"Singing in the Rain!"

Rules???  We don't need no 'stinkin' rules!

The more I write and publish to my blog here on ActiveRain and on SOUNDBITEBLOG, the more I realize there are no hard & fast rules for blogging, but simply opinions, preferences, and common sense social netiquette.

So let's start with Proper Netiquette, or, "Playing Fair in the Blogging Sandbox."

According to Wikipedia, "Netiquette is a catch-all term for the conventions of politeness and respect recognized on Usenet, in mailing lists, in live chat systems, and on other electronic forums such as Internet message boards. These conventions address the relationship between personal behavior and group phenomena, and outline a dynamic set of guidelines for conduct that is conducive to pleasant, efficient and agreeable interaction."

In her book, "The Core Rules of Netiquette," Virginia Shea suggests the following basic tenets:

• Rule 1: Remember the Human: Basically, follow the Golden Rule and treat others as you would have them treat you.
• Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life: A reminder to be ethical and to avoid any illegal behavior, such as copyright infringement or plagiarism (clip & paste).
• Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace: There may be differences of behavior from one platform or forum to the next. Take time to observe how other members interact before taking the plunge.
• Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth: I take this to mean writing good quality content, both in your posts and in your comments. Don't waste other people's time with meaningless banter. Don't clutter the platform with redundant self-promotion. Have respect for the founders/creators of the network, and abide by their guidelines.
• Rule 5: Make yourself look good online: Yes, Virginia, good spelling and proper grammar ARE important. When you take a position of authority on a given point, be prepared to know what you're talking about and support your views. Don't post 'Flame Bait (a tactic used by those who want to draw attention to themselves by creating undue controversy or confrontation).
• Rule 6: Share expert knowledge: Share freely from your pool of knowledge and experience. The ones who 'get' the most, are the very ones who 'give' the most.
• Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control: Notice she doesn't suggest that we refrain from flaming. The act of flaming has long been a tradition on social forums. They can actually be rather entertaining at times. And let's face it, some people deserve to be 'flamed!' But when they burn out of control, becoming intensely personal and damaging, it's wrong. 
• Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy:  I think this probably relates more to e-mail privacy, but it could apply to gossip as well. And let's not forget unsolicited SPAM! (Has anyone ever 'solicited' SPAM?) 
• Rule 9: Don't abuse your power: Just because you may know more than the next person or may have been doing something a little while longer than the rest doesn't make you any better, or necessarily establish you as the resident expert.
• Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes: Everyone has been a network Newbie at one time or another. Many of us have had the good fortune of meeting some polite, kind, and patient mentors along the way. We should follow their example by helping other new members.

On the HomePage of ActiveRain, the Founders have provided us with a wealth of Community Resources. Many of the articles contained on this resource page will give you a better understanding of what behavior is encouraged and discouraged here in the Rain.

Next time, we'll explore together whether or not any blogging 'rules' truly exist.

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

Whenever I visit my Dad down in San Luis Obispo CA, we go out on the coast to Morro Bay. From there, we rent a charter boat and go deep sea fishing. It's a full day of male bonding at its best. We leave before dawn and return to port in the late afternoon, hopefully with full catch of ling cod, snapper, and sea bass. The fishing rigs we use have multiple lures/hooks - sometimes 3 to 5 per line. When the fish are really biting, it's not uncommon for someone to pull up their line with a fish on every hook. Everyone on-board shouts, "Bonanza!"

One of the valuable lessons I've learned from our Managing Broker, Frank Wilson, is his constant mantra, "The more hooks you put into the water, the greater your chances of catching the fish."

This can be applied to many forms of marketing within the real estate industry, but I find it most helpful when inputting my listings onto numerous Internet domains.

The latest statistics by NAR state that well over 80% of Buyers use the Internet to search for homes. That being the case, it's only logical that a good Listing Agent would do everything to ensure the maximum amount of Internet exposure possible.

With housing markets slowing across the country, and the inventories of available homes increasing, agents are looking for more aggressive and effective ways to market their Seller's homes. 

For our market here on the Kitsap Peninsula, I try to place homes on at least 5 to 6 domains. In addition to the NWMLS (Northwest Multiple Listing Service), I use the www.Windermere.com (one of the largest, most advanced real estate search websites); my own business domain, www.KitsapLife.com (my website uses a custom search interface provided by Graphical Data, the same company that powers Windermere's home search); both www.ActiveRain.com and its consumer platform, www.Localism.com; and www.craigslist.com. That's just for starters. I have some additional platforms that I utilize, depending on the property type. I hope to soon input my listings onto my other blogsite, www.SoundBiteBlog.com as well, as it is beginning to draw some local consumer traffic.

I just recently began using vFlyer for quickly creating high-quality virtual flyers that I can import to these sites. If you aren't familiar with their products/services, you owe it to yourself to check them out!

•  I'm curious as to what other domains the ActiveRain Collective has been using to successfully post their listings?
• What other marketing tools do you employ in slowing markets, where inventories have increased, and more Sellers are competing for the same Buyers?

In today's competitive market, you can't afford to put all your eggs into one basket, or, in this instance, all of your bait on just one hook!