As some of you may already know Ardell and I have been playing on ActiveRain lately. My personal goal in taking part was to learn about the group dynamics and see how and why people are active on the site. [photopress:kristal_kraft.jpg,full,alignright]Interestingly, one of the things I decided to do was ask the group who was the most influential person on ActiveRain so that I could interview them on RCG.
The results were loud and clear in that Kristal Kraft is not only the point leader on ActiveRain, but the most influential person for many members of the site. I spent some time following Kristal’s posts and I found her to be consistently informative and interesting. Armed with that knowledge, I decided to ask Kristal a little bit about her blogging influences and experiences.
What inspired you to start blogging?
Blogging has been a natural progression for me; ten years ago I published my first real estate website. Then in the year 2000 I took a year off from work to travel around the world on a bike. That year I was biking and blogging (without a blog platform). At the time I thought of if as a travel/photo journal of my experience, the site Bike Tracks was written often times in a tent with a flashlight attached to my head. I would publish as soon as I could find a land line. OK, so it wasn’t really a blog, but I had a huge audience. In fact at one point in Africa I didn’t publish for a couple weeks. Everyone was in a panic worried I had been eaten by a lion or something awful! After that, they got used to my irregular postings. Funny how things work, I took my position seriously when I found out people were reading my site. Riding a bike 80 to 105 miles a day can get boring! There were times when the journey got very difficult, but my “responsibility to my audience
Dustin, a great interview with Kristal. Her posts are consistently excellent and always visually beautiful. That Digital Rebel is in good hands. Kristal’s series on how to blog and use AR has really helped expand participation in the network.
Dustin ~ thanks for interviewing me, I feel like a school girl up from the farm! 🙂
Maureen ~ thanks for your kind comments, I appreciate your support and encouragement, you can always be counted on to have a good word and great blog idea.
kk
Dustin – thanks for this excellent interview that’s filled with great resources… some I hadn’t come across yet and have now bookmarked. Kristal inspires us to be better bloggers and photographers (or at least to have a camera handy at all times!). I’m so grateful that she shares with us so freely.
Dustin — great interviewer, one thing that is so wonderful about Kristal is that she inspires others to greatness! She is so wonderful about encouraging others to write and so gracious about sharing her knowledge with others. She is what I strive for in my own writing and inspires me to find my own voice… Had it not been her kind words of encouragement a few months ago, I wouldn’t have continued to write or improve as I have over time.
Dustin – Nice post, with Kristal I think it is about the pictures too. She has great photographs on her blog.
Great interview Dustin. It’s too early in the morning. I saw the banana with the word Rain on it and read nearly the whole thng before realizing it was not about Kristal and Active Rain. Kristal being the top banana on Active Rain??? I was puzzled… not Dustin’s style…and when was he going to interview Kristal… Kristal is all about encouragement.
I need coffee…….
Dustin, I enjoyed the interview, Kristal’s post is something I look forward to. She is funny yet at the same time providing informative material.
Kristal offers the whole package – wonderful photos, great content and a willingness to share with the Active Rain Community. You couldn’t have picked a better representative! A big 5 for you here! NO wait…that would be a big 5 in active rain.
Fabulous Interview! Rain City made a great selection when interviewing Kristal. Kudos!
Great work… by both Dustin and Kristal.
Kristal was the first person to ever comment on my Active Rain blog. In that comment she welcomed me. That “welcome” really made me see what was possible in blogging… connecting to an audience. So for that I am grateful to Kristal.
Since then Kristal has been a leader and a great person to observe and learn from as she evolves in her own mastery of cyber space and personal marketing.
Me
Good interview.
I’ve known Kristal and several other Denver REALTORS from other forums we participate on together. As we say over in east Tennessee; “She’s a good’un”
Hey all, I decided to comment on both sites to show support for this wonderful effort and the two very special people involved. Kristal, it’s just too cool that you took a year off to trek on your bike. Dustin, deep down inside, I still think you were trolling for points on AR. (lol)
Dustin… what a great choice. Between her traveling for several years, her blogging techniques, her passion of taking pictures, and just her great insight to put wonderful blogs together….. Kristal Kraft was a great choice. Almost like finding a ‘Jack of all trades’.
Great interview and Congrats Kristal….
OK – First time trying to leave a comment here – no log in so hope this works! I left comments on both blogs. Now I know why KK uses the photo of herself the way she does!
Excellent interview. Kristal was way ahead of the pack on blogging. In 2000, I was one of those reading up on Kristal’s travels through Europe. Kristal was born to blog, she really knows how to tell a story…
Dustin,
Great interview. Kristal is an asset to all who are interested in real estate. She is kind and giving, like I said an ASSET!
Thanks for patting such a wonderful, giving person on the back! It’s well-deserved praise for KK, she gives so much and so freely.
Hey Dustin, good questions for an interview and proof that Kristal knows what she is talking about! My first cup of coffee can find me at her AR blog looking at her latest photography. Kristal you are amazing and inspiring motivation to keep up a consistent level of blogging even when I would rather just…..drink coffee lol
Great interview, Dustin.
Way to represent the AR, Kristal.
Terrific interview, Dustin — Kristal comes across as genuine and passionate about her blogging skills. Thank you for highlighting the “Rainers” and answering the question ‘what is that AR community all about?’
Kristal: Well said (as usual); thanks for being such an integral part of AR. When I was a newbie, you made me feel so welcome, I will not forget that!
Great interview series, Dustin. Very well done!
Kristal: You are very worthy of such a compliment to your Blogging Skills as well as your great spirit of Giving on the Active Rain Network. We love reading your Blogs as well as receiving comments on our Blogs from you! It’s always a great honor for Bloggers to get comments from others – especially when they are so well written. We always get the sense that you really gave some thought to what you are commenting on. It makes the recipient of your comments feel special!
Thanks for Blogging!
I began in Real Estate in late August, ’06. By Early September, I began blogging on ActiveRain. It was clear to me very early on, that KK was one of the many bloggers I could learn a lot from. Her posts are always informative, highly professional, and often inspire me to emulate them (but never plagiarize!) KK is one of the people that definately deserved the Time Magazine Person of the Year award…have you collected your prize yet, KK?
Excellent interview! No wonder Kristal is so inspiring. I never knew about her tour on the bike!
Congratultions Kristal and thank you Dustin. Kristal was also one of the first to comment on my blogs. Whe went out of her way to make me feel welcome and answered all the questions I have. She is definitely not a boring person has great enthusiasm for what she does and it good with a Camera – not to mention her great writing. Thanks for inspiring us Kristal.
When I found Active Rain just weeks ago, I went straight to the top of the points system, Krystal Kraft, and began reading her blogs first. She is a very giving and supportive person and I am glad to see someone showcase her and her efforts. She deserves it.
Wow! Waking up to so many comments is rare! Especially when you consider that more comments were left on the ActiveRain post about the interview!
Kristal is obviously much loved in the ActiveRain Community!
Dustin, thanks for another great interview. This is a great series. And can you tell that most of the Rainers love Kristal? One of the reasons why is her heart for all the rest… it doesn’t stop at just blogging hints for newbies, she reads and comments on a lot of blogs, which is also encouraging.
I’d like you to ask your interviewees how they find time to do real estate full time AND write wonderful blogs at the same time. I see it done, and they make it look easy. “How” might make for interesting reading.
A wonderful interview. As a recent AR member I can see that I’ve got alot of catching up to do. I didn’t have any idea that there were so many brilliant folks in the Rain, starting with Kristal. Thanks for alerting me.
Nice interview. I often wonder when Kristal actually sleeps! Thing I like the most about her posts are her great photos. I think good photos in a blog post are a must.
Dustin–Thank you for posting this on AR. A very engaging interview with a very interesting person. I continue to learn so much from Kristal’s posts.
Kudos…great interview Dustin and a great selection…KK rocks!
Thank You
Great interview, Dustin. Kristal’s blogging is an inspiration to all, and raises the bar to a standard most (perhaps all?) will not likely reach. Her photos are terrific. Learning about her travels by bike was fascinating, being a bike enthusiast myself. But not sure I am up for a round the world tour. Thanks for sharing this awesome interview.
Jeff
You picked the best by far! But come on back by and do an interview with Craig Shiller sometime soon. We need more exposure here!
Dustin, It had to be easy to write such a great post. You picked such a perfect subject. Kristal has been an inspiration to all of the Active Rainers. Thank you for putting the spotlight on such a deserving person.
http://www.HomeRome.com
Baltimore,Md.
Great interview. Kristal is one of the most interesting, informative and generous bloggers I’ve come across… plus she has a great sense of humor and take fabulous pictures!
Way to late to the party! Maureen said to bring my thesaurus with me.. that I will need a new word for great, terrific, fantastic to describe the interview. How do I say it in a different way? I know…
Fantastica entrevista Dustin, Kristal es fenomenal y una fuente de inspiracion para todos! : )
OK guys this is way to awesome…I went to the Stock Show last night and my cowboy hat no longer fits….
Keep it up…please! 😉
kk
This was a great interview to read, and Kristal was a terrific person to interview. There are many of us on AR who look to her posts for inspiration and motivation, and truly to enjoy those beautiful pictures she uses in her posts. Those are visual and mental eye-candy! And she has a wonderful way with words that just paint her area perfectly.
Thanks for putting this together for us to read! Nicely done!
Dustin you painted a very vivid picture of many of the talents of KK, well done! As for Kristal Kraft, well, she is an every day inspiration for people to discover and develop their individual passions like she has done with her photography and bogging.
Thank you Kristal (a.k.a. Mom)!!
Well, I hate to comment after “mom”:), but I will. Excellent job Dustin with and excellent choice of subjects. Kristal is quickly becoming a role model at Active Rain.
Karen ~ Vali is my daughter. She wrote that in a way it looks like she’s my Mom 😉 Vali is a Colorado real estate broker and Realtor. She has an idenity crises as times when she is with me. We are associates and family. I am truly lucky to have 3 wonderful kids.
To Dustin and the really nice people on Active Rain who nominated me for this interview, Thank you. I realize without your kind mention and your support, I would not have had the opportunity to tell my story. It’s fun to be in the spotlight for a day and I hope you all are offered the same chance someday, somewhere to feel as good as you have made me feel.
I know now I will work even harder to live up to your expectations!
Thanks,
kk
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