Liz, Author at Successful Blog Page

Great Find: How to Back Up Your Blog

November 14, 2005 by Liz

It’s data. Best practices say, back it up regularly.

If you’re new to blogging you might not have heard the stories. I read another this week . . . about someone who accidently deleted a whole blog. Indie told one two weeks ago about fans who rescued a blog–piece by piece–when the author deleted it. Things happen to all of us. One night it happened to me. Blogger redid their blogging software, and that work messed up my formatting. ASCI characters popped everywhere that once was an apostrophe or a quotation mark. I had to change each character back by hand.

When I was reading this weekend, I found a great Lifehacker tip you might have missed, Ask Lifehacker: How do I back up my blog? The tip includes download links for two blogger back-up programs–one for OSX and one for PC.

Each of the programs puts a mirror image of the blog on your computer. It’s your safety net should anything ever happen for any reason. That means that not only your content, but any little template tweaks you make over time will remain true and faithful–never needing to be made again.

If you don’t have one or something like it, stop and go get one. Don’t find yourself thinking, “Oh man, I wish I would have done that when I had the chance.” Don’t work in the “high-risk” zone.

How much time could it take? How much time could it save you? 🙂

–ME “Liz” Strauss

2.1 Ellen Talks about Success

November 14, 2005 by Liz

2.1 Meet Ellen

Interview with: Ellen
Her Blog: The Reign of Ellen
URL: thereignofellen.blogspot.com
Location: United States of America
Genre: Family Life /Cartoon Blog
First post: The Reign of Ellen–May 2005 / Sugar in the Raw–May 2003
Her audience: easy-going, funny, non-judgmental readers–moms; dads; college-aged women
Things to note when you visit: the open spirit of community; the royal gallery; the multiple kinds of interactivity; the connection between Ellen and her readers; how the open, friendly design supports the concept; the features and unique ideas

Meet Ellen.

2.1 Meet Ellen

Ellen’s an American blogger, a graphic designer interested in cartooning and music. Her blog is a team effort. Queen Ellen reigns in blogdom, and Jason, her husband and self-proclaimed serf, manages behind the scenes.

Ellen’s interview is important because her blog shows how personality, content, and visual design can be seamlessly integrated into a one-of-kind blog. The closer you look into this blogdom, the more you’ll find corollaries to a sitcom, a game show, and a brought-to-life comic book. I kept getting the feeling that I was watching people on TV.

Though it’s called the Reign of Ellen, Ellen’s not the only royal on this blog. Each king and queen is honored with a portrait and a coronation. Read through an interview–THAT is reader participation. The comments show that folks who hang out here are not only having fun, but that they consider the blog part of their extended family. It’s easy to see why Ellen’s readers come back every night. It’s nice to be with her. She’s the real thing. Just listen.

Ellen, what would you call a successful blog?

When I was starting out in the blog world, I would have said “honesty.”

If you are always being Miss Merry Sunshine, readers are going to get irritated or bored. I still believe honesty is important, but I think stepping it up to the next level requires including your readers in your world. I think that community is key. And I think that you need to like your community.

I know of several well-known blogs that would probably be considered “successful” due to the amount of commenters that they get. But some seem to have gotten to this level by being negative, bitchy, elitest and controversial. They spend half their time yelping, ÃÂ¢Ã¢âÂ¬ÃâWell, stop reading my blog then!ÃÂ¢Ã¢âÂ¬? to anyone who gives a dissenting opinion. Do readers tune in because they are invested in the writer’s blog, or just to lurk in on the many catfights? Is this really success?

I’m not sure. Honestly, I’m not sure what defines a successful blog. Blogging is such a new phenomenon–time will probably weed the successful ones out from the others.

Two weeks ago, Indie said,

. . . I never posted anything that I did not think was up to my standard of quality. In this respect I can call my blog a success.

What three words would you use to describe your blog?

Community, quality, content, honesty, information, authenticity, humor, accuracy, creativity, value, personality . .

Thanks, Ellen!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

A Bloggy-Life Problem 1

November 13, 2005 by Liz

I post this today for those who come on Sunday looking for something to think about, some conversation, or just a way to ease back into the week.

Here you go. . . .

A new blogger comes with a question about a bloggy-life problem.

All of my friends are complaining that I all I ever want to talk about is blogging. I show interest in their jobs and their relationships. Why shouldn’t they want to hear about what I’m involved in?

How would you answer?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Next Week–Interview 2: The Reign of Ellen

November 11, 2005 by Liz

An Interview with ELLEN who’s been blogging since 2003, and
The Reign of Ellen where you’ll enter the Blogdom of Royalty.

Click her picture. See the blog that crowns readers Kings and Queens.

See you then!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

About Success–What a Link Can Do

November 11, 2005 by Liz

Want to get someone’s attention?

Here’s how someone got mine–with a link. Not that she needs it.

Working last night, I stopped to check what was new with our links, and I saw a link from Sheila Ann Manuel Coggins.

Who is she? Sheila is the guide to the extensive resources at Web Logs at About.com. Some people know her as Shai. She was recently in the news when her blogging network AboutWeblogs merged with b5 media.

Here is how that link changed my thinking.

I often use About.com at my personal blog. I apparently had an unconscious perception about them. It never occurred to me that About. com would go deep in expertise and information on weblong things until Shai made that link, and I went exploring it. I found a passel of information worth sharing and probably will over time. For today I’ll leave you with one link and a picture I like a lot.

This link takes you to Shai’s article on Time Management. It’s really a link to a whole page of links on all kinds of weblogging things.

Warning: if you go to this page, you might find yourself following links all weekend.

While you’re there if you look in the right sidebar and down a little, you will see the picture that I like a lot.

We’re in excellent company. Don’t you think? Thank you, Shai.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Thanks to Week 3 SOBs

November 11, 2005 by Liz

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs.

muddy teal strip A

They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Should anyone question this badge’s validity, send him or her directly to me. This award comes with a full “Liz said so” guarantee. It is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

Want to become an SOB?

If you’re an SO-Wanna-B, you can see the whole list of SOBs and learn how to be one by visiting the SOB Hall of Fame. Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss