Successful Blog

SOB Business Cafe 07-28-2006

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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

Freshblog provides the what, why and how of haloscan trackbacks.

haloscan Trackback What Why How

Genuine Curiosity takes a close look at the humanity of our human resources.

Educational Technology and Life offers a wealth of links from Blogging Institute Day 1.

The Publishing Spot considers our “not so” melancholy profession.

Related ala carte selections include

ePublishing Daily points out how to boost your profits with back selling.

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 7-28-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

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

Net neutrality ‘weaklings’ must answer to shareholders – FEAF

Tom Borelli, [The Free Enterprise Action Fund] FEAF portfolio manager, told The Register FEAF thinks companies that “run” to government – especially Microsoft who has a habit of usually going in the opposite direction when it comes to officials and regulation – are acting against “innovation.” They should focus on improving their products not legislation, he said.

“Our antenna goes up when big companies seek regulation. In our view that’s a sign of weakness. A free market should be out there competing and innovating, rather than running to the government to protect the market. That’s a defense strategy.” . . .

[snip]

The group has already used the shareholder resolution tactics over General Electric’s policy on global warming, which FEAF believes is damaging shareholders’ value, at an annual meeting in April. FEAF believes GE has succumbed to non-government organizations and environment advocates who Borelli calls “looters” interested in using GE’s resources to “achieve their social and political agenda.”

FEAF’s actions can be seen in a broader US context. With the argument over net neutrality breaking down along partisan lines, lobbyists and other interested parties are now springing to the fore to shape the issue.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Editorial Makeover 2: Music and Variety

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Listen in

Editorial Makeover logo

Okay, Liz. Here are a couple of paragraphs for you to edit. I’m excited about this opportunity, and have a really tough skin.

Blessings,

Shirley

Hi Shirley,
I don’t think you’ll be needing that thick skin. You’ve something that’s a great start. I feel like my job is to take A level work and move it to A++ work. In other words, you’ve left all of the fun part for me. 🙂

I went back to read the post that these paragraphs came from, because I had to know whether both paragraphs were talking about the same person. That wasn’t clear to me as a reader, even when I read the whole post, until I went back to your reference so I added the name of the young man in the first paragraph.

What I’ve done beyond that is change the sequence of things of the first paragraph to grab the reader more quickly. Then I added variety in sentence length and sentence type, put your thoughts into first person, changing a few words to add power to the description or music to the language. These changes were minimal edits really. I did the music part by reading it aloud several times to hear the rhythm of the words as they fell off my lips. So if you question a word change or a phrase added that’s probably what prompted it.

I also added a sentence for closure. This sentence is probably unnecessry in the actual post since you go on to other things. But as these two paragraphs standing alone. I felt the need to have an ending.

Remember, as always, this is only one way to edit it! Every editor edits differently.

Smiles,
Liz

Turn the page to look over my should as I do the editorial makeover. It’s called, “Music and Variety” [Read more…]

Net Neutrality 7-27-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

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

Influencing the political process for advancment of technology

Need an example? Think about IM in the context of what it really is…delivering text messages. How much revenue do you think the Netheads make from IM? Combine AIM, MSN and Yahoo all together. How much revenue do you think the wireless carriers make from text messagin? Who wins the revenue war?

That isn’t the only place the Bellheads win. Look to political process. I’ve often wondered about our own ranks. Jeff Pulver. David Isenberg. Tom Evslin. Several others. Leading voices fighting the battle from without rather than stepping into the political fray of politics to redirect the system from within. If we’re going to win some measure of control away from the Bellheads, there is only one way. The political power base needs to shift. Netheads have to become the influencers of policy, something we are clearly not today.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

After the Music Died — It Got the Link Leak Virus

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Tueday Night Music Comment Night

Open Comments Last Night was held down in Nashville. Folks were singing and dancing. Songs were stuck in our heads. Some folks admitted a predilection for men in uniforms, especially those who had swords. We danced so hard we lost the server. Then, the nasty link leak virus played a tune on things as well. 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.

If you listen you can hear, Joe singing Crimson and Clover over and over.

Successful Blog School of Music

The following members of the class of 2006 were in attendance:
Trisha, Joe, Tracy, Doug, Christine, Susan, Rick, Shirley, Starbucker, Candice, Cat, Ben, HART, Tom, Gerard, Samuel, Meikah, Dwayne, Chris,

Here’s a quick peek at some things that were said. [Read more…]

12+1 Things Every Reader Wants from a How-To Article

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How to Or Not How to

Power Writing Series Logo

People are always teaching each other. We show each other new and easier ways to do things. As writers we teach people what we’ve learned. As readers, they teach us new stuff. All of this teaching surrounds one question, How?

How do I spot trends before they happen? How do I brand my business blog? How do I write compelling articles? How do I become an idea magnet? How do I code links? How do I make a contact form?

As a reader ready to learn, I find nothing more frustrating than a how-to article that doesn’t work. As a writer writing one, I know how hard it is not to miss something important. I’ve scoured my files to compile a list — a baker’s dozen — of things readers want when we answer How? [Read more…]