Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Thinking, writing, business ideas … You’re only a stranger once.

October 30, 2008

How Will We Answer the Twitter Question Then?

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 7:47 am

Foggy Futures Then and Now

When I started writing here, I only hopes and ideas.
Three years ago this day was only a foggy future.


Here’s what I wrote (unedited) one month after I started . . . .
______

It’s an odd thing to write under the masthead Successful Blog. It’s such an opportunity, such an “Okay, Big Shot,” moment. It’s a chance to model best practices, not just write about them.

The writer’s credo is Don’t tell, show. How much closer to that could I get than this?

I can talk about building community by answering comments relentlessly, but it’s so much more powerful when I do it and my readers actually experience how it feels. I can explain how to correct your public mistakes, but again how much greater impact it has when I actually do what I say. If I do this job right, everything I do has the potential to have a tiny positive effect on the blogosphere.

So I share with you my learning curve at the end of one month. I’ve learned.

  • That people respond positively when you treat them like people who are worth talking to. They pitch in, share ideas, and form a community that’s fun to be part of.
  • That when someone takes a negative viewpoint, it works better to take the conversation offline.
  • That the blogosphere doesn’t need me to keep it working right.
    That keeping focus on my readers takes care of almost every problem. (Except how I’m going to pay for my son’s college. )

In 1972, a friend said to me “You always leave the other guy a place to stand.”

That advice has served me every day since. It works with everyone from 6 to 106. We all need a place to stand –- no matter how scary we look. It can be the smallest thing. Here’s a fun read about Giving the Other Guy a Place to Stand that explains what I’m talking about.

If I could choose one best practice to pass on, that would be the one –- that everyone in the blogosphere leaves lots more room for the other guy to stand.

_______
That was then. This is now.

We still need each other to be visible, authentic and relevant. . . . connected. We still value the people we’re meeting. We still talk and listen.

I think we do. Right?

Three years ago, when this day was only a foggy future, I couldn’t see people talking in 140 characters. I didn’t hear anyone asking, “Am I following you?”

Dr. Michael Wesch says Change the media — the tools — and you change the way people relate. The Machine Is Us/ing Us.

Yesterday I got a telemarketing call on my cell phone from a well-known Internet personality. Before that, it had been sad enough getting his spam.

Three years from now, when this day is in the dimly lit past, it’s likely that companies exploring social media will be here, will have tried it out, will have had some sort of impact.

How will we answer the Twitter question — What are you doing? — then?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Get your best voice in the conversation. Buy my eBook.





Filed under Successful Blog |




C'mon. Let's talk!

12 Comments to “How Will We Answer the Twitter Question Then?”

  1. October 30th, 2008 at 8:30 am
    Roger said

    Nice post Liz.

    It’s always interesting to think about how our thoughts and aspirations evolve and emerge over time. My own blog, TwitterThoughts, is a case in point. It’s beyond embryonic, but still in its infancy (to use a biological metaphor).

    On the other hand, a Web site I started in 2000, Jungle Photos, is mature and relatively successful, getting more than 1,000 uniques a day, although it’s not fully monetized.

    We need the longer term perspective to see each day in context.

  2. October 30th, 2008 at 8:30 am
    Tiffany said

    Interesting indeed to ponder the question. How many of us will have tried that, had an impact, and remained?

  3. October 30th, 2008 at 10:10 am
    Ujjwal Trivedi said

    Its really gr8 to see how thots mature and become more and more interesting with our experiences. Its not only important to get there and do it, it is so important to be there and keep working as a knowledge worker. And 3 years from now… may be the questions will change…

  4. October 30th, 2008 at 11:50 am
    Karin H. said

    Hi Liz

    Today still I have difficulties getting the message through to other small businesses that blogs are so effective and self-manageable it can do so much for their profit bottom line.
    Let alone we can make them understand that social media/twitter and the likes (not on twitter myself I must confess) are definitely going to be a part of the effective marketing of smart businesses.

    Hope in three years time the first thing a new business does is start a blog ;-)

    Karin H. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specially in business)

  5. October 30th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Roger,
    What you say is true of blogs, websites and life in general. Your biological metaphor is well chosen for that reason especially.

    Context does offer perspective and perspective does make a difference in what we see. :)

  6. October 30th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Tiffany,
    Surely you’ve had an impact already. I know you’ve changed how I view things. I hope you’re still here in three years so that we can see what’s there together. :)

  7. October 30th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Ujjwal!
    Welcome!
    I suspect that you’re right. We’ll be answering new questions, probably using new tools, and following new ways of relating to them. Changes here are exponential, aren’t they?

  8. October 30th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Karin!
    I hope that we all see the kind of changes that you’re wishing for. We seem to be at a turning point where things could go forward or back any minute. Bad social media teachers are starting to get in it. . . .

  9. October 31st, 2008 at 2:01 am
    kevin said

    I just came to this blog, and found all articles are so Nice. I like them. Keep posting!

  10. October 31st, 2008 at 6:33 am
    Ujjwal Trivedi said

    Liz, now that you ‘ve come a long way in these three years. You have a steady list of readers and followers. If I may ask, how did you market your blog? What efforts did you take(other then putting quality contents) to build on the reader base? It would be intersting to note what worked and what did not. Thanking in anticipation.

  11. October 31st, 2008 at 9:55 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    HI Kevin!
    Thanks!

  12. October 31st, 2008 at 10:04 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Ujjwal!
    As I look back the promotion I did was organic and low-level stuff. I commented on other blogs and participated in communities. I had events and contests. Then, of course, there’s my conference. I speak and have clients.

    It’s all a combination of being in the community.

    The most important thing I think is that I promote other people who do good things well.

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

C'mon Let's Talk!