This month The Carnival of ActiveRain is taking on a new format for it's final episode of 2006. Everybody can participate and vote, no matter how long you've been here. It will be a truly democratic process. We will return to the traditional format next month.
ActiveRain was 'born' this year, and a lot has taken place. A few people have been around since the beginning. Lots has happened, and there are some great posts of 'enduring interest' that deserve a spot as among the best of 2006. Hopefully we will end up with a true sampling: something about finance, something from the stagers, some good local content, real estate opinion and some fun off topic/humor. Some may be about things that happened in real estate, others may be about things that happened on ActiveRain. 
Other reasons why you might nominate an article:
- interesting series
- great images
- affected the ActiveRain community
- funny
So, search back in your memory to some of the most memorable posts you've read in '06.
Here is how this will work.
- You can nominate any post, yours or someone else's by leaving a link to it in the comments. You may want to write briefly about why you are nominating a particular post to build some momentum for your nomination.
- All nominations will appear on a poll on miOaklandCounty.com (we can't host polls on ActiveRain).
- Nominations are opened until December 31st at midnight EST.
- Please limit yourself to no more than 3 nominations and 3 seconds.
Voting will be open from January 1 though 3rd. I will put up a post when the voting opens. Results will be published on January 4th.
** Seconding thing was removed to encourage participation**
Maureen.... this should be interesting.
I hate to start off by nominating myself... I have several other members in mind to nominate for other categories.... but I would like to nominate my local content series on Philadelphia. The City of Brotherly Love: Part 6 of 6 - The Surrounding Areas of Philadelphia, Travel, & Transportation ...... A series of blogs.
I am listing part 6 of 6 because at the end it has links to each blog that was done for this series, even the introduction. I nominate this because it was well written, with lots of details for many different categories for Philly. thanks, jeff
I think that most of the posts are going to have to be self nominated, Jeff. Hopefully people will not be too shy to step forward. Glad you did.
Now you've done it!! You have given me one more job before the New Year! But I will enjoy reviewing my favorites.
THANKS for the nomination Mo! That one is probably my personal favorite, despite it never being deemed gold star worthy by the Powers of AR. (I'm still kinda bitter about that oversight...)
I don't know if it's appropriate to second my own post, so I'll hold off, HOPING someone else seconds it (hint hint to SOMEBODY). If no one does, then what the heck, I have little shame....
I'd like to nominate Paul Sullins' post, "How I Spammed ActiveRain". Paul was a very early member of AR and was one of the instrumental ones in getting the network growing. He died at way too young an age. We used to battle it out for the #1 spot, long before there were even blogs on AR. He was a great guy, and I miss him a lot.
How I Spammed ActiveRain is an AR Classic. It's funny, shows Paul's innovation, and more importantly how he shared his thoughts and ideas with everyone. And that's what this network is about.
Wasn't that before the gold stars, Jay?
We will see how this goes. We might have to ease up on the seconding thing. I was just concerned about getting too many posts. If we don't get many then seconding is not needed.
This is very difficult as there have been some truly amazing posts on AR in 2006. But let's give it a try.
Ok I have 3 nominations:
The first two because of the interesting conversations they created. In both cases the comments are what makes the posts. Sorry, but one is mine. Not because of what I wrote but because of the way the AR community stepped up to the plate and completely turned around an irate consumer. Who can forget Candybags! The comment thread on this post made me very very proud to be a part of this community. And of course the second one had great mortgage broker battles. It was bloody but well worth reading
1. "So what do you do to justify your high commission?" by Broker Bryant enhanced by the AR community
2. The Mortgage Industry's Internal Civil War by Jeff Corbett..a fine example of attention getting advertising.
And my third one was written by my wife TLW and was a Carnival of Real Estate winner. It was a true story of what not to do when you are a Realtor. Written in a humorous way.
3. If They Don't...They Won't Get Paid...Meow...ROAR by TLW an example of taking a very negative event and turning it into an entertaining blog post.
So there you have my entries. There really are way too many to chose from so the best way to narrow it down was to be selfish:)
Nomination of article Kristal Kraft published on 09/01/2006.
AN EXAMPLE F PLAGERISM RIGHT HERE ON ACTIVE RAIN
http://activerain.com/blogsview/An-Example-of-Plagiarism-Right-Here-on-Active-Rain?6467
A great use of graphic to show an example of one of the serious problems we face on the Internet.
Lenn
My first nomination (mortgage catagory) is George Souto's blog "1st time Homebuyers - What you need to do first"
My second nomination (stager catagory)is Craig Schiller's Trix Fix 12 Pix
My third nomination (real estate catagory) is a very recent post of Carole Cohen's - Being Part of the Solution. Besides being a great post, I love how everyone has contributed to it.
And Broker Bryant, I was going to nominate your post about justifying your commission but while I was looking for that particular post you beat me to it!!! It is a great post!
Ive gone way back and notice everyone's blogs keep getting better and better. If you get a ton of entries, might you consider separating them into - realtors, mortgage officers, stagers etc?
I nominate Maureen and Dmitry for the article
http://activerain.com/blogsview/What-do-Your-Clients-LOVE-About-YOU-?7798
This article shows the enthusiasm and excitement that drives good real estate practitioners.
Lenn
Ok, i just read the best consumer post I think I have ever seen, so I am nominating Mitchell Hall for his Manhattan Neighborhood Market Report: Chelsea.
It builds the excitement of the area, has a terrific well thought out historical perspective, and is beautifully written - the photos really highlight the description. Some of the photos were taken by Mitchell.The post itself is well formatted and layed out. Just outstanding in every area. So that is my first vote.
My second choice was harder. Brian Brady had two posts that made me think about them for days. One was called Are You a Rainmaker or a Dealmaker. That one had twice as many comments as the one I chose. I just read both at least six times lol. The Six Stages of the Long Term Real Estate Play. That is my choice. It delved into the potential steps for choosing a place for investment property, divided into categories of 'investment oopportunities.' And it was well written, and very allegorical. It would appeal to consumers and realtors from a financial/investment perspective explained in layman's terms.
It's going to take me a while to come up with the third.
I'm reading challenged as well...I keep seeing fish and toilets???
Carole,
They are all winners, right? Maybe top 10? Depends on how many we get.
Maureen & Dmitry,
Thanks for taking on the task. I am nominating Mary McKnight's Real Estate Blogging Rookie Mistakes for one of the most informative and educational. Craig Schiller's The Gift Of Tears, for bonding amongst Active Rain members. No shame in my game, I am including Somewhere Over The Rainbow for local content, with national ramifications.
Maureen,
I am nominating your friend Sara Lipnitz's The urban real estate myth I think it was one of her first blogs. I have been using that term ever since I read the post.
Sara is going to cry when I tell her, Mitchell. She is just down the hall right now. I can't wait until she gets off of the phone.
Maureen... I hate doing this. But I did a post last evening/morning..... What's happening to the land around us......... It didn't get featured and I think it's an awesome discussion piece, that ties in real estate. Not as much as Active Rain would want to see.... but it's something that we should all need to discuss about and know about...be made aware of.
So.... would this fit under any of your categories? Just curious... trying to get this noticed some, that's all. One main reason is because I posted it after 2 am..... people were sleeping.... and when you wake up and 15 more posts popped up, it got lost. Let me know what you think. thanks....
yes, a little... I was just curious because some of the categories are vague. Do we only have 4? more than 4? example... the one that I mentioned above... what would that fit?
I do agree though, to find those from 3 to 5 months ago. I have a few that I will be listing. Just can't help that my most current was done a few days before the end of the year... lol I hope that makes sense... ;o)
oh...okay. that part makes sense.... but I think there should be categories though. One reason... favorites can be picked by author and not content.... especially since there is not true category then. At this stage, you can't argue the fact why one was better than the other, unless you could say, well, that didn't fit in that category. who am I then..... lol I truly believe it becomes a popularity contest with some posts then.... anyhoo... my 2 cents... nite..
Ok Maureen, I guess I can't submit anymore after this, which is a bummer, this is why judging a carnival would be an impossibility for me lol.
My #3 is a September 22, 2006 post from Angus on Branding. Now he is a genius about it, but this post was really well written, VERY funny, it's an older post, and it screams Angus all over. Plus it did get a lot of comments so I'm hoping others will enjoy revisiting it.
I just realized that my comment didn't make it here! luckly I'd saved it in Word! Here we go again....
I would like to nominate 3 people for the AR 2006 carnival. These are the one who I appreciated reading the most and 2 of which are relative newcomers on the scene.
Aame as Carol I also think Mitchell's entire series on Manhattan is fabulous, and impossible to choose a favorite, so I second Carol's nomination of the Chelsea installment. As a second of Mitchell I really enjoyed 'When buying a home: You are what you do' This came out around the same time as Tutas wrote about justifying your comission and I thought if anyone does; it's Mitchell. The New York market is more demanding than just about any other.
1. http://activerain.com/blogsview/29720/Manhattan-Neighborhood-Market-Report
a. http://activerain.com/blogsview/21475/When-Buying-A-Home
Jeff Turner's 'Perspective' is amazing! His insights are profound and his integrity a breath of fresh air that is so often lacking in this industry (or any other for that matter) today. I especially loved his most recent post about promises, but I feel that his most poinant and far reaching blog was about values (2 part, but I will nominate part I)
1. http://activerain.com/blogsview/25505/Your-Values-Are-Your
a. http://activerain.com/blogsview/29396/-I-Promise-Those
I wanted to pick as my 3rd choice another 'relative' newcomer or 'underdog' but I repeatedly found myself coming back to Kristal Kraft. Of course Kristal is a consumate blogger, but I felt that two relatively recent posts were the most far reaching and profound. They both came out the same day and though they are not 'linked' I felt that one followed from the train of thought of the other. The one I favor is:
1. http://activerain.com/blogsview/25581/Circling-the-Drain
followed closely by: http://activerain.com/blogsview/25611/REALTOR-It-s-NOT
wow. that only took 3 hours!
I forgot to add that for some reason I also really really loved reading My First Time by KK.
It has always stuck in my mind. It works on so many levels.
sorry, I guess the I was still thinking 'seconds'. but they are all tied together; linked to eachother I just wanted to point that out. My choices are 1,2,3 but the a's are the 'supporting' documents.
Maureen..... My name is Neil Burke and I am new to Active Rain. Jeff Belonger invited me and called me up to actually place this one blog of his as a nomination. He said he wanted me to do this because you can only pick 3 and he has come down to 4 other blogs, but can only choose one. He said all 4 are not of him, but 4 other people. But he did want to list this one, from himself.
How those years fly by. What did you look like 20 years ago…??? He said that he had only been on here for a month and wanted to spice up Active Rain, so he came up with this blog. Overall, I need to get involved more myself and Jeff has expressed this several times. I am still working on my picture because I am having problems with my scanner. And I just haven't had time on here like Jeff has, because as many of you know, we started our own branch together. It was the holidays and because I have 5 girls, who keep me busy. Ages from 13 to 2 years old. So, yes, I am busy. But as I stated before, Jeff asked me to write this and to include his post. I hope to be a little more active after the first of the year. Thanks, Neil
I guess Neil's comments give new meaning to the expression "He made me do it". :-)
Linda...I am smiling very wide. TLW...ROAR!
Linda... sure, I asked him to do that for me. I could have just had him do it and not mention my name???? There is a reason... I just received a comment from someone that thought that post was great, very creative, and a lot of fun after she read it. It has 95 comments.... and it's very different than most blogs on here.
Getting back to why though... because I still wanted to choose one that wasn't mine and I have 3 to 4 to choose from. I didn't want to waste that choice on my blog, hence the reason I asked someone else to. That's all... and like I said.... I could have gotten 4 to 5 people to have done this for me, without having them mentioning this.
Anyhoo.....
Jeff ~ The question is; "Is there life after Active Rain?"
kk
Jeff, how noble of you to save your 3rd choice for someone other than yourself!
It is 11:36pm est and I just made it..
I would like to nominate two blog posts of mine:
3 Secret Tips on appearing in your local newspaper for FREE
and
Six small steps: MAKING A NETWORKING EVENT WORK FOR YOU
* Personal History: First time that I am taking part on any type of Carnival.
Nima ~ Hey bud...look at your calendar you have an entire day. I've been on the road a long time, but I do beleive tomorrow is the 31st...right?
kk
Killjoy
"I Promise" :: Those Are Some Strong Words
BULLETIN! Psychiatrists Take To Their Couches in Despair over Self-Shrinking Active Rain Community
www.homerome.com
Margaret ~ you took mine! I loved "I Promise!"
kk
I'm glad we received that reminder from the AR guys - I had totally forgotten. Here are my 3 nominations:
Adventures in 1st Time Home Buying: "Do I Need Money to Buy a House?" by Rich Jacobson
Someone needs to tell the truth... PHOTOS LIE! by Craig Schiller
Desperation creates depreciation! by Bryant Tutas
That's all we need to do, right?
there are so many out there, hence the reason why I thought it was easier to nominate our own.... but here is my 3rd one from Mary McKnight.... Humanizing a blog: how blogging is like bodybuilding
I think it starts with some of the basics of blogging..., easy to read and to the point. thanks
"Blogging For Bucks" and "Lease-to-Own: A Better Way"
OK here are my three nominations:
Role Playing Partners in Sheeps Clothing by Tony Marriott
To play well together you both must know the rules! Part 10 of 10 by Tony Marriott (The 10 part series)
Buyer Inspection DOES NOT EQUAL Negotiations Round 2 By ME!
Personally, and this is just MHO, I think we should only be able to nominate OTHER people's posts. Kind of like the "People's Choice Awards." But that's just me...
I'm still working on my nominations. There are SOOOOO many really good ones! Be back to ya soon, MF. And again, thanks for coming up with this. Recognition for value and effort is a great esteem builder!
Rich, I think that is a great idea for next year. That was why I originally had the seconding, but that was too complicated. The cat is already out of the bag this year.
I totally agree with Rich. There are so many good blogs out there, mine will not be the ones I'm considering. I'm delighted to see that people are nominating some of the ones that I would be, not I can go find others. ;)
kk
My three nominations are:
I would like to nominate my blog Active Rain from the Consumer, because it was the first time that Matt & Co shared with us their plans for Localism...
John Novak's Blog "Shifting the Focus" is my second nomination -- which relates to a lot of what of us are feeling that we share with each other, but that it is the local content that will get us business...
and Maureen & Dimtry's "How About A Blog Tour" they started something different, inspired us to look at each other and connect in a new way.
Lot of great stuff here! I can't wait to see the year end Carnival -- Maureen & Dimtry -- Thanks for doing all of the work! You are a great asset to this community! Happy New Year!
Maureen...... you can't change the rules now.... LOL Seriously though... I want to retract my one blog that I nominated, What's happening to the land around us.... and pick Rich Came to Denver! by Jessica Hughes . I am not sure that this was nominated, but this one had me in tears....as very funny.
thanks and again, thanks for doing this.
Thanks for the nom, Colleen! I think "Shifting the Focus" was one of the first to address consumer-oriented content. I'd like to return the favor with "Real Estate Blogging 101" - a terrific resource to get new bloggers up and running.
My second nomination is my own "Add 'Giving' to your 2007 business plan". There's a lot of additional content in the links. It ties into three other Rainer's posts as well as three of my own. And I really believe that a business plan built around Giving will always be successful.
I'd like to second:
How I Spammed ActiveRain - Paul passing away was probably the most memorable events in AR for me, and not in a good way post here.
The Six Stages of the Long Term Real Estate Play
The Mortgage Industry's Internal Civil War - The title was kinda forshadowing the response it got here on ActiveRain :)
The posts that impress me the most are the relevant posts that are inspiring or share something. In the spirit of Active Rain, sharing with others is the ultimate.
Gentleman Jim Lee expresses this spirit in his post "After the Fact Referral Fees, You Can Fight Them and Win".
Another outstanding blogger who brings reporting experience from the outside is Roberta Murphy. Roberta's blog about "What the !@$%& Do We Know?
is both thought provoking and inspirational.
There is another Roberta from California, who's photo with the horse is most memorable. She seems to fly under the radar a lot, but should NOT be missed. Last week Roberta posted a blog about "The Golden Hour."
Roberta's thoughts on how we need to treat each new person we meet, giving them both the time and the chance to communicate with them, before we set off to include them or not in our business and life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well that's my three. I could go on all day about the outstanding bloggers who have taken the time to write value added blogs for the Active Rain Community. I'm glad so many of them have already been nominated by others...
I'm looking forward to the actual voting next week.
Thank you to Maureen Francis for once again coming up with a plan that brings the whole community together in a positive direction. I for one appreciate your outstanding efforts...you must have been a social director in a different life!
kk
Okay, #2....Colleen Kulikowski's life-transforming experience as a result of her involvement here on ActiveRain:
http://activerain.com/blogsview/28913/Active-Rain-Benefits-Confidence
(pass the tissue, please!)
Okay, #3 is much harder. For me, any post from you, Maureen, is a memorable one. I went back today and looked at those first handful of posts that I commented on when I first joined ActiveRain. There were so many of yours that I enjoyed. They helped me to better understand what blogging was all about, about finding my own voice, having fun, creating valuable content, etc.. Here is just one small example:
http://activerain.com/blogsview/Thank-you-delete-button-?7010
Thanks, Maureen!
This was too hard!!! Too much good stuff!
http://activerain.com/blogsview/30523/The-Good-News-Plague very recent effort by Chris Elizabeth Griffith to organze a project which ads to the local content on Active Rain.
http://activerain.com/blogsview/22954/ActiveRain-The-Early-Days Leanne catching those of us who weren't around up on how it all began. Leanne wasn't here. This takes a lot of reading and work on Leanne's part!
http://activerain.com/blogsview/15839/The-Bloggers-Bible Roberta's reference volume.
Well, folks, its nearly midnight and I am hoping that the nominations are all in. I am getting carpal tunnel from pulling this all together. But I do have one of my own favorites to close out the list.
Lenn Harley's We Need to Charge for What we Know, Not What We Do. When Lenn speaks, I listen. For any agent who has had trouble justifying their fee, this is a must read. Lenn reminds us of what we are really selling.
Happy New Years to all. I will have the post and the voting thing up in the morning if all goes as planned.
MF ~ Congratulations, you just went over 100k! You should be very proud, your posts are always adding value to the network! No spam! All orginal all the time! Thanks!
kk
And I did it in '06... Look out 07 here I come. Thanks KK!