BTW -

Feel free to use this post to share your ideas and questions.  I know myself and other AR staff will frequent the comments here, and we are anxious to hear your responses.  I always value and appreciate the voice of the community both in and out of the rain.

Brad - Yeah!  That's all I really wanted to say!   (http://mikemueller.activerain.com/)
 

I am so excited!  Can I host it on my own website?

I was going to ask my husband to the movies tonite - he is now off the hook!

Mike - short and sweet! Love it!  Can't wait to see what you do with your new diggs, I mean Blog!!  :-)

Virginia - yes you can. You can use your existing domain name and url if you like.  Let me know if you need help with that.  There are some instructions in this post, but you know I'm here if you need.  Like many others here, I  have been waiting for this day for a long time. This is very exciting!!

PS. Take in the movie w/hubby, this will be here when you get back, I promise!!

Brad,  You know I love it and appreciate being one of the few that was allowed to beta test it.  I really like to look of it very much and can't wait to see what the SEO shows. 

Brad,

This is wonderful, but can I print out these instructions...As you know...I'm not very computer savy...and what will take a knowledgeable person will take me atleast an hour...

Let me know...thank's...

very very cool, thank you Brad

Brad - Im gonna jump and in and take this puppy for a spin.....

Congratuation for the release ! Checking it out right now.

-- Zoltan

Wow! And I just Discovered ActiveRain, and now MORE! Does it get any better?

A new toy - great!  Will go check it out over the holiday weekend, when I will have some time to concentrate.  Thanks.

Brad... you guys are the BEST!  Another great tool from an outstanding team.  Thanks!

who let the blogs out?

Brad!!! This is great!  It sounds very easy and do-able.  Do you have to have your domain name hosted somewhere or is it hosted here?  (do I know what I'm asking -- maybe not!)

Can you change themes midstream?

I'll have so many questions when I go through, but this looks good!  Thanks!

Saaaaaaaaaaaa....

Weet :)

The dots are for Jesse :)

TLW...ROAR!

Whoop Whoop!! Well totally cool - since Top Chef is over I have nothing on the schedule this pm - woo hoo going to buy another domain and off I go!!! I have been really waiting for this! Looks way cool!!!

I think this is great.  I am really excited about being able to use our own domain.  I just need to understand how this works.  Is this a seperate blog that is just linked to our AR blog?  Is this duplicate content on all 3 blogs?  I want to know more.....

Brad - Thank you this I have to get my webguy/hubby to check out. This looks real cool will it pick up all are old posts or just new ones?

OMG I am so excited I think I am going to FAINT!

That's great news. Congratulations AR. I have no doubt that these outside blogs will be a huge success (like everything else you guys do).

I'm off to check them out.

Thanks Brad for the thorough set-up steps. Your "how to's" are invaluable.

Ciao!

Hi Brad...ActiveRain continues to make us all so happy!  You folks are wonderful!

This has solved my problem.  I was beginning to feel torn in so many different directions trying to write in too many places.  My favorite spot is right here!

Thank you all.

Kathleen

Wow, Brad!  Active Rain just keeps getting better and better.

Here are a few questions:  When people search and find something you've written, will both blogs come up in Google?

Is there any reason you can think to make one different from the other?

What if I already have an outside blog set up, can I point the AR outside blog thing to it?  Like blogger? Is it better to have an AR outside one?

Thanks!

Brad -- Can you have multiple pages with different headings for other info?

Brad,

Every post I read of yours is so full of information, where do you find the time to make all these blogs?

Great stuff, I really enjoy reading when you post. But sometimes I find myself getting a little jealous.

Robert Swetz

Looks cool..can't wait to try it.

Do the Outside Blogs support trackbacks and pingbacks?

Outstanding news!

Very interesting.

You're the best!!

That was quick and easy:

http://internetmarketing.activerain.com/

A few quick observations.

1. Looks like some funky things happened to the css. hyperlinks are wierd: underlined on mouseover (reversed)....

2. Images are compressed....

I am going to play some more.... :D

Brad, this is pretty awesome!  I will now have something to keep me busy for the next few days of my vacation!

Well done, Brad!  Yours is certainly prettier than mine! *mumble mumble*

Awsome!  'Can't wait to have some "down" time to read this and try it!

Brad, this is great. I saw that it was coming, and now it's here.

yaayy!!   I can't wait till I get back from my date to set mine up :)

parked.. waiting to see how they look, act and feel. :-)

Brad dude, thank you for the great news.  My question is about the possibility of shooting myself in the Internet foot with my blogs.  I have a blog on blogger (Sequim & Port Angeles Blogspot), but that has serious SEO issues with blog title vs. the post title, which blogger has not been able to solve and which the many snipets of html hacker's code out there in various versions has not adequately solved for the beta version of blogger.  So I had to migrate to my own domain version of WordPress (Sequim & Port Angeles Real Estate Blog), which I can optimize in a number of ways.  I have a blog on ActiveRain, too, and many posts on Localism.  All good.  And I have a couple of great websites (Exhibit A and Exhibit B), and an older website on real estate law (Exhibit C).  I also have many articles syndicated online which have been published on the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, and Nielson, and I have articles in eZineArticles.com as well as the Seattle PI RE Blog, and many other places.  The question I have is about the unsubstantiated rumors that search engines don't like duplication.  I duplicate some, but would I hurt myself by creating an outside ActiveRain blog now on another one of my domain names?  I'm a huge content provider, love to write, so writing fresh articles is not a problem, but if I can simply duplicate articles without killing myself in the search engine rankings, I will do it.  Should I create my AR outside blog?  Or would that be over doing it?  I know this might be a debatable issue among experts around the SEO world, since Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft keep their algorithms locked inside giant safes deep within the earth, but I am confident my good friend, Brad, knows the precise answer to my humble question. 

Brad, Do you have ESP or what? I was just asking my husband at dinner where I should set up an outside blog! After reading the comments, will it hurt me to have a duplicate of what I already do on Active Rain? I'm fairly new to blogging and I am VERY technically challenged (well, getting better, thanks to Makeover2takeover). Any reason to not have a duplicate? Thanks in advance! I'm SO excited!

Congratulations, it sounds like it will really enhance the current Active Rain

ActiveRain keeps getting better and better.

Thanks.

How do I register my website domain url with AR - or is that a new domain name - I don't get it!

Looks great! I'll check it out.

Brad - My webguy/hubby asks why the blog width is less than the active rain blog he formats my listing stuff for me and says it does not fit the currebt format which is different than AR blogs

So all the comments IN Active Rain on the post will automatically appear on "the Outside Blog"?  Do I have that right?  Can you turn that feature off so your AR blog has AR comments and your Outside Blog has it's own comments, hopefully from consumers moreso than AR does now?

Hello Brad and thank you! I knew lots of good stuff would happen when you boarded the Rain Train. I am off to set up.

Just pulled this off my Twitter feed.  Great job by Active Rain!  Also, great tutorial Brad to make this easy to follow.  Definitely bookmarkable...is that a word? :)

Brad, thank you. that's great news.  I'm fairly new @ AR and even 'newer' at blogging, and my website hasn't had any action, because it's all a bit overwhelming doing so much in so many different places.  This will definitely make it easier.  My blog on my website might finally see some action. :)  Thank you again (I haven't a clue what to do next, so I may have to ask for your help - but I will try first).

FYI:  I got my first AR lead (almost a signed client) TODAY!! :)  Thank you, AR!!

This is great stuff! Looks cool. Can't wait to try it.

This must be hot off the press Brad.  The interfaces that Activerain has created makes it easy for novices to get going and blogging.  I find that many agents in my office are intimidated and don't know where to begin.  This is an easy way to make since of blogging in general.

Looks interesting. Are there any new features in the outside blogs that aren't present in AR and Localism?

Awesome news! I have to come back and read it again and ask questions later. Thanks AR

we are just in the final decisions on starting our outside blog what great timing

Wonderful!

The more blogs and exposure that each member has, the better.  All of the blogs and comments work together for good PR and SEO.

Thanks Active Rain!!

Sally

RE Coach, Social Networking Coach, Social Media Coach

www.drsallywitt.com

Love it!  I am having a problem uploading my header though - getting a page error.  Any thoughts?

Hi Brad,

Thank you for sending the email notifying me of your new blogs for AR users. I have a couple of questions that I am hoping you could answer:

1. Are the blogs we can create SEO optimized? If so, can you tell me how?
2. Where are the blog posts first posted? (ex. Active Rain & then our personal blog?) The reason I ask is because I would like to know which website is getting "credit" with the search engines since I am assuming duplicate content will be an issue for the other sites the posts are syndicated too. I'm guessing that the blog will be hosted on your end, so this would mean that AR would get the credit for the posts....is this correct?
3. If I create a new blog & use my existing domain name does it automatically overwite my existing blog I already have on our website? I would want to test this blog first to see if I like it better than the one I currently have, but I don't want to lose what I've already done if I don't like this one as much. I am new to this blogging stuff & someone else set-up the blog on our website for us, so I'm not sure how that all works but just know I don't want to take the chance of losing it.
4. Is there any possiblilty that I would lose my existing page rank on our current blog by replacing it with yours?
5. Can we still add any plug-ins that we want on your blog?
6. Are we able to view stats with your blog?

Sorry for all the questions, but your blog looks interesting and I wouldn't mine trying it. I just don't want to "shoot myself in the foot" by switching. Sorry in advance if these questions seem stupid...I'm still learning about blogging.  :)

God Bless You!  I love it!  I've been waiting for this, and yes even suggested the private lable!  I will start mentioning this in my seminars!

Brad,

It's telling me the "header info" is not available...I'm doing the "head shot" not the long one...forget what it's called...the rest is wonderful!

It does cut off my link's on the right side of the page though.

Also, I wasn't able to email you either???

Brad.. I'm not a IT person, and anything like this just blows my mind.  I will try this, but don't be surprised if I need assistance.  Can't wait to try it though.. which is half the battle of this "old school" person.

Hi Brad,
I'll be back when I have more time to work on this.  EXCITING!

Wow, thanks, mucho gracious, it doesn't cost anything?

Why not?

How you guys feeding your families?

Brad, great news, great announcement.  When I have some time, I'll get started on this new adventure.

Wow another great feature to get noticed.  Now how does that work for google juice.  The same article going to three different sources.  Won't that weaken the "juice"?

Brad, What an exciting day! I know the release of this product has been a long time coming, but I believe that we took some extra time and made it right.

I also wanted to let everyone know that the entire ActiveRain team is fervently watching the comments on this post and we will be doing our best to keep up with any questions or any errors that are reported.

The enthusiasm I am seeing in the comments on this post is incredibly inspirational for everyone on our team; thank you all so much for your support!

Ok - just got back from the email console, only to see that some Funny AR employee went and featured this!  lol! 

So as the launch rolls out, please take a deep breath, we will work through any issues or challenges, and I will be responding to any and ALL questions here.  We will also have others from our team adding posts and comments. 

I'm sure there are other members creating posts right now on how to do many of these things some of you are asking here. I will also be busy creating tutorials and followup posts and videos for you as well.  Thanks for your enthusiam and excitement, your patience and support is what will make these the premier Outside Blogs to be a part of.

Hi everyone,

Even I can do it!!! It took me a little longer and I did have one issue...but it's not that hard...that is...if you click on the link's to upload...and the allow you to...

Other than that...it look's absolutely fantastic...K

Wow, what a great option for people!  Can't wait to set up my own outside blog!  I absolutely love the fact that I can post it on here and get it to the outside blog!  You guys rock!

Brad:  I wondered what that little block was for... of course, I went right ahead and checked it without knowing.  Duh!  I'll have to set one up.  Thanks for the information.

Brad, your site ROCKS!  I have much to learn.  Thanks for posting this.

Today June 25th, 2008 is a day that will go down in History. 

Two years ago this month, AR was launched.  Look where we have come in just 2 short years.  At 4:08pm today, I was given the green light by Jonathan to launch the word that Outside Blogs are now available.

Man that was exciting!!

ActiveRain is the first and only Blogging Network that I am aware of, that offers TRIPLE exposure from a single Blogging platform.  It's a day that will most certainly be remebered as another bold step forward for the better of our community!!  :-)

How awesome is that.  Thank you Brad, thank you A/R.  I had just been exploring outside platforms yesterday and had made the decision to add another blog to my repertoire.  You are making it easy for me to do that.

Has it been two years already? I remember when there we NO blogs. None, zip, nada. All you did basically was invite people.

Brad, I put a post up on GeekEstateBlog. When you get a chance, it be great to get some comment. (I suspect you are maybe just a tad busy?)

@Brad, Jon, Rich, etc... one word... Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!

Very cool. Thanks Brad.  I will set it up later in the week.

All the best!

Brad - Won't the search engines penalize me for duplicate content?  Otherwise it sounds way cool and very easy.

Brad- Thank you, I am going to try to set it up right now- you are the best!

I'm speechless.  All I can say is yeeeeehaaaaa!

Wow! Too Cool!! Great "how to" post .... I'll let you know tomorrow if I can figure it out! LOL!!  Seriously, you've done a fantastic job with this project (and I'm sure many more new things coming) since you joined the AR team!  Not only can you make this stuff work, but you can explain it so that the rest of us can get it, too!!!

Brad - Kathy asked me to play with this a little so I have both on her profile and on my own. Since this is the beta version I assume (and we all know what that does but here goes anyhow) that you are open to suggestions.

1/ I use html code to format Kathy's listing presentations on AR and the outside blog format does not show the whole thing I wondered if the post width could be the same as on AR or is it another issue

2/ I noticed that the pictures on Kathy's blog are resized in the outside blog is this on purpose or will they eventually be the same as in her blog

3/ If I chose to include my title information in my picture can the space for the title be removed

Sorry for the links but I figured this post will be full of questions suggestions and congratulations  and the links would make it easier for you to see what I was refering to.

How great!  This is forcing me to jump head first into blogging...I tell all my businesses to do it..looks like I have to walk the walk to the next level!

Wonderful news!  Mine is up!

What a great opportunity! I had a feed to my website of my active rain blog but this will be so much better!

I can't delete the header graphic, to put another one in? Help!!

Congrats Active Rain for a job well done!

Brad, you are AWESOME!  Thanks for all you do with AR!

Brad I think this is great!

Great day for you guys.  Congrats... should have held off one more day... for my birthday.  Of course, a year ago would have been good... before I sunk a year into my WP blog.  But I am happy with that...

THIS IS AWESOME!!!!!! I'm having trouble with getting the picture on the "attach Rabbit" to upload the small picture. I keep getting an error on the page, BUT I'LL KEEP WORKING ON IT....This is great.

Quick update if you want to setup your own domain or use an existing URL that you currently own:

For people to get the most value out of their Outside Blogs they should consider setting them up on a separate domain.

Basic Instructions:

Outside Blogs allow you to host a blog with a pre-existing custom domain name like "www.example.com". This can be tricky to set up, and is only recommended for advanced users. We will do our best to support members, but our staff isn't able to support many of the issues that may crop up when setting up a domain name. So please consult someone who sets up websites for help if you've never done this before.

First, you'll need to buy a domain from a registrar like GoDaddy, pairNIC, or Register. This usually costs between $8-$40/year.  Then you'll need to follow the registrars instructions to point your nameservers at ns1.agentspaces.com and ns2.agentspaces.com. ActiveRain Name Servers: Once you've done this, you may need to wait up to 72 hours (although frequently less) for the change to take effect. If the domain is set up properly, you should see the Outside Blog home page when you visit your domain. Almost done!

Now log in to ActiveRain.com, and (from My Home) go to Outside Blogs and enter your domain name in "Use an existing domain name".  Save your settings and hopefully that should do it.

@Lane - Happy Birthday!  (and don't ever regret starting that WP blog...)

Hi Brad! I'm so excited to get started! I decided to just go with the activerain domain. I had considered using my lizette.com that I currently use for my art. It sounded like a lot of hassle that I didn't have the time to look into for now. We can change later? Also I couldn't get the header I created to upload. An error was shown. Is that a bug in the page? So I left that part out. OK...now I'm tired...Zzzzzzz

Brad and AR --- Congrats!  Outside Blogs are nifty! 
Enthusiastically awaiting more themes, and perhaps some options for fonts, styles and sizes.  Loading photos and getting text to display nicely are still in progress. We'll be plugging' away to capitalize on this new feature.  THANKS.

I have my domain name registered with GoDaddy; but have my web hosting done by another provider and therefore have my nameserver records set to point to my web hoster.  Does that mean that I can not make my AR outside blog become a true part of my domain?

Off the hook! 

Naturally right after I launched another one ... alas, I am stoked nonetheless.  Thanks to everyone who has been working on this for the past several months. 

sweet ... (the dots are for TLW?)

Question: How come all my vflyers/Postlets/RES flyers are cut off?

Well I'm looking forward to it....think it could be a very good thing

Brad, superb.  I can only image the google juice we'll generate this way!!  thank you much!!

I too am having trouble uploading my header.  Can you post something on it?  Thanks

Juliet  ( I twittered you on this, too!)

I am just drooling!  I had just posted wondering whether I needed to get an outside blog and how hard it would be to update both and this solves it all!  As always, ya'll rock!

Brad,

Great news.

Can't wait to check it out and get it set up.

Thanks for the instructions.

See ya later.

I am also concerned about the duplicate content issue and the fact that AR is going to be seen by Google as the original source and will most likely not cache the outside blog posts if they originate from AR.  So I'm not sure I see the value of even taking the time to create the outside blog unless we're allowed to post unique content directly to the outside blog without having to post first to AR.

Ditto - Very exciting stuff! Thank you for working so hard for all of us!!! Greatly apprecaited.

Great Feature and good work by the development staff!


Add me to the list that would like to hear about the duplicate content issue mentioned above.

The width of the articles are not the same as main AR blog... is that by design?

Pictures are being resized, is that just because of smaller width or by design?


Thank you for your all your efforts in providing this feature.

Couple of additional questions about Tags:

The "tag archives" show ALL tags, including those that only have one occurence, can that be changed to coincide with the regular blog?

Is there any option planned to have choice to turn off "tag archives" and just show "Blog archives"?

Thanks again.

This is amazing!  It was definitely worth the wait!!!

BTW, image borders are showing purple box if containing link...  any way to turn that off?

FINALLY!!!!!.....

We are so THRILLED to be rolling these new features out for our members. We're sorry that it's taken so long, but I know you all will feel it was worth the wait, especially when you see the new Localism. It's HECKA-Sweet!!!

Congrats to all the creative minds and hard work behind the scenes at making the Outside Blogs a reality. These are exciting times for our Community. Hold onto your hats, the best is yet to come!!!

Brad, kudos to The Team, sounds like a great feature.

Love how you explain the process in depth, I haven't figured out how to do the displays as you have with the text over and the arrows, looks so clean and crisp.

This is where it would have been nice to team up with Godaddy when the members have to acquire the domain name, doesn't sound like any contact was ever made.

Now this is a great idea !!!!

that is great I can't wait to get mine setup.  I am going to be working on it this week

OMG!  This is great news!  Going to check it out now. 

Great news -- thanks for sharing! 

Thanks Brad..I did it,called my Blog victoria real estate blog 

I cannot figure our how to load a banner heading, need a short training video here maybe? Seems to generate an error message and nothing happens?

 I also notice large text in a post text gets squashed.

Sounds like a great idea and I hope it is easy too! That is key for me.

This is great.  I already have an outside blog started and I think three is a bit much, but its something to keep in mind.

I no longer have any excuse to wait to get started so off I go. Thanks Brad

Let's get it on...  I'm looking forward to trying it out and seeing how it works compared to other blogging platforms that I use...

Check out my Real Estate SEO blog...  Now to try the ActiveRain outside blogging platform :D

I look forward to taking advantage of this very soon. Thank you, I am sure this has been in the making a long time.

WOW Thank you so much for this excellent easy to follow post!   Off to try it,... I am Stoked!

Katrina Madewell, in Tampa, FL

Brad,
Nice feature, it is always great that AR is doing an effort to get more happy rainers :P btw, very well explanation, good job
Ray Saenz

Thanks for the info!  Can't wait to set mine up!

Melissa Centeno, Porter Ranch, CA 

Keller Williams

Very nice clean layout! Very simple instructions. The only problem I am having is loading the graphic banner. I have tried it in EI and Firefox. I am sure the system is just over loaded and will try later.

One question is the "About Jo" page - how can this be updated? I have photos that are way too large on my profile page where this info is gleaned from so I went and resized them but it doesn't "refresh" on the Outside Blog. The large photos just blend behind text in FF but they cause a huge problem in EI and we know that there are still tons of readers that use EI. So I thought resizing them would fix the problem but the two pages aren't talking to each other.

Just wanted to post this info

there IS a GOD! i have been wrecking my brain with the thought, location, and design of an outside blog for the past week and now i have one...active rain has done it again.   

Ok, I can see I am going to have my work cut out for me here. :-))  I have been reading through and gathering your comments and information and will be responding in the morning.   I need to get some sleep right now...it's been quite an exciting day for us.

I am very excited to get such a great response, we are thrilled to have launched this today, and appreciate all your enthusiasm and support!  Good night...   :-)

I'll be right back!!!! Gotta comment on a few and will follow your instructions...been waiting for this!

Brad this network is amazing and now even more better!!  Keep it rocking!!!! WOW!

Thanks,

Tom Davis

World Class Delaware Realtor

Thanks Brad, this is great. Scott is the teckie one in our family and he is checking it out right now on his computer. Thanks!

I had to bookmark this. I need to come back to this. This is a great idea though. I love the idea of being able to post to all 3.

Thanks Brad and AR Team,

I like this alot, pretty cool.

Although I am being techno-dumb or an iDot (modern idiot) and can not get the header graphic to load or the title and graphic spacing to be right.

If you get a chance visit http://alanlangstone.activerain.com and tell me what I'm doing wrong.

Brad

I don't know if someone already mentioned this but the vflyer I posted on one my listings is cut off, there is no scrollbar on the bottom to see all of it. The listings I posted without the vflyer are fine. Overall though it is awesome. I'm waiting for my domain to clear so I can point it there.

WOW -- this is sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetttttttttttttttt.  Kind of makes my brain hurt  =-- still trying to figure out the meta tag, header stuff..... oh my -- but I can't wait -- now to decide which domain name to use for this blog -- I only have about 60! 

I am so glad I found active rain months ago ---- determined to be #1 in my community for online go to person and place.

One note on uploading custom header I am getting an error ...  When I click to upload header image at:

The word is AWESOME! I love it!

Brad, this is exciting....love new stuff. Will definitely bookmark this post AND check it out!! Thanks...

Jon, Matt, Brad, Bob, Nicole~ Way to go....I know we have been waiting for this....now when are you going to answer all these questions ...?  I am going to wait till I see the answers, and you fix the few bugs....saves me some frustration LOL :):)

My Question: Does it have a working spellcheck :)

Very cool, Brad. Such exciting news. Lots of questions, though, so hope these will get answered. My biggest concern right now is the duplicate content. Many thankis to all who got us to this point.!

Jeff

Hi again, Brad - I was so excited, went to GD and bought 5 new domains (on sale-couldn't resist) cause I don't know how to add it to my website.  My webmaster (daughter) is moving and her computer is packed.

But now I don't know what to do with it/them.  I am going to wait for the how to for the technically-impaired.

Really looking forward to it!

Brad, I am excited about this and also waiting for answers to some questions already posted, particularly duplicate posting issues which people seem to disagree on.

Gotta bookmark this and come back over when have time to read thoroughly and digest and figure out how to make it work. Thanks for sharing.

UPLOADING A CUSTOM HEADER:

I see this is one of the most common questions and wanted to get this answered before I head off to sleep.

When uploading your headers or customized banners and images, the size should be 742W x 105H.  If your file is any other size, it will not line up like you want.  The space for the banner is 742 x 105.  (The current says 760 x 105, it's wrong and is being corrected)

For those of you who don't have photo editing software on your computer, not to worry, you can upload any image (make sure it's yours) to picnik.com.  There you can crop, add text, resize (by pixels) and save to your desktop as a .jpg file.  These will upload nicely to your Blogs.  They have some other pretty cool tools you can use for FREE as well.

I know there are other programs and ways to resize photos and images, this will work well until you find the tools and programs that work best for you.

I just tried uploading banners on two members blogs, and they worked great in both Internet Explorer and Firefox. I'll be Back in the morning...   

                                                                                                                                                                              goodnight!  :-)

Great news from you and great (numerous) responses.  I am looking forward to the duplicate content discussions. 

Jim Crawford - I get the same error in IE but not in firefox

 One note on uploading custom header I am getting an error ...  When I click to upload header image at:

 Recommended header image size is 760 x 105  ( upload )

This will really simplify my life. I'm just curious as most others are as well, about the SEO. This is going to be great, I'm looking forward to getting started..

Well, now - this just MAKES my morning!  This is fantastic news and I can't wait to get started!  Thanks so much for the great instruction, too (as always!)!

That is great news.  I am looking forward to getting up and running.

Woooo flippin hoooooo!  I'd be stupid to not get one.  Momma didn't raise no fool. =)

I'm there.  Thanks for the great news Brad.

WoW! Just in time for me, just trying to set up a blog on my site. Hopefully, this will do it.

Thanks,

Jerry Calvin

Brad,

Wonderful news...as always, AR's timing is perfect......I am going to go "do the dance" - something you do not want to see but should hear about.......

Thank you for the information. I will bookmark this and try it later. I wish I could print it but if I try to print I will get many pages of comments along with it.

You made it look easy...now. the REAL test....if I can do it, anyone can ! Toooo many times even on AR, people assume you know to do this, press that, oh not....we are not all techni geniuses !

Great deal here. Now just to figure out how to get it on my web site will be the trick for me. Can I also send it to my wordpress?

I like mine, I wasn't able to get the upload button to work for the header last night - just got an error message. http://capecoral.activerain.com/ Also still waiting on my domain to show up. This is cool!

Brad:  You guys have DONE IT AGAIN!  I knew there was something big brewing due to all the chatter about a new, improved AR, but I never expected this!  Such a great idea.  I will get started on this project in the next few days!  Thanks again for all you do!  Steve

Brad - This looks great.  I'm adding to my to-do list - that and getting a domain name.  Looks easy to follow.... 

Love it! Love it! Love it! I have to say that ActiveRain is the best resource for agents to have in education, networking and taking business to the next level! Congrats on this release! I can't wait to get this set up on my own domain today!

Great job guys!!!! I know you have worked very hard on puuting these outside blogs together. I'm sure this is an excitring day for you. I guess I have something else to play with this weekend. Very cool!!!

If I wanted to import content from another blog, is there a way to do that?

BRAD - This is an unexpected surprise.  Thank you for bringing us all the good news.  I have a couple of questions, but I'll call you about them.  Talk to you soon.

Gita, highlight the parts you want to print ONLY.

Go to file> print? print selection.

Then only what you want will print.

Brad, thought I'd help you deal with one less question.

Brad,this is great and I can't wait to work on it. Reading everyone's comments and questions reminded me of how much I still have to learn. I know you'll have your hands full explaining everything today - when you wake up! Hopefullly your answers to their questions will keep me from asking things. Thank you as always!

I am so glad that this is the first post I saw this  morning as I was enjoying my steaming cup of hot coffee (with cream of course) at 5:30 AM Texas time.  Got right to work on it.    Still need to update pictures and work on the URL thing but I am on board!  Thanks Brad!

Brad - LOVE IT!!!  I just set mine up.  The about me page on most of the ones I checked out is pretty messed up though.  The links and photos are all on top of one another.  I'm sure it will get worked out.

Thanks so much.

Hi Brad

 Sounds exciting - the outside blog

But I have read and heard so much about NOT posting the same post on different blogs, and that search engines do not like it etc. . .

Do you have any thought son that?

Anne Hensel

Brad.  The header graphic editor isn't working.   It doesn't appear to be active.  It says "Upload" but then there is a notice "error on page".

Great news, Brad. Thanks for the heads up and the step by step!

Brad; excellent work.  A great opportunity for all us "challenged" techies.

Quick Note: having the same issue as Lenn regarding the Upload, getting error on page.

Quick Question: will comments made on your "outside" blog appear within the ActiveRain community?

I see some subdomain sites going....

anyone got an example of a custom domain working?

Brad, Thanks for the announcement.  Another great feature and just one more reason to drop the umbrella and step into the rain.

Brad, You are the BEST at writing instructions.  This looks great!

Brad, you guys rock! Not only do you continue to help grow our business, you give us the tools and walk us through the process. I can't thank you enough.

I don't have time to read the entire post, but this line made me LOL: "Here's your chance to update that picture from 7 years ago. lol~"  In my defense, my picture is only 5 years old:-)  This is great news.

Brad: GREAT job!   I am working on mine--having a little trouble getting a pic' loaded, though.  I don't give up easily, though.

My photo is from 2000 and there will be no more.

Brad - When I do the heading it's not working.  I have set up my outside blogs and it look great.  I agree with Maureen about the "About me" page it show everything on the bottom.  I love it!  It great to see how active rain is doing.  Thank you for showing me how to set it up the outside blogs. 

Wow, that's alot of information to take in.  I think I'll just go over and try it out for myself.  Thanks.

Wow, that's alot of information to take in.  I think I'll just go over and try it out for myself.  Thanks.

Thanks Brad....I think I got it! Is there a way to change the background? Or font size? This is great..you made it easy.

PERFECT TIMING!  Now I don't have to learn Wordpress!  So glad I didn't start the process elsewhere!

Brad, Why will the codes for the font colors not save?  They keep going back to the default.  The defaults are, no offense, ugly!  I can't get the codes to stick, please HELP!!

I can't get the color editor to work either.

Hi Brad,

This is exciting, I'm looking forward to getting started. Thank you so much!!!!:)

Lenn, I'm glad I'm not the only one... now, if only I could get my photoshop to make sense so I can create a header... It looks like I'm going to have to send images to someone to create it for me...

The concept is great and everyone sounds very enthusiastic about it, but it sounds like there are still a lot of bugs causing people a lot of headaches: things not displaying right, images being cut off or compressed, header problems, etc. Plus, the duplicate content issue is still going to be the number one obstacle to efficient utilization of this platform, IMHO. I'll be looking forward to the dicussion of how that will be handled, and I think I'll continue to monitor other people's progress and the correction of the above mentioned bugs before taking the plunge into AROB.

Thanks, Brad.  I just stumbled up on this feature and then your overview.  I think fate is directing me to setting the whole thing up!

Brad, I just put together our outside blog...and its wonderful!!! Except for one thing...when I try to add a HEADER (either a banner or the 64X64 pic)...it tells me that there is an error on the page in the lower left had corner...no upload box comes up and nothing else happens.  Got any suggestions?

This is great news as there definitely is effort to manage two or three different sites. I look forward to setting this up and keep on blogging. You guys are awesome!

I think the only mistake that was made here, and we all know Brad is not one to over look any of the fine details, but there is one word missing in the announcement....

BETA

Things always have a way of working themselves out so if you are having issues, I am sure the programmers at ActiveRain would just like you to offer up a brief explanation of what the issue is and I am sure there will be the fix coming very soon.

Considering the massive amount of programming that must have been necessary to allow you to simply press a button and have any and all posts you ever wrote immediately posted to an outside blog a few minor bugs on launch day, is nothing.

Regardless, this is another great opportunity for all ActiveRain Members.

I know more often then not people will just take the time to criticize or complain.  I wanted to take this opportunity of saying "job well done"

Brad,

Just wanted to let everyone know that my Active Rain account has allowed past clients to find me, which is great because they've remembered my name and Active Rain always posts high in google rankings! This new tool for Blogging for Real Estate sound like it will be a big step in future success for every blogger out there!!

Thanks so much for all your hard work! And free! Who can beat that.

Thank you for all of this information!  Especially the www.picnik.com tip .... that is awesome!

This is a great new feature on an already great site!

I didn't even notice!  Thanks Active Brad for taking the time.  I'm setting it up today!

Brad!!! This is great! It sounds very easy and do-able. Do you have to have your domain name hosted somewhere or is it hosted here? (do I know what I'm asking -- maybe not!) Can you change themes midstream? I'll have so many questions when I go through, but this looks good! Thanks!

Elaine - Your domain name is hosted at AR ie: ElaineHanson.ActiveRain.com.  You can also use or purchase an outside domain name and point it there.  As far as templates, you can change midstream, just be sure you save it before switching to the other.  More will be available at some point once we get past the launching stage.

Brad, This is just too exciting. When Active Rain announced the idea of launching an outside blog, I purchased a bunch of domain names from GoDaddy. So glad to see that I am able to use one of these domains. Now which one?!!!

Brad, this is great information. I have three separate blogs. i love the idea of all under one roof. I truly love AR. Thanks for the constant improvement.

Header/Banner Upload Announcement: 

The header/banner upload is getting an error when using Internet Explorer.  It works fine using Mozilla FireFox.  This has been reported to the programmers and is being looked into.  Thanks.

I tried this before reading your post. I am hung up on the domain name ( I already own my own domain name). They are requesting the server and the IPS. Active Rain gave me the server but not the IPS, any suggestions?

This is such a great idea!   You can bet that I'll be setting myself up for this.

Brad- I created my outside blog and used a domain that I own. It works great but now my hosted email no longer works. GoDaddy told me I'll have to have activerain point my mx record back to them... so I'll be contacting ActiveRain for that.... so it's a little "heads up" for those who want to use a hosted domain. Can AR create a handy link for inputting in the email change into the setup?

We have a Blog on our website.  Can we add that Blog to the outside Blog?  If yes, how?

This sounds like my Saturday morning chore while drinking my morning coffee.  Hopefully Chuck's concern will be addressed by then concerning the MX record.  Very good explanation in your blog posting.

I like the way you are using our existing data to populate the outside blogs for articles, "about" pages, etc. -- for a "write once - display many times" approach.

Minor issue report: I have break lines "<hr>" in my profile that are forcing any text after it to display at bottom of page (with big gape of white space proceeding).  (Width is set as a %.)  Do I have to make any changes or will this be corrected?

Congrats, Active Dudes! This looks fantastic!

Good Morning, Brad!  Just wanted to say I hope you were able to get some rest and are feeling great this morning.  This will be overwhelming for a while, but so exciting at the same time. 

I'm sure patience and gratitude are the virtues we all need to bring forward right now.

Don't forget to take a break sometime today!

Thank You, Thank You...

Best thing to come along...  I can wait to be done with my prospecting and back on AR...

We'll be blogging tonight!

Great News for fellow bloggers.

Bill

This is great. 

I gotta be careful to have my Title not be too long, or it runs into the header image...

Ok, I don't quite get it, how is this different than the blog I have on Activerain. It is still on the activerain subdomain right. Maybe I am just misunderstanding it's use. How would I apply this other blog, and how is is usable. Can't you just create another user on AR and is there any points related to the outside AR blog. How is it outside? There I asked all the questions for the newbies and myself?

Brad, this is great news. Thanks for the tutorial. I am going to set up my outside blog later on today or tomorrow. Thanks again.

this is great news!  Thank you very much Brad!  I am on it!

Sweet I'm in!  I'll be setting this up tonight!

I wish I had time to put this together today!   I wanted to start a more local blog and now it will be super easy. 

Brad, this was definitely worth the wait!!!  AR is going above and beyond!

Question... I purchased a domain on google changed the DNS servers and forwarded the new domain name to the AR domain name - www.irina4realestate.activerain.com The domain forward is not working.  Should the domain be forwarded on godady or should I have just left the new domain unforwarded?

Please advise when you have a chance.  THANKS!!!

Hi Brad, This is really great!! When I went to add a header graphic and clicked browse, its giving me -error on page and nothing happens. Just wondering if you are aware of it or not?

David

Looks like this is really generating a lot of buzz. I'm hoping the AR Team has enough manpower available to answer all of the support and how-to issues and still be able to break away for a 4th of July BBQ! 

Brad Im sold!!!  Im sure you already know all of us are very excited about this and what really entices me is that we can syndicate our current AR blogs to this outside blog.  This will definitely save me the headaches and hassle from always copying and pasting my AR blogs to wordpress.  Kudos!!

Brad:

This is so AWESOME!!! Thanks AR for providing such a wonderful service!!

Hi Brad - Just took a look at how my content converts to the 'outside' blog. Images are only 60% of their AR size which makes several graphs too small to read. HTML tables that look fine in AR have wraps on the outside that distorts the layout. In order for these to post seamlessly from one to the other, we need the post formatting to be consistent.

I have more than one income stream (several), and was thinking of setting up outside blogs for each.  Can I set up more than one outside blog within this system, or would I have to open another AR Account for that?

If this has already been answered, I apologize in advance. We have a custom site and we have our AR blog on there. But when someone goes to the blog from our site, it's like going into all of AR. So, with this outside blog, will our blog page be the only thing they see and have access to? And if so...do I copy and paste the URL for the outside blog and put that into our site??

BTW...thanks for all you do!

Hi Brad..I know it will be a while before you can get to this question so I "marked " my comment so I could find it!

I am dying to try this and I have a domain but it is tied to my website on Point2. So if I use that will it screw up  my website? I am a total stupe on this stuff even though I do muddle through....stubborn I guess!

The world is my oyster!  I was just thinking about starting a fresh blog and really actually doing something with it and here you are offering me one on a silver platter.  I don't mean to be self-centered but I am sure this all happened because I sent the thought out into the Universe :)  And you probably thought that it happened because of your dedication, great team of active rain folks, hard work and talents that are way beyond my small scope, nope, its all me. 

I have been thinking about an outside blog so now it looks like the time do take some action.  Thanks for the information, it is very exciting -- and you blog looks great!

Brad, this is awesome. I just created mine. I can't figure out though how to add or change the "my links" section.

I don't see any place to change it in "settings", or in the option to edit my profile. Also, I was trying to add a custom banner but the upload window will not pop up when I click it. That is probably just a temporary error but I do want to change the links around. Any help is appreciated. Thank you for informing all of us!

I still can't get my 'inside blog' personalized the way I want (even though I've spent hours on it).  How the heck am I going to do an 'outside blog' too?  I tell you I'm techNO savvy!

The header upload issue with Internet Explorer is being looked at by our programmers, we should have it corrected shortly.  It appears to be working fine when uploading using the Firefox browser.

Brad, thanks for this great information. So much to digest. I will print it out and look at it all. I appreciate all the work you put into this article.

Brad ~  Congratulations on this new launch (and your being able to announce it)!  I will be integrating this technology into my business right away.  :-)

• Our tech team and programmers are reading your comments and are working on a few of the issues mentioned repeatedly.  A post regarding the SEO structure and logic will be released later today, this will help explain duplicate content and SEO. A link will also be included in this post.
• We are suggesting for Optimum SEO on your Outside Blogs, you should consider purchasing a domain name. (about 8-10 bucks a year) The top three providers are GoDaddy.com, NetSol.com and Dotster.com. We will do a post later showing how to set that up with each provider. More details.
• ActiveRain does not provide or register domain names, though it was considered at one point.
• The Header Upload bug using IE is being fixed, it does work with Firefox, The Proper header size is 742x105 NOT 760x105
• If you are using HTML code and larger images on your AR Blog, they may not appear the same on your outside Blog.  It is difficult to try and manage all the html code being used on some AR Blogs.  (myself included) This may require some adjustments by individual users. This is being looked into. Possibly creating an additional wider template may resolve some of these issues.
  
  I'll be responding to comments here through-out the day and evening. Thanks for all your enthusiam, excitement and support of this launch.  Your patience and help getting this up and running is phenominal!  Thank you so much!  This is a huge step forward for the AR Community.  :-)

Brad, great job.  I already have an outside blog with RSS Pieces but will watch as these progress with great interest...especially their SEO!

This is a great tutorial.  I will be printing this to get myself up and running.  (Just like the comment above) Thanks for the help!

Hi, Bard,

This is great!  And it's nice to get started so quickly without too much to think about.  I started creating my outside blog, but I'm having problems with uploading photos other than the main one. Nothing happens when I click on the Upload button, and then I notice in the bottom left side a "Page Erro" message.  Seems to be some kind of JavaScript issue.  Any suggestions?  Thanks.

~Ninah

Thanks for talking to me....I'll figure it out yet...got the yahoo to go to wordpress and then I have to figure out the format I'm supposed to upload it to????

Just wait...I'll figure it out ..... :)

I think this is great. I am really excited about being able to use our own domain. I just need to understand how this works. Is this a seperate blog that is just linked to our AR blog? Is this duplicate content on all 3 blogs? I want to know more.....

Ian - The Subdomain Blog (yourname.activerain.com) is a seperate Blog linked to your AR Blog.  You choose what posts and content you want to send there.  It is only a subdomain, and though it may get SEO, we suggest you purchase a domain name to represent your outside blogs.  Take full advantage of the SEO you can't get in a subdomain URL. 

If you duplicate on 3 blogs, it won't hurt your G Juice, but only one blog will get the (master blog status) and SEO.  That's my understanding, though I have been wrong once in the past...but only once! lol~ 

I hope this makes sense and helps!  :-)

Aloha Sally - I have all the faith in the world in you, and I know you'll get er done!  When you do, let me know so we can show you off, and show others how you did it.  I may not get to creating that post today, so I sure do appreciate your help.  It was great finally getting to talk to you on the phone today.  See ya in a couple months. 

Kathy - it will pick up all your posts or you can select individually which ones you want it to pick up.  See section #11 in this post, it will show you the links in the screen shot.  Enjoy, and have fun. Looking forward to seeing all these new outside blogs and designs.  I'll be featuring some of them later in a post....

Wow, Brad! Active Rain just keeps getting better and better. Here are a few questions: When people search and find something you've written, will both blogs come up in Google? Is there any reason you can think to make one different from the other? What if I already have an outside blog set up, can I point the AR outside blog thing to it? Like blogger? Is it better to have an AR outside one? Thanks!

Mary Anne - Most likely google will pick up your AR Blog before a subdomain blog. If you have an outside blog using your own domain name, the goal is to have google pick up that one.  Watch for the post coming out later that will break down the details of SEO and all the logistics of how that techy part of it will all work. You'll be very happy, I'm sure!

You can point to your other websites or Blogs, but if you already have one that is working and successful, I wouldn't change it.  You may want to have one local/community blog, one AR Blog for different Real Estate stuff, and then Localism for community events and updates etc.  The possibilities are endless.  To say which is better would be hard because of the difference in content.  :-)

Brad -- Can you have multiple pages with different headings for other info?

Elaine - The subdomain blogs only have 2 parts right now.  Your Blog and your Profile.  Each can have different Title's, headers, pictures, descriptions etc.  This is just the launch, I'm certain there will be upgrades and enhancements in the near future, so keep ideas and suggestions coming, we are all ears.  :-)

Hi Brad- I see the message that your support people are reading the comments. I already submitted some specifics there but thought it might be good to make a note in this section as well.

1. If someone purchases a domain from GoDaddy they will also receive a free email account.
2. Pointing the domain's name server to those provided by ActiveRain should do the trick for getting the domain to show the ActiveRain blog.
3. With the nameserver change the domain's email will no longer function until ActiveRain sets the mx record to the (former) domain host's mail server location.
4. For GoDaddy- the mx record for email that AR would need to set is:
   

smtp.secureserver.net

mailstore1.secureserver.net

I hope this helps to create the fix for those who would like their email to have the same domain address as the AR outside blog.

By the way... I love the look of the AR outside blog and hope everyone gives it a try. It's remarkably easy and very well done.

This is FANTASTIC! YIPPEE! :)

Having an outside blog is great!! Thank you AR for this FREE added feature and Brad for the easy to do instructions.  Thanks also for the heads up on the "Header Uploading"  problem.  Good things come to those who wait.  :)

Too many comments to keep up with here, Brad, so forgive me if this has been asked and answered.  How do we edit the sidebar to add widgets and such?  Thanks in advance.

Having difficulty with the header upload using IE as well.  Nothing happens when I click that link.  Wondering if it is the same issue I have been having recently with uploading images to my primary blog.

Ok Bradley...just went and bought my own domain Name from Godaddy...check it out shortly hopefully!  www.myrtlebeachhomesblog.com

Here's a great post from Google regarding Duplicate Content on Blogs:
http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/search/label/crawling%20and%20indexing

You should also check out Bob Stewarts post "Duplicate Contents on Outside Blogs" 

Great, I'll sign up for mine tonight.  Thanks for the tips on setting up.

According to our dearest Matt, and I quote, "There are a lot of misconceptions about duplicate content and duplicate content "penalties". It's really just in the search engines best interest to only include one copy of a piece of content and to make the determination which copy to include."

Here are two great articles that explain it in more detail:

http://www.vanessafoxnude.com/2008/05/14/ranking-as-the-original-source-for-content-you-syndicate/

http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2008/06/duplicate-content-due-to-scrapers.html

Um... I'm not seeming to be able to get the header pictures to upload no matter which version I select.  It says Error on page at the bottom of my browser.

What'm I doing wrong?

Thanks!

Brad,

Well, there it is. I think it's a great addition to ActiveRain whether one starts using the outside blog or not. AR can now be considered a big leaguer, for sure.

Brad, thank you for the good news! This is great. Can't wait to set it up. Thank you very much for the instructions. I'm sure they will be very helpful.

Boy.. I can't imagine your email inbox.  Here's one more...

Thanks for another excellent tip post.  I saw the new link and was wondering if I had somehow missed it all this time. 

Not really.  Take care..

Thanks for the info.  Im really excited!!  Its the simple things in life! LOL

Brad- This is really something! I was finally deciding whether to start an outside blog or not. You did a wonderful job on this post making it easy, a great tutorial. It is bookmarked. Another thing to do on my to do list. Right when I start writing my ebook on short sales:) .

Brad, I am lost and on vacation...if I don't get this figured out in the next few days, I am gonna be calling either you or Bob!

Here is what is happening on my domain I regstered(and have pointing to the proper DNS settings as described in other article)

Anyone else running into this with their own domain name purchased?

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600] (C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp. C:\Documents and Settings\cbartels>ping indianapolisrealestatehouses.com Pinging indianapolisrealestatehouses.com [72.32.234.17] with 32 bytes of data: Reply from 72.3.129.129: TTL expired in transit. Reply from 72.3.129.129: TTL expired in transit. Reply from 72.3.129.129: TTL expired in transit. Reply from 72.3.129.129: TTL expired in transit. Ping statistics for 72.32.234.17: Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss), Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds: Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms C:\Documents and Settings\cbartels>

72.3.129.129 is from rackspace.com, same company that activerain has their domain registered through.., so I know my DNS has propogated out properly, but still not able to view my outside blog?

Is there (or is there GOING to be) a way to edit the html so as to make the outside blog match an outside website?

Katerina - this really is setup and perfect for members like you.  As you know, some members here have outside blogs already because we didn't have the ability to offer them in the past.  So some members went out and started their own on Wordpress or Blogger etc.  They are two diffent blogging systems that would have to be learned.

Why not stick with one ya know and are comfortable with?  I think it's genious!  For you, it's perfect, you won't invest additional time learning an entirely new platform, and you'll get to continue growing with us in the rain.  :-)) 

I would get a domain name so you can maximize the benefits of these outside blogs.  See Bob's link in this post.  #11

Brad, so much information, like always. I will have to come back to swallow this!
Thanks!!

I will have to come back to this definitely.  This is going to be wonderful!!  I have some domain names that I'm not using that would be perfect for this.  I cant wait until i have time to play around with it.

oh boy! oh boy! oh boy!!!!!

Brad you are AWESOME! Thanks for sharing, taking the time to explain all this, and capturing the screens to demo. This was just the help I needed to get started. Very much appreciated.

Great info!  Thanks for sharing!! We will put it to use.

Great info Brad. I guess I have to add this to what I am going to do this weekend. Like my plate wasnt already full. Thanks for the information. Great post.

Brad, This is excellent news!  As a newbie I really appreciate all of the information that I can get.  I can't wait to start working on my outside blogs.  I already own the domain name.  Next is to go through your detailed instructions.  Thank you!

Brad--you are AWESOME--I can't believe I might have missed this, if not for stumbling across the reference in Missy Caulk's blog!  Thank you both!

Brad--you are AWESOME!  I doubt I would have found this, if not for Missy Caulk's post, but either way--THANK YOU both!

Brad,
Hope that this kind of blogs will make it like word press, :) there are many templates for wordpress and users developing free stuff for this kind of blogs :P
Ray Saenz

Brad.....this is soooooooo hot and your are so awesome to share how.  I will be setting mine up tomorrow as I am on the injured list with time to kill.

Very cool Brad!  Thank you for the wonderful tutorial.

Hey Brad ~ You are so darn helpful. I for one am very grateful that people like yourself are a part of this great community.

Oh wow. I just read Bob's post and was a little bit confused. But when put together with yours, now it makes sense. You guys need to link back and forth on these.

Whew. I have some work cut out for me!

I left my dinner on the counter to test drive my new outside blog. Much to my amazement, the blog was fast and easy. It was so fast that my hot pocket was still warm when I got back to it.

Great stuff. The blog, not the hot pocket.

Jon, Matt, Brad, Bob, Nicole, and all other AR participants - thank you! This appears to be a much simpler way of sharing information between outside blogs and AR.

Again your the man. Thanks for all your insite

Steve

Hurray!  The header upload is working. 

http://lennharley.activerain.com/

The colors still aren't working well, but that's not critical.

ALERT! ALERT!  In the sidebar with the contact info, the "E-MAIL" shows our e-mail address.  That's an open invitation to spammer spiders.  I don't see any place to change the e-mail address for purposes of this web page.  We don't need more spam. 

Also, the DNS isn't resolving to the domain I entered, yet.  It usually only take a few hours.  I changed the name servers for this URL early yesterday a.m.

Looking good. 

I saw a comment by Jason Sardi that fit my thoughts exactly.  I'm in the process of self-teaching to promote my web site. Hopefully I am able to print the instructions so I will be able to set up an Outside Blog.  I haven't been with Active Rain long, but I am impressed. 

Hi Brad,

This is exactly what I have been waiting for.  I did not want to learn/create blogs in two different systems.  As usual. Great information and lots of excitment from your posts.

Thanks so much Brad.  I can not wait to get this started.  IT sounds great.  Thanks so much for your detailed explanation.

Can't wait to make my own outside blog!  This is great!!

Unfortunate that there has been so many "atta a boy" comments (not that they are not warranted) making getting to some of the other much needed technical information a little more difficult.

I am hoping that once a couple of the bugs are fixed and there is enough credible input from known sources resolving some of the DNS / IPS / Email redirect issues another post as helpful as your initial start up guidelines can be created.

Thanks again Brad.

Brad, Thanks for this.  I have to take a day and check it out and see if I can do this.  I will probably be printing out these instructions to use.  Have a great day.

I've tried it and it works great.  However, I was having some trouble with the title text and the header graphic.  It was overlapping, so I decided not to input any title text.

Wow, I take two days off of AR and look what happens!  I am so new to blogging and still trying to teach myself about all this internet "stuff" (juice, tagbacks, etc.).

I will play with it later and see what it does...thanks for the new tool!

ALERT!!! ALERT!!! in addition to the email issue  Lenn Harley, pointed out above Your email address also appears on the bottom of the about ______ page

Wow!  This is a great feature and best of all FREE!  Thanks ActiveRain! I can't wait to try it, I've had two computers down over the last few days...once all that mumbo jumbo is fixed I'll make the changes.  Way Cool!

Cheron Lange

Lots of comments - all positive - still working on it. A work in progress LOL Thanks for the information.

Bonner

EMAIL ALERT UPDATE!! - The email issue is being addressed and reviewed by the tech team. We are aware of it and are taking the necessary steps to get it resolved!  Thanks for pointing this out to us.  Brad :-)

The question I have is about the unsubstantiated rumors that search engines don't like duplication. I duplicate some, but would I hurt myself by creating an outside ActiveRain blog now on another one of my domain names? 

Chuck - Bob just wrote a great post on Duplicate Content. here's a link.  This should answer your question, if not, let me know. :-)

Do the Outside Blogs support trackbacks and pingbacks?

Jay - if you have your own domain name, the outside blogs should support trackbacks and pingbacks, the subdomains most likely will not.  I am confirming this with our tech team now.  Sorry for the delay in getting back to you on this, it's been a crazy couple days with the launch and all.  :-)

IMNJ - the images are smaller on the outside blogs, i noticed that myself.  I'm sure many of these issues will be resolved shortly once we get all the major issues resolved.  You can keep up with these at this post here.

Once the rollout and launch are completed, and major reports are addressed, we will continue to make changes and modifications as necessary. Thanks for being patient and helping us test and address these issues.  Your help is greatly appreciated!

Nick - this is a NO PARKING Zone!  lol~  Just Kidding...be sure to keep feeding the meter my friend, traffic has been busy on these streets lately!  :-)

Brad, Do you have ESP or what? I was just asking my husband at dinner where I should set up an outside blog! After reading the comments, will it hurt me to have a duplicate of what I already do on Active Rain? I'm fairly new to blogging and I am VERY technically challenged (well, getting better, thanks to Makeover2takeover). Any reason to not have a duplicate? Thanks in advance! I'm SO excited!

Elizabeth - glad to see you're as excited as the rest of us.  Here's a post regarding "Duplicate Content" hope that answers your question. Thanks  :-)

This is a great addition to ActiveRain!  I'm looking forward to using it.

How do I register my website domain url with AR - or is that a new domain name - I don't get it! 06/25/2008 07:54 PM by Mesquite NV Real Estate : Mesquite NV Real Estate Blog (Mesquite GMAC Real Estate)

ActiveRain does not register domain names: You can purchase and register domain names at:
GoDaddy.com, NetSol.com or Dotster.com.  They will run you between 10-40 dollars a year.  Thanks. :-)

Here is a suggestion.

Why not create an "Outside Blog" Group and have just a single issue addressed in each blog thread that why we can have a running history of each issue and more importantly you can post the reslove as soon as it is developed.

This way everyone does not have to run thru and single post regarding a half a dozen issues not knowing how far down the number of comments the resolve will finally be posted.

Just a thought.  Maybe not a great one but a thought just the same.

So all the comments IN Active Rain on the post will automatically appear on "the Outside Blog"? Do I have that right? Can you turn that feature off so your AR blog has AR comments and your Outside Blog has it's own comments, hopefully from consumers moreso than AR does now?

Ardell - currently that is correct.  The comments that are populated to the outside Blog come from the AR blog when using the Subdomain names ie:activebrad.activerain.com. 

I like your suggestion about having an on/off switch, not sure of the programming or technical aspect of that, but it's a great idea.  I know these comments are being viewed by staff, let's see if we can't get this one on the list for review.

Thanks Ardell, it's always nice to see and hear from you. :-)

Sorry about that I linked in to the post from an email notification hyperlink, so if you like my Outside Blog Group idea I will take credit for it but if not......who was that guy?

Looks interesting. Are there any new features in the outside blogs that aren't present in AR and Localism?

John - Localism is about to get a face lift, better hold on to your seat!!  There will be more enhancements to the outside blogs once we get through the launch and some of the minor bug issues. New features are always coming, but we are taking one step at a time.  Hang in there John, lots more ahead!

Dear SEO for Blogs - you have some great questions here, I'll do my best to answer:

1. Are the blogs we can create SEO optimized? If so, can you tell me how?
yes, by using an outside domain name, you will get SEO.  Here's a post explaining

2. Where are the blog posts first posted?
Your blogs will be posted on AR, if you read the post above, it will walk you through the steps. A box is checked and that will place the post on your outside blog just as it currently does for groups. 

3. If I create a new blog & use my existing domain name does it automatically overwite my existing blog I already have on our website? 
Yes it will. I suggest getting a different domain name and trying or experimenting with it there first.

4. Is there any possiblilty that I would lose my existing page rank on our current blog by replacing it with yours?
As I said, I wouldn't take that chance until you are absolutely positive.  You'll might want to compare them first

5. Can we still add any plug-ins that we want on your blog?
Plugins. widgets, templates will all be enhancements for the future. Right now we are just in the launch stage.

6. Are we able to view stats with your blog?
I'm sure just like with AR blogs now, there will be numerous ways to track stats and analytics.

Karen - thanks for sharing that, Matt has corrected my email issue on my Blog.  I setup a "share it" widget and it messed up my email link. It is all corrected now.  I appreciate you pointing that out.  There will be a couple little bugs such as these, but only minor.  Once we get out of the BETA stage, there will be more time and room for enhancements and cosmetic logistics.  :-)

Dave Yoeman - there is a post mentioned at the bottom of this one that was created for just that reason:
Here's a link to it.   we welcome your idea and think that it would probably help other members. These comments are too many to sift through to find specific answers. A group is not a bad idea, just not sure who would found and moderate it. 

Thanks for the suggeston, we're hoping that the "Known Issues" post edited and updated will do the trick.  Keep those ideas coming my friend, I always welcome them. :-)

Missy - you can make out your check to Brad Andersohn payable in any amount you choose! lol~  It is pretty hard to imaging that AR can offer this to members for FREE I know, but I am happy we are able to do it.  There was talk of charging a fee early on, but as a team, we decided against it.  There may be other ways to create revenue, but right now, we just want to get this launched. Once out of the Beta mode, we'll see where to go from there.  :-)

Wow another great feature to get noticed. Now how does that work for google juice. The same article going to three different sources. Won't that weaken the "juice"?

Russ - Here ya go. This will help answer your questions about SEO and duplicate content.

Jon - BTW - thanks for stopping in to share some of the excitement here. Congrats are in order for sure.  We're all looking forward to all the great things that are coming down the road.  Thanks for the support and the extra eyes and ears.  Today was a record day in so many ways, thanks again for the vision and leadership of this community. 

You're also a very cool Boss!!  :-))

Jay - I did see your post over at the GEB, and I tried to break away to comment the best I could.  Sorry if I seemed a little scattered when I did so.  We had just launched when I got the google alert that you had posted. Man, you are fast!  I also had a little birdie tell me you were the first one to ever create a post on ActiveRain. Is that true?  WOW! Have we come a long way or what!?!  Thanks Jay, have a great weekend.

BTW - I'm still looking into some of those technical questions and issues.  Once the dust settles, I should be able to get some facts and details.  Thanks for being patient. :-)

Brad - Won't the search engines penalize me for duplicate content? Otherwise it sounds way cool and very easy.

Pam - read this about Duplicate Content. Thanks. :-)

Barrie - those are great suggestions, thanks!  First Alpha, then Beta, then Full speed ahead! lol~  :-)

Hi Brad,

Thanks for your great blog on Outside Blogs!

I followed your directions. 

My domain host (GoDaddy) has successfully changed the nameservers to Active Rain's nameservers you told us to use.

I got www.ActiveRob.com and changed the nameservers to as your excellent instructions on http://activerain.com/action/custom_blogs/how_does_this_work say to do.  I also followed your instructions of how to check the box to enable my domain name and put www.ActiveRob.com in the box.

My problem is that www.ActiveRob.com displays "Page cannot be found".  Does it just take a while for ActiveRain to switch my outside blog over once I enable it?

Anyone's ideas would be appreciated!

Rob

Rob - it could take 24 to 72 hours is what I was told from GoDaddy, but usually within 24 hours he said. Give it some time and see what happens.  Keep me posted. I'd like if you could let me know when it does activate so we can use the information to help others.  I appreciate your help with getting this rolled out smoothly. :-)

GoDaddy has already switched over the nameserver to ns1.agentspaces.com and
ns2.agentspaces.com

Thanks!

Rob

Rob - Thanks!! We are also looking at things on our end to see what might be causing issues if any.  :-))

Missy & Lizette - the header issue should be resolved now.  Let me know if you're still having any issues with it. :-)

I have my domain name registered with GoDaddy; but have my web hosting done by another provider and therefore have my nameserver records set to point to my web hoster. Does that mean that I can not make my AR outside blog become a true part of my domain?

Matthew - it would replace that domain.  I would suggest another domain name unless you want your AR outside blog to replace your existing hosted site.  That's my understanding.  Let me know if you need any help. :-)

This past week I had just linked my website www.solinskyhometeam.com to my active rain blog with the tab Brian's Blog. The concern I had was that anything I wrote would go to the consumer. Now with Outside blog I can still blog with those in the profession on active rain and also blog with consumers! This is a breakthrough that makes me ecstatic. I have been loving Active Rain and now love it even more!

I did it!! Want to make some changes (how do I make the title print smaller it is overlaped by the header?) But will do it later!!

This is so much fun just goes to show ....you're never too old! LOL http://jonimirantz.activerain.com

 (Thanks guys)

I'm just parking here so I can keep in the loop.  Bob's post on Duplicate content was great - cleared up a lot of concerns.

From the first moment I saw this post I wondered: What is the point? I am sorry, but I need some kind of remedial explanation. So:

1) Why is it desirable to have an "outside blog?" What does it do for you, exactly? What are the possibilities?

2) I have two outside blogs now. One is a Word Press blog and one is just attached to a Yahoo web site. How would an AR outside blog be an improvement in SEO (I am assuming that is the point). If it would be an improvement in SEO, would you recommend discontinuing the word press blog and going with the AR blog instead?

3) What are the virtues of having multiple blogs with the same content or some crossover content?

4) I really need a feel for the architecture of AR and an outside blog, etc. As I said, perhaps at a remedial or at least elementary level.

Thanks for creating this opportunity,

Oooh nooo!  one more thing I have to learn: outside blog  huh!  Oh well I'll have to learn that another day-I can barley handle blogging here---how will I find the time for another blog---but I saw that and was wondering how it worked!  I will come back to read your post--promise--there is so much to learn and so little time!  Thanks for sharing.

Brad, all too much for me to put my arms around. I'll wait on the side and watch and learn.

Ok, done Brad. Thanks. I am going to see if I can get it on my domain. I thought I might attempt it myself, but decided against it.

The "outside blogs" are pretty happening!  Easy to use.  Looking forward to getting er done.

I bookmarked this and will take a look.  Not sure how much difference it will make.

It always seems like whenever I get something even mildly techie....folks assume you are bright enough to be able to do/change things and that may not be the case...I cannot adjust the font or size of the typeface in the title and it is a big sloppy mess...can't find anywhere that tells me how to do that either...HELP PLEASE !

Heard the news - Kudos to Active Rain!  This a big help for us all.

The site still isn't working with my domain name http://searchforhomesmdva.com

It works with the subdomain.

http://lennharley.activerain.com/

HURRAY!  My domain http://www.searchforhomesmdva.com

is working. 

I love it when a plan comes together.

Good going, Brad.  Good expertise.

Brad, just an FYI, my domain server is correct. I used the domain servers you gave.

http://AnnArborUndressed.com

It's not fancy yet, I'll work on it later today, but wanted to give you a heads up the domain servers worked. I had the domain through godaddy for several months.

Lenn - Hurray!!  I knew we'd get it working, the behind the scenes guys at AR are the BEST!!  They are never in the spotlight until times like these, and they deserve ALL the credit for making the outside blogs work.
We are still working on the email thing and a couple other small issues, but it looks like the launch is going as planned.

Thanks for coming back and letting me us know it's working now!  Let's Celebrate!! Here's A virtual toast. :-)

Missy - WooHoo!

I think the avatar you are referring to might be the photo? Not sure, but there is a spot to upload your photo, Marti just did a great post on size etc.  If you need any help with it, you know my number, just give me a ring.  When you make changes to your AR posts, it does take a bit of time to update on the outside blog, they are working on that now.  Any updates you make to your outside blog directly will be instant. 

Glad it's working for you now. :-)

@Missy... http://AnnArborUndressed.com  That is such a great domain name!!!

Where do you suggest to get the headline banner in the requested size?

Brad,

You get the big metal for handling this avalanche of email. Here's my contribution...I got my domain at Go Daddy and put the AR info in for the server, but nothing yet. It's Sunday and I did that Friday but it still doesn't load.  Did I read somewhere that this is an AR glitch?

Thanks....

Thanks Brad!

Wow - AR does it again.  This is fun and exciting news and you laid it out so well for everyone.  Thank you for sharing this news!

Hi Brad,

Thanks for getting www.ActiveRob.com working.  However, the title line overwrites the description line.  Any ideas on how to fix that one?

Sorry to keep bringing work to you!

Rob

Brad,

     This is wonderful news.  You guys do to much for us Real Estate Industry people.  But I can assure you I am, for one, very gracious for the ActiveRain community.  This new outside blog is a great addition to everyones web presence that chooses to use it.  Thanks to all of AR.

Mindy and Jay - you can create a custom header, or use an existing one, just make sure you have the right dimensions.  You can use any photo editor to resize to those dimensions. If you don'y have a photo editor, use picnik.com.  It allows you to upload an image, resize it, customize it, add text and more, then save it as an image to your desktop. Then just upload that image to your Blog. It's easy. Let me know if you need help. 

Another option is to contact Marti here in the rain, and see what he might charge to create one for you, he did mine forme, and it was VERY inexpensive.  Here's a link to his profile.

Carol - be patient, in some cases it is taking up to 72 hours, in other cases, it's not.  You can see in the comments above that many outside blogs with personal domain names are working now....let me know when yours is too.  Thanks.  :-)

The outside blogs are looking good.  Easy to setup.  The 2 major things I came across are...

1. Looks like all the styles are embedded within the header rather than a linked style sheet.  This means that the search engine crawlers are going to have to crawl through lines and lines of styles before getting to the content.  The outside blog I setup had 700 lines of style attributes before even getting to the content.  Can you guys place the styles in a style sheet and then link to the style sheet?  This would reduce the 700 lines of style content to 1 and would allow the search engine crawlers to get to the content easier and quicker.

2. Seems like to content of posts is in a fixed width so many of the posts content is getting cut off.

Rob - looks nice, and it's no problem at all.  Your title is simply too long.  Until font sizes in titles are adjustable, the only thing I can suggest is to shorten it. 

"Lawrence Kansas Real Estate Tips to Sell a Home and Buy a Home" is not going to fit.  Maybe in the near future, we will add the option for a couple different sizes, but right now, the Default Title for Blogs is set.  How about just Lawrence Kansas Real Estate Tips for now?  We'll always be growing and improving, change is inevitable in the "rain", and that's a good thing!!   :-)

  FLAGGED for  review:

The outside blogs are looking good. Easy to setup. The 2 major things I came across are...

1. Looks like all the styles are embedded within the header rather than a linked style sheet. This means that the search engine crawlers are going to have to crawl through lines and lines of styles before getting to the content. The outside blog I setup had 700 lines of style attributes before even getting to the content. Can you guys place the styles in a style sheet and then link to the style sheet? This would reduce the 700 lines of style content to 1 and would allow the search engine crawlers to get to the content easier and quicker.

2. Seems like to content of posts is in a fixed width so many of the posts content is getting cut off.

Misty  - now you're talking and quite techy I might add!  lol~  I'm sure the team has already picked up your comment as they are monitoring this post as well. I'll flag it for them just to be sure. I haven't personally looked at the code on the style sheet info, so I don't want to give any false or incorrect information. 

In regards to thewidth of the post, there has been some discussion of creating another template that would allow for he wider and larger content being pushed over to be the same.  We are working through as many of these issues as fast as we can, I assure you there will be more options and enhancements in the very near future.

Thanks Brad!  I have no doubt you guys are on top of it.  Its looking really great and I am sure the outside blogs will become very widely used in the real estate community.

Mine is up & Active Now!  Myrtlebeachhomesblog.com

EUREKA!!

Hey Brad, I know this sounds like I'm stating the obvious, but I just discovered that I had not checked the "enabled" box when I entered my custom domain name for my new outside blog. Maybe I'm not the only one who forgot to do that...which is why some of the domains aren't working. Yea, I know... DUH.  I just did that, loaded a new header, and voila! It's all up and running! Woo hoo!  Your comments would be welcomed for sure....www.brevardncrealestateblog.com.  (Naming this thing is quite another issue!)

Carol

Carol - checking that little "Enable" box does/will make all the difference in the world huh??  lol~ Glad it's all working for you now.  I know that coming up with Domain names for these blogs or any site for that matter can be quite challenging and time consuming.  Just when you come up with the "PERFECT" domain name, you find out it's not available...man, that can get frustrating!!  :-)

Brad, I just need how to delete the one that is there.

Where is the delete button for the wrong picture, it should have been 64x64. Only the corner is showing.

The one I made 64x64 is not going in because the other one is there and no way to delete.

Brad I'm not sure if I sholud get another domain name...the one I have is www.longislandrealproperty.com ..I love the idea of a outside blog.. since it will give me more option on the search engine .....

Please note that I do have a problem with uploading my picture and the header photos... if possible can the size me smaller or show me how to enlarge my photos....

Brad many thanks for making A/R the place to be..... It's great...

great post

Brad;

Your blogs are incredible. The amount of time and effort you put forth is so full of information, thank you.

I didn't know what an outside blog was, I still need to go back and reread your blog, but I have a much better idea.

Thank you for taking the time to educate.

Joyce

Joyce's Interiors

Hey again Brad, I'm finally getting around the checking the links on my Outside blog. The first thing under my name is Keller Williams Realty, but when I click it, it goes to my AR Blog. How can I make that go to my website...or somewhere else beside my AR blog?

thanks...Carol

How awesome is this?! Thank you so much! Brad, you make everything so easy...

I only have one question, do we get points? ;)  (the smiley is for Mariana)

Interesting... How much google juice does the outside blog have? And how does this differentiate from other blogging platforms out there other than it's developed by the cool guys at Active Rain? :)

Cheers,

Cindy

Karen - you can print these instructions, I would just cut and paste the main part of the post into a word document, then print that document, otherwise your printer will go for days printing all these comments! :-)

Claire - there's no way my Blog is prettier than your Blog!  *mumble mumbe*  haha!  :-) 

Pam - there is a link in the post above that covers duplicate content!  The term Penalties are a Myth!  :-)

Question: How come all my vflyers/Postlets/RES flyers are cut off?

Mariana - the posts are cut-off because the HTML you are using from vFlyer, postlts etc. calls for a wider table than the Outside Blogs are setup for.  There is talk of creating a wider 3rd template to possibly resolve that issue.  We have to get through the beginning steps first. Thanks.  :-)

Karen - the header issue has been resolved. You can now upload header images fine.  Just make sure they are 742x105.

Missy - to replace any headers or photos, just use the upload function and it will over-write the old one.  It does take some time to refresh on your outside Blog, they are looking into getting that corrected.  :-)

Jo Soss - I had the same issue with my profile page.  Until we get more templates, I had to resize and move some photos on my profile page so they'd look ok on the new Blog.  That's the work around for now.  :-)

Alan - the title is limited to a "Title" if you overload the title, it will run over the page into your description. You should try to keep your title short and powerful, some are trying to put 25 words in there and that will not work for a title.  :-)

Jim - correct header size is 742x105.

Jeff Dowler - Bob did a great post about duplicate content, there is a link in this post above.  You should also check out the google webmaster Blog, there is so much great info there, I learned more in the last 2 days than I have in the last year.  Check it out, it's a hidden goldmine of information.  :-)

Susie - did you get your duplicate content questions answered here?  The link is in the post above. Item # 11 :-)

Gita - to print posts like these, just copy and paste what you want onto a word document or notepad, and then print.  You won't get all these comments that way! 

Thanks for the heads-up! I'm bookmarking and coming back to this!

Laura - not sure if you can send it to your wordpress, but then why would you want to if it's already up and running on wordpress?  Just not clear on your question or desired result.  :-)

If I wanted to import content from another blog, is there a way to do that?

Maureen - you'd have to cut and paste unless it's coming from your AR console.

Adam - things are starting to settle a bit, call me anytime you need. If I'm on the phone, leave me a message, you know I will call you back. :-) Thanks man!

Anne - you need to read the duplicate content post that's linked in this post above. Look at #11 and you'll find the link there. Then....worry no more.  It's a lot easier when you understand instead of hearing all the rumors that get started about this kinda stuff.  :-)

Dave Yeoman - great question.  I think it will depend if you use a subdomain name or your own personal domain name. Only makes sense to me that a true outside blog probably won't filter back to the AR Blog.  I could be wrong on that, but I will confirm to be sure. 

Tom Burris - we have over 250 outside Blogs setup now on private domains.  I just did a post after this one showing some of them.  Check it out, just click up at the top where the link says ActiveBrads Blog.  Should be right there unless I get crazy and go post something else.  haha...   :-)

Vicki - right now ther is no font adjustment for size or background, but future releases will deal with many of these things I'm sure.  All AR has to do is come review this post for all the ideas and suggestions they'll ever need. :-))

Dave - I Just left a comment on an outside Blog.  The comment did appear on the members AR Blog too, but the difference was that there wasn't a link to my name.  It's the same as if you leaving a comment without being logged it first.  Then I went back to the outside Blog and noticed there is a "AR Login" link just above the comment section.  So yes, the comment does appear on the AR Blog as well. :-)

For those of you setting up an outside blog where you are using your own domain name, here's an important email message that went out to those members who are still waiting for the servers to recognize their blogs.

Brad - I just tried leaving comments on my outside blog.

I logged into AR first (above the comment space on the outside blog).  The comments then do not show up on the outside blog - just the date stamp, but no comments.  they also show as empty comments on the post on my AR blog (just a date stamp). I tried this twice with the same results.

Then I "Logged out" on the outside blog.  Not a problem.  Comments appeared in both places.

So far, no email notification of any of the comments.

wow... I wondered why they had that outside blog box.

Clint - all the upload issues have been corrected. Let me know if you are still having any problems uploading your photo or banner. Thanks.

Dave Yeoman - I just wanted to stop for a sec and say thanks for the kudo's and your most recent comment.  I have been screening this post looking for only questions so I could respond to them all, but also wanted to let you know I am reading every comment here and do appreciate that you took the time to share what you did about the launch of AR's outside blogs.  Thanks for your support and for recognizing how hard the entire AR team is working to make these happen. That was awesome!!  :-)

I tried this before reading your post. I am hung up on the domain name ( I already own my own domain name). They are requesting the server and the IPS. Active Rain gave me the server but not the IPS, any suggestions?

Nancy - all you need are the name servers for your outside domain name. The nameservers are:

ns1.agentspaces.com and
ns2.agentspaces.com

You won't need to enter any ip information, just allow 24 hours for the redirect to take place.

Brad- I created my outside blog and used a domain that I own. It works great but now my hosted email no longer works. GoDaddy told me I'll have to have activerain point my mx record back to them... so I'll be contacting ActiveRain for that.... so it's a little "heads up" for those who want to use a hosted domain. Can AR create a handy link for inputting in the email change into the setup?

Chuck - thanks for pointing this out, I know the support team is aware of this and working on it.  We may have to make a couple changes and add this as an option, or just have it happen automatically on the backend. I'll look into this further and see where we are and what we need to do. Thanks again.  :-)

We have a Blog on our website. Can we add that Blog to the outside Blog? If yes, how?

Pat Simms - not sure how that would work. If you already have a blog on your website, I don't see how you would add that to the outside blogs as they are pushed from your AR Blogs only right now.  I suppose anything is possible, so we'll have to look into this one and see what the possibilities are.

I like the way you are using our existing data to populate the outside blogs for articles, "about" pages, etc. -- for a "write once - display many times" approach. Minor issue report: I have break lines "

" in my profile that are forcing any text after it to display at bottom of page (with big gape of white space proceeding). (Width is set as a %.) Do I have to make any changes or will this be corrected?

Lawrence - this will most likely be addressed and fixed.  We have not added the ability to modify or customize CSS or HTML at this point, but let us get through the launch and some of the other minor issues and then we'll be looking at areas for improvement and future enhancements.  Thanks for pointing this out.  :-)

Good Morning, Brad! Just wanted to say I hope you were able to get some rest and are feeling great this morning. This will be overwhelming for a while, but so exciting at the same time. I'm sure patience and gratitude are the virtues we all need to bring forward right now. Don't forget to take a break sometime today!

Elaine - thank you for your patience and gratitude, and yes, I will finally take a break today!  lol~  :-)

Ok, I don't quite get it, how is this different than the blog I have on Activerain. It is still on the activerain subdomain right. Maybe I am just misunderstanding it's use. How would I apply this other blog, and how is is usable. Can't you just create another user on AR and is there any points related to the outside AR blog. How is it outside? There I asked all the questions for the newbies and myself?

Ross - I'm sure by now that you have read some of the comments, responses and seen other posts that answer this.  The real power here is getting a domain name and directing it to the ns1 and ns2 servers.  The subdomain blogs most likely will not get the SEO that your outside blogs will.  If you have any additional questions or concerns, just contact me and I'll help you with them. Thanks.

Brad, this was definitely worth the wait!!! AR is going above and beyond! Question... I purchased a domain on google changed the DNS servers and forwarded the new domain name to the AR domain name - www.irina4realestate.activerain.com The domain forward is not working. Should the domain be forwarded on godady or should I have just left the new domain unforwarded? Please advise when you have a chance. THANKS!!!

Irina - just go into godaddy, click on custom nameservers, enter in the ns1 and ns2 nameserver ids, then give it 24 hours to kick in.  Make sure to "enable" that domain by checking the enable box on your outside blog setup page.  Also, do not add http or www to the domain name or url, that is done automatically already.
Let me know if that helps, I'll go check out your site now...   :-)

Irina - I just checked out your outside blog at http://montereyhillscarealestate.com, and it looks great. Everything is working fine.  Let me know if you need any help with it from here on out. :-))

Great news!  I'm going to start working on this.  Love blogs and hope it continues to grow

Brad, this is awesome. I just created mine. I can't figure out though how to add or change the "my links" section. I don't see any place to change it in "settings", or in the option to edit my profile. Also, I was trying to add a custom banner but the upload window will not pop up when I click it. That is probably just a temporary error but I do want to change the links around. Any help is appreciated. Thank you for informing all of us!

Christopher - the links are added on your AR Blog.  You will see it on the right side of your blog when logged in. You can add and remove links there.  The photo and header upload issue was fixed on Friday, you should be good to go. Try clearing the cache in your browser if you are still having issues with uploading. LMK. :-)

Hi Brad - Just took a look at how my content converts to the 'outside' blog. Images are only 60% of their AR size which makes several graphs too small to read. HTML tables that look fine in AR have wraps on the outside that distorts the layout. In order for these to post seamlessly from one to the other, we need the post formatting to be consistent.

John Novak - we are looking at possibly creating a wider template to address this. As you know, the AR Customizer does the same thing to some posts.  As far as image reduction on the outside blogs, this is something the programers will have to look into.  I think they have already received a few tickets on that item.  Thanks for pointing that out, we will evolve, I assure you!  Thanks John.  :-)

I have more than one income stream (several), and was thinking of setting up outside blogs for each. Can I set up more than one outside blog within this system, or would I have to open another AR Account for that?

Gregory - you can point any domain name to the ns1 and ns2 servers, but I don't suggest doing that. Your AR Blog will already be showing at the "one" domain name you choose, I wouldn't think you'd want it pointing to more than one domain name.  I wouldn't suggest having more than one AR account either, that can be very difficult and time consuming to manage. When I first joined AR, I tried it and it was a pain in the !@#$%.

If this has already been answered, I apologize in advance. We have a custom site and we have our AR blog on there. But when someone goes to the blog from our site, it's like going into all of AR. So, with this outside blog, will our blog page be the only thing they see and have access to? And if so...do I copy and paste the URL for the outside blog and put that into our site??

Carol - the answer is yes, if they go to your outside Blog, you are the only one they will see. No ads, no other members, no feature board etc.  Just you dear!!  :-)  When we get the RSS fixed, you can just use that to drive folks to your outside Blog.  You can add a link to your website that connects to your outside blog as well.

I am dying to try this and I have a domain but it is tied to my website on Point2. So if I use that will it screw up my website? I am a total stupe on this stuff even though I do muddle through....stubborn I guess!

Joan - if you point your domain to the AR nameservers, it will replace your current site with your Blog.  It does not add it to what you already have on your existing website, it will completely replace it.  Be sure that's what you want to do before you make any changes. Let me know if you need any help with this ok?  :-)

The world is my oyster! I was just thinking about starting a fresh blog and really actually doing something with it and here you are offering me one on a silver platter. I don't mean to be self-centered but I am sure this all happened because I sent the thought out into the Universe :) And you probably thought that it happened because of your dedication, great team of active rain folks, hard work and talents that are way beyond my small scope, nope, its all me.

Beth - you have got to put that book "The Secret" down!  You are just too powerful for the world, but we love it and thank you for causing all this!   lol~  :-)

Chuck - you are a gentleman and a scholar, thanks for researching this and coming back to share it with other members and AR.  While I'm burried with these comments, it's wonderful knowing that members like yourself are out doing all they can to find, support, and share information that helps us all.  You're a good man. Thank you.

Too many comments to keep up with here, Brad, so forgive me if this has been asked and answered. How do we edit the sidebar to add widgets and such? Thanks in advance. Having difficulty with the header upload using IE as well. Nothing happens when I click that link. Wondering if it is the same issue I have been having recently with uploading images to my primary blog.

Hey Paul - the widgets have not been incorporated just yet, we needed to make sure we can walk before we try to run.  The upload issues have all been resolved since your comment, sorry it took me so long to get through all these comments and finally to yours.  This was my first "Out of control" post! lol~ 
If you are still having upload issues, let me know.  Thanks Paul.  :-)

Craig Bartels - if you are still getting that error, let me know, I can walk you through getting that corrected.

Is there (or is there GOING to be) a way to edit the html so as to make the outside blog match an outside website?

Leslie - there is currently not and HTML or CSS editor that is public for editing. There may be in the future, we have to be careful as many members could actually cause more harm and damage if they aren't experienced with writing code.  That's not to say we won't have something like that available in the future. We are still in the beta and launch stage, but evolving ever so quickly.  Hang tight, fasten your seatbelt, and enjoy the ride. There is much more to come, it will only get bigger and better from this point forward. :-)

Ray - we are not at the point Wordpress is with templates etc. but I'm sure there will be some other options available in the near future.  The sky is the limit as to where the 'rain' will come pouring down from next! :-))

I've tried it and it works great. However, I was having some trouble with the title text and the header graphic. It was overlapping, so I decided not to input any title text.

John Yu - just don't use 20 words in your Blog title. lol~  I would not leave it blank, but the nice thing about it being YOUR blog, is that you can do what ever you want and it's ok.  Title, no title, it's all up to you. Enjoy!!  :-)

Here is a suggestion. Why not create an "Outside Blog" Group and have just a single issue addressed in each blog thread that why we can have a running history of each issue and more importantly you can post the reslove as soon as it is developed. This way everyone does not have to run thru and single post regarding a half a dozen issues not knowing how far down the number of comments the resolve will finally be posted. Just a thought. Maybe not a great one but a thought just the same.

An "Outside Blog" group has been created by one of our members Jeremy Blanton.  Way to go Jer!! 

You can join the group and see all that's happening, just search groups for "Outside Blogs" or you can just click here to join.

Dave - Jeremy liked your idea (as did the rest of us) for an outside blog group (even though you were masked when you suggested it) lol, so you should get some kudos and credit for the idea!!  :-))

Hey again Brad, I'm finally getting around the checking the links on my Outside blog. The first thing under my name is Keller Williams Realty, but when I click it, it goes to my AR Blog. How can I make that go to my website...or somewhere else beside my AR blog?

Carol - that may be a bug that has since been corrected. Let me know if your links are all working now, I just tried mine and they all seem to be working ok.  Let me know if you don't mind, thanks.

I only have one question, do we get points? ;) (the smiley is for Mariana)

Rick and Ines - very funny!  Yes you will still get points when posts are generated from your AR Blog, but no points on Outside Blog posts, however comments from logged in members should still allow you to collect comment points.  So was there a point in that question?  lol~  :-)

Hey Brad....I just refreshed my outside blog and nope, when you click Keller Williams, it takes you to my profile page on my AR blog. By the way..The email works, click on Brevard, NC and it goes to Localism, and the About Me works.

Carol

Interesting... How much google juice does the outside blog have? And how does this differentiate from other blogging platforms out there other than it's developed by the cool guys at Active Rain? :)

Cindy Lin - oodles and oodles of google juices!!  This is as much different as Blogspot is from Wordpress.  The benefit is that you don't have to learn 3 different Blogging platforms now. If you have a wordpress or blogger blog, great, but if you don't, this will be perfect for those members.

They already know their way around and are comfortable with the blogging platform here, so it's a smooth and uncomplicated transition to create an outside blog.  Saves time, gets SEO, and saves frustration in trying to learn other outside blogging platforms. That's what I think differentiates us from other blogging platforms.

We will continue to grow and become very competitive with the outside blogging platforms, though that is not why we are doing this. We are not tryingt to compete with Blogger or Wordpress, only trying to provide more solutions, options, and power to our AR members like you!  Thanks Cindy.  Hope to see you this year at RE Connect 2008.  :-)

Carol - I'll let them know right now.  Thanks for the update, I'm finally caught up here and can respond to comments immediately.  It took me 3 days to get caught up, WHEW!!  :-)

Thanks! I have more questions, but I'm still digging around other posts to see if I can get the answers I need without bugging you. 

Carol

Brad, I did it ... thank you for all the information... it was hard, but it's done... EXCEPT for one thing.  Although I did not 'check' certain posts for my outside blog, they are still showing on my website.  I've gone back to the AR original blog and to the 'outside blog' check marks, to verify, and it is not checked, but it's still going through.

How do I fix that? 

Thank you again.  This was the best invention since sliced bread. :)

UPDATE:  I went in again, and unclicked everything and clicked the ones I wanted to go 'outside' and refreshed the site, and it all seems OK now. thanks!!!

Brad- This thing is rocking & rolling!  over 400 comments woohoo!  Also, this post has been featured in the Outside Blogs Group.

Thanks! I have more questions, but I'm still digging around other posts to see if I can get the answers I need without bugging you.

Carol - you could never bug me, bring it on, I love a good challenge!  lol~  Really though, if you have any questions or need some more help, just let me know.  :-)

Sylvie - Glad that worked for you. There are 3 options when it comes to setting up your outside Blog. You can decide what posts you want to go there.  1.You can remove them all, 2. add them one at a time, or  3.move "ALL" posts.  The members only posts on ActiveRain will not show up on your outside blog.  :-)

Hey Jer - great talking to you finally!  I Enjoyed out chat.  We can unfeature this in the group, leave room for some of these other great posts that are coming out right now.  Thanks buddy!!  :-) 

Okedoke...Here's what's on my mind. (that's a scary concept right there!)

1. How do I get all that neat stuff on the right side of the blog. Yours, for instance has all kinds of cool stuff

2. I saw an email the other day from a collegue and there was an RSS logo as part of his email signature which I believe was connection to his AR blog. How is that done?

3. On our blog, I see where we can add links. What sort of links should we be having. I have our web site, but am I missing something?

4. I was poking around the referral section today. I thought it would be a place where people would post referral leads - ie...I have a client moving to NC who needs a good realtor. What I see, though, are realtors soliciting referrals. Is that the way its suppose to be?

That's all my brain will allow at the moment.  Thx

Brad - there was absolutely no point to that question (but I think you knew that) - I was just testing you! :)

Rick & Ines - I did know that, I was just testing you, I wanted to see if you'd come back or not?!?!  lol~ :-)

Brad, thanks, I have tried to overwrite it but it won't let me. That's the first thing I tried.

If you can just have the tech guys delete it I will reload one.

Thanks, you're the best and I can't wait to meet at Inman. I'm coming win or lose.

Okedoke...Here's what's on my mind. (that's a scary concept right there!)
Carol, thanks for sharing what's on your mind.

1. How do I get all that neat stuff on the right side of the blog. Yours, for instance has all kinds of cool stuff
Widgets - you can add them to yours too:

2. I saw an email the other day from a collegue and there was an RSS logo as part of his email signature which I believe was connection to his AR blog. How is that done?
Rss feeds and Images that are linked to RSS feeds. You just create a hyperlink in the signature of your email. It really depends on what email program you are using. They are all different. No one instruction works for all.

3. On our blog, I see where we can add links. What sort of links should we be having. I have our web site, but am I missing something?
You can add whatever links you choose.  Community, Schools, Shopping, City and County info, websites, other blogs, the list is endless.  You have to decide where you want people linking to from your page.

4. I was poking around the referral section today. I thought it would be a place where people would post referral leads - ie...I have a client moving to NC who needs a good realtor. What I see, though, are realtors soliciting referrals. Is that the way its suppose to be?
The referral exchange was designed and created to do this.

That's all my brain will allow at the moment. Thx
That's all my brain can handle as well, you've used up all your Brad Question Credits for the day!!  lol~

...just kidding!  :-))

Missy - can you please email me the photo you want posted?  I will put it up for you, I just want to make sure it's not your browser, I need to figure out why you can't load or replace the image.  Others are working fine, I want to make sure yours is to. Send it to my yahoo email or Brad@Activerain.com.  Thanks. :-)

Ok, thanks in the AM, I am so tired tonight. :)

Howdy Brad

I would like to ask ya about two things.

1. Is there a way to print a post like this one with out, most of the post it's self printing over the top of the comment's, so you can read and fallow the info as you are doing this kind of things ?

2. I just read a post, that said there is a rumor going around that Active Rain is going to be deleting inactive folk's from the AR community. Is this rumer true ?

Hey Brad- Yeah, I enjoyed talking to you too today! BTW, I did put up that post about google juicing my outside blog.  Check it out man!

Now THAT's funny - did you see you have over 400 comments - wow! ...and to think of the time it took to get these launched - I guess the time was worth it!

So, do I have to tell my domain host about the namewervers (agentspaces.com)?  Or will it sort itself out?

I have enabled the "existing domain name" which currently has different nameservers, which don't appear to be editable.

Let me know if I need to take further steps to get this Outside Blog up and running.  Thanks!

Georgina- you need to direct the nameservers...check out How to Set up domain for outside AR Blog. it will walk you through it step by step     

Dale -

1. Is there a way to print a post like this one with out, most of the post it's self printing over the top of the comment's, so you can read and fallow the info as you are doing this kind of things ?

You can copy and paste the instructions part of the post to a word or other document, then just print that doc.  That's the easiest way to get around printing all these comments and the entire post page.

2. I just read a post, that said there is a rumor going around that Active Rain is going to be deleting inactive folk's from the AR community. Is this rumer true ?

Can you send me a link to the post where you read this?  This is the first I have heard, might not be a bad idea, but many inactive members do end up coming back, especially when they hear about all the new and exciting stuff that's happening and will be happening on AR.  Send me a link, thanks Dale. :-)

Now THAT's funny - did you see you have over 400 comments - wow! ...and to think of the time it took to get these launched - I guess the time was worth it!

Ines - you crack me up!!  I guess we both passed the test huh?! lol~ 
(are you kidding? 400 comments already? Holy Cow) I feel sorry for this guys email inbox!!  lol~  :-)

So, do I have to tell my domain host about the namewervers (agentspaces.com)? Or will it sort itself out? I have enabled the "existing domain name" which currently has different nameservers, which don't appear to be editable. Let me know if I need to take further steps to get this Outside Blog up and running. Thanks!

Georgina - you do need to setup the custom nameservers to point to ns1.agentspaces.com and ns2.agentspaces.com. It won't work itself out until you do.  There is an option to customize the nameservers at the place you purchased your domain name. Jeremy Blanton did a great tutorial post for GoDaddy domain names, check it out.  That may help you out. If not, call me, I'll get you setup. Aloha Nui Loa!  :-)

Great start, Brad. 

Keep in mind that sleep is highly overrated

Jeremy - Nice featured post today on all the SEO and google juice you're getting. Glad to hear that the rumor is actually fact.  When Bob said "SEO will Kick Butt" hewasn't kidding at all.  He knows his stuff, the proof is in your post.  Thanks for sharing that google site:domain thingy, that will help out a lot of members.  :-)

Sorry Brad to both you again... but Do youthink I can still use my Domain name Longislandrealproperty.com... or should I get another one....

My outside bolg is a work in progress, since I have to find a picture that fits... and an hearder too.

thanks in advance for your help Brad....

Great stuff Brad!!

Thanks for the info

Howdy Brad

Thank ya very kindlly, for tell the bset way of printing your post.

I give ya my word I'll only use it for myself.

You are a really good guy!

Thank ya for always being vert helpful to all the member's of AR.

I'll be senden you the link to the post that I read, right after I submit this comment.

Sorry Brad to both you again... but Do youthink I can still use my Domain name Longislandrealproperty.com... or should I get another one.... My outside bolg is a work in progress, since I have to find a picture that fits... and an hearder too. thanks in advance for your help Brad....

Donna - you can use that domain name as long as you don't have anything else posted there. If it redirects to AR nameservers, it will replace any existing data you have hosted there. If you don't want to over-write it, I suggest another domain name. 8.99 a year is totally worth it and you own it.  Let me know if you need any help with that photo and header.  I may be able to adjust them to work for you.  :-)

Mike - thanks.

Dale - hope that print option works good for ya, if you want to see the posted instructions, Missy Caulk did a great post on printing Blogs and Instructions.  I think she just posted it last week.  As far as the link, I did read that post, some people give titles like that just to get your attention. If the group founder ever decides to delete inactive members, that's their choice.  That decision does not apply to ActiveRain members in general.    :-)

Thanks Brad for all your help! I'm grateful to you to be able to say I know have a blog and made my first post!!

Brad, I got my outside blog set up on Monday.  This is another "slick" marketing idea presented by the RAIN.

Mark - very exciting!  I see you have a new signature ecard as well!  Congrats my friend!  :-)

Leolinda - glad you got it all setup. It is a very "Slick" idea, and the benefits that will come from it will be even "Sicker"  yes.. Sicker.  My boys tell me that the work "Sick" is actually a good thing these days! lol~ :-)

I love the outside blog. I hope they add on more options soon! http://acquireproperties.activerain.com/

Brad- I'm so glad that you're keeping up on the comments here... you're acting like a human "trouble ticket" machine- which is highly commendable. I've just received my first phone call from my AR-generated outside blog (www.NewHomesAZ.com) - that was quick! When I'm able to use the matching domain email address the bliss will be complete. Once again- thanks for this great add-on... please accept and pass on my compliments to all the propeller-heads who have been working so hard to make this happen.

Brad, you mentioned yesterday about getting free widgets for your site. I can't seem to locate the blog, can you help?

Thanks

Rich

What?!?!? I taught Mr. Andersohn something?  I am left speechless

Acquire properties - there will be more coming soon, listen to the radio interview I just posted with Bob Stewart discussing Outside Blogs and Localism.  Sheds a bit more light on things to come. :-)

Brad- I'm so glad that you're keeping up on the comments here... you're acting like a human "trouble ticket" machine- which is highly commendable. I've just received my first phone call from my AR-generated outside blog (www.NewHomesAZ.com) - that was quick! When I'm able to use the matching domain email address the bliss will be complete. Once again- thanks for this great add-on... please accept and pass on my compliments to all the propeller-heads who have been working so hard to make this happen.

Chuck - that is some of the best news yet!!  Imagine one year from now. Total Bliss my friend.  :-))

Jeremy - Best part of AR is that we all learn from each other here every day!  :-)

Rich - here's a link to widget world and here's instructions how to install them. :-)  These aren't available for outside blogs just yet, only your AR blog and other websites.  New widgets are coming out everyday, along with many new surprises in the days ahead....   Have fun! 

Brad and AR -- Well Done!

Great discussion as well.  I'd like to see an option in both AR and OB for setting a default Font Size (yes, my eyes are getting older and the default of size 2 is becoming more of a challenge - and many of my readers are older than I am!). 

I'm also a fan of both Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools, and am hoping those two code snippets can be easily added to the OB, at least within a reasonably soon future update.

Best,

John & Kathryn

John & Kathryn - thanks for your comment.  Not sure if there is a plan to change the default font text size on members blogs, but you can use the HTML tab to adjust your own posts for your readers and subscribers.  By adding the code <font size="3"> You can increase the font size.  If you are uncomfortable with HTML, there are some other ways this can be accomplished.

Regarding GA and GWT, I'm sure in the upcoming releases, many more tools and options will be added to the Outside Blogs.  We are through the launch now, just a few minor things to address still, and then we're on to the next level.  I am experimenting with some things right now that might create some work around options, but still testing so it's not ready to post yet.  Have a safe 4th!

Hey Brad,

Where do you drop that code in to increase the font size??

Carol - you would need to add it while editing a post using the HTML tab and not the WYSIWYG tab.  You place the code before the word where you want to change the font size, then at the end, when you want that font size to go back to normal, use this code: </font size="3">  notice the only difference is the backslash /.  That means to close the tag.

If you are not comfortable with HTML, there are a couple posts I did that mention some great links that will teach you all this stuff and more.  They're on my profile page.  Have fun!! :-)

Hi Brad, Thank you so much for what you do for all of us. I only got through 1/2 the comments and just had to comment This is so terrific and I am so  excited over this that I gave myself a headache.  Thanks again  You are a super teacher.

June - take two tylenol, and call me after the holiday!!  lol~  If you need any help with yours (your blog, not the headache) let me know.  Hope you have a great fourth, spend time and enjoy your family for the Holiday weekend. Be Safe!  :-) 

Hi Brad,  We use MS FrontPage for our HTML editor, and that program assumes a font-size of 3 and thus, won't embed the size="3" HTML code when we are working up a post sized for "3"  We must change the font to a "2" or "4" then go into code-mode and change those place holders to "3"  Oh well.

We are looking forward to the evolution of OB!  Have a great 4th yourself!

John & Kathryn

Thanks Brad...I know a tiny bit about writing code so I'm fine with HTML. I gather it isn't a default setting and that I'll have to do it each time. I'll experiment and see what happens. Same with color I presume.

I can attest to the fact that our AR blog is doing well. It consistently ranks in the top 3 pages....and frankly, it does a lot better than our website!

Hope you had a great 4th and that you took time away from this craziness.

Carol

John & Kathryn - sounds like you have found a good work around.  The only problem I have experienced with Frontpage, Word, and some of these other HTML editors, the code they render will often times conflict with standard code used on AR.  You can tell which posts are affected when you come across them.  Huge fonts, all bold or one color, tables extended beyond the screen or sidebars, it can get pretty ugly. 

Katerina Gassett can tell you all about it, she had a few posts where the HTML code from an outside program literally blew her side bar right off the screen.  We found it was the outside program putting in a tiny piece of code that was the culprit.  Be careful when using HTML editors and pasting code into your Blog, they can cause issues from time to time.

Carol - it's not a default setting so you will have to add and use it where you need each time. Same with color, <font color="blue"> and </font color="blue"> for changing color. 

I have heard of Many AR Blogs passing up members' websites, in some cases, in just a matter of days. It's too bad that people feel they have to keep paying and maintaining a website just because they have put so much into it and have been running one for so long.  If it's not generating you any leads or business, I say get rid of it.  lol~ 

Now, on the other side of the coin, I'd say have your Blog drive traffic to your website which would be my suggestion for getting the website to be more successful. There are many tactics and ways to do this, it should all be part of one's plan and web 2.0 business strategy.

Still Brad, I am shocked I taught you something!

Brad;

The new "Outside Blog" looks great...I set mine up in 5 minutes...that was easy.  After reading another post of yours though I attempted to update my profile...not so easy.  Then I noticed it is on the new "Outside Blog" but the spacing is not right at all.  Is it delayed and will it fix itself within a certain time frame?

Thank you,

Dave 

Gooooood morning Brad,

Last week I dropped you a note about the fact that if you click on our firm's name (Keller Williams) on the outside blog, it takes you to our AR profile page. At the time, you said you'd pass that along to the techno guys. Any update on that??

Thanks...Carol

Dave - the page size of the AR profile and the outside Blog profile are clearly not the same. Until a wider template is available, you may need to still make some minor adjustments to your profile page. ETA? Not sure, but I know the AR tech team is aware of the issue.  :-)

Good morning Carol - I did pass that along, it is currently setup on all outside Blogs to go to the profile, it should be directed to your outside Blog profile and not the AR one.  I'll check on that again this morning, thanks for the reminder to follow up.  :-)

Brad- I am gonna need to find me a hacker so I can get me a sneak peak of the new localism!  I can't wait till Wednesday...BTW, congrats on taking this post over 460 comments!  My highest was just over 100!

Jeremy - I can hack! lol~ Localism is Launched!!  Check it out: Localism.com

Now with the launch of localism, I have a whole new set of questions. .  . Like why only one or two of my posts are there...and why Charlotte and Wake Forest have such high visibility and not other areas..and why can't I register yet? And lastly do I just keep posting thing to it through AR? So many questions and stll no coffee!

Carol - keep posting, don't stop!!  Get some coffee, relax, it will be fine.  There are a couple posts this morning "featured" that will answer some if not all of your questions.  We have been going through hundreds of posts and only pulling over those that pass our editors quality control desk.  Do not be alarmed if yours are not there yet.

Also, read up on all the new criteria and how Localism is going to run.  The option for community and neighborhoods purchased will begin July 31st at noon, so look around, get comfortable with the new look and ALL THE NEW STUFF that's available, and for crying out loud, go get us both some coffee, this comment took me way to long to write! lol~  :-))

I'm feeling the love. Cream and sugar?

Just a scosh....   :-)

BTW - after a couple sips of your Jo, let me know what you think of the new look and all the new stuff that's on Localism.....

Thank you for anwersing my questions about this outside blog thing. Too bad I am just now looking into it weeks after it's come out. Geez where was I.

You're never too late, it's only been a week so your timing is perfect.  That allowed us to work out a couple minor bugs while you were looking for this post! lol~  BTW - I see you weren't signed in when you commented, not sure if that was intentional or not, but it's hard for me to contact you if there is no name or link in your comment.  :-)

Is anyone still having DNS server name issues?  Are there any new reported issues that need to be addressed?  We want to make sure that your Outside Blogs are all working smoothly.  The RSS is still being fixed, it's partially done, and the email exposure issue is fixed now. Thanks.  :-)

Everyone who has be leaving me comments have had no problems...in fact they are saying they are launched almost immediately!

Hey Brad...Roger roger....10/4....we're flying at warp speed with our new outside blog. In fact, today it showed up 4 times in various ways all within the first 3 pages of my daily google search. Wish I could say the same for our website. It seems to have disappeared...but we're blogging maniacs. In fact, I'm now the #1 blog in our county. Woo hoo!!

Thank Jer - good to know. I think most issues have been resolved, no on to Localism and the Great Adventure that lies ahead. This is going to be HUGE!!  :-))))))

Carol - WOOHOO! That's exciting and Congratulations!! Let me know if you ever need anything at all, I really enjoy working with folks like yourself.  :-)

Brad- Thanks for this post. I have not set mine up yet but with your outlined steps it should be a breeze.

Hey Brad...maybe it's just me...but has anyone else ever brought up the issue of advertisements that are disguised as posts? I know there's a lot of Rainers who aren't Realtors and that makes for a big happy and hopefully better informed family. But to me, there is something annoying about reading a headline that makes me think I'm going to learn something new...only to find out it is a vaguely disguised ad for some kind of product. I can't blame anyone for doing that...we're a captive and engaged audience. I just wish there was a little widget or icon or something that would alert me that this is an advertisement...not really a post. Then I could decide whether to read it or not. Am I being unreasonable

As always...THX

Carol - I have seen hundreds of posts that use catchy titles to get you to read them, yes. I have also seen many trying to promote themselves on their Blogs which they are entitled.  I think it's just a matter of preference which of those catchy titles you wish to click on.  I wish I could have thought up some of those titles, but I don't really have anything to advertise! lol~  :-) Are you being unreasonable? No Yes No Yes No Yes No...Looks like I'm the wrong guy to ask, I guess that's a question you'll have to decide.  (Big Smile) :-))

Lori - when you do, let me know if you need any assistance.  We have literally hundreds up and running now, and grabbing Google juice already I might add!  :-)

OK Brad,

I guess I am a late bloomer, it took me a while to figure out what everyone was talking about with outside blogs, I am setting mine up as we type.

Take care!

RJH

Robert - better late than never!  Keep that rain coming down so you can STAY a BLOOMER!!  :-)

Mike - since you were the first one to comment on this post, and all you said was YEAH, now what say you? Have you seen some of the successes members are already having with these outside blogs? I told people this was going to be huge!  Thanks buddy for kicking off this thread!  :-)

Yeah Brad, now we focus more on localism...my head is about to explode on all the SEO stuff I have been reading the past 2 days!

Hey Brad,

What is the secret to getting my photos and text to appear on my outside blog like they do on my AR blog. Once everything goes onto the outside blog all bets are off...and nothing looks the same.

Thanks,

Carol

Jeremy - Just focus on All aspects of these AR tools.  You have video now, your AR Blog, your Outside Blog, Localism and who knows what's coming next, but it's coming. It's great these tools are available, just maximizing their potential can be time consuming and the SEO portion can be hard to understand.  Sounds like you're getting your arms around it though, just keep pressing on toward the goal my friend. :-)

Carol - there will be some image adjustments if your pictures are too small or too large, also if you use different html codes from outside sources, the end result may appear different in both locations, and some text will get double spaced or not look the same as it does on your AR Blog.  I discovered that if you just experiment a bit, you'll find what will work best on ALL 3 of your AR Blogs. 

The width and size of AR Blogs, Outside Blogs, and Localism are roughly all about the same.  Once you find what looks and works best, you can have uniformity across all 3 platforms.  Unfortunately, there are no secrets.  I know there will be more updates and modifications to address any technical issues that may be causing any appearance defects in the future as well.

I keep pressing Brad...and I will keep all the aspects in line...I just held off on the localism end more the past few weeks waiting on the new launch to come first!

Jer - don't hold off on Localism anymore, better get your strategy and business plan together on how to get the most out of the most powerful feature I think AR has to offer.  :-)

Man, I just noticed this post is eeeeking toward 500 comments, that'll be a first for me in my career on AR. :)

Whatever I can do to help you reach a record that I have absoiutley ZERO chance of ever approaching, I'm in!

If I thought I had a chance of breaking it, I would have probably kept this comment to myself :-) (or sent it to you via IM)

#492...you are fast approaching the 500 mark...

Ya know, Jason Crouch wrote about 500 the other day...

I have definitely changed my approach to posting over the past few days...hopefully for the better!

Only 6 more Mr. Brad...

Bob- I know where you are coming from on this whole never reach this kinda record...I am lucky to hit 100 comments on a post...and that only happens when you guys decide to give me a gold star and put it in the newsletter!

My only regret was that I ticked off to notify me of new comments and I don't know how to shut the damn thing off. 

Somebody have a tutorial on that?

Look on the bright side though Bob, he is still a distance from the 1,000 comment club

And much farther from Jason's 1,500 comment thing...

500...congrats man

Brad On the outside blog when I view the source code the meta name description is the first sentence of the most recent post.  Can this be edited so as to allow me to optimize the description?  Karen

Bob - nothings out of reach, just let Jeremy Blanton know, he'll get you 500 comments, look what he did here! haha. Thanks Jer, you're a funny guy! 

My only regret was that I ticked off to notify me of new comments and I don't know how to shut the damn thing off. Somebody have a tutorial on that?

That was a big mistake on this post!!  :-)  My email carrier just fired me!

thanks for the post Brad.

This is fantastic information

Eric - hope you can get yours setup without any issues. Enjoy!  :-)

Karen - The meta name should not be showing in the post.  You may want to send in a ticket if it's still showing that.  You can do that by clicking on the contact AR at the bottom lower right corner of any screen. I know they were working on a couple little bugs, but those have long since been fixed. Let me know if you're still having any issues. :-)

I think the one who wrote that about clicking for comments was Mr. Stewart Brad...hopefully he will figure it out...if not, I am sure you can assist him on that one Brad!

Hey Jer - Bob already knows the repercussions of checking that little box on my Blog posts. haha!  Especially this post. lol~

Brad,  you guys are the greatest and I can't say how much I appreciate all the work you do for us!  I'm going to get started on this tomorrow while I'm doing an Open House!  Well, I do hope someone comes to my Open House, but if they don't, I'll be blogging in the rain and on my website.  Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!

Janie Masterson

Janie - Good luck with your Open House tomorrow, either way, looks like it will b a rewarding and productive day!  :-)

Yeah- Bob called me the other week because I left a comment here about something...and he was all grumble grumble...why did I check that friggin box!

Brad!

This is great information, thank you for putting it together so nicely for all of us.  Is there a way to post ahead on AR, will there ever be a way to post ahead on AR?

Hi Brad

You are definitely the go to guy. Thanks

Now that I set up my outside blog, I have posted some of my listings using postlets to convert to HTML. When I view my outside blog the images and text are chopped up. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks

Rich

Coco - what do you mean by "post ahead" on AR?  Not sure I am understanding your question?

Hey Rich - anytime you use HTML code from postlets, vFlyer etc., you run the risk of HTML conflicts between the settings provided by those services and your Blog. Sometimes it's table widths and codes that just don't jive with AR's format. You can go in and edit those html codes to make it more functional and change the appearance of the posted results.  Try adjusting the table widths and remove any eroneous code that may be causing the conflict.  You may have to experiment to get it just right, or you can create your own listing format for posts that will differentiate you from all the others using postlets and vFlyer.  If you need help doing this, let me know. :-)

Hi Brad, when I click on Outside Blogs from my home page, it says at the top of the next page in large red letters "the (reassistant) subdomain is reserved".  reassistant is my AR name so I'm assuming someone got to it first on the Outside Blogs.  Okay fine, I can deal with that.  However, when I click the "Create Blog" button, I get the following error:

ActiveRain Error

An Unexpected Error Occurred.

We've notified the appropriate people at ActiveRain about this error. Sorry! We'll try to get whatever caused this fixed as soon as possible. Please click here to return to the home page.

I have been doing this for over two weeks and just happened to stumble on this blog so I thought I'd ask for any ideas.  Got any?

Thanks so much for all you do!

Tina - it may be a browser issue, I'm not aware of any problems with the AR server or any bugs when creating a new post at this time.  If it continues, you should put in a ticket so the tech team can take a look into it for you.  Just click on the Contact AR at the bottom of any page while on the network.  Let them know what version and which browser you are using, you might also want to clear the cache memory and reboot your computer, I have seen those two things correct many a problem, and not just on AR.  Let me know if you still have issues after contacting support.  Thanks.  :-)

Thanks Brad I will have to read tis a few times to get the gist I am new to bloging and still fumbling around but learning.

Jerry - you are most certainly in the right place and on the right network to be learning.

Tina - I will also take a look at your Blog and see if there is anything I can do from my end.  I will try and see if I can repeat or duplicate the same error you are getting.  Thanks for coming back and letting me know. :-)

Hey Rich Ferretti - I just got an email from my buddy Carol Clay regarding postlets.  Here's what she had to say, it came not an hour after you commented here on this post:

Carol Says, "I've read a couple of posts now about Postlets not showing up properly in outside blogs. You might want to mention to folks that there are three sizes of Postlets that you can use. The largest one just doesn't fit. The next one does, though. It's kind of an abbreviated look, but all the info is there. That's what I've done and it works for me."

So there you have it, this should be helpful to anyone having this issue using postlets on their AR Blog.

Lot's o' love and a BIG THANK YOU goes out to Carol Clay in the RAIN!  :-)))

never really checked them out but thought they were for a fee... good to see they are free  :-)

Brad;  I am not sure I described the issue correctly

My outside blog is NORTHERN VIRGINIA REAL ESTATE BLOG  When I have the home page up I click on the VIEW tab in the IE tool bar and select SOURCE.  The meta name description always includes the first sentence of my last blog.  I would like to edit that section, type in key words and have the meta name description be constant.  I did submit a trouble last week.  Karen 

Mark - what a deal at a great price eh?  :-)

Karen - I do see your Meta Name description when I viewed the source on your most recent post:
Yes and it's for the birds!!  There are numerous pilings at marinas, parks, yacht clubs and moorings at homes along the Occoquan River.  We are fortunate to live along the shoreline of both the Potomac and Occoquan Rivers.  While they provide our drinking water and recreational opportunities they also contain wetlands and an excellent.

I also do see your Meta Name Keyword Tags as well:
"ActiveRain, Real Estate, agents, Network, Real Estate Agent, Mortgage, realtor, social network, Virginia, Fairfax County, Springfield, RE/MAX Allegiance, Alexandria, Arlington, Mount Vernon, Lorton, Woodbridge, Dale City, Dumfries, Triangle, Manassas, Manassas Park, Prince William County, Lake Ridge, Fairfax, Centreville, Chantilly, Vienna, Falls Church, Great Falls, McLean, Annandale, Burke"

I'm glad you were able to get a ticket in on this, but I'm wondering why you wouldn't want the Description to be different and represent each individual post as it were, your keywords will be the area that is consistantly the same.  By having your description be the same on every post would limit you to just those indexable words, therefore not getting you the most potential of being picked up by the search engines.  Each post is unique and should have a different description IMO.  If every post you write only has the same 20 or so keywords, where's the value in that?  The description will always be different on every post, which I would think opens more opportunity to be indexed and discovered on that wider variety of topics and keywords.  Let's see what the tech dept. has to say once they view your ticket.  Do me a favor and come back to post their response, I want to see how far off in left field I am with my theory. :-))

Brad, Brad, Brad . . . How can I possibly thank you for all that you have done for me in the last 24 hours???  You are simply phenomenal and boy do you know your stuff!!!!  Not only did you kindly take the initiative to help me with my Outside Blog issue (even though you knew I was going to go to Support and you could have let them take care of me), you fixed my account problem AND gave me priceless marketing and AR advice!!!  You not only probably saved me a year of mistakes and muddling my way through but you inspired me!   Thank you seems so insufficent but it's all I've got.  Have a great trip to SF and you know I have to say it.............you ROCK!

I have a hard time with technology so i am extremely grateful to be able to customize a blog using a system i already feel comfortable with. Thank you Active Rain!!!

Great! I am sure this will be a great hit!

Brad, You must be up 24/7 to respond to all of this.  My questions probably have already been asked.  Is the idea of the outside blog to put on our own websites and have that link directly to the outside blog?  If so, what does that mean existing domain name?  Can't I just use my website domain?

Now that you know I'm completely helpless...please help?

Thanks

Amy Jeffrey, Currant Designs and Home Staging

Pretty amazing stuff, somehow I got bogged down with theme fonts and I totally lost track of this outside blog.  I'm going to have to do this tomorrow.  Thanks to all that have written info out here for all of us to benefit.

Finally! I've been looking everywhere for instructions on how to make some minor changes to my outside blog. Heck, for all I know I could have read this when you posted it. I'm just now getting around to customizing it.

Amy - the idea is not to have your AR Blog be a part of your website, it's to be a Blog all in itself.  Getting a domain name and having your AR Blog pushing specified posts to that outside Blog is the best way to benefit from AR outside Blogs.  Some think that by using an existing website or domain name will "ADD" the blog to your website, this however is not the case. If you push your AR Blog to a website address or domain name, that website will be overwritten with the Blog. An alternative if you don't want that would be to add an RSS feed or a link on your existing website to your Blog.

you should know by now Brad, you can't get rid of this post LOL!

I am having a problem replacing my header with a different one.  I chose which .jpg to upload, it uploads fine, but when I click to save changes, it refreshes the page but my original picture is still there.  I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong??

Reaching out for any help here!

Brian - just make sure it;s the specified size.  Also give it a minute to upload the new graphic. Be sure to refresh your browser before assuming it's not working, it's not instant.  If you need help, you can email me with your header attached and I'll take a look at it for you, and it there's no problem with the image, I'll even add it for you. :-)

When refreshing the page, hit ctrl & f5 together...then you will see the new stuff hopefully!

Hey Brad how you been?

Bob, I know you are reading this...stinks you clicked that box now doesn't it?

Jer - that works nicely too, thanks my friend! Been good, hope the same for you...   :-)

Hey I just added twitter to my portfolio...find me myrtlebeachblog     

Awesome, Brad -- thanks; you wrote this to really be helpful and not as some ego trip, and we love it!  Terry & Dr. John

Terry and Dr. John - there was a little ego..... :-O 
lol~  Thanks!  :-)

Brad, does everyone in The Rain automatically have an Outside Blog? I noticed mine just appeared, love it!

I am in the midst of setting up mine - Unfortunately I found your detailed blog AFTER I set up my outside blog - But I can go back and enhance it and I plan to -  Thanks for your help!  I'm excited too!!

Duane - Everyone gets an Outside Blog, NO MEMBER gets left behind!  The outside Blog you see is a subdomain name Blog. What that means is your URL will look something like DuaneMarlink.ActiveRain.com.  It is very cool because you can name it whatever you want as long as that domain name is available. 

The real value is when you purchase a domain name like from GoDaddy.com. Something like RateAHome.com.  Now you can push your AR content to that site if you like. You will also be able to post to your OUTSIDE Blog ONLY which gives YOU all the Google SEO as much as it has AR in the past.  Now YOU will benefit from all the sources. AR Blogs, SubDomains, Outside Blogs, Localism, AR Video etc.  Is this totally flippin cool or what?  If you need any help buddy, you know I got your back!!  :-)

Marcia - if you're excited, I'm excited!  :-))))

Brad, to kewl. I did set mine up after seeing it on my home page. I wasn't sure if everyone here knew they automatically had it (I didn't at first). Thanks for the clarification.

Duane - it use to be that we had to flip a switch, that's when the idea of charging was floating around, but since AR is now providing this "Value-Added" tool for FREE, tey are automatic for ALL members.  For those who don't know, they will eventually discover that Outside Blog link on their "My Home" page.  Have fun with it and I hope you get TONS of business from it. My outside Blog is already appearing all over google and yahoo and it's only been up since the date on this post!  YEAH, it really does work!!   :-)

Brad, to kewl, that's what I'm hoping, those who haven't found it yet, will.

I wrote a post yesterday to hopefully help people make headers for their blogs easier...lemme know what you think of it!

Duane - some will, some won't but eventually if any member is Active, they will.  :-)

Jeremy - I'm sure your post is awesome, I'll try to get by as soon as I can, I'm a bit behind right now because of the weekend.

Brad- that is what happens when you party like a rockstar all the time :P  Did you get my email I sent?

Jeremy, I only party like a rock star because this page takes forever to load, like I got nothing better to do than wait for my own post to load.  haha!

Maybe you could start commenting on a post that doesn't have so many comments? You know I love ya Jer, BTW - how is your outside Blog coming along anyway?  I am starting to see my RENetBlog popping up all over the place on google.

It is going well...haven't had a lot of time to focus on it the past week or so...I have been writing some posts to move up my point totals...I gotta hit 100K by my land rush on thursday to have a shot at the city I want...if I miss that city, it will be pointless to purchase anything else...

I am inviting people like mad, writing good quality posts to get people's attention & discussion, and commenting everywhere!

Can you quick run a rigged contest with 5,000 bonus points for me to win? LOL

You are always so descriptive on your instructions.  Thank you so much.  I have bookmarked for later!

Well, the longer I am here, the more I learn! Thank you for providing step by step instructions because I actually spend more time selling amd listing homes so don;t have as much time to experiment!

Jeremy - you're killing me here! lol~  :-)

Kathleen - I'll take that as a compliment! haha.  Glad you are finding some of mosty posts to be helpful. Thanks. :-)

Russell - and the longer you are here, the more you will continue to learn. There is more information here on AR than any other REal Estate Network website on the planet. Enjoy my friend, I wish you all the best in your endeavors here.  Looking forward to hearing some of those success stories ok?  :-)

Brad,

I guess I have seen the tab yet never thought of its use....WOW.....I will be working all weekend just to get up to speed.

Brad, Ill make a deal with ya...when this post hits 1,000 comments I will let it rest! LOL

this is an amazing tool Brad.  I am currently working on my website and once it is up I will be using this feautre religiously!  Thank you!

Hey Brad!

Do you know if there are some specs out there for uploading a background image to my outside blog? Not the header, but the whole background.

Also...someone asked me today if there is any way you AR ghurus can increase the font size for the posts. I know you can change it in html for when it is actually uploaded, but while you're typing, it's really small...especially on a lap top.

Thanks bud!

PS...I'm turning into the "go to gal" at our office when it comes to blogging.

Carol - use the activerain customizer post and it will show you how to change the background of your Blog. You'll find a link on my profile page here on AR.  I set my background image at 1024 x 768.  You may need to experiment to get it just right, and how you like it.

To increase the font on your screen while typing just hold down the ctrl key and use the scroll wheel on your mouse to make the screen font smaller or larger. Rolling the mouse wheel forward makes text smaller and rolling the wheel back toward you will make the screen font large.

Not sure how that will work on a laptop but I'm sure there's a quick key option or a feature on the laptop that will do the same thing.

If you want to change the actual font and text size on a post, hold down the ctrl key and press the #1 for large, all the way through #6 for small. #7 will set it back to the default size.

For Example:

ctrl 1

ctrl 2

ctrl 3

ctrl 4

ctrl 5

ctrl 6

ctrl 7 is this size and this is the default on AR.  Hope this helps you out. Thanks.  :-)

HEY Brad,

as always, thanks a bunch! I'll give all this a whirl!

Carol

Brad....once again you've been a great help!

Carol - here if you need me. :-)

Kaleb - and once again, thanks for your comments!

Brad- I am surprised you didn't just point her to my mystical power post LOL

BTW, how you doin?  I am still working on finding a camera...not having a lot of luck so far.

Busy my friend, trying to stay caught up is more than a full time job!  Doin great Jer, thanks! 

Thank you for this information. I am trying to get up to speed on the blogging front and I will definitely be revisiting as I proceed with my new bloggin efforts ....

Brad, thanks for this post and all you do to always help us out. You are SO appreciated:-)

Carolyn - getting up to speed is a daily endeavor around these parts of the rain.  Understanding and utilizing Blogging techniques, skills, and knowledge of the technology tools available, is like chasing a greyhound dog running at full speed, but if you just keep pressing on, your efforts will not go unrewarded.

Debra - it's always fun and a pleasure.  I hope you know that you are SO appreciated by me as well.  :-))

You are unbelievably helpful.  thank you!

Donna - Great to see a Countrywide representative here making the most of this Network.  Would love to see how you plan on using the outside blog portion of Activerain.  Looking forward to seeing this work for you. :-)

Brad, thanks for this post.  Extremely helpful and saved me a lot of time.

Seth - Glad you saved some time after viewing this post.  I'll be doing a post later featuring the AR Staff Outside Blogs, why? Not sure, just thought it might be cool.  They're cool!  :-)

Yet another project to start working on!  I've known about it...just haven't had the time.

Tracy - If it takes you more than 5 - 10 minutes to setup, I'll buy you lunch!  :-O

There's only a few boxes to fill out, just upload a header and a background image and your done.

Then go buy a domain name and push your AR stuff out to it.  This is big time cool stuff. 

Soon, you'll be able to write your post in AR, and then only have it show up on your outside Blog,
this will force all your google juice there.  Great stuff, a worthy project I promise.  :-))

Very helpful. Thanks for detailing it step by step. I'm going to try more customizing.

Hi Brad...question for you. I think this is GREAT and would be great to syndicate, however I do have a wordpress blog that I post to at least twice a week that gets great ranking on Google...wondering if this new blog will do the same as far as SEO? Will its Active Rain connection cause it to do just as well as my Wordpress blog?

Thanks! Foster

Thank you, Brad!!!   Your weeks and months of information here are going to make my outside blog project easier, I'm sure! 

Dean - look forward to seeing what you come up with. Thanks  :-)

Foster - that's a great question and I'd have to say that there will be SEO to your outside Blog for a few reasons.  If it's your own domain name, and you have the ability to post only to the AR outside Blog, then Google will give the ranking and highest rating to that post.  Right now, when you post on AR, it's in both locations so the juice AR is getting will probably push the AR post to the top.  They are working on having the ability and option to post to one or both.  As far as you WP Blog, if you already have SEO and are established, I would keep that one up and running too. 

Very Important:  If you are just using a subdomain name under AR for your outside Blog, it's likely you won't get much google juice at all on subdomains, just FYI.  :-))

Mary - if it's not easy for you, just let me know, I'd be happy to help you out if I can.  :-))

Just stopping in to let you know, I haven't forgotten about this post :)

Jeremy - you're killing me here! LOL~  Stay off this post and get that video done with Tara, I can hardly stand waiting any longer.  Then we can show how to use video on the new OUTSIDE AR BLOGS!!  :-))

I love the outside blog feature!

Brad,

I just worked on my outside blog within the last two weeks and it's looking good.  Thanks for the tips.  I'm learning new things all the time.

Brad- I am trying to locate a video camera in the type he wanted...so far I have only found a dvd one...he wants a mini DV type...unfortunately I don't own one

Do I get points for commenting on someone's outside blog?

San Diego Homes - I don't think so, but, you could make a connection with someone, possibly build a relationship, or maybe even end up doing some business with that person.  As far as points for commenting, I don't think you do, guess I never really checked? 

I think you only get points when logged into AR and for commenting on AR Blog posts.  It would be hard for us to manage points on an outside domain name or Blog.  Could you imagine if wordpress caught on and used the points idea? Wowsers!!  :-))

Erica - in time, it will just keep getting better too.

Rosalinda - Glad it's working nicely for you, I'll have to swing by and see it.

Jeremy - wish I could help you find what you need. Let's talk later....

Hey Brad,

I continue to have problems with photos in my outside blog. I've toyed with the setting and sizes, but nothing seems to work. None of the settings translate over from the AR blog. I really like the look of my outside blog so the funky photos really are a distraction. Any other ideas or direction you can point me to?

As always, I'm singing in the rain!

C

Carol - normally, if you don't try to create a lot of alignment and setting issues, the outside blog should adjust automatically.  I know that has not been the case in many instances here, so I would just suggest trying a few different things.  You may need to experiment with a post for a bit to find that perfect photo size and setting.  I try to keep my photos for the outside Blog between 350 - 400 wide but no larger.  Let me know if you need some help, you can always give me a jingle and I'll walk you through some settings over the phone. Here if you need me, and I love that you're singing in the rain.  :-)

Yeah, just in time for #600!

Thanks for the tips.

To all those at San Diego homes - You're most certainly welcome!  :-)

This and some other posts on this blog are posts I'l like to reblog so I had quicker access to them on my own site. I just started my outside blog. Wonder if the option to add alt tags to pics is coming down the road, variable width templates.

Does the outside blog also receive the SEO benefit that our existing blogs do on ActiveRain?

Veena - yes, and in fact with time, it will receive more SEO as these evolve.

Pike - there are Alt tags now when you post in AR, that pushes them to the Outside Blogs.  I may be misunderstanding your question.  Let me know, here to help you if I can.  :-)

I was thinking of the banner and logo pictures uploaded specifically for the outside blog and not pushed by the AR blog.

My postlet listings don't fit in the fixed width of the outside blog. Do you know if there is a solution for this?

Pike - they are uploaded separately from the AR Blog, just click on the "Outside Blog" link on your "My Home" page and you'll see where you can change your picture and your header. The background is not able to be modified just yet.  You'll need to adjust your html code from postlets to accomodate the Outside Blog width and dimensions.  Others members have been very successful doing this. 

Yeah, I gotta figure out how to adjust the html coding for the postlets I have done.

Hi Brad,

I've already uploaded the logo and header pic. At this point we cannot add alt tags to these pictures to provide descriptions. Perhaps this can be a feature for future outside blogs.

OK, OK, Brad....I am back re-reading your tips and see again that it pays to push the outside blog to one of my own domain names.  I have a few I already own that I can do that with....but eeks...another project!!!  You are killing me!!  (with great tips)

Thanks, Brad:-)

  I thought that I read a post that said if you click to add to the outside blog, then Localism won't pick it up?  As it relates to localism, there are a handful of blogs I've written and they're not showing up there?  Do you happen to know more about this?

Thanks - Amber

"yes, and in fact with time, it will receive more SEO as these evolve."

Can you elaborate?

Thank you for posting this is a clear and SIMPLE way so that agents (and those of us who help them) can better understand the process!

Thanks you.  I'm learning something new everyday because of AR.

Hi Brad I contacted AR but I am not sure is my request got in.  I want a fall header on my outside blog

like the one on my AR blog.  When I cahnge the template to allow me to upload the header,  I get  an error message.  I went to picnik to resize the photo to the specifications.  Is it because I have an outside domain name.  Also when .  My outside blog seem to have disconnecte me to the AR site http://junelewis.activerain.com         Again ..you are as busy as ever   Have a great Labor day. I hope you have a chance to enjoy the day off.

Jeremy - I have seen a quite a few posts where the postlets are working fine, but you will have to make some adjustments to make them fit on each platform.

Pike - that's a great idea and may be already in the plans for the future upgrades and enhancements to AR outside Blogs.  You can add descriptions and alt tags when you upload photos and images to your Blog posts right now.  Just not the header and your photo.  Not sure if that's what you meant. Thanks.  :-)

Debra - yes, the value is in having your own domain name and not using a subdomain name under AR. That will get you the Max SEO on your outside Blog. 

"You are killing me!! (with great tips)"

Don't die on me yet, we have lot's more to do still....  lol~ 

Beach Report - Elaborating.  :-)

Amber - posting to Outside Blogs should have no impact whatsoever on posting to Localism.com.  As long as you are checking the box to go to both, it should be going to both.  If it's not, please let me know or put in a ticket so we can get this resolved for you.

June - you should be able to change your header with no errors. It may be a file format issue or something. Can you email me the header image you are trying to upload and let me see what I can do to help?  just send it to Brad@ActiveRain.com and I'll check it out for you and see what I can do. :-)

FYI..I am trying to take the rest of Labor day off, thanks.  I will be checking my email through-out the day.

Thanks Brad I will e-mail it to you.  I never thought you would answer todsy on Labor Day. sooo I am not going to e-mail it until tomorrow am .  that  way ...you will be able to enjoy the reat of the day...No more AR until Labor Day is over.........Have a GREAT REST OF THE DAY AND BTW THANKS

June - looking forward to your email.  I was away the past 3 days, so a little Labor on Labor day is ok with me! lol~  Enjoy the rest of the Holiday, and thanks!  :-))

I was just getting used to the idea that I can customize my blog...now I need to expose it to the great outdoors?

I did check and my customized 'new look' does show up on posts that appear in the search engines...how does this differ from an 'outside blog'? In having it's own discrete domain name?

I already have a blog domain hosted by Point2Agent and connected to my site. Too many choices....;^)

Beth - yes, the great outdoors loves a wild Blog! :-)  The difference is that Sub-Domains won't get the same SEO or Google juice that the individually named sites and Blogs do.  Sub-Domains fall under the ActiveRain site whereas outside domains are in the wild and on their own...so to speak.  If point2agent generates leads and business, don't mess with it.  The sites that generate leads and relationships, usually develope friends and generate business.

Ummm, I see what you mean...so that would mean assigning a domain name to the "outside" version of my AR blog, benefit being I could send posts there by simply selecting them...

I do have a separate domain name for the P2 blog (and to be more correct it is hosted by GoDaddy and the blog platform by P2/and or community server, whoever that is).

I will say that my AR posts 'hit the streets' so to speak well before my other blog's posts. Would that still be true if I had my own domain name for it due to the way the product/code works, or is that really AR's juice at work?

Thanks for the info.  I am really starting to see the success from blogging.

Wow i just need to set aside about two weeks straight to read half of what i need to be somewhat effective with my blogging. Where to start?

Beth - yes.  In time, your outside blog will get as much SEO and google juice as your AR Blog, it will take some time to start showing those results, but soon you'll be able to post to JUST your outside Blog showing IT as the original source therefore giving it the higher ranking.

Villa Realty and friends - glad you are getting the deserved results from your blogging efforts.

Roy - 2 weeks straight should do it! lol~  You're in the right spot, there's no better place to be to take your Blogging experience from beginning to end...if there is such a thing...   :-))

Ok, I'm confused and the more I read other people's comments, the more confused I get.  I tried to avoid this, but I think I might need some help.

I own www.kmgmortgagegroup.com.  On that website I have a blog (www.kmgmortgagegroup.com/kmgblog), so what I am reading here is that when ever I post a comment to my blog here on AR, I can make it post to my blog on my own website automatically?  Do I understand this correctly?  Is this what is meant by everyone say "Outside" blog?

KMG - for lack of a name (sorry) :-)  No.  That's not what this means at all.  AR offers subdomain names like KMG.ActiveRain.com.  You can purchase your own domain (not an existing one like you already have) then have your ActiveRain posts show up on that NEW domain name.  You already have an outside Blog, unless you want another one, this would not apply to you. 

I have an outside Blog that I created in this manner, you can check it out at RENetBlog.com.  It's the selective posts I've written and pushed to that domain.  If you redirected our servers to your existing domain name, your AR Blog would overwrite your site. DON'T DO IT! 

If you wish to have your chosen AR posts go to another domain, or just have a sub-domain, you can do so by going to "My Home" and then click on "Outside Blog" and set it up there. 

I hope this makes sense, if not, just click on my name in this comment, and you'll have my phone number. 

Thanks  :-))

Thanks once again for the information.  You have given me the inspiration to set up my outside blog today.

Paul - we are seeing some good SEO on the outside blogs now.  I see my REnetBlog popping up in the serach engines quite a bit more now.  :-)

I still do not have some of the new fangled AR stuff figured out. I get that one but have yet to try re-blogging another.

Steven - there are a couple great posts I've seen regarding reblogging and other members successes, let me know if you're interested in seeing those.  I know Lizette just did a great successes story about a ReBlog she did that got her some business.  Thanks. :-)

Brad....you are about to be appreciated even more when Kay or I call you for help on this!  :-)

Wow thanks for the post I will get on this today, ny hosting of my domain is what causes me some headache, I still am not sure how it all works but I am going to try to follow your advice and get it done, thanks.

OK, Brad...with your expert advice and guidance my outside blog is set up!

Let me know if you have any suggestions and thanks!!

http://www.TheresNoPlaceLikeYourPlaceBlog.com

Debra - Looking forward to the call!  :-))

Freddy - if you need any help, just let me know my friend, I'm hee to help if you need me.  :-)

Debra - your outside Blog looks great. I noticed your newsletter gets cut off a bit but thats because there are 3 columns and it's too wide for the outside Blog templates.  Other than that, I think it looks beautimous!! :-)

Thanks so much for looking it over, Brad...how can we fix the newsletter issue?

Debra - no problem.  Not sure what you are referring to about the newsletter issue?  Can you explain? :-))

Debra - not sure you can fix the REALTOR® newsletter issue, only because the size of the newsletter is too big to fit in your Blog Post.  Unless they have another format available, I'm not sure that can be fixed.  The other option is to write your own newsletter in a post without using their format.  I think the newsletter you are using was designed to be emailed or printed and sent out.  You'll notice that it's a perfect 8 1/2 x 11.  Wish I could help you more.  :-)

Brad, thanks again for your help....I appreciate it!

Brad, you are right, now I looked at my newsletter and it does look funky!  Maybe I should "choose" the blog posts that go to the outside blog and leave these out?  Is that OK to do? 

Also....do you know how come the "re-Blog" button shows on my outside blog when I do not have it checked in my settings?  Maybe I am missing something.

Debra - yes, you can do that, I recommend it. 

Regarding the ReBlog watermark, it will only show on your outside Blog if you have checked the box to allow it for that particular post.  You can also disable it all-tgether by going to your "My Settings" link, and unchecking the box there.  That will disable the ReBlog option on ALL your posts.  I hope that helps.  :-))

After months of blogging/commenting, I'm getting the hang of it. Yeah, I'm a slow-adaptor/learner. I got to the point of the Outside Blog, and even selected a header. But when I tried to upload my photo, it wouldn't take, no matter how often I try. I know it has to be a certain size, bigger than 189 pixels or something like that, so I uploaded one that had 989. Still no photo on the blog.

What am I doing wrong?

And...this is my first time to find this group --- out of desperation, I clicked on Help/FAQ, and there you are. Like I said, I'm a slow learner....but hey, I'm here!

Hi Pacita - 989 is HUGE!!  Resize it to 189 width and you should be ok.  You can use any photo editor or go online to picnik.com and resize and save it there.  Too large of an image or too small of an image just won't work.  :-))

Dear Brad...I disabled it in my settings, that is what is puzzling?  How do you disable/enable it just for certain posts?  Can that wok for inside and outside where you can choose which ones to all to be re-blogged?

Hi Debra - if you disable reblog on the "My Settings" page, then no post can be reblogged.  If you enable it there, then you can select the individual posts you want to allow to be reblogged.  Let me do a couple screen shots for you here:

This is the "My Settings" Main ReBlog options

This is the individual post reblog options:

I hope this helps make it a little more clear.  :-)

Brad, I feel like I have learned so much from you today and I will always be looking for what topic you write on next.

Hi Brad,  Why and how or can you change the size of the pictures on the outside blogs.  When you post them on AR they are large and beautiful but then on the outside blogs the spacing is not what it is on the original post and the pictures are much smaller.  Should  they show the same as what is shown on AR  Localism shows just like the AR  when I want someone to see the post I e-mail them the link to the post on AR instead of going to my domain name for my blog just because I am not happy with the effect of the post.  I know I must be doing something wrong and it is hard to find the

answer with thousands of comments to read through  Thanks in advanced.  BTW I never checked the OB on another computer maybe it is just my laptop.

Brad, sorry for the delay on a big THANKS!!!!!  Wow...screen shots and everything, you are awesome!

OK....  I just went to do it but have another question....if I enable re-blogging, do I need to go through and edit every past blog to enable or disable re-blogging?  Is there a quick way to do this?

p.s.  AR needs to add the word "blog" to the spell checker (giggle)

Alright, when I start this for my other two blogs, I'm sure I will be bugging you...thanks for the info.

Debra - the reblog enabled feature on the "My Settings" page is a default for your entire Blog, you would need to go in and select each post you want to enable by editing and checking the reblog box.  There is no fast was to default ALL as many members want to select only certain posts to be reblogged.  :-)

Debra - I noticed words like "Google" "ActiveRain" and a few others need to be added to spellcheck as well. lol

Brad - I don't feel the SEO power on my outside blog www.lakelandrealestateblog.comalthough I think my problem is that I did not forward it (whatever that means) on godaddy.com.

I found out today on one of Missy's comments that I had the same question as Missy but I could not find the answer, so I was wondering if you can give me some direction.

In my godaddy account in the forward section, do I type in my "outsideblog domain" to Forward to:  Also, what is masking and do I have to include keywords in masking. I really appreciate your help if you can help me. Thanks

Petra - you have to setup the forwarding.  There is a link above in this post with step by step instructions on how to change the NS1 and NS2 servers to recognize and enable your outside Blog domain once registered.  I'll take a look and see if I can find anything wrong with your setup on your outside Blog links. Don't worry about the masking at this point.

Petra - you have to setup the forwarding.  There is a link above in this post with step by step instructions on how to change the NS1 and NS2 servers to recognize and enable your outside Blog domain once registered.  I'll take a look and see if I can find anything wrong with your setup on your outside Blog links. Don't worry about the masking at this point....I'll be right back....

OK, I'm back...your outside Blog looks fine, everything is setup correctly, what SEO power is it that you're not feeling?  Give me a ring so I can thoroughly understand what it is you're needing.  Thanks Petra.  :-)

Thanks, Brad...now knowing that I will make sure to do it when I have a little time to dedicate to it:-)

Oh, and I know, but "blog" kills me every time..LOL

Thanks for the post Brad. My buddy met you the other day and said you were pretty darn cool. I appreciate the post.

Debra - LOL!  We need to update the world's spellchecker for sure!  ROFL  :-)

Scott - thanks, who's your buddy?  Just wondering where we met each other, he must be a pretty darn cool too!  :-)

Thanks for sharing this information with all of us. I'm sure we can all learn how to use a BLOG BETTER!

Hey Brad, I like the new pix:-)  

AND the AR spellchecker, too....or at the very least, add the word and tenses for "blog".  <g>

Richard - Just Blogging makes you a better Blogger.  :-)

Debra - thanks, they need to add Google to that spell checker too! LOL!~ 

Brad...it sounds like a  long list to be added!

Thanks Brad. This is starting to make sense.

Debra - it is! LOL~  Do you know how many there are?

Scott - that's great, and if it ever doesn't, you know where to reach me, my cyber door is always open to you my friend.

Hey Brad, I set up my outside blog but some of the post are running over in the side bar, any recommendations?  Thanks for all the tips

http://whowood.activerain.com/

Tyler - I had to make some adjustments to my larger photos and videos because I had the same problem when moving my posts over to the outside Blog.  The width of your AR Blog, Outside Blog, and Localism Blog are all 3 different.  You'll find a pattern and process that will make all 3 look good and consistent, you just have to make some adjustments and experiment with what works best for you.  Those who are just using text and medium to small images seem to have the least challenges.  Let me know if I can assist you any further.

Thanks Brad.  I caught onto that a little later.  Seems to be a bit tedious but I will see what I can do to make it look right.  Thanks again for the reply and help.

Tyler - it's normally all the HTML code that gets added from outside sources and extra large photos and videos that make the settings and appearance look different.  Just text and a 340x280 image makes less work and proves to be less tedious.  Let me know if you need any help.  :-)

Ok, I am a newbie but will give this a try...Ok, that was pretty easy...now what do I do with this "outside blog"...read more of your wonderful posts I suspect????

When I go to the domain I set up for my blog... BelAirRealEstate.activerain.com   it takes me to the AR home page????

When I go to the domain I set up for my blog... BelAirRealEstate.activerain.com   it takes me to the AR home page????

Kelly - your subdomain on AR is whatever you chose to name it. I just checked out your subdomain blog and it looks just fine.  Type BelAirRealEstate.activerain.com into your address bar and you'll see what I mean.  If you need more help, feel free to let me know.  Thanks. :-)

great information - thanks for the pictures - made it easier to understand how to set it up

Sorry Brad, seems the most recent contest may be sending people over this way and leaving comments once again :)

Hmm... I'm not seeing the "ActiveRain subdomain" input box pictured in the original blog post.  Has this been changed, am I missing something, do I need to do something to enable it?

Richard - glad this helped.

Jeremy - it does seem that way doesn't it. LOL~  Thanks Buddy!  :-)

Hi John, I just checked and it's still there.  You might need to scroll down the page a bit, but it's all there for sure.  Let me know if you're still having trouble, I'll try and help you out.

Hey Brad, we talked about this in Houston, but thought I'd put it in writing here. The blog width and photo size on the outside blog needs to remain consistent from inside to outside. Very difficult to layout posts when the measurements are different. Just Turner's Perspective. :)

It's not there on my screen.  I don't know if maybe this is a Vista issue or a browser issue, but I tried both IE and Mozilla.  If you try starting a new outside blog, does it still give you the option?

Brad- this thing is steadily climbing towards 700 comments!  Keep it up!  I was glad to be featured in a newsletter with it :)

Jeff - I agree, I know that this has been discussed many times and that development and the changes are an ongoing process. Thank for being so patient, we're getting there. Also, thanks for coming on the show today with Ines, that was awesome. See ya next week at NAR.  :-)

John - give me a ring, let me try and walk you through it so I can see what you see at the same time.  Sometimes this is the only way to determine what's causing what.  I just tried from your site and it works fine.  My number is on my profile, just click my name below.  Thanks.  :-)

Hey Jer - yea, I heard that newsletter stirred up or should I say ruffled a few feathers yesterday.  I think some folks misinterpreted it's intent.  You clearly got it, and to each his own.  I did it!  I'm guilty, but I did it for other reasons than were mentioned in certain unhappy posts.  I have chosen not to engage it, but to continue trying to provide the best newsletters possible utilizing our members content and great contributions to share with others. 

BTW - That newsletter got lots of clicks, so someone is enjoying reading what I'm providing on there. 

The point about comments that I got out of the newsletter, was simply this.  You just don't know what title, content, or post will engage others into commenting over 10,000 times to just 10 posts.  I thought is was interesting and even a bit fun.  I endorse fun to some extent here on the network. 

Hope you liked today's newsletter.  Probably gonna have even more angered members over that one, but I hope the message is clear in this newsletter.  "DON'T PLAGIARIZE, OR YOU"RE OUT!  That should be a message that comes through loud and clear.  LOL~ 

When I started Active Rain I bookmarked this article.  Very helpful.  Today 10-30 I went in to make some changes to my Outside Blog, and was at first excited to see you can create more than one blog.  Then after an hour of struggling, I came back to this article.  There is a missing link:  The Url box detailed in this article!   For the life of me I cannot figure out how to set up a Url now.  I read John's comments above.  On my screen it skips from "Description" to "Use an existing domain name(advanced).  No http:.....ActiveRain.com.   I went back to blog I already have and there is the same problem.  I scrolled down and still have no entry block.  Suggestions?

Brad- this is so close to 700! I think I may help.

#699...So close, I understand where you were coming from with the newsletter, I liked it!

700!

Yay it finally made it!  Welcome to the 700 club!

Jeremy - hahaha!!  Being part of the 700 club isn't as important to me as seeing members get 700 leads and transactions from their "OUTSIDE BLOGS" on AR!  :-)

Ann - we have added a new control panel to outside Blogs. It is different from when this post was written. Still the same concept, but now you can create multiple Blogs with this new feature.  :-)

703!!!  Brad, you rock!

Debra - you're too sweet, thanks!  :-))

Hi,

Thanks for the post. I hadn't been on AR for awhile and was surprised to find the tab for outside blog. I read your article and started setting up one (accidently have 3 showing right now) but no spot for a sub domain. When I click on any of the preview tabs I get "file not found."

Thank you in advance for any help.

Thank you

Jackie

Excuse me, Brad, I read somewhere that we can have more than one AR outside blog.

Not to scare you, and don't tell Bob, but I am thinking of starting another one with a specific topic.

Would I use the new control panel that I see up above a few comments?  Is there a tutorial on that?  If not, there should be.  Or do I just click on NEW OUTSIDE BLOG or CONFIGURE OUTSIDE BLOG?  And then use a new name - then I will have my AR blog, my outside blog, and a new outside blog.  Or would I be wiping out my current AR outside blog again?

Hey Brad - how do you find the time to read 706 (now 707) comments from other Active Rainer's??

It boggles my mind, to say the least.

David, who only writes one or two liners in each blog entry :)

I had a spam comment on one of my AR posts.  No problem, I just deleted it...but it's still showing up on my OUTSIDE BLOG.  How do I get rid of it on the outside blog?

Damon - I forwarded your comment to the tech support dept., we'll have to check into that and see if it's just a timed delay, or if it's a bug we need to fix. Thanks.  :-)

Jackie - the subdomain portion is being worked on. The outside domain names and Blogs should be working fine now. 

Virginia - are you really going to start another one???  LOL~  It should be easy to do.  Everything is still the same, we just added the ability to have more than one now. If you get stuck, just call and I'll help you out.

David - remember mission impossible? LOL~  One comment at a time, that's how I do it, just one comment at a time. :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Damon - I forwarded your comment to the tech support dept., we'll have to check into that and see if it's just a timed delay, or if it's a bug we need to fix. Thanks.  :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If it helps, here is the AR blog:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/780781/Made-an-offer-on-a-bank-owned-home-Did-the-bank-ever-see-it

here is the outside blog:

http://www.lasvegasneighborhoodnews.com/post/780781/Made-an-offer-on-a-bank-owned-home-Did-the-bank-ever-see-it-

The comment: "November 10 '08 04:35PM  |  J Barikhan" was deleted (marked as spam and deleted) on 11/10/08 (probably around 6pm).

Thanks for your help and feel free to delete this comment...if you can :-)

Damon - thanks, we're looking into it.  BTW - I don't delete comments unless they are spam, hijacking, or just plain rude and stupid, of which yours is not.  :-)  It's topic and related to the post, and the URL's you provided are NOT links, just info.  Thanks for commenting in that fashion, might make it easier for the tech support guys to find the issue and correct it. 

Hi Brad-

Thanks. Does that mean I can't do anything with it until the sub domain problem is fixed? When I click on preview it still says URL can't be found. I haven't posted to it, yet- just added a photo and chose a template.

Thank you for your help.

Jackie

Jackie - the outside domain names are working ok, until we get the free sub-domains part fixed, you won't  be able to select a sub-domain name.  :-)

Jackie - I did check out your OB on AR, I noticed that you have a duplicate of the same Blog setup, I didn't see any photo or header, and you haven't posted a outside domain.  I would delete one of the duplicates, add your photo and header, then ether purchase a domain name to puch your blog to, or wait till the sub-domain blog gets corrected and just add it then.  Let me know if you still need help.

Brad-

Thanks. I deleted two of them and just left the one I added a photo to. That's all I've done to it- I don't want to put much time into something that I can't preview while I'm working on it. I guess I'll just wait until the sub-domain issue is fixed than go back and work on it.

Thanks for the help.
Jackie

Brad,

  Great post. I set up my outside blog, but have no idea what the URL is or how I get to it.  The setup was different than when you posted this. Please help. 

Marty

Marty - we are making some major changes right now, we'll have the new version up and running soon....  thanks for your patience. 

I'll have to update this post once all the new changes and fixes are in place. 

Thanks for being patient and checking back here, it shouldn't be too long now...   :-)

This Rocks! I will be able to maintain one blog and have in AR, outside blog, localism, twitter, and facebook. This is what I have been looking for!

Well...tonight it appears it is not working as I cannot get it to do anything, please say its not me!!!!

Brad - maintain is the key word there.  LOL~  It really does ROCK!!  :-)

Coco Plum Folks - there is some work being done right now, so it may not be you.  There, I said it!  :-))

This is easy and to the point.  I am working on mine now based off of the information in this blog. 

You'll notice that a few things have changed when you get to the Outside Blog link since this post was created.  It is pretty straight forward with the same concept, and should be easy enough to walk through without too much difficulty.  I may update this post shortly to reflect the new changes, once all the new changes are in place and completed. Thanks and good luck.  :-)

Thanks for giving me something else to do!  This one is a bookmark for tomorrow!

Debbie

Brad:

Thanks for the information. I am new to the community and did not know what "all" the choices were and what they meant. Thanks again. Carmine 

Debbie - this one more thing to do is a good one though, let me know if you need any help.  Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, I really do appreciate that!  :-))

Carmine - glad you found this info to be useful.  There have been a few changes since, but I think you'll find it fairly simple and intuitive still.  Thanks.  :-)

Yeah,

The outside links are working great now.  I have one blog here, one for agents in Baton Rouge on technology and one for my website on homes and subdivisions (localism).  I want to convert at least one to an outside domain, but until I have time to get it set up and working, it's great to be able to post one place and funnel it corretly.

Thanks Ann, just checked it out and they do seem to be working fine.  :-)

This is very cool. I've only been on Active Rain for about a month but didn't know what the Outside Blog choice even meant. I now have a few new projects for the weekend.

Tim - it won't take that long...  have fun and enjoy your weekend.  :-))

thanks for comments

thanks for comments

Thanks Brad. This is great info because I had no clue what to do with the outside blog.

WOW, what else can i say except "THANK YOU" !!!! Great post, my wife (also business) partner where just on the phone with out webmaster talking about this and here I see your post on the seo group. Great way to support the community thanks again.

Connie - you're welcome.  :-)

Tanya - the outside Blogs have changed since this post, now you can have multiple Blogs and I understand there's some talk of us offering "Group Blogs" to members.  Stay tuned for that one...   :-)

David and Isela - glad to help.  Let me know if you need any assistance with any of this stuff.

Brad - This information is WONDERFUL!  I am fairly new to Active Rain and I so appreciate your step-by-step instruction on how to post outside blogs thru AR. Thank you for your help!

This will help me a lot in getting my name out there. Thanks,

Marjorie - Welcome, and you are welcome! :-)  The new setup for outside Blogs is just a bit different then when I posted these instructions, but it is really easy to figure out.   Great to have you here in the rain, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask.  :-)

Rick - it will certainly help do that, but as you begin to setup your outside Blog(s), I think you'll see there is way more value than just getting your name out there, it's getting your valuable content out there that will really count.  :-)

Brad - Does your blog name and your outside blog name need to be different?

Tanya - the domain name should be different. The Blog name can be the same, but I'd make them different.

I have been on here a while and still didn't know this thanks!

Jenette -it takes some time to get around the community and find all the great tools that are here,  most important thing is to enjoy the journey, all the value is here, just go out and make use of it. Welcome Home!

It does take time but it's all starting to make sense to me.  Thanks

this is great and I know I'm late to the table but setting it up is one of the best things to do... take the setup link and get going!!!!

William - awesome. It's time well spent, trust me.  I could share countless stories with you.  :-)

Jerel - you're never too late!  I agree, just do it!!  :-)))

Hi Brad,

I'm a newbie to AR and well to internet marketing too for that matter.  My oustide domain is already a blog (wordpress)  Would I benefit from setting up the outside blog from AR as a subdomain? HMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Confused here!

That' a bookmark! Thanks,

Flagship - there are a couple ways to do this, if you'd like, I can call you or you can call me so I can explain.  Let me know if that works for you, it would take too long to type it all out here in these comments. Thanks.

Thanks Tony!  :-)

I really appreciate this post. But why do all the screens look different for me than the images you're showing? I'm using IE 7. Any idea?

Plus right now, it won't let me upload any images... very strange.

Tre - this is because the Outside Blog screens and setup have changed since this post was written.  Now you have the choice to have multiple blogs, I just haven't had the chance or time to create a new tutorial post yet.  It's really pretty simple once you get in there, try it out and if you need some help, just let me know.  :-)

Grad - You are the man! Thank you so much.

Ah Bobby - it's been many years since I was a "Grad", but thank you anyway!  lol~

THANK YOU!!!!!  I just set up my outside blog and it took all of 15 minutes.  Bless you.

Dawn - WOW!  15 minutes? That has to be a new record!!!  Congrats, I hope it generates you lots of leads, business, and new friends in 2009!!  Happy Holidays.  :-)

Good instruction but I will need to revisit it after I get my first blog figured out. Thanks.

Craig - if you need some help getting that first post out, or your Blog setup here, just let me know.  :-)

Hi Brad,

I set up my Outside blog some time ago. When an outside viewer look in, there is no way for them to comment. I do have the allow outside comments checked in the pref section. What do I need to do to allow comments on the outside blogs?

I knew it wasn't working on Localism right now, but I wasn't aware you can't comment on outside Blogs.  That will be looked at and corrected soon.  Thanks James.

Hi Brad, the email me link also doesn't work. BTW, thanks for responding to my email.

Tanya - no problem.  The tech guys and programmers are spending the next couple weeks to get the Outside Blogs not only up and running smoothly, but perfecting them and making them better than ever before.  Now that we have cleared up and fixed some major programming and code issues, our focus is Outside Blogs and Localism.  Thanks for being patient, it will be worth while once the new updates and releases are launched. :-)

I am having a problem with both the outside blog and Localism truncating blog posts.  This happens most when I include a table of data.  Is there a way around this?

Joe - you might want to make your "table data" smaller so it won't do that on the other syndicated sites.  This is something that has been an issue in the past with photos and other formatting as well.  Hopefully we can get them all to be the same at some point.  Blog post width is a huge issue when posting to all 3 sites.

This is a book in itself & I learned both from comments and  your original article - thanks.

I need to go change a few things on mine.

Kathleen - this has turned into a book of comments for sure. So much has changed since this was written.

Brad - I got mine set up.  Thanks for all the great info.  One question that I did not see above (unless I missed it) is will we need to use a tool like feedburner.com, or is that taken care of for us behind the scenes?   Thanks. 

Steve - currently you cannot add widgets to your outside Blogs but that is only temporary, we are working on upgrading many of the features available to your outside Blogs in the very near future.

Am I doing something wrong or do outside URL's not work?  I created this blog not long after launch.  I appreciate the efforts of A/R so I didn't complain (too much) when it didn't work.  Now, I'm starting to wonder if it's me, or if this will ever work.

Will - I think it has to be a .com site and not a .info site.  I will check with our tech support but I believe that this may be the problem.  I will forward your comment on to try and get an answer asap.  In the past, I know that the .tv, .org and others did not work. 

BTW - It's not complaining when you need some help, don't ever hesitate to let me know if you need it.  :-))

Brad, has this been revised?

• I don't see the "Outside Settngs" screen you display here (#2)
• I don't see any option for modifying the meta tags (#3)
• There's no "enable" box to check for the domain name
• Not finding "advanced options" (#11)
  
• Is there a default for #9 above, if we don't select colors?
• And I'm not seeing any "save" function (#12)

Help!

Hi Margaret - this was written back in June when we first launched outside Blogs.  We have of course made many changes and updates since then and are in the middle of a major update once again.  Once everything is in place and in working order (along with some new releases we'll be announcing soon), I'll be sure to do a new and updated post regarding all the changes and enhancements to AR outside Blogs.  :-)

Hi Brad - I was looking into the outside blogs option today. I can't seem to find the information that you reference here. I don't have links on my home page for ads or outside blogs. The left side bar seems to be organized differently than the screen shots here. Do you by chance know if this is service that is no longer available? I see there are still outside blogs, just don't see the options to customize/set them up.

Thanks for your help.

Angie - It all changed today.  See the ActiveBlogs post by Jeff, Jorgen, and myself.  I'll be doing an updated tutorial shortly and referencing it here in this post. :-))

Thanks for the instructions.  The step-by-step and screen shots are helpful.

I posted my first outside blog to www.destinrealestate-sells.com

Can I hope to see this high up tomorrow?  I'll be looking.

Wendy's blog (linked in the comment above) looks just like my current, free, outside blog.
Are they the same, or is hers the new one?

I don't see much difference.

Also - what happened to the tags in the outside blogs?

Oops.  Ignore my comment above.  I though this was a different post - about the "new" outside blogs.

However - will the tags be back on the original outside blogs?

Wendy - yes, you should see it high up there as soon as it gets indexed and visited by the SEO robots.  Could be a day, week, or month, no one really knows.  Keep Blogging, it takes a bit of time, but will happen.

Don - yes, tags will be back.  It may in fact just be a browser issue.  As I'm sure you are aware, sometimes things look differently on Explorer than they do on Firefox and visa versa. We are looking into all bugs and issues to get them ALL corrected.  The new  Blogs will have more than the FREE ones did, most of them were just subdomains and not getting much SEO as just subdomain names.  The new Blogs and Group Blogs are going to ROCK!!

IMPORTANT

ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

IF YOU ALREADY HAVE AN ACTIVERAIN OUTSIDE FREE BLOG, YOU ARE FINE.  IF YOU DO NOT ALREADY HAVE AN OUTSIDE BLOG AS OF THE DATE ON THIS COMMENT, THEY ARE NO LONGER FREE!

YOU CAN KEEP YOUR EXISTING BLOG JUST AS IT IS, IT WILL REMAIN FREE.  IF YOU DECIDE TO UPGRADE YOUR OUTSIDE DOMAIN OR BLOG, THERE WILL BE A $19 DOLLAR MONTHLY FEE ADDED.

PLEASE MAKE A NOTE OF THIS, AS OF 1/9/2009, FREE OUTSIDE BLOGS ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE. YOUR ACTIVERAIN INTERNAL BLOGS ARE AND WILL ALWAYS REMAIN FREE.

WE WILL NEVER CHARGE OUR MEBERS FOR ANYTHING THEY ALREADY HAVE AND WERE GETTING FOR FREE.

PLEASE READ THIS ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

That's are real shame.  ActiveRain is a great tool for business and the free outside blog sounded like another great benefit.  Making it $19 a month is simply outrageous, as there are many blogging sites, like wordpress.com for example, that still offer free blog sites.  If you want to have your own domain name, it's only $10/year plus the cost of the name (go to godaddy.com).  I'll take $20/year over $20/month any day.  I guess greed ultimately gets to everyone after success.

Roger - I understand and respect your opinion, thanks. I also see you have only been on AR since last Friday or at least that was when you created your first Blog post here, so there may be some things you don't quite understand about us, our network, our community, and outside Blogs.

I know that wordpress is a great site for creating Blogs (I have 3) as long as you have the time, knowledge, patience, technical skills and support that you'll need to get it where you want or need it to be.  I have to disagree with the "Greed after success" statement, but I respect your thoughts and appreciate you taking time to share them.

I guess it could work both ways in that AR for the past 3 years has provided a platform and the tools to help you make money, connect with others, and promote your business for FREE, would that not be considered greed in some respects? The Blog in which you have contributed your 5 posts to is still FREE.  You might be confused about the difference between the two.

Now Let's look at costs and reality:

If your time is worth only $20.00 - $40.00 an hour to you or your clients, then that means the hours you'll spend on other outside Blog platforms learning, creating, setting up, and trying to get visitors, support, and SEO from scratch will more than likely cost you thousands of dollars over a years time.  Some of our members just don't have that kind of time or money in this current market or economy.

A wise man once told me that "Where the sun sets for one, it rises for another."  You see, I prefer to see this in terms of success or failure and not greed.  What is the opposite of greed?  Is it fear or is it gratitude? 

Just so you know, if you created an outside Blog prior to your comment here, it is still FREE, just like your AR Blog is.  We're not charging anyone who setup their outside Blogs over the last 6 month roll-out period.

Thanks for sharing your 2 cents here, you'll get 25 points for commenting, and who knows how much or what those points might get you in the future?  Stay tuned on that one for sure...   :-)

Brad, first, I probably deserved the friendly pokes, as yes, I am fairly new to AR and with that, shouldn't be throwing down on what is, clearly, a very good system.  At least, I should have been more tactful.  But, I've always went for the direct approach.

That said, it still seems like a bait and switch tactic.  Yes, original users get to keep their free sites, but now it costs everyone else.  Maybe it's just because I'm new to the site.

I will say that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your posts, though.  They are very informative.  Thanks for all your help.  I've needed it.

Roger - I really appreciate you coming back to reply, and I don't mind the direct approach. Thanks. :-) 

I have not heard anyone ever say any new addition to AR is a bait and switch, nor the removal of certain items being a bait and switch either.  There was a time that AR didn't even have the ability for our members to blog.  Adding the feature was not to penalize those who joined early on, it was to bring more value to the site and our members, both new and existing. 

We're confident that by providing the ActiveBlogs (individual and group outside blogs) to our members, along with a platform, hosting, bandwidth, SEO, raindexing, and full support, that this will be one of the greatest values we've ever added and offered on this network.  In time, I hope to come back to this comment and say, "See, I told you so."

I sincerely thank you for being honest and sharing your thoughts on this, although I love getting those comments that endorse and praise the author, I also want to make sure I represent our company and members in a way that best serves them first.  This philosophy is what has kept our network strong and continuously growing.  If you ever need anything, have questions, or just want to vent, my door, lines, and Blog are always open to you.  :-)

Well a pretty decent site with some links about blogging is www.mlsblogresources.com - good links for real estate blogging and blogging in general.

Thanks Thomas, I'll check it out.  Do they offer outside blogs that are comparable to the AR outside Blogs?   Guess I'll find out in a minute...   :-)

I think it is time for me to stop back by here and at least leave brad a comment!  Hey man how ya doing?  I have been so stinking busy lately...not w/RE, but everything else.  hope you are doing well!

Hey Jeremy - thanks for stopping by.  I know the busy thing, it can sneak up on ya then BAM!!!  lol~ 

Hope all is well with you and the fam, been noticing you not around as much lately, but balance my friend is so important. 

Life Balance...    :-)

That is exactly where it is at my friend....I had to do a little reorganization on the priorities along with a major reality check.

Jeremy - I totally understand.  Reality checks can often times bring Realty Checks!  :-))

I am one of the disappointed newbies also.  I just decided to sign up on ActiveRain last week after reviewing some of the blogs, comments, info.  One of the things that caught my eye was how I could get an outside blog with my own domain and post to both at same time. Killer, I just needed another domain.  Well that takes a few days to come up with just the right one. So now for the past 3 days I have been trying to figure out how the heck to set up my outside blog.  I kept rereading your instructions, wondering what the heck I was doing wrong. I am not a novice and thought I knew what I was doing.  Today, I finally decided to skim through all of the comments for this post to see if anyone else had a problem. AAHH  HHAA!  It is no longer available, missed it by days.  I do already pay for two blogs and am not sure I will pay for a third that is priced at $19/month and I have no idea whether it is worth it or not.  I recommend two things, one, either delete this whole post or put something in the front about the change. It is one of the reasons I signed up on ActiveRain and recommended other agents to move forward on ActiveRain. Two, offer a free trial period of 3 or 4 months (for those of us who already have other blogs that we have set up and pay for) to see whether it adds value to what we are already doing.

Mechelle - I was waiting to post the new tutorial and just haven't got to it yet.  Excellent idea to edit this post and include the link to the new post, and I will once it's done.  I'm not sure if we'll be doing trial blogs, I'm sure you'll find the SEO and support valuable and worth the price you're paying for your other blogs, however I understand your reservations as you are new to Activerain and might not be familiar with the google juice and value our site brings to our members and readers.  Sorry for the inconvenience, and I will go make an edit to this post now.  Thank you for taking the time to comment and share your thoughts here.

This post was edited on 1/18/2008 with updates and links to information regarding the NEW Outside Individual and Team Blogs offerred on ActiveRain.  :-)

Hi-

I tried to set up my free blog back in Nov- see my above comments on 11/10 and 11/12. At that time it wasn't working with the sub domain names. I had set up 3 (2 on accident) and deleted 2 on your advise. Today I read that if you already didn't have a free blog you have to pay for it (or not have one).

I STILL get "the page you were looking for doesn't exist" when I try to edit my "free" outside blog. So now instead of having 3 free blogs- I have no blogs unless I want to pay $20/month/blog.

Is there any way to fix my free blog? Or am I just sol?

Thanks
Jackie

Jackie - I'll forward your comment to the techs and see if there is anything they can do.  I had this error come up on mine a couple times at activebrad.activerain.com but has since been corrected or is at least working now.  It's basically the same as my paid outside Blog which is RENetBlog.com.  I'll take a look at your subdomain blog and see if there is anything I can determine as well.  :-)

Brad-

Thanks.

Hi,

I just joined Activerain and I have a couple of questions please:

1.Can I integrate my Activerain blog to one of my own website page? Is that what "Outside Blog" is?

2.I looked on the left side of My Home page and I DO NOT have a link to Outside Blog. Is there something that I need to setup first?

Thank you for your help.

Michel - there is a link to the new post about the new blogs available on AR.  Give me a ring, I'll walk you through it over the phone.  :-))

Thanks! this is a big help in getting an otside blog set up on AR

Been out of the loop for awhile, but that sounds great!
Make it a great 2009!

Active Brad is Active Thorough again!

This is so exciting...I'm ready to start blogging!!

I really love your posts, because they are fulled with so much information and easy to follow instructions.

Thanks, Active Brad!

Jacqueline - thank you for your appreciation and comment, even after 800 comments, yours still means alot to me.  I hope your blogging experience here brings you all that you expect and deserve.  Thanks again. :-)

Brad...you're the BEST!!

I'm still trying to figure out how to use this site to best benefit me...So, I've subscribed to your blog...I'm bound to figure it out now!! 

Thanks again!

I am also trying to figure out how to best use this site... is subscribing beneficial?

I was just watching the tribute to George Carlin. The clips shown were incredible. He would have a field day

with Activerain and blogging. His routine on "stuff" made an impression on me. somethinmg like "...we all have stuff and we keep

all of our stuff inthings with roofs ...houses and then we need bigger houses for more stuff....stuff. stuff..."

Thanks to that piece since you sell the houses that alot odf my stuff will end up in and i wish everone a great 2009 year.

Has this been affected by the new changes?  Is there a charge for the outside blog now?

Dawn - the ActiveBlogs available to members on AR include hosting and an exclusive domain name and are 19.00 per month.  There is a post I wrote about this that gives more details if you're interested in setting one of these up.  Here to help if you need any.  :-)

Brad - I am having a problem loading custom header content into my AR outside blog. Any ideas?

Christianne - the header must be 960x134 or you will get an error when trying to upload the image.

Very informative post.

I'm going to have to take a closer look...thanks

Ok - my outside blog is not working... www.northwestarkansasrealestateblog.com but it shows up when I post to it? Am I missing something?

Ok - my outside blog is not working... www.northwestarkansasrealestateblog.com but it shows up when I post to it? Am I missing something?

Nicky - I sent your comment to our techs to see what's happening, I also see you have 2 outside blogs and think that might be part of the confusion or problem.  Feel free to call me and I think I can walk you through getting that corrected.  My number is on my AR profile.  Thanks.  :-)

I figured since I was in a hijacking mood, I would stop by here too!  How is it goin buddy?

Don't you even think about it! haha~  This post takes tooo damn long to load, go pick another!  haha.

Things are going good, and you?  You know you can call me if you ever have any questions or need to talk? 

Looking forward to diving in with this Brad...thanks!

Looking forward to diving in with this Brad...thanks!

Brad, I already had an outside blog with AR and it said to upgrade my outside blog was $19.  I signed up to upgrade it and it is still exactly the same. I never paid $19 before, what is the difference with what I signed up for and what I already had.  If there is no difference, than I do not want to pay $19. 

Brad, Thak you so much for spending your time to show me all the advantages.  I love it!

Brad.....I am not a doctor (but I have stayed at a Holiday Inn) and wanted to know if I could cut a small portion of your brain to transplant.....it would help me with the technical part of the Rain.

Brad.....I am not a doctor (but I have stayed at a Holiday Inn) and wanted to know if I could cut a small portion of your brain to transplant.....it would help me with the technical part of the Rain.

Libby - hahaha!!

As long as you're here at the AR Holiday Inn, my brain IS your brain.  :-)))

Brad-Is there any reason I should not use my own domain name for the outside blog?  Right now when I look at my outside blog and click on search homes box--it is taking the reader to someone else's web site.  Do understand this is all VERY new to me!  Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Donna

Brad-Is there any reason I should not use my own domain name for the outside blog?  Right now when I look at my outside blog and click on search homes box--it is taking the reader to someone else's web site.  Do understand this is all VERY new to me!  Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Donna

Brad-Is there any reason I should not use my own domain name for the outside blog?  Right now when I look at my outside blog and click on search homes box--it is taking the reader to someone else's web site.  Do understand this is all VERY new to me!  Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Donna

Donna Donna & Donna - Third times a charm. lol~  There is no reason you can't use your domain name for your AR outside blog. Just make sure that the domain name you use doesn't have anything already on it.  If you have a domain name and it already has content, a blog, or any information attached to it, you won't be able to use it for your outside Blog unless you redirect that domain name to the AR dns servers. 

As far as the home search goes, you'll need to simply setup your Listing Router so that it directs visitors searching for homes on your pages to YOUR IDX sites. You'll find the link to set that up on your "My Home" page.  There will be a "Listing Router" link on your left hand sidebar.

I think I am upgrading to a rainmaker account!!

I did not realize how easy this was.  Now I understand

Hi -

I currently have a BLOG on Wordpress.com that I have been running for about 18 months.  If I start an AR outside blog is there a way to import the posts from Wordpress to AR - or would I have to copy and paste the text from each post.  I'm getting 800 hits per month on my existing BLOG so I plan on keeping that up but ther content will be the same of both.   Not a big deal on a going forward basis to copy and paste each new post to both places but at start up it will be very time consuming I have dozens of existing posts to add.

Thanks

Rick - there is no way to import your wordpress Blog posts to your AR Blog at this time.  I would honestly consider creating new content for your AR outside blog as opposed to copy and pasting existing data.  You will get more value by having both blogs show up on Google and you'll generate more traffic by having the additional Blog.  Think of it like fishing in two lakes instead of just one.  I am not against duplicate content, I just think it's more valuable and time worthy to have original content on all sites and blogs.  My AR Blog averages 300-500 hits per day, but it's been going for over 2 years now.  My wordpress Blogs and Blogger blogs are good, but nowhere near the traffic AR blogs generate.

Really?  That gotta help with leads

I got my outside blog.  The AR staffer who walked me through it was great.  But I still learned a couple of things from your post, BRAD.

I'll be WALKING BETWEEN THE DROPS (my blog title) for a long time.

Wow.. I am new to this site as of today, there is a lot of information and it is almost over whelming to get through but I am getting there! If it wasn't made so simple and laid out as it has been not sure how long it would take me..

Hey Brad - Hope you are enjoying your vaca in Hawaii!  I just now got around to setting up my outside blog (and it looks really cool!).  My question is, did the powers that be eliminate the option of adding meta tags?  I'm not seeing them on the newer version.

Check it out.  I'm excited!
http://azactiveretirementliving.com

Eddie -  Welcome to AR, glad you found this post helpful.  If you need anything at all, just let me know, I'd be happy to help any way I can.  Enjoy the "rain!"

Kathy - The vaca was great, thanks.  There is a description area, but the power in the outside blogs lies more in the raindexing both by category/topic and local or hyper-local posts. The metatags or keywords within each post will most likely get you the most SEO.  I'm no expert, but I have seen some things here in the rain that have built great success around these areas.  :-)

Brad,

Your instructions for using an outside domain name all center around having the name registered with GoDaddy.   My domain name that I want to use I have registered with Register.com.   Can I just use the forwarding function at Register to redirect traffic to the AR domain - which I'm guessing will be myname.activerain.com ??

Rick - AR now registers your domain name for you.  If you have purchased a domain name from GoDaddy, that's ok too.  You can use it as well.  Since you used register.com, you can just point the name servers to ActiveRain and it will work the same.  You can use any domain name as long as there is no existing data on that site. ie: BestHomes.com.  It does not have to contain activerain in the domain name.

"IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT"
  PLEASE READ...

As This post was written back when Outside Blogs were frist launched, (ONE YEAR AGO TODAY!) as with all things here in the "rain" much change, improvement, and enhancements have been added and or corrected with ActiveRain Outside Blogs. Rather than editing and changing this post, others have been written and it would be to your advantage to read them for current updates and changes.

Here's links to the posts I recommend you check out:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/1019938/how-to-create-and-maximize-your-outside-blog

http://activerain.com/blogsview/888279/how-to-create-an-activerain-outside-activeblog-10-easy-steps

Everything ActiveBrad has written about ActiveBlogs or AR Outside Blogs

Download the PDF Instructions on How To Setup An Ouitside Blog

A blog and a "business engine" type web site are two steps in the right direction.

www.WhiteInkStudio.com

Thanks.  I have included this in the AR scavenger hunt.

THanks for this info! I am updating my outside blog now...

Brad - We LOVE our outside Blog and are always working to improve it. It's definitely one of the best things we've done since starting real estate. Thanks for all of your great tutorials.

-M

Monica - your outside blog looks great I might add, one of the better ones I've seen out there, and google thinks so too!  :-))

It just keeps getting gooder and gooder. Ha

Nancy - it's actually gotten much "gooderer" since this post!  :-))

Hi Rick, I have a couple of quesions for you please:

• You say that you receive a lot more traffic hits on your AR blog than on your Wordpress or Bloggers blogs and that's great! But do you know why? What makes it better? What is it that generates more traffic on AR?
  
• Do you write on different subjects on all 3 different blogs, if you do, how o you find the time? If not, do you duplicate content on all 3 blogs, is that beneficial at all?

Thank you.

Michel

I've been using my outside blog for months, but haven't paid much attention to it. I'm sure it's good to have, but not sure if I can measure results.

Hi Joetta - paying attention to it will make all the difference in the world, I promise.  There are sooo many ways to measure the results.  Like a garden, if you just plant seeds and pay no attention to it, what will that garden produce?  Your blog is no different, trust me. There are a ton of success stories on AR of how members are using their outside blogs to generate traffic, SEO, and ultimately increase business.

If you need some help, or want someone to give yours some attention with you, just let me know, it's what I love and do best around here. :-)

Michel - I'm Brad, but I'll answer for Rick...

ActiveRain generates over 2.5 million unique visitors each month, this type of traffic and SEO is pushed to our members outside Blogs showing them as the originating and authoritative blog posts.  That means that articles (properly written of course) and pushed to AR outside Blogs are going to get great SEO and indexing.  It does take time, as does any Blog, but the results we have seen over the past year are phenominal.

What generates traffic on AR is most likely a contribution of the 160,000 plus members providing nearly 1500-1700 posts per day on avg.  Currently there are more than 1.3 million Blog posts by members on AR. The benefit of the 3 platforms here: AR Blog, Localism, and Outside Blogs, is that you can push your content to multiple niches with minimal effort.  You can create content specifically designed for either one of the platforms or all three, but usually only ONE will get the authority from Google and show as the originating source. That's the one that will show up in the serach engines.

Call me if you have any questions or need further assistance, I'd be happy to help you out. :-)

If I could just add to Brad's answer to Joetta,

Joetta, the best way to measure the results is with Google Analytics. It has so many tools that allow you to get a better understanding of how traffic finds your outside blog as well as what kinds of things people are interested in that you are writing.

Brad,

Did someone link to this post? Why all the traffic?

Always something  NEW to learn on AR thank you Brad