ActiveRain ActiveBlogs

Will they compete?  Will they compare?  What is the difference between a WordPress Blog by Yahoo, a Blogspot or Blogger Blog by Google, and an ActiveRain Outside Blog?  Is there an advantage to either one? Which is the best for me?  Why would I even care?  A Blog is a Blog is a Blog... right?  Here's one way to find out.

Come join the ActiveRain Staff tomorrow to find out more about the hottest topic spreading around the web right now.  Jon, Bob, Rich and myself are hosting the RAIN Radio show (back from it's dormant state of hibernation) and will be unleashing the fury, tips, secrets, and vision of the NEW ActiveBlogs offered by our very own ActiveRain.

Watch out WordPress, step aside Blogger, new kids are in town.

(WordPress and Blogger have refused to comment...)

Call in to the show, join our chat session live with Elizabeth Nieves, follow along live from your computer, or just miss the show and go on having questions and confusion about Individual and Group Blogs. (just kidding) We'll also record the program and place it in this post later for those who can't make it.

Do us a favor and yourself one too, come find out what it's really all about and ask your questions, share your thoughts, vent your concerns, get answers from those who have them.  You can also leave any comments here that you'd like us to address.  This will be very educational and informative, I sincerely hope you can join us.

This Friday, Jan. 30 - 11:00am PST - 2:00pm EST. 

"RAIN" RADIO LINK                 THE "THUNDER" CHAT ROOM                  THE "LIGHTNING" RSS FEED

The other night I was searching the ActiveRain site for information on how to populate my right column with widgets, links, buttons, photos, etc. I couldn't find the information anywhere, and as you can see from my photo to the left here, my column was plain. It was boring.

There is so much you can put between "Email Me" and the Tags drop down. This post is going to tell you how.

As some of you may know, you can put HTML in that side column to make it really stand out and offer people ways to get in contact with you, follow you on Twitter, etc. It can really turn your profile on socially.

Since I couldn't seem to find a way I threw a tweet out there and quickly got a response.

I found out you simply go to your "My Home" then "Settings" on the left menu. You'll see a box "Blog Description" - this is where you get started.



Now you may be saying great, now I know where to put it, but HOW do I put it there? I don't know HTML, I can't build a widget. If you've known about this area for a while but have not used it because you didn't know how, this post will answer those questions. If you're like me and know HTML but didn't know where to put it, now you know.

So let's get started with some simple HTML.

I'm not going to cover links because there is a links section below this that you can use to list all of your links. I suggest doing this as it allows your readers to visit you on all of your other sites that you appear on.

If you're going to start out your column with a description of your blog, or any other body of text, there are a few tags you can use to make your text really stand out:

(Please note that I have spaces between tags - this is simply so you can view them. Do not use spaces when you use these tags.)

< b > Text < / b > will make your text bold
< i > Text < / i > will make your text italic
< b > < i > Text < / b > < / i > will make your text bold italic
< p > Text < / p > will start a new paragraph.

There are a number of other HTML tags and you can find a full list here: http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_primary.asp

Now that we've gotten that little tutorial out of the way, let's move onto something that doesn't take any learning. Let's show you some widgets you can just copy and paste into your blog.

Recent Visitors

One of my favorites is the "Recent Visitors" widget from MyBlogLog. This keeps track of who has visited your blog and allows your readers to connect with each other. You can see it in my right column. It's black and has photos of people who have read my blog.
 
To get your own simply create a free MyBlogLog account and then visit http://www.mybloglog.com/buzz/widget_grab.php to get a widget for yourself.

Twitter Widget

If you have a Twitter account you can display your updates and a link to your Twitter page using a free widget from Widgetbox. If you don't have a Twitter account you should go sign up for one now and read my other post on Twitter: Social Media in Real Estate - Part 1: Twitter

It's easy to get your own Twitter Widget and it's free!

Badges

All of the popular social media sites (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc) have badges that you can use. They're located in a different area on each site but generally in your "My Account" or "Settings" area. Some are just buttons, but others have information about you, your photo, etc. All link back to your profile on that site. You can see my LinkedIn and Facebook badges in my right column.

Trulia and Zillow also have badges that you can use. Go to your account and you will find badges you can simply copy and paste into your ActiveRain profile.

And much more!

These are only a couple of examples of how you can populate your ActiveRain profile with widgets and badges. There are a number of other sites out there and chances are if you're a member they have something you can put in your profile.

If you have any cool examples of how you filled your right column please leave them in the comments so others can see!

If you're in a hurry, just read the bold text, if you got a second, read this entire post.

No I don't have a lisp and I can spell! It IS a misunderstanding.  These two Internet Browsers are some of the most popular, most used Internet Super-Highway viewers in the world.  I'm not sure the exact number of users, but I can tell you that Google Analytics states this very clearly in their statistical reports.  Too many people do not understand that you can install, run and use both simultaneously.

Internet Explorer seems to have many issues on many sites, as do all the Internet browsers available.  That includes Google Chrome and Flock too.  Each browser has it's own unique settings that allows you to customize it to your liking.  There are a lot of REALTORS® in this Industry that have to use on-line MLS systems that will only work with IE.  They think they can't have Firefox too, or any other browsers.  WRONG!

I'm breaking this "Myth" today!

Saying that you can't have or use both browsers is like saying you can't own a Jaguar and a Rolls Royce.  The difference is that you can't drive a Rolls Royce and a Jaguar at the same time.  With Internet Explorer and Firefox, YOU CAN!  Remember that ALL Internet users have different browsers and use them differently.  Make sure if you are providing content via your Websites and Blogs, that your content looks good in both browsers.

A common issue with these browsers is that one will work better than the other on certain sites.  I have personally found that Mozilla Firefox is more forgiving, faster, and stable than Internet Explorer on most the sites I frequently visit.  This includes ActiveRain.  I also like many of the plug-ins that are available for Firefox, and it works great on my MAC.   My suggestion to you is have and use both.

A great number of people are ONLY using Internet Explorer and in many, if not most cases, are missing out on what FireFox and other browsers have to offer.  My Internet Explorer is running right now while I'm posting this article using Firefox.  They can both be open and running simultaneously.  Each is only a click away.  If you were to see this post in either or both browsers, I think you'll agree that:  1) the myth is broken  2) you should always check your work and content in both browsers.

(I hope this one looks OK in both)

                    Download Newest Version of FireFox          Download Newest Version Internet Explorer       

and then use them both...

It's true.  If you own an iPhone, you can now interact with the ActiveRain Real Estate Network of friends and business partners from anywhere your iPhone browser works.  This is not an iPhone application, it's a browser enhancement from our AR developers. (great job guys)

At 2:00am, we deployed a fix that will now allow you to post, and comment on ActiveRain Blogs using your iPhone.  Members have been waiting for this upgrade and I'm glad to announce it is finally launched.  It's great.  We're also working on an iPhone application that will be custom tailored and made available for ActiveRain members later.

The only things you can't do from the phone right now are create links, add images, and there's no text toolbar for bold text etc.   So now you can create a post from anywhere, make edits, add and delete comments using just the iPhone browser.  (iPhone uses the Safari browser) 

You can email posts to others right from the iPhone using the email graphic icon that's below each post.

10 minutes is all it took to create this using just my thumbs, (haha) it's a new record for an ActiveBrad post. 
We've taken one small step for mankind, one Giant step for Activerain and iPhone.

This was created and posted using the iPhone.  I'll add a picture from my computer later.  I love my iPhone.

Here's 5 Really Important Tips for Outside Blogs

Now that many members have had the chance to setup their own Individual and Outside Group Blogs, and we've had the chance to work out the kinks, I've noticed some common issues that keep popping up as we're setting these up.  I wanted to share them in hopes it would save you some time and frustration.

ONE: 

You do NOT need to go elsewhere to purchase a domain name for your Outside Blogs on ActiveRain.  If you setup your Outside Blog and URL or Domain name through AR, it is a 3-step process and your domain will be up in most cases within minutes.  If you go outside AR to purchase a domain name, you can still use it, but you'll have to point the DNS nameservers and for some, it's a PITA!  (Pain In The @$$) See Jodi's Post

This is the best way right here!

see below: (and yes, you do own the domain name, AR is just hosting it)

Once you click check availability, You'll know if the domain is available or not by what's returned in the box.  If it has a red dash mark, then it's not available, if it has a green check mark, then you can claim it! 
Just click on the "Claim Domain" button and you're done.  Some new domains come up instantly.

  RED = NO  &  GREEN = GO 

TWO: 

Adding your Posts to your Individual and Group Blogs is easy.  You can either create new posts or move existing posts over to your new domain and outside Blog, but you'll need to be in the edit mode, then select the appropriate boxes by placing a check mark in the ones you want to push your post to.  It's Fast!!

SELECTING WHERE TO SEND YOUR BLOG POSTS:

THREE: 

Be sure that you are using the "Topic" feature in Channels when creating ALL Blog posts from now on, this will help index your posts for easy searching on your outside blogs.  Many other Blog formats have "Categories" or "Keywords" on the sidebar that can be searched and viewed by visitors, but your AR Outside Blogs will be searchable by "topics" and "local area posts".  (Raindexing) Make sure you are using "topics" to avoid having to go back and edit posts later. 

You may even want to go back and edit the ones you have.

FOUR: 

Keep ALL your Videos, Photos, and Images under 600W on EVERY POST.  (200-400 is optimal)  This will keep ALL your (AR Blogs, Outside Blogs, & Localism) formatted properly and looking consistent across all three platforms. This is one of the main issues we see repeatedly when setting up outside Blogs. Some members are using photos that are 1024x768 or 800x640 and they will not look right on Localism or Outside Blogs. 

You can see this post at ActiveRainGuide.com to confirm this format works.

FIVE: 

If you want readers to be able to see your FULL SIZE photos, upload them to Flickr.com first, then place the photo in your ActiveRain post at 200w (as shown above), with a link to the full sized photo in Flickr.  This will not only look better on your posts, if readers want to see the full image, they can, but let it be their choice.  An 800w photo or image is just too big, it'll overlap and look weird on Localism and Outside Blogs.

There's your High-Five for this week ~

I am very proud and excited of what our team behind the scenes at AR have produced.  I'm looking forward to showing off some of these Blogs by our members and groups this week, they really do look awesome. :-)

You just joined Active Rain after reading some posts and now you are ready to jump in and start participating in the Active Rain Community.

So you spend time doing research on a post to write, you spend 2 hours writing your first post on your blog, you hit the publish button with sweaty palms nervous about that very first time!

Then you sit there at your computer refreshing your home page to see if you get any comments.

Alas! No one comes! Your post becomes lonely and you wonder why no one appreciated all your hard work, doesn't anyone appreciate what you just went through?

So the question becomes;

What should you do first?

Comment on other member blogs or write more content?

It is like the age old question: what came first the chicken of the egg?

The very first thing to do is set emotions aside and do not take the response personal if you are writing valuable and good content.

The next thing that is very important to remember is that if you are writing content for your local market like market reports, information on the parks in your market, news from your community- those posts are just not going to yield a lot of comments, if any from members on Active Rain. But that should not deter you from writing this local content because the consumers, the sellers and the buyers in your market and from around the world will begin to read your blog eventually.
The consumers very rarely comment on the blogs that they are reading.

• The best way to gauge whether people are reading your blog is to go to your Active Rain statistics page and see your views for different posts.

• I also love to use mybloglog tracking because it gives me great ideas of what to write about based on the clicks and views that I can track there precisely down to the very words they used to find my blog.

• Another cool tool is to use the Clustrmaps to visually see all the people reading your blog from around the world.

Sidebar: We use this as a listing tool and it is very impressive!

Now of course if you are using Active Rain to just post your listings and write ads then don't expect any response from members or consumers.
You are NOT going to be getting any referrals if you use Active Rain and as a Dump Site for your listings.

You make friends who come to your blog and comment by commenting on other their blogs; meaningful comments that add value.
You keep those friends by writing articles that add value to the community, individuals and groups on your blog.

So the answer is that you must do both simultaneously.

What I do is that I comment on blogs in between phone calls, waiting for water to boil, in between activities to get at least 10 comments in per day.
Now when I first started blogging on Active Rain I made 30 to 50 comments most days and I made some of my best friends ever by just doing this.
I have friends that I can call on any time any day to come to my aid and I can depend on them to handle any referral I send their way!

Then since I am a night owl after everything is quiet in my home, my son cuddles up to me and I write the content for my blog.
I write 10 posts per week; 5 for Real Estate, Localism and Community information and 5 for my coaching business, helping the agents here to blog better, work smarter and follow their dreams to become all that they can be. I add a good amount of personal posts for transparency and building the relationship with the consumer and agent.


Do what is comfortable for you. Most of all have fun and enjoy the journey!

What Comes First? The Comment or the Blog Post? by Katerina Gasset is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

By TwitterButtons.com

The ActiveRain Guide is "FINALLY" available but will probably never be completed. (LOL)  It's taken nearly two years for this project to get to this point... let me explain.

When I joined ActiveRain back in February of 2007, there were no manuals, very few tutorials, only about 20,000 members, and I had no idea where to begin or what to do here.  Countless hours and days were spent navigating the site and community in search of a manual, tutorials, and how to get started here.  Help was far and few between back then.  As a newbie here, I remember what I went through, and always had the desire to create a users/members manual.

Now it is nearly two years later, we are 130,000 members strong, tons of changes and additions to the network, and many members have written various posts and how to's on numerous topics as well as specific areas of ActiveRain.  With the help of some of these members, (and the NEW AR Group Blogs), we have created an online "AR Blog Guide" for members.

ActiveRainGuide.com is a resource for everything ActiveRain and then some.  It's was created and designed by our members for our members.  You'll find multiple contributors who have spent many hours creating posts to help you learn, save you time, and show you how to build and grow your business and relationships using Social Media Networking and Marketing on ActiveRain.  These posts used to be scattered everywhere. Not anymore.

Now you can find out things like How to Blog, Import Video, Photos, and Graphics, Setup Listing Router Campaigns, Add widgets, Create Outside Blogs, Create Links, Add Images, Use RSS feeds, embed Google Docs and Forms, Maximize SEO and so much more. You can get tips, tricks, secrets, and techniques on how to do just about anything possible on this ever changing, continuously growing network.

Some of the contributors include Jeff Turner, Jason Crouch, Katerina Gasset, Justin Smith, Mike Mueller, Kristal Kraft, Rich Jacobson, and Jeremy Blanton to name a few.  The hope is that the "Rain" Guide will simply help our new and even our existing resident members.  Especially those that are looking for detailed content on how to get things done in the least amount of time.  You see, you don't have to know everything here, just know those members that do.  :-)

So if you're looking for answers to questions you don't even know that you have yet, stop by, say hi, and see some of the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into some of these tutorials and how-to posts.  It's a growing manual, tutorial, and on-line guide for ActiveRain.  This wouldn't be possible without ALL the contributions from the members I've listed above.  Please try to thank them when you can for ALL their hard work and for their efforts in helping the "Rain" reign, and for Paying It Forward. 

Add To Your Reader  RSS Feed

My personal Avatar is actually a screen shot from a television appearance. 

I was sitting with all the studio lighting in front of a green screen. 

The images behind me were broadcast as blurred on purpose.  It’s a standard TV thing.

Here’s how to do that effect yourself, without TV.

Take any picture and open it up in your favorite image manipulation program. 

Photoshop, Paint.net or Gimp are some of mine.

Now highlight the portion that you want to “pop” (I’m thinking that’s you)

Now Invert your selection .  That means to tell your program to choose everything besides what you’ve highligted.  HINT:  typically “CONTROL + I” will invert your selection.

Go to effects , and find your “Gaussian Blur”.  Play with the setting until you are satisfied with the background blur.

Now Save .  That’s all there is to it.   Want to see it in action?

Here’s Tamara Doris before:

Here’s the same photo with a blurred background:

See the difference?

Here’s picture of me back in 1984:

Here’s the same picture blurred:

My friend Ernie isn’t going to be too happy about my blurring him, but hey, it’s all about me! ; )

Time spent – maybe all of two minutes!

If you want have a little more fun you can also make your background Black and White, or Sepia!

Now go blur out your buddies and make your Avatar or picture POP!

Related articles by Zemanta

• 30+ Exceptional GIMP Tutorials and Resources
• Punch Up a Photo in Under 60 Seconds [Step By Step]
• GIMP Tricks Everyone Should Know

  <------ Experimental new link!  Please give it a try and let me know if this works!  :)

 

---

This post brought to you courtesy of Mike Mueller.
Feel free to ReBlog or ReTweet as you like as long as you credit the source (him).
Did you know?  He's for hire! He builds Blogs, Graphic Images and Widgets and Facebook Pages and besides… He knows lots of really cool stuff.

Hire Mike (925) 456-4567

Sample Facebook Pages: View on Flickr

Sponsored Links: (check these guys out!)

            

Did you know?

How To Create A New ActiveRain Outside Blog for an Individual, Group, or Team.

I'll demonstrate how to set one up from scratch.  Following these steps correctly should have you setup in about 15 minutes including invitations out to your desired contributors.

1) Make sure you are Logged into ActiveRain. 

2) Click on the "My Home" link located at the top of your screen in the upper right corner.

3) Click on the "Outside Blog" link located on the left hand sidebar of your "My Home" page.

4) Next, Click on the "Sign Up" button:

5)  Just Fill out the details in this section below:

Blog Name, Description, Select Theme, Credit Card Info, and Click Create Blog
(If your credit card info is not currently on file, you'll be prompted and need to enter it.)

5) Selecting the "THEME" of your choice from the "Theme Library".  There are some themes that are not branded with a company name: Elements of SEO, Legacy, Blue Days, Black Tie, Easy Going etc.  The Chameleon Theme has CSS Styling Capabilites.  These are available to use if your company theme is not listed.  More company themes and non-branded themes are coming...

Your Team Blog has now been created. 

To start posting to your new Individual or group Blog, just click on the link "Write a Blog Post"

on your "My Home" page and begin writing a new post.  NOTE: Your posts are still created in ActiveRain, but before submitting them, be sure to click on the check box to add them to your OUTSIDE Blog.  You can also add previously written posts by going to a post, select edit, then check the box to add it to your Outside Blog.

You will also receive an email that confirms the creation of your new Blog.  There will be a link to the temporary internal site (ie: 09567de4.ActiveRain.com) Click on this Blog link in your email, and you can now go in and customize your Blog with your own domain name that ActiveRain will host, or you can add a domain name that you have previously purchased. 

(YES, ActiveRain Hosts Domain Names Now)

NOTE: Only enter a domain name in the "DOMAIN" box at the bottom if you already own one.  This would be a name that you have previously purchased and wish to use.  (this can't be a domain where you already have data in use) If you do select an outside existing domain name, you will need to click on the blue link that says "HOW DOES THIS WORK"  This will show you the information you'll need to give to the site where you purchased your domain name.  example: TheRealEstateScoop.com purchased from GoDaddy.com etc.

7) Take a deep breath, you're almost done...

Once you click on the update domain button, you're done, now you're ready to use the toolbar below for additional features, and then it's time to invite other contributers, add listing router, create links, widgets and more.

8) If you chose to Invite other members as contributors to your team/group Blog, click on the "Members" link:  The following screen will appear:  You can add them as Editors, Authors, or just Contributors.  AR Team Blogs and Individual Blogs are the same thing, the only difference is if you wish to have multiple contributors or not.

9) To invite another member to contribute to your Blog, just enter their ActiveRain Profile user name which can be found on their profile page.  It will be up in the URL box or Address bar.  Example: (ActiveBrad)  The member you invite will get a message on their "My Home" page that will look like this:

They can choose to accept or decline your invitation.  If they accept, their photo will be automatically added to the new blog as a frequent contributor, and they'll have the ability to start posting or moving posts over immediately.  To see an example of an Individual Blog setup, check out Bill Gassett's outside Blog at MassRealEstateVoice.com.  Look at how the "RAINdexing" on his site is already working wonders with all his previously written content.  Also, See Bill's Post on Individual Blogs.

To see a group Blog, go to ActiveRainGuide.com or ActiveRainTeam.com to compare a multi-authored Blog.

10) You will be able to modify, edit, make changes, add listing router, create links and more by simply using the toolbar options at the top of your new outside Blog page.  I apologize for this extremely long tutorial post, but these are the steps you'll need to go through to create your NEW ActiveBlogs. 

One of the things this price includes is support from myself and the AR staff and team.  Plus you'll get BIG SEO, RAINdexing, Themes, Wider bandwidth,  Widgets, and the ability to mange your invited contributors.  We're here to help, but if you follow these instructions, you'll probably never need us.  Need more details?  Here's How To Create & Maximize Your Outside Blog.   Here's 5 Ways you could use a group or team Blog.

The ActiveRain Team  &  The ActiveRain Guide

Old school TV.

Growing up, I used to love coming home after school, grab a PBJ and milk, and watch all my favorite afternoon shows on our black & white RCA. One such show was 'Password.' One member of each team was given a word, and they had to try to give clues, using other words, to get the other member to correctly guess the word within a specified time frame.

Here on ActiveRain, the learning curve can seem incredibly HUGE and intimidating at times. People join our community with such a diverse level of knowledge and skill levels. We've tried to leave as many helpful 'clues' as possible to make your experience here less daunting, and more enjoyable.

Earlier this morning, I received the following e-mail:

You've received a contact message from your Contact Form on the ActiveRain network.

Message details:
From: Joan Wickman
Email: jwickman@gmail.com
Subject: Changing Password and E-mail Address (Sent via Activerain)

Writing in frustration... trying to change and
it is difficult finding the subject in the q&a.

Many of us are the 'Early Adaptors' and have readily embraced/immersed ourselves in social media and emerging technologies. But there is an overwhelming majority of potential members out there who aren't as brave or bold (at least when it comes to things related to technology). What seems easy and trivial to us can appear insurmountable and frustrating to others. As such, we need to leave more clues, and make the learning process easier, especially for new members.

Joan, in answer to your question, I offer the following easy steps:

When you log onto ActiveRain, using your user name and password, the system automatically takes you to your 'My Home' page. Over on the left hand side of the page, just below your name, there is a column of links. Go down to the one entitled 'My Profile (Edit).' Take your mouse cursor, and click on the word (Edit). This takes you to the page where you can edit your Profile information.

You will notice just above the first yellow field for your First Name, is the link for 'Change Password.' If you click on this, you can change your password. Make sure to click on the button 'Change Password' when you are done.

The Profile Editing Page allows you to input and update all your business/contact information, identify your primary markets, and create custom sections to showcase you and your business.

Make sure that you click on the 'Save Profile' button before closing out.

One of the primary goals of ActiveRain is to create a community that fully engages the talents and knowledge of our members for the benefit of our industry as a whole. The Staff at ActiveRain is committed to providing an environment that encourages personal/professional growth, and tools that offer significant benefit to your business.

If you're a new member of our community, make sure you spend some time going through our official ActiveRain Starter Kit skillfully put together by our cherished Community Builder, Brad Andersohn.

In addition, we've assembled a great collection of helpful tutorials on a wide range of topics that you can access by simply going to the bottom of any page, and click on the link, 'Help/FAQ'

For more 'Blog Tips for Rain Drips,' go HERE, or join the Blog Tips for Rain Drips GROUP

~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~

Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com