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Active Brad Active Brad The Stuff You Won't Find On Any Other Website or Blog! Your resource for Real Estate Technology, Marketing, Video, Blogging tips, Computer tricks and Social Media and Networking.. Articles
The HOLIDAYS go VIRAL!
2007-11-16 08:07:00 To all our Family, Friends, Neighbors, Co-Workers, Active Rain Members, Subscribers, Readers and YOU! My three sons and I, all pitched in this year to give each of you a gift! However, you'll have to open it now! This is a very special gift, and you will never get another that will be exactly like it. It's a one of a kind! Please open it very carefully as it is fragile, and it contains a few things that you won't want to break! CLICK ON YOUR GIFT!! *A Christmas Tree - $100.00, A New Play Station III - $399.00, That New Jaguar - $76,000, but This Gift for YOU.... PRICELESS!!!To you and yours during this "Special Holiday Season!" The Andersohn Family 2007 More About: Holidays , Viral , The Holidays
Are You Grazing on the Feed?
2007-11-14 05:21:00 Better yet, are you allowing your clients and readers to? I'm talking about RSS Feed s. How do you link your Blogs to your Websites and visa versa? Would you rather people find your post one at a time (like they do now) or would you like them to be able to access "many" posts in one location? Here's one way. For those of you who understand RSS Feeds, this will make a lot of "sense." For those who don't, I'll try and make "cents" of it for you. :-) The Widget below allows your readers to access many of your posts from your Blog. You can also add other Sites and Blogs to your RSS Feed Reader. There are some feeds that will offer valuable information to your clients and other viewers. Try it! Best part about this RSS Feed Widget, is that clients and readers won't have to leave your Blog or Website to view all the great information you have to offer. Also, using the RSS Feeds from other "Value-Added" sites and Blogs, makes you the source, and therefore their ...
Who's Reading Blogs Anyway... 3 Ways To Find Out
2007-11-10 04:49:00 When I first started on Active Rain earlier this year, I had no clue how much I would learn in such a short time. The first thing I remember noticing about Active Rain was that there was vast amounts of knowledge, and so many wonderful people here. I wanted to learn all about Blogging, the benefits, the value, and why anyone in our industry would want to consider Blogging. I needed to know so I could share with my clients if this were something they should invest their time in doing. I was spending hours just reading and learning from all the members here on Active Rain. As I started to get comfortable with navigating my way around, I decided to start inviting other Industry Professionals from my areas. Before I knew it, I was accumulating hundreds of points, and even started feeling confident that maybe it was time for me to start writing and posting myself. I tried a little bit of everything. Promoting my company, sharing marketing i... More About: Reading , Blogs , Find
The American Dream ? I Wanna Be Just Like You
2007-11-07 07:14:00 When Jason Crouch sent me an email from the "Family Ties" group, inviting me to the ?Inspired By Song? group, and their contest, I got very excited about it, but didn't realize the affect my own post would actually have on me. LOL! Here's one I bet you didn't see coming, thought I'd change it up a bit from my usual style of post that many of you are getting used to. (or should I say sick of) LOL! When you think of the American Dream , what goes through your mind? The American Dream for me, may be different than for you, but it is still something we all relate to in our own unique and special way. Having grown up in a musical family for the better part of my years, music has played a more than significant role in my life. While I was considering what to submit in this post, The ?American Dream? is what kept going through my mind. It is such a common and widely used term. What does it really mean? I guess that depends on who you ask. Can the quest for the American D... More About: Like You
Your Active Rain Profile - Your Masterpiece!!
2007-11-02 07:09:00 Are you getting the most out of your Active Rain Profile ? Does it have the same information or content as your website? Is it a "Wall of Words, or a lack thereof? Here's an opportunity to make your AR Profile even BETTER! You really should put as much attention and love into your profile page as you do your posts, maybe more. Are you updating it with fresh content weekly, monthly or never at all? The truth is, the profile page is the first place we all start as "New" members! The problem is, when we are new, we don't really quite know or understand how to set it up, so that we get the most benefit. It's time to come full circle, back to where we started, and maximize an area we may have forgotten about. It's easy to get caught up in learning so much here, and trying to navigate our way around, I think we just simply forget about it. Your profile is YOU! It's where members and other visitors go to learn more about you. It should be Inter-Active and not just stat... More About: Masterpiece , Aster
Active Rain Blogs - Finding What You Need - The Ultimate Search!
2007-10-29 01:13:00 Here's a "community tip" you may not be aware of regarding how to "SEARCH" Blogs . Active Rain is a huge wealth of members, knowledge and resources! There are so many Blog topics, ideas, instructions, do's and don'ts, opinions and posts of information, it really can be over-whelming. This post will show you how to maximize the "Search " options that are available to you on Active Rain. ; &nbs p; &nb sp; &n bsp; & nbsp; When you click on the "SEARCH" feature from the menu bar above, you'll have 3 options and choices to search from. Profiles, Blogs, and Blog Comments. When you're searching Blogs, did you it ONLY searches for posts that contain the word or words somewhere within a post? It is NOT searching "keywo... More About: Ultimate
Searching Active Rain Blogs - Finding What You Need - The Secret!
2007-10-28 08:19:00 Here's a "community tip" you may not be aware of regarding how to "SEARCH" Blogs . Active Rain is a huge wealth of members, knowledge and resources! There are so many Blog topics, ideas, instructions, do's and don'ts, opinions and posts of information, it really can be over-whelming. This post will show you how to maximize the "Search" options that are available to you on Active Rain. ; &nbs p; &nb sp; &n bsp; & nbsp; When you click on the "SEARCH" feature from the menu bar above, you'll have 3 options and choices to search from. Profiles, Blogs, and Blog Comments. When you're searching Blogs, did you it ONLY searches for posts that contain the word or words somewhere within a post? It is NOT searching "keywo... More About: The Secret , Secret , Searching
Active Rain Settings & SEO Benefits - Very Powerful
2007-10-23 09:23:00 Did you know that you are missing out on some SEO opportunities in your Active Rain Profile and Settings ? Yesterday, I did a post regarding "How To Use Your "My Settings" Page" I received many comments and quite a few questions. The "My Settings" link in Active Rain clearly has some great value and benefits to you and your Blog. There is one particular question that came up by Roswell Ga Real Estate - Nancy Rivera who runs RoswellGaRealtor.GeorgiaMLS.com about an area on the "My Settings" page. She asked,"Brad - I have a question about #3, if you don't mind. I used to have something in this box but when looking at my Blog, I never saw what was written there so I removed it and added it to #2 instead. Is this something that I would see? If so, where? Or is this something that Google sees? Thanks for your time." MORE DETAILS>>> What Nancy ... More About: Benefits
How To Use Your "My Settings" Page
2007-10-21 07:38:00 Here is some information on "How To" use your Active Rain "My Settings " page. I have tried to make this as simple as possible, for you to get the most out of your Active Rain experience. To access your settings page, go to your "MY HOME" link at the top of the page next to the "Logout" option. Make sure you are logged into Active Rain before you try and modify your settings. Next, click on the "My Settings" link on the left hand side of the page just under the "My Ads" link. The rest is detailed below for your use. You might want to print these instructions so you won't have to go back and forth from this post and your "My Settings" page. This is your Blog's Title. Be sure to give this some thought, it is the theme of your entire Blog. This is what will appear when anyone clicks on the "Blogs" link at the Top of Active Rains main homepage. Y... More About: Page
Should You Have A Blog or a Website?
2007-10-17 17:48:00 This is a common question that I get asked by many who are considering starting up a Blog or a Website . I really don't know what the right answer is, but I think that Blogs are starting to have a real impact in our Industry. I also don't think that the websites (especially corporate ones) will ever go away. The Blog is always changing with new and fresh content, topics, and ideas. Comments from others also adds new and fresh text for the search engines to find! Websites are great because many of us already have them, and consumers are used to them. Will Blogs be short lived based on the owners ability to keep coming up with good content? Are Websites more permanent? Listen to what Inman News predicts. Are there really some significant reasons as to why you'd want one or the other...or both?What's on a Typical Real Estate Website or Blog? Listing InformationArea Statistics Demographic DataBuyer and Seller Rep...
A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned - NOT TRUE!
2007-10-15 09:43:00 Here's FREE Money!! Many of my co-workers, friends, clients and fellow Active Rain members are looking for ways to diversify their income right now in this changed market. As we are all aware, many Companies are consolidating, cutting back, laying off people, letting go of assistants, and in some cases, even closing their doors for business. According to ML-Implode, many mortgage brokers and lenders have gone out of business. Some of these companies affected are my clients, co-workers, friends, family and business acquaintances! I truly have a heart for their well-being and for what's going on in our industry right now. A lot of us have benefited from the last 5 years of a great market with increased property values, low interest rates, and major growth to our financial wealth and freedoms. As the market adjusts to wherever it's going, I was just curious, how many of us have been saving and putting away for this very time and circumst... More About: True , Penny
Active Rain | A Referral Network & Business Goldmine
2007-10-12 00:18:00 Are you looking to do more business in a market that has obviously changed? Do you want to get more out of Active Rain than just using the Blogging as social networking? Is Active Rain any different than the other groups or networks you're already a part of? Are you doing business with other Active Rain REALTORS®, Lenders, and Affiliates? Could Active Rain be the Goldmine you're looking for? These are some questions you might find yourself asking. Click on "Your County" to see what other Active Rain members are in your area. These are the people who can relate and appreciate all that you are trying to do here. Don't compete with each other for points or for the featured spot. Who cares if you're featured if you're Blogging all the time and not doing any business. Just look at the list of all the other members in your area. What a "Powerhouse Resource!" Some Counties will have many members and some will have just a few. The more, the better! You might try the County... More About: Business , Network , Referral
Blogging From Your Cell Phone?
2007-10-09 10:59:00 Today a client asked me, "Why should I Blog? Why wouldn't I just use email or talk on the phone?" This was a great question, and momentarily had me stumped! "I wish I could just use my phone to Blog?" I asked, "Why wouldn't you want to expose your marketing and advertising efforts for free using a Blog? She responded, "Because I don't have time, I'm not a writer, and Blogging requires both!" I have to say, these are valid concerns for someone who is considering starting a Blog. Then she commented, "If I could just speak into a microphone or something like that, I might consider it. If I could use my phone to Blog, that would be even better." I started looking for a solution on how to to create a "Voice Activated Blog!" Taking into consideration the cost/expense of creating such a thing, I did some research and here's what I found. It's a company with a widget that allows you to use your phone to Blog. The widget is then placed on your Blog for others to hear, ... More About: Phone , Cell Phone , Cell , Cell-phone
It's "YOUR" Attitude
2007-10-06 17:44:00 YOUR Attitude and mindset mean everything. This is out of the ordinary for me to share a post like this, but I feel it is warranted. If it helps just one person who reads it today, then the mission is accomplished! One of my clients shared this with me today and I want to share it with you.....Our Attitude can really determine our Altitude in life and in business.John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" He replied, "Ea...
New GOOGLE Tools for Your BLOG - Customized Mapping
2007-10-05 03:46:00 hen I think of the old traditional maps, I still think of the ones in my glove compartment. You know the one, you unfold it six times to open it, stretch your arms across the entire front seat of the car to read it, and then you're never able to fold it back up the right way to get it back in the glove compartment again. LOL! I use to get those maps from AAA before going on road trips with my family, just 2 years ago. oday, there's GPS, Google Earth, Mapquest, Mapopolis, Yahoo maps, TREO's and other options to finding our way around the planet. So clean out your glove compartments! :-) In my research to find a marketing tool for a client today, I discovered a Blog that talked about customizing Google Maps! It's the Google Lat Long Blog. DETAILS>>> We are creating a map showing all her listings, and one for open houses Sunday. Customize your maps with icons, photos, images, graphics and more. Here are some links to som... More About: Tools , Google Tools , Mapping
The Active Rain Invitation - For Real Estate Industry Professionals
2007-10-01 16:45:00 THE INVITATION! Active Rain is a Free online community for Real Estate Professionals designed to help them promote and grow their business. It is the "best" place to network, meet other industry professionals, refer business, get and share resources, obtain technology and marketing ideas, and it's the very best place to start your Blog, especially if you are new to Blogging. If you are not currently a member of the Active Rain Real Estate National Network, and you are involved in the Industry at some level or capacity, this invitation is for you. There are over 50,000 current members that have joined one of the fastest growing, and largest Real Estate Networks in the Country. We have made it easy for you to join today and it's absolutely FREE! Click the graphic below to join the Active Rain Network. When the next screen loads, just click on the icon that says "JOIN US" Follow the simple instructions on your computer screen and that's it! It's that simple. After joining... More About: Invitation
How Important is your Database? Think Inside the Box!
2007-09-30 11:13:00 How could I resist a post about such an important factor of our business. How important is your database? Might be the most important tool you have. A database is nothing more than "Text-in-a-box" if you're not using it properly. There are so many programs out there today, the question is, which one is best for you? Here's my take on the different database applications and what they can do to help or hurt your business! Here's a link to (ALL Real Estate Contact Managers)Let's start with a few of the common one's we are all familiar with:Outlook - Now if Bill Gates would have known how Big this application was going to be, he probably would have named it "Lookout" instead. I personally use Outlook as my database manager for all my contacts, appointments, email, tracking, follow-up, and mail merges and marketing campaigns. It does what I need, and more. I use the Journal for keeping all my notes, emails,... More About: Database , Inside , Base
Your Blog in the REAL World
2007-09-28 14:32:00 We all know that Blog ging can bring you business. That's one of the reasons we do what we do. It does take some time before you really begin to see results, but then what doesn't? When you breakdown all the benefits of Blogging, there are quite a few valuable and justified reasons to do it. But, are we missing a very important ingredient for our "Blogs" and their success? Take a second to look at just a few of the many benefits of blogging: Social networking to create and build relationships and to grow your referral business. Search engine optimization (SEO) so Google, Yahoo and other "Search" engines place your Blog on the top of the list! Getting to the first page, or being #1 is the ultimate goal.Promoting and advertising yourself, your business, your services and your products to the end user, the consumer, community or other targeted audiences.Resources and Credibility. 50,000 resources here on Active Rain. Your Blog is what builds your credibility to viewers and other Blo... More About: World , Real , The Real World
Goal Setting - The 7 Steps to Success
2007-09-25 06:10:00 The whole point in setting your goals is so you can accomplish those things you really want in life. Goal setting is so unbelievably powerful. Goals must be specific, written down, and have a time frame. Just making the commitment to put it in writing will help you get there. Having good organization is a hard thing to do in this business because we are constantly interrupted. You have to be able to multi-task. We all want to get to where our business is repeat and referral, but it will take good organization, consistency, and patience. I believe that the great NFL Hall of Fame coach, Vince Lombardi, had it right when he said, "The quality of a persons life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor." Do you agree with the coach or are you the type of person who has difficulty staying focused and keeping commitments? Do you allow the negative influences o... More About: Success , Steps
Blogger Startup Kit
2007-09-21 13:27:00 When you first heard the word "Blog" you were probably just like the rest of us. Not sure, confused, and maybe even uncomfortable with the whole idea and concept. My guess is that you still are if you've opened this post and you're still reading it. Here is a Starter Kit with everything you need to know, for your Blogging and Blogosphere survival. If you are new to Blogging (less than 3 months or so) this is the post for you. Here is the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How of Blogging, which is the newest and most exciting way for social networking in the World...and it's FREE!Your Starter Kit Includes The Following: Here are the TOP 100 Most Subscribed Blogger s on the Active Rain Network. Almost 50,000 members strong, but these are the 100 that most readers subscribe to. If you view and learn from these Bloggers, you can shave years off the learning process. This is where I have learned so much, and you can ... More About: Startup
Active Rain Blogger - Startup Kit
2007-09-21 13:27:00 When you first heard the word "Blog" you were probably just like the rest of us. Not sure, confused, and maybe even uncomfortable with the whole idea and concept. My guess is that you still are if you've opened this post and you're still reading it. Here is a Starter Kit with everything you need to know, for your Blogging and Blogosphere survival. If you are new to Blogging (less than 3 months or so) this is the post for you. Here is the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How of Blogging, which is the newest and most exciting way for social networking in the World...and it's FREE!Your Starter Kit Includes The Following: Here are the TOP 100 Most Subscribed Blogger s on the Active Rain Network. Almost 50,000 members strong, but these are the 100 that most readers subscribe to. If you view and learn from these Bloggers, you can shave years off the learning process. This is where I have learned so much, and you can ... More About: Startup
Tech-Know-Babble
2007-09-18 07:36:00 I'm looking for a bumper sticker that says, "My other car is a Brand Spanking New Model 2.0 Blog." Many of you know that I am a total gadget, widget, and techy kinda guy. When I'm not out trying to find title orders and escrows, or helping my clients find buyers and sellers, I like to dabble with "new" technology, and try to find ways to increase my clients marketing skills with all that's available out there in the cyber-world. This past week, I have spent most of my extra time creating an outside Blog. One that will focus on Tech nology and Marketing for the Real Estate Industry. As some of you will recall, I crashed my Active Rain Blog with too many widgets a few months back! So, I have been working on this site to give you more tools, services, tips, widgets, gadgets, advice, target marketing ideas, and much more of what you're use to seeing me provide here on AR. I spent more time just trying to come up with a name for this Blog, and then it came to me last night in m... More About: Babble
The Active Rain "Buyer Challenge" Deadline Is Extended!!
2007-09-13 09:54:00 The Active Rain Contest for the "Best" posts in the Buyer Challenge , has been extended until next Wednesday, September 19th, 2007 at 10:00pm EST. In light of all three of the contests going on at the same time, the judges and creators wanted to give members more time to create and enter their posts. We have some fantastic and very creative entries, but we don't have YOURS...YET!! :-) Do you want to be featured? Do you want to get an extra 1000 points? Are you willing to spend 20-30 minutes to do so? You will need to enter your posts by next Wednesday into this Group: The Active Rain Buyer Challenge Contest. If you have already created a post, and not added it to this group, please do, so it can be reviewed by the Active Rain judges.For all the details regarding the "Buyers Challenge" contest, please see the Instructions Post and Details. If you'd like to know more about the other contests going on, one ... More About: Deadline
Rainmakers Needed!!
2007-09-08 18:29:00 This was inspired by a contest our company had these past couple months, which wraps up this next week. I couldn't help but want to share what "The Rainmaker" contest taught me. American Indian tradition exalts the Rainmaker. The Rainmaker used magical powers to bring the rain to nourish the crops to feed the people. Without the "rain" the people would weaken, have to move away, or sometimes even die.Today, a Rainmaker is a person who brings the revenue into the family or organization. That revenue "Rain" in your garden comes from customers and donors. The revenue is the aqua viva (the life blood) of the individual or organization. Without it, the person or organization would die. Who or what is your rain? Are you a Rainmaker? Big hitting Rainmakers are for the most part, good sales people. They are able to listen, be alert, change, adapt, accept, and succeed. They are the ones that lead the effort to make it rain. Are there other types of Rainmakers? Yes! These are ...
20 Google Tools for Your Business
2007-09-05 16:40:00 These are some really great tools that are ALL provided by Googl e for FREE. It's obvious that they are on a mission to remain the leader in Internet services and tools for us in our business. You will have seen some of these before, but I am certain you have not seen or used them all. You'll be amazed at what Google can do for you and your business, your websites and Blogs, and for your overall health and wealth. :-) Google SearchEveryone knows about Google's search engine and it's capabilities. This is one of the most universal search engines and used by more "web surfers" than any other on the Internet. The simplest search is at Google.com but do you ever use the "Advanced Search"? This takes your searches to the next level. Here's a link to their Help Center which gives a great overview on how to use the advanced search options. You won't believe your options! Google AnalyticsIf you want to know who's been to your website or blogs, this tool is a must. Google Analy... More About: Business , Tools , Google Tools
Staying "Alerted"
2007-09-03 07:10:00 Have you ever wondered how other people find your Blog when you have written a post about them? How do they do that? I used to ask myself this question all the time. Many of the comments on my Blog lately have asked me, "Where do you come up with all this stuff?" This post reveals the secret to finding out all the information you ever wanted, or needed to know, that is ever posted anywhere on the Internet. You can have any information come to you, instead of you going out and trying to find it, or maybe missing out, and never even seeing it all-together.As many of you may, or may not know, I just traveled to Arizona to see my father who is 82 years old. His name is Gunner Andersohn, and he is the oldest living Andersohn in the Country right now. He is very ill, so I had to leave town for a few days to be by his side. He is doing OK for the time being, and is in much better spirits now. Getting back on track here (sorry)...
Is this a Hoax? Now you can find out the truth!
2007-08-27 05:34:00 My wife and kids got really excited when I told them about the email I received, stating that on August 27th, at 12:30am, the moon and mars would look like "two moons" in the sky. When my co-worker sent me this email, we made plans to set the alarm, go outside, and witness this once in a lifetime phenomenon. This is going to happen tomorrow! Here's what the email read:*Two moons on August 27**Aug 27 the Whole World is waiting for...* Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky starting August. It will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. This will cultivate on Aug. 27 when Mars comes within 34.65M miles of earth. Be sure to watch the sky on Aug. 27 12:30 am. It will look like the earth has 2 moons. The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287. Share this with your friends as NO ONE ALIVE TODAY will ever see it again.Naturally, who wouldn't want to miss a spectacular event like this. As we travelled home fr... More About: Truth , Find , Hoax , Ruth , The Truth
Your Blog - Now Available In 18 Different Languages!
2007-08-22 10:48:00 What if a single click could convert your entire Blog or Web-page to a different language? How about 18 different languages? That would be very cool. Well, I get excited about this stuff because I see there is a potential to reach more readers, have global potential with your business, and use the latest and greatest technology to enhance and grow your relationships. Possibly breakdown the language barrier between you and your clients and readers.I have a client who speaks 12 different languages. She is an Active Rain member, and I hope she'll find this post! I would love to see how she might use a tool like this. This could be a huge opportunity to open up the marketing floodgates all over the country! The best way to find out, is of course, to do a post on my Blog and see what others have to say.Go ahead and try this, convert this post to any language you choose. I'll show you how to add this to your Blog, Website, or any other HTML Internet web-page! Some of you will ... More About: Languages , Available , Diff , Ages
Home Values on Your Phone?
2007-08-17 05:48:00 This is a nifty little service that was introduced to me by fellow Active Rain member Stephen Joos who works with HouseFront. At first it seemed to be just another widget, but after I researched it more, I found this to be quite a useful tool, not only for us industry "techies" but consumers as well. You can use this FREE widget on your Blog, or your website, but I really like that it can be used on your cell phone while you are mobile, anywhere in the world. All you have to do is text your property address, city, and state to (house) 46873 on your cell phone, and 30 seconds later, you have the property info, owner, price paid, and estimated value of the property. (In most cases) Find Real Estate Valuations for over 100 million homes! I spoke with Stephen over the phone a couple days ago, to ask some of the very questions I know many of you'd be asking. I was very impressed with his knowledge of the product, experience, and his customer service. This is the only tool I am a... More About: Phone , Home , Values
Google Earth - The Whole World In Your Hands!
More articles from this author:2007-08-11 02:16:00 The number one reason to incorporate Google Earth into your business is that it's FREE, and who isn't trying to save money in todays market and economy. You can download Google Earth and begin using it immediately.If you already have Google Earth, you may want to explore some of the features and valuable benefits that are available to you. I wanted to share just a few tips that may entice you to take a serious look at why more and more people are discovering and using Google Earth.Did you know that you can now create tours? That includes vacations, open houses, caravans, and they are available in virtual mode, can be emailed, and even added to your GPS? Google Earth is so much more than just a mapping program. You've got the whole world in your hands. Go in and look at all the layers and overlays you can add to your maps and screen shots. Find schools, parks, shopping, transportation, dining, lodging etc., and then emai... More About: World , Hands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
