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Active Rain blog vs. REW blog - which one is stronger

By
Real Estate Agent with Lyon Real Estate

I haven't spent much time at active rain lately - I spent a lot of time in 2008 here - made some friends - I had a closing or two from people that found me from my blog here - consider the time I spent worth the effort last year.  I haven't given up on blogging - in fact I'm blogging a lot more in multiple places this year.  Just wanted to try something for fun.  I started my blog on active rain about the same time as one on Real Estate Webmasters.  I have posted more lately to my REW blog but in terms of total numbers I have more posts on this one - my AR blog.

I think I already know which blog is going to win out - however, when I was looking through some results in google to try and come up with some topics to write about I did notice that I had both Real Estate Webmaster posts as well as Active Rain posts on page one of google for a number of terms.

I'm going to write three posts for each blog - they will be market statistics for March 2009 - the most recent full month I have data on.  Since it was too confusing to figure out if I had written about a city before - I'm picking three cities that are in my market area but ones I have not written market analysis about in the past - there are SO many areas I haven't written about...

Winters, CA

El Dorado Hills, CA

Rocklin CA

This isn't going to be a perfect test - I don't write duplicate content for ANYTHING - and REW blogs do not allow for duplicate content either - so these will be similar posts on similar subjects - if the posts on AR and REW are too similar I know I will have to change the REW post - that is the rules over there and I'm fine with that concept.  So let's see how these blogs do.

Comments (13)

Matt Grohe
RE/MAX Concepts - Des Moines, IA
Serving the metro since 2003

Carolyn: I must be living under a rock. I've never heard of REW. Then again, I am from Iowa.

Apr 13, 2009 05:11 PM
Jim Sparrow
Royal LePage Solutions - Calgary, AB

Hi Carolyn. My name is Jim and I also live under a rock. Interesting experiment - will follow the results closely

Apr 13, 2009 05:21 PM
Chuck Carstensen
RE/MAX Results - Elk River, MN
Minnesota/Wisconsin Real Estate Expert

I am sort of addicted to active rain, but interested in the REW because I have never been there.

Apr 13, 2009 05:38 PM
Tony & Darcy Cannon
Aubrey and Associates Realty - Layton, UT
The C Team

Carolyn, I am addicted to Active Rain and will admit my ignorance I had not previously heard of REW before your blog!  I will have to check it out also!

Apr 13, 2009 06:24 PM
Bob Force (REALTORĀ®)
Weichert Realtors - Aspen Hill - Mount Airy, MD
The FORCE in Maryland Real Estate

Carolyn:

I like the others have not heard of REW.  Will be checking that one out soon. 

Will be watching for your report on the results of your experiment.

 

Apr 13, 2009 09:37 PM
Mike Jones
SUNSTREET MORTGAGE, LLC (BK-0907366, NMLS 145171) - Tucson, AZ
Mike Jones NMLS 223495

Carolyn,

What's REW?  I'm off to Google to find out.

Mike in Tucson

Apr 14, 2009 12:08 AM
Mike Jones
SUNSTREET MORTGAGE, LLC (BK-0907366, NMLS 145171) - Tucson, AZ
Mike Jones NMLS 223495

Okay,  I'm back with the answer:

Real Estate Webmasters Blog!

Mike in Tucson

Apr 14, 2009 12:10 AM
Leslie Prest
Leslie Prest, Prest Realty, Sales and Rentals in Payson, AZ - Payson, AZ
Owner, Assoc. Broker, Prest Realty, Payson,

I'm the same- I started a blog both places at about the same time. It seems to me that posts on REW actually show up better, BUT the posts don't get many comments and it isn't nearly as much fun as AR.

Apr 14, 2009 05:44 AM
Troy Erickson AZ Realtor (602) 295-6807
HomeSmart - Chandler, AZ
Your Chandler, Ahwatukee, and East Valley Realtor

Carolyn - Add me to the people living under a rock.  I also have never heard of REW, but I am going there to check it out now.

Apr 14, 2009 07:45 AM
Ryan Martin
Pacific Continental Realty, LLC - Bellingham, WA
Bellingham Commercial RE Broker

If I had to guess I would say that the REW blogs outrank AR blogs post for post, but I still see value in posting on AR. I think that there are many more links to be had within AR as a blogging platform. AR is also easier for newbies to build links as the REW forum requires 300 posts to drop nofollows. I think there is definitely room for both networks within the real estate blogging world.

Apr 14, 2009 10:51 AM
Carolyn Gjerde-Tu-Davis
Lyon Real Estate - Davis, CA
Ca Real Estate

Ryan, only the forum has the 300 post count for followed links - the REW blogs are followed from the first post.

For people not familiar with Real Estate Webmasters, they host a free blogging platform, have a real estate forum with a strong section on building an internet presence.  The company builds custom and semi-custom websites and also has a full service SEO and has custom IDX solutions.

I think it's actually going to be a tighter contest than I had originally thought - although I haven't personally blogged about these areas - there have been other AR people who have - so that may strengthen the authority on the AR side.  We'll have to see...

 

I do hope that the people who hadn't heard about REW before this though take the time and visit both the blogs and the forum- there are good people there.

Apr 14, 2009 03:31 PM
Ryan Martin
Pacific Continental Realty, LLC - Bellingham, WA
Bellingham Commercial RE Broker

@Carolyn ~ I recognize that the 300 post count only applies to the forums. I guess what I was trying to say is that REW raises the bar when it comes to blog posts. Poorly written posts seem to skate under the radar on AR, while REW cracks down blogs on excessive link or all around garbage posts.

In any case, I am curious to see the results of your experiment.

Apr 15, 2009 03:25 AM
Ross Westerman
Kingwood, TX

Carolyn,

I would like to thank you for providing some of the most valuable information I have been exposed to on this web site.

Sincerely,

A Grateful Agent

Apr 15, 2009 09:20 AM