Getting Started on ActiveRain -
This is a "what now?" for those of you who just joined ActiveRain, and is also a refresher for those who are long-time members. (And if you are an existing member who thinks this looks familiar, it is! It's been updated to reflect current information.)
So you've just joined ActiveRain and are wondering, what is next? Here are a few suggestions to help you get started.
The ActiveRain Members and Ambassadors wish to welcome you to the ActiveRain community. We know you have limited time to spend on social networking sites. We are glad you've chosen our network as a place to connect with others, grow relationships, support your local neighborhoods and of course grow your business.
As you begin your journey here, there are a few details we'd like to share. This will save you time and give you a better understanding of the 'Rain. We're confident that our site will bring value, benefits and substantial rewards to you and your business.
Getting Set Up:
Complete your profile:
- Hover over your photo on the top right of the page, click "My Home" and then find "My Profile (Edit)" on the left-hand side of the screen. Click the Edit button and then click on the pencil icon for any area you'd like to complete or update. You can do the following:
- Add your photo, in png, jpg or jif format, no bigger than 600x600.
- Add your tagline, URL, Blog title and email address. Your phone number should be added, and you can put it in your blog title, tagline and blog post signature.
- You may then add such bits of information as your service areas, specialties (buyers only? buyers/sellers/commercial?) and languages spoken.
- You can also add a featured video, certifications, awards, skills and testimonials.
Your Statistics
You also have the ability to see how many views, comments, likes and short URL clicks you get for each of your posts. The columns are all sortable. To check out your specific statistics, click on this link.
Your Blogs
Write a blog post! There are a ton of ideas from market reports to neighborhood information to recipes. For more ideas on topics, check out this link. Any idea is good, even one that's been covered before.
Please note in order to get points for your posts, they must be at least 50 words in length. To make the post more legible for readers, it should have plenty of space around paragraphs and be written in at least 18px font size. If your font is too small, it's quite possible potential readers (especially those of us over the age of 60) will just click off and move on to read something that's easier to see.
It is also suggested that you include a featured photo which is required to get featured, and a photo within the body of the post if the post is long enough.
You are also encouraged to write your own content. Please do not use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to write your posts. If you do use AI, it's important that you disclose that information somewhere in your post. Posts should really be from you in your words.
- Regarding points, there are many ways to get points on Active Rain as described in this post. Points are a fun way to motivate members to write more, and they are also useful if you have a Rainmaker account. That is because when you've earned 500K points, your account becomes free.
- If your post is featured, it will be included on the main screen of ActiveRain. Typically, featured posts have information that will be of interest to all members or is unique.
- A Rainmaker account means your posts and comments will be visible to Google and can show up in searches to non-members. This is definitely recommended if you are writing to potential buyers and sellers. There is a fee for this service. A free Rainer account will allow you to post and comment, but the only people who can read your posts will be ActiveRain members.
- You should also set up a Blog Post Signature, which will appear on the bottom of all your posts. Here is a primer by Craig Daniels on how to do that.
Commenting on Posts
ActiveRain is a great way to build relationships with other professionals in the industry. This can lead to amazing friendships, new knowledge and referrals. One of the easiest ways to start making those relationships is to comment on posts you find interesting. If someone comments on your post, you may reply to them on your post or find a post of theirs to comment on. Commenting is easy and a great way to "meet" new people.
A few additional thoughts about commenting on other people's posts. The best comments are those that show you read the post. In other words, cutting and pasting "great post thanks" on twenty posts a day just so maximum points are given is not a great way to start conversations. Also, self-advertising/promoting your business on someone else's post isn't a good strategy either.
Finding Agents
If you are wondering whether other agents or other professionals in your area are participating in ActiveRain, you can take a look at the LeaderBoard which can be sorted by State and County. You may also sort by type of profession. This is also a great place to go if you are looking to make a referral to someone in another area. Check it out!
Other Tips
Participating on our Tuesday Zoom Calls will accelerate your success. ActiveRain hosts calls every Tuesday from 2-3pm EST - click here to join. Various topics are covered, such as real estate markets, blogging, moving a business across country, feng shui, mortgages, inspections, staging, and more. Everyone is welcome! Feel free to call in to see what other members are talking about. Here are some other things to keep in mind if participating.
You can also learn from and join Groups. If you head to the bottom of the page, there is a link to all the ActiveRain Groups. You can select anything that sounds interesting and see what kind of information is posted there. Once you join a group, you can also tag the group in your posts and anyone who is a member can see your post. Here are a few suggestions of Groups that may have information to help members get acclimated: Ask an Ambassador, BananaTUDE, and Crap-Tacular, just to name just a few.
The guiding principles of ActiveRain (our Weltanschauung) can be found here.
ActiveRain typically has a monthly Challenge, which can be found under "Contests" on the bottom of the page. Entering a post into those Challenges can earn you extra points.
If you have any questions, feel free to use the Q&A option on the top of the screen or reach out to any active member or ambassador.
Thank you, welcome, and enjoy your time in ActiveRain!
Information updated on September 27, 2026. Photos from Kat's imagination and AI.
Comments(28)