Successful Blog

The Mic Is On: We’re Singing Songs . . .

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It’s Like Open Mic Only Different

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.

We’re Talking About Song Lyrics!

Song

We might talk about

  • Words we can’t get out of our heads
  • Songs we love; songs we hate
  • Lyrics we wish we had written
  • How songs affect our moods
  • Silly songs, romantic songs, childhood songs, happy songs, sad songs
  • Our song

And, whatever else comes up, including THE EVER POPULAR, Basil the code-writing donkey.

Oh, and bring a link, if you have one to share.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Open Mic 7pm Chgo Time: Let’s Sing!

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Yes the Mic Will Be on Tonight

Join Us Tonight for Tues. Open Comments

We’re Talking About Song Lyrics!

Let’s talk about words we can’t get out of our heads; songs we love, songs we hate; lyrics we wish we had written; how songs affect our moods; silly songs; romantic songs; childhood songs; happy songs; sad songs; our song.

Oh, and bring a link about a song to share, if you have one.

The rules are simple — be nice.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related article
What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?

Put Yourself into What You Write

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Sounds Obvious — So Why Do I Forget?

power writing hit logo

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?

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10 Reasons to Write and Publish Every Day

SOBCon 07: News and Updates

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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?

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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

Change the World: Know What We’ve Got

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changetheworld8

As I write my blog this morning, I think of those who cannot. I think of those who are not allowed to talk. I mean the people, young and old, who cannot say what they believe, who cannot see what see, who cannot know what they know, who cannot share their thoughs.

This is on my mind because on April 21, Mihael told the story of Ariel, a Romanian student who was expelled for blogging. She describes what she found out Ariel this way.

Distressed, I clicked on the link provided by Alina to see: is this teenager an uneducated brat who deserved his punishment? To my surprise, I read the words of a smart, erudite young man, who uses rhetoric in the most surprising manner to disapprove of some disturbing comings and goings. Then he blogs about his family, about religion and school, he describes funny situations: a colleague sleeps during class, another gives a witty answer to a not so witty question asked by a teacher. Teenage fun. No harm in his words. In short: there was nothing to justify the actions of the teachers.

I sit here and think. I type what I want and what I fear most is embarrassing myself with a stupid thought or a typographical error. I don’t worry that family will lose something they need.

Being aware of what I’ve got opens my eyes to those who have not.

If we know what we’ve got, we will see what we see. Then maybe we can find a way to start fixing things that are broken.

We can change the world — just like that.
–ME “Liz” Strauss