The ActiveRain Stuff You Won't Find Anywhere Else on the Web

ActiveRain Has Comment Linking?
(This post is a bit long but I think it's worth the read...especially if you plant comments in the rain)

Today I saw a few comments on ActiveRain that simply shocked me.  They honestly left me in awe.  Comments on an ActiveRain post written way back in 2008.  Over the years I've subscribed to quite a few blogs and individual blog posts here in the rain.  So when comments do come in, even years later on those older posts, it's nice to get that email notification from AR prompting me that someone has commented.

Have you ever read a comment that just made you cringe?  Made your heart start pounding?  Literally made you want to pick up the phone and call that person and share your thoughts?  You know the ones I'm talking about, I bet you even have a few that quickly come to mind?  See, comments are impressionable, and remember, they're also out there forever.

I received one such ActiveRain email this morning.  After reading the new comment and even some of the older comments, all I could say is WOW!!  I wanted to share it here but thought "no" that wouldn't be very cool. ( I was tempted though...lol )  Has this ever happened to you?  Were you shocked?  Even worse, maybe it was your comment?  Yikes! :-O  Did I really say that?  There it is in writing, black and white and it can't be undone.

Here's the worst or best part of it.   

THERE'S A LINK TO YOUR COMMENT in the lower right corner.  Every comment on ActiveRain has a link to it.  There are over 1,000,000+ blog posts on AR meaning there has to be over 10,000,000+ comments here. Hmmm... those are staggering numbers.  Once you comment, only the author of that post can delete your comment.  (I think you only have 24 hours or less to make edits to your own comments)

Every comment on AR is numbered and that number contains the URL and link to it.  What?  A Link?  YES, for anyone that wants to share that your comment with the world, it's right there.  (I resisted the temptation today, but others may not)  A simple right click of the mouse to "copy the URL" and it could be pasted and plastered anywhere and everywhere folks want to share it.  I wonder if the author of the comment I'm referring to knew about this?

Is your comment being tweeted about or hanging out on someones Facebook wall?  If it's a good comment, great... but if it's a bad, mean, or nasty comment, then all I can say is OUCH!  Got you thinking now?  Take this "sharing" concept a little further, how would you even know?

YEP! This could be Bad, or this could be Good, that remains up to you. 

People can easily litter the information highway with good or bad stuff.  Be careful what you say, the online world is listening. Each comment you make on ActiveRain is like a mini blog post.  Make sure you leave a trail of patience and kindness in the rain.  ActiveRain blogs and comments go as deep as the stars go high so really think twice before you "strike" in that comment box.

To test this, here's a comment I just tweeted from a post written last week.

Here's the actual comment:

 It worked just as planned, my visitor counter was proof~ 

Seriously, have you ever really thought of the consequences your comments could have out on the Blogosphere?  Sharing links to a comment is a great way to bring your Blog post and other members blog posts back to life.  It's also a great compliment when you show off commenter's on your Blog posts. (like Frank and Sharon above)  Great comments deserve to be shared, and then there's those comments that if shared, wouldn't be so great, at least not for that person.  I'm just sayin... 

Here's another example: 

OMG!!  Did you all hear what @Sara Bonert from Zillow just said on Brad Andersohn's post?  Brad said, "Who Cares about your local Real Estate Market?  WOW!!  And Sara said... See her comment here~

Imagine if I put out a tweet or an update on Facebook that read something like that, do you think folks would click on it to see what it said?  I'm pretty sure it would drive some traffic, but depending on the comment, it could have a variety of results and impact on you, your company, or your business?  I'm hoping that by sharing this with AR members, it will heighten your awareness and hopefully have an impact on some of the blog commenting demeanor I've seen through-out my travels here in the rain.  Dare to comment now?  :-O

Some Alternate Ideas for a Title on this Blog Post:
ActiveRain Comments - A Powerful and Mighty Tool
My Comment on Your Post - OMG! Did I Really Say That?
I'll Give You 20 Bucks if You Remove/Delete My Comment
Thanks for Tweeting My Comment - I Just Picked up a Buyer
I Face-Booked a Link to YOUR Comment Today & Doubled My Traffic
The Result-vs-the Reward of your comment on my Blog
THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT TO SAY, YOU READ IT WRONG!

 

Nobody cares about your local Real estate market like you do! Lets also not forget about the others who own, rent, buy, sell, borrow, work, play, eat, sleep, and are considering living there too?  When a home becomes available for sale on your street in YourCity, YS. aren't you often more interested in the sales price than you are actually buying your neighbors house? Maybe, maybe not? 

Providing local real estate information in your area is a great addition to the variety of content your blog or website should deliver.  According to the views below, there's many that like viewing market reports.

Making Real Estate Market information available to your hyper-local readers and visitors is very valuable.

Have you considered using some of these market-share stats, graphs and reports on your newsletters, email campaigns, and blog posts etc?  Here's some great information and tools you can use to add to your content that may generate you more traffic, local consumer interest, and hopefully some additional business as the local expert.

Here's just a few links using San Francisco as an example:  It's all free for you to use.

• Property Data Listings, Rentals, Open Houses etc. - http://www.zillow.com/homes/san-francisco,-ca_rb

• San Francisco Overview - http://www.zillow.com/local-info/CA-San-Francisco/r_20330

• Home Prices and Values - http://www.zillow.com/local-info/CA-San-Francisco-home-value/r_20330

• San Francisco Demographics - http://www.zillow.com/local-info/CA-San-Francisco-people/r_20330
  

• San Francisco Photos and Images - http://www.zillow.com/local-info/CA-San-Francisco-photos/r_20330

• Schools in San Francisco - http://www.zillow.com/local-info/CA-San-Francisco-schools/r_20330

• Homes in San Francisco - http://www.zillow.com/local-info/CA-San-Francisco-homes/r_20330

• Get Real Estate Market Reports - http://www.zillow.com/local-info

Here's an example of a market graph you can embed into your site that updates on its own.

US Median Sale Price vs Areas of Your Choice

Explore other Area Home Values - FREE Interactive chart

Check out some of the graphs, charts, data, and information you can easily find and use to provide additional value to your site and visitors.  Most are download-able and easy to share via your favorite social media sites too.  There are also many different widgets and webtools available that will make it easy to get and give "live" real-time information and updates you can publish on your site or blog. The SFBayAreaBlog is an example I setup you can demo.

Just wanted to share this with you in case you're in search of more clients in 2011. Enjoy~

  Photo Credit - Courtesy of wmchu

 

 

On my last visit to Seattle, WA, I had to attend a few meetings at the Zillow Corporate headquarters, so I decided to walk through the office with my iPhone and take some shots to share with my friends in the blogosphere.  It's really quite fascinating to walk around inside the main office located at the top of the Wells Fargo building in downtown. 

I'll give you a quick tour of the office, and some of my favorite spots to hang out when I'm there.  If you're ever in the Seattle area, make it a point to stop in and say hi to my friends and co-workers there.  They're a great group and a whole lotta fun.  If you can catch me there, I'll take you down to see the fish toss, and taste the best crab in Seattle.

The views from our office are absolutely spectacular!  360 degree views around the entire building.

Welcome to Zillow, the lobby that greets you with great anticipation of your visit.

The monitor in our lobby showcases some of the featured properties you'll see on Zillow.

The views from every window in the building are truly stunning and unbelievable, this view is from the lobby.

Zillow has come a long way since 2005, the stories are proudly displayed for every visitor to see.

Hallways echo with sounds of celebrations, goals achieved, battles won, and numerous victory's and successes.

The workplace and atmosphere are incredible, even the hallways have street names so I won't get lost!

.... but I still get lost! lol~

Work weekends?  Ha! Now I know why Zillow Seahawk fans show up to work on Sundays... with binnoculars~

How do I know the staff at Zillow work very hard?  I have yet to catch someone playing table tennis. lol~

My personal favorite spot is here, they always have coffee, nuts, and a variety of cold drinks for me.

Over 200+ talented and committed people working hard to keep Zillow an industry & technology leader.

They care just as much about you and your business as they do helping consumers.

How do we R.A.T.E?  The call on the wall in the hall says it all.  I'm proud of Zillow, our principles and the team. 

Oh yeah, did I mention the views???

I do enjoy spending time at Zillow in Seattle, the people who work there are very REAL and passionate. They take every task and challenge and make it exciting and fun.  There's a very transparent culture behind the walls at Zillow.  Each team and department creates a unique synergy that spreads through-out and makes up the whole of the company.  I can honestly say that the true spirit and meaning of "customer service" lives and breaths in those hallways and offices. 

A cup a coffee? - $1.85  A trip to Seattle?  $299.00  Kodak moments likes these? - $P,RIC,ELE.SS

 

Your Reviews Are Now Front 'n Center on Zillow

It was announced last week to the general public that "Zillow surfaces thousands of Real Estate agent ratings and reviews.  Consumers can now search and find local agents based on Client feedback"  The responses and results from adding this new feature have been very positive and successful thus far.

Agent reviews will now be featured on the Buyer's Agent List.  (see screenshot below) This means if you want contacts from Zillow customers, it will be to your advantage to have reviews and ratings on your profile.

Want a competitive edge?  Get great reviews from your clients.

To get started, simply copy and paste your customized link (see sample below) and email it to your clients.  You'll find your custom link on your Zillow profile.  On click, your clients will go directly to your Zillow profile, where they can begin the review process.*  Consumers can also just search the Directory to find their agent. 

http://www.zillow.com/reviews/write?s=X1-ZUz0nxke9x2a6h_a3ta0

Share your own custom link as many ways as possible - post it on Facebook, tweet it, and add it to your website.  Include it on your email signature.  Tell folks about it every opportunity you get.  Before you know it, multiple reviews will be coming your way.

You're welcome to join me for an open FAQ session about Ratings and Reviews on Jan. 28th, at 10:00am (PST) where you'll hear and learn more about how and why ratings and reviews are the next best thing to a word-of-mouth referral.

Thousands of agents have been reviewed, so it's more important than ever to have reviews added to your profile. Make sure you stand out.

*Your client will need to create a Zillow account (if they don't have one already) in order to submit the review. Don't worry, it's painless and requires just an email address and password and they can immediately opt-out of Zillow emails. Zillow requires an account for review moderation and verification.

Many of you might recall our very first ActiveRain RainCamp in San Francisco, CA. where the Andersohn's were asked to debut the "Armored Flight" family band. This was our first public appearance ever.  We chose to open with a song specifically for Bob Stewart (one of his favorites) called Eye Of The Tiger.  Well a seed was planted in the "rain" that day which "camped" in the spirit of our youngest son Brandon, and ended up blossoming into an audition that almost landed him on America's Got Talent. 

Little did we know, our youngest son Brandon had a dream...

We passed all but the fourth and final round of auditions to make it on the show, but the experience and excitement of it all will live on forever in the Andersohn home. Fast forwarding to December of 2010, Brandon has since had his eyes and heart set on saving up his money and one day buying a Joe Satriani signature series JS1200 Ibanez guitar believing that it would produce magic, and combined with his own gifts and talents, would help him to one day achieve his dream...

My wife and I discussed this at length as this is no regular or cheap guitar.  It's a Candy Apple Red absolutely gorgeous piece of wood that has been designed and customized as a signature series instrument by one of Brandon's favorite guitar players in the world.  That's right, Joe Satriani.

It's ironic that it was also in San Francisco, CA at the Guitar Center, where Brandon actually got to meet his guitar hero in person and watch him perform live.  (Here's a video memory of that night)  Well my wife and I broke down and surprised Brandon this Christmas with a gift we hope continues to inspire and motivate him to keep chasing his dream...

Some have called it magical, others say he has special gifts.  He's a child who has a dream.  He practices more than his Dad Blogs which says a lot!  lol~ His passion and goal in life are clearly displayed on the "about" section of his newly added Facebook profile.  We are sooo proud of him!  Now this may or may not be your type of music, but if you watched it from an artists' perspective, we think you'll enjoy the gift that Brandon has given back to us in return.

This is his dream....yes, I Have a Dream...

We encourage him and all kids (and adults) to follow your hearts, believe in yourself, and Dare to dream...

 

Ever feel like a fish in the water that just got hooked?  If you're biting, read on....

Face it, if you're on Facebook, you're getting email notifications constantly by those leaving comments or tagging you in videos and photos etc.  If you "" a comment by another member or friend on Facebook, you're likely to get an email notification every time someone else comments on their post too.  Pretty soon you get really good at reading or just deleting these notifications.  Sometimes you click the link to go on through to Facebook and see the alert, other times you probably just delete the less important notifications.

Facebook spammers are getting really savvy at using the site and information to SPAM you in a very tricky and devious way.  Here's one I received today that got me hook, line, and sinker.  I wanted to share this tid-bit of information so that you may prevent this from happening to you.  It is effective, it always works, and it could save you getting spammed or even prevent a virus from ending up on your computer.

This is the email I received as a notification from Facebook.

Looks pretty legit to me, and it's from Facebook right?  In fact I really didn't think about it twice. WRONG!

It Is Spam!  Very SMART SPAM!
Every link in the above email went to http://www.durimdermaku.com, an advertising site!

See, they used a simple comment, plus a look and feel from a brand that I'm familiar with.  Looks like something I'm used to seeing from Facebook?!  That got me to drop my guard, (which I did) and then I clicked on their link to see Sara's comment on this so-called photo.  (a photo I have no clue about so of course I'd click on it.)  Wouldn't you too?  C'mon, you know you would.  lol~  They got me, I GOT SPAMMED!

SPAM LINKS - TIP OF THE DAY:

When you get email from ANYONE that includes links to another site or page on the web, ALWAYS hover your mouse over the link without clicking on it first, the REAL website or URL link will appear in the lower left hand corner of your Internet Browser.  I normally always do this but I was caught off guard today with this unsuspecting Facebook email.  They used FACEBOOK and the brand to sucker me in.

Watch out for these ever-so-clever spammers who are constantly finding new and improved ways of getting into our emails, our accounts, and our computer systems.  Fight Back on Spam, use the MHM Method (Mouse Hover Method) before you click on ANY links in your emails.

Here's a sample to test:  I'll create a link as they did in the email above, but the message that pops up and the URL that appears when you hover will demonstrate exactly how spammers are doing this.  Try it: Hover your mouse over this link:  http://Google.com  Be sure to look in the lower left corner of your browser as your mouse hovers.  See there?  (Don't go getting any ideas now, this post is to help prevent spammers, not create more of them...haha)  This will work with any email, not just Facebook's.  It also works on web-page links and blog sites too.

This is the best way to prevent you from clicking on a spam link and feeling like a fish that just got hooked!

Some time ago, I shared a post showing some of the alternative sites that allow you to install their widgets or codes to get access to a variety of stats and an analysis of your Blogs here on ActiveRain.  Since Google Analytics was not an option back then, I did find a few others that worked fairly well here.  Unfortunately, I was just informed that Activemeter is shutting down their service on Feb. 28th, 2011.  They were one of the alterrnative companies mentioned in this post.

If you use Activemeter (on any site or blog), remove the code from your settings page before 2/28/11.

"IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU REMOVE THE CODE FROM YOUR WEBSITE BEFORE THEN, SO THAT YOUR WEBSITE WILL NOT TRY TO ACCESS ACTIVEMETER. TRYING TO ACCESS IT WHEN IT IS SHUTDOWN WILL CAUSE YOUR WEBSITE TO SLOW AND PERHAPS NOT DISPLAY."

The slowdown they mention above can also happen when accessing other 3rd party sites and widgets, videos, and codes too.  Hidden and useless code on your site or blog can slow it down extremely.  Just look at mine!!  haha~  Seriously, please spread the word if you know others that are or might be using Activemeter (or any other codes like activemeter) on their Blogs.  They may be down frequently, possibly broken, or in cases like Activemeter...GONE!

Many of us simply forget that we have these installed on our blogs, so make sure you check yours too. 

So while Activemeter is shutting their service down, and you can "speed things up" by removing their code (I just did)  I've found that sitemeter and getclicky still work well on AR if you're desiring additional stats, but I can't promise they aren't slowing AR down.  I think there's a fine line in the trade-off.  You have great stats available here on AR, but getting some additional detailed stats and analytics never hurts in helping you build a content rich and valuable blog for your clients and readers. 

      

Are you using the provided ActiveRain stats page that's already available here?  If not, Why?

Do you use Posterous?  Are you uploading photos to your Posterous site from your mobile device? Did you know you can post to Posterous using the email feature?  I started using Posterous when I discovered how easy it is to take a picture with an iPhone (or other mobile device) and upload it to my Posterous site all in under 60 seconds.  I use it frequently when I travel because it's simple, fast, and very efficient.

Now you can create groups on Posterous and share content with other selected individuals of your choice.  Posterous.com is much like Wordpress or Blogger in that it is a blogging platform.  Adding content to your Posterous site online or via a mobile device is sooo easy and now with the ability to create unique groups on the fly, this will really differentiate Posterous from the other on-the-go blogging platforms. 

How To Create a Posterous Group

Step 1

Send an email to newgroup@posterous.com, name your group using the subject line and you're on your way.

Step 2

Invite those you want to share or contribute to the group via an email and you're done! Groups can be made public or private, it's your choice. Here's a quick video sharing the above steps to help get you started.

Before you create your first group(s), consider all the possibilities and ways you can use this for both personal and business.  I think you'll agree that this can be quite a useful tool and a great way to share and contribute information on many different levels, and to many different audiences.

Some ideas to get you started:

• A Photo/Video sharing group for family, friends, or your neighborhood and community.
• A Podcast or Broadcasting group for sharing audio files, music, podcasts and other sound files.
• A Company or Business group to share documents, ideas, advertising and marketing concepts.
• A Technical Support or Blogging group to share tips, tools, and tech tricks with each other.
• A Social Media FAQ group to learn and share with your select group of associates.
• A Team group of all your affiliates and associates to discuss and share ideas and referrals.
• A Group for...(insert your idea here....)

I haven't created any groups just yet, but I'm about to give it a try. If you're up to it, share your group with others here, (only if they're public of course) we'd love to see how your creative ideas and groups evolve.

I'm reporting this "LIVE" from our office in Seattle, WA today where it's a GREAT day, the skies are crystal clear, the air is brisk and fresh, and the following updates and news is just too "HOT" not to share.

Here's the latest update and report for those of you who have been asking me "How's things going over at Zillow?"  I'm really excited to share that I just found out our company had a Record-Breaking 2010!  Wow, I just finished celebrating the New Year with friends and family and now it looks like I'll have to go out and celebrate some more tonight.  Anybody out and about in the Seattle, WA area this evening?  hehe~

Our website and mobile usage hit an all-time peak in December and Zillow traffic surpassed 13 Million Unique Users Per Month.  This is very exciting news.

SEATTLE, Jan. 3 – Real estate information company Zillow Inc. wrapped up 2010 with a record-breaking traffic month, which capped a year of significant business announcements and usage milestones.  Zillow logged more than 13 million unique users* in the traditionally slow real estate month of December, the most in any month since the company’s launch in 2006. 

That represents year-over-year traffic growth of 77 percent.

Additionally, Zillow is now running the largest online real estate ad network in the country**, thanks to a partnership with Yahoo! Real Estate, which was announced in July.  Zillow sells real estate advertising for both sites and, beginning in the first quarter of 2011, will power all for-sale listings on Yahoo! Real Estate.  Zillow Inc.’s individual business units, Zillow.com®, Zillow Mobile and Zillow Mortgage Marketplace, all logged important milestones.

Additional milestones for 2010 include:

•    Zillow Mobile launched apps on Android and iPad in early 2010, in addition to continuing to operate the number-one real estate app on the iPhone. Consumers now look at homes 20,000 times per hour while using Zillow Mobile. The Zillow apps are the most popular real estate apps on iPhone, iPad and Android.

•    Zillow Inc. became profitable in 2010.

•    Former COO Spencer Rascoff was promoted to CEO of Zillow Inc. in September. He replaced Zillow co-founder Rich Barton, who remains with Zillow as executive chairman.

•    There are nearly 100 million homes in Zillow’s database of all homes; 4 million are for sale and more than 170,000 are for rent.

•    Zillow in September announced a partnership with Apartments.com, which brought Apartments.com’s national database of rental listings to Zillow.com and Zillow Mobile.

•    Zillow Mortgage Marketplace became Zillow Inc.’s fastest-growing business, receiving nearly 300,000 consumer loan requests per month.

•    Data from Zillow’s real estate economics arm, including the Zillow Home Value Index, was widely used by academic and government institutions during 2010. Zillow data appeared in reports by the Congressional Oversight Panel, several branches of the Federal Reserve and numerous academic institutions.

“The past year has been a monumental one for Zillow,” said Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff. “We accomplished many of our goals.  Zillow is profitable and, thanks to innovations and partnerships like the one we have with Yahoo! Real Estate, we’re an even greater resource for consumers and real estate professionals alike. We’re looking forward to celebrating our fifth anniversary in 2011 with anticipation and high hopes for the year to come.”

Now I'd love to be able to say that all this success is because I joined the Zillow team, but we all know that would be a big fib. However,  I do look forward to 2011 being a prosperous year for us all.  I'm confident that my contributions, as small as they may be will have a significant and measurable impact on next years 2011 report and year-end update.

"How's things going over at Zillow?" I'd have to say fabulous, these are very exciting times! :-)

What is Zillow? For those of you who may not know:

Zillow Inc. is a real estate information company with a marketplace where homeowners, buyers, sellers, renters, real estate agents and mortgage professionals find and share vital information about homes and mortgages. Launched in early 2006 with Zestimate® home values and data on millions of U.S. homes, Zillow has since added homes for sale and homes for rent, a directory of real estate and lending professionals, Zillow Advice, Zillow Mobile apps and Zillow Mortgage Marketplace. One of the most-visited U.S. real estate websites, with more than 13 million unique visitors per month, Zillow's goal is to help people become smarter about homes and real estate in every stage of their lives -- home buying, selling, renting, remodeling and financing.  The company is headquartered in Seattle.

* Unique users to Zillow are measured by Omniture, December 2010.
** The Zillow/Yahoo! Real Estate Network was the most-visited real estate entity (including both networks and individual websites) as measured by comScore Media Metrix Key Measures – Ranked Category, November 2010.

How Big is Twitter? This is without a doubt the largest "Twitter related" graphic I have ever embedded into an ActiveRain blog post. If you printed twitter today, here's some great comparisons of what that might look like with a really good printer! LOL~ I'm not sure how accurate this comparison is, but I did find this very interesting.

Infographic by Cartridge Save

My first tip and suggestion for 2011? DON'T PRINT Twitter! I'd love to see a similar comparison for someone considering printing Facebook, I'm willing to bet that it would most likely consume the earth's entire source of paper and require every printer cartridge on the planet?!?

Just some food for thought....

If you're looking for some "useful" Twitter facts & tips, here's a site with nearly 25,000 people contributing and sharing their ideas with each other. I have found some great tips and articles here: TFollower.com