Liz, Author at Successful Blog Page

What Possible Benefit Could Anyone Get from a Blog?

September 18, 2008 by Liz

Starting a Conversation Offline

This spring I’ve made it a mission to reconnect with the people doing business outside the Internet. They represent most of the people on this blue planet. It only makes sense that to grow my business, most of my customers will come from that group. I want to understand how they view the Internet. So I started finding gatherings where I could have conversations and learn things. I went looking for patterns and what they seem to reveal.

What I see is a huge gap.

You’ve probably seen it too.

Many business people I met seem to see the Internet as interactive TV. They imagine it works something like a television news room. The virtual connectedness and the personal / business relationships don’t come through. What they describe is an endeavor separate, possibly equal, but unrelated to what they do.

They still hear the word blog and the look in their eyes gets a little glassy. So I’m off to BlogWorld to give a presentation. Sure hope to meet you there, but be prepared, I’m going to be asking . . .

How do you tell people of the benefits of blogging?

Sure am interested in your answer.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Patterns of Bad Social Media Behaviors

September 17, 2008 by Liz

In my email this week was a leadership statement from Vincent Wright, Social Media Consultant, man I admire. If you’re on MyBlogLog or Twitter, you may have met him. If you haven’t yet, look for him. You’ll know you’ve found the Wright guy when you see his Wright hand avatar over there.

Bad Social Media Teachers
by Guest Writer Vincent Wright

In each social media environment, there are patterns of behavior.

There are good patterns of behavior.

There are bad patterns of behavior.

Social media owners, moderators, and group participants recognize both the good and bad patterns of behavior.

Those who seek to use social media platforms for their intended usage, enjoy witnessing those who use social media the right way.

Those who seek a more self-centered purpose — even to the detriment of the platforms they are on — use social media poorly, and jeopardize the platform for all users.

The first group could be called social media environmentalists.

The second group could be called a whole bunch of names — none worthy of sharing with a “PG 13” audience.

But, think about this: patterns of behavior don’t just come into existence without a cause, without a stimulus.

Someone must conceive, create, and cause the propagation of both the good and the bad behaviors we see.

If we see what I call “profile stamping” on Ning, where a member will go to dozens upon dozens of profiles and stamp the same banal message with the same graphic over and over and over, some bad social media teacher taught them to do that.

If we see what I call ” ‘hi’ stamping” on Yahoo Groups, where hundreds of members attempt to sign up for private, moderated groups just by saying, “Hi”, some bad social media teacher taught them to do that.

If we see what I call “toll boothing “ on Linkedin, where some “enterprising” Linkedin member wants to charge you a fee for a service that is free, some bad social media teacher taught them to do that.

If we see what I call “invitationitis” rampant on any number of social media platforms, where people without any modicum of self-control seem to indiscriminately invite just for the heck of inviting, some bad social media teacher taught them to do that.

There is no shortage of other bad social media behavior we could add to the above list – feel free to add yours – but, I love that the word “teach” literally means “to show”. So, if someone is showing you bad social media behavior then, they are bad social media teachers.

And this, too: since the word teach means to show, what are you teaching those who are watching what you’re showing them on these social media platforms?

Vincent,
This is going to run while I’m gone to BlogWorld. I agree with the heart and hope in this message. I bet that some are “self-taught” social media experts who are now teaching others to do these nasty things.

Bet the folks who read this have more bad social media practices.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

If You’re Going to Expect Things . . .

September 17, 2008 by Liz

My dad used to say said, “If you’re going to expect things, expect most things from yourself first. If you’re going to be a star, shine the brightest. If you’re going to be a teacher, own the school.”

When I was young I’d try to correct him, pointing out that teachers don’t usually own the school. He’d have none of my argument. He’d just repeat the entire thing again.

“If you’re going to expect things, expect most things from yourself first. If you’re going to be a star, shine the brightest. If you’re going to be a teacher, own the school.”

It’s taken me most of my life to get close to understanding what he meant or at least I’ve found my own meaning, which seems to be what he was after.

I have few expectations. What I have are much wrapped up in the words, “be nice.”

I don’t expect the world to change just to suit me. It hasn’t done so up to now. I don’t suppose it will.

Expectations frame the future with an illusion of control. No wonder his advice was to expect most things from me.

I’m still thinking on this one. I expect I will be for a while longer.

What did you expect this would be?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

image: NASA photo

Spam Ain’t the Way

What?

If You Want a Blogger’s Attention . . .

Starting a Conversation Offline

Bad Social Media Teachers by Guest Writer Vincent Wright

It’s Like Open Mic Only Different

We Call Them Pets

Oh, and bring example links to share —

We Call Them Pets

Oh, and bring example links to share —

The rules are simple — be nice.

Bad Social Media Teachers
by Guest Writer Vincent Wright