Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

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

December 2, 2006

Phil Gerbyshak Is a B.A.D. Blogger

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 6:50 pm

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Blogger A Day Call: Hello is Phil there?

By a weird turn of the calendar and of the clock, I didn’t realize it, but I was blogtipping Phil on Friday, and he was my B.A.D. Blogger call. It was 6:30a.m. when I spoke with Phil. Yes, he’s the same cheerful guy even then. If he wasn’t truly that way, it would be really annoying. Instead he’s kind of amazing. Talking to Phil is a great way to start any day. I highly recommend it.

Phil is the VP of the Help Desk Department for a company of over 2000 people and the Wisconsin President of Help Desk International. We talked about how Help Desk is internal customer service. I asked what sort of folks are drawn to that group. He said people who like computers, but want to work with people not machines.

Phil said that it’s not uncommon for people who work Help Desk to have a poor self-image, that they are often treated as the lesser half of IT. We discussed how that was a skewed perception, that the Help Desk was more of a bridge than a back yard. Phil said there’s not much support for Help Desk people about their jobs — that’s why he decided to take on the Help Desk Notes Blog for Know More Media.

I couldn’t help but point out what a helpful guy Phil is. We talked about that for a few minutes. I got on the subject of stories from childhood that seem to define us before we even know who we are.

As an example I told him a story in which I changed a question on test because I couldn’t answer it the way it was written, and though I got every answer right, my teacher took 10 points off for editing her test.

I asked Phil if there was a story from his childhood that predicted the consummate helper he grew up to become. Phil thought for a minute and then told me this one.

He said it happened when he was two years old. He was in church with his family. A little girl he didn’t know fell down. He immediately ran over to her, bent and kissed her knee to make it better.

As I said, if it wasn’t he truly that way, it would be really annoying. :)

B.A.D. Blogger Quote

There’s a lot of nice people out there that needed the blogosphere to connect. Isn’t it great how you can open the network and people just help?!!” — Phil Gerbyshak

Stop by Phil’s Blog, Make It Great! and say hi!

Thanks, Phil, you B.A.D. Blogger!

–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, Community, SOB Business, Successful Blog, ZZZ-FUN |




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16 Comments to “Phil Gerbyshak Is a B.A.D. Blogger”

  1. December 2nd, 2006 at 9:06 pm
    Carolyn Manning said

    Boy, Liz, I wish I’d thought to change a question on a test. :)

    Phil certainly is a great guy. You introduced me to him, too. Thanks.

    Carolyn

  2. December 2nd, 2006 at 9:10 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Carolyn,
    Hey, I’m a wimp. All I did was change “the” to “a.” That’s what got me busted for ten points! Oh well! It was a predictor of how I relate to words. :)

    Phil is the real thing, and like said, if he wasn’t it sure would be annoying! :)

  3. December 3rd, 2006 at 8:48 am
    Kirsten Harrell, Psy.D. said

    Great stories about you and Phil! It is neat to look back at childhood and find those defining moments. Thanks for sharing these stories so that we can get to know you both better.

  4. December 3rd, 2006 at 8:49 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Kirsten!
    I wonder whether you have a story like that . . . I guess I’ll have to make you a B.A.D. Blogger to find out. :)

  5. December 3rd, 2006 at 9:39 am
    Kirsten Harrell, Psy.D. said

    Oh yes I would love to be a B.A.D blogger. I do have a story to share! ;) Pick me… pick me! :)

  6. December 3rd, 2006 at 9:40 am
    ME Strauss said

    Let’s see. Hmmmm. I . . . pick. . . Kirsten!
    I just tried to call you! :)

    I’ll try again!

  7. December 3rd, 2006 at 9:53 am
    Kirsten Harrell, Psy.D. said

    Yeah! You can try me again… I have my phone now.

  8. December 3rd, 2006 at 10:12 am
    Kent Blumberg said

    Liz,

    This is a wonderful series. Well written and interesting, too. I can’t help but read every new installment. Congratulations.

  9. December 3rd, 2006 at 12:30 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Kent,
    Thanks. As I keep saying, it helps to know that. It’s such a different thing. I can’t help but wonder whether folks are still with me. :)

  10. December 3rd, 2006 at 3:53 pm
    Phil Gerbyshak said

    Thanks for featuring me Liz. Always fun talking to you. And thanks for all your (and everyone else’s) nice words about me. I am who I am, that’s all I am and all I can be. Glad that’s enough for those of you who know me. I tried to change to be someone else once. Didn’t work so well, and I didn’t fool anyone. But that was 25 Halloweens ago. :)

  11. December 3rd, 2006 at 3:55 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Phil!
    You do you really well. That’s the best part of all!

  12. December 5th, 2006 at 3:02 am
    Meikah Delid said

    Amazing, Liz! From SOB to BAD, you’re really good at making naughty-sounding acronyms that actually stand for good things. So, keep being an SOB and BAD! :-D

  13. December 5th, 2006 at 6:36 am
    ME Strauss said

    Meikah,
    When I got the idea for this next generation, I was excited at that thought of really talking to bloggers — do you have skype? When is your turn? — It was days later I realized that SOB is about the blogs and BAD is about the bloggers. That’s when I really fell in love with the whole thing!

    PS. Phil makes a perfect example of a B.A.D. blogger. He’s everything people want to know about blogging and everything bloggers want to tell them. :)

  14. December 6th, 2006 at 5:53 am
    Kammie K. said

    Hey Liz~

    Getting caught up on some blogging backlog and wanted to say I think your BAD project is too COOL!

    and Phil’s gota be one of the BADdest SOB’s around!!

    Oh what fun examples of building relationships in the blogosphere the two of you are…

    Thanks for always bringing your A game.

    Kam:)

  15. December 6th, 2006 at 7:01 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hey Kammie
    What are we going to make you BAD????
    That would be so cool.
    I’ll have to find a way to get rid of that entourage and sneak you out the of back door of the rock concert, baby.

  16. December 23rd, 2006 at 9:28 am
    Liz Strauss at Successful Blog - Calling All B.A.D. Bloggers: A Few Tweaks, Buttons and Thank YOUs!! said

    [...] Phil Gerbyshak Is a B.A.D. Blogger! [...]

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