Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

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

July 22, 2007

Kirk M and Kent Newsome Are B.A.D. Bloggers!

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 2:50 pm

Hello, Hello! I’d Like You to Meet . . .

BAD Blogger Button

It’s a fine way to spend a Sunday visiting some B. A. D. Bloggers I know. Without hesitation, these are folks who are worth getting to know. I can say that because I did.

Have you met Kirk M?

I got a B.A.D. Blogger email from Kirk M.
He said, “If you’re still doing this, I would like to offer myself as a victim…er…I mean interviewee if you would be willing to risk your mental health by talking to me.” You should have seen me smile. The prospect was lovely. This fella who came around my blog with always a thoughtful remark, wanted to spend time talking to me.

It was a gracious man, Kirk M., who took a phone call from me. We talked about submarines, wheelchairs, dreams, blogging, the sort of people we are, the sort of people we meet, how our minds ramble from subject to subject. I told stories. He told some. We talked about claustrophobia, fear of heights, and that crack between the floor and the door in an elevator. It was a fun and relaxing conversation.

Kirk was in the room he once described in a comment.

Currently my back room is located in a corner of our library (we live in an old house so we set it up in an old fashioned way), with a rocker to my right with a forest of plants behind it in the window. Behind me is a old table made out of rock maple and a grandfather clock on the other side ticking away ready to tell me I need to get started for work (and more plants).

He was the guy I knew who typed those words. Authentic Kirk.

Kirk original email had also said, “Just think…then I could put a ‘I survived a call from Liz Strauss’ thingy in my sidebar!” He did. At least, I think he did.

Oh and, do you know Kent Newsome?

I met Kent for the first time when he suggested we might meet virtually. So on went out head phones and up went the conversation level. From his first words, I started thinking about and calling forward my memories of Texas just from hearing his voice. It was lovely.

I had recently discovered Kent’s blog. He had recently emptied his feeds and asked his readers to recommend new ones. Somehow my blog got in the mix. Somehow we ended up on a voice call.

Kent and I spent time discussing what made a great blog post. It was a conversation about conversation and blogging — how to leave the blog post open and unfinished, the way conversation happens. That led into writing and interacting with people. We talked about how long we’d been blogging. That led into a glance at our philosophies of life and our histories . . . isn’t that always the case?

We compared notes on everything from the web to songwriting to lawyering.

Kent told me a bit about his background in law. He’s songwriting lawyer who blogs — well not all at once, but it’s fun to say. Kent wove all three into the coversation about his blog and his blogging. He’s an integrated guy. He brings his skills out when he needs them.

Kent said he started blogging to see whether a guy who didn’t live in the Bay area or work in the tech industry could make his way into the conversation.

The answer is a resounding “yes.”

Kirk and Kent, you are B.A.D. Bloggers!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Want to be a B.A.D. Blogger see the. . . a B.A.D. Blogger? page in the sidebar.


Filed under B.A.D. Blogger, Successful Blog |



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15 Comments to “Kirk M and Kent Newsome Are B.A.D. Bloggers!”

  1. July 23rd, 2007 at 4:35 am
    tinu said

    I love meeting your B.A.D bloggers. And this “how to leave the blog post open and unfinished, the way conversation happens” - so paramount to blogging. Sometimes I get that just right, and sometime it seems to be the links to the posting section that get the job done better than I.

    If only I hadn’t started out with Moderated comments or Blogger. )

  2. July 23rd, 2007 at 5:46 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Tinu!
    Leaving a blog post open “just right” takes practice and a feeling of being relaxed. Even when I do, folks don’t always want to talk about what I want to talk about. There are many things on my blog with no comments. :)

    I love meeting my B.A.D. Bloggers too. Get skype and you could be one of them!! :)

  3. July 23rd, 2007 at 7:21 am
    Kirk M said

    Morning Liz,

    Now that’s amazing you actually pulled together a nice write up of that wonderful rambling and wandering conversation we had (mostly on my part). I’ve always had a hard time with phone conversations but it turned out to be very easy talking with you. Wonder why that is? I do think that if we ended up sitting at a table with a bunch of other bloggers who were listening to our conversation, judging from that phone call, might actually skew their way of thinking a bit. Of course short term exposure would be necessary to keep the damage to a minimum. :D

    (why do I try to write comments on a Monday morning before work?)

    Have a great day all

  4. July 23rd, 2007 at 7:21 am
    Kirk M said

    Oh, the “thingy” goes up tonight. ;)

  5. July 23rd, 2007 at 7:36 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Kirk!

    I do think that if we ended up sitting at a table with a bunch of other bloggers who were listening to our conversation, judging from that phone call, might actually skew their way of thinking a bit. Of course short term exposure would be necessary to keep the damage to a minimum.

    Brilliantly said! I so agree with the sentiment and the probable reality. :)

  6. July 23rd, 2007 at 9:23 am
    tinu said

    Hi Kirk! And Hi again, Liz. I’ve got Skype, But I also have shyus maximus. :) Meanwhile I shall sit at the feet of the master and inhale. Ew. I need a better analogy!

  7. July 23rd, 2007 at 9:36 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Tinu!
    Soon it will happen that we’ll talk. You’ll see. :)

  8. July 23rd, 2007 at 11:14 am
    tinu said

    So far, I’m a believer. For no rational reason I can think of I am often nervous in interviews, in person or not. You seem like you’re really good at putting people at ease, though.

  9. July 23rd, 2007 at 11:35 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hey, Tinu,
    I’m just a person who doesn’t very well and who talks too much. You won’t have to worry. I’m not scary at all. I used to teach 6 year olds. :)

  10. July 23rd, 2007 at 5:11 pm
    Kirk M said

    Hey Tinu,

    Really, she’s a real person alright and lots of fun to talk to. She even hesitates at times and even intersperses her phone conversations with bits like “uh” and “er” just like regular folks.

    Of course Liz met her match in me when it came to talking to much. :D

  11. July 23rd, 2007 at 5:14 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Aw Kirk,
    I bet you say that about all the girls. :)

  12. July 23rd, 2007 at 5:54 pm
    Kirk M said

    I will refrain from the predictable typical male oriented come back just to show how much better I am from the all too predictable typical male types.

    That doesn’t mean I’m not thinking it though. :D

  13. July 23rd, 2007 at 7:34 pm
    Kirk M said

    No offense intended.

  14. July 23rd, 2007 at 8:24 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hey Kirk,
    I can’t imagine you going somewhere that would be intended to make me smaller. No offense taken.:)

  15. July 23rd, 2007 at 8:35 pm
    Kirk M said

    May they tie me to a chair and force me to watch really bad 70’s movies and eat stale popcorn covered with imitation sour cream and over-cooked broccoli flavored olive oil, I would never make you feel small (or any one else for that matter). And you can’t get much more horrible than that. :)

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