Inspired Real Estate For Today

Oh boy! now I have more to research, I was completely unaware of this until this blog.  Appreciate you bringing it to my attention.

Thanks.

I had too forgotten I had signed up and suddenly - wow more and more emails - not sure what to think just yet though

What's worse than being digged to death...being deemed totally irrelevant.  And...your industry is supposed to the the expert professional.

Thanks for stopping by to read and comment Ryan.

Hi Thesa...you've been getting them too.  This may be a unique opportunity.  Thanks for your comment.

Lola - It was on my list but I did not sign up until very recently, and things have exploded with emails and new friends, etc. But I have to agree on the DIGGS - you just don't see much going on there, yet. I am still sorting through how it all works and the value. And it seems to tie in nicely with TLW's memorable post on reciprocating comments.

Jeff

Hi Jeff, I think Digg is an example of how an industry can easily be defined from outside of itself.  In this case, what real estate agents have to say is simply ignorable.  This is significant and I think important in view of the wider ramifications that Web 2.0 is having and will have on our industry in the future.  When someone else defines who you are and what is important about you...it may not be the same criteria you would use. :)

I think the most "diggs" I've ever gotten is 6.  I couldn't imagine getting 1400!

I'll stay tuned to learn more. I keep thinking the sugar smack dig em guy lol!

Hi Cindy...6 Diggs is more than MOST real estate posts get!  Getting a high number of Diggs DOES drive traffic to the site.  It can be a very effective way to improve Search Engine Rankings. 

Hey, Sally...LOL..you are too funny!  I suspect that this sort of thing is more important than we really understand.  We are simply not able to harness the potential of the resource effectively yet.  Think about what Active Rain has done for individual agents and then...magnify that!!

Lola,

I think the primary users of digg are techies and those who like bizarre news stories.  I have the feeling that even our best RE articles will not find much of an audience there, and that is OK with me. 

Hi Maureen, there is definitely a bias at digg, but that has been created by the current users of the system.  I'm just mystified by the incredible number of real estate post on the site.  It seems to me that if we're taking the time to submit them and add to their network...we should make the network work for us. 

The current number of Active Rain bloggers who are on the network (digg) could do a lot to support well written posts...we do it here all the time with our comments.  A click on digg is definitely easier than a comment & has as much if not more potential from a SEO standpoint.

Hi Lola - I have seen the "digg" thing on other blogs but never wanted to get involved -- I have a hard time keeping up with AR, emails and research. Interesting though. I did sign up for wanna network at several colleagues requests and have gotten nothing but inundated with "colleague" requests from that network. I end up deleting them -- I was not real impressed with their format. It may be good and just personal preference that I have preferred the AR networking site!

HI Mary, Thanks for stopping by.  I can certainly appreciate the feeling of being a little irritated by requests when you join a social networking referral forum.  Perhaps the reason we feel irritated is because we see no perceived benefit.  On Active Rain, I dare say, we would have much less commenting if there was not value perceived in the process of commenting on others blog.  It is considered a responsible aspect of being a part of shared community and in turn affects points and SEO. 

Sometimes, we can get so insular that we don't appreciate the larger world of the blogosphere and the impact it is having on our profession.  Digg is a very important site even though I don't personally care to participate in it that much.  But, I am concerned about our industry loosing relevance on that type of platform particularly if we are submitting so much material. 

It may be that the real estate voices site will be a platform better suited for real estate professionals...but either way, I don't think the influence of this type of a platform will be waning anytime soon.

Hey Lola,

I've never heard of this either. The only question I have is...Do I have enough time for that? I'll have to check it out.

Andrew, the question of time is very important in a Web 2.0 world.  In fact, I think time will become the most precious resource as so many different portals vie for our attention.  Ultimately, it is important to ask the question...Does this make sense??  If it does for what you need to accomplish, then it's worth it to find the time. 

If you read Maureen's post, some individuals who have gotten a lot of diggs have actually had so much traffic it has caused sites to crash.  While, I don't envy that result, it does give me some pause with regards to judging how much influence a particular social networking site can have.

Thanks, Lola-  definitely food for thought.  I haven't yet done the exploring I need to, this is a great reminder!

Lola, I knew there had to be a reason you'd use that picture.  Leave it to you to have a lesson there as well!  

Lola

I found this to be an interesting blog. Certainly worth looking into a little deeper (pun intended). I think you make some very  good points.  Unanswered diggs, no doubt leave the author questioning whether or not anyone is "out there". A few hits, or comments at least provide a meaure that someone has read it and reduces the deafening silence of being lost in cyberspace.  The SEO is another good reason as well. 

How did I miss that one?  From what you're sayng, I'm not sorry I did.

Lola - Thanks for bringing this to my attention, I will take a look.  Not getting comments on post is certainly a reason for lost of interest in the forum.

Interesting......but how many more websites do we need to spend time on?  Pretty soon we will spend 100% of time in front of the computer on hundreds of websites rather than being in front of potential clients.

Never heard of it!  But I will look into it .... thanks for the info

Lola- 3:30 in the morning? Did you not go to sleep yet or is that the time you wake up to blog? I am not digging right now, just will not commit to spreading myself too thin at the moment. Blogging already depleted my sleep from 8 hours to 5 hours! Katerina

Lola, thanks for the reminder about Digg -- there's also del.icio.us, and several other similar sites out there.  I'll have to go check out my Diggs.

I see absolutely nothing in Digg.com.  I get so many invitations to join this, join that, I can't remember them all.  What I do know is that, for the time I spend on blogs or "outside ActiveRain", it has to be focused on real estate.  Digg clearly isn't. 

Just because a web site exists, doesn't mean it's worthy of our time.  I spent a lot of time some months ago with a group working other portals, blogs and sites, all with the express purpose of bring traffic to our web site or blog.  That is "traffic", not business.  It worked moderately, but not nearly as productively as the time spend working my time on ActiveRain.

We're still faces with "for the rest of the story", links, "tour outside blogs", "use ActiveRain to feed your outside blog", etc., etc.  One that I joined, the REW blog that is very skillfully designed and managed, lasted about two weeks until I realized that some of the members had made me a subject of redicule.  There's a lot of negative energy on that site. 

None of these entities have the Google juice of ActiveRain. 

Just because a site is on the Internet, doesn't mean it's worthy of our time.

 

I joined Digg awhile ago, didn't "get it " and then when to take another look last week, due to the posts on AR about it. Lots of AR people are there.

LA,

I look at Digg as another tool.

It`s second tier at best.

For me I have really no use for it...but if it works for you then go for it! I get enough junk mail every day:)

I never heard about this before. I will have to check it out. Thanks Lola for bringing it to my attention.

Well Digg is brand new to me---just another place for me to check out in my spare time.

Lola...

After checking out Digg...I decided to just delete the Diggs.

Face Book and AR consume whatever spare time I may happen to have.

I am not Blogging for business so naturally I have little use for  Digg.

I have enjoyed reading all about it though.

A lesson a day...Keeps old age at bay :)

TLW...ROAR!

I enjoyed reading your recent post to Active Rain.  Thanks

Don Bradbury

I didn't really dig Digg but perhaps, I didn't give it a fair chance.  It is worth giving it a second look I suppose.  There are so many sites that there is just not enough time in the day or night for that matter.

Hi Sandi, I appreciate your comment.

Hi Sarah...Thanks for stopping by.  There are few things more frusterating than trying to learn a new program! :)

Hi Allison...Thanks for stopping by to read and comment.  It's an interesting phenomenon in the sense that so much information is being submitted by the real estate community & we are joining their forum.  We seem to be a little "conflicted" about our association.  I would agree that there is definitely SEO potential.

Hi Margaret...Understand the sentiment...but I'm still left with some unanswered questions.

Hi Jennifer...That's what I find most curious...real estate posts are not getting diggs and yet continue to be submitted.  I counted over 526 pages of real estate posts....that's a lot of material being submitted to be ignored or deemed quasi irrelevant.  Comments definitely drive SEO in a variety of ways...I think diggs probably do too.

Rick...Unless prospecting online is bringing in clients....it is at best fun & at worst a colossal waste of time from a professional standpoint.  That's why it's important to get the best return for the value of your time by investing the precious time we have in the best forums.

Hi Katerina...The question is why were you up at 3:30 a.m.?  Well, I wasn't.  I was sound asleep in my very comfortable bed. :)  I think the clock on Active Rain is probably on Pacific Coast time.  Thanks for expressing concern about my beauty rest. :)

Hi Brian, Thanks for stopping by to read & share a comment.

Hi Missy...The only reason why I remembered digg was due to the significant volume of e-mails I received from other Active Rain members. Interesting....

The SEO Guru, Mary McKnight, who created my personal blog has told me that being "dug" is great for rankings.  Once in a while she will "digg" one of my posts and the hits go up tremendously.  I agree with Jeff, Let's "Digg it" for our members!

Lenn, Always appreciate your insights.  I had never thought about digg as a real estate focused site...rather as a site which aims to judge relevance and popularity.  However, when I typed "real estate" into their search function, I was astounded at the number of real estate articles that had been submitted...I even found some submissions from Active Rain members. 

After viewing page after page of real estate submissions which had 1 or 2 diggs, the message that came through to me is that the "experts" opinion is irrelevant and certainly ignorable.

To be frank, I haven't been on digg enough to determine if the energy is negative or positive, so I'll have to defer to your opinion on that.  I'm not so much advocating digg as perplexed by why so many of us are joining and contributing and not determining to make it worth our while.  There is definitely potential in even the members that are a part of Active Rain to do so.

Hi Lola

Food for thought.... this is all new to me... I'm not even sure if I have time for this anyway... I love reading your post... thanks for enlightening me on this matter...  

 

Hi Scott...Thanks for your comment.  Digg is another tool...I'm just not entirely sure that I'm convinced it's second tier.  That conclusion begs a little more exploration on my part.

Hi Neal...Thanks for stopping by.  I apprecite your comments and your sentiments.  Since I haven't "dugg" anything, I am not getting tons of junk mail.  I have gotten notifications about my friends and fellow bloggers at Active Rain digging and joining the network.  That is NOT junk mail IMHO. :)

I get so many emails its hard to stay up with them all, and I admitt sometimes they get lost if they do not get flagged

Hi Steve, Thanks for stopping by.  It is interesting to check out.  Type in a search for "real estate" and see what comes up...

Hi Diane, I appreciate your stopping by to read and comment.

Hi TLW...Your curiosity about life will keep you forever young! :)  I just joined facebook inspite of loud protestations from my very vocal teenagers.  I've promised to behave myself & not embarass them. :))

Anyway...with reference to digg...jury's still out on this one for me. 

 

Hi Lola - I read Ken Smith's blog, too regarding "digg".  It's a totally new concept to me, but it makes perfect sense to drive the traffic to AR.

Lola, This has been an interesting drill. I read several of the articles you linked to. I even went to Maureen's Digg Profile.

Everybody has a quote from "Casablanca" that they like. Most people's favorite will be when Bogey says "Play it again Sam" or "Of all the gin mills..." but my favorite is Claude Raines saying "round up all the usual suspects." That is exactly what went through my mind when I viewed her profile. All the "usual suspects" were there.

I like AR for "content" and I think you do too. Digg looks like it promotes "friends" rather than content.

I don't Digg it.

Bill Roberts

 

There are so many things to do.  I have to blog, digg, read, comment, work on my SEO... and maybe I should find some time to market and sell a few houses...

I know, I need to hire an agent to work for me so I can get everything else done.   

Lola -thanks so much for such intelligent and beautifully articulated post and responses. I did not do Digg, because I was not sure if real estate can be real popular in peoples minds. Nobody ever lines up to take pictures of famous agents. To us real estate is fascinating, to the public at large it can be just a necessary evil.

If your idea is for AR people to digg, as a way to increase traffic to the authors post, may be that is possible. Why real estate people spend time on things that don't improve their business. They may be experimenting, or don't know or want to measure results. I am now very seriously reviewing my AR time. I know I will continue to learn -your post is the best example. As to improved business - I am evaluating my blog and what it has and has not done for me and, of course, looking for ways to do better.

Lola,

Thanks, I will have to go back and review this.  I too just looked it over but I see I might have to do some research.

Thanks again

Lola, thanks for commenting on my recent AR post and thanks for the Digg piece above. Forgot all about them.

 

G

The whole Digg phenomena is about understanding the culture of the group (just like on AR). 

There is a whole list of Digg "Elitists" who keep many quality stories from ever getting to the top, or who quietly promote stories with spectacular results. I've had a few stories bumped onto the first page of Digg and resulted in many thousands of visitors. 

The effect of getting a story on top of Digg is not very beneficial to most real estate professionals. It does produce a high value link for SEO if done correctly, but overall the net effect is rather poor ROI.

The RISMedia article is a good example- no one on Digg really knows who RISMedia is. Worse yet, even if they did, the aspect of RISMedia being a major news provider in the real estate world may actually cause distress in the Digg community (it is very counter culture)

~Barry 

 

 

I use Digg as well, not hard, not time consuming, and not great, but it helps.

This is actually the first time that I've heard of Digg.  Thanks for the information and all of the helpful links. 

Lola - Thanks for an informative post. I think I am maxed out and don't have the wherewithal to have anyone digg me. It is hard enough to read and comment and post here. But if it is working for you, that makes me happy.

I've looked at Digg but not committed to it yet. Your post provided some great links and comments to encourage me to evaluate this a little further.

Thanks for the information on Digg.  I hadn't heard of it either.  What I do get from the comments above is that ther must be a lot of insider politics at Digg.  I wonder how much more of that I can take some days.

Lola -- How are things in the LP!? I had never heard of Digg and now I have even more on my plate! Thanks alot! LOL

www.gmacpn.com/shagee

Hi Diane A, Thanks for your comment.  Mary McNight's opinion about SEO is one that I respect.  That's interesting that you saw such a huge increase in traffic after she digged a post that you wrote. 

Donna...Totally understand the time thing.  Personally, I am only interested in things that maximize the utilization of my time.  Thanks for stopping to read and comment.

Scott....Thanks for your comment.

Hi Ed, Thanks for stopping by.  Increasing traffic is one of the reasons why blogging can be so effective.  If you're never seen on the Internet, your efforts are inconsequential.  If a service like digg does actually improve traffic, it could be valuable to become more familiar with it.  On the surface, it seems to make sense to me too. 

Hi Bill, Thanks for stopping by.  I am reading your comment and laughing..."round up all the usual suspects," yep, I agree with you...there are already a lot of them on digg.com.  My point is if so many real estate professionals are registered users of digg.com and participate by contributing content, we might consider doing something that actually makes a difference...liking digging well written real estate posts. 

Lane...LOL...It might be nice to even get someone to write a blog post from time to time! :)  Thanks for stopping by. I'd agree that the job of an agent seems to increasing by leaps and bounds...

Hi Shane, Thanks for stopping by.  It's interesting stuff...

Geno, Appreciate your comment.  Thanks.

Barry, THANK YOU for some very helpful insights about digg.com.  If what you said is going on, these participants are actually faciltating the slow destruction of a very valuable piece of "online real estate"...now how ironic is that!  The only way this works in the end is if the system is transparent. 

"Digg on the dark side" is a real threat to the future of a network like this.  That's why companies like Google are so relentless in their pursuit to make sure that those who game the system don't get the upper hand.  They get it...the future of their business is on the line.  I don't have personal experience with digg, but if what you say is true, it will be interesting to see if the network continues to thrive.

Hi James, Thanks for stopping by.  Thanks for sharing your experience.  Would really be interested in hearing more about how this has worked for you.

Jim & Maria...Appreciate your comment.  Thanks.

Hi John, Appreciate your stopping by to read and comment.  Haven't tried digging anything lately...but from looking at the results from other submitted articles, it didn't seem to be working very well for real estate professionals so far.

Hi Faina, Thanks for your thoughtful comment.  The process of evaluation is ongoing and is a necessary aspect of remaining healthy professionally and personally.

 

I guess I'm going to have to check it out again. Yours is the 2nd post I've read about Digg, on AR recently.

I have not dug deeply into digg yet but I would not be interested in a front page or a high digg that drove traffic from the digg system to my blog.  Rather I would be interested in the SEO being dugg would provide towards my gaining organic results which produce actual clients.  Mary and Colleen dugg 2 of my recent posts.  The diggs made it to page one of Google along with the posts.  For certain related search terms I own 6 of the 10 spots on Google page one.  Now that I dig!  Do you digg it?

This all seems too overwhelming

How could you forget signing up for this amazing site?

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