Here is a basic primer for Newcomers to Active Rain (with special recognition to the members of the Mile High Chapter of WCR!)
As you participate in the network, you receive points for your contributions. The various ways you get points are:
- Filling out your bio
- Add a detailed description about your business and what you do.
(You will see later this description shows up under your Name on your Active Rain Blog.) - Add more information about whatever you wish in two more sections (be sure to modify the title to fit your needs)
- If you have nice testimonials from customers, be sure to add them also
- Uploading your photo to Active Rain
Once you are done filling out the site, Hit "SAVE". (In fact, every time you fill something out hit the "save" button.) Don't worry about being perfect the first time, or even filling everything out at once. The beauty of the system is that you can come back whenever you wish and change or add more material. It's not permanent!
- Add a detailed description about your business and what you do.
- Recruiting other members
- Writing blogs
- Commenting on blogs
- Bonus points for getting your blogs noticed outside the community
- Bonus points for writing a really good blog (like this one J )
What are points used for?
If you visit your Primary Market , you will note the members are ranked according to their points. Since the Network is relatively new, it is fairly easy to achieve good ranking on the system. All you need to do is participate on a consistent basis and invite all your industry friends.
What's the point?
The point for many is not about points, but about promoting yourself online:
- your profile is indexed on Google (fill your service area into the "keywords" box)
- when you blog about topics near and dear to you, they too will be indexed by Google
- You will meet many new friends in the industry to learn from, share with and network
How and where do I blog?
- From "My Home" you will see a "My Blog" link in the left column, click on it.
- In the box "New Blog Entry", click on that. A new window will pop up, this is where you prepare your blog.
- Start with a title, then enter your main thoughts in the "entry" box. Finish using "Tags"
- Be sure to properly identify the content of your blog
- For real estate professionals only?
- For consumers
- Regional
- Advertising
- Other advertising
It is important to list your blog in the proper category. Mislabeling a blog means it might not get noticed, or worse yet flamed! Another hint that could save you time and heartache, since it is very easy to lose your hard written work before it is published online, try writing your blog in MS Word, notepad or the fabulous new online wordprocessor called Writely. Thinking online is best when you can save your work as you go. IF the system burbs, you lose your work, so take my advice and write elsewhere, then "cut and paste" your blog content onto the Active Rain Blog.
Publishing Your Blog to the World
Once your writing is complete (after you spell check it of course!) you just click on the "Post Blog Entry" button...off it goes! In a few seconds you will see the results (as will everyone else) online. Now there are a couple of things to remember;
- If after you publish it, you need to correct it, don't worry, just click on "edit" and fix it, remembering to "Post Blog Entry" again.
- Realize this blog is on your personal blog space at Active Rain, BUT IT IS ALSO on the main collection of blogs too .
- Relax
What about Comments?
After your blog is online for awhile, you may notice on your "My Home" page some links indicating others have 
made a comment. Follow the link to see what the comments are. If you have something to add, you too can make a comment. This is how good discussions begin and keep going. Getting lots of comments is a good thing!
As you hang out here on Active Rain, you will find the benefits are enormous, the more you give, the more you will get. Hope you find this outline helpful...and by the way (BTW)
Welcome to Active Rain!
Colorado Licensed Broker
ABR - Accredited Buyer Representative
CIPS - Certified International Property Specialist
CRS - Certified Residential Specialist
The Berkshire Group Realtors
3801 E. Florida Ave. Suite 400 Denver, Colorado, 80210 USA |
Mobile: 303-589-2022
Fax: 303-953-5362
kristal@tbgdenver.com
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Selling Denver and the 'burbs                 | ||
Broker Associate, ABR, CRS, GRI, ePRO, PMN, PNG
The Berkshire Group, REALTORS
3801 E. Florida Ave., Suite 400
Denver, Colorado 80210
720-279-4599 ~ direct 303-953-5362 ~ fax
Selling Colorado Since 1984, Serving the Following Areas:
Very cool info and great detail. Thanks for breaking it down for us newbies.
Pete Willner
Broker Direct Real Estatewww.petewill.com
Great blog, Kristal!
If I might add to the instructions - something I initially forgot about - is to make sure the profile conforms to the laws we must abide by. For instance, adding our broker's logo, the Equal Housing symbol, the NAR Realtor symbol, etc. The Profile should be viewed the same as our regular web site since it available to the public.
Point 2 to add is caution in replying to other's blogs. At first, I forgot to check to see if they were public or members only. I later went back and deleted my comments because I thought the original blog was a bit too controversial and I didn't want my name associated with it since it was a public blog.
Hey Kristal! You forgot to teach them how to crop their profile pic so it looks really cool and artsy!
You are the AR bomb!
Rich Jacobson, www.KitsapLife.com
(oh yummy, cantaloupe this time!)
NOW she's telling the truth... the day Maureen F and I started on Active Rain...I had been a member a couple of weeks but did not have a clue what to do...I invited Maureen Francis and she jumped right in... anyway... I think it was a Friday evening and Kristal was trying to tell us the points could be used for shoes at Nordstroms...
Sara is right, Kristal is the AR Welcome Wagon lady..
Great information. Thanks Kristal.
I joined this amazing site yesterday thanks to a link provided by Bryant Tutas on a different message board. Your Blog says it all. Well done.
Oh, my, I never knew that Maureen McCabe was as clueless about AR as I was when she invited me to join. Then there was that comment about how the points could be used for shoes. I kinda believed it for a while.
Ms. KK, get that email server fixed. I just had another one bounce back!
MF MM was clueless for like 90 seconds! I did enjoy the shoe thing.
My gmail had over 45,000 spams. gummed up the system. I deleted them maybe now it will work...who knows. I just love spam. (not) 45,000 in 30 days - do the math, spammers die.
MF wrote: "Oh, my, I never knew that Maureen McCabe was as clueless about AR as I was when she invited me to join. Then there was that comment about how the points could be used for shoes."
I signed up when Jim Lee sent me the invite but I don't think I added a profile until the day I started inviting, Bonnie, Leanne (hold out for weeks) you,
Ann Cummings and Eileen Landau wrote me emails asking about associating on AR in the interim ... huh? I did not have a clue.
A Getting Started with Active Rain prompt would have been nice...
Shoes for points would have been nice...
MM What size do you wear? Maybe I have some for you... :)
Really AR is so different than anything we have ever seen. Getting used to it was fun. I explored and tried all sorts of things. In the beginning it was very different than it is now. The blog dumping was pretty bad. But it got curtailed and now things are better.
There just aren't enough hours in the day to do it all.
Just the same, clueless or not, I'm glad you are here!
kk
MM What size do you wear? Maybe I have some for you... :)
Really AR is so different than anything we have ever seen. Getting used to it was fun. I explored and tried all sorts of things. In the beginning it was very different than it is now. The blog dumping was pretty bad. But it got curtailed and now things are better.
There just aren't enough hours in the day to do it all.
Just the same, clueless or not, I'm glad you are here!
kk
William...you are only a newbie for so long...you might as well join in the fun, we need you and your input.
Let's blog!
kk
We are brand new to the notion of blogging and are learning quite a bit from Activerain.com~ thank you!
If one of the reasons to blog is to drive people to your website should we focus our energy on fixing/improving our website first and THEN start blogging? Our website is very basic right now. OR should we do both simultaneously?
Please advise!
Yes!!! Jackpot!!!.....this is what I have been looking for , Thanks, here I come point system
Mike
This is an old blog but it's still helping those of us trying to join the blog world in 2010. Thanks.
Dave you will be an old experienced blogger tomorrow... you've been blogging since Jan 2009!