Real Estate 2.0 Technology

Using your Gmail Email as a Blog Post and HTML editor.  

First of all, what in the heck would make someone think of this?  Same way the Reese's Peanut Butter cup was created!  It was a total accident. (at least that's what they wanted you to think)  Somebody dropped and got their chocolate dipped in someone else's peanut butter and there you have it!  The Reese's Peanut Butter cup. 

Today, I did the same thing, dropping my email onto this Blog post, and realizing how easy it is to create a post using your gmail email editor.  You can add "live" links and anchor text, images, photos etc using gmail's "Compose Mail" option.  You can change font colors and sizes and more.  Just copy and paste from your email to your Blog post, (email it to yourself as a backup, or to be used again sometime in the future)... and that's it. 

It was a breeze. 

 You can use the Toolbar in Gmail's editor to customize and add some Fun to your posts.

The process is easy, there's no hidden HTML codes that won't work with the AR Platform, and to be honest, some of our best Blogging content, ideas, responses, and experiences are sitting right within your email IN or OUT boxes. I don't suggest you do it all the time, but as you can see, creating a post like this is different and even kinda fun!!

Use the mini-animations and graphics from the favicon toolbar as well.

It's Pretty cool if you ask me, or at the least, something different.  (well, maybe I over did it a bit on this one!)

I hope this email Blog Post finds you all well,   it might be useful to those who can't use scribefire or some of the other HTML third party applications and software's out there to create cosmetically different and customized posts for their AR Blogs. 

(This post is dedicated to and created for AR member Laura Coffey)  Great to meet you @RainCamp LA.

Warm Regards,

Brad 

   Brad Andersohn - Community Manager
P. 707-646-1876  E. brad@activerain.com
My Blog | My Profile | My Web

PS. This entire blog post was created using my Gmail email editor!

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

How To Embed Your Youtube Video into Google Maps

You'll need a Youtube account, if you don't have one, set one up, it's FREE.  You'll also need a Google Account to sign in and save your maps. If you don't have one, set one up, it's FREE too.

Step 1: Upload your video to Youtube.com

Step 2: Select the video you want to embed into Google Maps

Step 3: Copy the embed HTML code from the Youtube Video
(it should look something like this)

Step 4: Go to maps.google.com and click the "My Maps" Link

Step 5: Click on the "Create New Map" link

Step 6: Search the map to find the exact location where you want your video to appear
            (zoom in close to find exact location)
Step 7: In the "Edit" mode, click on the placemark icon and place it on the map

Step 8: Click on the "edit HTML" link and add youtube embed code into description box.

Step 9: Give your marker and description box a "Title" and click "ok" and then "Done"

Step 10: Your video will now appear on Google Maps and can also be viewed on Google Earth

Now, to embed the saved Video and saved Map into your Blog or website, click on the "Link" located in the upper right corner and copy the embed code from Google Maps.  Next, place the embed code in your Blog post (using the HTML tab) or on your website and save.  This will put the interactive map including the video into your post or on your web-page.  Visitors can now watch the video from within your interactive map, and never even leave your post or site.

The best part is that even if you don't embed the iframe map into your Blog or website, the video is still attached to Google Maps and can be viewed by anyone who clicks on the video from within the Google Maps page.  Here's what the completed project will look like in a Blog Post.  Try doing this with your community videos, your virtual tours, your travel videos, any video you've created that you want to show up on Google Maps.

AR University Presents - How To Use Interactive Google Maps & Embed Them Using Google Base

This "advanced" sample above was created using Google's API feature with Flash, Maps and Videos,
Load then Click on any of the seven circles in the playback bar to jump to that location and video.

This Wednesday, April 14th at 4:00pm PDT (7:00pm EST) ActiveRain University invites you to come by and learn "How and Why" you need to know more about Google Base, and the importance of using interactive and embedded maps into your Blog posts. This is not just for Real Estate Agents with property listings, there are multiple ways you can be using these tools to bring greater value, traffic, and SEO to your Blogs and content.

Homes For Sale in US and Canada

REGISTER HERE
HOW TO USE GOOGLE MAPS

Create Your Own Custom Home Search

We will be sharing and showing you how to:
* Create and Customize Your Maps
* Selecting Specific Neighborhoods
* Embed and Resize Your Custom Maps
* Add Custom Icons and Create Legends
* Create Outlined Communities and Areas
* Use the Markers and Mapping Tools
* Save all Your Maps for Easy Future Access
* Add Your Listings to Google Base and Maps
* Promote Your Business on Google Maps

Check out our new ARU Chat Room too, you'll find more than just chatter there, you'll find valuable conversations, links, and answers to many of the questions that come up during our variety of classes and trainings.

Maps were initially created and invented to keep people from getting lost and to help them find their way to desired locations and destinations. I hope you'll visit ActiveRain University regularly with that same concept in mind. We hope you'll take this one hour to join us so you won't get lost or left behind when it comes to using "Google Maps and Tools" efficiently and effectively. :-)

DON'T FORGET TO

Here's a sample search widget by Realbird using Google Base Technology, try it out!

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

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

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

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

How To Add a PDF File to Your ActiveRain Blog Post

1. Join Scribd.com and setup a Profile

2. Upload your .PDF file to Scribd.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

As an Absolute Last Resort

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

ActiveRain RainCamp - Bringing April "Showers" to Chicago

The ActiveRain Team and "RE Camper" are coming to Chicago on Monday, April 19th, 2010.  This first time event in Chicago will be held at the Wojcik Conference Center at Harper College.  Here's a map to help you get to 1200 W. Algonquin Rd. in Palatine, IL.  We'll be in Building "W" for those planning to join us.  Registration will begin at 8:00am, the RainCamp conference will run from 9am - 5:00pm, and the "power-hours" special gathering after will be from 5:00 - 7:00pm.  Special Gathering details will be announced at RainCamp.

There are only 250 tickets available. Our other venues have all held a minimum of 350. This means seating is at a premium and we are expecting a quick sell out, so don't be left without a ticket.

The one question you may be asking, "Why would I want or need to attend a Real Estate RainCamp?"  Here's the answer: Real Estate RainCamps are designed to bring you the most valuable tips, tools, ideas, and social media education and information that will empower you and take your business to the next level.  In this ever-changing Real Estate Market and Industry, the way we do business has changed.  You'll have an opportunity to walk away with some of the best proven practices to enhance and grow your business.  Effective Strategies that can be implemented easily and immediately!

Thousands of people have joined us and walked away reinvigorated and focused on transforming the way they prospect and do business. Take a minute to see what some of those people had to say about their RainCamp experiences.

Personally, this is one of the best "one day" events I've ever had the pleasure of attending. Coming from a background of sponsoring events like this, I have never seen a day that packs in so many people and delivers so much useful and relative content in the past 25 years.  The room seems to buzz with a "rainergy" like I've never experienced before. I can give you my personal guaranty that once you come to a RainCamp event, you'll never want to miss one again. 

The information shared is new, fresh, tested, and if you apply what you learn, and incorporate these strategies, you'll acheive much greater success, do it in less time, and with less effort and stress.  RainCamp is an event where you'll walk away with more than you ever came to expect.

We're really excited and looking forward to coming and "showering" Chicago with RainCamp! :-)

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.

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.

RainCamp Denver - "Taking Your Business Miles Higher, and Farther!"

Denver, Colorado is currently preparing for the ActiveRain Thunder and Lightening that's about to hit the City.  Last night, as I was leaving RainCamp in Dallas, I received the confirmation that we are now booked and confirmed for Denver, and it's just 3 weeks away.  Just yesterday, Kristal Kraft was asking me on Facebook when we'd be bringing RainCamp to her "Mile High" City, so I tossed out a rumor, and a few minutes later, Lauren confirmed it. 

This will be the 5th RainCamp on our US tour, and thus far, every one of them has been a sold out packed house.  I know the folks in Denver and surrounding areas are going to be very excited to hear that we're on our way over.  We're excited to be coming! I've also been told that people in Denver really know how to have a good time.  They play hard because they work hard, and when it comes to taking "Care of Business" they've set the standard and bar very high!  Maybe that's really why the area is referred to as "mile high?" ;-)

Get registered early for this one, I know it will be sold out faster than the others.  I won't try to excite you with all the RainCamp details, there's plenty of posts on AR with all that, but I will tell you to block out your Calendar for March 9th, 2010 and plan on joining us in Denver for one of those "Thunder and Lightning" Rainstorm RainCamps you've heard about.  Trust me, it's going to be awesome!

REGISTER NOW!

Now before you leave a comment or question here that says "When are you guys coming to ?????" just know that WE ARE coming to a City close to you soon, and we'll make sure that when we do, and we have all the details confirmed, you'll be the first to know, I promise!  :-)

    
Special thanks to Kerrie, Lauren, Christa, and Doug for their behind the scenes efforts, they make it happen!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Select YOUR Browser below to Install the AR Toolbar

First, I want to extend a sincere and heartfelt thanks to ALL of you who made the Seattle and SF RainCamps™ a total success. Without the support and participation from you, none of these events would have been possible. Bob, Ben and I, (and the AR staff) are humbled by the many comments, emails, and even calls we've received, Thank you!!  It looks like our next stop will be in New York City, with Inman Connect. We're very excited to be coming out to the East Coast.  Are You Ready?? 

"I am usually skeptical about the "seminars." I was not sure i wanted to be pummeled by vendors. Who does?  RainCamp was not a seminar but a super workshop where we were never bombarded with "buy this" or "for just $199..." A hardy thank you for the straight forward, down to earth, hands on approach of RainCamp SF.  My head is spinning from the great material and the call to look forward to change and embrace social media." Jeff Pereyda

The RainCamp™ Annual Platinum Access Pass

We are introducing the 'Platinum Access Pass' a level of participation that will give those willing to pay full price for RainCamp™ increased access and benefits during the event and for ALL future RainCamp™ events throughout the year.  We will be offering the 'Platinum' access passes for $179/person.  This means you could attend each and every event for the price of a single admission.  The pass will also include additional values and benefits to "pass" holders.  

We will continue to offer a limited amount of "donation based" tickets as the ActiveRain culture has always been inclusive in nature.  Donation tickets are based what you can afford, but will also be limited to certain seating arrangements and other restrictions.  Our number one goal at these events is to give back to the industry, and to promote cutting edge technology and best business practices.

(Platinum Access passes available now, Donation tickets become available as each event is announced)

"Raincamp was phenomenal from start to finish. The room was packed full of eager participants and outstanding presenters. There wasn't a moment the entire day that they lost my attention - not even after lunch!  I highly recommend that that you attend the RainCamp nearest you in 2010."  Anna "Banana" Kruchten

Annual Platinum Access Pass Includes:

• VIP Entry to any and all RainCamp™ Events in 2010
• Receive the Platinum RainCamp™ Supporter Badge at RainCamp
• Hosted VIP Lunch at RainCamp™ w/ActiveRain CEO Jonathan Washburn & RainCamp™ Speakers
• Get Reserved Platinum seating in the front of the room with table, wi-fi, and power (if available at venue)
• Sport your RainCamp™ T-shirt (exclusive for Platinum supporters)
• Receive your Premium RainCamp™ tote with "surprise giveaways" (no cracker jack toys)
  
• SHIFT: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times - Limited Edition HardCover Book by Gary Keller
• First right to be part of an exclusive "30 Day Accountability" follow-up program by Local Coordinators 
• A Personal Invitation to VIP after party, including Drink Ticket and Appetizer, for each event
• Get the Latest cutting edge social media instruction e-book by Ben Kinney and Jay Papasan
• Earn the Platinum RainCamp™ Supporter Badge for your profile or Blog
  

"RAINCAMP... The best ROI EVER Received from a one day conference!"  Valesca Bogard

Read more RainCamp™ Comments Here: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=raincamp

RainCamp™ UpComing Tour Locations include:

January 12th - New York
February 16th - Dallas
Orange County
Las Vegas
Chicago
Orlando
San Diego
Washington DC

We'll announce the locations of each event once venues are confirmed and secured.

RainCamp™ - "Because the way we do business has changed!" Find Out More at RainCamp.com

Syndicate Your ActiveRain Blogs with RSS

What is syndication and why should you "Syndicate Your ActiveRain Blogs?"  Driving traffic and exposure to your Blog is the primary reason.  RSS - Really Simple Syndication is a great way to connect your ActiveRain Blog to other Blogs and websites.  Members on ActiveRain have an RSS feed button located on the sidebar of their Blog.  Click on it to see your options and how it can be used to expand your reach to a larger audience via other sites and locations on the web.

Adding an RSS feed to your ActiveRain Blog on your ActiveRain Blog is nice, but no where near the value and benefit of having an RSS feed in other locations. Do you have a website?  Do you use an email signature?  Are you utilizing online marketing?  Take advantage of this tiny little tool so you can get BIG results.  That's why it's here.  If you're not familiar with RSS Feeds, Readers, and tools etc., here's a really good post that will give you more details and an explanation.

RSS is a great way to syndicate your Blog posts and get them out there and in front of a larger potential audience. Using RSS feeds is also a great way to have information and great content delivered back to you without having to go out and look for it. This will save you valuable time browsing the web for content and information that you might be interested in. 

Personally, I use Google Reader for all my RSS feeds to the sites I like to get updates and new information from.  This allows me the ability to scroll through hundreds of articles from various sites and blogs easily and conveniently without having to go to each site and see what's newly published. You can also share certain posts and articles with others that you follow, and they can share with you. 

If you're looking for some ways to get back-links and Web Traffic, I just watched THIS VIDEO that explains how to do this using FeedAgg.com. You can see how many other RE professionals have done this already by Clicking Here. You can search their site for various Real Estate type RSS feeds that have already been added to the site. Why not add yours while you're there.  It's just one more way to syndicate your ActiveRain Blog.

Teaching your clients how to subscribe to your Blog via RSS is a valuable tool, both for them, and for you.

DON'T FORGET TO DO THIS WITH THE RSS FROM YOUR ACTIVERAIN OUTSIDE BLOGS TOO.

Tomorrow's Real Estate Technology Today

One of my favorite things to do at Inman Connect is to see all the new Real Estate Technology that's being introduced to the industry.  While I was wondering around the EXPO checking out the vendor booths and different products, I came across one vendor that really got me excited.  They are called Infusion.com providing Location Intelligence Services.  I was fortunate to have a meeting with Kayla Spiess, their Marketing and Communications Manager, and Tyler Davey the General Manager.  When I saw the demo I'm about to share with you, I was blown away. 

Real Estate Technology is something we know is always changing.  We are constantly trying to adapt to the changes.  Most often I find myself struggling just to keep up with it all.  Last week I wrote a post about Google Maps and Google Earth regarding the missing link to click on the front door of a property and to go inside, or the lack thereof.  Infusion is already ahead of the curve.   Using Microsoft Surface technology, they have taken this idea and incorporated INFUSED ways to use it into today's Real Estate Market and Industry.

Here's a Video Preview of Infusions Falcon Eye Application

The Surface Touch Table you see in this video costs around $12,000 dollars and though you might not find one of these in the entry way of your local Real Estate office or Brokerage, this product is available for certain computers meeting specific Hardware and Software requirements.  The future of Real Estate Technology may at some point include the requirement to purchase one of the coffee table type touch screens for your Real Estate Office.

Don't laugh, they said the fax machine would never make it as a modern day Business tool either.

There is a need for some clarification as to how RAINdexing or Indexing your Outside Blogs works on ActiveRain.  With all the options available and the inter-connections between AR Blogs, Localism and Outside Blogs etc.,  I am going to try and simplify how it all works and what it all means.  Since my recent post "poll survey results" concluded that reading was the #1 best way for the majority to learn, I'm opting to do a Blog post on this topic.

Here's the 5 areas we'll cover in order to help you grasp and get your arms around how this all works: 

Channels, Topics, Localism, Outside Blogs, Categories & Local Post Widgets.

MAXIMIZING INDEXING ON OUTSIDE BLOGS - PART I

Indexing Your Outside Blog Categories Using Channels and Topics

TIP: The Channels and Topic options are located just below the Visibility Section when creating or editing a post.

When creating a new Blog post that you want to appear on your Outside Blog, it's imperative that you are adding the post to Channels and giving it a "TOPIC".  Topics will appear on your Outside Blog as "Categories" and will be indexed or RAINdexed accordingly.  When you apply the Categories Widget to your Outside Blog, your "Topics" will appear on the sidebar as "Categories."  See below.

Here's a Screen-shot from the Outside Blog Sidebar
(This is referred to as the Category Widget)

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

MAXIMIZING INDEXING ON OUTSIDE BLOGS - PART II

RAINdexing your Outside Blog Local Posts Using Localism and the Local Posts Widget

TIP: The Localism options are located just below the Visibility Section when creating or editing a post.

To have your Blog posts RAINdexed and sorted by Geographic Location, you'll need to add them to Localism for this Widget to work on your Outside Blog.  Adding posts to Localism allows you to select State, County, City, and even down to a specific neighborhood.  Having these geographic locations broken down this way allows viewers to search those specific Hyper-Local posts by "Index" for the areas they may be interested in.

Here's a Screen-shot from the Outside Blog Sidebar
(This is referred to as the Local Posts Widget)

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

MAXIMIZING INDEXING ON OUTSIDE BLOGS - PART III

How To Add The Indexing / RAINdexing Widgets To Your Outside Blog

Step 1:

Go to your Outside Blog and Log-in

Step 2:  

Click on the link at the top of the page and then click the button.

Step 3:

Open the "Add New Widget" pull-down menu and select "Categories" or "Local Posts" then repeat.
(you can only add one widget at a time)

Step 4:

You can use the button to align your Index Widgets by simply dragging and dropping them where you want them to appear on your Outside Blog sidebar.  Once you're finished, just click on  .

Step 5:

Click here to see a sample of how this has worked well for another AR member.  RAINdexing is Powerful.

I hope this post clears up some of the confusion or misunderstanding of how all these tools work together to get you the best possible results and indexing of your Outside Blogs.  As always, if you have any questions or need any assistance, our support staff and team are always ready and willing to help.  If you do not currently have an outside blog but might be considering one in the future, taking these steps now will ensure you won't have to go back and make edits to your posts in the future. 

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Related Articles To Assist You

How To Create and Maximize an ActiveRain Outside Blog - 10 easy steps

5 Suggested Ways To Maximize Your Group/Team Outside Blog

How To Drive Traffic To Your AR Outside Blogs

ActiveBlogs - Link Love and SEO

- What's the Easiest and Fastest Way for YOU To Learn? -

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