Our community here on ActiveRain is most fortunate. The founders have created a platform that provides a relatively safe and encouraging environment for fellow real estate professionals to interact with one another. We can come here to get our blogging feet wet, as it were, and have literally hundreds of helpful members cheering us on! Each time that we log on to ActiveRain, the flood gates of FREE relevant expert advice and knowledge are opened up, allowing us to fill our minds with helpful information. 

Since becoming immersed in the social networking fray over the past several years, I've enjoyed a wide range of experiences on numerous platforms, spanning a variety of disciplines and interests. It's been interesting to observe how people interact on these varying networks, and how the respective site administrators deal with issues of impropriety or questionable behavior.

Many of the larger social networks simply do not have the time or the resources to deal with such things effectively, resulting in a uncontrolled 'free-for-all.' This is especially true on some of the political and gaming forums. Unless you have some pretty thick skin and aren't adverse to colorful language, it's best not to frequent such sites.

The ActiveRain Real Estate Network has three foundational documents that serve to help define our vision, purpose, philosophies, and expectations.

They are as follows:

ActiveRain’s Weltanschauung:  The Guiding Principles and Philosophies of our Organization. The ActiveRain World View.

ActiveRain Community Guidelines:  A short concise List of the ActiveRain Do's and Don'ts so we're all on the same page about what constitutes inappropriate behavior.

ActiveRain's Terms of Service:  Some additional information aimed at making your experience on ActiveRain more enjoyable.

All three of these documents were created so people could better understand our mission, and assure them of a more valuable and beneficial experience on the network.

One of the main overarching tenets that is communicated throughout these documents is the importance of treating one another with respect and civility. We invite and encourage spirited debate and discourse. We desperately need opinions and views that are contrary to our own, to challenge,  stimulate, and reinforce our thinking. However, we must do so without resorting to behavior that degrades, slanders, or attacks other members. Whenever we encounter differing views, we can elect to 'respectfully' disagree without compromising our professional integrity.

By treating one another with respect and civility, we offer the Consumer World a more favorable impression of our industry, and further contribute to the overall success of our community.