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Blogging Expectations

Real Estate Broker/Owner with CELLing Realty CalBRE #01445865

August 05, 2007 06:49 AM

When you write a Post to your Blog what are your expectations? A Post takes time to write, time to edit for spelling and grammar errors, maybe find an appropriate photo or other graphic, and hopefully the content is either entertaining, educational, or inspirational, or possibly all of these.

Now that you have it written, you go back and make sure you haven't intentionally offended anyone, and then Post it.....but what if your intention was to write about one thing yet everyone else picked up on something different. What was your expectation?

I just finished commenting on my last Post Baby Boomers and Technology Without our "Cheaters."..... and the comments were WAY OFF from what I expected. Sure I know we shouldn't have expectations, but I'm human and I do. So, what did I expect? I thought I was writing on the Language of texting......I expected to receive a few funny ones I'd never heard of.....Boy was I wrong....so what happened?

The Title- Any Journalist student, and the Marketing gurus will tell you, that you only have 1-3 seconds to catch someones attention......who are you trying to get to read it? Brad Andersohn 5 Principles to Creating an Effective Post I read Brad's Post, and took it to heart, so how did the Title contribute to my expectations not being met? Easy, look at the Title I chose......!

Content- We all have different styles, and the content matches either our personality, our experiences, our desire to increase business, our mood at the time, or???? Below are a few of the many Posts that I have read and each appears to have a different expectation (from my eyes) by the content.

Missy Caulk This Post is Not About Cars

Todd Clark I still got it!

Sharon (Toni) Brown Is This a Blogging No-No?

Ann Heitland Make a Straight Line to the Best Views in Flagstaff

Jim Crawford Real Estate Blogging Article | Real Estate Blogging As A Tool for Success

William Johnson Me and My Tablet PC.................To the Melody of "Me and Bobby McGee"

Lenn Harley IS THERE REALLY COPYRIGHT CONFUSION?

Michael Mapes Choosing the Right Mortgage Lender-Shopping for Value

The content of another Post I wrote And she STILL only has 850 points... was just something fun, and I never expected that many comments......I enjoyed them, but I didn't expect them........

** I can't mention a particular Member because all the Posts (193 by the last Post....183 by AR Stats ????) seem to be For Members only- but she wears a hat :)

Were their expectations met????? How about you.....what do you expect when you post here on Active Rain?

* My expectation for this Post is to see if this Title generates comments :)

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Missy Caulk

Missy Caulk TEAM - Ann Arbor, MI

Savvy Realtor - Ann Arbor Real Estate

Ha, catchy title, and I'm sure you'll get lots of comments. Thanks for the mention. In the post you mentioned, It's Not About Cars, as you know it was about great customer service and I felt like if I had that in the title it would be the same o same o.

I really have no expectations when I post......if you watched the lady in the hat's husband video you know what I mean. I write what is in my heart and if it hits a cord with others great........if not I don't worry or really think about it. I really don't post daily but I comment several times during the day to all my subscribers...........I enjoy reading what they are up to.

Title are so important; however I don't come up with one until the end.

Aug 05, 2007 07:03 AM

Ron Allen

KW Fayetteville - Fayetteville, NC

Fayetteville NC homes

The great thing about blogging are the comments and that they give us a chance to hone our message with our own comments. Its can truly be a disscussion rather than a lecture.

Aug 05, 2007 07:03 AM

Kathy McGraw

CELLing Realty - White Water, CA

Riverside County CA Real Estate

Missy-

Yes, your car Post was about great customer service....fun, and also gave a great message.and that's why I picked it; as you sure wouldn't know that by the Title.......I enjoyed it, maybe I should go back and make that comment. Now to expectations, I guess I shouldn't have expected to learn new acronyms for texting....but I was hoping to :)

And I do change the Title several times...I start with one, then modify it.....this one I just made simple.

Aug 05, 2007 07:18 AM

Kathy McGraw

CELLing Realty - White Water, CA

Riverside County CA Real Estate

Ron,

I couldn't agree more...I love to comment on Posts and watch to see what the Poster does, and the others as well.....sometimes they get all sidetracked-and that can be more entertaining than the original Post.

Aug 05, 2007 07:20 AM

Sharon "Toni" Brown

Exit Realty United - South Ozone Park, NY

South Ozone Park - New York City Real Estate

Thanks for the mention. I am truly honored being brand new to this. I can say that I came here with no expectations. I just felt that I NEEDED to be here. For myself, my web-site, my clients and my business. Boy am I glad that I came. The professionals here are Da BEST! and I am seeing many associates that I have known for a long time, some that I haven't talked to for years and never told me they were in the business (although they know what I do) or sent me an invitation. Through activeRain I have rediscovered a circle of past friends and am making new ones, finally see myself in a google search and have a new place to boost listing exposure, I know that the rewards will keep coming. I can say that any expectation I should have had has been exceeded so far. Now those extra web-site hits are all that is left.

Aug 05, 2007 07:22 AM

Kathy McGraw

CELLing Realty - White Water, CA

Riverside County CA Real Estate

Sharon,

Welcome to AR....and I had a similar experience when I joined AR. I saw a profile for a "kid" that was like part of our family. I had lost touch with him, but got reacquainted after finding his profile here. I never knew he was an Escrow Officer.

And it sounds like the NO Expectations has worked wonders for you as you are reaping benefits you didn't even know existed.......good job and keep it up. I subscribed to your blog as I like your experience.

Aug 05, 2007 07:32 AM

Kathy McGraw

CELLing Realty - White Water, CA

Riverside County CA Real Estate

Cheryl-

I'm right???Now that's a first :) Thanks for commenting.

Aug 05, 2007 08:02 AM

Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman

Liberty Homes - Mililani, HI

(RA) AHWD CRS ePRO OAHU HAWAII REAL ESTATE

Expectations. If I have expectations I am surely going to be either pleased or disappointed. But (key word here just defeated everything I said prior haha) I suppose the main thing is that I HOPE my title catches someones eye enough to read. (I have had to work hard on titles and still wait before posting to make sure that by time I'm done...the title still fits the story) Most of all, no matter what I write I hope it to be inspiring as well as show the person I am...member or not ....and in a positive manner.

Aug 05, 2007 01:56 PM

Kathy McGraw

CELLing Realty - White Water, CA

Riverside County CA Real Estate

Celeste (Sally)-

Wow, OK let me digest this a sec........so, you have No expectations.....but you do expect to be either pleased or disappointed........and you HOPE the Title works.........then again you HOPE others see you in a positive manner, as an Inspirational Person......

Did I get that right???

Well, sounds to me like your expectations have been met in spades (whatever they were )......When I see you on any Post, you are respected, listened to, and one of the ones that I recognize your name right off....

Now to Title.....I struggle with this, as to me it is boring just reading how to do our jobs, I find that everywhere, I like to see whois doing the job, and that is hard to Tilte, for me at least.....

Thanks for coming to my Post.....

Aug 05, 2007 02:15 PM

Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman

Liberty Homes - Mililani, HI

(RA) AHWD CRS ePRO OAHU HAWAII REAL ESTATE

Okay...so I'm a little confused at times..lol! I look back at my old posts...arrgh! My title were boring...(I still think they need "something") okay, expectations of myself are high..lol!

All I can say is that when I write...it comes from deep in there....I think after a couple of decades not writing it broke loose from in there.

I'll be by more often...I actually see something in this writer :)

Aug 05, 2007 04:06 PM

Kathy McGraw

CELLing Realty - White Water, CA

Riverside County CA Real Estate

Celeste (Sally)-

AH ha...the truth comes out; you DO have high expectations of yourself. Good, that means you will never become complacent, and continue to strive to be the best that you can be. Everyone in your path benefits........(now I'm included too, thanks)

As to writing.......the best anyone can do is to write from within themselves...to write what we know or feel. I love to write, and I used to try Mark Twain's strategy of keeping a notebook by the bed....for those million and one thoughts that run through my mind....didn't work though :)

Thanks for the comments....I'll be looking for you, and tell Randy hi for me....:)

Aug 05, 2007 04:29 PM

"The Lovely Wife" (Broker Bryantnulls Wife) The One And Only TLW.

President-Tutas Towne Realty, Inc. - Kissimmee, FL

Okay...

I'll play.

My expectations when I write and post on my Blog are exactly as you stated in the first paragraph of this Blog post.

If someone can laugh, learn or be inspired by something I have shared then my job is done :)

TLW...ROAR!

Aug 06, 2007 09:54 AM

Kathy McGraw

CELLing Realty - White Water, CA

Riverside County CA Real Estate

TLW-

I am glad you decided to "play".......now to your expectations on your Posts. It seems you accomplish those expectations very well. I have laughed, reflected, and learned from not only your Post, but the comments they generate as well.

MY expectations here weren't met Only 13 comments in 2 days......so guess I better learn how to follow the first paragraph, and learn Titles....at least that's what I think, but heck what do I know...... :)