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There’s always something to howl about

“Let’s just say that Jim and Dustin are going to be working on a secret project…”

…and it’s called “Dining on your dime.”

Eighty-two comments as I write this, and not one Active Rainier can enunciate the obvious: The emperor is naked.

My take, for what it’s worth: The new hires are charged with the duty of lining up yet another sucker to buy Active Rain. It could work, too. There is no better time to buy tech companies than when they’re going broke. Dandle ‘em long enough and you can buy whatever value remains for pennies on the dollar. There won’t be much to pick over among the bones, but there comes a point in life when dinner is a daily dilemma.

Now if you feel an urge to post a snippy comment about how cruel this all is, take a moment to reflect that I told you exactly what was going on with Active Rain when everyone else was lying to you. The world works the way it works no matter how much you’d rather it did not. When Inman or Trulia or Active Rain buy up big-name real estate webloggers, what they’re actually buying is you.

Breathe deep. There’s a clue in the air. If you get lucky, you just might catch it…

Related posts:
  • An Example of “Expert Knowledge”
  • Note from Dustin Luther regarding the hacking of Rain City Guide . . .
  • Podcast: Dustin Luther’s Real Estate Weblogging Seminar Part I

  • 7 comments

    7 Comments so far

    1. teresa boardman April 14th, 2009 4:57 am

      LOL I can’t be bought. I just watch it all. What they do or don’t do has no impact on my business or my life. I keep my local content because that is what drives my business and I won’t give it to another business. As for the secret. I wish I had just even a little bit of curiosity but I don’t.

    2. Ryan Hartman April 14th, 2009 6:39 am

      I don’t know… It’d be tough to see AR go. I’ve had a lot of fun with them over the years…

      FWIW here’s an example of some of that fun from this morning:

      http://activerain.com/blogsview/1033388/One-Website-You-Should-NOT-Be-Using

    3. Greg Swann April 14th, 2009 6:53 am

      > FWIW here’s an example of some of that fun from this morning

      Too subtle. More cowbell.

      Inlookers take note: I haven’t announced this publicly yet, but Ryan Hartman will be teaching with us at BloodhoundBlog Unchained in Phoenix. I don’t know what he’ll be calling his class, but I think of it as Gonzo Marketing — Guerrilla Marketing with a 540 degree twist.

    4. James Boyer April 14th, 2009 3:43 pm

      I have for the most part given up on Active Rain. Just not that interesting over there anymore.

      Ryan, that was kind of like driving your car slowly though an apartment complex as you lay on the horn. :)

    5. joe spake April 14th, 2009 9:35 pm

      Before AR goes I still want to fulfill my fantasy of posting “War and Peace” 50 words at a time……just think of all those points….ahhhh.

    6. ryan hartman April 14th, 2009 10:04 pm

      Yeah James…I felt a little douchey after that one…(Oh well…)

      And Joe…That made my night! You should do it!

      Think the new “AR Lunatic Fringe” group I just created over there would be an appropriate place for some point building, traffic grabbing fun?

    7. joe spake April 15th, 2009 6:03 am

      Ryan, I am a proud new member of AR Lunatic Fringe. As to my W&P fantasy, the point leader in my market, Memphis, TN, is already on to the idea, only he is doing paragraphs from a real estate course book and pictures of animals.