"...No longer must potential home buyers and sellers actually speak to real estate professionals to meet them. Instead, consumers are accessing agents' ever-more-common blogs, social network pages or viral video campaigns -- all of the burgeoning options that have been called Web 2.0 -- to tap their expertise and get a sense of their personalities. Some meet agents who quickly feel like buddies; others go with discount brokers and don't have any direct contact with their agent until they're ready to put a bid on a house.
"In this type of environment the cream rises to the top," said Jonathan Washburn, chief executive of ActiveRain, a popular real estate blogging site that boasts membership of more than 100,000 real estate professionals. Traditional advertising provides limited information, he said, but online, agents "get a chance to demonstrate their actual expertise by writing about things that are relevant to the consumer.""
(I also would like to thank Simone for writing a great article.)
I assume you noticed the mention of ActiveRainers Bob Carney and Frank Llosa...
Margaret,
Yes I did. What a great testiment to what they are doing!
There are so many great quotes from the article, I wish I could just reblog the entire thing. ;)
Everyone was checking this out on twitter earlier this morning. Very cool indeed. :-)
It amazes me how so many who write articles for major publications for a living spend so little time researching the things they write about. All the while, sounding as if they have the slightest clue.
Cameron
btw, How freakin exciting to get quoted in the Washington Post!! =D <-that is a big smiley face.
I missed this post today. I will go over and read the entire article. It is amazing to me, who has only been here blogging since the end of January, what a powerful tool this is for us to all share in.
Hey Jonathan- That is so cool! and to think that only a couple years ago, you just a baby;) Makes you wonder what the next 2 years will hold? Good job.
Exciting stuff here on the Rain! Congratulations Jonathan - we can all say, "We knew him when..."
I missed the whole twitter conversation. I was in the midst of a 13+ mile run and recovery lunch. I haven't been running a lot since moving to Seattle from California. It was surely a nice run today though.
And it goes on to say....gotta write about local area content too. Bottom line...the cream rises to the top...shall we make it whipped cream? :)
How Awesome is that!?! I agree 100%... I'm blown away from the responses I've received from blogging! Go Active Rain!
At over 100,000 members this becomes a factor, and you have to look at that and try to see how this will affect the industry and what it means for all participants: sellers, buyers and the real estate licensees.
Hi Jonathan...Thanks so much for sharing this. What great publicity for AR and what a boost for all of us that believe in the Rain, blogging, and Localism.
Kate
I'm, relatively speaking, a new member here at Active | Rain. I've found that if you take the time to look you will find unbelievable amounts of information here. Hopefully Active | Rain can continue to receive good press, drive new membership, and continue to grow this organization.
Bravo and congratulations!
I am glad to be part of this! I am hoping to learn more and contribute more.....still a newbie, but working hard to learn all I can--thanks for sharing
I am going to send this to my broker! Thanks Jonathan!!
Jonathan,
When one of the premier newspapers in the country writes about AR we all should toast to that. On the other hand, it's well-deserved because AR offers great content to the consumer.
thanks for the link to this. will get it out on our outside blog as well.
Aloha Jonathan,
Thanks for the great post. It is amzing how many people are getting in touch with Active Rain. I have only been a member for a couple weeks but what a great site.
Great mentions for Bob, Danilo, Frank and Jon! I think the writer was very fair and made a great point -- blogs let us see personalities, but we always need to verify and follow-up in the real world.
It's amazing to me when people contact me - they've read my blog and they already "know me" and have confidence in my ability to market their property or represent them in the purchase of their home. It's bizarre but we reveal so much of our personality and style on our blogs...people are either attracted, impressed, etc or not.
I find that people that read my work and use me have a good feel up front - all because of web 2.0 - video, mapping, blogging, etc.
What do you think they will be saying in one year from now after Localism has hit it's stride?
Yay! That is great Jonathan! Congrats to AR! The accolades will keep coming!
Jonathan, cool mention!
jonathan, thinks about how much credibility AR will get......(I guess you have already)... This is something that really can be translated into $. Thanks
Jonathan, I picked the article up early yesterday on Twitter, and forwarded it to my BIC and several associates at CB. Cream rises to the top!
Jon, 13+ miles? How awesome! I usually do 3 or less and call it a day. I'm going to see if I can up my game (LOL). Enjoy your day, and congrats on the quote. Regards, C.
Great article thanks for the link.
Congratulations to you and your development team for the recognition! The challenge is always to convert the interest from clicks to clients. This story is very encouraging!
Awesome! I loved reading the article and knowing that I know the people mentioned.
Congratulations to you, Activerain and got Bob and Frank. Very exciting to read this.
My nephew is on his honeymoon in Italy and just sent me a link to the article - apparently it's raining so his wife didn't mind using the phone instead of drinking wine. Anyway, I was glad to have it and happy to be a part of AR -- Congratuations.
Jon...I'll just reblog Miss's comment :) It is way cool to be quoted by a respected Publication for sure, and it helps all of us here blogging....
** did you see Rich took your points LOL :)
These articles are great for awareness. Looking on Youtube, Localism and Active rain were spotlighted frequently by a plethora of users last year but this year not so much despite the big promotion of the land rush. Here's hoping for more of this kind of visibility elsewhere.
Thanks for sharing I had missed this and want to use it to inspire some of my realtor buddies in VA who are slow to get blogging...
Thank you for sharing. Like Shannon said,this should be a good recruiting tool to get real estate professionals to blog. Great post.
All I can say... Pretty damn sweet!!! : )
How awesome...additional press for A|R means more exposure for those of us who are here! Congrats for the great article! You guys ROCK!!
Jonathan, Thank you for posting this article. It is nice to see what people are saying about Active Rain.
Bob,
How did the idea for AR originate? I haven't been a member too long but the benefits and reciprocity are incredible thus far.
This is great news for us on AR who are working constantly on our SEO / Blogging
Thanks for the article, I know AR works I have friends, other agents, and clients I'm working with telling me that have read my blog. Gotta love AR!
Hey Jon,
I don't get any thanks for telling Simone about ActiveRain?
;-)
Frank
Jon.... very exciting indeed. It's great to be recognized... and there is so much truth about online networking now... and meeting people online, to work with. My only concern is that there is also so much misleading information out there. Nice job here and thanks for sharing this..
Jon: I can't believe that I missed this when you posted it! I've been wondering where you are and scrolled down to find this! WOW! Congratulations--The Washington Post, huh? That's fantastic--and I'm so glad to be a part of this community--I just LOVE it here!!
Jonathan- Congrats, you are just becoming a media star:)
This is a great article- thanks for sharing! Active rain really has changed the way I do business and the way my customers are able to utilize me. I am so grateful for the opportunities that have come my way because of this site and other blogging sites.
Articles like this one that speak of the powerful way blogging and internet campaigns can improve a business really get me fired up! Thanks for sharing and thanks for starting this great community!
Kind Regards, Nicole Weidauer
The Egerer & Weidauer Team, Keller Williams Realty North Seattle
I think searching for an agent online and reading their blogs - as well as testimonials and links - gives a much more realistic view of an agent than just advertisements.