I was busy in 2007

Before I make goals for the new year, I look back at what I accomplished. 2007 is the year I got serious about blogging as a primary career. Here’s what I came up with:

I joined the Inman News Blog. I considered the invitation to join a considerable honor, and immediately accepted. Not because I admire Brad, or because Inman is very well known in the real estate world, or because they had recruited an impressive list of bloggers to join them. That’s all true, but I joined because my mother, another industry pro, reads Inman, and suddenly she had a huge “ah-ha” moment that what I was doing was going to go somewhere. On behalf of my mother and myself, I would like to thank Jessica Swesey for inviting me to participate.

I started the REMBEX search engine. Greg Swann of Bloodhound blog called it an “insanely great idea”. It’s now found in the sidebars of many of the top RE blogs.

I organized an local bloggers networking event. I drew forty bloggers together for some tacos and real world face time.

I started my own social networking blog. Blog Fiesta was born from my networking conference. I used it to interview more than 40 of the top RE bloggers, and establish myself as a resource for aspiring bloggers.

I went out and met more bloggers at the national level. First, at Bloggers Connect, then at Blog World. What I know about Web 2.0 is exponentially greater today than one year ago. I also know more real estate agents now, then at any point in my career.

I revamped and revitalized my Denver Modern Homes Blog. It occurred to me that as more and more real estate agents ask for my advice about real estate blogging, it would be better to have more real world experience on the real estate side of the equation. I’ve been offering up advice on how to blog for nearly as long as I’ve had a blog of my own. But lenderama is nothing like a local real estate blog. I knew my ideas would work, and this blog is proof of it.

I connected with a new business partner. Jason Burman is the former president of CAMB and has a hand in organizing conferences and education events for NAMB.

I turned the volume up on lenderama’s megaphone as a voice in the mortgage industry. Traffic is way up for the year. Considering how many readers are now working at Burger King instead of origination, I’m extremely happy that we are up at all.

I took on contributors. Recruiting good bloggers is actually far harder than I would have thought. I can’t tell you how happy I am with where we are now. In many ways, I feel like letting them outshine me will only help this blog’s credibility and readership. I’m going to take more of an editor’s role here, and concentrate on bringing in even more talent.

Finally, I put the wheels in motion for 2008. On tap is a new blog, an Internet Radio Show, training, speaking engagements, an altogether new type of network, and real world events.

If it sounds like I’m bragging, okay, maybe I am. The intent of this post was to tell you that while many loan originators are hanging onto the old ways, or leaving the business altogether, there’s a mountain of opportunity out there. 2007 was one of the most fulfilling years of my career. If it wasn’t for you, maybe it’s time to change the way you’re doing things.