ActiveRain is so much more to so many different people. I think that one thing that we all can agree to is that it is definitely a place to build and nurture friendships.

One of the great things that this place has afforded me is the many different connections that I have made in the past. And now, I have been awarded yet another. It is amazing that one day I get an email from a member here in the rain that ask for my mailing address. I never ask what they are sending. I kind of forgot that she even asked for the address. So, I have to say A Great BIG THANK YOU to Kara Casamassina for the above. This is actually a chocolate covered pretzel that she picked up for me while out and about.  If you do not know Kara, you need to check her out. Awesome blogger and an even better friend.

ActiveRain is so much more than a Real Estate Network. So many people just look at it with blinders on and can not see the real worth to this network. I have to tell you that you need to remove the blinds and see what the real worth of this network is.

In my book, it is a teacher. I can come here to learn and grow as a writer, a HTML coder, a picture editor, and so much more. I can come here to build friendships. I can come here to exchange referrals. I can come here to get advice. I can come here to get a laugh. I can come here when I am feeling down. There are so many reasons that I can come here. So, I have to ask, what is the reason why you are not coming here?

About the Author

If you are in the market to purchase a home or even refinance an existing loan and you want a loan officer that will walk with you every step of the way, then contact Danny or Rich of the Thornton Team at Home America Mortgage today. We can have you pre-approval in as little as 4 hours. You can visit our website or send an email to thorntonteam@homeamericamortgage.com or call us @ 865-951-0522.

The more that I am trying to get involved with newbies and making it a point to help people out, the more I see a need for a tour guide. With that said, I would like to take a few minutes to welcome the 4231 newbies that have joined over the last 30 days. Just imagine where we will be by the end of the year if we continue to grow at that pace. Now, I know that a lot of people come in here and the first thing that they do is get overwhelmed. So, lets get right to it.

• Creation of a profile: I think that the first and foremost thing that everyone should do is to create a profile. This does not mean answering a few questions and diving in. Put some meat into it and get a picture of yourself up there as quick as possible. The last thing that you want is for people to think that you are a primate. So many times I see that people have just put in the basic information and left the rest blank. To access your profile, you can go to My Home and click on the edit. Once you have filled out the About Us, Areas of Expertise, and Testimonials, then it is time to move on to the next area.

• Post a Blog: I noticed that when I am scanning all the newbies, I notice that only a handful of them actually tackle blogging the first or second day on here. All I can say is do not be scared. Make the first blog simple and announce yourself. It is simple to throw 50 to 75 words into a blog and tell everyone in the world that this is your first day here and you are anxious to meet new people. You will be surprised to see what comes out of the woodwork. Once again, you can got to post a blog directly from your My Home page by clicking on the POST link right beside the words My Blog.
  

• Surf and Comment on other Blogs: Once you have posted your own blog, it is time to go out and read other blogs. Now, there are 2 ways to do this. We will also go over how to comment on a blog. Lets look at the 2 ways that you can surf blogs. First, is the easiest. In the upper right hand corner you will find a link that says BLOGS and if you were to click on this, it would take you to the most recent blogs as well as any blogs that you subscribed to. The second path is by going though the groups link right next to the blogs link in the upper right hand corner. In this, you can find groups that you will enjoy and read blogs there.
  

• Subscribing to Blogs or Groups: The next thing in line is to subscribe to peoples blogs that you enjoy and joining groups that you can relate to. I have seen many people in the past subscribe to a number of groups and never "step foot" into one of them. It is important that you do not flood yourself in the beginning.
  

• Invite Others: This is something that we all could stand practicing more of. It is important to grow our membership and we do that by spreading the word. People like you and me need to get out and tell all of our friends, family, and co-workers about this site and then our business partners. We want to grow it with people that are just as enthusiastic as you are. The Invite button is located on the lower left hand of your My Home page. If the invitation is accepted, then you can earn bonus points as well.

• Linking to ActiveRain: Another great tool that ActiveRain allows is linking. If you have a website that you own, or one that you have a lot of traffic on, you can create a link on it and AR will give you bonus points for this. It will also give you exposure for your ActiveRain account and can lead to business leads or referrals.
  

Now, with this tutorial, I hope that it gives you some type of path for your first couple of days to follow. I am always willing to help anyone. All you need to do is ask. If I do not know the answer, I will make one up. Just kidding. I will direct you to someone that can help. Thanks for taking the time to read and good luck.

You can check out other tutorials that I have written through this link also.

Over my 9 months of blogging and my continued evolution into a blogger, I have sampled many sites. With that said, there are few that I like and even fewer that I would back. ActiveRain has by far been my favorite social network site and the one that I frequent the most. With that said, I have 2 other places that I live in regularly also.

The main one that I live in has been Hubpages and I have to say, it has been rewarding. But, the one that I seem to get the most out of and have the fewest articles in is eHow. eHow has a brilliant concept. It is quite simple really. You write about what you know how to do and publish the article for others to read. Here are the 6 post that I have written so far.

How to become a successful sales person

How to Start Over After a Foreclosure

How to make Thon A La Languedocienne (Tuna Languedoc-style)

How to make Raspberry Chipotle Chicken

How to Fold A Ping Pong Table

How to make a Wild Flower garden

I think that when writing these types of post, you learn how to put together a How To post. It is different than writing a post on ActiveRain, but in a way, it is still the same. The biggest difference is that your How To on eHow is broke into section or stages of the How To. So, if you have not checked out eHow, then swing over today and do so. BTW, did I mention that you can earn some pocket change by writing these post?

My good friend Amanda Hall wrote a post called "If you can't write a check write a blog! Blog for a Cause!" and it truly inspired me to do this post. I am hoping that this will help to inspire more people to get off their behinds and learn more about a disease that does not care what race or gender that you are: Aids.

Prior to me moving to Atlanta, I use to give to charities as much as I could without breaking the bank. Since coming back here, I have not been as fortunate to give as I was then. With that said, I still hold this charity near and dear. I have lost friends and family to AIDS.

AmFAR was founded in 1985 with the goal to rid the world of the deadly disease that has killed men, women, and children. This is a disease that is not specific to a gender, to a race, or even to sexual preferences. It can be contracted by anyone under the right circumstances. Where people jump to conclusions is how you can catch it and to that I say ignorance is bliss. People need to become aware of the growing epidemic that spreads through countries like South Africa, Russia, and Brazil to just name a few. AmFAR has pumped in over 260 million dollars to AIDS research and continues to make breakthroughs all the time.

Back in 1984 Ryan White was diagnosed with AIDS. he was shunned by friends, teachers, and schools. No one knew about the disease back then and everyone thought he could infect their child. Stupidity and ignorance played a huge role in Ryan's life for the next 6 years until he died in 1990. During thos 6 years many television shows and magazines featured Ryan. He became the poster child of the disease that would soon take his life. Many superstars soon took interest in the Ryan White story and wanted to help spread the truth about AIDS. Ryan White died on Palm Sunday April 8, 1990, with his mother, his sister Andrea, his grandparents, his uncle and his friend Elton John at his bedside. Ryan’s funeral was among the largest in Indiana history. Elton John performed at the ceremony, which included Michael Jackson and First Lady Barbara Bush among the mourners.

Since that time, many good things have come from his passing. With that said, this disease has affected the likes of Magic Johnson, Aurthur Ash, and Freddy Mercury to just name a few of the superstars. When Reagan gave his first speech on AIDS, 25,000 had already died.

It is rumored that Elton John wrote a song called "The Last Song" in honor of Ryan White, but no one really knows for sure. I have added 2 videos here for you to listen too. And I warn you,it is tearful. If you have the ability to give, then please visit the AmFAR website today and give.

About the Author

If you are in the market to purchase a home or even refinance an existing loan and you want a loan officer that will walk with you every step of the way, then contact Danny or Rich of the Thornton Team at Home America Mortgage today. We can have you pre-approval in as little as 4 hours. You can visit our website or send an email to thorntonteam@homeamericamortgage.com or call us @ 770-998-1964.

Yes, it is true, I am truly addicted to this place. Yesterday, I did not have a whole lot of time to be on ActiveRain. For the last 2 days, I had been getting up at 6:30 in the morning to do the doggie deal and get them fed because I have been working on a huge project for my neighbor. He and his wife are buying a house on the beach in Florida and I got the deal. So, I spent a good portion of Saturday of putting it together and even went over and had them sign on the RESPA package myself.

When I first got the deal though, I was reviewing his credit report and like a great loan officer would do, I was looking for other ways to help out. Well, actually I found an easy one. I am refinancing his primary and an investment property right here in Atlanta for a great rate and saving him a ton of money each month and over the life of the loan. They were ecstatic and I was happy for them. The wife is a walking referral machine so that is going to make our team swamped.

OK, let me get back on track. The reason I could not get on yesterday was I was having to put everything together for both of these deals as they are time sensitive to get closed and I need to make sure that I am getting it all done right. With that said, I had to catch myself several times, because I wanted to get in the Rain and share my great news. So, once I was done last night, I was so spent that I really did not feel like doing anymore and decided to go a lay down and watch TV. The next thing I knew, it was midnight.

I resisted and finally went off to sleep so I could be refreshed again for today. But I tell you, it was so hard to stay out of the rain. When I first came down this morning, I just had to jump in the Rain and get wet. I just could not take anymore of being away.

As always, the pictures are linked and if you click on them you will take a magic carpet ride.

About the Author

If you are in the market to purchase a home or even refinance an existing loan and you want a loan officer that will walk with you every step of the way, then contact Danny or Rich of the Thornton Team at Home America Mortgage today. We can have you pre-approval in as little as 4 hours. You can visit our website or send an email to thorntonteam@homeamericamortgage.com or call us @ 770-998-1964.