Successful Blog

SOB Business Cafe 06-02-2006

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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

Anthony explains why $300 of balloons is just as good as $1Million of Stuff, if not better.

Steve Remington explains how to ignore your readers effectively.

Brian explains the logic behind the ideavirus that drives 1000 paintings.

Ian explains babel fish.

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For those of you who want to know how I answer every comment, Joe can tell you.

Related ala carte selections include

Dr. Deb Serani talks in her sleep about the benefits of power napping.

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 6-02-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’ve added these links to the Net Neutrality Page today.

E-BAY Comes Out in Support of Net Neutrality!

Today, as a registered Seller on E-Bay, I received an e-mail from the E-Bay President and CEO Meg Whitman making a strong case for Net neutrality. Ms Whitman has come out very strongly in support of blocking passage of any bill(s) that would allow the telephone and cable companies to create a “two-tiered” system of network access.

I think this is an excellent and well written letter that clearly explains what the Telecoms are attempting to accomplish. I will post the letter in its entirety:

Net Neutrality and Snakes on Rocketboom today

Not that we ever need an excuse to get our daily dose of Rocketboom, but in today’s episode, Amanda Congdon covers Net Neutrality in between her rants on Snakes on a Plane.

Boiling the Frog – a Net Neutrality Metaphor by Art Brodsky

The metaphor goes like this: If you throw a frog into boiling water, it will jump out. But if you put a frog in warm water, and gradually raise the temperature, it will become acclimated, until it becomes cooked. Gross, but accurate. This is what the telephone companies and their allies who sell them equipment are doing. The metaphor was on display last week when Verizon Executive Vice President Tom Tauke testified before the Senate Commerce Committee. Verizon is not trying to do away with the current Internet, Tauke said. (Water warm).

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Finding Fodder for Future Ideas

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Finding Fodder

Finding Ideas Outside of the Box logo 2

Yesterday, Joe of Working at Home on the Internet reminded me of my days going to press runs, when he was talking about his experience as a printer.

Immediately my mind flashed to this story.

I was in the car with my friend KB on the way to a press run. We’d worked 12 weeks straight living in the Marriott New York East Side. Now we’d flown into Chicago and were driving into one of the suburbs. She was driving. I was looking out the window. I was taking in all of the signs of the restaurants and stores as we passed by them.

Then, suddenly out of the blue I heard, “Will you . . . .SHUT UP!”

It seems I had been reading every sign out loud.

“I don’t really need you to read me every sign we pass,” she said. “What was that?”

“Sorry,” I said. “Fodder.”

[Read more…]

Blogtipping June Is Here!

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June 1 Blogtipping

blogtipping icon 1

Happy June! I tip my blog to:

Mr. Mike Sigers

1. You are my Jack Reacher Hero, who invented the Link Leak Virus.
2. You push me to be better and inspire me to be brighter.
3. You know no bounds to your friendship and your loyalty.

Tip: Don’t ever give up your quest. You are the real deal.


Mr. Martin Neumann

1. You are my secret pal, who keeps his own counsel over my journalistic errors.
2. You push me too and got me to grow when I didn’t know for sure which way was better.
3. You live upside-down, but you are always on the up and up.

Tip: Don’t stray too far, because I would miss you.

Mr. Prince Campbell

1. You are a the Internet master, the challenger, who keeps things kicking.
2. You keep my brain thinking and keep the music coming when I need a place to lurk.
3. You see the 30,000 ft view without leaving the ground, and say volumes without writing too many words.

Tip: Every time I give myself room to breathe, everyone around me gets nicer.

Blogger Study — Let’s Get the Data Right

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Take the Bloggers’ Study

Are you just a little exasperated with MSM news stories that tell — in so many wrong ways about –what bloggers are, do and think? Here is a chance for us all to contribute to the picture that folks have of bloggers and what blogging is. This may be our opporunity to straighten that biased picture frame, get the colors correct, and perspective right.

Diane Ensley at A List Review has featured a study at U Mass Dartmouth. The Center for Media Research, under the guidance Dr. Nora Barnes, is calling for professional bloggers to complete a three-page WORD survey. Imagine that actually asking bloggers rather than asking people who watch from afar. You can get the details and the survey by clicking through on the title below, which will take you to Diane’s post.

Not sure whether you qualify as a professional blogger? I wouldn’t use money as a measure. Why not download the survey and see whether you can answer the questions? They need to have ALL of the the data they can get in order to have a clear picture. Let’s not self-select ourselves out before we even start.

A major study could lend some real credibility to blogging.

Thanks Chartreuse (BETA), for finding this.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

See the
New Internet & MSM Page

Net Neutrality 6-01-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’ve added these links to the Net Neutrality Page today.

AstroSpammers” Attack Net Neutrality Posts

. . . Well, I’m not sure who coined the related term “astrospammers”, but we seem to have this new twist on the phenomenon showing up in blogs discussing net neutrality issues. I first read about these kind of suspicious comments showing up on net neutrality-related blog postings over on IP Inferno, where Ted Shelton noted that after a recent post he wrote about net neutrality three random anonymous strangers went to the trouble of creating brand new blogger accounts in order to post pro-telco comments on the subject.

The Abstract Factory did some sleuthing on one of the new net neutrality commenters called “Net Chick”, and concludes that is likely this persona is a paid spammer supporting an astroturf-like campaign against net neutrality . . .

behind netvocates (and it’s link to customscoop)

I was looking at inbound links this evening and came across one originating behind the firewall of a company called NetVocates which is a “blog intelligence and advocacy service”. The website blurb says, reasonably enough:

“…blogs frequently impact an organization and its products and image in uncontrolled and often unexpected ways. In addition, the sheer volume of blogs, message boards, and other discussion forums makes it difficult for organizations to effectively monitor the activity relevant to them.”

Organisations want to know what people are saying about them online – that makes perfect sense. However, I spent a bit more time on the NetVocates site and found this:

“NetVocates then recruits activists and consumers who share the client’s views in order to reinforce those key messages on targeted blogs – and rebut misinformation when appropriate.”

FAQ on Net Neutrality

Here are five frequently-asked questions about net neutrality. Your challenge: answer each in 150 words or less. Here’s my cut.

1. What does net neutrality actually mean? Is it a meaningful protection for the web, or, as some say, a romanticized ideal that’s getting in the way of progress?

Think of the pipes and wires that you use to go online as a sidewalk. The question is whether the sidewalk should get a cut of the value of the conversations that you have as you walk along. The traditional telephone model has been that the telephone company doesn’t get paid more if you have a particularly meaningful call — they’re just providing a neutral pipe.

This argument is about whether companies selling highspeed transport mechanisms for the internet should be allowed to price discriminate — charge different “content providers” (like YouTube) for the privilege of reaching you and me. Because Americans have so few choices of broadband access providers, allowing these providers to leverage their market power over transport in order to have exclusive control over “programming” online is a matter of great concern.

The risk is that the network providers will keep everyone who hasn’t paid protection money to them at 2001 speeds.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE