Blogging has become my primary source of meeting new clients in recent months (from my Real Town blog, www.LiveInLosGatos.com), so I have decided to expand what works (and cut what doesn't) by replacing a non-performing website with a blogsite that I believe will do great things for my business and my clientele.
The old site can still be viewed at www.ValleyOfHeartsDelight.com. It is a Best Image site, which is quite expensive at $60 per week! A year or two ago, it was a great source of leads. Now it is merely a budget drain and a source of amazing quanties of spam. (There is no test before forms are submitted to keep bots from spamming.) The Valley of Hearts Delight URL will be directed by the end of this month to my new site.
For now, you can have a sneak peek, even though it is not 100% done (and I'm still learning how to use many features of it myself). For instance, I asked them to please put in the MyBlogLog widget, but no luck after 3 weeks, so unfortunately I can't tell easily if any of you who are members pop by yet. Soon, I hope. That is a fav of mine.
The long URL is www.SanJoseRealEstateLosGatosHomes.com. This is an RSS Pieces site and Mary McKnight suggested this URL. I find it long, but defer to her knowledge of SEO and what pleases Google. I know real estate, and I know writing. I don't really know (or want to know) the finer points of the SEO wars. So I will take her professional advice here.
I've begun adding posts, and you may not be surprised that the first batch of them are long. I've tried to start with what my friend (and blog coach from Project Blogger, the managing editor of Real Town) Frances Flynn Thorsen calls "evergreen posts" - the ones that are always timely. Shorter posts will follow soon! 
I hope you like the new site and welcome your feedback.
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I checked out your other blog--nice work. I justs started myself in March. I'm amazed that you pay $60 per week and don't get many results. My homemade website cost me $8.95 per month to host and brings in several leads a week. Of course to took me a long time to create it, but it's been working for me for almost a decade.
Joe - thanks - the "old" site is not a blog site. In fairness to that provider, it did pay for itself for awhile. Just not anymore.
Teri - thanks. I truly value your input!
Congratulations Mary! I think it's a stunning looking site and I have no doubts the content will be as well! Best of Luck with it!
Ines - thanks so much!!
Wow, Mary, that's quite a site you've developed....I know with those wonderful articles and information you will do just wonderful! I do hope you can keep the others although $60 a month?? OUCH!
Mary - VERY nice. I don't often follow links to other's outside blogs but I did this time and I'm very impressed - the other Mary
I love your new site it has all the things my #1 site doesn't have. Were you nervous about taking the plunge? Good luck.
Mary, it looks amazing, I went over there this morning, reading back from comments last night from Twitter. Good luck with your site. I too have a Number 1 site and use to get tons of business from it, not anymore. I'm thinking.....
Carole - The Best Image #1 site was $60 per week (not per month) , so $240 to $300 each month. My old, main website - now 10 years with the same company, Intelitouch or Realty Empowerment (but they keep improving) is $139 a month with a toll free number. So yeah, the Best Image site was expensive. It was worth it when I was getting leads, but not in the last year.
Mary - thanks! Since we're all bloggers and I think most of us are trying things, I thought folks here would like to see. The web designer working with RSS Pieces did a great job.
Miriam - Miriam the only thing that ever makes me nervous is that setup fee. It's always a lot of money. But I saw that Ines and Laurie were doing well, so it just made sense to me. Blogging has been working for me, so why not move in that direction?
Missy - Number 1 will "downgrade" you and charge you lots less if you drop all the syndication stuff. But I was getting TONS of spam from all the forms on that site (no captcha codes or?) and bots were flooding my email, I think with the false ho[es that they were going to get trackbacks.
I didn't know that Number 1 will dowgrade you and charge less. RSS is about the same/month isn't it, with the monthly fee and the 1ParkPlace.
Miriam - no RSS and 1PP are a LOT less. If I recall right, $160/month all together.
Oh I thought 1PP is 149 and monthly 99 equaling 250/month. Is that wrong?
Miriam - I'd encourage you to talk with them, since I'm not a sales rep or anything.
Mary sorry, I went back and reread the email from Mary. You are right. Thanks.
Wow Mary! I thought your web site was one of the best I have seen but your new blog/web site is really gorgeous - very appealing visually and of course full of information since your doing the writing.
Mary,
how many websites do you have ? I hope that you are doing good and great web blog ! :P keep it good.
Ray saenz