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Social Anchors that Link Us Together

October 22, 2008 by Liz

Social Media Can Be Words

I've been thinking . . .

about connections. Earlier this year I had a conversation, tossing questions and answers with a person I just met.

Cheryl asked, “What are you proud of?”

Plenty of events rose before me, and faded gracefully back again. None of them what I might take pride in. This one owing to my child’s work. That one owing to a team’s participation. The other being a serendipitious aligning of the stars.

Proud feels like approving. Even when I feel proud just know someone, word often don’t say . . . I don’t want raising folks up to seem like putting them lower.

I didn’t know . . .

I replied, “I have an unusual relationship the word proud. I don’t see things quite that way.” I explained as best I could.

She said, “I like the way you think about that.”

Funny how words like that, words that scare ya in some way can turn out to become an important– an anchor — something that holds and ties you to a person and a moment in time.

It was an ordinary day — a day without a parade or ceremony. Someone who knew me wrote the proud word in the comment box. He put it there where people could see it. It was a simple statement.

“Fiercely proud.”

We were two Internet people who’d never been in the same room. He had trouble with the proud word too. He said, “It sounds weird to say.”

Can I tell you what that meant?

It was a link that worked in both directions.

I was fiercely proud of him too.

Those words were a social anchor — a link, a connection, a relationship on the Internet — only this one was between humans not sites. They placed us and a moment in time forever together on the same thought, like the star rising in the photo below.

star rising

Links hold us together. Some can last forever or as long as a star.

Do you have a social anchor — words that reflect a human relationship link you found on the Internet? Would you tell me the story?

If you leave your story, we’ll be linked in yet another way.

Liz's Signature

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Filed Under: Motivation, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, Ive-been-thinking, social anchor text

Meet Me at the Solutions Stars Video Conference!

October 22, 2008 by Liz

Mark It Down, It’s October 29

Is your business looking down the barrel of some serious questions?
Are you wondering how to build a successful web presence, participate in social media, and do what you can feel sure will keep your business alive?

Suppose you could be a fly on the wall while folks who live and work on the Internet talked about what makes them successful . . . would you? Wouldn’t you be foolish not to?

When: On October, 29, 2008 from 1 p.m. until approximately 3:30 p.m. EST.
What: Network Solutions proudly presents the “Solutions Stars Video Conference”
A Description: It’s a series of videos and live discussions featuring 32 of the world’s leading business and marketing experts. The live video conference will coach small business owners and entrepreneurs on how the Internet can benefit their business.

Nine content areas: Nine vignettes featuring the Solutions Stars will run during the conference and will cover these content areas:

  • Building a Web Presence
  • The Social Opportunity
  • Start with Listening
  • Strategy Drives Outreach
  • You Need Social Networks
  • To Blog or Not to Blog
  • Visibility Through Search
  • Rising Above the Noise
  • Time Demands

Video participants:

  • Tim Ferriss, Best Selling Author of Four Hour Work Week
  • Guy Kawasaki, Co-Founder, All-Top
  • Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos
  • Darren Rowse, Author, ProBlogger
  • Chris Brogan, Vice President of Strategy, CrossTech Media
  • Rohit Bhargava, Author of Personality Not Included
  • Wendy Piersall, CEO of Sparkplugging.com
  • Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger, Dell
  • Brian Solis, Author of PR 2.0, CEO of FutureWorks (FutureWorks)
  • Steve Hall, Publisher and Editor of Ad Rants
  • Scott Monty, Global Digital and Multimedia Communications Manager, Ford Motor Company
  • Liz Strauss, Social Web Strategist, Successful Blog
  • Toby Bloomberg, CEO, Bloomberg Marketing
  • Lee Odden, CEO of TopRankMarketing.com
  • Jason Billingsly, Co-Founder ElasticPath
  • Robyn Tippins, Community Manager, Yahoo! Developer Network
  • Brett Tabke, CEO of WebMaster World
  • David Alston, Vice President of Marketing, Radian6
  • Jason Falls, Blogger, Social Media Explorer
  • Mari Smith, Relationship Marketing Specialist
  • Jennifer Openshaw, president of WeSeed.com
  • Matt Dickman, Vice President, Digital Marketing, Fleishman-Hillard
  • David Berkowitz, Director of Emerging Media and Client Strategy, 360i
  • Ryan Anderson, Community Relations, Overlay.TV
  • Becky McCray, Author, SmallBizSurvival.com
  • Warren Whitlock, Book Marketing Strategist, BestSellerAuthors.com
  • Chris Baggott, CEO of Compendium Software
  • Lorelle VanFossen, Author, Blogging Tips: What Bloggers Won’t Tell You About Blogging
  • Dave Taylor, Head Strategic Marketing Director, Intuitive Systems
  • Paul Chaney, President of International Blogging and New Media Association
  • Linda Bustos, Blogger, ElasticPath
  • Jay Berkowitz, Author , Podcaster, and Keynote Speaker, Ten Golden Rules

You’ll be able to watch individual videos based on the content areas you prefer or view the entire conference. While the videos are streaming, you’ll be able to chat online with the Network Solutions team (Social Media Swami Shashi Bellamkonda and Now Is Gone Author Geoff Livingston), or participate in a live public chat. Select video participants will also be in the chat.

Teaming with ooVoo, a popular online video chat and conference network, Network Solutions will run the “Solutions Stars Video Conference” on October 29.

Visit http://www.solutionsstarsvideo.com/ for updates, including the full programming schedule.

Find more information at the “Solutions Stars Video Conference” event pages on Facebook and Upcoming:

  • www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=33854706886
  • upcoming.yahoo.com/event/1200021

So are you going to meet me at the Solution Stars Video Conference or not?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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

Filed Under: Marketing /Sales / Social Media, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, Network Solutions Video Conference

In the Company of Trees While Walking in the Forest . . .

October 22, 2008 by Liz

november_in_szczecin

There’s something about being an artist or a choreographer that’s akin being a writer. It’s the experience of doing the work and the learning that comes from it. A person gets to understand how parts together work differently than they do alone. It’s learning that the spaces and the empty bits add importance to the message.

There’s something about being a person that’s akin to being all of them. It’s the experience of learning that being with people is different than being alone. It’s learning that the spaces when we remove ourselves can add vibrancy and color to the times when we return.

This time of year many folks see the trees filled with color and don’t bother to see the leaves. Some folks see the leaves and never look at the trees they fall from.

To feel whole, we really need both to use our whole mind, to see the whole picture, to get the full meaning.

Spend time in the company of trees as well as walking through the forest.

How do make sure you’re putting all of the meaning in and getting all of the meaning out of what you’re doing?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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

Filed Under: Motivation, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, Ive-been-thinking, People, trees

The Mic is On: It’s Autumn Colors and Grey Skies to Come!

October 21, 2008 by Liz

It’s Like Open Mic Only Different

The Mic Is On

Here’s how it works.

It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME.
The rules are simple — be nice.

There are always first timers and new things to talk about. It’s sort of half “Cheers” part “Friends” and part video game. You don’t know how much fun it is until you try it.

Yellows, Reds, Golds, and Grey Skies to come. . .

If you live in a four-season climate in the northern hemisphere, you’re seeing the change of colors begin. The days are getting shorter in ways that are easier to see and feel too. The colors are beautiful, but the also mean winter is around the corner.

  • What do you like about fall? What do you wish you capture and keep?
  • What part of fall makes you nostagic?
  • What fall activities do you most look forward to?
  • What about fall do you like the least?
  • and if you’re in the southern hemisphere or where you have sun all year, feel free to give us a little perspective on what you’ll be doing while we’re raking leaves.
fall_trees

And, whatever else comes up, including THE EVER POPULAR, Basil the code-writing donkey . . . and flamenco dancing (because we always get off topic, anyway.)

Oh, and bring example links to share — about fall activities.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
image: sxc.hu
Related article
What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?

Filed Under: SOB Business, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, blog_promotion, discussion, letting_off_steam, living-social-media, Open_Comment_Night

Open Mic 7pm Chgo Time: Autumn Colors and Impending Doom!

October 21, 2008 by Liz

Join Us Tonight

Yellows, Reds, Golds, and Grey Skies to come. . .

If you live in a four-season climate in the northern hemisphere, you’re seeing the change of colors begin. The days are getting shorter in ways that are easier to see and feel too. The colors are beautiful, but the also mean winter is around the corner.

  • What do you like about fall? What do you wish you capture and keep?
  • What part of fall makes you nostagic?
  • What fall activities do you most look forward to?
  • What about fall do you like the least?
  • and if you’re in the southern hemisphere or where you have sun all year, feel free to give us a little perspective on what you’ll be doing while we’re raking leaves.

Oh, and bring example links to share — about fall activities.

The rules are simple — be nice.

Do be nice. 🙂

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related article
What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?

Filed Under: SOB Business, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, blog_promotion, discussion, letting_off_steam, living-social-media, Open_Comment_Night

Ospitalità! Prego! What My Italian Grandmother Knew about Community Building

October 21, 2008 by Liz


Community Is about Welcoming People In

flower_in_window-Italian_village

Most of the kids I grew up with were 2nd generation American, which meant our grandparents spoke a language other than English. Adult immigrants had a hard time learning English. My grandmother, who was born in 1888, never did.

I can only imagine what it was like, knowing that her grandkids couldn’t understand what she was saying . . . Still my grandmother knew how to connect and by the time I was six I was talking with her through gestures, faces, and a tiny Italian vocabulary she gave me. We could spend hours enjoying each other’s company.

I didn’t understood the magic of what she did until I visited her village in Italy. I realized the humanity of my grandmother’s gifts when I felt strangers offer the same sort of welcoming, reaching out. It was a way of life not just a “family thing.”

You could feel from the smiles in their eyes. You could hear it when they said “buonasera” as they walked by. You could see in the flower pots placed outside the windows of every house. I felt welcomed. It didn’t matter that they didn’t know who I was.

In the last 24 hours, I’ve spoken to three people about blogging and social media. All three, in their own way, said they feel as if everyone is speaking another language. They all felt that they didn’t know how to find their way to connect. That’s why I’ve been thinking about what my grandmother did . . .

What My Italian Grandmother Knew about Community Building

My grandmother was born in 1888. Her name was Liza. She knew a lot about people and life. When she came here, she owned a small saloon in a small town in Illinois. Though she had no English — she only knew Italian — every person who came there felt welcomed and most came back.

Her tavern was a living example of a participatory culture. Social relationships and community thrived. I saw these things with my own child’s eyes.

  • Welcome! Every time someone walked in the door, her face lit up in a smile. Whether they’d been there before or just arrived, she stop to welcome them as if they’d come home from a long journey.
  • See! She had an uncanny way of looking at each person fully and individually in the eyes. It didn’t matter if their words weren’t the same. The attention she gave said how she valued every one of them.
  • Smile! She was a woman of joy! Joy is contagious and attractive. My grandmother was a tall, thin 80 year-old woman when I knew her, but until her last day she could make a room glow.
  • Listen! Because she didn’t have the words, but often knew what people were saying, my grandmother listened better than anyone I know. That made a person feel like a great communicator and feel like a fine lady had heard.
  • Laugh! When she didn’t understand what someone was saying, she would laugh at herself as if words were playing games. Then she’d look for another way to reach out for meaning.
  • Ospitalità! Prego! Any person who spent an hour in her saloon couldn’t leave without knowing that those two words meant Hospitality! and Yes, of course! The entire venue was about the people who came. She loved every one of them.

My grandmother wasn’t afraid to build a bridge on the language she didn’t know because she trusted herself to connect in other ways. We can build a bridge to the folks who don’t know social media by taking a clue and some cues from things she did.

Where are you seeing great examples of hospitality and bridge building in our Internet culture? What can we do to help them grow?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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

Filed Under: Marketing /Sales / Social Media, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, community building, hospitality, social-media

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