Successful Blog

Change the Conversation to Change the World?

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When Talk IS Action

changetheworld8

Three years ago, I was not about joining. My experience had been that groups pushed aside individuals who had different-sized ideas. Then I became part of this culture — individuals who could work together and respect each other’s individuality.

The group projects that work that way are riicher, deeper, and filled with more ideas. Blog Action Day is one of those.

This year on October 15th, Blog Action is inviting us to change our conversation to one issue . . .


Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

Thousands of voices, talking with their own words about the same thing. That’s conversation as action.

We can change the world — just like that.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

BRAND NEW BLOG Slide Show and the Now YUDU IT! Challenge

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A Time Line of Digital Publishing Buzz

YUDU Media

Four weeks ago I tried to break WordPress here by releasing a blog post every minute to showcase 260 of your blogs. That event got the attention of BlogDesignStudio, who said to me, “We’d like to offer to your readers 50 of our Edge, Premium Theme, to boost their blogs.”

A new event came from the first.

Eleven days ago: We launched that event. It was called, That Brand New Blogging Feeling Event. Fifty participants each received a copy of the Edge WordPress Theme and a copy of my eBook The Secret to Writing a Successful Blog in return for submitting a photo with a caption describing the feeling of writing their first blog post.

I promised to compile the entries into a published whole.

Three nights ago, Tim Sanders and I were talking about the Responsibility Revolution happening in business. He spoke about green publishing which got me talking about the carbon free digital publishing platform I used to build the Brand New Blog slideshow.

Two days ago YUDU.com — that carbon free publisher, who now officially is my client — thought it was great idea when I said this a cool opportunity to sponsor a contest. So check out the slideshow of all your cool photos and captions on YUDU — where the site links actually link back from the photo pages.

But do remember to come back because what we have planned next is something also cool with cool prizes too.

Yudu Nav bar

OR click the link under the slideshow to see the ENLARGED version
in its natural habitat as two-page spreads.

ARE YOU READY TO KICK IT UP A NOTCH?

I made this slideshow. Now it’s your turn.
The folks I work with a YUDU are blogger friendly. When they heard about what I was doing they wanted to be a bigger part. We talked about the possibilites and the next thing you know we were defining

NOW YUDU IT! Challenge at 1pm 3pm Chgo Time Today

Start with a free YUDU account.
Get a chance to win a MacBook Air!
The TOP entry will get a US$180 professional acount at YUDU.com

Details will be on this blog at 1pm 3pm Chicago time today!
(See the clock in the sidebar to set your watch.)
Will you take the challenge?

C’mon, I did it. Now YUDU It!

If you would like a .png of the slide for your photo, you’ll find in the flicker set.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
See the Work with Liz!! for how to start some business rolling for yourself.

The Brand-New Blogging Feeling Goes Out to . . .

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Thank you!!

Thanks to everyone who participated in

BLOGGING FEELING EVENT

 

to get a copy of these:

The Secret to Writing a Successful and Outstanding Blog

and

Edge Theme Screenshot

 

I’m putting the slideshow together as I write this . . .

Hello World Project Cover

 

It will feature the photos and captions from all 50 winners!

    1. Kristen
    2. Don
    3. Sal
    4. Char
    5. candy
    6. Dilip
    7. Dee
    8. Deb
    9. Jorge
    10. Pearl
    11. Beth
    12. Matt
    13. Jayme
    14. Pamir
    15. Amy
    16. Maxine
    17. Karen
    18. Diana
    19. Jenna
    20. SE7EN
    21. Jacob
    22. Margaret
    23. Michael
    24. Pelf-Nyok
    25. Beth

email me

    1. Amy
    2. Matthew
    3. Héctor
    4. Kathy
    5. Matt
    6. Satish
    7. Gina
    8. Chris
    9. Lionel
    10. David

email me

  1. Dion
  2. Mary Pat
  3. Elaine
  4. Sue
  5. Ronen
  6. Scatterbrain
  7. Travis
  8. Zsolt
  9. Michael
  10. Kew L.
  11. Kirk
  12. Philip
  13. Georg
  14. Leefe
  15. Ema

Emails with the prize information will be out to the winners even before the slideshow goes up this weekend.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Bring Back That “Brand New” Blogging Feeling Event!!

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50 Winners Get EDGE: a Premium WordPress Theme
AND an Insider’s Guide to the Conversation eBook!!

That Brand New Blogging Feeling

They say no one forgets the first time . . .
It’s the first flowers of spring.

crocus

It’s a waterfall.

waterfall

It’s a new pack of crayons.

new crayons

It’s unveiling a new blog . . . And have we got a deal for you!!

It’s a $3900 Brand New Blogging Feeling Event!!

BLOGGING FEELING EVENT

We’re Giving Away 50 Prize Pairs of

  • EDGE, the $49 Premium WordPress Theme by Blog Design Studio

with

  • The Secret to Writing a Successful and Outstanding Blog, (The Insider’s Guide) the $29 eBook, by Liz Strauss!!

Blog Design Studio and I have teamed up to offer fifty bloggers that “brand new” blog feeling!! Whether you’re just starting out or you want to get back to the excitement of your first blog post. We’re ready to fuel the fire.

Click to see: EDGE –the Premium WordPress Theme by Blog Design Studio

Edge Theme Screenshot

Play with the demo EDGE DEMO BLOG

Check out the features!!

  • Mouseover headlines that expand to show excerpts
  • Advertisement ready
  • Full Feedburner integration
  • Google Analytics
  • Color variation

Click to see: Insider’s Guide to the Conversation eBook!!

The Secret to Writing a Successful and Outstanding Blog

It’s filled with tips, ideas, and checklists,
that show you how to:

  • Write to attract an audience who participates
  • Build online relationships that make business happen
  • Create communities of loyal customer fans
  • Use the Power of the 6+1 Traits of Effective Writing
  • Gain trust and credibility by writing intelligently from the heart

    • You also get Classic Blog Review Checklist to Publish a Blog Magnet

    Want to get back that brand new blogging feeling?

    To get a copy of EDGE and a copy of my eBook, here’s what to do.

    1. Take a picture of something that shows that brand new feeling like the one goes with a first blog post.

    2. Compose a one sentence message that describes what your picture is saying. Yeah you could call it a caption.

    3. Enter those and your contact information over at the form BRAND NEW BLOGGING FEELING EVENT. Upload a jpeg, tif, or png of your photo that is no larger than 400×400 pixels.

    4. Check twice to make sure that your information is complete.
      The first fifty who follow directions with clever pictures that show that brand-new feeling will be featured here with a link back to their blogs (if they have one).

    The EDGE theme and the Insider Guide prizes are for personal use only and not for resale purposes.
    One entry per person.

    Your entry might look something like this one.

    BLOGGING FEELING EVENT

    car peeking out of garage

    A new blog is like
    a brand new sports car peeking out of the garage.

    Good luck!
    Contest ends with the 50th accepted entry or by September 14th, whichever comes first.

    –ME “Liz” Strauss
    Work with Liz!!

    Labor Day Blog-Lib Link Love Again!!

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    How-cool-is-this!!!

    It was fun last year. Wanna play again?

    1. Copy the unfinished story below into your post box.

    2. Fill in the blanks to finish the story. For most of the blanks use a blogger’s name, a trait, a post title, a blog title — get creative. Finish each sentence in an unexpected way. You can find plenty of links to spark your imagination at the A-Z directory.

    3. Link the text you added back to the blog or blogger you’re referencing.

    4. Be creative. Change the words or storyline as you wish in order to fit in the links you like.

    5. When you’re done, leave a link with the title to your version of the story in the comment box below.

    I’ll gather up the links you leave as I always do. You’ve got until 2pm CST on Thursday, September 6, 2007 — see the clock in my sidebar — to leave your link here in the comment box.
    My version of the story follows the blank one.

    Title:

    ______

    I had _____ , but I was looking for _____. An adventure was in order.

    A couple of galaxies down and one nebula over, I entered _____ . I saw ____ making a Chris Brogan list with ____ about 50 ways to ____ .

    Nearby ___ was _____ and ___ had just ____ .

    Meanwhile, some _____ were wandering aimlessly and asking, “Has anyone found ____ ?”

    No one seemed to notice the group in a candlelit corner. Dressed in black, in cognito, ___ held a rendezvous with ____ , and ____ . Rumor has it they were plotting to _______ .

    The meeting of folks from ____ broke into conflict with ____ over ____.
    That seemed HUGE until ______ .

    ______ couldn’t shut up about that _____. As a result, two thousand people decide to _____, _____, and we heard ____ for days after.

    _____ reported that, “It’s simply ____ .”

    My own perspective is ______.

    End of story.

    Title:

    The gaping void of the CyberSaloon

    772324_saloon_bar-2.jpg

    I had more than 45 things to get done, but I was looking for 1 Good Reason to forget all about them. An adventure was in order.

    A couple of galaxies down and one nebula over I entered a place called Serenity Quest. I saw Plain Jane Mom making a Chris Brogan list with Photo Matt about 50 ways to Pick the Brain of or the guy who writes the blog that was on their screen at the moment.

    Nearby TAXGIRL was ordering a Technical Bliss and Invincibelle had just ordered a jaffee juice.

    Meanwhile, some Remarkable Parents were wandering aimlessly and asking, “Has anyone found a way to have a Life Beyond Code ?”

    No one seemed to notice the group in a candlelit corner. Dressed in black, in cognito, Copyblogger held a rendezvous with Chartreuse (BETA), and Another Blogger. Rumor has it they were plotting to kidnap Guy Kawasaki and sell Alltop on the blog black market.

    The meeting of folks from The Artsy Asylum broke into conflict with Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing over the principles of Confident Writing.

    That seemed HUGE until Queen of Spain walked in on the arm of the Tracksuit CEO.

    TwitterStars couldn’t shut up about that Internet Moment. As a result, two thousand people decided to eMail Our Military with the story, Lorelle fell off WordPress, and we heard obscure Ramblings from a Glass Half Full for days after.

    PR 2.0 reported that, “It’s a matter of getting the rhythm of Life in Perpetual Beta.”

    My own perspective is Genuine Curiosity proves out that Geeks are Sexy. Still, be aware. If you traverse Global Neighbourhoods and the gapingvoid of a CyberSaloon, it’s all too possible you might find yourself among the confused of calcutta.

    Which isn’t altogether such a bad place to be.

    End of story.

    Liz's Signature

    ME “Liz” Strauss
    Image sxc.hu