Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

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

Roving Sheila at SXSW 03 -09-07

Filed Under Idea Bank, SOB Business, Successful Blog | 5 Comments

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South by Southwest, SXSW, is a yearly conference in Austin, TX.serving the film, music, and interactice industries..

Guest Reporter Sheila Scarborough

Greetings Liz,

Thanks for the chance to blog for you, here’s my first email….

***************

Greetings, Successful Bloggers, let me see if I can whip this out before I go to the BlogHer meetup at 8 pm (BlogHer Technology and Web writer Virginia DeBolt already has a SXSW post up.)

Your Roving Reporter has decided to brave the wilds of SXSW Interactive, the “ground zero for the world’s most creative web developers, designers, bloggers, wireless innovators and new media entrepreneurs.”

Hey, I saw the word “blogger” somewhere in there and figured, close enough.

I’d already paid and registered online (even uploaded my own photo so I didn’t have to take a dorky one for my badge) but my organizational abilities still failed to get me on time to the first panel that interested me, “How to Rawk SXSW.”

(I think to rawk is good.)

Once I waded through Austin traffic, waded through the line to get my badge, waited to have them make my badge (I guess they want to make sure you “have it your way” or something) there were only 10 minutes of rawking left.

It was an interesting 10 minutes.

The panelists spent this last bit of session time telling the audience how to do “contact management,” which is apparently how to meet people.

There were lots of panelist comments to the audience like, “Have meaningful conversations versus many conversations” and “Actually engage in the panel discussions — close your laptop” and “Are you scared of introducing yourself? Buy the person a beer.”

Geek social guidance?
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10 Ways to Start a Blog Post — 01-29-07

Filed Under Idea Bank, Outside the Box, Successful Blog | 20 Comments

Start with a Few Words

Finding Ideas Outside of the Box logo 2

Sometimes a few words can get a whole lot started.

  1. When I look at the people around me . . .
  2. If I could, I’d invent . . .
  3. It happens the same way every time . . .
  4. When I sit down with the news every morning, . . .
  5. Every relationship has an ROI. . . .
  6. When I was kid, I always thought that by now . . .
  7. Can you help me out here? Is this a new thing? . . .
  8. In this economy, anyone . . .
  9. If you want to have a meaningful conversation with . . .
  10. At this very moment, somewhere in the world, . . .

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Ideas? 20 Questions to Kickstart New Thoughts

Filed Under Idea Bank, Outside the Box, Successful Blog | 9 Comments

Get Curious

Finding Ideas Outside of the Box logo 2

What are you thinking right now? Are you thinking about your answer to that question?

We’re good at answering questions. We learn that in school. Sometimes we get so busy preparing our answers that we miss what’s going on around us.

10 Questions to Kickstart New Thoughts

Imagine you just landed on this planet. You’d have a passel of questions and a totally beginner’s view. The key is not to try to fix things, but to find new reactions to what you encounter.

  1. What do you see what you look at me? What do you see when you look at yourself?
  2. What do you hear when you listen to all of the sounds around you?
  3. What is it that everyone wants to know, but is afraid to ask? What are the silly things we don’t tell people that they should know?
  4. What do we do that is touching or ridiculous?
  5. What do we take for granted that seems to have no logic?
  6. What would you do if you had only one day to spend here?
  7. What of our ordinary buildings, machines, and gadgets would stymie and fascinate you?
  8. What about our planet would amaze you?
  9. What about humanity would inspire you?
  10. If you had a conversation with yourself, what would you talk about?

The ideas are waiting in the details. Twist your view; add a dash of imagination; and take a look.

10 More . . .

I have 10 more questions. They’re all about you.

  1. Do you do stuff like keep your ketchup bottle upside down or choose CDs based on who’s in the music store?
  2. Do you find money that you forgot about in a jacket pocket?
  3. Do you get nervous when a boss starts a friendly conversation for no apparent reason?
  4. Do you know a story that people ask you to tell over and over?
  5. Do you wonder what else you might have done with all of the time that you’ve been blogging?
  6. Do you know the most important thing you’ve learned?
  7. Do you know what gadget you would invent if you could?
  8. Do you have a secret for dealing with folks who cause stress wherever they go?
  9. Do you know what you want to be if you grow up? Will you share an idea or two?
  10. Do you wonder what it’s like to be me the way I wonder what it’s like to be you?

If you answered “yes” to any of those, and you decide to write a post, I’d read your answer. I bet that lots of folks would. E-mail me at lizsun2@gmail.com with 20 QUESTIONS POST in the subject line and a link to your post by Wednesday, january 24. I post the links as they come in.

–ME ‘Liz” Strauss

For more ideas see the Successful Series page.

Holiday Gifts: Energy, Insight, and Ideas!!!

Filed Under Great Finds, Idea Bank, SOB Business, Successful Blog | 5 Comments

Holiday Gift Ideas at Pimp Your Work

Tris Hussey and Scot Herrick, two SOBs, are showing folks how to “add shizzle” to make work days better at Pimp Your Work. Energetic and positive discussion of work in both traditional and non-traditional settings is the hallmark of every information-packed post you’ll find there. And both Tris and Scot aren’t afraid to share ideas and resources, singing their praises in the best traditions of the blogophere.

This week Pimp Your Blog sponsored a b5 Business Channel Theme Post on Holiday Gifts. That’s what inspired my 31-Day January Calendar of Blog Post Ideas. Great writers and great ideas make this gift list. Click on the title below to take you there.

Holiday Gifts

While you’re over there getting energized and getting ideas, do tell Tris and Scot that I said hello.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

PS I have a family illness to attend to this afternoon. So, I put you all in charge of each other. Remember there’s only one rule here. “Be nice.” I’ll be back soon.

A Holiday Gift: The 31-Day Calendar of Blog Post Ideas for January

Filed Under Idea Bank, SOB Business, Successful Blog, Writing | 37 Comments

A Blogging Calendar to Start the Year

Power Writing Series Logo

It might seem early for a holiday gift, but folks get busy and go traveling. I didn’t want this list to get lost or overlooked. So,I hope you don’t mind that I give you this gift a little early. . . .

In honor of the holidays and as a thank you to all of you, I’ve made a calendar of 31 Blog Post Ideas to Write About in January.

They say there’s no such thing as an original idea. I tend to agree with that on principle, but I also know that the execution is personal.

At the end of some days, we can’t tell where some ideas started or where they end. We have the same ideas at the same time independently. Our thoughts interweave, connect, and influence each other’s thoughts. Our ideas turn into remarkable and thrilling concepts and realities. Humans, who think up ideas, are incredible at doing that.

You’ve had some of these ideas. I’ve had some. Some have been around, it seems, forever. I’ve tried to twist some when I could. Some come with links to example posts — from my posts, from yours and from others.

I hope you find a few post ideas you can use to make your life easier to have more time to live, to wonder, and to explore.

The 31-Day Calendar of Blog Post Ideas for January

Here goes . . .
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