The Official ActiveRain Guide

Top 50 Google Tools for Business

Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain) — Sun, 30 May 2010 09:53:44 -0400

The Top 50 Google Tools for Business

This compilation is for all of you out there who use Google for searching and SEO, but may not be aware of all the other tools and services that Google has to offer for your business. My inbox used to get so many questions about many of the links and tools below, it seemed like a good idea to bring them all into a single location for your review and use.

I know you'll find some of this information helpful or useful to you and your Business.

Image Courtesy of Wikipedia

Google Alerts – Get email notifications from any keyword or phrases used on the web.
Google Buzz - Start and share conversations about the things you find interesting.
Google Blog Search – A sophisticated way of searching the web specifically for Blogs.
Google Books – Google has a ground-breaking agreement with authors and publishers.
Google Business - All of Google's On-line Business solutions for small and large Business.
Google Checkout – Find it online, purchase it with Google’s Checkout tool.
Google Chrome – The fastest and cleanest Web Browser for PC’s and MAC’s.
Google Custom Search – Create your own custom search engine for your Website/Blog.
Google Desktop – Take control of PC or MAC Desktops, find anything faster and easier.
Google Dictionary – Don’t knock it till you try it, watch out Webster.
Google Directory – The Web organized by Topic and placed into Categories.
Google Earth – Explore and share the World in 3D. Add your photos and Videos.
Google Finance – Track and Edit your Portfolio, Charts, and Graphs.
Google 411 – Dial Directory Services and Information from any phone for FREE.
Google Health – Organize all your medical records and store them on-line.
Google Images – The Ultimate Image search on the Internet.
Google Maps – The best way to map out directions and share with others.
Google News – All the news you’ll ever need and find in one location.
Google Patents – Every US Patent is search-able with the full text.
Google Product Search – Find any product in one location instead of searching sites.
Google Scholar – Looking for a specific paper or Scholarly articles, find them fast.
Google Toolbar – Allows you to add search, share, and contribute to your fav browser.
Google Trends – For those who want to know details about search engine trends.
Google Videos – Used for searching only Video and Vlogs on the Internet.
Google Web Search – Still the #1 search engine tool with the #1 advanced features.
Google Web Search Features – The best search tool for movies, music, books, etc.
Google Code – This is a developer tools, used for APIs and other resources.
Google Labs – One of the best Online Tech Playgrounds on the Web.
Google Blogger – Create your own Blogspot Blog, it’s easy and free.
Google Calendar – Setup and use a Global Calender that you can share with others.
Google Docs – Create spreadsheets, presentations, documents, and more.
Google Groups - Use Groups to connect with others and share ideas and discussions.
Google Knol – Write a Knol and Share what you know with others. Learn too.
Google Mail – Google mail has so many great features for email, and it’s FREE.
Google’s Orkut – It’s a Google Social Network, stay connected with others.
Google Picasa – Upload and store, find, and share your photos and images.
Google Picnik - The newest online Photo and Graphics editing addition to Google.
Google Reader – Delivers everything you want to know from the web back to you.
Google Sites – Create your own websites and group wikis for private or public use.
Google SketchUp – Allows you to Design, Build, and Create 3D models and images.
Google Talk - Talk to friends, send IM’s, communicate with others via computer.
Google Translate – Helps you and visitors to view any site in any language.
Google’s YouTube – The second most searched site in the World. Youtube.com.
Google Mobile – Take Google on the Road, & don’t leave home without your phone.
Google Maps for mobile – Just as good as GPS, view maps, directions, get un-lost.
Google Search for mobile – Search the web from your phone anytime from anyplace.
Google Pack – Get the entire Google Pack for your PC or MAC.
Google Voice – The best way to manage phones and services FREE. (invite only)
Google Wave – The future of email and real time collaboration. (invite only)
Google Wonder Wheel - A Wonderful Wheel of relavant search terms.

Take a few minutes to explore what some of these great tools can do for you and your business, then make sure you keep an eye on Google in the future, their development team creates and produces new products at the speed of light.

Did I miss any? Do tell! What is YOUR favorite NEW Google Tool or Product?

Stay on top of everything Google is Doing – GOOGLE

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Improve Video and Images for Higher Ranking in Search Engines

Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:28:41 -0400

How To Improve your Video and Images for Higher Ranking in the Search Engines.

Acquiring SEO and traffic to your Blog or Website using great content, titles, descriptions, and keywords etc. has always been a subtle yet powerful strategy in the Blogging community. Many new businesses and individuals don't start off blogging or creating websites with the understanding of how SEO (Search Engine Optimization) works, or why it might be important to their success. In time... they learn. We all do.

In my travels around the country teaching SEO, Blogging, and Social Networking, the one thing that is least talked about or questioned is the power of video and images. You hear "Content is King" but you won't hear or learn that video and images are the most viewed and sought after items on the Internet. Could this be one of the reasons Google has links to them at the top of every search results page?

How do you get YOUR Video and Images to show at the Top of the Search Engine Results?

Matt Cutts from Google explains a few ways you can accomplish this. He shares some great ideas and tips on using and adding meta-data and user generated content. The idea of using captioning in Video is brilliant! You provide the transcripts and youtube will auto-align the text.

Creating captioning is easier than you may think, Matt and others do this on every video and I can show you how.

Matt also shares some great ideas on how to use flickr, he gives some great examples and says “it’s almost like crowd sourcing!” Flickr has great SEO but you need to understand how to use tags, descriptions and some of the tips in this video will assist you in knowing how and why.

If you create and use your own pictures, images, or video, and you want to get views, traffic, and ultimately generate leads and business, it's important to know a few key things including the SEO tips Matt shares in this video. It's also important to know that SEO isn't the only key ingredient that gets your material found on the web. Apply the concept that "Content Is King" to images and video, along with these tips and you've won 90% of the battle.

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ActiveRain's NEW "Suggest For Feature" Button

Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:35:07 -0400

Today we launched a new button on ActiveRain. The "Suggest Feature" button.

With the volume of great content and fantastic Blog posts being submitted daily from our RainMakers, we have created a new and powerful tool that allows members of the community to make suggestions for posts and articles they feel should be featured on our home page. This is a very powerful new tool, and with great power, comes great responsibility. :-) It is similar to the new Facebook "LIKE" button that we recently added.

As long as I can remember, the controversy of what does, and does not get featured has seemed a mystery or at best, a guess. ActiveRain's moderators have done a fabulous job in my opinion of sifting through the thousands of daily posts that go up on our network. It is a very difficult and time consuming task, and it's no longer humanly possible for us to review every post submitted by members for a potential feature.

The ActiveRain Community has been built and established based partly on our members "ideas and suggestions" and we're not changing our culture now! We are looking to our members, and the thousands of eyes (instead of just the few of our own) to suggest and submit to us, any posts you feel are worthy and have good content for our Feature Board. Now YOU (our community) can help us moderate and play a significant huge role in what our community stands for and represents.

By clicking on the new button, you'll be endorsing that member's Blog post, and sending us a link to consider for the coveted and infamous golden star. When you click on it, nothing will happen except the button will turn Grey. Behind the scenes, it will send the link to our staff for their review and possible selection. So here's your chance to help run the ActiveRain Feature Board. There is no limit to the amount of posts you can suggest to be featured, but you can only select the same post one time.

You may also notice that the "Flag" this post icon is no longer available at the bottom of each Blog post, we're currently working on a replacement option for reporting members concerns and flagging posts.

Our hope is that before members suggest a post, they'll keep in mind the culture, "The ActiveRain Weltanschauung" and the "Community Guidelines" upon which this network and vibrant community were created and built. What "BEST" represents not only ActiveRain and our community, but what Best represents us as an Industry. I truly believe that giving more of this decision to our members via this new option will benefit us all as a whole.

YOU have been "The Voice" of AR since its inception, and now YOU can be the "Eyes and Ears" as well. As we start relying more heavily on member suggestions, you may notice a change in the type of posts that make up the feature board. We're looking forward to your responses and responsiveness, and we're also excited about witnessing where this will take us in the future with the ActiveRain Feature Board. :-)

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It's Time To Update Your Photo - In HD

Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:47:20 -0400

It's Time To Update Your Photo - In HD

Members now have the ability to upload large photos from digital cameras, crop and adjust endlessly, and save the resulting image as their profile photo. These new profile photos are of a much higher quality. So now you can update your photo on ActiveRain and also earn 1080 bonus points.

The new photo or image must be at least 600 x 600. Our new photo upload feature allows you to use any hi-definition or large sized photo taken of you. You know that picture of you in the crowd that you always wished you could use but there were other people in it, or it was just too big? Now you can dig out that photo from the BBQ last weekend, crop yourself out, and upload it. Don't just do it for the points! lol~

Now just because you look great in your College Cap and Gown, I would still suggest using a current photo, or at least one that is no more than 6 months old. I can't tell you how many events I've been to lately where I would've known you had your photo here matched. :-O I have taken the plunge myself, and even though this is not my best photogenic side, it's current and will have to do til I find a better one.

There's no need for a tutorial on this new feature, it's pretty simple and straight forward. Just be sure that your starting image is at least 600 x 600 or you will get an error telling you your photo is too small. Just go to your "My Home" page and click on the "Edit" profile link to add your new HD photo. I can't wait to see all the NEW and UPDATED faces around the community. Let's "FACE" it, you know it's time to update YOUR photo, why not do it in HD (Hi-Resolution) and get 1080 bonus points too?

In case you do need a tutorial, here's a two minute video that will walk you through it!

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An ActiveRain Conduit - Toolbar for Your WEB Browser

Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 17:30:14 -0500

The ActiveRain Conduit - A Nifty Toolbar for Your Internet WEB Browser

This may be one of my coolest and greatest inventions EVER!! If you can believe that... lol~

ActiveRain members and even non-members should consider adding this toolbar to their Internet WEB Browsers. It will work with Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari. The toolbar gives you easy and instant access to some of the most viewed pages and important helpful tools on ActiveRain. I think you'll find it to be a very useful tool. Here's some of the features and cool stuff it has:

The ActiveRain Real Estate Network Toolbar - Will help you "Stay Connected" easily and instantly.

Access ActiveRain.com with a single click
Pull-Down menu to select from ALL Industry Affiliates
Search the AR Network for members or any topic
One Click Access to Important Member "Must Read" info
HELP Menu for Manuals, Guides, Training & Support
Easy Access to AR Features from an RSS menu
Link to Search and Sort ALL ActiveRain Blog Posts
One-Click Access to the ActiveRain Staff and Team
Live Updates, Announcements & ActiveRain Broadcasts

You can easily download the toolbar for your specific browsers and remove it just as easily if needed. Take a moment to try it out, see some things you may not have known existed, and let me know what you think? Once you download the toolbar and add it to your browser, you'll see how easy it is. Most likely, your "wheels" will start spinning and you'll be wondering how you can create a "custom toolbar" for your Site, Services, Blog, or Clients Browsers? I'll show you how, and the best part is that it's easy and FREE!

I hope you'll check it out, I'm really excited about this one... :-)

Select YOUR Browser below to Install the AR Toolbar

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How To Get Started on ActiveRain

ActiveRain Corp. — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:08:36 -0500

How To Get Started on ActiveRain - A quick route to a successful Journey on ActiveRain.

The ActiveRain Staff, along with our members and ambassadors, wish to welcome you to the community. We know you have a choice, and we're glad you've chosen our network as a place to connect with others, support your local neighborhoods and communities, plus grow your business and relationships.

Before you begin your journey here, there's a few areas we invite you to navigate first. This will save you time and give you a better understanding of the Network. We're confident that our site will bring value, benefits, and substantial rewards to you and your business.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN
These are REQUIRED and a MUST READ for ALL New Members - NO EXCEPTIONS!

What We Stand For - Weltenschauung
Weltanschauung: The guiding principles and philosophy of an organization. A world view.

The ActiveRain Community Guidelines
Please take these rules seriously.

GETTING STARTED in 3 EASY STEPS
Follow these next steps to get setup on ActiveRain.

How To Setup Your ActiveRain Profile - Completely Customizable
Creating a personal profile is the very first step and the most important. It's ALL about you.

How To Complete Your Profile - Part II
Your profile has three areas that allow you maximize the page. Learn How to use these sections.

How To Use Your "My Settings" Page
Now you are ready to Customize your ActiveRain Settings.

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF ACTIVERAIN
Social Networking, Connecting and Blogging

ActiveRain Member Success Stories
Read what other industry professionals and members have to share.
Here's A VIDEO version

Understanding ActiveRain Points
Learn about points and how they work on the network.

The RainMaker Membership
Becoming a RainMaker - The Value and The Benefit

READY TO MAKE LIGHTNING, THUNDER AND RAIN
Now that you're a member and RainMaker, put the power tools to work

Top 10 Tools for New Members and RainMakers
Take the time to review what this network has to offer.

ActiveRain Custom Outside Blogs
How To Create and Maximize Your Outside ActiveBlog.

The ActiveRain Starter Kit
Details about more ActiveRain Products, Tools, and Services.

OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES TO HELP YOU
Use these links to dive deeper in the "Rain" if you need more information

The ActiveRainGuide
A Tutorial Blog by Members for Members

The ActiveRain Staff Blog
The Official ActiveRain TEAM Blog

Help/FAQ Group
A network group created to help members

An ActiveRain eBook Tutorial
Find Almost Anything about ActiveRain here

ActiveRain University
Online Campus for Training and Support

Real Estate RainCamp
"Live" Local Conferences and Seminars

DID YOU KNOW?
ActiveRain is the TOP Real Estate Social Network in the World (source: Google)

The ActiveRain Network hosts over 170,000 RE Industry members averaging 200-300 new members daily. There are more than 1.5 million articles posted, with an average of 700-1000 new posts daily. Two million+ visitors traffic the ActiveRain network each month, over 80% are consumers. Only Rainmaker upgraded accounts receive Google trafﬁc to their blogs and posts. ActiveRain Member's Blog posts receive more than 500 views on average. Activerain is the ONLY on-line Network that offers this wide variety of tools, diverse services, and proven solutions to the Real Estate Industry Professional and for consumers on the WEB.

Best of Luck and Enjoy!

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How To Add .PDF Files To Your Blog Post and Website

Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 10:29:34 -0400

How To Add a .PDF File To Your Blog Post or Website

Once you've learned to add photos, embed video and audio files, create hyper-links and anchor text etc, inevitably you'll want to know how you can add a .pdf file to your Blog post. An Adobe Acrobat .PDF (Portable Document Format) file is a document that typically cannot be edited and is usually created from an original document using the Adobe Acrobat software or similar application. .PDF files can be viewed by downloading the FREE Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Adding a .PDF file to your Blog post can be done one of two ways. You can upload the .PDF file to a host server on the Internet and simply create a link to it using the location URL or web address. IE: http://www.DomainName/DocumentName.pdf The second way is to use a program or tool that creates an HTML embed code which you can add to your Blog post or website.

Scribd.com is a site that offers users a tool that lets you upload your .PDF document onto their server, then use their widget/player to embed the file into your Blog post or site. The site is FREE and once you've signed up and registered, the process is fast and simple. The benefits of embedding the .PDF file vs linking to it are that visitors and readers don't have to leave your post or site to access the shared PDF document.

How To Add a PDF File to Your ActiveRain Blog Post

1. Join Scribd.com and setup a Profile

2. Upload your .PDF file to Scribd.com

3. Click on the .PDF File you want to embed to Blog Post or Website

4. Copy the embed code from the "Share and Embed" Toolbox

*Notice the options to share on Facebook, Twitter, or Google Buzz
(You can also create a hyperlink to Anchor text using the Link/URL)

5. Place/Paste the HTML embed code on the HTML tab of your Blog Post.
The code can also be added to your website using your HTML page editor.

6. Save your post or page and you're done!

Here's a sample of a .PDF file I created a couple years ago here on ActiveRain.

Brad's Top Free Online Website Tools and Picks

As an Absolute Last Resort

One last option would be to take a "screen shot" or capture the PDF file as an image (if it all fits on your computer screen) and save it as a .jpg file, then you can add it as a photo or graphic to your Blog post. Unfortunately, even a single page PDF file is hard to display the entire page on a computer monitor or single screen. To capture any computer screen image, use the "Shift+Print Scr" keys on a PC, or the "Shift+Command+4" on a MAC to capture the image. You can always crop out what you don't want in the image using a photo or image editor like picnik.com or Adobe Photoshop. If you'd like a free photo or image editing software similar to Adobe Photoshop, check out Gimp.org.

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How to Create a Blog Post for Customers and Search Engines

Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 09:46:09 -0400

How to Create a Blog Post for Customers and Search Engines.

There are three important audiences to be writing for: 1. Other members and friends of your Social Networks. 2. Consumers, Subscribers, and a Target Audience of readers. 3. Search Engines. I'm sure this is preaching to the choir, but this is important information to be shared if you want to get maximum exposure and results from your Blog posts with consumers, visitors, and with Google. Google Juice? I'll drink to that! :-)

Blogging for Customers and Search Engines correctly is a key component to a successful Blog.

Using these effective strategies and time tested methods when creating your post can make a huge difference. The first thing when writing a post is to determine the audience you are writing for, the product or concept you're promoting, and the geographic market you are targeting. In this scenario, we are creating a Blog post to drive readers, consumers, and search engines to your Blog which is All About Your Area. Things like "Vacant Land", "Open Houses", "Loan Modifications", "Tax Credit", "Pest Control", "Relocation", "Market Statistics", "Short Sales", "Condos" etc.

1. How to title a blog post: Use a title that a customer would type into Google. example: "Open Houses in Mesquite Nevada" Targeting Neighborhoods and focusing on Communities are best, but you can also use City/State. Most searches by consumers always include a geographic area. example: "Vacant Land For Sale in Bend, Oregon" Don't just title your post "Vacant Land For Sale" as it probably won't get indexed to a specific location and will likely get lost in the Search Engine Abyss. (SEO abyss = page 24 of Google)

2. Repeat the title in BOLD in the first sentence of your blog post. example: "Vacant Land For Sale in Bend, Oregon" and now priced better than ever! Build your dream home in Bend, Oregon!" By creating the first sentence of your post to include the title and BOLD key search words, terms, or phrases, you'll increase the potential of being found and then read. That first sentence is typically the first sentence that shows up under your TITLE within the Google search results. It's an important part of getting the search engines to recognize your topic and see it's relative content. It's also what will help a consumer decide if they want to click on your link or NOT!

3. Write your blog posts to the title...then add in good content that a customer would want to know about. It takes a bit more time to think this strategy through, but the results and rewards will be tremendous. This in NOT the only way to gain SEO and more exposure, but it's a great place to start if you're new to Blogging and are wanting quicker results from your time and efforts here.

Creating posts and Understanding Long tail and Short tail search terms: Short tail searches are just that, very short keyword searches. example: "Homes for sale" or "Homes For Sale Austin, Texas". This is where most searches begin during the early stages of research by consumers. The Long tail search comes into play the closer consumers get to making a final purchase decision. example: "Gated Community Homes For Sale With a Pool in Austin Texas" Justin Smith explains more about Long tail/ Short tail searches in his post. You can also find more details by searching Google for "Long tail and Short tail searches." Here's a video that might help make heads or "tails" about this.

4. Go through your blog post and make sure that the words of your title are repeated a minimum of at least three or four times. At least one time every other paragraph or so. You should also bold those keywords so they stand out to the reader and to the search engines. You need to be somewhat creative in doing this and remember, don't over do it.

5. Tag your blog posts with other keywords and phrases the customer may type into Google. These should be topic related and relevant to your post. Do not try to game the search engines by packing in keywords that have nothing to do with the post, this will do more harm than good in most if not all cases. Also make sure to include images and links to relative sites, this will create more stickiness and add value to your posts.

Creating a Blog Post for Customers and Search engines is not that difficult once you understand some of these basic concepts and then practice and apply them on a regular basis. This is not to say you shouldn't write about other topics both personal and business, even those can be tailored to get you better results with customers and search engines. We tested this theory on the Fourth of July Weekend and you should see some of the results ActiveRain members experienced. It really does work.

I hope you can use these tips on "How to Create a Blog Post for Customers and Search Engines."
VERY IMPORTANT: If your post on ActiveRain is (MEMBERS ONLY) then none of the above applies.

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How To Enhance Your Business Listing & Rank Higher and More Often

Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:00:35 -0500

Enhance Your Business Listing - Rank Higher and More Often

Having your Local Business Listed on the web is important for its future survival. Claiming your listing will help give you more control over how the search engines index you and will also help prevent spammers from hijacking it. There's also a good chance it could improve your search engine rankings and deliver your Company increased traffic.

GetListed.org has some tools and information to help you get your Business noticed on the WEB and by the searching consumer. GetListed checks the most popular and commonly used search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN Bing, and Best of the Web, to see how your Business rates and ranks in a variety of ways.

Get a listing score or percentage based on your Business listing or Company name. Your "listing score" is a number that ranges from 0-100 that approximates how effectively your business is taking advantage of free listings at the major search engines. Claim your Business Listing on the major search engines, it's the easiest and yet most over-looked detail by many Local Businesses today.

DON'T JUST HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON ON THIS ALARM!

In the process of consulting a client on how to get more exposure for their Company and Local Business on the Web, this is what we discovered. You can see below why I am sharing this with you today, and why it is so important. No matter how large or small your Company, you need to be registered and "LISTED" with these search engines.

It's FREE, and your efforts could make a huge difference for your Local Business.

DO YOU WORK HARD GROWING AND PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS?

GetListed.org has Local Marketing Advice, Advanced tips, and News for marketing your business.

Why Local Search Is So Important
Over 10 billion unique searches are performed each month, and that's just in the United States! See why listing your business online is so important. Learn More »

Why Citations Are Important to Your Local Business Listings
Citations are defined as "mentions" of your business name and address on other webpages, even if there is no link to your website. Find out why they matter in Local Search. Learn More »

Managing & Improving Your Business's Reputation Online
In this article, they recap the advice of a number of prominent Local Search Experts about the importance of paying attention to, and even encouraging, customer reviews of your business online. Learn More »

NOTE: There are many other search engines on the web, not quite as popular, but here's a quick list if you're interested.

Understanding the importance of "why you are doing the things you're doing" in today's "Staying In Business" model, should help to motivate you in getting these certain tasks done. I find it very beneficial when others that have learned by "Trial & Error" take the time to share their experiences. We can all learn from each others mistakes, I trust that will be the case here today.

(Imagine the potential of sharing this info with other local businesses you wish to connect or build a relationship with)

Do your Local Business a favor, take the next 10 seconds to run your Company name and Zip Code. Then take 10-15 minutes and List your Local Business in each of the Top Search engines, this will help to "Enhance Your Business Listing & Rank Higher and More Often."

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ActiveRain Launches Outside Blogs - How Do You Get Yours?

Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:31:12 -0400

Google offers Blogs, Yahoo offers Blogs, and now ActiveRain offers RE Blogs!! I am so excited that I get to announce this! ActiveRain is pulling all the stops and releasing the "BIG" storm today. It's been a long time coming, and now it's finally here! STOP HERE!

UPDATE 4/10/2009 - Please see this new post for details regarding the NEW OUTSIDE Blogs offerred on ActiveRain. How to Create and Maximize your AR Outside Blogs and 5 Tips For Your Outside Blogs.

ActiveRain "Outside Blogs" are launched today. You're going to love the ability to create one post, and then with the check of a box, send it to your Outside Blog. That's right, one post, syndicated in three locations. You can choose to have your post on ActiveRain, Localism, and now your own personal "Outside Blog" too.

Here's just a few highlights of the "" Outside Blogs:

* Host your Blog on your own domain name. (You must own name) ie: BestHomes.com
* Customize the look and feel of your Outside Blog.
* Set up in 10-15 minutes max.
* Build your posts in ActiveRain, no need to learn a new Blogging platform.
* Publish your posts to AR, Localism, Outside Blog, or all three, it's your choice.
* Benefit from the SEO power of ActiveRain.
* Brand your own Blog and yet stay connected with the AR community.
* Comments are syndicated between your ActiveRain Blog and your Outside Blog.

This is only the beginning, as the community jumps on these, each individual's exposure doubles. 2X the POWER! That's Exciting!! Imagine the possiblities with these Blogs...

Here's how to setup YOUR Outside Blog. The sample below is a screen shot of my Outside Blog. I'll demonstrate how I used ActiveRain to create it.

SETTING UP YOUR CUSTOM OUTSIDE BLOG:

1. To Start, click on the link "Outside Blogs" from "My Home" page.

2. On the next screen, give your Blog a "Title". It will already have the same name as your current ActiveRain Blog. You can change it.

3. Meta Keywords are the next option, don't panic What's a Meta Tag?

4. Next, you can customize or modify your Blog description. This text will appear underneath your Blog Banner.

5. Now give your Blog an ActiveRain Subdomain:
ie: ActiveBrad.ActiveRain.com

6. You can also use custom domain names. (advanced users only)
You must already own your own domain name. If not, you can see if the domain you like is available, click here.

Here's a screen shot of the options that are mentioned above:

7. Next, keep your current photo or add a new photo to your Blog. Your Outside Blog photo will NOT replace your existing AR photo. Here's your chance to update that picture from 7 years ago. lol~

8. Select one of the Templates or Themes from the ActiveRain Library: These can be customized. More templates will be available in the future. This is just the launch period, expect enhancements for sure.

9. Setup the colors for your fonts and for different areas of your Blog page. Here's a color chart.

10. Now, add custom created headers and images to your Blog. There are multiple posts on how to create and edit images, you'll find them in the Help/FAQ group. We have some very artistic and talented members who share valuable tools and resources there.

11. Under the Advanced options, you can display multiple Blog posts, up to 100 if you like.
(I suggest 20 posts max, or the page may load slowly, especially if you have video and large graphics)

Use the Syndication options to select which posts to pull, or add ALL from your primary ActiveRain Blog. Members Only posts will not appear on your Outside Blog. If you have concerns about Duplicate Content on your Blogs, read this post called "Duplicate Content and Outside Blogs."

12. The FINAL STEP, Click on Save Changes

YOU'RE DONE!
Go to the ActiveRain Subdomain URL you created
and there's your new outside Blog!

Here's A Sample Of Mine

*Note: When creating posts on ActiveRain, just check this box
to place them on your outside Blog.

If you do choose to use your own existing Domain name, please read the advanced information and instructions below. You'll need to know the following: You can also find this information located HERE.

Here are the STEP-BY-STEP instructions for setting up an Outside Blog using your own domain name.
Also be sure to check out some of the other members outside domains as ActiveRain Blogs Evolve.

That's It! We are finally launched!!. WOOHOO!! You will no longer have to search for a place to have an outside Blog. You won't have to start from scratch to create your own, or cut and paste, or duplicate efforts, or try and manage your time running two or more Blogs.

I really am excited about this. It's like watching the birth of a baby being born, and I feel somehow emotionally and personally attached to it. ActiveRain is moving onward and upward, and everyday, becoming more of a powerful source in this great industry. I'm honored to be the carrier pigeon of this exciting and community changing news. As always, if you get stuck, don't get MAD, call Brad.

For Outside Blog status updates and known issues being addressed: CLICK HERE!

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New and Improved ActiveRain Leaderboard

Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:46:18 -0400

I reblogged this post to give some additional exposure to the new ActiveRain Leaderboard. This in my opinion is a nice supplement to the City/State pages that use to feature the ability to find specific individuals in various States under a selected category. Great job on the post Kerrie, thanks and kudos! :-)

Via ActiveRain Corp.:

We are pleased to announce the new and improved ActiveRain Leaderboard! We couldn't have done it without the amazing feedback of our Community over the last couple of days. Thank you all so much!

ActiveRain wanted to create the best possible layout for all of our members. A place where you can easily see how you rank within all of AR, your state, your professional group etc.

The new style is sleek and sexy...take a look.

As you can see, I have narrowed my search down to Real Estate Agents in All States. You can also add state, county, and city for more localization.

If you are roaming around and your name is in the list you can hit the "show me" button on the bottom right and it will take you to the page you rank on with your profile highlighted. Please keep in mind that if you are not a Loan Officer in New York and you have that specific search open, the "show me" button will not appear.

The new design will make it easier and more convenient to find what you're looking for; whether it be a referral or simply to see where you rank amongst other members.

Another great tool is that you can access the leaderboard from your main profile. If you click "My Home" on the top right hand side of AR you then see your smokin' hot photo with a few stats below. The "Rank in State", "Rank in County" and "Rank in City" all link to the leaderboard.

ActiveRain is always working hard to stay on top. We try our best to provide you with the tools you need and are asking for. The new ActiveRain Leaderboard is our newest addition.

We hope you like it!

Kerrie Greenhalgh

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How To Create and Maximize Your ActiveRain Blog Post

Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain) — Mon, 31 May 2010 13:08:56 -0400

How To Create and Maximize Your ActiveRain Blog Post

The AR community has grown and evolved with thousands of new members, millions of posts, some really cool features, and great SEO and consumer traffic. Many of the members who sign up and join ActiveRain start off very excited and ready to Blog, but then find themselves stuck. We have many members who ask What Should I do Next?

Having a profile setup and then just lurking around the community, not knowing where or what to do next, seems to be an age old trend. "What should I Blog about?" "I don't have the time!" "I'm not a writer or blogger!?" and "Why Should I Blog?" are just some of the common questions and concerns I hear time and time again.

It's time to get some answers. It's time to get your "Blog" game on!

ActiveRain members have created a very powerful on-line resource for both members and consumers that is second to none. There is ton of information here covering a wide variety of topics and discussions. So where do you find out what makes the ActiveRain Blog Post different than any other Network or Blogging platform out there?

What tools and options are available and how do you use them? How is Blogging on ActiveRain different than blogging on Wordpress or Blogger? Do you have questions like these and are you trying to make cents sense of it all? In just one hour, we're not just going to tell you, we're going to show you. If content really is King, then knowledge about content and "How To" must be Queen!

What's taken years to learn (through trial and error) will be shared with you in a "flash" of time, if you want it.

Click Here To Learn How To Create and Maximize Your AR Blog Post

* The Blog Cycle and Purpose - Connecting All The Dots
* What's The Difference Between a Website and A Blog
* Finding "Your" Blogging Voice and Transparency
* The Keys to Building Your Blog Resourse Library
* Where to Find Unlimited Content for Blogging
* What To Write and Blog About and Why
* How to Create Powerful and Inviting Blog Titles
* What Makes Bad Content vs Great Content
* How to Generate MORE Traffic and Leads
* How to Track Statistics and Use Analytics
* Strategy on Using Keywords and Tags Effectively
* Why Achor Text and Back Linking Are Crucial
* Using Channels, Groups, and Topics as Tools
* What is The Truth and Power of the ReBlog
* The Evolution of Posting Listings - What's Changed
* When, Why, and How Often To Create New Posts
* Using Syndication to Get Maximum Exposure
* Understanding SEO on ActiveRain and Outside Blogs

The purpose of ActiveRain and this vibrant network is to provide a community atmosphere where Industry Professionals can network, have fun, learn from each other, share their knowledge and experiences, and grow their business via referrals, SEO, and Blogging. If you're new to ActiveRain, or you've been lurking around for months now, or you've left AR and now you're back, or maybe attended a RainCamp and you're just not sure what to do next, I hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity and join us. It all starts with YOUR Blog!

Important Note: This training is open to any and all members. Some tools and information we'll be sharing will only apply to RainMaker memberships. We'll explain the differences, and also provide you the opportunity to explore the "RainMaker" membership with no risk or obligation if you're interested.

EDIT 6/1/10 10:00pm
"Try This Link To See If You Can Watch The Recorded Session"

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Who's Calling The Shots on ActiveRain - The New "Called Shots" Feature

Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 09:59:35 -0400

We have a new feature which I'm sure many of you have already noticed on your "MY HOME" pages.

Since we released the new "SUGGEST" for feature button, we've been getting a really good response from members helping us to find and report suggested content for the ActiveRain Feature Board. You'll notice today that we've placed a new metric "CALLED SHOTS" counter in the status area of each members "my home" page. This little tracker tool will tally a total of how many posts you suggest that actually get featured.

Calling a shot simply means you've selected a post by another member that you feel should be featured.

To do this, you would have to have clicked on the "SUGGEST" button in the upper right corner of their blog post. If you suggest a members Blog post to be featured, and it is selected, then you will have "Called The Shot" and get the kudos. When a member accumulates enough "Called Shots" they'll earn a new badge.

In order to prevent gaming, members may only suggest a maximum of 5 posts per day, so be careful calling your shots, don't waste them, we may have some additional surprises and rewards for those members "calling the most shots" around here.

Thank you for helping us keep the network growing and for keeping the community fun! Your support in suggesting features has been awesome, and is making a huge difference for our moderators and for the variety and quality of content that our visitors and traffic are being exposed to while visiting ActiveRain.

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Tips about Your ActiveRain "Settings" Page

Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:22:57 -0400

Tips about Your ActiveRain "Settings" Page

So much has changed since my initial post from 10/07 regarding the ActiveRain "settings" page. I'm creating an updated post for our new members joining the network. To access your settings, make sure you're logged into AR, then go to your "MY HOME" link located at the top of any page. Next, click on the "Settings" link located on the left hand side of the page. I'll explain each section of the "settings" page below.

This is your Blogs Title. Be sure to give this one some thought, it is the theme of your entire Blog.

Your Blog Description. This is an important area of your "Settings Page." This is where you can add Widgets and their HTML codes to your Blog. This includes any ActiveRain Approved Widgets that are available.

This is your Blogs Description. (Text Only - NO HTML Allowed Here) This is where you should describe your Blog, it's content, and it's value to your readers, but remember the SEO opportunity. You are limited to 100 words, so focus your description and keywords. This is often times the most overlooked area by new and existing AR members. Maximize your SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Allow Non-Member comments. Be sure you have this box checked, otherwise readers who are not members of Active Rain will be unable to comment on your post. Unless all your posts on your Blog are members only, I would make sure it's checked!

Sharing your comments. Your comments are already shared in the posts where you've made them. If you want other members and readers to access "All" your comments in one easy access location, you can check this box and allow them, it's your preference.

Twitter Settings. Enter your user name. Be sure it's the one you have setup on Twitter. Detailed Post Here

Add your password for automatic Twitter updates. You may also wish to tweet your "Members Only" posts. By checking the box, you are allowing your "members only" posts to be broadcast over the twitter network. If you don't currently have a twitter account, you can get one here at Twitter.com

Your Email Settings. This is a very important part of your settings page. You have to decide how you want your email notifications to work and be managed here. Do you want to get emailed every time someone adds you as an associate? What about the comments you'll receive on your Blog Posts? How about the groups you've joined, the founder or administrator can do mass emails to the group, do you want to be notified? There is even manual score and point adjustment email notifications. This is really up to each members own discretion.

Under the General Settings, the option to allow others to see when you are on-line is no longer available. This feature will be removed in a future update and release. It was available when the member count used to appear in the upper right corner of AR pages.

Reblogging Option. Reblogging allows others to "ReBlog" your posts on ActiveRain. If you check this box, other members will have to option to Reblog your content on their ActiveRain Blog posts. To find out more about Reblogging and how it works. Click Here.

Hit Router Settings. This is one of the Super-Power features on ActiveRain. Over 100,000 consumers use this per month on average. The Hit Router allows consumers to search specific geographic areas for homes from nearly every Blog post and AR profile. Be sure to setup your Hit Router, maximize Hit Router and create your Market Area Campaigns when you leave this post. This is a great lead generation tool for directing traffic and visitors to your IDX sites and listings. Here's some important information about Hit Router you'll want to know about.
The Final and MOST IMPORTANT TIP HERE: Don't forget to click on the after making changes.

A--------C---------T---------I---------V-----------E-----------R------------A------------I-------------N

This next section is actually part of your "My Home" page, but let's cover it while we're here.

My Comments. Here's where you can go back and track every comment you have ever made on Active Rain. Use the "My Comments" link to go directly to any post you have ever made a comment on.

Notifications. This is a new feature that allows you to review comments made when you've checked the "Notify Me Of Comments" on another members post. They can also be deleted from the list here.

Points Summary. This is a breakdown of points earned. It shows your total points on Featured Posts, comments, regular points, inviting new members etc. ONLY YOU can see the breakdown of your individual points.

Statistics. How many comments do you receive? How many views do you get on your post? How many clicks are your posts getting? It's all on this page. Another great feature of the Statistics page is that you can see every post you've ever submitted on AR. Using the stats page will help you determine many things about your Blog and posts.

Associations. These are other members that have added "YOU" as an associate. When you add someone as an associate, don't forget to put a comment in the box at the bottom of the page. When someone adds you as an associate, hopefully, you'll reciprocate. In my opinion, this is one of the best reference and referral here.

Invite Others. Use this link to send an invitation to someone who is NOT currently a member. When you invite other Real Estate Professionals, and they accept, you will be credited for their membership and get a percentage of points for everything they do on AR. You can also send an invitation outside of AR, just be sure to use the proper link so you can get credit for inviting them.

Blog Bookmarks. This will take you to ALL the posts you have bookmarked on AR. We all get the comments from members that say "I've Bookmarked Your Post!" This is so they can be referred back to at a later time.

Link To ActiveRain. This page will give you the options and graphics to place links and images on other websites and Blogs. It allows you to promote your Blog and membership here at AR. You can use these HTML codes on most outside websites and Blogs.

Review Pending Outside Blog Posts. Another new feature, this allows you to deny or approve other members posts to your Outside ActiveBlogs. Depending on how you setup the admin rights will determine how you end up using this feature. You can find out more about Multi-Authored Outside Blogs here.

Feel free to modify your AR settings anytime. Hopefully, you have a better understanding of what each of these areas and links covers. If you have any questions on how to do ANYTHING here on ActiveRain, there are hundreds of instructional posts available that I can point you to, or you can just ask me, and I'll find you the answer. Thanks and Enjoy!

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The ActiveRain Point System

Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:35:25 -0500

The ActiveRain Point System

ActiveRain awards members points based on participation and their individual involvement within the network and community. While there is a much more complicated and technical explanation of how the point system works, this post is to provide you a general overview of how points are earned and distributed that to ALL ActiveRain members.

ActiveRain points are earned based on a members individual activities and efforts. Points are accumulated over the duration of the Calendar week which "Starts Monday morning at 12:00am Central Time, and Ends Sunday night at 11:59pm Central Time."

The following are some ways you can earn points and move up the "Featured Member" ladder in your Local Area.

200 Points for each Blog Post
(Max 10 per Week) (50 Word Minimum Required)
25 Additional Points when Post is added to Channels with a Topic
400 Points for Featured Post on ActiveRain.com
(Excludes Posts Featured in ActiveRain Groups)
25 Points For Each Comment
(Max 10 Per Day) (Comments on Your Own Posts Excluded)
25 Points for Each Reblogged Post
(Max 10 Per Week - These do not Include Your Own Posts)
ActiveRain Profile Points
(Building Your AR Profile will Build points)
Received Comments on Blog Posts
(No Blog Post to exceed 475 pts.)
100 Points - Logging In To ActiveRain Each Day
(This applies 7 days a week)
250 Points When Someone Accepts Your AR Invitation
(Must Sign Up under Members Invite Code)
10% of Total Points Earned By New Members Invited By You
(IE: Invited Member Earns 1000 pts. - You Earn 100 Pts.)
ActiveRain and Member Approved Contests - Points Will Vary
(These show up as Bonus Points in your Point Summary)
Staff Awarded Bonus Points - These are issued by the AR staff
(Member Humanitarian, Paying It Forward, Helping Others etc.)

Weekly Point Scenario: The potential of points available per week, per member would be as follows: 1750 for max comments, 2000 for max Blog posts, 700 for logging in daily, 250 for adding to Channels/Topics, and 250 for max ReBlogged posts. The Weekly potential of points would be 4950 (this does not include featured posts, comments received, invitation and percentage points, contests, and staff awarded bonus points.)

Point Disclaimer: The Points System created by the ActiveRain Network was developed and implemented to motivate, inspire, and reward members for their participation and involvement within the community. These points are subject to change at the discretion of the ActiveRain Mgmt. Team, with or without cause, warning, or notice.

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