Successful Blog

What We Learned About Getting Organized . . .

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Just to Organize Our Thoughts . . .

This week on Tuesday Open Comments Night we talked about 3 important things to do first, 3-ring binders, boxes, chunking time, clean desk policies, CMS (content management systems), duct tape, eat that frog method, energy, files, feng shui, goals, going paperless, junk drawers, junk rooms, leather journals, minimalism, multitasking, notebook and paper, number of emails, online bill paying, organization and the physical, electronic, and mental components, organizers, organizing money, paper and pen(cil), PDAs, perfectionism, pim, posting goals everywhere, productivity, piles vs. files, online shopping carts, spiral organizers, spreadsheets, sticky notes, time management, timers, to do lists, computer workstations and laptops, working at couches vs desks, and writing a series on a blog.

There was also mention of cats, chit chats, funny powerpoint presentations, KitKat bars, Klondike bars, poetry, the Jetsons, and the weather.

We did talk about some cool tools that you may want to check out:

Here’s some of the links we shared:

Thanks for the cool links and for being part of the conversation. I wish I could quote you all, but I know you have an idea of how much time it takes to make that long link summary happen each week. I hate to let it go, but I thought you’d understand.

So, for 2007, we’ll just tell the story and share the links that you bring.

After all, how DO YOU explain Open Comment Night, if you’ve never experienced it?

See you next Tuesday? I sure hope so.
–ME “Liz” Strauss and Sandy Renshaw

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Change the World: Use and Interpret the Data

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What Will You Do with the Data?

Change the World!

A colleague calls you. She’s cranky and to the point. She doesn’t offer a greeting. She just starts right in with what she wants you to do.

What she wants you to do isn’t your job. It isn’t something that should naturally go to you. She’s demanding a huge favor, without even asking. Someone listening in would think you were being paid or that you’d already said, “yes.”

Of course, you have choices here, but the big one is.

How will use and interpret the data you have?

We can change the world by finding out more — more than what we think we know, more than the surface shows. Imagine the reasons, the ways that we might want to help.

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

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If you’re ready to change the world, feel free to take the gorgeous Change the World image up there that Sandy designed back to your blog. Or help yourself to this one.

Change the World!.

Email me about what you’re doing or what we might do. Let’s change the world one bit at a time together. Together it can’t take forever.

The Mic Is On: Let’s Get Organized . . .

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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.

The topic is Getting Organized . . . at home, at work, and in your home-office. What are our secrets for being incredibly productive?

We might also talk about

  • Time management
  • Great tips for staying organized
  • What area causes us the most stress, and
  • When to hire a professional organizer.

including THE EVER POPULAR,
Basil the code-writing donkey.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?

Open Mic 7pm Chgo Time: We’re Getting Organized

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Yes the Mic Will Be on Tonight

Join Us Tonight for Tues. Open Comments

The Topic is: What I’m Doing to Get Organized. . .

We might also talk about what’s working and what’s not; cool tips and tricks; what causes us the most stress; and whatever else comes up.

The rules are simple — be nice.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related article
What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?

To Dave Sifry, Janice Myint and Technorati

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Dear Dave, Janice, and all the Technorati Team,

I’m sorry I rained on your parade yesterday. That wasn’t very nice of me. Usually I’m more careful of such things.

My head was still attached to my heart. The problem was I was only thinking of the people on this side of the equation. I could have let you celebrate your glory for a day. How arrogant of me to charge right in there to find fault. I really am sorry.

But how did you respond?

With winning colors!

Every comment that I forwarded was attended to as far as I can tell — fast, effectively, and without a word of “hey look us.”

And then this morning, an IM from Janice with the biggest surprise of all.
Major corrections to my link count.

Sometimes it’s even harder to move when everyone’s watching.

Thank you, Dave, Janice, and everyone who heard me.

Thank you, for letting me know I bet on the right team.

Liz's Signature

see
Congratulations on the Tag Page at Technorati! Is it Our Turn Now?

A Pre-Publishing Checklist for Feeding the Spiders

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Making Sure the Investment Pays Off

New Blogger Logo

Yep I write every day and I publish. That’s way I make sure that my voice is heard. I also want to be sure that my words are visible. I like to see that the spiders serve them up in Google.

Prorating the time that I spent gathering ideas, I’ve probably spent 60-120 minutes on average post. Time writing is time working. Time spent is an investment. It’s time I could be using talking to bloggers and talking with clients. Before I hit publish I make sure that the time I’ve invested pays off as well as it might. I’ve made a short Pre-Flight Publishing list that I run down, before I pass say, “Go.”

Pre-Publishing Checklist

  1. Is the content keyword rich? By waiting to read for keywords until after all other checks, I make sure that I don’t forfeit quality to pray at the altar of SEO. Now, I can look for keywords my readers might search for and make sure that they find the relevant content that I have to offer. I won’t be reaching, and they won’t be disappointed. Current relationships will stay strong, and new readers will be pleased with what they encounter here.
  2. What tags might I add that belong with this post? Tags can help search engine spiders properly index my post. Post tags are definitely blog, brand, and business promotion. If your blogging software doesn’t easily allow you to tag your posts, there are plug-ins and hacks for every platform out there.
  3. What related articles do I have that readers might be interested in reading? Offering related articles for readers to read more when they finished my post, gives people more information about a subject they’ve already shown interest in. It also gets readers more involved with my blog, my business, and my brand.

    The intra-link that you make at the end of your post shows people how your content relates and is relevant throughout your blog — this helps search engines index it as well.

  4. Are there opportunities for trackbacks? If I’ve mentioned another blogger’s work or if what I’ve said meshes well with the conversation on another blog, I’ll send a trackback to let that blogger know.
  5. Is this this a one-in-a-million post that I should self-promote to other blogs? If I’ve written the post that reveals how to get Google Goodness from every post, I write a brief introduction of myself and your post and send a personal email to a select two or three bloggers.

    I make it’s a one-in-a-million post, and I explain my reasons for thinking it’s a match with their blogs. If you don’t read a blog, don’t send a link. Period. Either way, it’s a long shot that a post really is the one-in-a-million post that we think it is. Still, there’s a right and wrong way to let folks know. If you’re going to do that, do your homework first, the person receiving the email will notice. Believe me they will.

When I’ve made these few checks I feel better that I’m sending off my work in great shape to make the most of the time that I’ve invested.

What other practices are on your pre-publsihing checklist?

–ME “lis” Strauss

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