It's raining 'outside blogs'
ActiveRain users can publish to multiple sites
By Matt Carter, Monday, June 30, 2008.Bookmarking Sites
Columbus, Ohio, real estate agent Marueen McCabe's ActiveRain outside blog.The ActiveRain Real Estate Network is offering its nearly 100,000 members free "outside blogs" that they can dress up with their own branding and set up at their own custom domain or a subdomain within ActiveRain.com.
While many companies offer free blogs, ActiveRain's rollout of an outside blog capability allows members to write up a post using the network's blogging platform and, with a push of a button, publish to as many as four sites:
- An ActiveRain blog, where many members write about topics primarily of interest to other real estate professionals.
- ActiveRain's consumer-facing "Localism" site, where real estate agents can tackle issues of more general public interest, putting their knowledge on display to attract clients.
- An "outside blog" on an ActiveRain subdomain that can be customized to incorporate the member's branding, while excluding links to other pages on ActiveRain.
- A customizable "outside blog" at a member-owned domain name.
Because subdomains generally don't perform as well as primary domains in search-engine results, ActiveRain is encouraging members who want to create an outside blog to buy their own domain name from a third-party Internet service provider (ISP). The setup fee for a custom domain can be as little as $8.95, said Brad Andersohn, ActiveRain community builder.
Andersohn said interest in using ActiveRain to create an outside blog has been strong, with about 1,500 members setting up new blogs last week in ActiveRain subdomains in the first days the new service was offered. There was no easy way for Andersohn to check how many members had set up outside blogs at their own domains.
The ability to push the same content to multiple sites has implications for search-engine rankings, because many don't give much credence to content that's duplicated at more than one address. ActiveRain says it's addressed by creating a hierarchy under which Google sees only one site as the originating source of content. The system works on a post-by-post basis, allowing members to decide where each blog post will appear and which site gets tagged as the originating source.
For example, any time a member chooses to syndicate an ActiveRain blog post to Localism -- by adding "geo-tags" that helps visitors to the site find information relevant to their market -- Localism will be credited as the original source, and the member's ActiveRain and "outside" blogs will link back to Localism.
Google will see a member's outside blog as the originating source if ActiveRain posts are syndicated there without a geo tag -- meaning the posts will not appear on Localism, either. Google sees ActiveRain as the originating source only when members choose not to syndicate their posts to their outside blogs and Localism.
Many companies offer free tools and blog hosting -- Blogger, WordPress and TypePad are among the most popular services -- but ActiveRain has been a hit with real estate professionals who can piggyback on the site's popularity in search-engine rankings.
Some ActiveRain members are worried that their outside blogs won't enjoy the same success in search-engine rankings. Others are lamenting the additional complexity involved in customizing their outside blog and the many publishing options.
"Can you all just make mine the best way it should be to my benefit?" pleaded Florida Realtor Karen Monsour. Responding to a blog post helping users with technical issues, Monsour asked for a template to simplify the process of creating an outside blog. "Think about writing this at a 9th grade, oops maybe 6th grade level ... Remember, some of us are self-taught, meaning we didn't have (computers) to play with in high school."
Veteran blogger Teresa Boardman -- who writes for her own blog and several other sites, including ActiveRain and Inman News -- questioned how an ActiveRain outside blog would help a well-established blogger.
"Currently I come up number one on page one of Google for some real important search terms," Boardman wrote, commenting on the same post. "My blog has become my brand and my business with close to 1,500 posts and a couple thousand photos."
ActiveRain community builder Bob Stewart assured users that the system ActiveRain has set up will handle duplicate content and other issues, asking them to "trust us that it's going to kick SEO butt." Stewart told Boardman that adding another Web site, which "will quickly rank on the first page of Google ... never hurts."
Stewart said outside blogs will be ideal for "offline branding" -- postcards agents mail out to their "farm," for instance, could direct clients to a blog with a personalized banner created specifically for that audience.
Evaluating the new outside blog offering from ActiveRain on GeekEstate blog, Jay Thompson said setting up an outside blog through the site was a snap -- taking just 30 seconds. In addition to concerns about how ActiveRain will handle the issue of duplicate content, Thompson said options for customizing the blogs seem limited.
Developers have already been busy developing real estate "widgets" for other blog platforms. The "Great Real Estate" widget for WordPress -- recently spotlighted by Reggie Nicolay of MyTechOpinion -- allows brokers and agents to add and manage listings to their blogs. Other plug-ins detailed by Nicolay simplify the process of integrating photos, videos and other multimedia.
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Submitted by Missy Caulk on June 30, 2008 - 1:43pm.
Personally, I am very excited, it was easy. I just have one glitch on the header but it will be resolved. I will follow it closely to see which takes priority on Google.
Today I posted a new listing and within minutes it came through as a Google Alert from AR, not from my outside blog.
I am not worried about duplicate content at all. A past client of mine from Google said you are not penalized with duplicate content on blogs that you own, up to 4-5.
However, he said Google hates template web sites.
Missy Caulk
Ann Arbor, MI
Missy@MissyCaulk.com
www.AnnArborRealEstateTalk.com
www.SearchAnnArborHouses.com
Submitted by Ron Largent on June 30, 2008 - 2:47pm.
The neat thing about ActiveRain.com....it is so easy to "get the word out". I am not a nerd by any stretch, yet I can use the system, and have attained #6 position in terms of points in my City of Redding, CA....so it is also a fun site.
I put every listing on the blog, and so far, no sales, but I do know that the word is out there. I sell the unusual stuff, like Convenience Stores, Mini Storage units, income property, etc...along with the residential market, and, thanks to ActiveRain...it is all out there for the World to see.
A great system......
Best Wishes,
Ron Largent Keller Williams Realty
Redding, CA
www.ronlargent.com
ronlargent@kw.com
Submitted by Teresa Boardman on June 30, 2008 - 4:31pm.
Matt - :) I have resisted getting involved in this discussion. I guess my comment made it outside the rain. In general I like the idea of "outside" blogs as they call them. I guess I have some concerns about how the idea of outside blogs got started and the implication that it is some how better to blog through a social network than it is to just start a blog. I be blunt I don't beleive it, and I see some disadvantages to using an active rain blog as a business blog, but I can't see any disadvantages to starting a blog. Like I did, and like Jay did, and like so many other successful bloggers that keep active rain accounts and write posts once in a while.
Submitted by Lisa Hill on June 30, 2008 - 8:06pm.
I've been heavily involved with my Active Rain blog for over a year. I immediately uploaded my personal logo, and I'm thrilled to now have a "real" outside real estate blog. I have several blogs that include WordPress, Blogger and Bloglines, and of course, Twitter.
I haven't totally figured out all the ins and outs of my new AR outside blog, but I'm looking forward to maximizing my SEO.
Submitted by Jay Thompson on July 1, 2008 - 7:04am.
For me, the jury is still out on "Outside Blogs".
I am not an SEO expert,and won't pretend to know all of the implications of potential duplicate content problems. I do know one thing though, Google changes the rules frequently, and what may be OK today may be verboten tomorrow. I know my blog won't get hit for duplicate content no matter what, because it's my blog and I only post to it.
I like knowing that my blog is mine, and mine alone. I wonder what would happen if one morning 95,000 Active Rainers woke up to find AR had been sold, and the rules all had changed?
I think I'll stick with having my blog, my brand, and my rules.
Jay Thompson
Broker / Owner
Thompson's Realty
Blog: www.PhoenixRealEstateGuy.com
.
Submitted by Ralph M on July 1, 2008 - 8:00am.
"rules frequently, and what may be OK today may be verboten tomorrow"
Jay, so true and good point.
www.aarsteam.com
Submitted by Maureen McCabe on July 2, 2008 - 6:46am.
or Marueen McCabe
Thanks for the mention...
I resisted an ActiveRain "Outside" blog for a day or so.
Jay Thompson asks "I wonder what would happen if one morning 95,000 Active Rainers woke up to find AR had been sold, and the rules all had changed?"
While I can't speak for the other 94,999 or so, personally I would look around and react to the changes then... of course I'd still have my own blog...
I have seen at least a few who evacuated ActiveRain last summer over the Move.com scare and those who got in a snit over whoever the investor is (I forget? HouseValues?) on ActiveRain set up "Outside" blogs.
Submitted by Sam Chapman on July 3, 2008 - 6:06am.
It doesn't look to me like duplicate content will be an issue except for not getting Google credit for a post. If I write a post and it shows on two blogs, the first one to be spidered is more likely to be indexed. The other will be ignored by Google. Any links I have in that second post pointing to my website will be meaningless. So the reason for having content in more than one area is for human visitors, which should be our goal anyway.
Site Austin real estate.
Learn about Lake Travis real estate
Blog Austin Real Estate Blog
Submitted by Mott Marvin Kornicki on July 9, 2008 - 3:03pm.
I did sign in to the Active Rain "outside blog" and have yet to see what it will do. For the most part, Active Rain is a tremdous tool for marketing, advertising and exposure.
I can think of no other site that has so much going for it and its members.
Mott Marvin Kornicki, Broker
www.WaterwayRealty.com
305.935.3533 Main Line
Submitted by Karen Monsour on July 15, 2008 - 7:18pm.
I love the new Localism. Apparently my facetious comment made on a blog due to a few comment's made by other's on the same blog made it look like it was too difficult. As soon as it was available, I had mine set up within about 20 minutes. Like Missy said above, there were a few problem's with the header's but they have corrected that feature.
While I have my own website which I have fine tuned to be my own..I did NOT find the task difficult at all.
I think that AR and their team are doing a fantastic job. I guess no more joking around...LOL
Submitted by Lenn Harley on July 26, 2008 - 1:19pm.
My "outside blog" is working well. I'm adding only specific AR posts for the theme that I'm running at a given time.
Google loves this thing.
It's easy to edit and change themes in a few minutes.
Lenn Harley
Broker
Homefinders.com
http://www.homefinders.com