Rainers: This is an encore presentation of a post that was first appeared exactly one year ago today. I repost it because much of it is still relevant. In terms of milestones, this was the first ActiveRain post to ever cross 100 comments. At the time, it was very controversial. I confess that it made me squirm and lose sleep, as the comments became increasingly volatile. Would it still be controversial one year later?? It is completely unedited from the original 2006 version.
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If you are serious about wanting to be a real estate blogger, there are lots of great resources out there and tons of good people you should be reading. Some of those good people 'on the outside' of our ActiveRain cocoon are reading some of our ActiveRain blogs, and they aren't impressed.
This week, Christine Forgione and I had a little conversation about this piece from a very fine blogger, Greg Tracy from BlueRoof.com. Greg writes:
It upset us both a bit, but upon reflection, I have to say Greg makes a very good point. Sometimes the truth hurts. Ouch."ActiveRain is a real estate industry network and has some great real estate bloggers, but they also have a lot of crappy ones who post up to a thousand posts every day trying to earn points on the network."
Personally, I've used my delete button to erase some posts that were bad. I've gone back and edited some things that I should have said differently the first time. I've put up some things that have embarrassed me in retrospect. They are gone now, but still... People read them. People haven't forgotten them. And they are likely cached somewhere if anyone really wanted to find them.
Greg goes on:
"Anyone thinking of getting into blogging ... I would counsel you to go Blogger, Technorati, and ActiveRain and search around so you can find some [blogs] that aren’t so good. This will allow you to consider whether you are willing to put in the work, and also allow you to think about whether you have a talent for writing or not. If you don’t have the talent for it at least read some good ones and get some tips before posting a dozen times every day to write about how you had to bring your dog to your open house or how much you like your new chair at the office."
Very few of us have the gift for blogging that Broker Bryant or Kristal Kraft have. Just because we can put out 3 posts a day and get points for them, does not mean we should. We need to keep our eyes on the real prize: a referral, a new client, or even google pagerank. Having a lot of points is POINTLESS if you haven't learned anything along the way, or shared something that helped others.
I am not saying that if you cannot blog as well as Kristal or Bryant that you shouldn't. I like the learning aspect of ActiveRain. I like that people are encouraging the newbie bloggers. Its exciting to watch people's blogging skills improve. And I don't think the site has to be all serious and boring.
This week someone pointed out to me a blogger who is reposting his own old material, literally unchanged. Why bother? It wasn't even that good the first time. Ahhh... the points. I've seen tons of 4 sentence posts, banged out 3 in a row by bloggers who then disappear and don't seem to read what anyone else is writing. Again, I don't get it. Copy and paste from a news article--not acceptable. That's not blogging its laziness and plagiarism.
I think Greg's point leaves me with a bigger message. We have a responsibility to each other, and to the site owners, to keep this a site filled with quality bloggers. Otherwise everyone gets dragged down. The good bloggers will run off and stop posting here. They'll move their great material on to their own separate blogs so they don't have to be so closely associated with the muck. I've heard people muttering about just this behind the scenes in the last week or so. But I don't want to see them leave!
I think there are a ton of great bloggers here. I am proud to be associated with most of you. Please, keep up the good work, because I love reading what you have to say. This message is not about most of you. And, most likely, those who it is about will never read it anyway. But if you would like to send it on to anyone you think needs to read it, I am OK with that.
Maureen - I remember when this was first posted. Yeah, it made me s little uncomfortable until I thought more about it, and the real message. Still relevant - hope lots of folks read it. But, sadly, the ones who really should, will not.
Jeff
IMHO ActiveRain is worse now than it was a year ago.
This post should not be controversial. I don't think it was really controversial a year ago, some just took it personally.
Very relevant. After the Move Inc. revelation (ActiveRain nearly selling to Move) a few weeks ago I spent time reading the outside posts about AR at that time and then took a hard look at AR and was revolted. Not just at the plagiarism and crappy little posts for points but at the scams and all the posts about nothing. Of course I don't have to read them. There are good posts here and there is a lot to read outside AR.
I wasn't here a year ago and am thankful that you reposted this. I struggle here on AR -- learning to blog at the same time learning what "not" to blog about. I've made a conscious decision recently to reach the consumer with my words and NOT the AR community. If my words are helpful to the community then that is nice, if it is helpful to the consumer that is even better.
Thanks Maureen.
Great post! I notice many of the "outsiders" who now have their own blog seem to have a bad taste for A/R now.
These same people were once on the A/R band wagon,touting A/R and it`s site.
What difference does it make if someone posts 3,4 or 5x`s a day? I`m curious?
I remember a long time ago you once posted that way.
Nearly a month after you reposted this one year post (think that through) i have had the chance to take a look at it. It is very true, the "gaming" of the system, and people posting.. well, crap that should not be there. It has been a problem from the beginning, and will continue to be a problem. There comes a time when you have to look to your own blog and say "that just isn't me, I will say my piece about it, support the groups/communities that I am in and fight the crap from intruding there, but I can't fight the entire network" and hope that each person takes that stance and the network cares for itself.
That view should also take you back about a year with wanting members to be "adults." Oh the things we wish...
I'm a new AR member, joined in October and I'm curious to know if you've ever posted a home listing on AR? What is the protocol for this? I find some agents primarily post listings and minimal articles and others the opposite. Is the purpose of AR to elevate it's members by sharing insights, knowledge, wisdom and experience or is it a free way to add listings to the web? I'm just a little ignorant on this.
Thanks for the post, very insightful!
When I first saw people showing their listings as "blogs" I was dubious as well. I also asked the same question you are...the answer is and was, "yes, you can "blog" your listings. The area to post in is actually PUBLIC/LOCALISMS and there is a spot for LISTINGS...
The listing, however, does become your "blog". That's okay, though. It lets your clients know how hard you are working for them. Hopefully, others will see your listing and maybe respond!
I do not post on ActiveRain, but have learned so much about real estate from reading many of the good articles. It has also inspired me to start my own community specific blog which is beginning to attract an audience. Many thanks to the excellent authors willing to share their ideas!
Maybe lame posts should be rated like on America's Got Talent...three XXX's and your audition is over. Some newbies don't read the rules and study how the best blogs are attracting comments. I don't think they have given any thought as to the public seeing how they can't spell or write decent copy. Spell check your comments too.
Internet clients won't be calling them to buy or sell property. Our reputations are out here for all to see and we should write like we know what we are doing and have some intelligence...or not blog at all. Read all the guidelines and study styles of writing before you start. This is a stage and you can be the star!
That's my 2 cents! lol
I'm with you - I totally get it. Everything we do is a reflection of ourselves. I learned a long time ago, I'm not putting my name on something if I'm not proud of it.
Maureen, it was a great, relevant post then and it's a great, relevant post now!
Just curious, what is bringing traffic on to this post today? Thanks all for your comments, but how are you getting here?
I wondered the same thing.. I thought it was on the original....which I was just visting yesterday. Does someone have a link to it on a post?
Can I make another request for trackbacks on ActiveRain????!!!
I would hope that, if (and when? hopefully never) I do something wrong on AR someone would have the kindness to tell me rather than just blog about what I've done or said that was wrong. We are not all brilliant writers and I have just started blogging. I am considerably older than you guys appear to be and this is a new world to me. Most people my age don't even have a computer or an e-mail account which, as a Realtor, drives me crazy. If I had not had a daughter to convince me that this was something (the computer not AR) that would help keep my brain going I would never be writing this now. Like I said before, if there is something wrong with what a person is doing there is always a nice way to tell them. They may be after "points", whatever they are, or they may just be making a mistake. OK, I've probably said enough and please let me know if I'm wrong. Don't just delete me if I'm wrong, do let me know.
MF - I put this post in today's AR Newsletter. You were the 'Featured' member today....don't you get the newsletter?
Since I joined AR late last year I missed your first post. I am so glad you re-posted this material. This is great information and hopefully we can all learn from it. Thanks again!
Betina
Hmmm, this was featured in yesterday's AR email. Perhaps the third time around???
As a new blogger, I appreciate the post and repost. I agree we can learn from the good bloggers and "what not to do" from some others. I am seeing repeat market reports: a market report written for one town, and the exact same report posted to five or ten other towns, although they are very different markets.
It is important to me to appear professional to my colleagues on "Members Only" posts. It is critical to me to appear professional to consumers.
Maureen and Dmitri, I don't find your post controversial at all. I also find that the rating system itself, such as points, is controversial on many different forums. I think that consumers who find us on Localism and Active Rain are pretty smart. If our posts aren't up to par, there will be no benefit but have the opposite effect. IMHO.
Thank you AR for the featured repost!!!
PS Sondra you make a good point - We need to extend professional courtesy to each other. I agree, as a Newbie, and I hope that AR members will give me the benefit of the doubt when I make a mistake. I won't fret too much about a mistake. I'll simply thank whoever points this out, correct it & try not to do it again!!
Just another quick note, I know everyone on AR is not a Realtor, however as Realtors we have a Code of Ethics and as humans we have the "Golden Rule". Don't go out of your way to hurt anyone and try to help all those who will receive your help. There will be some who will disregard anything you say whether it is positive or negative because they are busy thinking of what they are going to say next, That's What's Important. Just give everyone the benefit of the doubt until you see that they don't deserve it.
Thanks for the blog and HAVE A HAPPY & SAFE FOURTH OF JULY so we can all be back to blog another day.
psst there is NO rating system on AR now... we (members) used to rate posts.