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What Ben Curnett said … about the Ultra-Marathon of Reflection

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A community isn’t built or befriended,
it’s connected by offering and accepting.
Community is affinity, identity, and kinship
that make room for ideas, thoughts, and solutions.
Wherever a community gathers, we aspire and inspire each other intentionally . . . And our words shine with authenticity.

What is the ultra-marathon of reflection?

It seems the best of us are searching for bandwidth … the time — at the same moment when we have the energy — to pull our best, long, deep thoughts together. The luxury of expanding into our work, our lives, and our dreams with that focus too often escapes us in the noise.


Pamir Kiciman ( @gassho )wrote Watering Ideas at the Reflecting Pool about how to reach out and into ourselves for it.

Here’s what Ben said . . .

Thank you for the post, Pamir.

It’s helpful for me to think of concentration as a muscle. It has a finite supply of work it can do before it gives out.

I can walk up one flight of stairs easily, but after 10, my legs are starting to burn. After 20, I have to stop and rest.

Likewise, I can concentrate on an idea. At first, the idea is powerful, and thoughts come naturally. Slowly, I lose interest and my mind wanders. It becomes harder and harder to focus on the idea, and eventually, I have to stop.

Your bullets for interiorizing the mind remind me of a workout. The more I train, the better my concentration becomes.

I’m curious as to what you might consider the upper limits of concentration. To use my metaphor (if you think it fits), what is the ultra-marathon of reflection?
Ben Curnett from a comment on January 26, 2010

A successful and outstanding blogger said that.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

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The Mic Is ON: We’re Back to Talking about Summer Before Twitter!

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It’s Like Open Mic Only Different

The Mic Is On

Here’s how it works.

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.

Has Twitter Ruined Blog Conversation?

Just a few years back, it was so simple. We met on each other’s blogs like meeting for coffee or wine at the back fence. Now we meet on so many public platforms that we’re talking more, faster, and in shorter bursts.

Are we losing the long conversations we used to have?

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And, whatever else comes up, including THE EVER POPULAR, Basil the code-writing donkey . . . and flamenco dancing (because we always get off topic, anyway.)

Oh, and bring example links to share —

–ME “Liz” Strauss
image: sxc.hu
Related article
What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?

Collaboration: How to Bring Back that Brand New Blog Feeling Again

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A Guest Post by Alexis Bonari

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If a blog is suffering from low readership, repetitive posts, or a general lack of innovation, chances are that it also lacks collaborative strategies. Some bloggers may be hesitant to even explore the idea of collaboration, foreseeing a loss of readership if they point out a better blog. However, experience shows the opposite: readers enjoy being introduced to new bloggers, so they’ll keep coming back for more.

Collaboration in Action

As an example of collaboration in action, take a look at remarkablogger and problogger as resources on blogger collaboration.

Setting Collaborative Readership Goals

From a remarkablogger post comes the idea of setting specific goals among bloggers for increasing their readership. A group of personal finance bloggers, inspired by a single challenge posted on Financial Samurai, agreed to increase their Alexa readership ratings within six months. Some aimed to join the ranks of the top 200,000; others challenged themselves to reach the top 50,000. But all 49 personal finance bloggers who answered the challenge observed significant increases in readership due to the collaborative nature of the goals they had set for themselves. One blog even managed to increase its rating from #1,432,262 to #215,606.

How did they manage this?

  1. They started right away without procrastinating. They didn’t make excuses about needing to think it over or question the feasibility of the task. They just joined up.
  2. They tracked something tangible. Whether it’s page rankings, readership, number of Tweets, or any other popularity indicator, this is an important factor in goal-oriented blogger collaboration.
  3. A concrete and desirable goal was set. Without focus, collaboration loses some of its efficacy.
  4. Keeping it casual enabled these bloggers to just “let the magic happen” as members of the challenge group created blog badges and set up tracking pages for collaborative commentary.
  5. They promoted each other. Small increases in readership added up for everyone and created a more synergistic partnership among bloggers.

Fresh Ideas for Effective Blogging Collaboration

A refreshing perspective characterizes problogger’s post the subject of collaborative blogging as a way to combat writer’s block. Recommendations include

  • guest blogging,
  • blog swaps,
  • joint posts,
  • interviews,
  • joint blogs,
  • joining a blog network,
  • chatting on IM or e-mail,
  • and participating in discussion forums.

    • Trying a blog swap (switching blogs for a day with another blogger) or joining up with another blogger to write interview posts about each other can liven up a boring blog. There’s no way to lose with these helpful strategies, so win-win collaboration makes immediate improvements for the savvy blogger.

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    What collaboration ideas have you helped you get back that brand blog feeling and reach for newer higher goals?

    ———-

    — Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at onlinedegrees.org, researching areas of online universities . In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

    Thanks, Alexis! You’ve cited two of the best blogging collaborators I know!

    –ME “Liz” Strauss
    Work with Liz on your business!!

    It’s the people and the great information inside that make me a proud affiliate of …

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#DellCAP DAYS: How DELL Builds Trust Long Before a Meeting

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From Wondering to Commitment

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This week I’ll be attending the inaugural DELL Customer Advisory Panel (CAP) event at the DELL HQ in Round Rock, TX. (Thank you, DELL, for generously covering the costs of our travel.) As anyone might be, I was delighted to receive the invitation — who doesn’t feel good to know their opinion is wanted and valued?

That this will be the first Customer Advisory Panel and that DELL has integrated social media so well throughout its business also sparked my curiosity. I decided to wait until this week to research the event beyond what information I received from DELL. I was interested in the pre-event preparations and what they might reveal.

You see, I’ve been to meetings portrayed as learning with and talking with customers. Some have been great conversations and shared learning experiences. Others have been presentations in which the hosts talked, demonstrated, and even apologized, but only wanted validation from the invited guests. Bet you have too.

From the first #DellCAP email, I wondered about the make up of the group, about the purpose of the event, about the form the discussions might take. One small action at a time, DELL raised the bar and built trust that this will be a great meeting. I hope they don’t mind if I share some of the most brilliant, yet most basic, beautifully executed ways that they’ve already built a high-trust relationship with me by showing (not telling) that they value the people who are coming down.

  • Opt-in travel arrangements. Part of the stress of any trip is the getting there. Every airport, every city has it’s own unique ways of doing things. Every new hotel is a strange space until we’ve stayed there. The care for detail builds trust.
    • I received a link with information about the rocking hotel DELL had arranged for their guests to stay in.
    • I received an email asking my travel preferences – airport, airline, time of day, window or aisle. When the flight was booked, I received another email asking my approval of the selections, which were exactly as I requested.
  • Clear CAP Day Guidelines. As Sally Hogshead says, “Trust comforts us with certainty and reliability.” Knowing the goal of the event, knowing the expectations, and knowing how the company plans to support them is a huge comfort and trust builder.
    • The goal was clearly stated and so was the intention of a long-term relationship (not a one-CAP stand):
      Our goal for this event is to hold open, honest and collaborative dialogues around topics that you have identified as top of mind as well as to get to know each other better and help bring our collective communities together and keep the conversations and ideas begun today going long after we’ve said adieu to this CAP Day event.
    • The commitment to the community was defined:
      To help bring turn these goals into realities, and to make our teammates in the Legal department comfortable, we have outlined the following guiding principles for participating in the CAP program – today and ongoing. These guidelines apply to both Dell customers and team members participating in the CAP Day event.
    • The five principles to guide employees and invited guests included open, collaborative communication; transparency of affiliation; protection of privacy; standards of conduct; and sharing of the event happenings.
  • An Event Framing Survey. Most surveys are a “Web 1.0” experience. We ask others, “What do you think of me? What do you thinking of what I’m doing?” DELL built their survey to model the two-way dialogue they envision. The survey showed the respect and commitment the people putting on the event have for the ideas and opinions of their guests.
    • The first few questions were “listening questions” that were about the participant. What would you like to talk about while you’re here? Product questions were limited and didn’t appear on the first page.
    • A follow-up question explored the thinking behind a quantitative answer in the way that someone in a meeting might say, “Can you tell me more about why you think as you do? I want to understand what you mean.”
  • Other well-timed, well-thought preparations. Each contact demonstrated the same commitment to a quality relationship. I won’t share all of the DELL special touches yet.

I started by wondering what the event would be like. Now I’m looking forward to meeting folks and getting to work. Their investment in this event telegraphs in every communication. My commitment to a successful event has grown to match what they’ve shown me.

DELL has built a high-trust environment even before we’ve walked into the room. Outstanding.

Other Views of the Event

I waited until I wrote my own experience before I explored other blog posts about the event. Here’s what I found.

The next evolution of social media for business is … by Mack Collier

Here’s the twist that makes this event so interesting to me; The 15 customers Dell will meet on the 15th are customers that have issues with Dell, and want to voice those issues to the company. The 15 customers Dell will meet on the 17th are evangelists of the company. So over the course of 2 days, Dell will be meeting with 30 of its most passionate customers, from both ends of the spectrum. I think this event is also an example of the next evolution of social media for companies.

Dell Forms Customer Advisory Panel by David Gardner at Fast Company

As many of my followers here know, one of my primary interests is helping companies improve business execution. Dell surveyed me and others last evening in preparation for this event (good job!), and, while I’m sure they are more interested in impressing me with their technology, I want to know what they are doing to eliminate the business execution issues that frustrate their customers.

I’m on Team DELL by Shawn Collins at Affiliate Tip

I got my first computer back in 1994 – it was an Acer with a 9600 baud modem modem, if I remember correctly. My next one was a Dell, and I’ve been a fan of the brand ever since.

TommyLog Dell Gets It

They just want to have some people who have talked Dell in Social Media to come to town and they want to listen Did I mention they would pay for all my expenses!! THEY WANT TO LISTEN!!! What a concept. How amazing!!!

What do you see as key to a successful DELL initiative?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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You Can Do It: 4 Celebs Who Lost It All and Came Back Again

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A Guest Post by Katheryn Rivas

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If your life is suffering because of the economy, personal issues or relationship failures, you still don’t need to give up. As you’ll see below, even some of the most successful and popular public figures of our time are not invulnerable to losing it all. See how these actors, producers and business moguls turned their lives around and got it all back.

1. Mickey Rourke

At fifty-seven years old, Academy Award-nominated actor Mickey Rourke has had a roller-coaster life in and out of the Hollywood spotlight. But with the 2008 film The Wrestler, many fans and industry insiders were excited to see Rourke make a comeback after he spent nearly a decade on the fringes.

Rourke broke into acting during the 1980s with small appearances in films and in TV movies, and became a veritable celebrity after roles in 9 1/2 Weeks, Barfly, and Year of the Dragon. In the 1990s, Rourke felt like he was a terrible actor and turned to boxing, almost as a way of punishing himself. Despite his success in the ring, he underwent lots of plastic surgery — some needed and some not — and many outside observers wondered what direction Rourke would take next.

Mickey Rourke had a hard time making it back into the spotlight over the next several years, but he allowed himself to take small roles — even in Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero” music video — in order to rebuild his repertoire with critics and the public. In 2008, The Wrestler opened to immense critical acclaim and public excitement, and the film and Rourke were nominated for — and won — several prestigious awards. With the summer 2010 release Iron Man 2 many believe Rourke is continuing his comeback.

Robert Downey, Jr.

Another actor who was popular in the 1990s but who suffered a long-term absence in Hollywood is Robert Downey, Jr. Downey has been working in the entertainment industry since he was a child, and has been a high-profile, critically and commercially successful actor since his 1992 Academy Award-nominated role in Chaplin.

Along with his movie successes, however, Downey was known for having serious drug problems, landing in jail and rehab centers several times and getting kicked off movie sets. Relationships with actresses like Sarah Jessica Parker also failed during that time allegedly because of his drug use. Because of his talent and charisma, however, Hollywood continued to give Downey second chances, and in 2000, he joined the cast of the then-popular TV series Ally McBeal. He won a Golden Globe for his work, but was arrested and sent to rehab soon after.

When Downey finally decided that he could regain control over his life, he — like Rourke — turned to small roles and even music videos to get work. Friend Mel Gibson paid Downey’s high insurance bill as a favor, and Downey was allowed to work on Gibson’s film The Singing Detective. Directors continued to hold back some of Downey’s salary until after filming for their own insurance purposes, and higher profile roles in films like Zodiac and Good Night and Good Luck, Downey was rewarded with blockbuster roles in Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and Sherlock Holmes. Downey has been married to his wife Susan Levin — the producer of Iron Man for five years.

Drew Barrymore

Today, actress and producer Drew Barrymore is known as a bubbly star who supports environmental issues, works regularly, and wins awards, such as her 2010 Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe awards for her role of Little Edie in Grey Gardens.

But after she won over Steven Spielberg and the public with her adorable portrayal of Gertie in 1982’s E.T., Barrymore fell into a life of alcohol and hard drugs. She allegedly was already into cocaine by the time she was just 13 years old, and attempted suicide at age 14. After rehab and becoming emancipated from her mother, Barrymore began to work again in her late teens. During the 1990s, she appeared in films like Poison Ivy but refused to give up her rebellious attitude. She posed nude for playboy and even flashed talk-show host David Letterman while standing on top of his desk during filming.

Her buoyant, positive attitude today has helped Barrymore to win over critics and the public, and she was hired to star in a string of successful movies like Riding in Cars With Boys, Scream and The Wedding Singer. By 1995, Barrymore started her own production company, which backed films like Never Been Kissed and Charlie’s Angels, which were both big hits. Today, Barrymore continues to act in romantic comedies and more independent films, and is a vocal supporter of women’s and children’s rights, as well as the environment.

Martha Stewart

By the mid-1990s, Martha Stewart was one of the most powerful women in the country, and also one of the richest. She began her own catering business in her Westport, CT, basement in the 1970s, and quickly expanded her network and experience, starting a partnership with Clarkson Potter, which published many of her cookbooks and and homemaking books. Stewart appeared on talk shows like Oprah, had her own newspaper column, and even got her own magazine, and by 1997, she was chairman, president and CEO of the Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia company. Going public with her stock two years later, Stewart was officially a billionaire, until she lost it all.

Stewart — a former stockbroker — was pursued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for insider trading, and by 2003, was indicted on nine counts of fraud and other crimes. Besides stepping down from her business duties, Stewart had to go to federal prison for five months.

Almost immediately afterward, Stewart began publicly working on several lucrative projects, including collaborations with Kmart, Macy’s, and other top retailers. She also has her own radio channel is slowly building up her multimedia empire once again.

Four celebrities each went down a bad road that led them away from their success. The powerful point is not in where they went wrong, but how they are working their way back. Certainly, with the odds they face and people watching them, any one of us with the right focus and determination can get our lives going in the direction we choose.

Katheryn Rivas writes on the topics of jobs and online universities. She welcomes your comments here. You can find her at katherynrivas87 @ gmail [dot] com .

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

My Fear-Less Thank You to the Real Heroes of SOBCon

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It’s Only Started

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SOBCon2011 (April 28-May1, 2011) has started already started. Wow! Never too soon to get good things going toward the sky.

Sometimes I get things in the wrong order.

So many wonderful comments exchanged on Twitter, so many hugs and handshakes, so many requests for “When do we get to do this again?” that I didn’t breathe long enough to say a proper “thank you.”

I’m sorry.

I personally thank you.

As I stop to breathe and reflect, the overwhelming feeling is gratitude. Tears fill my eyes thinking of you and the barn we raised this year.

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Sending a peaceful beach and bottle of champagne to you.

You see, Terry and I both agree that it’s really you — all of you — sponsors, speakers, panelists, and participants who make it all work. It’s in the way you believe in us and believe in each other.

It’s in your eyes, your smiles, and in the way you refuse to let anyone fail.

Every year, we all find ourselves wondering, just a little stunned at how it all came together to be something bigger than all of us.

We learned, we lead, we inspired each other.

I wasn’t the same person before I started connecting with you. I marvel at the ways you all have improved me, bring the best out of me, and choose to see the best in me. … kind of like Terry, Lorelle, and my family.

You’ve softened my rougher edges to make me a little more like you.

I’m proud of what we’ve made.
But don’t think for a second that it could have been done without you.

You are the heroes.

Congratulations!
And thank you.

Please value you what you’ve made and make it even more now.

I love you,

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