Thanks for the firsthand testimonial. Good luck with your blog!!

Liz

When I heard about the program, I visited her site and registered for her free ebook, “Blogging 101: A Real Estate Agent’s Guide.” I found it to be well written and very informative.

Kathy and I exchanged several emails about the issue of duplicate content among other concerns of mine. Ultimately, I decided to give it a try – after all, it is only $30 a month with no long term commitment.

I am not disappointed! The articles I’ve read are all well written and easily adapted to my voice and my area.

I have actually posted one article and have another one ready to publish next week – both with some modifications.

Will I use all the articles? I doubt it. Some won’t be appropriate for my target. Another reason is that I will continue to post “local” market reports, events, etc.

In case of real estate blogs, there are only so many ways you can tell a seller how to get their house ready for market, tell buyers how to find the best home for their money, etc.

As Cynthia said, there is so much repetition through out the media. I honestly don’t think my use of these materials is going to hurt my placement in the search engines. Actually with Kathy’s guidance it could be enhanced.

Thanks for chiming in with another support of the canned content. It’s actually interesting that the other day all we heard from were readers who were not in favor of it, and now we are hearing from people who are in favor of it.

I have to say though that what you describe seems to me to fall more under the category of guest posts or ghost writers for the blog. I think these arrangments are significantly different from “canned posts” which use identical wording by every blogger that posts them.

This would seem to be less satisfactory from a reader perspective and from a Search Engine Optimization perspective.

Do you think that SEO is a concern for most business bloggers?

If we boil it down to basics, this is what I see. Websites (blog or otherwise) deliver information just like a magazine. Magazines aren’t all staff written, they hire experts to write about topics. When it comes to information such as tips for selling your home, how to find a tax accountant, low-cal snacks – you see the same information reprinted (in slightly different forms) over and over again and on for years.

When I had young children, I read Parents every month but after a few years, it was basically the same ideas recycled over and over again.

How is this different than using “canned” content?

If the content is worth reading, it doesn’t matter who wrote it and I don’t agree that it’s better customer service if you write the piece yourself. I’m not an expert in all things but I’m smart enough to hire people who are experts to help my clients get the job done.

Thanks for providing your opinion – that’s the second reader who sees potential in the canned posts.

I agree that bloggers can show their personality in the comments section – but are canned posts likely to inspire comments? And how do they show their personality until they get comments?

By the way – I really enjoy your blog – and with your sense of humor and strong opinions about your topic – there’s no way you’re using canned posts!!

In traditional customer service, you only have the option to hire people based on a questionnaire and a short interview, and then rely on your training program to make your customer’s experience as good as possible.

At least with customizable or outsourced blogs, you can add your own personal touch to each post. And really, the most personal part of a blog is in the comment trail. If you show your face (figuratively) from time to time in the comments with a personal response, that will go much farther in promoting your approachable image than simply writing each post yourself.

Thanks for speaking up! You’re the first reader to comment in favor of these pre-written posts.

As you said, the smart realtor will be the one who makes the posts “his or her own” by personalizing it. I think the concern is that if they are used simply as written, they become simply spam posts. But as you point out, that doesn’t have to be the case.

Kathy’s blogs remind me of glorified writing prompts–the juicy topics or subjects that help a blocked writer produce an interesting essay. Granted, a blog entry is a pretty big writing prompt, but realtors help people buy and sell homes and their time is better spent in front of clients, not struggling with the how-to’s of writing.

Blogs are morphing and have been since they were first invented. They come in all sizes and shapes and are written for a myriad of reasons. There is room in the blogosphere for Kathy’s service.