Successful Blog

Leaving Folks Room to Comment — Why It’s Imposstible Most of the Time

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In April — Advice from Readers Yea!

Power Writing Series Logo

The conversation finally occurred on a Sunday last April. I’d been trying to work out why something was happening. It seemed the more I wrote, the less folks were commenting. Then finally someone said something — a lovely compliment — that put words to what I’d been feeling might be the issue. He said.

I used to comment more than I do now, but she writes so completely that I find it difficult to add my thoughts to hers.

That thought led to me writing, An Open Thought: Please Take the Keys, a post where I said . . .

Please Take the Keys

Movie stars have directors. Olympic athletes have coaches. I’m just a blogger. I have you.

If we’re talking about customer think–brand you and me–what better case study than this blog itself? You can’t hurt my feelings talking about my writing. I know it’s not who I am. I’d like to know how to get myself off the stage and back into the audience again. Will you tell me what you see? Would you do me that favor? Just say YES.

Sometimes the customer needs to be in the driver’s seat. Please take the keys.

How will I learn if you don’t?

And after a few moments of testing the waters. YEA! and Thank you! for everyone who did.

People gave me lots of feedback and great advice. I grew a lot as a blogger that day. Leaving folks room to talk was a big take away for me.

In August — Advice from Liz Uh-Oh

In August when I wrote the post, 10 Reasons Readers Don’t Leave Comments, I was sure to include that — always leave room for people to comment.

I bring it up here because, I have to say that I’ve found that about half the time it’s bad advice. Some kinds of writing need to be complete. End of story.

So I’m here to say that,

It would be silly to leave out part of a how-to post so that people can add it back in as a comment.

It would be frivolous to drop out a fact from a persuasive argument.

You might not want to omit an event in a retelling of a news story.

The only place I’m sure that you can leave room safely is when you’re writing a list post. I’m sorry I gave you bad advice. I’m a long ways from perfect.

By the way, I’m still doing all I can to get off that stage and back into the chair beside you. I still appreciate any help you have on that. I like being eye-to-eye with people I talk to. It’s friendlier.

The keys to the blog are always there on the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
If you think Liz can help with a problem you’re having with your writing, check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

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Dream Homes Invaded by Link Leak Virus

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Imagine Your Dream Home

Open Comment Night began in a lovely way. Doug and Joe and AdLib started talking and shortly thereafter the talk of magical exciting dream homes started showing signs of the link leak virus.

The Link Leak Virus was to be part of every home we described — even Phil’s famous Gerby Shak! The Link Leak Virus is a special strain of the indie virus with blogtipping mutations that occur in threes at Open Comment Night they become a link free-for-all.

Welcome to all of the new folks who came. It was great fun having you!

Cool links were shared.

Just a Bunch of Dreamers

Douglas came in talking of McMansions, but they weren’t for Joe who dreamed of
a two-part building for his dwelling.
AdLib told of a Dungeon of Doom or the World’s Largest Library, but Joe wasn’t buying. He said it could take as many 11,005,247 comments to get his house back — no telling.

The pace picked up after that.

Dossy brought news of the housing bubble about to pop.
Kirsten decided that one dream house was no place to stop.
Phil’s imagination carried everyone away to adventure land
Start reading at comment 47 and you’ll understand.
Renée doesn’t need a new dream home. She’s got one.
Ben just sold his. So, he’s looking to find another one.

Rick has his dream home planned with a skycar also.
Starbucker will be dreaming his days away in the mountains of Colorado.
HART gets the real estate mantra location, location, location.
A log cabin is Mike’s ideal permanent dream vacation.

Christine will be on a river in the woods.
SeanRox seems to think the house he’s in is pretty good.
Becky wants real wiring and closets that aren’t too small.
Samuel thinks after all his homes this one is best of all.

cat’s had dream houses and is surprised that a city now has its charm.
Whimsperation wants to build downtown homestead farm.

Me? I just want to live in a luxury airplane, flying to see all of my friends in their dream houses everywhere.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
The Mic is On! It’s Your Dream Home for Sure!

The Mic is On! It’s Your Dream Home for Sure!

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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.

There are always first timers and new things to talk about. It’s sort of half “Cheers” part “Friends” and part video game. You don’t know how much fun it is until you try it.

Tonight we’re talking dream homes!

manor of the others

We might also talk about

  • littles homes in the countryside
  • mansions on the grounds
  • cottage in the woods
  • city apartments

AND THE EVER POPULAR,
Basil the code-writing donkey.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Dream Homes on Open Mic Tonight 7pm Chicago Time

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I’ve Always Wanted a Home in the Hills

Personal Branding logo

YES, the mic will be open again tonight. So start collecting your thoughts. Remember, you get to bring what you want to talk about.

The rules are simple — be nice.

There are always first timers and new things to talk about. It’s sort of half “Cheers” part “Friends” and part video game. You don’t know how much fun it is until you try it.

Tonight we’re talking dream homes!

We might also talk about

  • littles homes in the countryside
  • mansions on the grounds
  • cottage in the woods
  • city apartments

AND THE EVER POPULAR,
Basil the code-writing donkey.

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.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Links Leaked All Over the Cars!

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Vroom Vroom Leak

In an amazing turn of Open Comment Night events, as soon as we started our cars they started leaking — even our new friends from askpatty couldn’t help. It seeems their vehicles were leaking the most links all night! It’s as if the cars WERE the link leak virus.

The Link Leak Virus was to be part of the whole operation, whether we were Mother Teresa, Mark Cuban, Lucille Ball, or Donald Trump.The Link Leak Virus is a special strain of the indie virus with blogtipping mutations that occur in threes.Things quieted down as our engines warmed up.

We still told some wonderful car stories.

Cat woke to Tanks and a coup. She’s in our thoughts.
HART says never ask a police officer fo an ID.
It’s a Birthday for Designers Who Blog

Welcome to all of the new folks who came. It was great fun having you!

Cool links were shared.

Vrooom, Vroom Summary by Rick Cockrum

What Rick writes makes us all sound so interesting. I think we should do this again!

Liz our hostess once again,
Open mic once more begins.
Tonight it’s cars and highway travel,
Women and garages, the pain unravels

Breanne is first, she made our day,
Working with women and the web she’s not shy
With dogs and cars she loves to play.

Douglas stopped in for a glance.
Of American cars he is derisive,
European luxury is his vision.

Susan came for a while,
Click and Clack make her smile.

Jody popped in with statistics galore
Of cars and women she can tell us more.

Kirsten has good luck car shopping,
But mechanics can really get her anger hopping.

Cat’s in the middle of a Thai coup,
No TV, no phone, with tanks all around,
Communication through the net is still sound.

Katiebird tells us of her great scare.
A truck has attacked her
With never a care.

HART has stories that are really quite grand.
We can’t help but say
HART, You’re the MAN!

Scorpia rides a taxi and walks a fair bit,
But storms are around her,
She returns to her cave to prevent getting hit.

Joe makes us jolly with his verse wit
The women console him,
They say they won’t nip.

And Candice is the sys-op, Ferraris her bag
Stuck in an Accord
Made her quite sad.

Seanrox loves his Mustang, he’s built for speed,
Laptop in one hand, pizza the other,
He rides through the land,

Ben drives up in an old Mazda.
He says his car sucks,
So The Great Big Small Business Show was noted.

Trisha watched House before she came.
She couldn’t stay long
Due to rather bad neck pain.

Renée sold her car and wanted advice
On what car she should get for the tall and the short,
Abby wrote in and called for divorce.

Meikah sang a song about strong inner pain,
Fast cars and freedom, our childhood dream.
That leads to life that our parent’s life sang.

Starbucker’s hearing the train’s lonesome wail,
Life has been good, he’s seen his family and then
Phil, his main man.

Tony picked our collective minds,
About a problem with driving as our ages do climb
We had little to say, the law doesn’t help,
We just cross our fingers, and in time cross that line.

Becky’s car broke down,But she still brought the drinks.
Happily married she’s in a small town.
Her spouse the mechanic, she cures computer hijinks.

Christine made it in at the end of the night,
But her wifi wouldn’t last,
She had to take flight.

And Easton had Arny, a little Geo
With tires like cookies,
The car finally had to go.

AdLib slept in for once I should say
But day or night,
He can’t stay away.

And Alvin, though clueless
With cars as it seems,
Has a brother who sees them fulfilling his dreams.

And finally we end , sixteen hours in,
Hendry Lee with a Wow! You talk like the wind!

Rick, you are the special one. Thank you so much for doing this again! thanks to everyone who participated!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles
The Mic Is Open! Start Your Engines! It’s Cars!

The Mic Is Open! Start Your Engines! It’s Cars!

by

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.

There are always first timers and new things to talk about. It’s sort of half “Cheers” part “Friends” and part video game. You don’t know how much fun it is until you try it.

Tonight we’re talking everything cars!

cars

We might also talk about

  • cool cars, fast cars
  • first cars, junkers
  • things we did for cars, things we did in cars
  • places cars took us

AND THE EVER POPULAR,
Basil the code-writing donkey.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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The Mic Is On! We’re Having Parallel Lives!