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Benjamin Franklin was a Blogger? Say What?!

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Retired Associate RE Broker

Well he did start the Poor Richard's Almanack, and he was a printer by trade...

It is no secret that I try to get people to stretch beyond their comfort zone and go out into the Internet and discover what is out there.   That is because Laurie Manny pushed me until I did it, and I was so grateful for the challenge.  I wanted to pay it forward.  Now, I go out and read around the Internet, and I do it on a regular basis, it gives me a lot of ideas for my new blog Buffalo Niagara Real Estate & Home Sales. 

The other day I  read a great post What Benjamin Franklin Knew About Social Media over at DaudMiracle that got me to comment and think WOW what a great post!  Thought provoking and timely.  

Quote from Ben FranklinThe author immediately challenged me to what I thought was my favorite and how it applied to blogging.  And I had a quandary all of a sudden.  Which of the many quotes was my favorite?  And more importantly how does it apply to the world of blogging. 

I kept coming back to AR and how so many of these quotes from Benjamin Franklin apply.  So Daude Miracle, I thought about your question, and I had a very difficult time deciding on just one.  So I am sharing three that apply here at AR....

The first one is a a shining example of what has happened here.  "Tell me I forget, Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." 

WOW!  ActiveRain is a perfect example of that in practice.   How many times I have I seen posts tell people about something and it go in one ear and out the other.  The tradition of contests here, gets members involved and in the process everyone learns something from it.Ben Franklin Quote 

Challenge to Rich Jacobson:  Who ran the first contest on ActiveRain outside of the Active Rain Ranks?  Today it is the members that create the contests and run them, but who really started it?  

 

 

The second one is one that I have to keep reminding myself when someone places a negative comment on one of my posts.  "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." 

 

Sound familiar?  Need I say anymore?

 

The last one is an example of the spirit of many members here at ActiveRain "An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest."

 Ben Franklin quote

Well that is certainly true!   Every member here has an investment in their knowledge and growth as a Real Estate professional and as a blogger.   Take it to heart, continue to learn and grow!

Don't forget this is not the only place to learn...   

Benjamin Franklin was a self-made man with middle-class values, an entrepreneurial spirit and a genius for founding quintessentially American organizations such as the volunteer fire department.

 

ActiveRain Members Challenge:   Write a LOCALISM post this week about a local volunteer fire department if you have one in your community.  

 

Comments(37)

Cindy Jones
Integrity Real Estate Group - Woodbridge, VA
Pentagon, Fort Belvoir & Quantico Real Estate News
Thanks for sharing.  I had a negative day, a really negative day this week and I regret it.  So I"m going back to basic attitude training and this was a nice reminder.  Thanks!
Feb 08, 2008 06:35 AM
Paul Silver
Tiverton, RI
Rhode Island full service real estate firm

Ben was a great person, and did not always find himself able to live up to his own wisdom, but he said that he tried very hard, and he got better and better at it...

I think we all should learn that too... aspirations count...

Great Post Colleen! 

Feb 08, 2008 07:28 AM
Wayne B. Pruner
Oregon First - Tigard, OR
Tigard Oregon Homes for Sale, Realtor, GRI
What an original post Colleen. It really is good food for thought. Thanks.
Feb 08, 2008 07:30 AM
Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty
Waves Realty - Melbourne, FL
Florida Space Coast Homes
Ben would likely be a real estate agent...he would have been too smart to go into politics.
Feb 08, 2008 07:30 AM
Tony Grego, 317-663-4173 #1 Trade Association for Alternative Inv
REISA - 317-663-4173 - Indianapolis, IN

Thanks Colleen!

I guess it is true. Nothing is new, just recycled. Great post for a Friday Afternoon.

Happy Selling!
Tony Grego - Indiana Mortgage Broker

Feb 08, 2008 07:30 AM
Kathleen Lordbock
Keller Williams Realty Professionals - Baxter, MN
Keller Williams Realty Professionals

I think Ben Francklin used to be my neighbor, back in the hood.

He really was a deep thinker and innovative in design and ideas.

Feb 08, 2008 07:58 AM
Michael Eisenberg
eXp Realty - Bellingham, WA
Bellingham Real Estate Guy
Ben was one creative fellow, no wonder he was a blogger
Feb 08, 2008 08:42 AM
George Souto
George Souto NMLS #65149 FHA, CHFA, VA Mortgages - Middletown, CT
Your Connecticut Mortgage Expert

Colleen, all three are excellent quotes, and the first and third one are representative of what AR represents, but unfortunately we do run into a little more of number two than we would like to see :)

Feb 08, 2008 09:12 AM
Ann Cummings
RE/MAX Shoreline - NH and Maine - Portsmouth, NH
Portsmouth NH Real Estate Preferrable Agent

Hi Colleen - I LOVE this post, and those sayings you highlighted here are really good ones.  Here's one good old Ben's that I like:

"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of."

The first one you wrote above is so true - "involve me and I learn", and I do.

This post really does deserve the gold star you got for it - AWESOME post!
Ann

Feb 08, 2008 09:58 AM
Norma Toering Broker for Palos Verdes and Beach Cities
Charlemagne International Properties - Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Palos Verdes Luxury Homes in L.A.
Colleen - Thanks to you and Ben for offering up some wisdom and inspiration.  His quotes are timeless.
Feb 08, 2008 12:22 PM
Christy Powers
Keller Williams Coastal Area Partners - Pooler, GA
Pooler, Savannah Real Estate Agent

 Those were three awesome quotes. It's so true that they do apply to us, Active Rain, and just about anything. 

Feb 08, 2008 01:14 PM
Steve Scheer
Realty Oasis - Metro Brokers - Highlands Ranch, CO
Highlands Ranch Real Estate - Denver Real Estate
Collee, Its nice to see you back.  I was wondering where you had gone.  I enjoyed the Franklin quotes, keep the great ideas coming.  
Feb 08, 2008 01:31 PM
Gary Bolen
McCall Realty - South Lake Tahoe, CA
CRS - Lake Tahoe Real Estate Information

Excellent work here dusting off old Ben, Colleen. He's always one of our favorites. Him and Tom, the guy who wrote it. Ben also had a bit of a monopoly on printing our money at first. He did that for a while. And PR Almanac was what, in just about every household that was literate? The guy was amazing, and we need bushels of those like him now.

Like the learn quote best of the three,

best 

Feb 08, 2008 02:05 PM
John Novak
Keller Williams Realty The Marketplace - Las Vegas, NV
Henderson, Las Vegas and Summerlin Real Estate
In a way, Ben was also the first person to be 'wired' with that whole flying a kite during a thunderstorm thing! Was it Maureen Francis who ran the first contest?
Feb 08, 2008 03:04 PM
Dick Betts
TOUCHSTONE REAL ESTATE - The Villages, FL
REALTOR® The Villages, Florida
Very, very nice post.  Love what you have done with your graphics.  Congrats on being a featured post.
Feb 08, 2008 04:35 PM
Colleen Irwin
Retired - Irondequoit, NY
Creative Real Estate Solutions...

Hi everyone!  Sorry I haven't gotten back to you all...   Thaks so much for all that you shared!   I really appreaciate the feature too!   Thanks guys!

John -- I thought it was Mark Flanders with his series, but per haps Maureen did.  I think Maureen did the first Blog Tour....

Feb 09, 2008 03:49 AM
Terry & Bonnie Westbrook
Westbrook Realty Broker-Owner - Grand Rapids, MI
Westbrook Realty - Grand Rapids Forest Hills MI Re
I try to read every chance I get and recently completed a book I tried to get through 3 or 4 time and not only did I learn something but a sense of accomplishment along with the education. Thanks for the blog and the wisdom.
Feb 10, 2008 03:50 AM
Donna Paul
Keller Williams Realty Gold Coast - Dix Hills, NY
Long Island Home Specialist,All About Real Estate
Great quotes.... Colleen ... I love your post
Feb 10, 2008 10:03 AM
Barbara-Jo Roberts Berberi, MA, PSA, TRC - Greater Clearwater Florida Residential Real Estate Professional
Charles Rutenberg Realty - Clearwater, FL
Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Clearwater, Safety Harbor
Old Ben had his fingers into just about everything -
Feb 12, 2008 12:34 AM
Todd Clark - Retired
eXp Realty LLC - Tigard, OR
Principle Broker Oregon

I never thought about old Benjamin being a blogger, but in his time you were right! He wrote little articles just as we do today on the net. I wonder what others in history that we can come up with that were also ahead of their time.

Feb 14, 2008 05:04 PM