You Can’t Write My Blog Post

Filed Under Successful Blog, Writing | 20 Comments

A Bad Facsimile

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She came into my office and sat across the desk from me. She might have been the brightest person I ever hired. I know she is the best.

We were meeting on her first lesson for a teacher guide that she was working on. Her name was J.

I looked down at the lesson. I looked up at J. I said, “Do you like this lesson?”

J said, “Do I like the lesson? Well it has this, and this, and that.”

I repeated myself. “I said, “Do you like this lesson?”

J said, “Well it has that, and that, and this.”

So, I said, “J. This isn’t a test. Do you like this lesson? Would you actually teach from it?”

“Oh no! I wrote what I thought you wanted. I’d never teach it like that.”

J get this straight. You can’t write my lesson. I can’t write yours either. If we tried we’d both just fail miserably — we’d both write bad facsimiles. I’d write a bad facsimile of your lesson. You’d write a bad facsimile of mine.

Writing a blog works the same. You can’t write my blog post. I can’t write yours either. What I can do is pay attention to how you do things and find my own version of doing them that makes sense for me.

I can’t write your blog post.

But I can find my version. That blog post that would be only me.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
SOBCon 07 It’s incredible. Are you coming?

Related
10 Reasons to Write and Publish Every Day
Put Yourself into What You Write

Put Yourself into What You Write

Filed Under Successful Blog, Writing | 10 Comments

Sounds Obvious — So Why Do I Forget?

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It’s a simple thought.

When you’re feeling like your writing has no life, put yourself into it. It’s your story, and that’s the tale I want to hear.

If you write about a business book that you just read, put yourself into it. What was it like for you to read it? Did you remember something you used to know? Did it get you inspired to try a new approach? Were you bored? Did it get you jazzed?

If you write about a blog that you’ve discovered, tell me how you reacted to it. What was the one thing that you found compelling? What surprised you? What was your response to the folks in the comment box?

From the time that we started talking, we’ve been telling each other stories. If I hear what you heard inside a story, I might want to give something a try. I might not. Either way I’ll keep reading what you wrote to see what your reaction was.

I can find information in lots of places.

But I can only find your story, if you tell me. That’s powerful.

Put yourself into it. You are the human interest in everything you write.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
SOBCon 07 It’s incredible. Are you coming?

Related
10 Reasons to Write and Publish Every Day

SOBCon 07: News and Updates

Filed Under SOB Business, Successful Blog | 13 Comments

Look at That!

Hi Everyone!
Only 17 Days Until SOBCon!
Then one room will be filled with so many people who know each other’s thoughts and ideas so well, but have never met.

SOBCon 07


Here’s a bit more of what’s in store.

  • The Chicago Sun Times and NBC/WMAQ will be attending.
  • Lorelle VanFossen of Lorelle on WordPress will be there too. She’s bringing a copy of her new book — hot off the presses — for everyone
  • Robyn Tippins, the fabulous new Community Director of MyBlogLog and popular advisor and blogger at Practical Blogging among others will be speaking on the panel in the afternoon.

Want to Know More?

To can hear interviews with speakers on iTunes, click the logo below.

Podcast Series logo and link

Char at Essential Keystrokes has fabulous in-depth interviews.

Joe at Working at Home on the Internet gave us a glimpse into the Wendy Piersall we admire.

A thousand thanks to

Zane Safrit and Mike Wagner for helping me through my very first podcast.

And a thousand thanks to Wayne Hurlbert of Blog Business World for the wonderful experience of our conversation on his Blog Talk Radio Show.

Wow! Folks are sure treating us nice.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
SOBCon 07 limited seating. Register Now!

What Do You Call a Meme that Isn’t a Meme?

Filed Under Basics, Bloggy Questions, Successful Blog | 33 Comments

Yes, Virginia, There Is Such a Thing

I get tagged A LOT by memes. Some are fun. Some are not. Some hit me as downright silly.

Don’t get me wrong. Some are quite fun to write and fun to read. Some are educational and informational. Some, however, suck eggs and are the epitome of egotistical kerfuffle.

Lately memes have looked less and less like a fun way to answer questions, and more and more like a way to boost a Technorati rank. That got me wondering just what a meme is. I was sure that a meme had something to do with ideas and culture.

What is a Meme Anyway?

In his book, The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition–with a new Introduction by the Author, Richard Dawkins coined the term, meme, (rhymes with dream) to mean an idea that can replicate and evolve to spread through the culture. Memes are basic idea units that move, mutate, and adapt. They are the cultural equivalent of genes.

Beyond the personal belief about God is the idea of god as a cultural meme. Dawkins explained that God exists culturally. Here’s the page where Dawkins explained what he called the “god meme” and why it survives.

The Selfish Gene, by Richard Dawkins, p. 193

How Do Memes Spread?

Memes mutate, crossover from generation to generation. adapt, and change. They spread in ways more subtle than blog posts and tags that branch out by five times five.

It’s suggested that memes survive the same as genes — through natural selection. Six conditions can effect the ability of a meme to spread.

  1. Experience If a meme correlates with your experience you are likely to spread it.
  2. Pleasure or Pain If a meme has caused a feeling of pleasure or pain, you are more likely to remember it and to pass it on.
  3. Fear/Hope If a meme promises a future, a threat, a cause, a philosphy, a reward, or great benefit, you are more likely to believe it and spread it.
  4. Censorship If a meme is censored, it can be destroyed.
  5. Economics If those with money exhibit a preference for certain memes, those memes will have an advantage, will be imitated and spread.
  6. Distinction The memes of leaders, intelligent people, and celebrities will spread more easily.

I suppose one could argue that blogging is a meme. But I’d have to say those blog posts that link back and tag five people forward would have to be memetic mutations.

I like the ones that tell more about the blogger . . . but I can’t get my head around calling them memes anymore. Anyone have suggestion about how to introduce a meme to rename the things that we have misnamed as memes?

How’s that for a problem?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Liz is speaking at at SOBCon 07.

SOBCon Bad Poetry: Ode to Troy Worman

Filed Under SOB Business, Successful Blog | 2 Comments

For Troy of the 23 Blog Designs a Day

Sofitel Chicago Ohare

In a hotel, northeast of Wendy’s usual location,
on May 11-12, you’ll be finding Troy Worman in Orbit around a another new blogging creation.

These days, I wonder whether Orbit man, Troy Worman, somehow cast a spell on five folks to get SOBCon to start.
Could be that he wanted a chance to meet Ann Michael and Steve Farber at an event that was built from both head and heart?

Orbit Man, did you secretly plan SOBCon to have somewhere to link?
Orbit Man, your power, your glory, your constant design changes make flowers stand tall and weeds shrink.

A ways east of where David Armano lives is the hotel where bloggers will descend.
That the Wor-man has decreed loudly about the 10 Reasons to Attend

Then you point to the Phil Gerbyshak on SOBcon at Essential Keystrokes interview
Char and so many others know link love is always coming from just about everything you do.

Orbit Man, did you secretly plan SOBCon to have somewhere to link?
Orbit Man, your power, your glory, your constant design changes make bloggers smile, investigate, and think.

So I write this bad poetry to you, Mr. Worman, Orbit Now! Man.
I’ve made it a mission. I gave myself permission. I’ve made up my mind.
I’m going to meet the guy, who is so generous, because I need to know
if he changes his clothes as often as he changes his blog design.

Thanks, Troy, for everything.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
SOBCon 07 It’s incredible. Are you coming?

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