm williing to help on "the gathering", it will be to a lesser extent than originally intended. Who knows, if a Louisiana user's group comes to be, maybe a session can be added regarding "effective utilization of user's groups!"

With that said, I'd be happy to figure out how to get the group moderator changed to someone else.

MK,

What they're doing in Arizona certainly needs to be done in many more areas. We should probably look at putting one together here in San Antonio and the other Texas cities. That way we can be constantly teaching new bloggers and helping existing bloggers with the latest technology and services.

I understand you wanting to use your time to research and investigate the User Groups deeper and hopefully, you'll share what you find with us.

I would still like to work on the LA/TX Active Rain Gathering, if Derenda is willing to. I will be happy to be the Group Moderator for the Group. I think all we do is let Brad or Bob know and they make the change. Or we can start a new one and cut and paste all of the existing posts into the new one and then delete the group you started. That may be faster.

AUG

2008

Sounds like a plan and that you think it would be faster to start a new group. Once you've cut and pasted what is appropriate, let me know and I'll delete the initial group.

I'll create the new group this evening or tomorrow. Hmmm, most of the posts in your Group are your posts -- is it ok for me to Cut & Paste them into the new Group??? I might prefer that you cut and paste them or move them to the new group yourself. When I put the Tentative Schedule Post back into your Group, I cut & pasted it from my blog. Hate to be a pain about this but I really don't want to get into trouble with AR by cutting and pasting someone else's posts.

Wouldn't the simplist approach be for me to simply post them to the new group? This would avoid cutting and pasting totally.

Also, i've not had a chance to talk with Derenda so can't speak for her schedule, although she's got some major demands.

MK, yes, that would be the simplist approach. I'm at the office now and have a few minutes before I leave for a closing. I'll create the Group now and link it here so you can repost them there.

I hope Derenda is still on board. With you going in a different direction, we may have to scale it down a bit but that may be better for Derenda's busy schedule.

MK, here's a link to the new Group....

Judi, I've responded by accepting the invitatin. once you approve I'll post the original blogs to the group.

MK, ok, you're ready to start posting. :)

AUG

2008

Judi, I can cut and paste to the new group and repost. However, since the group is private, the comments will be lost.

My best suggestion to retain the comments would be for you to temporarily make the group public, then I can post to the new group.

After you asked that I make group private, all of the comments remained.

Note that I'm operating on a short time frame due to potential of Gustav.

MK, I can't change it from Private (just tried). We'll figure something out -- don't worry about it right now. Just get ready to evacuate in case Gustav decides to visit Southwest Louisiana!!! I hope it doesn't but doesn't matter where it hits along the Gulf Coast, I have family and friends it'll affect. Just stay safe and stay in touch -- I'm one of those worriers -- I worry about everyone!!! :)

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