This is part of a post I wrote several months ago before project blogger, part of it was posted on the Real Estate Tomato, I am re-posting it today because it is related to project blogger.

I would like to offer some ideas about what does not work  if the goal of the blog is to meet buyers and sellers and win business in your local market.

1.  No one cares about you or your health or that your father just died.  They don't care that business is bad or that a client just screwed you over.  Who wants to read about another's misfortunes?  We all have our own to deal with. leave it off of your blog.

2.  Skip the commentary that everyone writes, there are millions of posts about that are commentary on national news items and who is who in the real-estate industry.  Are you adding value by writing about Trulia, along with 10,000 other people?

3. Buyers and sellers in your local market may not care about blogs.  Writing about your blog or about other bloggers is interesting to those of us who have blogs but probably not very interesting to those who may be looking for local or real estate content.  Real estate bloggers have fallen into a predictable pattern.  They start with real estate content and after two months they start writing how to write a blog posts and then they start writing about other blogs.

4.  Don't compete, it may seem really cool to be toward the top of real estate blog directories that measure hits and compare us against each other, but does it bring in the clients? Are all hits equal? How does having a bunch of real estate industry professionals reading your blog help win business from the general public?  Why compete with all of those blogs that are mostly about blogs when there is almost no competition for the local real estate content that the buyers and sellers who live inside your computer search for constantly?

5.  Stop imitating CNNet, the real estate industry in general is not noted for their technological superiority. Most people interested in technology are smart enough to check out tech crunch, engaget, and a slew of other blogs and web sites if they want to learn about the latest and greatest gadgets, hardware and software.  The topic is covered to the point where the best way for a real estate blogger to add value may be through commenting, because the comments on these blogs will be more widely read than the technology content on a real estate blog. - This also applies to active rain, trust me I know you are all smart but I get my technology from the technology industry.

6.  Stop gauging  success by the number of comments. In the real world comments are not all that common on most blogs.  Lack of comments does not mean that no one is reading or that the blog is not working, it simply means that people are not commenting.  For every comment I get on the St. Paul real estate blog I get at least 5 emails.  I'll take the email because my responses allow me to build relationships on a more personal level.

7.  In my opinion advertising a listing is a no no.  Their are subtle ways of doing it, without doing it.  Like writing a story with a link to the listing.  My listings are everywhere on the internet and one does not have to go far to find tons of houses that are for sale.  Advertising listings makes a blog blend in with all the schlocky template real estate web sites out there.

8. Smaller might just be better - Writing to a huge audience doesn't make sense.  Most of my competitors are afraid to be a Minneapolis blog or a St. Paul blog or a neighborhood blog because they think they might miss out on business and want to cast a broader net.  Smaller is better and that niche blogs are the way to go since there are already zillions of web sites with real estate information for most metropolitan areas on the planet.  It is all generic type content and is easy to find.

9.  Stop blowing your own horn. Last weekend I wrote a post about marketing me - I am all that and a bag of chips.  I know that the post is ridiculous and one reader even asked me if I had lost my mind.  I honestly think that I demonstrated how not to write on active rain or anywhere else.  I don't really care if you are all that and a bag of chips. 

10.  Don't write a novel.  Blog posts do not have to be literary master pieces to win business.  A typo will not forever ruin your reputation, I think I am living proof.  Most adults will not take the time to read your entire lengthy literary masterpiece on how the MLS works.  Short posts with pictures seem to work best.

These ten are intended for those who write business blogs to promote local real estate services and are based on my own experiences as a REALTOR and blog writer,  through some 580 posts, and from the feedback my readers and clients have given me over the last 18 months.