Successful Blog

Staying Connected in Times of Weirdness

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I've been thinking . . .
Trackbacks coming into and going out of Successful-Blog have been mystically enchanted. I am unable to know where they go, when they go, or get word when they’ve been sent to me as well. A famous blogger is helping me sort out this mystery . . . film at 11 on the SETI channel.

Until then, please know that issues at Technorati — links are disappearing for no reason — and WordPress –trackbacks aren’t coming in or going out– have made it hard for me to know about your generosity. If you haven’t heard a word about a connection or gesture you’ve made, please email me — lizsun2 at gmail [dot] com so that I can drop by and properly ay, “thanks.”

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Net Neutrality 9-12-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

Amazon exec: net neutrality necessary because of “little choice” for consumers

In an interview [with ECT News] Amazon VP of Global Public Policy Paul Misener reinforces one of the reasons why we need net neutrality: our (lack of) choice when it comes to broadband. . . .

[ . . .]

By the FCC’s reckoning, that means I have broadband choice here on the northwest side of Chicago. Well, sort of. For cable, my sole choice is Comcast-and that’s what I use, with few service complaints. On the other hand, DSL is not an option for me because of the lousy infrastructure in my over 80-year-old neighborhood and my distance from the DSLAM. Broadband over power lines? Not yet. Citywide WiFi network? A gleam in Mayor Daley’s eye. WiMAX? Some day, maybe. Broadband choice? Not in any coherent sense of the word.

In Misener’s opinion, the lack of choice means net neutrality is a must because if an ISP decides to begin prioritizing certain traffic, consumers don’t have a meaningful alternative.

“[U]ltimately what can they do besides complain? Consumers have little choice when it comes to high speed Internet. If they had more choices of providers, this wouldn’t be such a dangerous situation.”

There are a number of other arguments for net neutrality, including the possibility of ISPs clamping down on traffic that they find objectionable. Misener outlines one such scenario involving a striking union and points out that while such scenarios may seem far fetched, there are no laws in place to prevent it from happening.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Interview 9.1: A Conversation with Dr. Tammy Lenski

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How Did You Get that First Client?

Dr. Tammy Lenski

I first met Tammy Lenksi last April when she commented on a post I wrote. I liked her right away because, she taught me something new and useful, and did so in a cheerful and inviting way.

I suppose that makes sense. Tammy is an expert at conversations that other folks might find uncomfortable. She’s Dr. Tammy Lenski of I Can’t Say That! She shows people how to have tough conversations that build relationships with confidence and finesse.

Over the time since that first comment, Tammy and I have shared emails and gotten to know each other. She’s told me about her thriving practice as a mediator, personal coach/consultant, teacher/trainer, author, and speaker. I had the pleasure to interview her recently and over the next few days, I’ll be sharing what she said. The first topic I wanted to know about was how someone gets a practice like Tammy’s going.

Hi Tammy. I suppose everyone’s first question is . . . what do you do — what is the BIG IDEA of your business?

I help people talk out their differences and build stronger relationships in the process. I do this in three ways: As a mediator, I help pairs and groups work through and resolve disputes at work and home. As a coach and consultant, I help women prepare for and learn how to navigate the conversations that matter most. And as a teacher and trainer, I help people learn how to engage difficult conversations successfully on their own.

My guess is that the second most asked question would be . . . how did you get to be a coach and conversation mediator and strategist?

Mediators, people who step into the middle of other people’s disputes, have to be both strategists and coaches. We have to be able to figure out the best strategy for sorting out a dispute and we often need to be able to coach people in staying focused on goals and conversing constructively, even when they’re frustrated. I was a career coach many years ago, when I was first out of grad school, but it’s really my mediation work that brought me to the kind of coaching I do now—people started asking me for individual help in instances where they didn’t need a mediator but still needed a sounding board, advisor, guide and ally.

How did you connect with your first client?

I had worked in senior leadership in higher education for years, so the day I formed my business I called five college presidents and deans I knew. I told them what I was now doing and asked, “Do you see some ways I can be helpful to your institution right now?” Two of them said yes. It was my very first lesson in marketing: You’ve got to ask.

So that’s how Tammy came to start her business. She asked and was ready when people came to her. She told me that being prepared, letting folks know what we do, and asking for business are the key — that she counsels other consultants to do just that almost daily.

Do you have questions for Tammy about what she does or how she got started? I know she’s more than happy to answer them. After all, conversation is a big part of her business.

Next, we’ll explore how blogging fits it to make her practice both personal and virtual.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Net Neutrality 9-11-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

Net neutrality meets election-year reality Bill is stalling in Senate; telecom firms push for video [via freepress]

Although both sides continue to press lawmakers to act, most observers say Congress is too preoccupied with pre-election politics to tackle this complex issue before Sept. 29, when senators are expected to recess.

“Conventional wisdom is that the issue will simply sit there,” said Christopher Putala, executive vice president with EarthLink, a pro-neutrality Internet company.

[. . . ]

The dispute over Internet pricing, complicated enough in its own right, is joined to a separate issue — injecting more competition into the paid television market by giving phone companies what amounts to a nationwide franchise to deliver shows through their wires.

The bill that is stalled in Congress, therefore, is really designed to promote what proponents call video choice. It would pave the way for phone companies to compete with cable and satellite vendors by using their wire networks to pipe TV into homes.

The net neutrality proposals being pushed by the Internet coalition are contained in amendment to that video choice bill.

[. . . ]

But Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., put a hold on that bill — a maneuver that effectively requires 60 votes to lift — and Congress went into its summer recess leaving these twin issues of video choice and net neutrality awaiting a vote before the full Senate.

Now, most political insiders say it doesn’t look like proponents of video choice have the 60 votes they need to lift Wyden’s hold — and a Wyden staffer said he has no intention of lifting it unless he gets tough net neutrality language — making it unlikely that the full Senate will take any action soon.

[. . . there is more between after]

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Net Neutrality 9-10-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’m adding this link to the Net Neutrality Page.

Qwest CEO Speaks Out Against Net Neutrality

Dick Notebaert, the CEO of Qwest Communications, made claims last week that the concept of net neutrality is “really silly,” and could ultimately stifle competition and cost customers more.

“Competition is good, makes us better and makes us more creative,” the CEO commented. “That’s why when they talk about net neutrality, bad idea. Really silly. What we’re talking about has no basis in anything. It’s a nice move to make the consumer pay for everything.”

Notebaert went on to say that passing net neutrality legislation would be like telling FedEx that it can’t offer overnight service is UPS doesn’t.

In making this childish comparison, however, he’s avoiding the central issue under question. Internet service providers are free to cater to the needs of different subscribers by offering faster and more expensive packages to some customers than others. . . .

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Introducing Have Laptop Will Travel

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SOB Hall of Famer: Have Laptop Will Travel by SeanRox

HaveLapTopWillTravel.com went live on June 3, 1999 as the personal site of me, SeanRox, to have a place to post random thoughts, rants, jokes and photos, all hand coded and static.

Since that time, it’s no longer a static site. It’s now a database powered with the same content and has grown into a place for me to review technology, movies, music and to let people know what’s new and exciting around the world. Have Laptop Will Travel still reflects my fun, easy-going attitude which is who I am, a laid-back geek with social skills, who enjoys geektastic toys and likes to give people a hard time. If I like you, I needle you but it’s all in good fun. I’m a nice guy, really.

I hope the above helps motivate and stimulate your brain… that’s what I like to do, get people thinking.

Notes from Liz: When SeanRox and I had our first conversation about relationship blogging, he told me about a post in which he asked his readers whether he should be the next James Bond, and about two other posts in which he and his readers discussed two laptop art projects — one involving a dollar bill collection he’s started and a second that updated both the stencils rocking the cover of his laptop and the tech advances going on inside. SeanRox’s extensive background in computers also means that he knows what he’s talking about when he decides he talking tech.

The cool part is that what he says about being a fun, easy-going, laid-back geek with social skills is also true. He proved it when he stopped by Open Comment Night with food for everyone and lots to add! Can’t help but like a blogger like that.

Whether he’s talking movies, tech, geek toys, instant messaging, hacking, or about his dog, SeanRox has a way of making what he says fun to read. Take a look and tell him that I said I need a picture first before I decide on that James Bond thing. They’ve already chosen the new guy for this time around, so I don’t suppose he’s waiting on me anyway. . . .

Thanks, SeanRox, for all of the conversation that makes you part of Successful Blog.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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