Club Chaos Agents - All Things Hollish, Wacked, and Jacked

This Moment - A new Social Media Way To Record and Share the past, the now, and the future!

What are you doing right at this very moment?  Well you're reading this post obviously, but wouldn't it be cool if there were a site that could combine all your "moments" and social media and real life adventures into one nice convenient place that you could seamlessly share with friends and family? 

Imagine having all your accounts like Youtube, Flickr, Twitter, and Facebook accessible from a single link or click, and then you could share "Those Moments" with specific friends or others from your Google or Yahoo contacts.  That would be the coolest site imaginable!

ThisMoment.com is exactly what you'll want to check out.  I played on the site this morning after seeing this video that The Scobelizer (Robert Scoble) put up on Youtube, and I'm totally loving this new site.  Follow Robert Scoble if you want to keep up with World Changing Technology.  I've posted a couple samples on the site so I could demonstrate it here, but once you dive into it, I can guaranty you'll be hooked.

Take a look at the time-line and widget I added below, then head on over and check it out. Be sure to add me as a friend there, this way I can keep up with what YOU'RE doing at any given moment, at least with the moments you're wanting and willing to share. lol~ I give these guys @ThisMoment a BIG 10 and 5 GOLD stars for this site. It's the THEN, The NOW, and THE FUTURE all wrapped up into one!

I've added a couple steps below to get you started, the rest is up to you:
The First Step is that you'll need to join ThisMoment. Yes, it's FREE! :-)

What is thisMoment

Learn how to add moments by email

Call Phones from Gmail - Now We're Talking!

This is great news folks. The "Inside of the Internet World" just keeps on pushing and reaching out to connect with the "Outside World" and today, there's a new break-through demonstrating this very point.  Call phones from Gmail, I'm doing it right now as I write this. Anyone care to guess who I'm talking to?  Maybe some bonus points? haha, just kidding... the real point is that Gmail users (and those who will become Gmail users now) will love and benefit from this great new feature. 

Who ever thought we'd be "calling" someone from our "Email" box.  Cool~

So what's the point of a cause if there is no affect? Does your Business really need a Fan Page and fans? Is it critical to your financial survival that you are "Liked" on Facebook? YES! But how much of the business information that you provide is being considered "great content" by fewer and fewer of your friends and fans? This video is thought provoking and fairly accurate. Do you know people using Social Media marketing in this way to massacre the masses?

Oddly enough, it's not the first video I had to watch twice to really make sense of it.

It's all about awesome quality content, and that goes for ANY social media networking site, even Facebook. Content on every site should be interesting, relevant, and valuable to your readers and target audience, not just to you. It's called social media marketing and not social media massacring. The real question? "What is Great Social Media Marketing Content?" I'll try and break that down into bite size chunks for you next... stay tuned. :-)

BTW - I loved his last line in this video, how many of us haven't received that one? lol~

The ActiveRain Featured Blog Post -

I get asked everyday about the ActiveRain Featured Blog post.  The wide variety of questions range from "Who Is Featuring The Posts" to "Why Are The Same Members Featured over and over again?"  Well, it's taken me 2 1/2 years working here to finally write a post about the infamous "Featured Blog Post!" 

Now some of you will agree, and some may disagree, (I wouldn't have it any other way) but at the end of the day, what really matters most is that you understand the process, the system, and have some compassion for the thankless position of those responsible for keeping that feature board going day in and day out.

So who, what, when, where, why, and how does this all work?

 The ActiveRain Feature Board

Are you kidding?  You really thought I was going to give up the secret?  Share the coveted recipe to KFC's Chicken?  Unveil the ancient Chinese secret that all proverbs were built upon?  Are you nuts?  You really thought it would be that easy to just come along and read a post and all of a sudden be the "all knowing" understander of the ActiveRain Featured Blog Post?  Sorry folks, I've held back this long, I'm not about to lay it all out there now and take the fun, the mystery, and all the guess work out of it.  Haha, had ya goin there for a sec eh?

The ActiveRain Feature Board is a living, breathing, ever-changing, powerful, and exciting AR feature.  It could possibly be one of the most important and exciting things about the entire ActiveRain RE Network.  Acquiring that sought after gold star and having your picture on the main AR page has been compared by some to being as exciting as having your picture on the cover of the "Rolling Stone!" 

Why is the "Feature" such a coveted "CRAZE" here on ActiveRain?  For those with an ego, it's the recognition, for others it's the potential traffic, and the added exposure.  The opportunities a featured post can create are unbelievable.  The thought and potential of getting a featured post has created some pretty crazy frenzy's.  It's also stirred up some pretty wild and crazy far-fetched ideas and posts from some of our more "voicy" ActiveRain members. One thing is for sure, this will always be a sensative and even contraversial topic.

So how do we feature posts and are the same people getting featured too often?

First off, I want to thank you (the community) for helping us refine this delicate process of selecting posts for featured status. Since the inception of the feature board, we continually strive to refine the process in which featured posts are selected. The recent addition of the 'suggest' button is our second shot at trying to put the feature board in the hands of our members.

The first shot was over two years ago and it failed as we were unable to control it from being manipulated by folks banding together and suggesting each other for features. We believe that the newest incarnation will be more successful as the shear numbers of people suggesting posts for feature has grown significantly and the ease with which someone can manipulate it has diminished.

Add in a few additional administrative controls, now we can determine who may be trying to manipulate the system, and we believe we are getting much closer to a true community decision of what merits a feature worthy post on ActiveRain.  That being said, we still have the ultimate decision on what gets featured and all posts that are suggested for feature are reviewed by our staff prior to being featured. 

(The AR Staff Moderators names will not be disclosed in this post for obvious reasons)

This sentiment has been echoed in the past, and I believe it still holds true today. There are certain members that are excellent writers. For whatever reason, and it's not because they have overtly recruited people to suggest their posts for feature, their posts get suggested for feature at a higher rate than others.  Much of it has to do with the large followings they have amassed because of the balance they have achieved in writing to consumers and also focusing on writing posts that help the community.

We have a hard time justifying penalizing these folks by keeping them off the feature board or restricting the amount of features they can have. However, I am in agreement with all members that having the same person on the feature board more than once at the same time is not the best representation of the depth of writing talent here on ActiveRain.  For this reason, we have asked our staff to be mindful of who is already on the feature board as they review the posts that have been suggested for feature.

We have also asked that they look deeper in the pool of suggested posts for members that have had very few (or no) featured posts in the past. This will help us develop the new talent on the site and allow them to amass followings that can benefit from their writing skills. We truly appreciate all our members for taking the time to voice their concerns to us, it's because of these members that ActiveRain will continue to grow and get better.

My personal ancient secret recipe for finding features

The ActiveRain Featured Blog post, just one more great example of how ActiveRain has and will continue to evolve.

This Friday, our very own Bob Stewart and the lovely Christa Caulk will be joining hands for eternity in marriage!  Yup, a couple of my very best friends in the World are getting hitched and permanently tying the knot.  Since I am unable (along with so many other friends and family) to make it to their wedding out in Michigan this year, we are putting together this "LIVE" streaming video to share with everyone.

And Two Become One...

On Behalf of the entire ActiveRain Team, We request the honor of your presence at the marriage of Christa Noelle to Robert Eugene Stewart Jr. this Friday, the Ninth of July, Two Thousand and Ten at Half Past Six in the Evening.
(That's 12:30pm Hawaiian time, 3:30pm Pacific, 5:30pm Central, 6:30pm Eastern)

Gather all your friends and family, calling all ActiveRain Members, Get the Rice Ready....  This Is It!! 

Come join us for the "First Ever" Virtual wedding right here in the Rain. May these two be blessed with great fortune and all the amazing things this earth and universe have to offer them. We wish them peace, happiness, and an abundance of Joy and great health in their new adventure, Journey, and life together as Bob and Christa Stewart. 

Register Here Friday at 6:00pm EST, and Watch The Wedding "LIVE" With Us

We love you both and wish you all the very best.

CONGRATULATIONS and Thank You for sharing this very special day and time with all of us.

BTW - Bob will also be celebrating his Birthday during this momentous occasion.

Some of you will remember my post awhile back about the "Future Real Estate Office or Brokerage."  This post and video received a ton of attention and though many of the comments reflected a controversial and expected response, others agreed and saw this type of technology and office being the future of Real Estate in regards to the traditional "Brick and Mortar" office.

Last month I wanted to follow up with this particular company to see personally, where they are, what they've done, how it's working, and most importantly, is this new "Virtual Office" technology really working for them and their clients?  It's easy to get excited about this type of technology and many will see why after watching the video below, but the REAL question is always DOES IT WORK? 

Come join me and a few others as we explore the "Virtual Office" concept, and interview some of the Brokers and Top Agents using this technology effectively in the *NEW* on-line world of Real Estate.  We'll be doing an update from our last interview back on December 11th, 2009, to see where this is all going except this time we'll be doing it "Live" at ActiveRain University.  You can come along and join the ride for FREE.

I have always been fascinated with this type of technology, but it's the service to the client that I see as an even greater value and a reason you may want to know more about this and join us for this class/webinar.  I'm giving everyone plenty of notice so there's no reason you should or can miss this.  Believe me, my first interview with these guys was amazing, I can only imagine where they have come with all of this by now.

The "Virtual Real Estate Office" Live webinar is scheduled for Thursday, July 22nd at 10:00am.
You'll want to "virtually" be there, the seats to this one will be gone fast.

REGISTER HERE NOW

When I was seven years old, I was inspired by a movie to wanna grow up one day and be a race car driver.  My parents took me to a Century theater for my very first "Big Screen" experience to watch James Garner and Brian Bedford in the movie Grand Prix.  Mom used to tell me that during the movie, I sat there in the seat holding the tips of my shoes as if they were a steering wheel, and believed I was racing down that track with the other drivers in the movie.  I don't really remember that, but I do remember that childhood dream of one day wanting to be on the race track to feel that thrill and to experience the excitement of the "race!"

Last week, my good friends Diana Turnbloom and her husband Steve invited me to join them at Infineon Raceway, (formerly Sears Point) to watch Steve and his boys (Brian and Brad) race.  I've never actually been to this race track even though I have passed by it many times in my travels to Santa Rosa, Napa, Sonoma etc.  I decided to take them up on the offer since this may be as close as I'd ever get to achieving that one small and almost forgotten childhood dream.  Getting to go down in the pit's and be part of the behind the scenes action sounded exciting not to mention that getting to see some old friends would be awesome, so I went.

Diana and Steve are very good friends I met in this business many years ago, and are also active here on ActiveRain.  When they invited me out, I don't think they knew or realized the significance this day would have on me.  It was like a conection with an inner child's dream that had been couped up inside me all these years.  Racing down a long straight-away, sliding into those tire protected corners, and crossing that line to a waving checkered flag!  I could only imagine (in my dreams) what that would really feel like. The thrill, the excitement, the fear, the danger, and the challenge of it all.  Then there's the potential of a victory lap!?!  Oh what I wouldn't give.....

Never let go of a dream folks, the wait is worth it, and the Race can be better than a Victory.

This past Sunday, the stars and planets must have aligned perfectly because this was the day that one of my dreams would become a reality.  When I arrived at the track, Steve and Diana's son Brad, escorted me over to the area where passes are given to the guests and racers.  I signed a form releasing liability in the case of my accidental death, and the next thing I know, I'm putting on a helmet, climbing into the passenger seat of a Spec Miata race-car, fastening down a 5-point seat belt restraint, and realizing that I am about to head out onto a "live" race track where speed, thrills, risk, danger, and dreams become reality! OMG!!

Brad and Steve banking the High Speed Turns at Infineon Raceway

I can't put into words what this experience was like.  I'm still speechless and in shock that this even happened yesterday.  More importantly, I am forever grateful to my dearest friends Steve and Diana and their family for inviting me out and making one of my life dreams come true.  Thanks you guys so much.  Being out on that track, literally flying around those corners at top speeds and feeling those g-forces, was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life and it was just as I had dreamed it would be as a young child. AWESOME!!!!

Watching that checkered flag wave after 20 minutes of heart throbbing intensity was INCREDIBLE!  The race really was as good or better than a victory, and I learned a couple very valuable life lessons:  Never Let Go of your dreams, and remember that the relationships you establish in life are so valuable, in fact priceless.  It was these friends that helped make one of my dreams come true.

Diana and Steve, you guys are the BEST!  Thank you again, and next time......I'll be driving!  :-)

Never Let Go of A Dream - This Race WAS A Victory!!

Now before you watch this video, (and I know it's longer than most would prefer) take special note of the message at the very end. Although very subtle, it will make you really think about how "any point system" ties into business and our personal lives. The message received here may vary from viewer to viewer, but the "Points" should still be the same.

"Like" WOW,  I'm "Like" Totally Stoked - The New "Like" button for Facebook on AR.

If you haven't seen it yet, you will, and it might just be because you saw it on someones Facebook Wall.  The new "LIKE" button on AR has now been added to every public post for you and all your friends, comrade's, associates, and subscribers to share on Facebook. 

It's easy to do!  If you like the post you're reading, scroll down to the first area where you would "Flag", "Bookmark", or "Email" the post, and just click on the NEW "LIKE" button.  That's it!  The link and post will now show-up on your Facebook wall.  You can even like your own if you want to do some shameless self promotion of your AR Blog Posts on Facebook.  Imagine all the possiblities and positive results this could have on you, your AR friends and associates, and the content you can now share with others on Facebook!  I THINK IT'S VERY COOL!!

Hey - I really think I "LIKE" it, how about you?  If you do... you know what to do!! LOL~  (Big Smile) :-))

Using your Gmail Email as a Blog Post and HTML editor.  

First of all, what in the heck would make someone think of this?  Same way the Reese's Peanut Butter cup was created!  It was a total accident. (at least that's what they wanted you to think)  Somebody dropped and got their chocolate dipped in someone else's peanut butter and there you have it!  The Reese's Peanut Butter cup. 

Today, I did the same thing, dropping my email onto this Blog post, and realizing how easy it is to create a post using your gmail email editor.  You can add "live" links and anchor text, images, photos etc using gmail's "Compose Mail" option.  You can change font colors and sizes and more.  Just copy and paste from your email to your Blog post, (email it to yourself as a backup, or to be used again sometime in the future)... and that's it. 

It was a breeze. 

 You can use the Toolbar in Gmail's editor to customize and add some Fun to your posts.

The process is easy, there's no hidden HTML codes that won't work with the AR Platform, and to be honest, some of our best Blogging content, ideas, responses, and experiences are sitting right within your email IN or OUT boxes. I don't suggest you do it all the time, but as you can see, creating a post like this is different and even kinda fun!!

Use the mini-animations and graphics from the favicon toolbar as well.

It's Pretty cool if you ask me, or at the least, something different.  (well, maybe I over did it a bit on this one!)

I hope this email Blog Post finds you all well,   it might be useful to those who can't use scribefire or some of the other HTML third party applications and software's out there to create cosmetically different and customized posts for their AR Blogs. 

(This post is dedicated to and created for AR member Laura Coffey)  Great to meet you @RainCamp LA.

Warm Regards,

Brad 

   Brad Andersohn - Community Manager
P. 707-646-1876  E. brad@activerain.com
My Blog | My Profile | My Web

PS. This entire blog post was created using my Gmail email editor!