Liz, Author at Successful Blog Page

At SOBCon 07: The Next Level Quest

March 20, 2007 by Liz

Relationshiping Blogging Doesn’t Work without Content

I have conversations with bloggers every day. We swap strategies and learn from each other. Yesterday I had more than one. The first conversation was with Lisa Gates. She wanted to know more about the SOBCon content. So I thought I’d bring some of it from the SOBCon 07 blog over.

What Does It Mean to Take Your Blogging to the Next Level?

It means engaging your potential, reaching for the vision and executing what you see. At SOBCon, we’re going all out to make this event insightful, content-rich, inspiring, practical, and fun!

The SOBCon Next Level Quest

Together we will strategize, discuss, and learn how to

Respect that in business and blogging all things are based in connecting relationships
Treat our blogs like a business, or a business-like hobby
Define a vision for our blogs that inspires readers to be part of it
Identify like-minded bloggers whose blogging goals match our own to swap strategies with
Evaluate our blogs through the eyes of a first-time reader
Use links, trackbacks, comments, design archietecture to lead to increased participation, and extended reach that could develop into business ventures
Ensure presentation, navigation and all reader experiences are intuitive, simple and elegant
Know our brand values as readers define them and be able to participate in how readers perceive the unique and remarkable values we offer
Understand basic tools that are useful for video, podcasting, social media, and voice commenting
Reach out beyond the blogosphere to non-blogging readers to become a resource they rely on
Recognize the traits and characteristics of a successful and outstanding blog by doing blog critiques

Presenters with specialized expertise will get the conversation started, and presenters and attendees will work together to get move our blogs higher — to decide what is the next level for our individual blogs and plan how to get there!

Are you ready to take your blog to a new level?

What else could we pack into this quest?

PS Are you going to try to persuade me?

Truly Unique and Outstanding Blogs — Recap Week 3

March 19, 2007 by Liz

A Recap of the Facts

On Monday, February 26, I started a quest to find 200 Unique Blogs. . . . I said that the blogs I am looking for

are one-of-a kind, stand-out, nothing-like-it, wow-will-you-look-at-that. only-one, wish-I-had-that-idea blogs. Every blog in the bunch will be outstanding in its own way.

Then I restated the definition:
A unique and outstanding blog is one so compelling and remarkable that it sticks with you — days later you still want to tell folks to experience it. A unique and outstaninding blog has an amazing impact on a reader. It is unforgettable to both the adult and the kid in you.

Remember John Said This Would Be Interesting

John, a wise, money man and bartender at the sidebar, said that it would be interesting to watch.

I still think he was talking about the fun and intrigue observing blogger behavior cross paths with . . . um, er . . . me.

And well, so far it has been.

You see I’m starting to wonder whether our “one size fits all sitcom world” has made us immune to what “unique” really means. I looked it up to be sure I had it right. Merriam Webster and I agree.

1 : being the only one : SOLE
2 a : being without a like or equal : UNEQUALED
3 : UNUSUAL

Maybe I have a special bond with this word that means peculiar. Could be.

A few more Outstanding Blogs

The first list was 15 in no particular order. Now here are a few more. This is taking a long time. That seems like it should be.

Bobbarama

http://www.bobbarama.com

Hello My Name Is Blog

http://www.hellomynameisscott.blogspot.com/

Propellerhead

http://www.propellerhead.tv/

Oh, The Joys

http://othejoys.blogspot.com/index.html

Sand in the Gears

http://www.tonywoodlief.com./

Kim and Jason EscapeAdulthood

http://www.kimandjason.com/blog/

nakedpastor

http://nakedpastor.com/

Chief Happiness Officer

http://positivesharing.com/

KINEDA

http://www.kineda.com/

My Marrakesh

http://moroccanmaryam.typepad.com/

tdaxp

http://www.tdaxp.com/

the ageless project

http://jenett.org/ageless/

Tomorrow Could Be Boring

http://nukapai.typepad.com/

Onemanbandwidth: An American Professor in China

http://onemanbandwidth.com/wordpress/

I’ve only two things left to say:

I’m still looking . . . are you still looking with me?

Not all unique and outstanding blogs come from North America . . .

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Unfamiliar Words, Familiar Faces . . .

March 19, 2007 by Liz

Do You See the Value of the Bloggers Around You?

When I tell people I write about leadership, strategy and performance and have published over 150 articles on my website, they go, “Wow!” When I tell them I blog, they look for someone less weird to talk with.

The Guy Who said That

And the Guy who Explored the Idea.

Unfamiliar words AND familiar faces have a way of boxing us in.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Self Promotion: Telling Stories for the Painfully Shy
Self-Promotion: How I Learned to Stop Shooting Myself in the Foot

Great Find: A Smart Banner to Boost Traffic

March 18, 2007 by Liz

Topping a Blog List

Hans at Blogosquare has an idea for us.

Great Find: The sure way to get at the top of any blog toplist and boost your traffic

Permalink: http://blogosquare.com/2007/03/03/the-sure-way-to-get-at-the-top-of-any-blog-toplist-and-boost-your-traffic/

Target Audience: Anyone who wants or gets directory traffic
Content: Han’s technique is to show us how to create a smart banner that will promote our blogs more effectively.

The principle behind [it] is that good content acts as a traffic bait and showing it to those TopList visitors get them coming in, increasing your traffic and thus your rank position in the Toplist for more and more traffic. The trick resumes in the blog banner that the toplist allows you to display for your blog on the list. WeÃ¢â¬â¢ll use it to display your best latest posts randomly and hence attract in visitors. After reading through, youÃ¢â¬â¢ll get a traffic bait like this in those lists and start collecting visitors.

To read about how to create your own “smart” banner. Click the screenshot below.

Thanks Hans!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
If you’d like Liz to help you find your strategy, click on the Work with Liz!!

Sandy’s Great Graphic Find: CoolText

March 18, 2007 by Liz

Create Logos and Buttons with CoolText Graphics Generator

Great Find: CoolText

Permalink: http://cooltext.com/

Target Audience: Computer users who want to create buttons

Content: Every now and then I need a button. Sure, I have all the programs to create my own, but why spend the time when there are tools out there that can finish the job quickly.

There are a lot of button generators, but this one caught my attention because it worked so well. Recently a few people told me the ‘hire me’ on my site doesn’t look like a link, so it seemed like a good time to try out CoolText. Here’s what I created.

Then check out the logo designs. I’m not crazy about the terminology and would prefer banner, or something more descriptive. But it doesn’t really matter what they call them, there’s a great selection. Remember to save the image files on your computer because they don’t store them.

It took longer to write this post than to create the buttons/banners.

Here are six things I like about CoolText:

You can create an account to save your designs
There’s more than 1200 fonts available
It’s easy to use
You can edit your button until it’s just right
There are several file types to choose from
It’s free!

Click the screenshot to go there.

Let me know how you use CoolText!

See you next time!

–Sandy, Purple Wren

Thanks to Week 73 SOBs

March 17, 2007 by Liz

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs.

They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank every one of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Should anyone question this SOB button’s validity, send him or her directly to me. This award comes with a full “Liz said so” guarantee. It is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

Want to become an SOB?

If you’re an SO-Wanna-B, you can see the whole list of SOBs and learn how to be one by visiting the SOB Hall of Fame. Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss