Do you own your blog?

I read with interest the other day in Inman News that ActiveRain was adopting a subscription program for members charging them $29 per month to make full use of the blogging platform.

Having implemented a subscription model in my previous life as a software industry type, I know the pain this can cause an existing group of users, especially ones that are used to paying nothing for the services. 

But it’s the BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED.

Why?

Because, FINALLY, agents will get it that it’s more benefiical:

1.  To drive their OWN traffic to their OWN sites

2.  To get their OWN advertising revenue and control which advertising runs on their site

3.  To have their OWN rules about who can post about what and where

4. To control the look and feel of their OWN site and BRAND themselves not a portal

5. To OWN the domain name

6. To run their OWN software with plug-ins of their OWN choice on the host of their choice.

Paying ANY portal, whether it’s ActiveRain, REALTOR.com, Homegain, Z57…whatever…is ludicrous.  You are paying them to create the content that makes their sites work…without content they are nothing.  It’s kind of like renting a home vs. owning one…you are paying them to pay their mortgage and they are gaining the equity.

I encourage you to take charge of your OWN domain and your develop your OWN web equity.

At REOAgentTools.com we have developed three programs to help agents who want to implement their OWN blogs this year:

1.  The Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Blog for the REO Market

The guide is designed for agents who are comfortable around their keyboards and want to build their own blogs using the WordPress software package — WordPress is free and has hundreds of plug-ins and 100,000′s of users.   You will get step-by-step instructions on how to purchase the domain name and hosting accounts from Godaddy.com (the best and least expensive domain registrar);  how to install the WordPress software, and how to post right away.  You’ll also receive a list of the plug-ins that are must-haves for any REO blog, plus how to get accounts at Commission Junction and Google Adsense to monetize your blog.   You’ll be up and running in about a day.

2.  REO Agent Blog Creation Services

Designed for agents who want a turn-key blog set up for them, but in their OWN names:  everything is registered in the agent’s name and they are the contact for the web site.  You’ll be up and running a custom domain name of your choice, software and plug-ins all installed, and  basic content customized for your area and state,  and accounts created in your name for  advertising revenue.  We’ll hand you the keys to your new blog presense in about 72 hours. 

3. REO Agent Blog Content and Traffic Network

This service  is designed for REO agents who want a blog as part of their Web 2.0 strategy, but don’t have the time to create new content daily, administer the site for comments and spam, or network out and make posts of their own.  For a monthly fee, we’ll do just that.  Agents are still in charge but we populate their blog and keep it fresh with original content customized for your area and market stats, and linked in to your blogging colleagues.

So  instead of creating tons of free traffic to someone else’s site, while gaining NO brand awareness on their own, agents will FINALLY take control of their OWN domains and traffic.  Be an OWNER.

Some other blog posts about ActiveRain and other portals:

Active Rain - from the Real Estate Marketing Blog

HomeGain, ActiveRain, Trulia – The Tale of the Tape - from Notorious Rob

ActiveRain Launches (Silently) New Video Platform - from Future of Real Estate Marketing

Real Estate Social Networking Websites MUST learn from Activerain’s Announcement - Real Estate Trainer’s blog

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