Home : Blogs : Kathy McGraw, Riverside County CA Real Estate : Kathy McGraw's Real Estate and Life Blog

Blogging 101- The Big Fish Usually gets eaten by the Shark

I'd be lying if I didn't say I like it when I get recognition for my writing, only if it's good that is. And I believe all of us like recognition. So how would you feel if you wrote a Post and it got Featured not once, but several times :) How would you feel if your Peers actually decided the Cream of the Crop. Quality writing stands out, Regurgitated Writing gets old fast. The Big Fish in the small pond usually gets eaten by the Shark sooner or later .

Blogging Writers Recognition

A Featured Post to many is a Coveted Prize

by it's very nature it is supposed to be the best of the lot. But is it really?

Think about this....when you write for this forum, or any other forum, hopefully you put some effort into your work. Hopefully you have not just read someone else's stuff and then re-written it.

There is, or should be, real pride in good work. It doesn't matter the job as long as we can say we did our best. Whether we sell houses, flip hamburgers, make loans, or crawl under houses to see what might lurk under there.....we just need to do our best.

And the Company doesn't matter either as long as they take care of their employees. Remember back to jobs where the "Boss" favored a couple people over others, how did you feel? Did it affect your bottom line-your pay?

Now move to today's technology.....think about your Blog.Recently there was a big hulla-ba-loo over one Forum that didn't appear to have their members best interests at heart. A lot of work was put in by people that trusted "the boss", only to get shafted.

Think about another Forum where rumors were flying about "who" and "why" their blogs had issues......and then went offline. Do we really know what goes on behind the scenes of any of these forums? Whose interests are they watching out for?

And then we come to your writing, your desire to get your name out there for business purposes, and to also be "found".In any large Forum it's not easy for sure. And hopefully the Cream of the Crop does indeed rise to the top. With Blogging or any other Job we'd be lying if we said we didn't care if we got recognition for good work.

The Prize that some think of as the measure of quality, on this Forum, is the Featured Post. You decide if these are really the Cream of the Crop.

Have you written anything on other Forums? How well was it received? Did you find that being a big fish in a stocked Pond meant very little in someone else's Pond? When all is said and done, we all know who has risen to the top and why.......

By: Kathy McGraw-Broker/Realtor for CELLing Realty in Riverside County CA

Posted by Kathy McGraw, Riverside County CA Real Estate on 01/26/2009 11:54 AM

Comments (35)

Blogging-Quality or a Stacked Deck in the ActiveRain Channel

blogging, featured posts, who really has your best interests at heart

Post is included in group: The Art Of Marketing You
Post is included in group: Diary of a Realtor
Post is included in group: Realtors®
Post is included in group: e-PRO Internet Technology
Post is included in group: Addicted to Active Rain

35 Comments on Blogging 101- The Big Fish Usually gets eaten by the Shark

JAN

Hi Kathy, I just try to write a worthwhile post. A feature is certainly the icing on the cake.

hi Kathy, I could write 10 posts on this subject but won't bore people with all the details. As founder and one of the moderators of a large Rain group, I've seen it all. I can't even imagine how the AR people sort thru the insane volume of new posts each day and try to find the best stuff to feature. Yes, I know the term "best" is very subjective.

Every few weeks I get an email or nasty comment asking why I didn't feature a particular post. The strange part is that the people who ask this, are usually the ones who never post anythiing marketing related. I realize that The Art Of Marketing You may be too subtle for some to figure out the topic, but it's clearly spelled out in the group guidelines.

I can only speak for myself and my moderators but... finding posts to feature can be a time consuming, thankless job no matter what we do. Since the posts my group features refects on me as well, I try to find a balance of on topic, well written, original posts from both newer members and people who consistently write quality stuff.

As one of the more visible members here, I've had my share of crap going on in the background. I realize that for some people, it's easier to criticize other members than to take the time & effort to build their own following. It's the same on every social network. We just have to develop a thick skin and learn to ignore the occasional pinhead who has issues with us.

Marian- Doing our best is perfection personified :)

marti my friend-You have consistently done a fantastic job for all of us. Agreed there are some that feel "entitled" or that feel their work is better than someone else's. Writing is like Art....some people prefer one way, while others prefer another. And the Audience is another factor. Your Group, "our group" has been one of the top ones for Marketing, and there is no way you can realistically Feature every good post. And you know as well as anyone that many with the biggest "egos" are the ones that give the illusion of being more than they are.

What you said about stuff going on in the background......imagine if the person in the background didn't have a lot of integrity? What if the person in the background wasn't as giving as you, and just wanted to "take" would that change anything? You bet it would...

Most moderators of Groups do indeed have a thankless job, and it is not easy. I just want to make sure that people that only write on Active Rain realize that being Featured over and over here doesn't mean those people are any better than they are....quite the contrary in some cases :)

Your content IS always from the heart and soul...that is what makes you stand apart from many.

Personally I think the "featured" tag is overly coveted...could that be jealousy? Anytime anyone makes such a statement - jealousy rears its head. I write for me and my customers.

Kathy I really don't have time for the drama about who is getting featured or who is not getting featured. I hate to say this but I don't care that I get featured. It seems to happen when I am super busy and can't get back to answer the many comments like I would like. I don't mean to sound ungrateful but my self esteem is not at all related to whether I get featured. If I never got featured again would I quit? No, I just write because I think it is a great way for me to connect and position myself as an expert among those that care if I succeed, some of which could be my peers and some of which could be my clients or prospects. As for the rest of them, why should I care? They aren't coming to my funeral and if they do they probably would not cry over me. Can you tell I've had a tough day?

Kathy,

As a moderator of Diary, I can tell you it's tough. I have five little places to feature a post. I struggle over that dilemma all the time. I have dozens of fabulous posts every day. I always try to feature a newer personality with quality writing to help give them a good start. Sometimes I put two or three in the top in hopes to help them establish a following.

I think it's like anything in life. It takes work and consistancy. I don't mind being a little fish in a big pond and that's what I try to portray in much of my writing. Whether anyone has a following is totally insignificant if they are receiving the benefits of Search Engine Placement. I wrote post after post after post in the beginning without any comments or interest from the groups at all. BUT, google liked what I was doing.

I found my stuff in the top of my areas and was thrilled. My motive from the beginning and I think that many peoples motive is SEO in the beginning and then the establishment of true friendships along the way.

Do I think the featured star is over-rated? Not for AR. They must have the "bait" to draw consumers or we really would be swimming in a small pond.

You, my friend, are one of the strongest bloggers I have run across that openly lays your heart on the table. I hope everyone will treat your heart with kindness and loving care, the way you deserve to be treated. I love reading your posts! Whatever you do~don't stop!

Later in the rain~Deb

marti is also one of my faves. He knows that!

Kathy, you're absolutely right. I've had clients and prospects and just folks on AR ask me about the key to getting featured or writing posts that will get featured. The posts that get featured are the ones that are extremely beneficial to the public, or are extremely well-received by the readership and they submit it to be featured. Write about what you know. And even if you don't get that little gold yellow gold star, your readers will be all the more grateful to you for writing about what THEY want to read!

~Renae

Kathy I have had a few featured posts, and yes it does feel good to get them. But I have often scratched my head wondering why a post that I might have put together quickly, and maybe even not very well written got featured and another that I slaved over did not. I guess I should just be happy with the ones I got, and not worry about the ones that I did not :) :)

Kathy, I have never figured out the how or why of who gets featured except I believe it must strike a nerve with the moderator. As for the groups I am only moderating one and (thankfully) have never had a complaint (VERY thankfully!). I'm sorry to hear that Marti is when his line-up and posts are so incredible. And I hope you're not having issues, it's a difficult job I'm sure with large groups (and sometimes thankless).

Kathy,

Featured is nice for recognition but the content is more important to me and getting business from it stands out from the rest. I've actually rewritten a few and they were featured a few times. I haven't had a feature in a long time because I haven't written much let a lone anything they think was worthy so it doesn't matter.

Kat- Thanks :)

Gary-Jealousy usually comes into play when people want to know why one over the other was "Featured".....

Nannette-I will say you sure called a Spade a Spade....LOL :) Taking the emotion out of what you wrote, I would say that you do not write with the idea of being Featured in mind...is this right?

Deb- You have given a good overview of how you moderate, and your experience with writing. I have to say that what you have said can give insight to others. Both you and marti have large Groups, and both of you run a clean group so your experiences are worth noting for sure. Thank you for sharing. Now I just have one thing to say...having "bait" can be a good thing, but make sure it the right kind :)

Renae-I liked how you said that even if you don't get the gold star, write what you know and your readers will be grateful for it :) That gold star can be as much of a curse as a gift........

George- We all scratch our heads sometimes :)

Carole-marti has had a few "pinheads" but I have been lucky....I only had one, but look at his group, it is very popular and a lot of people in it. Some people think they are the most important thing since sliced bread.....and these are the ones that are irritating :)

...and this is why I do very little moderating or have never started a group. Too much like managing a RE office and you know how I feel about that. Who needs it? Everyone loves to get a star for a post but it is just for us, it is nothing to the consumers who read.

Kathy-I sure missed something here! I can tell you if you have been here long enough somehow someway you'll be involved in some sort of whatever you want to call it...I call it child's play and I hated it in high school and I hate it now..and I believe some people have way to much time on their hands. Scandals..emails...forwarding...too much drama for me.

As far as featured..I like to get featured but the gold star does not gauge the quality of my writing...and neither does comments. I write my personal best every time I write...and if not...my intention was to do just that.....some will love ya and some won't..

Does featured feature the cream of the crop...the featurer thinks so and the people who comment thinks so and probably so does the writer...it depends on the day, the mood, the attitude...so many variables..and in truth its just another opinion. A little star just reinforces what I know...I wrote quality content and someone noticed it.

I've done the week in review...while I enjoy it...I dont think I would like to do it everyday. Its a large community and even larger than some cities..but you couldn't get me to change networks for anything..because the one thing this network has is all the incredible people. Very interesting topic!

I have gotten a couple of featured posts and it was quite a shock! I was tickled about it though.....who doesn't like to be recognized by their peers?

Kathy - What a great subject to address...it's all about being authentic...you are so right about the reminder that 'there should be real pride in your work'...no matter WHAT it is you are doing...it's really like WHAT you're doing doesn't matter as much as WHAT YOU'RE THINKING about what you're doing...what YOU bring to your work, your writing, etc. (Tpday I got an email from Richard Weisser to post a recent blog on his Square Pegs Blog so he could feature it there... of course, I'm flattered...it was a brave piece from me-the-agency-mouse)...I do LOVE your voice here. It really makes readers look straight in the mirror and reflect on the truth of themselves. Thanks for inspiration, always. :-)

Hi Kathy,
I agree with you, we do all like recognition for our work but I believe "some write for recognition" and "others write and just happen to get the recognition". Once you have been here for awhile, you recognize who fits into which category.

Hi Kathy - a 'big fish' in this pond certainly doesn't equate to any kind of fish in any other pond. I think that's why some just never venture out 'there', wherever 'there' is. I remember before I ventured outside the confines of AR - it was scary to me, and I know to others as well.

Comfort zones, we all love them and tend to nest in those comfort zones. But there's so much more out there waiting to be found and enjoyed, as I've found out over and over again.

I have scratched my head at many a featured post, wondering what on earth the person featuring could have seen in some of those featured posts. Cream of the crop - not necessarily, but it was featured, so some must think so.

When are the sharks coming around anyway?

;-) Ann

Neal- Yes, we all like recognition...but as you said content and getting business is important. I guess it all depends on why someone writes :) You my friend as a staple here, and you know what it takes for you to get what you need.

Missy-LOL ...yep we know what you think about running a Brokerage :) Most Moderators on here really do a good job, and as someone that has been moderating 4 groups, I know it isn't easy. In fact after reading your comment I just sent an email to someone asking them to take over one of the Groups :)

Midori-You are one bright lady :) Yes, anyone that has been here knows that a gold star does not necessarily gage the quality of a persons contributions. there is absolutely no way that someone can read as many Posts that come across this Forum. Also I want to say that I absolutely agree with your comments about the people here :)

Ann-You have become a great contributor here....and congratulations on the recognition you did get :)

Mara-Oh how I love to hear from you....you are the Gandhi of my Blogging experience. How true it is that WHAT YOU'RE THINKING about what you're doing...is the most important, at least for a rational person :) I want to know about that Post that Richard asked you to Post....can you come back and leave a link?

Cynthia- I absolutely love your comment....we do indeed know who belongs in which category :) I am not so sure it is a bad thing to be in the first category as long as they don't lie to themselves and think they are better than anyone else just because they have more stars :) Oh, and add to that that they don't expect anyone to pay them for knowledge they purport to have LOL :)

I'm with you on this one Kathy - great post. I'm still searching for my AR Points.

I would love to have someone pay attention to my blog How to Measure your Worth in Today's Tekno Arena - Where are the Active Rain Points?

Ann- Hi there....well, you sure have a different take than the other comments. So, let me change gears here and say "How right you are " :) We have all seen people on here that think they are "All that and even more " .

You mentioned about the safety of this forum, and how so many of us were afraid to venture out. And again you are so right when you say, "a big fish' in this pond certainly doesn't equate to any kind of fish in any other pond." It's a big, big ocean out there. And as to the Sharks.....they mostly stay away from my Posts.... LOL :) That'll be $9.95 please :)

Renee- that is very clever.....I will be over in a minute to see if I can help you find your points....watch out for those sharks though LOL :)

Very good points (no pun) Kathy. I need to be in control of my blog. I think once you get over the whole points issue it's a very liberating feeling. :)

JAN

Monika- That was a good comment, we all need to be in control of our own stuff. If not then how can we assume responsibility :)

Hi Kathy, I do not post that often, because I have made every effort since about my 10th post to put out something I would not mind reading myself. If anything, my posts are too long and that's something I am working on. I have only recently begun to post neighborhood and market reports along with open houses so that my outside readership and SOI are seeing what I do and the areas I work. However I really enjoy writing about Local things and places and whatever pops into my mind. I am still learning to balance the two and have to say that I DO enjoy all of it! As far as featured posts, I do not really know how that works. I have been featured 11 times out of my 52 posts and that's extremely flattering but who knows what can happen on any particular day! Thanks for this post and have a great week!

Kathy,

I don't remember ever blogging for points, but I certainly have learned in my journey to blog my mind. Some of my most frequented posts don't have the most comments. Some of my most personally cherished posts are far from being featured.

If I don't feel it, I don't post. When I am overwhelmed by words I post. If that translates into others liking or resonating with what I have written all the better. I love reading too. I read and comment one whole day each week. Listening is key for me.

Russell- I know what you mean about writing too much, or too long a Post :) Your numbers for being Featured tell me that "someone" sure likes what you have to say :) I would have to agree that I like your style.......

Rebecca-If I were blooging just for points, I would be way further up the ladder than I am now. Like Russell, I like to think I have something to say when I press submit :) And like you, it has to feel right for me to even write. Listening is indeed the key to so much, and just as important as writing if not more so :) Translated: comments are important, supporting others more than working a self-serving agenda :)

I have only been featured a couple of times. THe funny thing is, it was nto for the stuff I thought would get featured. It was the stuff I wrote when ticked off or not very happy. Who knows the rhyme or reason.

It looks as if your post has inspired some very thoughtful words. Kudos for stirring up some brain cells.

Kathy, I have been here awhile like yourself, and I don't know how featured posts work. I think there is no rhyme or reason to it, and obviously many excellently written ones will be ignored. I just don't worry about it but we do all like the attention, you are right.

To not logged in: Rhyme or reason appears to be subjective to the who, what,where, when, why and how of the moment :)

Sabrina- One of my favorite parts of AR is the people, and how we share ideas. I am glad to see that you found some of the comments stimulating.

Kathy I am sorry it took me this long to get back to this post. You are right I don't write to get featured. I have amny more important things to think about.

Recognition....ahhhh...it does feel good. Usually it's due to the content or the topic one writes about. All I know is I have made plenty of friends here...one of them you :)

JAN

My goodness you really got some good comments on this post. I enjoyed reading them. I haven't had a featured post, but one day I WILL. Keep writing, but mainly enjoy doing this.

FEB

Hi Kathy...Well, there's a silver lining in every cloud so they say. At least I'll never have to worry about the shark coming after me.

Many of us don't spend time thinking about recognition. Most of the time it is not going to happen so when it does it's a treat. Good enough.

Like you, I write because I want to.

Kate

FEB

In the last several months I've read hundres of the featured post. So are really great but I do wonder how some got there. Is the old adage "its not what you know but who you know"?

Leave a response…

Name:

Email:
(optional)

Comment:

What does the graphic say?