January 4, 2009

Beach Notes: Friending Offline

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 8:12 am

by Guest Writers Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh

It came to us while walking on the beach last week.

You know how, what with Facebook and Twitter and Plurk and all the other social networking communities we all have these hundreds or thousands of friends online? Well, what if we were to friend some of those people we see offline?

That’s right, friends we can talk to, hang out with, but without having a keyboard or microphone or videocam to help us communicate!

Novel idea.

What triggered this particular brainwave, which we are currently seeking to trademark as “Friends in the Flesh”, was when, as we say, we were walking on the beach.

Now just by way of background, when we walk on the beach early in the morning there are several people we see most days. Some form of greeting or acknowledgement is exchanged, ranging from a hearty “Good Morning! Beautiful day!”, through to a friendly but fairly emotionless nod. You always know who the visitors holidaying from the city are: if you say “Good morning!” they look at you nervously and might manage a smile but you know their city reflexes have them suddenly in fight or flight mode.

Anyhow, the other day, a chap we’ve actually chatted with a few times and another who has been in the “nod or make a small, unostentatious sort of waving motion with the hand” category of morning beachgoers, stopped us to actually introduce themselves by name and discover our names.

Now when we see them it’s all “Suzie!”, “Des!”, “Pat!” and “Greg!” - and since they have introduced us to another of their friends, “Grahame!”.

We discovered we like this and now we are on a bit of a campaign to get to know the names of the other regulars.

Who knows where this could lead? The League of Offline Friends perhaps? With a list, in - what do they call it - a printed book?

Given the instantaneousness of friending on Facebook and following/being followed on Twitter, the four years or so it has taken for us to know the names of people we greet every day and have them know our names, and even stop for the occasional chat, seems - no, is - an extraordinary amount of time.

Is it possible, while we build amazing and multitudinous friendships online, that we are neglecting - literally walking past - opportunities for friendships in our offline lives?

What if 2009 were to be a year when we did some serious offline friending? Going beyond the wave or the non-committal half-smile exchange with people we see every day or regularly but really know nothing about to exchanging names and even having a chat or two.

A chat offline? You mean it’s ok to do that? Cool.

Do you have a story to tell about going from a “courtesy” wave or nod to actually friending someone offline? Care to share, here?

Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh wishing everyone an wonderful friendful 2009.

 

 


Filed under Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog | 3 Comments »


January 3, 2009

Thanks to Week 167 SOBs

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 1:56 pm

muddy teal strip A

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

Purple SOB Button Original SOB Button Red SOB Button Purple and Blue SOB Button
and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs.

muddy teal strip A


They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Should anyone question this SOB button’s validity, send him or her to me. Thie award carries a “Liz said so” guarantee, is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and is backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

deep purple strip

Want to become an SOB?

If you’re an SO-Wanna-B, you can see the whole list of SOBs and learn how to be one by visiting the SOB Hall of Fame– A-Z Directory . Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss


Filed under SOB Business, Successful Blog | 2 Comments »


January 3, 2009

I Get to Grant a Wish! Congratulations, Jennifer! You Won!

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 6:29 am

This is about the contest sponsored on behalf of SEARS via Izea.
The opinions, memories, and words are mine.

You might remember the story I told about when I was a kid … how my mom would sit us down with the Wishbook from Sears to make a Christmas wish list …. My list kept me busy for hours — busy dreaming, and wishing, and learning the life skill of filling out order forms.

Every year my mom would grant one wish.

This year, Sears let me be the one who got to grant a wish in the the $500 Grant a Wish Giveaway!

The assignment was simple. I got to test drive a $500 gift at a SEARS store and then I had to put together three packages so that one lucky winner could use a wish from the three.

The randomly chosen winner is Jennifer Hedden. Her entry was comment #402 on my blog and she chose

Cool Tools Wish

Thank you everyone for making this experiment in blogging (and time travel) such a positive and fun experience for me.

Congratulations, Jennifer! An email has already been sent to you. I feel pretty lucky to be able to be part of all of this. Hope you and every one have the best 2009!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

The contest was sponsored. For more information about the sponsor SEARS or the contest see Izea.
It’s the spirit of the season!! Thank you.


Filed under Successful Blog | 3 Comments »


January 2, 2009

Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Chris Brogan!

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 8:51 am

Be the Original



My younger older brother was bigger than life He wa the coolest kid in the neighborhood. I was 8 and half years younger. I watched him all my life and I learned.

He was instant community. He was kind of like Tom Sawyer. He could smile around a corner.

  • He had 5 girlfriends before he was 10.
  • If he said “baseball,” the team formed before he finished the word.
  • If he said, “hockey,” the ice was cleared and smooth.
  • Kids called him “Bugs” and I never knew whether it was because of the famous bunny or the Las Vegas gambler. They were always too busy laughing to tell me.
  • He’s the one who had me trained to come when he whistled.
  • He still has a magnetic personality.

Grownups, teachers, kids, … everyone enjoyed his company.

Problem was some kids tried to be him.
Maybe we all did.

It never worked. Our voices were different. He was taller or his smile had a different tilt. We just became bad copies of my younger, older brother, instead of the really cool kids that we were.

So Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up trying to be Chris Brogan. He’s as magic as my younger, older brother … but only Chris Brogan can be Chris Brogan. Tell your babies to be an original.

Everyone has our own magic.

I know. I’ve been watching all my life.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Meet Chris Brogan close up at SOBCon09


Filed under Marketing, Successful Blog | 39 Comments »


January 1, 2009

How Famous Is Famous on the Internet?

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 11:25 pm

Concrete to Virtual?

When I was growing up, my cousins across town couldn’t care less about the shows
we put on in our backyards.


We had to win over the folks who knew us before we thought about taking on the world.

See any similarities to the Internet?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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


Filed under Successful Blog | 10 Comments »



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