Real Estate Social Media Blog

Forever is composed of nows.

Joel Kruse (ActiveRain Corp.) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:37:07 -0400

Via Jonathan Washburn (ActiveRain Corp):

"I don't feel comfortable about committing to ActiveRain, or any other platform that I don't own. What if ActiveRain gets bought by Google or they change the price or terms?"

First off, thank you Harj Gill for bringing up this issue and addressing it in your own blog post today. I'd like to echo your statements, and add some of my own.

"With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

We are in the midst of the worst housing recessions in history. The actual job of selling real estate in today's market is extremely difficult. When I sold real estate in the late 90's and early part of this decade I viewed my job as 90% marketing to get the clients, and 10% actually representing my clients. Listings sold themselves, oftentimes just hours after they were put on the market. Buyer clients were in such a frenzy they nearly always bought on the first tour, and getting a deal closed was always a cinch. No money? No credit? No job? No problem! Now it seems that with the complications brought by REO's and short sales, the real work starts after the buyer finds the home they want.

However, there are silver linings. One of which is the marketing revolution that blogging has brought to the industry. This is a unique time; a gold rush of sorts. A motivated real estate professional can sign up for ActiveRain at noon, write their first blog post by 1pm, and have a top ranked article on Google by 1:15pm. The reach, authority, and power afforded by this medium is immense, and yet, the percentage of RainMakers taking advantage of this opportunity is very small when compared to the number of professionals in the industry.

We know the site works; I'm constantly hearing success stories that blow my mind. ActiveRain has changed lives, and saved careers.

Yet, we don't know what the future may bring. Today, ActiveRain is Google's golden child, but who knows what will happen tomorrow. Today, ActiveRain costs $39 per month for RainMaker access. Might we change our mind and start charging $199 for the same service tomorrow? Does it matter?

"If you worry about what might be, and wonder what might have been, you will ignore what is."

In a few years everything will change in this business, just like everything is different today than it was three years ago. Today ActiveRain represents a golden arrow for you business. Use it up. Squeeze every last drop of success from it that you can.

I never think of the future. It comes soon enough." ~Albert Einstein

Joel Kruse

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Add a splash of GOOGLE JUICE to your Blog!

Joel Kruse (ActiveRain Corp.) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:33:23 -0400

The First Page Challenge!

I have seen many people on ActiveRain get a bit clueless when it comes to writing their content. People wonder why their blogs on AR aren't showing up on the top of google results. Well there are several reasons, the first would be they aren't a Rainmaker. But for all of you Rainmakers out there, if your content isn't giving you the results you want, try some of these guidelines with your next blog to give it some extra Google juice!

Everyone wants to be on the first page of google. The last handful of people that I trained followed these guidelines to the tee and had their blog content show up on the first page the same day or within 24 hours. If you are a Rainmaker, then these Tips are a MUST!

1. Make sure your blog is between 300-500 words in length. (too short, not enough content, too long, Google and people lose interest.)

2. REPEAT YOUR KEYWORDS! Keyword density is a major player in your content's SEO. 1-4% of your content should be your keyword or key phrase.

3. Have 2 pictures in your blog content. Click on the insert/edit image button on the toolbar to upload images. People like having visual stimulation! We are like 3rd graders with ADD when we are surfing the web, if we don't see pictures, we usually back out and go on to the next website. Your potential audience will too! Make your Blog stand out!

4. Have at least 2 links to your website. Doing this will naturally raise your websites ranking, as well as your blog.

5. Bold and Underline your Keywords or Key phrases. This will help with your ranking.

6. Make sure your Title is Geographically Specific (if possible), Short, Concise, and State your Keywords.

7. Make sure your Title and Content compliment each other. (i.e. Your keywords in your title are maplewood condos, repeat and re-enforce maplewood condos throughout your blog. Stay on topic, and keep it local.)

8. Write Hyper-Local Content! Not your city, your neighborhoods and communities! A good example would be instead of Seattle, write about Ballard. Google Ballard, you will see it's a neighborhood area in the greater Seattle area. Read this recent blog Bob wrote to get a better idea of Hyper-local content.

Following these guidelines will give your blog content the boost it needs to shoot to the top!

Read this blog for some more info!

If you have a success story of having your Blog on Page one after following these tips, I want to see a comment with the search term! We love hearing about your Success!

Until Next Time,

Active Joel

Joel Kruse

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Your ActiveRain Success Guide and Training!

Joel Kruse (ActiveRain Corp.) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:23:32 -0400

ActiveRain Training and Help is just a few clicks away. Have you ever wondered why so many people use ActiveRain? Read through this intro and take advantage of being public and our blog training which is world class.

Thanks for choosing to further your career with Blogging on ActiveRain!

My name is Joel and I am going to be your contact here at ActiveRain. I'll be here for you while you take our Rainmaker blog training and become a blogging pro! This is going to be a fun learning experience where you will maximize your time spent on ActiveRain and social media and see how easy it is to market yourself through blogging.

Read, Print off, and Follow these Tips for Writing Your Blog: Click Here

Expectations for Success:

For you to start seeing measurable success with your blogging (i.e. Ranking on the 1st page of Google, receiving phone calls, emails, listings, closings) you will need to expect to write at least 3 blogs a week. Read this blog to get ideas on what to write about.

Follow these and you will maximize your potential for business:

Blog AT LEAST 3 times a week (without blogs, how are people going to find you?)
Attend the SEO blog training class
Follow Our Training when writing your blog
Post at least 5 comments a day (stimulate conversation to create referrals!)
Re-blog once a day

You Can Contact Me anytime M-F from 8-5 PST.

Joel Kruse - Rainmaker Trainer

My Direct Line: 206.470.2903

Email: joel@activerain.com

Links to ActiveRain Offered Blog Training

Blog Training Calendar: Click Here

ActiveRain University Calendar: Click Here

Pre-Recorded Webinar for Download: Click Here

Follow the training when writing your content to get the most success! Read blogs posted on www.activejoel.com for more tutorials and help on maximizing your blogging.

IMPORTANT: IF YOU ARE NOT A RAINMAKER ON ACTIVERAIN, YOU ARE NOT PUBLICLY VISIBLE AND YOUR BLOGS WON'T RANK IN GOOGLE OR YAHOO. TO TRY OUT BEING A RAINMAKER WITHOUT CONTRACT FOR 30 DAYS FOR A $1, LOG INTO YOUR PROFILE THEN CLICK HERE. IF YOU ARE NOT A RAINMAKER, YOU WON'T BE FOUND BY CONSUMERS LOOKING FOR YOUR BLOGS.

How to Upgrade to Rainmaker:

1. Log into your profile

2. visit www.arpromo.com/training1

3. fill out the billing information for the $1 month and click upgrade

Thanks for being on ActiveRain, and get ready to start singing in the rain!

Joel Kruse

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Sprint HTC EVO 4G Is the Newest Toy for Professionals!

Joel Kruse (ActiveRain Corp.) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:33:42 -0400

Sprint announced a few days ago that this summer it will be releasing what some would consider it’s first powerhouse contender with the iPhone, the HTC EVO 4G. That’s right people, this is the first phone with new WiMax technology that will boast screaming internet broadband speeds that will rival DSL and Cable.

Imagine being able to watch streaming HD movies from a 4.3 inch screen? And that’s not all. This phone is one of the first to have a HDMI out so you can project that streaming video in crystal clear 720p HD picture to your LCD TV at home. That is just the tip of the ice berg on what this bad boy can do.

In addition to the impressive video features, this phone has built in wi-fi hotspot capability, turning it into a instant internet gateway for up to 8 Wi-Fi devices at a time. In a business meeting and want to have internet for your clients to browse on their laptops? No problem, my new Sprint HTC EVO 4G has a solution for that.

Built in voice-to-text messaging will give the user the ability to compose texts simply by speaking. All of these cool tools are based around the new Android 2.1 operating system, the same OS that the HTC Hero through sprint runs on, but of course on steroids. It’s called HTC Sense, a variation of the Android 2.1 OS that was released sometime last year.

Not only does this phone bring in impressive internet, and video capability, but it is equipped with not one but TWO cameras, a 8.0 MP flash camera on the back and a 1.3 MP forward facing camera for video conferencing and messaging.

This phone is based largely on the new Clearwire Clear WiMax network, which Sprint is a majority owner in, and with this gives Sprint a clear edge in mobile internet technology and distribution. Sprint may lease rights to the Verizon network, but soon all carriers are going to want a piece of Sprint’s internet mobility. If you are a Real Estate professional, this phone is going to be a new weapon in your arsenal of toys that will help make your professional life more efficient, and enjoyable!

Specs

PRODUCTIVITY

* 3G/4G capability
* Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ QSD8650 (1GHz) processor
* 4.3” capacitive display with pinch-to-zoom and tactile feedback
* World-class HTML browser – bandwidth and quality that rival that of netbooks
* Android 2.1, with access to more than 30,000 apps on Android Market
* GoogleTM mobile services including Google SearchTM, Google MapsTM, Google TalkTM, GmailTM, YouTubeTM , and syncs with Google CalendarTM
* Access to Google Goggles™ to search with pictures instead of words
* Sprint Navigation, with turn-by-turn driving directions and 3D maps
* Updated HTC Sense, award-winning user experience, which includes Friend Stream to integrate Facebook, Twitter and more into a single flow of updates
* Visual voicemail
* Messaging – personal and business email, IM and text messaging
* 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot capability – connects up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices
* 4G data speeds (WiMAX) – peak download speeds of more than 10 Mbps; peak upload speeds of 1 Mbps; average download speeds of 3-6 Mbps.
* 3G data speeds (EVDO Rev A.) – peak download speeds of up to 3.1 Mbps; peak upload speeds of 1.8 Mbps; average download speeds of 600 kbps-1.4 Mbps.

ENTERTAINMENT

* 8MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash and 1.3MP front-facing camera
* High-quality video streaming and downloads at 3G and 4G data speeds
* Capture and share HD-quality video (720p) from your phone
* Output pictures, slides and videos in HD quality (720p) via HDMI cable (sold separately)
* Live video sharing with Qik
* Built-in kickstand for hands-free viewing
* Media player with 3.5mm stereo headset jack
* FM radio and Amazon MP3 store
* Sprint applications including Sprint TV® and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile(SM)
* Bluetooth® 2.1 with A2DP Stereo and EDR
* Built-in WiFi®: 802.11 b/g
* Digital compass, G-Sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor, GPS
* Expandable memory: 8GB microSD card included; supports up to 32GB

SPECIFICATIONS:

* Dimensions: 4.8″ x 2.6″ x .5″ (LxWxT)
* Weight: 6 ounces
* Main display: 4.3” WVGA (800×480) 65K colors
* Standard removable 1500mAh Lithium (Li-on) battery
* Memory: 1GB ROM, 512MB RAM

For more information, visit the official Sprint release site of the HTC EVO 4G.

Need help with your Real Estate Social Media? Check out www.handlemymedia.com

Joel Kruse

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It's A Bird! It's A Plane! No It's The New Mac Mini!

Joel Kruse (ActiveRain Corp.) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:24:19 -0400

Many of you have probably seen the old mac mini. It's a 6"x6"x2" computer that sports a 2.26 ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and ran on 13w of power. For under $599. That was the old Mac Mini. You may have recognized in on the desks of your fellow professionals, in design marketing offices, and currently run the majority of ActiveRain's Computer force.

True Story

My mom currently has a PC that is 4 years old and is slower than dirt. She has several programs that are PC only, so I explained that Mac has a program called Boot Camp that will allow you to run Windows XP or Vista, and run all of her PC programs for her business. I have encouraged her to purchase a Mac because of their history of reliability, ease of maintenance, and value. So we went to Best Buy to shop for a new computer (I of course was encouraging her to buy a Mac) and we came across the old Mac Mini. The Best Buy sales rep said that we can't get a copy of a Mac Mini because their stock has depleted. You can't find it anywhere. He then said Apple only does this when it's about to unveil a new version of a product. Apparently Apple has gotten so good at keeping things hush hush that even their own sales reps in major electronics stores across the country were in the dark on the release date of the new mini. I come into work this morning to see my co-worker looking on a blog site at what appears to be a Mac Mini. STOP THE PRESSES!

APPARENTLY...

Today, June 15th 2010 Apple released the new and vastly improved Mac Mini! Available for ordering TODAY is this new powerhouse computer, that starts at only $699. I believe the main reason the majority of the U.S. public has not switched to a Apple computer is because of the price. The Mac Mini is their answer to such a need, being incredibly energy efficient, and being affordable, this tiny little Tsunami in a box is exactly what a new college student, or business owner needs to power their career.

In addition to all the specs below, the thing that impresses me most is Apple's ability to run this tiny monster on 10w of power. If you are looking for a powerful computer solution that reduces carbon footprint, this is it.

The Operating System Myth: My MLS Software won't run on Mac!

Mac has a program called Boot Camp, which allows you to install and run Windows on your new Mac OSX Snow Leopard. All of those PC programs you've spent $1,000's of dollars on, can easily be installed and run on your new Mac, with the Boot Camp program. The excuse to NOT own a Mac is over people.

The Specs:

"Yah yah, it's all well and good, but what's this little stick of dynamite sporting under the hood?" Some of the major improvements over the old mac mini are the memory capacity, size change, and built in power supply. The new mini can support up to 8GB or DDR3 ram, running on a 2.66 Intel Core 2 Duo processor. The graphics have received a shot of adrenaline with the NVIDIA GeForce 320M, which uses 256MB of DDR3 ram shared on the system. Because of this massive graphics upgrade, you can run virtually any HDTV through it's new HDMI out, and the mini DisplayPort and run graphics with resolution up to 2560 x 1600, larger than most monitor resolutions. You can also run the displays in dual mode, so you can have multiple displays running at the same time, with perfectly crisp clear images and no lag.

For those of you that don't speak Geek, what all that means is that it is fast, VERY FAST, has a incredible picture, And is easy to maintain, and will not slow down over time.

Size:

The size of the new Mac Mini is smaller than its predecessor, only 1.4" H x 7.7"W x 7.7"W and only weighs 3.0 pounds.

Processor and Memory:

2.4 Ghz or 2.66 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
3MB on-chip shared L2 cache
1066MHz frontside bus
2GB (two 1GB SO-DIMM's) of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM; Supports up to 8GB

Graphics and Video Support:

NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory.
Mini DisplayPort with support for up to 2560-by-1600 resolution
HDMI port with support for up to 1920-by-1200 resolution
DVI output using HDMI to DVI adapter (included)
VGA output using Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter (sold seperately)
Support for extended desktop and video mirroring across both ports

Communications

AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking⁵; IEEE 802.11a/b/g compatible
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) wireless technology
10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet (RJ-45) interface with support for jumbo frames

Peripheral Connections:

One FireWire 800 port (up to 800 Mbps)
Four USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps)
SD card slot

I frankly can't find any excuse not to go out and buy this little machine. With it's vastly improved memory options, faster Processor, smaller sleeker design, energy efficiency, and Apple software for running PC programs, all for around $699, I can't find any reason for me not to own such an amazing machine. Apple truly steps it up in every way with every product release. Who knows, maybe someday we'll all be using something created by Apple. I know I will!

Joel Kruse

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5 Steps to Being Successful on ActiveRain!

Joel Kruse (ActiveRain Corp.) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:27:30 -0400

Follow these 5 steps to get a jumpstart on ActiveRain as a Newbie, or as a member who is looking to take their blogging to the next level.

Step #1: Watch my Welcome Video!

Upgrade Your ActiveRain Profile for $1

Step #2: Take ActiveRain Blog Training

Newbie Resources

One of the things you will want to do is learn how to blog on ActiveRain and rank at the top of a Google or yahoo search in front of consumers.

Below is a outline of our blog and RainMaker training program, along with a promo we are currently offering for recently active members who aren't public on the network yet:

ActiveRain blog training teaches you to:

How to title your blog
What to write about
How to write to get the best Google ranking
Blogging SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
How to have good keyword density
How to increase your business with blogging on ActiveRain
How to write good content that will produce leads

How we train:

We do live webinar classes twice a week on Tuesdays from 10-11am PST and Thursdays from 11-12pm PST. These are our blogging 101 classes that cover the above topics. It is the same content both days, so if you are busy and can't make it Tuesday, you can hop in on Thursday. The training course is created for a busy Real Estate Professional. You get One on One Help from ActiveRain Member Services, and a pre-recorded webinar of the blogging 101 so you can get started right away.

In addition to the initial training, you also have access to:

Blog Review Webinar Class on Mondays
Pre-Recorded Webinar of Blogging 101 so you can start right away.

ActiveRain University webinar classes, which cover topics such as:

Facebook for Real Estate
Twitter for Real Estate
Social Media Marketing for Real Estate
ActiveRain Q & A sessions
Sponsors such as Market Leader and RealBird giving free training on their products
And Much More....

What is included in being a Rainmaker:

Public visibility on ActiveRain
Top page Google potential
Outside Blog with its own domain name and URL (i.e. www.joelsellsrealestate.com)
Posting in www.localism.com very popular in search engines
Blog Training

Step #3: Upgrade Your Profile For a $1 to Public Visibility (RainMaker) so You Can Reach the 1st Page of Google with Your Blogging.

1. Log into your profile

2. visit www.arpromo.com/training1

3. fill out the billing information for the $1 month and click upgrade

If you would like some examples of Rainmakers Blogs on the 1st Page of Google click on these links:

Mesa, AZ short sales (Look for ActiveRain in the URL under the results)

Neighborhoods in Kirkland, WA (See the #1 organic result titled, "Part 1- South Juanita")

Homes For Sale in Copper Bluffs Mesquite, NV (See "The Mesquite Nevada Real Estate Blog" and several AR blogs. All the same agent!)

Step #4: Read, Print off, and Follow these Tips for Writing Your Blog: Click Here

Step #5: Call or Email Me With Any Questions M-F from 8-5 PST

Joel Kruse - Rainmaker Trainer

My Direct Line: 206.470.2903

Email: joel@activerain.com

http://activerain.com/joelkruse

Joel Kruse

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ActiveRain Corp.

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5 Steps to Social Media Success

Joel Kruse (ActiveRain Corp.) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:50:49 -0400

Check this blog on Social Media Tips! If you are looking for good pointers to follow on how to optimize your social media, these are great ones to follow. If you are looking to market yourself online and want to get the most visibility that will actually generate a return on your time and money, then following these Social Media Tips will get you the best results.

There are a lot of ways you can optimize your real estate web presence, and to ignore social media because we don't know how is not a valid option! Your future 25-35 year old first time home buyers are going to be tech savvy and social media driven. Are you?

Visit my blog for more tips and advice at www.activejoel.com

Via Vanessa Rosenblum (ProREA Staffing):

By, Hillary Vickers

Social Media is changing the way we communicate with our clients and build relationships with prospects. Used correctly it can be a powerful tool in growing your real estate business.

Using these new tools effectively can sometimes be a challenge. Here are five steps you can take to make the most of your social networking efforts.

1. Integrate and optimize your core Social Media tools

Your first step to Social Media Success is to decide which programs you are going to work with and then use them to their full potential. For most agents the foundation of their Social Media toolbox should include: LinkedIn, ActiveRain, FaceBook & Twitter. Make sure that you completely fill out your profile on each site.

These tools work together in different ways. For example, if you post something to your ActiveRain blog it will post to your personal blog and send a Tweet on Twitter. Your Tweets can be automatically sent to FaceBook, and so on. Link your Social Media sites together and to your phone so that you do not have to duplicate your efforts.

2. Define your brand and demonstrate it clearly online

Who are you and what is your value proposition? If you have developed a logo for your business or created a website in the past you have probably already been confronted with this question. It is not always easy to answer but it is absolutely necessary that you do. Just like in traditional marketing the unique talents, skills and interests that define you also attract certain people to you. Your online personality should be an extension of your real life personality and not an "alter-ego".

Your personal brand will shine through in the pictures you choose to post the look and feel of your Blog and Twitter homepage and the comments and content you post. Define your brand based on the type of people you want to attract to your business.

3. Be Interested and Interesting

Networking online can be a lot like mingling at a cocktail party. You can jump from conversation to conversation, connecting with people, learning something new and then moving on. Just like in real life you don't walk up to a group and start talking right away. Take a moment to assess the group, learn what they are talking about and then add value to the conversation when the opportunity arises. If you are not sure how to participate in the conversation ask questions (be interested) then when you are ready to contribute make sure that your comments add to the conversation in a meaningful way (be interesting).

4. Spend as much time building relationships as you do building your network

Social Media shouldn't be thought of as a popularity contest measured by how many FaceBook friends you have. The size of your next work matters but it is quality of your contacts that matter more. You should always "Friend" new contacts soon after you meet them and you should continually look for ways to increase your network. However, you should also spend equal or more time commenting on other people's posts, reconnecting with friends, and providing value to the friends you already have.

5. Participate daily

If you really want to use Social Media as a tool for generating business you must participate on a regular basis. FaceBook and Twitter's ongoing conversations push your posts off of the first page fairly quickly and if you don't post regularly you will rarely be seen by many of your friends.

Follow these five steps and you will be on the path to Social Media Success!

Hillary Vickers is ProREA Staffing's Social Media Specialist. She helps agents set up their Social Media accounts, works with them to develop their online brand image, and assists with the ongoing management of their Social Networking efforts.

Joel Kruse

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A Wordpress Plugin To Import Your ActiveRain Posts

Joel Kruse (ActiveRain Corp.) — Fri, 28 May 2010 13:50:54 -0400

The Blog Tool you all have been waiting for is here! For those of you who have wanted to be able to import your blogs on AR to Wordpress, the wait is over. Read up!

Via Jeff Turner (Real Estate Shows):

A few weeks ago, ActiveRain released a new feature that allowed members to export an archive of their individual blog posts. In the announcement, Brad said, "It's open nature will allow for the development of third-party import tools."

So, I sent the link to my partner, Steve Zehngut, and we put "create a Wordpress Plugin to import ActiveRain posts" on our to do list. Today we tested it and are ready to release it into the wild. You should be aware that the ActiveRain export does not include categories, tags or comments. So, our plugin imports the posts and gives them a category of "Active Rain" in your Wordpress blog. This will make them easy to find. If you're importing your posts into an existing blog, I would import them as draft. The video below will illustrate.

Visit this page to download the Wordpress Plugin to Import ActiveRain Blog Posts.

Let us know if you have any problems with it.

Jeff Turner aka respres

Joel Kruse

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How To Use Google's Wonder Wheel

Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain) — Wed, 05 May 2010 21:18:00 -0400

The Google Wonder Wheel Keyword Research Tool

...is a keyword research utility that was created by Google Labs and allows users to discover keyword searches that are popular and built around certain specific keyword terms.

Google's wonder wheel could be a great tool for helping writers to find new topics. The wheel can also help you dominate specific keywords and phrases in the search engines because it helps you write about the things that are the most searched for on the web using the most popular keywords or terms.

Here's How It Works:

Create your search in the Google Search Engine, then click on the "Google Search" button:

The results displayed will include sponsored and organic links:

To Access "Google's Wonder Wheel" Click on the "+Show options" Link at the top of page:

Scroll down the left hand side of the page untill you come to the "Standard View" options and click on the link for "Google's Wonder Wheel" Wait for just a moment and the Wonder Wheel will appear on the page. The links coming off the Wonder Wheel are popular and similair keywords, terms, and phrases that you can now use as "Titles" and "Topics" to write or Blog about.

Each time you click on one of the spokes "Terms or Phrases" a new Wonder Wheel will load on the screen displaying even more "keywords" and popular "search terms" These can be used for creating great content and getting you closer to dominating your Blog with those specific keywords or phrases. Go deeper and further into the possible options and opportunities to make your Blog's content the most likely to be searched and found.

This is like having a road map or blue print for your Blog. If you use Google's Wonder Wheel for a variety of search terms and keywords that you want to be found with, this should save you time and headaches "Wondering" what those "Words" and "Phrases" are. There's always going to be great tools out there, and promises to help get you the best SEO results, but in my opinion, this is one of the best and most powerful I have seen yet. Thanks to Google and Google Labs for making the "Wonder Wheel" available, and for hiding it so well, it gave me a reason to write this post.

Download The ActiveRain "HELP" Toolbar for your Browser

ActiveRain University Calendar Real Estate RainCamp The ActiveRain Manual

Systematize Your Business - ActiveRain University

Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain) — Sat, 01 May 2010 13:04:00 -0400

So by now, most or ALL of you have heard of ActiveRain University. Our newest project with a focus to bring even greater value to ActiveRain members and to the Real Estate Industry as a whole. Our goal and mission at ARU is to provide you FREE training and support on a variety of topics and technologies that will help you with your online marketing, networking, social media efforts, and growing your business. It's all about sharing and learning how and what other successful professionals are using and doing to be successful.

This week, Jared James is coming to share "How To Systematize Your Business"

Jared James is the CEO & Founder of Jared James Enterprises. He travels around the country speaking to and coaching REALTORS. As a REALTOR®, he's built one of the largest and fastest growing Real Estate Teams in New England, was inducted into the RE/MAX Hall of Fame, and was voted by the over 2 million readers of the International publication REALTOR® Magazine as their Web Choice Award Winner.

Jared was recognized as the favorite REALTOR® in the Country among the 30 under 30 issue. After making the transition to become a full-time coach and speaker, Jared’s debut book “Enjoy Success Today: How to Start and Build a Thriving Business… and Still Have a Life!” became a best-seller and his coaching programs have helped countless numbers of REALTORS looking to take their business to the next level and not spending 24 hours a day doing it.

Some of what you'll learn:

* What good systems do
* What systems to implement into your daily business
* How to implement these systems
* How these systems will help you make more money and spend less time to do it

* Providing Structure and Order to your Business
* How To Appear You Are Doing More than you Actually Are
* Making your Clients feel Comfortable, Knowledgeable and at Ease
* Free up your Time Allowing you to Grow on Many Levels
* How to Enable Yourself to Implement New Ideas more Proficiently

Thursday - May 6th, 2010
10:00am - 11:00am PDT (1:00pm EST)

We've had some really outstanding sessions so far featuring some very talented and experienced guest speakers and presenters. Coming up in the weeks ahead we'll be doing a few series trainings like: "How To Brand Yourself as an Expert and Build a Six-Figure Real Estate Business" featuring a surprise and very special guest speaker. We'll also be doing a series on "The Short and Long of the Short Sale" a four-five part series that will make YOU the Short Sale expert using tested tools, techniques, technologies and systems used and shared by other Short Sale experts.

Visit The ARU Calendar for Other Upcoming Training and Classes

Download The ActiveRain "HELP" Toolbar for your Browser

ActiveRain University Calendar Real Estate RainCamp The ActiveRain Manual

Using Twitter For Your Business: Getting Followers

Joel Kruse (ActiveRain Corp.) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:21:39 -0400

This is an amazing blog about how to use Twitter to increase your business. A great read!

Via Cinda Rose - The West Valley Home Team (The West Valley Home Team at Welcome Home Realty):

Twitter is a lot like Active Rain and other blogging communities in the fact that it becomes more beneficial and useful to you when you give value to others through your posts. One great way to get started on Twitter and to establish a strong following is to put some value into your tweets, just like you do your blogs. And just like with blogging, people will start to follow you IF you provide them with something meaningful and insightful on a topic that interests them.

As with blogging, tweeting is an investment and it may take awhile for followers to trickle in. As you continue to provide useful tweets, you can also use the various tools out there to find people that you know, people that you are interested in knowing, users with similar interests, or businesses and organizations that you would like to follow. Once you find people with like interests, check out their tweets and decide if you want to follow them.

14 Tools For Finding People on Twitter:

Twitter People Search: First find out if anyone you know is on Twitter. Twitter People Search is a good place to start your search for friends. After you have signed into Twitter, simply click on “Find People” at the top of the page. From there you have four choices; you can “Browse Suggestions” of people to follow by your category of interest, “Find Friends” from your email address book who are Twitter users, “Invite By Email” anyone that you cannot find on Twitter, or “Find On Twitter” anyone you know by simply typing in their name. This also works for finding organizations and companies.

Monitter: “A Twitter Monitor” or a real-time tracking tool for finding new people to follow. You can type three keywords into separate search boxes and watch the relevant tweets stream in on one page. You can narrow it down to tweets within a certain distance of a zip code as well. I like the simple easy to read format.

Tweepz: Another Twitter search engine to find people based on a certain search word. Search results are in an easy-to-read format.

TweepS earch:
Type in a name or keyword to find Twitter users.

TwitteRel:
Find Twitter users with the same interests. Easy to use, simply type in a keyword and find twitters who “tweeped” about this keyword. You can also follow twitters while in twitteRel.

Twubble:
Easy to use and useful Twitter extension that helps you find more friends from the followers that you have. “It searches your friend graph and picks out people who you may like to follow.”

Twellow:
“The Twitter Yellow Pages.” Search for someone on Twitter or browse through tweet categories. Super easy to use! Check out Twellowhood where you can narrow down to cities. I did my hometown of Litchfield Park, Arizona and got 75 matches. Now I’m going to go through and see if any have similar interests or interesting tweets and possibly follow them.

Just Tweet It:
“find other Twitter users just like you!” A directory for Twitter users. Makes it easier for tweeters to find other tweeters with similar interests.

Twitscoop:
Input a twitter username or keyword in the Twitscoop search box and track a conversation, topic or conference. You can send tweets, receive tweets and find new friends on Twitscoop.

Nearby Tweets:
Helps you find out who is tweeting close to your location.

twitSeeker:
An alternative search engine for finding Twitter users and browsing the results in one interface.

TwitDir:
“A Twitter Directory” that also allows you to see the Top 100 followed, Top 100 Updaters, Topp 100 followers and more…

Twitter Troll:
Use Twitter Troll to quickly search for Twitter posts about a certain topic and find new friends, all in real-time.

Geofollow: The original Geo location based Twitter Directory. Twitter users are listed by location, tags and interests.

If you have a favorite and effective way of finding twitters, please feel free to add it in the comment section, I'd love to hear your ideas!

Happy Tweeting :)

Cinda Rose
REALTOR ®, SFR, CSSN
The West Valley Home Team
at Welcome Home Realty
Phone: 623-252-9350
Fax: 623-505-9435
cinda.rose@thewestvalleyhometeam.com
www.TheWestValleyHomeTeam.com

Joel Kruse

Member Services

ActiveRain Corp.

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The ActiveRain "HELP" Toolbar for Your Browser

Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:43:28 -0500

The ActiveRain "HELP" Toolbar for Your Browser - created to help members and non-members find important pieces of information in and around the network.

In this post I wanted to explain each section of the toolbar and show how it might be helpful. The "Toolbar" is not just for AR members, it's also for anyone who wants to keep up with what's happening in the world of Real Estate on and through the AR Network. It works on Explorer, Firefox, and Safari browsers and it's FREE.

The first section of the toolbar allows you to access AR with a single click on the logo. Next to the logo is a pull-down menu where you can login to AR or Join. You can also search by member "category" which helps save time if you're looking for a specific type of Industry professional.

There are 28 Industry categories to choose from, this makes it quick and easy for members and consumers to access any category with the single "point and click" option.

The "Read" button IS for ActiveRain members and those interested in joining the network. Unlike most boring community guidelines and terms of service, ours is unique and is a "must read!"
Can you say Weltanschauung?

The "Help" button and pull-down menu gets you access to the ActiveRain Manual, The ActiveRain University, The ARU Training Calendar, the Help/FAQ Group on AR, Information about Real Estate RainCamps, and member contributed guides and how-to articles and posts. This is one of my favorite parts of the toolbar and may be the most useful part for members needing "help" and tutorials about ActiveRain.

The "Daily Drop" is for those who want to be kept informed via AR's Daily Newsletter. Click To Subscribe.

The "Featured" pull-down menu gives you "live" real-time access to what's "Featured" on ActiveRain right now. You can browse ALL featured posts right from the toolbar and do it from any website or page you're on. Whether you're a member of AR or not, this is a great tool to be kept informed of what's going on in and around Real Estate all over the Country and Canada. (Your neighborhood included)

The "Blogs" button is a direct link to ALL AR Blog posts which can be sorted using the built in ActiveRain sort options. This makes getting to the newest and freshest content fast and easy.

Many networks, blogging platforms, and social media sights make it difficult to try and reach staff members. With this button, the entire AR Team is only "one-click" away.

Member support on ActiveRain is something we take seriously and are very passionate about. Our members' satisfaction and our reputation have been built on how well we support our friends on AR. The "Support" button pull-down on the toolbar shows we listen to our members, and we care. You are literally one click away from contacting AR support, making suggestions, sending us your feedback and comments, and emailing us directly.

The "Message" button is for communicating important messages. This will ONLY be used to make important announcements. IE: New AR features, Upcoming special events, RainCamps, Trainings and Classes etc. The message board has its' own set of built in tools for users to manage and respond to incoming messages.

The "Facebook and Twitter buttons" give you direct access to ActiveRain's Facebook page and to our "live" Twitter stream. No need to even leave the toolbar to see our latest tweets, but to become a friend or fan on Facebook, you will need to click the Facebook Icon.

This covers most uses for the AR Help Toolbar. It is completely customizable for each user. You can remove/hide any of the above predefined components that you don't need or aren't using by selecting the "toolbar options" in the main menu and checking the box next to those items you'd like hidden. If space on your browser is an issue, there's a "shrink toolbar" option that will minimize the space used. I hope you'll find it to be a useful addition to your browser tools and an efficient source for interaction and help on ActiveRain.

Select your browser below and install the ActiveRain Help Toolbar.

Download The ActiveRain "HELP" Toolbar for your Browser

ActiveRain University Calendar Real Estate RainCamp The ActiveRain Manual

ActiveRain University - Add Value To Your ActiveRain Blogs with Zillow

Brad Andersohn ~ Community Manager (ActiveRain) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:39:12 -0400

ActiveRain University - How To Maximize Your ActiveRain Blogs with Zillow

Join us for a FREE Webinar on March 29

Hey Everyone, just wanted to let you all know that Sara Bonert (Director of Broker Services from Zillow) will be coming to ARU and sharing some tools you can use to bring greater value to your ActiveRain Blogs and readers.

She'll be sharing things like how to use Zestimates, Zillow Advice, Advertising, Widgets, Free stuff and more on your ActiveRain Blogs. Sara travels all over the Country for Zillow teaching industry professionals how to get the most out of their online time and social media efforts.

If you've never heard or seen Sara speak or present, she's really good and she knows her stuff. I'd encourage everyone to try and come to this class. Reserve your seat for Monday's class (March 29, 2010 - 9:00am - 10:00am PDT) by pre-registering early.

Sara is an expert and is coming to share her knowledge and expertise with us, so come support her and learn at the same time. She's a long-time ActiveRain member who provides some great content on her Blog. Don't miss the class, there will be a Q&A session at the end that I'm sure will be educational and beneficial to many of you, your business, and your Blogs.

Download The ActiveRain "HELP" Toolbar for your Browser

ActiveRain University Calendar Real Estate RainCamp The ActiveRain Manual

We Are in The Age of Social Media!

Joel Kruse (ActiveRain Corp.) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:33:43 -0500

The Age of Social Media

The Age of Social Media has changed the way we think, how we communicate, and how we function. Now instead of Emailing, we Text. And instead of texting, we tweet, so that a large audience can be reached in just seconds. Imagine if a highly acclaimed restaruant reviewer who had a HUGE following on twitter (say most people in the area who eat food) went to your business, ate your food, and because the food was bad and service wasn't great tweeted about it, and within 10 seconds the 20,000 people who got the message were told to pass over your restaurant? That could shut your business down! As a business, we thrive on sales, on business, and on a positive reputation.

Because of the Age of Social Media, we are reverting back to the doing business the old fashioned way, by word of mouth referrals and suggestions. Back in the 1800's you went to a store because someone said it was a great place to shop, get a hair cut, or buy that fancy new automobile. The price was right, the service was excellent, and the product was fantastic. Because of Socal Media, blogging, twitter, and messaging to your sphere of influence can have a drastically postitive or negative effect on whatever you choose to write about, endorse your name on, or slander.

The way agents and professionals are taking advantage of ActiveRain is through blogging. Your blogging is an extension of your knowledge and experience as as real estate professional. Without a voice on the internet, you are just another person in the sea of possibilities for potential customers. Blogging gives you that voice, and if written properly, can let your voice be heard in the search engines like google, yahoo, and bing, and let you stand out, increasing your visiblity and increasing your business. Your able to do this as a Rainmaker on ActiveRain. If you're not a Rainmaker, we offer training and a trial here at ActiveRain so you can learn how to blog, and appear on the first page of google organically through your blog content!

At our recent raincamp, we showed this video for all our guests, depicting how the Age of Social Media has changed the way our world functions. It certainly has changed the real estate industry! This video will open up your eyes to how powerful social media has become. And the fact that you're part of ActiveRain, means that you're in step with this. Watch this and enjoy!

Joel Kruse

Member Services

ActiveRain Corp.

Stay Connected With Me

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Why Active Rain is a priority in my life!

Joel Kruse (ActiveRain Corp.) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:39:02 -0500

Via BethAnn Long, Realtor, e-PRO Spokane Wa Real Estate (Coldwell Banker Tomlinson):

I stumbled upon Active Rain two years ago when I literally had no idea what blogging was. I set up a profile and kind of poked around. I started blogging, and getting comments. Since then I have become a regular here, and I want you to know why!

Active Rain connects me to the broad world of real estate professionals and it is truly amazing to feel connected to people all over the country!

Active Rain is very therapeutic.I can share my challenges and triumphs in real estate and gain insight from others as they share theirs. It is therapeutic just to write about my listings, experiences and reading what is going on in the market all over the country makes me a better Realtor!

Active Rain is very good for business! I got a referral just TODAY from Active Rain! This agent said that reading my profile was very helpful, and he chose me to refer some great clients who will be relocating here soon. Yipee! My listings get quite a few views on the virtual tours I post here on Active Rain, so all around, Active Rain gives me great exposure!

Active Rain is very educational!There are dozens of posts that relate to pertinent issues for our industry. While I don't get " clock hours" for all of the reading I do here on Active Rain, I find a huge amount of great information here on ALL spectrum's of real estate from financing to staging!

I am truly glad that I found Active Rain one cold Januray day in 2008. It has enriched both my personal and professional life.

Blogging has become apart of my business plan, and is a priority to me because it has added alot to my life.

Thank you to all of the wonderful folks on Active Rain, and stay connected!

www.SpokaneRealEstateVoice.com
BethAnn Long ~ Spokane Realtor

Coldwell Banker Tomlinson South Inc.

...there's no place like your home!

www.BethAnnHomes.com

Joel Kruse

Member Services

ActiveRain Corp.

Stay Connected With Me

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