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The Ultimate Guide to a Wildly Sticky, Successful and Outstanding Blog

Filed Under Basics, Successful Blog | 16 Comments

A SERIES

Experts on Successful Blogs and the Blogosphere

Before you go anywhere, you have to know where you’re going. What’s your destination? What’s your plan? Building a blog of quality and relevance is an accomplishment. It’s not something that just happens by letting your fingers type anything. It takes planning, heart, and “a village” to make a successful blog, but a great blog is worth every minute invested in pulling those three together.

What Makes a Successful Blog?

Every individual has his or her own definition of success. I’m sure you have yours too. Take a look at what folks hold up as guideposts. Keep cornerstone advice close. Here are a few expert opinions to help you set bar of what you might strive for when build your successful blog.

  1. Let’s start with the key ingredient. You can put stock in Chrisg when he says, “Online or Offline, this is the Key to Success.” Thank you, Mr. Garrett.

  2. You’ll be a much more relaxed blogger if you have a sense of where you fit. You might want to take the Blog Review Checklist — the most comprehensive evaluation review tool. It’s backed by 20 years of working with readers and how they interact with text (online and off.)

  3. Pay attention to success reported by smart bloggers in their first year. They not only care about what you care about, but the learning curve is the greatest in the first few months. How to Build a Somewhat Successful Blog: 16 Lessons I Have Learned from the Positivity Blog is a top-notch example.

  4. A part of any blog’s success is related to links, tools, and measures. Read about Google Page Rank, Alexa Rank, and discussions of blog surveys and the ways a bloggers opinion of success can change over time. Meredith Wolfwater discusses these in What makes a blog successful? from Information Wants to Be Free

  5. Website or blog, the principles are the same. Listen. Seth knows what he’s saying. How to create a great website

  6. Becoming part of the community, the conversation, and the creativity of blogging are Essential Requirements to Starting a Successful Blog

  7. Understand that success comes from within. You’ll need the wherewithal to come to your blog and your readers every day. Three Traits of Successful Blogs - Focus, Passion, and Originality

  8. Know that readers know a lot about what makes a good blog tick. They share if you take the time to ask. What Makes a Blog Successful?

  9. Follow the lead of those who’ve been there and succeeded before you. How I Chose 18 Thought Leaders to Follow (and Their Links)

  10. Do the work and understand what works. As with life, success with a blog is more investment than luck. How to Build an Authority Blog: Tips from the Experts

The Culture of the Blogosphere

Once we realize that people are talking to each other on the Internet, it’s not long before we figure out that blogosphere has a culture of its own. New circumstances often inspire new ways to interact. We can’t see who’s on the other side of the screen. We only see the words, images, and sounds send us. The filters we use in person don’t work to decide who is telling us the truth. Authenticity and transparency are two words that you’ll find important to the community and culture of the blogosphere.

Check out the blogosphere. Get to know what blogging is about. Find your favorite blogs and bloggers. Figure out what it is that keeps you returning to read them. Just as important, notice what turns you off.

  1. A great start is John Dvorak’s Understanding and Reading a Blog (for Newcomers) This entry is timeless, relevant content.

  2. Get to know all of the ways you can read a blog . . . The Blog Realm: RSS, Aggregators, and Reading the Blog Fantastic by Greg R. Notess

  3. Know what to do to make the most of the experience. “Ah… blogs - one of the best ways to waste lots of time. Here are the top 10 tips we’ve found for being more productive when reading blogs.” Top 10 tips for effective blog reading - part 1 by Nev a Dave

  4. Honor the cultural traditions and mores of Internet interpersonal communications. Act with netiquette to show you are a respectful and savvy citizen of the virtual world.

  5. If you’re trying to figure out what makes a blogger a blogger, this quick look works as well as any other.What Is A Blogger?

Just know that the blogging community is worldwide and incredibly helpful. Finding your way around the blogosphere doesn’t have to be arduous or take from here to forever.

Ten Blogs on Blogging

Ten that I find consistently readable in no particular order.

  1. Bloggers Blog
  2. chrisg.com
  3. ProBlogger
  4. SEObook
  5. Lorelle on WordPress
  6. Freshblog
  7. dosh dosh
  8. Copyblogger
  9. Daily Blog Tips
  10. seomoz

I’ve listed ten blogs on blogging. Now, here’s my challenge.

I’ve left out plenty that could be on this list. Add them in the comments. When I return I’ll compile them. We’ll set up criteria. Then we’ll determine which blogs you suggest make

The Ultimate List of
Wildly Sticky, Successful and Outstanding
Blogs on Blogging.

Which blogs do you nominate?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Want to know what’s wildly sticky? Work with Liz!!

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The Business of Connecting and Doing What We Need

Filed Under Business Life, Successful Blog | 32 Comments

Okay, Rodney, I Finally Gave In!

relationships button

It was about a year ago that I heard these words from my friend, Rodney Rumford. You’re a connector! That’s what you are . . . like in the Tipping Point.

I thought, Yeah, I can see why someone would say that, but I’m not one word.

Yesterday, Rodney said, “How’s business, Liz?”

I said, “Rodney, I finally gave in. I’ve taken on the title, Connector. Try as hard as I might to say that’s not what I am. When I looked around, all I saw was me connecting — people, ideas, relationships, steps in a process.”

I have to admit that since the day that I connected with the word, connector, my whole life has made more sense. I’ve connected all of my strengths. I’ve connected all of my values. I’ve sorted out my major disconnects. I know my unique purpose. I know what I bring and what I need for success.

The Business of Connecting and Doing What We Need

Have you noticed how easy it is to be with folks who know where they’re going? The energy that we lose trying to focus on too many things gets released when we set our sights on purpose number 1 — what we most need to do for ourselves is what we best do for everyone else.

Every bit of me needs to be connected — relational and whole. Fragments frustrate me. Loose ends nag and aggravate me. I’m best when I connect parts into meaningful big ideas. The business of connecting is right for me. I see relationships — among people, ideas, and things — that are are relevant and whole.

What does every bit of you need to be? . . . at peace, in service, authentic, useful . . . what word drives you? What business are you really in?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Are you looking to get unstuck?

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Liz and Lorelle at WordCamp 2008

Filed Under Community, SOB Business, Successful Blog | 13 Comments

Okay So, Lorelle Is No Surprise!

WordCamp Dallas Logo

One might expect to see Lorelle VanFossen, THE Lorelle of Lorelle on WordPress, to be speaking at an event such as WordCamp Dallas. But, I’m delighted to announce that I’ve been invited to participate as well.

The event, WordCamp, was started by WordPress founder, Matt Mullenweg, and has become an international event. Here’s a bit of the history described by the Weblog Tools Collection Blog.

The first WordCamp conference was held in July of 2006 in San Francisco. Matt Mullenweg pulled this event together in only three weeks time and ended up with about 300 people in the Swedish American Hall. The first international WordCamp event was held in Beijing China on September 1st, 2007. However, not too many people knew of the event. So the first KNOWN international WordCamp event took place in Israel on October 25, 2007. Since then, there have been WordCamps all across the world including Hamburg, Melbourne and soon to be Dallas.

WordCamp Dallas is a two-day event being held in Frisco, Texas at the George A. Purefoy Municipal Center on March 29 and 30, 2008. Here’s the list of speakers and what presentations are about.

You can see plenty of reasons to attend! Click this logo to register now!

WordCamp Dallas Announcement


Let me know if I’ll get to see you there!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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SOBCon08 Registration Is OPEN!!

Filed Under SOB Business, Successful Blog | Leave a Comment

Go On, Sign Up!

Registration for SOBCon08 is open.

Click the logo below to sign up now!

SOBCon08 May 2,3,4, 2008

See you in Chicago, May 2-4!!

Can’t wait!
–ME “Liz” Strauss

If you’d like to help us, email me at lizsun2 [at] gmail [dot] com. Be a sponsor! Help us find some!

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Performancing Awards 2007: How Do You Choose the Most Influential Blogger?

Filed Under Community, Successful Blog | 21 Comments

Performancing Awards 2007 Reader’s Choice Poll

Performancing

I’ve received several emails pointing out that I’ve been selected as a candidate for the Performancing 2007 “The Most Influential Blogger” award. I didn’t know how to respond, except to think . . .

Wow! It’s stunning to be on a list with people I so admire.

Thank you, for noticing the incredible people who come here.
Thank you, for noticing the conversations and relationships we share.
Thank you, too, for handing me a question to ponder.

How Do You Recognize an Influential Blogger?

I”m struck to realize that a person cannot achieve influence. At best, someone might grow it like a garden –with passion, talent, hard work, and a climate that bestows it.

Musicians are influenced by those who went before them, those they follow, and those they perform with. Writers, actors, and bloggers are influenced in similar ways. How do we choose who has influential power?

We’re all so interconnected. It can’t be only links or traffic. It can’t be the numbers that Google sends our way.

Most Influential Blogger aerial view

Made via Touchgraph

So many people have touched and changed the way I relate and write. So many have been models when I wondered how to respond or when I needed information. I couldn’t list the people. I had to list the qualities they share.

The people who influence my thinking have these traits in common . . .

  • Character and Talent . . . They can be trusted and are leaders because they have matched their talent to their life.
  • Expertise and Curiosity . . . They did the work and still look with wonder.
  • Rebels with Rules . . . They have deep sense of tradition and still reach to improvise.
  • Depth and Drive . . . They go for it and reflect on where they’ve gone.
  • Wisdom and Street Cred . . . They’ve been around the block and taken value from it.
  • Sameness and Uniqueness . . . They understand that we’re all the same in that we all must write our own version.
  • Passion and Detachment . . . They invest their hearts, but evaluate with their minds.
  • Humility and Pride . . . They know they stand on the shoulders of those who went before them and still value what they have accomplished on their own.
  • Introverts in extroverts clothes . . . They share themselves in amazing ways and still are private.

I suspect that if you asked them they would say, they know they have influence, but they often wonder why.

I’ve been thinking about my time as a blogger and wondering how I could possibly choose just one person who was Most Influential. The idea seems overwhelming, even when presented with a short from which to choose. We all so influence each other.

How do you choose the Most Influential Blogger?

Performancing is offering you that choice.

Go on, place a vote!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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