Key:   With all due respect, your statements here are grossly misleading. We have not and will not forget or 'ignore' those who have made this platform such a valued and successful one, hence, continuing to offer the network at no cost to those who have faithfully contributed. In fact, such a move only serves to reinforce the value we place on our faithful contributors. And I seriously doubt that you will find a more responsive, encouraging, supportive, and friendlier environment anywhere on the Net that is real estate specific. But then, as someone who has only participated sporadically at best on our network, you really aren't qualified to voice an opinion on the value of our community. It is clearly evident that this platform has evolved to the point where the benefits of participation provide a value proposition commensurate with the investment. Today's real estate professionals must be very prudent and discerning regarding their marketing decisions/investments. The onus will be on us to continue to demonstrate the viability of our network as an effective choice.

Tony & Roger:   Please understand that I meant no disprect to Yessaad. He is certainly entitled to his opinion. My point was that how can one be in a position to genuinely quantify/evaluate the multiple layers of membership value if their participation here has been limited? Mr. Yessaad may certainly be qualified in other aspects of social media in general, but his numbers don't indicate any significant degree of exposure/investment in our community.

Roger:   Thanks for your questions. As licensed professionals, how do we determine the cost effectiveness of any marketing effort? We invest in websites, mailings, refrigerator magnets, print advertising, etc.. We spend hours manning Open Houses or driving clients around looking at properties. There are always inherent risks associated with any form of marketing. Some risks are more pronounced than others. It's obvious that ActiveRain produces results for those who are willing to commit the necessary time and energy to consistently contribute content and participate within our community. New members will be able to interact with other members, post articles that are 'Member's Only,' and benefit from the wealth of information being shared daily. They can still learn and observe before venturing out and committing to any fee-based features. If we had simply made the decision to just start charging everyone for access period, then we would definitely be insane, and Key could rightly accuse us of ignoring those who have so faithfully contributed their content to help get us where we are today. But that isn't the case. Nothing has changed for those members who have played a part in growing our network. New members will still have FREE access to some basic features, but if they want to benefit from the SEO/ranking aspects, they will need to subscribe.

Mr. Yessaad:   I have not attacked you here by any measure, nor has my tone been hostile by any stretch of the imagination. As first and foremost a 'member' of ActiveRain I am very passionate about our community. It has radically changed/positively affected my personal approach to business, fostered deep & meaningful relationships for life, and resulted in an excellent added revenune stream. I have been involved since the inception of the Network and have observed firsthand the manner in which AR manangement/staff has interacted with their membership. Their track record clearly and consistently demonstrates that they don't 'forget' or 'ignore' those who have played such a vital role in helping them achieve their success. In fact, the first point of their 'Weltanschaaung' Purpose Statement says this:

1.    We understand that the value of the ActiveRain community rests entirely with its members. We admire the spirit of real estate professionals and believe our goal is to fully engage their talents and knowledge for the benefit of all members of the real estate community.

In all of my experiences across a multitude of social networks, I have yet to find anything that even remotely comes close to providing the same friendly, supportive, and encouraging environment for its members that ActiveRain does.

I would be curious to know exactly how does charging someone to blog necessarily affect their creativity? And what other avenues would you suggest we use in order to create self-sustaining revenues?

Conversational blogging invites and encourages lively debate and discussion. It should challenge our thinking, and affirm or change our views. Opposing views are always welcomed!

Roger:   I just went back and amended my previous comment. I have no idea how 'greed' entered the picture. Must've been a carry-over from a previous comment somewhere. It's been a 'whacked' day and I think this is like Comment #1001! I would agree that the onus will be on us to prove the value, to market the benefits effectively. We can do that. I think we've obviously created enough positive 'buzz' about this network and have hundreds of WOM supporters who believe in the results. We have a lot of work to do, we've only just started to create additional tools that wil continue to increase the value proposition of involvement here. You don't ever have to worry about being blackballed on this network for simply voicing your opinions. We're big boys. We can take the criticism. We also value your input. We're not perfect. We make mistakes. But you need to know that our desire and passion is to create a platform that truly benefits its member, and delivers results for those who are willing to invest their time. One of our strengths over the past 3 years has been our willingness to listen to our members and to take into consideration what they want and need. We plan on offering more, Roger. We have to. You will find that we are never happy or satisfied with the status quo. We will always be working to create new and better tools for our members to implement into their businesses.

Mr. Yessaad:   Were you going to be kind enough to respond to my previous questions?

I would be curious to know exactly how does charging someone to blog necessarily affect their creativity? And what other avenues would you suggest we use in order to create self-sustaining revenues?