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Tony Lewis, Summit Real Estate Group Valencia & Aliso Viejo (Summit Real Estate Group)

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Staff
1,685,603
Bob Stewart
ActiveRain - Mesa, AZ
ActiveRain

With the current format of ActiveRain, we generally only feature content on the home page that is peer to peer by nature. This post is geared towards consumers in your market place. While ActiveRain gets quite a bit of consumer traffic directly to blog posts (as a result of search engines), our home page is mostly trafficked by real estate professionals. While this post might be really valuable to someone selling real estate in your market, it's not all that interesting to someone in say, FL or MI. 

The overwhelming majority of content that gets featured on the home page by our moderators is content that is interesting to real estate agents, no matter their geography.

If you ever have a piece of content like this that you've written, feel free to email it to me at bob@activerain.com. 

The one thing I ask however, is that you also send a link to a post from someone else that you think should be featured but was overlooked. We featured about 12-18 posts per day and there are 1500-2000 written. This means that lots of solid posts go unfeatured that should probably get additional exposure. 

Dec 01, 2015 04:18 AM
Rainmaker
4,572,570
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Features/Schmeatures  ---- making the phone ring has the potential to bring much more "gold" than any featured post.   

Dec 01, 2015 03:37 AM
Rainmaker
4,800,082
Gabe Sanders
Real Estate of Florida specializing in Martin County Residential Homes, Condos and Land Sales - Stuart, FL
Stuart Florida Real Estate

I hear they don't feature bloggers who complain about not being featured!  

Dec 01, 2015 04:24 AM
Rainmaker
5,868,689
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

There are times you put together a quick post, and it gets featured, and others you spend hours on, and feel they have valuable content, and never do.   It is a mystery.

Dec 01, 2015 05:09 AM
Rainmaker
1,369,034
Jay Thompson
Zillow - Seattle, WA

FWIW, 5 of the first 7 currently featured posts that I looked at all had contact / company info on them. So that doesn't seem to be a factor at all. 

Here is a good example of a currently featured post that's loaded with company info.

Dec 01, 2015 04:40 AM
Rainmaker
3,626,530
James Dray
Fathom Realty - Bentonville, AR

Heck Tony I believe every one of my blogs should be a feature.  

Dec 01, 2015 04:39 AM
Ambassador
1,453,069
Susan Emo
Sotheby's International Realty Canada - Brokerage - Kingston, ON
Kingston and the 1000 Islands Area

There is no "secret club" nor is there a "good ole boys" network that provides feature status.   Features come to those who write posts that are of interest to the majority, will spark a conversation, will benefit the membership of AR as a whole . . .

There is no magic formula other than to write quality stuff.  Those that do get featured often do so because they are quite good at it. They've written 1000's of blog posts or it is their very first one;  did I mention there is no secret club?

I'm not being nasty but your post is not feature worthy in my opinion. 

  1. It appeals to very few people
  2. No orignal photos
  3. A link back to what is the real report
  4. Very little information provided
Dec 01, 2015 03:44 AM
Rainmaker
634,482
Kathleen Luiten
Resort and Second-Home Specialist - Princeville, HI
Kauai Luxury Ocean Home Sales

Thanks for asking this question, Tony. And thank you Bob Stewart for answering it. I've always wondered why some so-so posts are featured while some great ones are not.

Hey Rainers, remember you can REBLOG posts you think are good. It's a great way to help the rest of us see good content we would otherwise miss.

Dec 01, 2015 04:43 AM
Rainmaker
2,363,549
Lise Howe
Keller Williams Capital Properties - Washington, DC
Assoc. Broker in DC, MD, VA and attorney in DC

I think I write great posts too but that view isn't always shared by the rest of AR. I am always surprised (and grateful) when a post of mine gets featured. 

Dec 01, 2015 10:36 AM
Rainmaker
4,272,548
Paul S. Henderson, REALTOR®, CRS
Fathom Realty Washington LLC - Tacoma, WA
South Puget Sound Washington Agent/Broker!

I no longer know the criteria for features but I wish you luck Tony Lewis 

I learned more from reading Bob Stewart comment above... makes sense

Dec 01, 2015 06:29 AM
Rainmaker
617,935
David Gibson CNE, 719-304-4684 ~ Colorado Springs Relocation
Colorado Real Estate Advisers LLC - Colorado Springs, CO
Relocation, Luxury & Lifestyle residential

Kudos to Bob Stewart for stepping in quickly to give an answer.

Dec 01, 2015 05:11 AM
Ambassador
602,192
Rich Jacobson
Fathom Realty West Sound - Poulsbo, WA
Your Kitsap County WA Real Estate Broker

Tony Lewis - with all due respect, getting a Gold Star isn't the end game here. Don't get me wrong, I love getting featured here in the Rain. It's a nice affirmation that other members appreciate what I have to say. But the bottom line is the bottom line. Is your content attracting potential clients? At the end of the day, gold stars don't pay the bills. Closed deals do! Write to generate business, not to garner platform popularity! Your most recent post probably has meaning and benefit from a hyper-local perspective, but it certainly doesn't warrant a 'Featured' status  in terms of having signifcant value to the greater membership of ActiveRain. A featured post elicits substantive engagement and interaction. You can't achieve that with a short paragraph that simply states previously published, regurgitated facts. Again, I would challenge you, who are you writing for?

Dec 01, 2015 05:01 AM
Rainmaker
5,772,575
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA
Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Tony,

I think that Bob Stewart gave you a good answer, and thanks for asking because I learned something new.  A

Dec 01, 2015 04:43 AM
Ambassador
2,178,703
Carol Williams
Although I'm retired, I love sharing my knowledge and learning from other real estate industry professionals. - Wenatchee, WA
Retired Agent / Broker / Prop. Mgr, Wenatchee, WA

Hi Tony,  You have made some great posts, and you are doing what you should be doing...  writing about Santa Clarita.  This is what is going to get you business.  Getting Featured is not going to get you business.  Writing local content will.  

It seems the Featured stuff is more general, directed at topics for agents... not the general public.  

Keep up the good work, Tony!

Dec 01, 2015 03:22 AM
Ambassador
1,076,551
John Meussner
Mortgages in AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, IN, MD, MN, MT, NC, NJ, NV, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI - Fair Oaks, CA
#MortgageMadeEasy Fair Oaks, CA 484-680-4852

Features are sometimes random.  There are a ton of great posts that don't get featured....I've noticed it helps when a new member writes a really good post (that seems like a surefire way to get a feature).  Helpful posts about AR are also regularly featured.  Localism posts, unless they serve as a great template for others, rarely get featured, however in the end....who cares?  If people are finding you online, that's WAY better than a gold star.  The posts I get the most phone calls about are not always the ones with gold stars.

Dec 01, 2015 03:22 AM
Rainmaker
5,583,278
Barbara Todaro
RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired - Franklin, MA
Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team

I'm confident that if you put names and/or companies within the post, it's eliminated as a feature....if they did feature it, they'd be focusing their attention on re/max or keller or c-21 and how would that sit with Coldwell and others???

Dec 01, 2015 03:13 AM
Rainmaker
7,836,431
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Bob Stewart has provided the information you requested.

Dec 01, 2015 10:42 AM
Rainmaker
2,224,473
Debbie Laity
Cedaredge Land Company - Cedaredge, CO
Your Real Estate Resource for Delta County, CO

Hi, Tony....this happens to a lot of us. There are only so many featured posts in a day. I think Bob Stewart gave you a great answer. Keep contributing. Who are you trying to target afterall? I'm trying to target the consumer and I don't need to get featured on AR. I'm here for my business and to blog to see what it can do for my business. 

Dec 01, 2015 09:29 AM
Rainmaker
900,278
Olga Simoncelli
Veritas Prime, LLC dba Veritas Prime Real Estate - New Fairfield, CT
CONSULTANT, Real Estate Services & Risk Management

You're a brave man, Tony Lewis!

Dec 01, 2015 08:28 AM
Rainmaker
1,503,028
Ryan Huggins - Thousand Oaks, CA
https://HugginsHomes.com - Thousand Oaks, CA
Residential Real Estate and Investment Properties

Excellent question and one I've wondered about too (as far as what makes something featured).  I often wondered why my featured post was featured.

 

Thanks Bob for the explanation!

Dec 01, 2015 08:11 AM
Rainmaker
2,781,303
Richie Alan Naggar
people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA
agent & author

TO ADD A LITTLE...fun?

there once was a post that had mention, it just reached out and got your attention, when asked how it worked, the original poster just smirked, and said son, it got your attention!

Dec 01, 2015 05:25 AM
Ambassador
2,062,265
Alan May
Jameson Sotheby's International Realty - Evanston, IL
Home is where the hearth is.

Your article is pure gold for local readers.  Not quite as much "across the board" appeal, in my opinion.

That being said, I have seen featured posts of listings, and other hyper-local writing. 

It is a bit of a shot-in-the-dark, in my opinion.  I really don't believe in this old-boys-club, of which you speak.  I think it's more of a right-time-right-place club.  Sometimes it's just a matter of what you posted, and what else has been featured recently.

Dec 01, 2015 05:04 AM
Rainmaker
1,771,867
Noah Seidenberg
Coldwell Banker - Evanston, IL
Chicagoland and Suburbs (800) 858-7917

Tony, it is a good post but of more local interest. If you wrote something that was really meaningful to the whole community then I could see possibility of a feature. This is a local post and not interesting to people all through the community.

I will say this, it is an excellent local post, keep up the good work. I hope you get business from this.

Dec 01, 2015 04:34 AM
Ambassador
5,230,159
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Savvy + Company (704) 491-3310 - Charlotte, NC
The RIGHT CHARLOTTE REALTOR!

I was also going to advise to also add a graphic to every post - that seems to be a criteria as well, Tony Lewis!

Dec 11, 2016 01:19 PM
Rainmaker
1,662,036
John McCormack, CRS
Albuquerque Homes Realty - Albuquerque, NM
Honesty, Integrity, Results, Experienced. HIRE Me!

I have no clue.  I don't even think about features anymore.  

Dec 01, 2015 10:10 PM
Rainmaker
4,434,127
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

If you are writing posts for consumers you should check the clicks that you get. You will be surprised that poeple are raeding your blog . It does not matter if the posts are not featured.

Dec 01, 2015 10:06 PM
Rainmaker
5,104,931
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

You are asking us to tell you what the mystery is behind features in AR. And that's the point...it's a mystery. All of us have written great posts that weren't featured and then suddenly we were featured for something totally unexpected.

Dec 01, 2015 09:42 PM
Rainmaker
3,416,038
Scott Godzyk
Godzyk Real Estate Services - Manchester, NH
One of the Manchester NH's area Leading Agents

Tony Lewis the blogs that seem to get featured are one sthat creat a conversation, they get people talking, they generate comments. Although your blog on the community is good, it is good for local people, not for a iniversal audience. You got it right from Bob, but i wanted to let you know what I learned over the last 5 years. I also know that the blogs i think will bever get a feature get one, thise i think as gold, ofte get missed.

Dec 01, 2015 09:41 PM
Rainmaker
516,537
Brenda J. Andrew
ULTIMA REAL ESTATE - Willis, TX
Professional Realtor in Conroe/Willis, TX

Great question and I am so glad to hear all of the answers here.  It is funny that sometimes we all think alike, then get the answers because someone finally asks the question.  I decided I didn't write enough to get featured, but then got featured once.  It was a good feeling, but I know the content was good and relevant to a lot of people.  It was about flood insurance rates going up on rental properties.  I was not happy when I found out, I had to blog about it-to rant, but did it professionally so it wouldn't sound like a rant.  Thanks for asking this one!

Dec 01, 2015 08:38 PM
Rainmaker
2,759,812
TeamCHI - Complete Home Inspections, Inc.
Complete Home Inspections, Inc. - Brentwood, TN
Home Inspectons - Nashville, TN area - 615.661.029

 Good Wednesday morning Tony. The active rain gods pick and choose. It seems as if Bob is given your pretty good answer.

Dec 01, 2015 05:26 PM
Rainmaker
4,319,419
Praful Thakkar
LAER Realty Partners - Andover, MA
Andover, MA: Andover Luxury Homes For Sale

Tony Lewis well, not only you, we also got the answer from Bob...thanks for asking.

Dec 01, 2015 02:03 PM
Rainmaker
1,683,912
Larry Johnston
Broker, Friends & Neighbors Real Estate and Elkhart County Subdivisions, LLC - Elkhart, IN
Broker,Friends & Neighbors Real Estate, Elkhart,IN

Sometimes, they miss some posts that should have been Featured.

Dec 01, 2015 12:33 PM
Rainmaker
3,988,007
Debbie Reynolds, C21 Platinum Properties
Platinum Properties- (931)771-9070 - Clarksville, TN
The Dedicated Clarksville TN Realtor-(931)320-6730

Please read Liz and Bill Spear post on this very subject. Your post may have been very well written and golden but not of a topic that caught the eye of the feature picker or general interests of the masses. You have intrigued me and I want to go read it now.

Dec 01, 2015 12:03 PM
Rainmaker
2,443,250
Evelyn Johnston
Friends & Neighbors Real Estate - Elkhart, IN
The People You Know, Like and Trust!

Yikes Tony, I really like my market reports too, but I don't expect them to ever get featured...

Dec 01, 2015 11:39 AM
Ambassador
3,727,873
Patricia Kennedy
RLAH@Properties - Washington, DC
Home in the Capital

Tony, it took a very long time for the Gold Star Fairy to find any of my posts.  The whole process is a little bit arbitrary, but generally the content of your posts has a lot to do with it.  While your posts will probably attract attention in your community and bring you business, a blog heavily loaded with local content might not get that many comments from the members here. 

Me?  I think the attention from your local community is more important than an occassional feature.  I should do more local stuff!

Dec 01, 2015 11:04 AM
Rainmaker
637,434
Hella M. Rothwell, Broker/Realtor®
Carmel by the Sea, CA
Rothwell Realty Inc. CA#01968433 Carmel-by-the-Sea

I like Bob Stewart's answer. When I go to the featured posts, I want to read something different, with a different slant. Certainly not something specific to one market area that has no impact on the rest of us. It's also nice to have some new members featured, they can bring new insights.  And if I see one more blog about "how to choose your real estate agent"; or, worse, denigrating others in our industry and how great they are in comparison, I will puke. I hope this is "members only" ?!

Dec 01, 2015 10:43 AM
Rainmaker
3,986,258
William Feela
WHISPERING PINES REALTY - North Branch, MN
Realtor, Whispering Pines Realty 651-674-5999 No.

Don't feel alone,  I have also but same results

Dec 01, 2015 06:39 AM
Rainmaker
175,614
Spirit Messingham
Tierra Antigua Realty - Tucson, AZ
Third Generation Full-Time Realtor® 520 471-6900

I agree, you should be featured!  I noticed none of my blogs have been featured since the upgrades, many have had hundreds of views and many comments too.  Good luck!

Dec 01, 2015 04:31 AM
Rainmaker
921,504
Annette Lawrence , Palm Harbor, FL 727-420-4041
ReMax Realtec Group - Palm Harbor, FL
Making FLORIDA Real Estate EZ

Tony,

I've just scanned to titles of your blogs and compared them to the titles of featured blogs. (I did not READ your blogs)

What you will observe is the featured titles promise a topic with every broad appeal and concise subject matter.

It is much like big data, the broader the appeal the less useful it is to the local agent. 

This is why I advise those who are first time bloggers on AR to have fun playing in the rain. Don't take participation here too seriously.

Start writing about stuff nobody can use and relate it to real estate and your prospects of being featured increase.

Now I have read some of your AR blogs.

Here is an example of a broad appeal blog that gets featured.

I suggest you READ more featured blogs.

Then it becomes your choice if pivoting away from hard hitting California focused blogs and dabble in the 'soft' stuff. It is up to you.

Help me out, provide a link to the blog you published that you thought deserved to be FEATURED.

Dec 01, 2015 03:28 AM
Rainmaker
911,448
Jeff Pearl
RE/MAX Distinctive / LIC in VA - Lovettsville, VA
Full Service Full Time Realtor

Hard to say. Try adding some more text. Also, when I clicked on your link it said " Invalid address", so check your link. There is just no magic formula for getting featured.

Dec 01, 2015 03:05 AM
Ambassador
2,436,470
Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

There doesn't seem to be a specific formula that gets a post featured, although many seem to be about topics that could be nationwide in their appeal. Your post is a localism post that provides information about one specific community in one specific town. Most of the featured posts don't seem to be that focused. 

Dec 01, 2015 02:42 AM
Rainmaker
1,525,616
Sybil Campbell
Fernandina Beach, FL
Referral Agent Amelia Island Florida

I think that is a question that many of us have! 

Dec 01, 2015 02:30 AM
Ambassador
6,393,609
Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

I long ago gave up on pursuing the elusive feature, they just happen when they are ready.

 

Dec 09, 2017 11:10 PM
Rainmaker
1,844,301
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

Bill Spears just did a lovely post about what your 'odds' are of having a feature. You shouldn't be looking for this accolade - write for consumers.

Some featured posts are also tutorials or help focused.

Many years ago I did a a post about 'top shelf' content & great examples here. Get your fingers on that keyboard & learn what others are doing for success.  You can improve from it immensely.

Dec 05, 2015 03:13 AM
Rainmaker
1,731,203
Rob Thomas
Prestige Homes of The Tri Cities, Inc. CALL....423-341-6954 - Bristol, TN
Bristol TN-VA & Tri Cities Agent, ABR, GRI, e-Pro

I have over 2700 and often wonder the same thing ....I don't worry about it any more ....

Dec 02, 2015 09:20 AM
Rainmaker
3,071,489
Tony and Suzanne Marriott, Associate Brokers
Serving the Greater Phoenix and Scottsdale Metropolitan Area - Scottsdale, AZ
Haven Express @ Keller Williams Arizona Realty

What Bob Stewart said!

Dec 01, 2015 11:08 PM
Rainmaker
4,334,336
Lawrence "Larry" & Sheila Agranoff. Cell: 631-805-4400
The Top Team @ Charles Rutenberg Realty 255 Executive Dr, Plainview NY 11803 - Plainview, NY
Long Island Condo and Home Specialists

 I thought the blog post I wrote yesterday, "Does The Street Name Matter" was FEATURE material, but A/R not. What do you think?

Dec 01, 2015 10:36 PM
Rainmaker
4,883,260
Richard Weeks
Dallas, TX
REALTOR®, Broker

I think Bob did a good job of answering your question.

Dec 01, 2015 09:43 PM
Rainer
94,105
Val Evans
Scottsdale, AZ

Are you in the club? Judging by many of the blogs I've read here, it appears there is a distinct pattern of the same people who continually have their blogs featured. This leads me to believe that there is somewhat of a "good ole' boys" network at play. Just my observations... nothing more, nothing less.

FWIW... I took a look at your post/blog. I hate to be harsh, but in my opinion that is not feature worthy.

Dec 01, 2015 02:32 AM