Successful Blog

Interview 7.2: Cat Wentworth Becomes a Blogger

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Crusader Cat

Cat Wentworth

If you read the beginning (7.1) of this interview you know that Cat Morley has been a few places and done a few things in her career as a World Designer. If you came to this week’s open comment night, you also know that Cat had a major role in Wizard of OZ written just for her.

Tonight a little more about the many things Cat has had going on in her life.

Cat, how did you end up as a blogger?

I’m a crusader with a hot spirit. When LogoWorks started showcasing logos that were remarkably similar to many, many other designers’ logos, I was swept into blogging along with others. Of course there were some bits that had to be in place first. I just happened to be test driving blogger for a client when it all came about.

Cat tells the story of how she started to blog on Creative Latitude. It’s called Blogs, Podcasts and all that stuff.

Here’s how the story starts . . .

If you asked me a month ago about spending my precious time updating an industry or personal blog, I’d say, “Never!” Sure, I have a business blog (now sadly ignored) which I’ve spent time on, but I’ve always pooh-pooed jumping in and keeping a blog just for the love of it.

Many times on “The About,” (About.com’s graphic design forum) I’ve passed a verbal grin in Chris Gee’s direction when he went on and on about the wonders and power of blogging on his blog thepreparedmind.com. Not for me. I felt I had better things to do with my spare time.

I’m really glad she changed her mind.

Next: wait until you hear about Cat and the Queen of England!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related article
Interview 7.1: Meet Cat Wentworth, World Designer

Digg This! A Post Born in OZ

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Open Mic Night Collaboration

Somewhere around comment 180 last night, the conversation turned to writing a post about bad customer service people. Titles for Doug’s idea were tossed around between quite a few commenters including Brian Clark, Chris Cree, and the Advice Librarian.

Today that post is a reality.

Why not go over to digg.com and digg it?

Who Else Wishes There Were No Moronic Idiots in Customer Service?

Go on. Support Doug, Open Mic Night, and living social media.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Here’s Doug’s original post at Service Untitled:
Who Else Wishes . . .

OZ Is Hit with Link Leak Virus

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Tueday Comment Night in OZ

Open Comments was held in OZ last night. The conversation opened with a musical number and went from black and white to color in a matter of two comments. At some point in the wild forest, the flying monkeys dropped the evil link leak virus on the fair citizens of Successful Blog. Perhaps it was as we traveled through the poppy fields right before the Emerald City. Link Leak Virus is a special strain of the indie virus with blogtipping mutations that occur in threes edged its way in.

Cool links were shared.

Precious Moments

There were scads of precious moments and funny response that read particularly well taken out of context. [Read more…]

Think You’re Not Creative? That Could Cost You Your Job

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Balderdash and Piffle

Creativity at Work

Creativity comes from the sum of one’s life experience. It pulls from knowledge, abilities, and skills. It uses neural pathways in the brain made by everything a person has learned and makes new ones as new connections form. It calls upon an ability to get beyond the ordinary, automatic response—to explore the inside and the outside of that darned proverbial box.

Still think you’re not creative? Maybe your definition of creative is too narrow. Some folks, who call themselves “creatives,” would have you believe that all creativity lies only in artistic endeavor. That brings me back to balderdash and piffle. Those folks aren’t creative in how they define creativity.

Ordinary folk have the power for creative thinking.

Creative thinking is essential to most every career on the planet. Businesses need creative thinkers to innovate, to manage risk, to meet ever-changing customer needs, to build efficient processes and solve complex problems.

If you argue for your lack of creativity, that could cost you your job. [Read more…]

Net Neutrality 8-2-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

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

Telcos Keep Castigating the “Free-Riders”

GigaOm’s Katie Fehrenbacher attended today a speech by AT&T Chairman Ed Whitacre before the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and reports that he’s as hard-line as ever about network neutrality. Here’s what he said:

“Some companies want us to be a big dumb pipe that gets bigger and bigger…No one gets a free ride. The American economy doesn’t work that way…We are not going to build this with no chance for a return. Those that want to use this will pay.”

Comcast, Cox, Time Warner to Start Mobile Voice Tests

The Hollywood Reporter’s Andrew Wallenstein has this extended, excellent piece on the cable-telco battle of the bundles. Buried in the article, however, is something new to me: Comcast, Time Warner and Cox will start this month testing the sale of mobile voice service as part of a new, expanded quadruple-play package.

This potentially killer combination flows from the $200 million dollar-backed consortium formed last year by Comcast, Time Warner, Cox Communications and Advance/Newhouse with Sprint-Nextel. According to the piece, Comcast and Cox will trial a mobile voice service in selected markets including Boston, Austin, Texas, and Portland, OR. . . .

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

The Mic is on and We’re in OZ!

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It’s Like Open Mic Only Different

Here’s how it works.

open mike night

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.

Tonight we’re in OZ!

oz

We might talk about

  • Dorothy and Toto
  • The Scarecrow,
  • The Tinman,
  • The Cowardly Lion
  • The Munchins,
  • The Witches,
  • The Flying Monkeys
  • A Horse of a Different Color
  • and OZ himself

AND THE EVER POPULAR,

Basil the code-writing donkey.

–Me “Liz” Strauss

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The Mic Is Open in Nashville — Let the Music Move You!