Successful Blog

SOB Business Cafe 08-18-2006

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SB Cafe

Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking–articles on the business of blogging written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the title shots to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

A Consuming Experience offers us an in-depth first at the new Blogger Beta blogging software.

Blogger Beta Features Review

Christine Kane asks whether you’re the kind that marketers can hook?

Are You Hookable?

CTBIZ Blogs explains how a test drive in a GM car proved the value of video as a quick, effective marketing tool.

Genuine Curiosity makes a great case for investing in yourself where the growth is likely to have the most impact.

Where Do You Invest Your 10%

It’s Not About Your Stuff reveals the secret of how to let go of that pile of stuff you’ve got taking up space inside your closets.

817 12 strategies for (finally) letting go of stuff you don't really don't need

Related ala carte selections include

Creating Passionate Users shows us how to put star power into every customer experience.

Sit back. Enjoy your read. Nachos and drinks will be right over. Stay as long as you like.
No tips required. Comments appreciated.

Have a great weekend!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Net Neutrality 8-18-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

Comcast Wants To Be Yahoo

AdAge reports on Comcast’s ambitions to become a Yahoo-type portal. The cable giant is beginning to add more online sales people, hoping to capture a piece of the online advertising pot of gold. It is also opening up its Internet pages to its non-broadband subscribers, which quickly doubles its potential user base. In theory at least! Paid Content has a good wrap up of the story, and some pithy observations.

Now with around 10 million broadband subscribers, it is hard to blame Comcast for having portal ambitions. Just as an aside, isn’t portal a throwback of a vertically integrated Internet 1.0 era? How quaint! How old fashioned! Still, I wonder the wisdom of this move, especially since the company is fighting the triple play battle with politically more savvy phone companies. Shouldn’t that be the focus? I think this is yet another example of “google envy.”

[…]

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

How Evil Pronouns Cause Arguments

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Give Me Pronouns to Tick You Off

Power Writing Series Logo

Anyone who has been in any important relationship knows that most arguments aren’t about money, broken promises, or misbehavior. They are about words. Words cause misunderstandings and broken contracts. In the end, what arguments are usually about is that what was said and what was received didn’t match up.

Certain words make this happen particularly often, nicely said they are unclear referents. Evil pronouns is what I call them.

Let me show you how they cause arguments, er misunderstandings. Evil pronouns in question below are in bold.

IT Husband: So Larry, and the dog, and I went out jogging. He got tired and was a pain to deal with for the rest of the afternoon.

ME: Who?

IT Husband: Who? What?

ME: Who got tired and was cranky?

IT Husband: You know who I mean.

ME: No, I don’t. Was it Larry or the dog?

IT Husband: You weren’t listening. Were you?

[technically he in the original sentence would refer to the dog]

Need another example?

ME: Marcy said, “All married women are single parents.” I thought it was funny. What do you think about that? Do you think it is offensive?

IT Husband: I don’t find it offensive that you thought it was funny.

ME: That’s not what I was asking.

IT Husband: Yes it was.

ME: No, I used an unclear referrent. What I meant to ask was whether you thought what Marcy said was offensive.

IT Husband: But that’s not what you asked.

ME: You’re right, but it’s what I want to know. . . .

[technically that and it in the original sentence refer to what I thought]

Want one more?

IT Husband: We need to write a letter to the phone company.

ME: We?

IT Husband: Yeah. Us.

ME: You really mean me. Don’t you?

IT Husband: Well, you are the writer in the house. Are you refusing?

ME: No, I just wanted to be clear who’s really doing the work. . . .

Enough said about conversation.

How to Control Those Pronouns

You can control those evil pronouns in conversation and even more when you write. Here are two tricks to keep them in line.

    Use nouns often. Of course, you won’t keep repeating the same noun over and over as if you are reciting or writing a book for 5 year olds. Know that most readers appreciate the repetitive clarity more than having to go back several lines to figure who “he” is.

    Know that pronouns refer to the noun that is closest before it. So in this sentence, I came with both Ben and Jerry, but I spent all of my time with him. the pronoun him would refer to Jerry.

Of course, you can’t rely on other folks to follow that. So when you speak or write, include clues that keep the identify of your pronouns obvious. Listen for responses that might show that your conversation partner has misunderstood you. Look in your writing for opportunities to add details that make the identity of your pronouns unmistakable.

Do those things and you’ll not only communicate more clearly, but . . . you might even find that you argue less frequently. Okay about new topics then. 🙂

I’m sure you’ve been undermined at least once by evil pronouns. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say about them.

–Me “Liz” Strauss
If you think Liz can help with a problem you’re having with your business, your brand or your blog, check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

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Turning Reluctant Readers into Loyal Fans
Writing for Readers — What’s My Promise as the Writer?
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Net Neutrality 8-17-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

Google: We Only Want to Be a Catalyst in Wi-Fi

The free Wi-Fi network offered by Google in its hometown of Mountain View has gone live.But don’t look for the search giant to go nation-wide with its broadband wireless agenda. The New York Times’ John Markoff has this piece today noting that Google has said no to jumpstarting wireless competition to incumbent broadband providers beyond its deal with EarthLink to deliver wireless services in San Francisco.

Not that Google wouldn’t like to see a third broadband pipe into homes; it would make net neutrality a moot issue.

“I think there wouldn’t be a Net neutrality debate in this country if we really had a competitive environment for access,” said Chris Sacca, a Google executive who heads special initiatives for the company. “The Internet is not pervasive as it could be, or democratic.”

[. . . ]

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Aliens Leave Behind the Link Leak Virus

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Chris Says He Wasn’t Abducted

So, it’s as you suspected. Successful Blog was crawling with aliens. At least it was last night when we were talking. And, as usual, the Link Leak virus hit again. The Link Leak Virus is a special strain of the indie virus with blogtipping mutations that occur in threes.

Cool links were shared.

Inside the Alien Conversation

Here are a few things that were said . . . [Read more…]

The Problem with Writing . . . 25 Things to Know BEFORE You Write for a Living

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Let’s Be Honest

Power Writing Series Logo

Every morning I get up and write blog posts . Then I go do my other writing work. I’ve been writing for a living for very long time. So I feel qualified to write this post. It’s not a rant. It’s a list. It’s a set of things that folks who think they might want to write for a living ought to know before they blindly follow their dream.

The problem with writing is

    that, when you start, no one will believe you are a writer.

    that all writing jobs takes longer than folks think they will.

    that even talent needs ideas.

    that getting to a living wage takes time and boring work.

    that, when you write well, the finished product looks like it was easy.

    that no one cares how hard it was.

    that the lifestyle isn’t glamorous.

    that the pay can be less glamorous.

    that you’re always interrupted in the middle of the perfect thought.

    that you’ll probably have to edit your own work.

    that, if you get noticed, your mistakes are very public.

    that you need to personally invest and be detached.

    that you’ll be critiqued by people who don’t know to say things nicely.

    that you’ll be critiqued by people who don’t know what they’re talking about.

    that you won’t get to follow through on all of your favorite ideas.

    that some of your ideas will stink too.

    that folks won’t believe their opinion can’t hurt you.

    that you won’t be able to explain the thrill of finding a word you spent 3 weeks looking for.

    that only other writers will ever really know what it is that you do.

    that your significant other may not read anything that you write.

    that being a writer can wake you up in the middle of the night.

    that it can make you feel stupid.

    that no one can help you do it.

    that when you have finished, there’s no applause.

    that you have finished, you have to do the same thing all over again.

What could possibly be worth that investment?

Writing communicates through across the world, through time, to people I have never met. It captures ideas, inventions, and information. It’s worth it to be even a tiny part of that.

Bet you could add to this list. Why do you write in spite of it?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
It seems I’m always saying “Thank you, Darren.”.

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10 Sure-Fire Ways to Stop Making Writing So Hard
The 9 Rights of Every Writer — Peer Pressure Is for Jr. High School
Content or Copy: Ignore the Difference at Your Own Risk