Customer Think Archives - Page 15 of 24

Don’t Design for Comments: Design to Give Readers an Experience

December 3, 2006 by Liz

The Right Thought, Not Far Enough

I talked about design and comments in a post Friday. My theory, based on my experience and continuous conversations with readers, was that design has an impact on whether we leave a comment in response to what we read. I was on the right track, but my thinking was just short of where it should have taken me. I should have gone deeper. I also should have left more room for other folks to add their experiences. Details in such conversations are the the nuggets and the takeaways.

We Break Stuff Said It Better

This morning I read an article from We Break Stuff on design.

What We Break Stuff says is crucial and brilliant.

IÃ¢â¬â¢m not talking about large type, gradient and rounded-corner design, but the understand user needs, develop meaningful experiences design. IÃ¢â¬â¢m talking about the art of tailoring products to the necessities of the user, creating emotional connections and building compelling solutions.

Emotional Connection — I felt that thought, I recognized it when I read it. We Break Stuff had nailed it.

Let’s take a look at how they propose we give readers a complete and compelling experience.
[Read more…]

About Logging in to Leave Comments . . .

November 22, 2006 by Liz

I got this picture in my head this morning. Here’s how to make people in the 3-D world log in to leave correspondence.

Move your mailbox inside your home.
Lock the door.
Place a sign where your mailbox was that says, “You must come to the door, ring the bell, and show identification to leave a message here.”

Is spam mail really that much of a problem — at home or on your blog?

Liz's Signature

6 Easy Steps to a Career Basecamp in Cyberspace

November 16, 2006 by Liz

It Was Someone Else’s Turn

When our son was 9 months old, my husband said to me, “I’ve done everything I want with my career. From this point I don’t expect a lot of new challenges — 21 years is a long time. It’s someone else’s turn. . . . You’re having such fun with what you’re doing. If you can replace my salary, I’ll stay home with the baby.”

I did. He did.

This morning I realized that 21 years later, I had a similar conversation at a trade show. A VP asked why I started blogging. This was my reply.

“Because I was a VP of Publishing, this industry sees me as a product person. Folks don’t value my experience in marketing, acquisitions, and training.”

He said, “You’re right. When I look at a resume, I look at job titles first. Then, if I’m interested, I look at skill sets.”

“That’s why I blog,” I said. “My blog is a 360 degree resume. It’s an ongoing interview in cyberspace.”

It’s true. A blog can be that.

These days no one has job security. Everyone needs an updated resume. Why settle for only a resume?

You can blog your way to brand that defines who you are and what you do much more completely. Make your blog a foundation — a career basecamp in cyberspace — a showcase of skills and expertise you have that future employers and clients need.

Turn the page. I’ll show you how.

[Read more…]

Blogs Aren’t Books, But Revising Is Still Revising: 6 Gating Questions to Make Revising Easier

November 13, 2006 by Liz

How to Decide What to Change

So, you’ve looked at your stats, and you’ve found the entry pages where readers frequently land. Now you’re checking them out to make sure that those pages are fresh and welcoming.

How far do you go? Some were written way back when. Do you edit the content? Do you change the design? Scott of 99 shades of grey asked those very questions this morning.

Those are the money questions. I can’t help but note the irony in the name of Scott’s blog, because these decisions are about as far from black and white as decisions can get.

The money answer is

Change what makes a difference leave what doesn’t.

Not much help is it?

That’s why I’m going to give you 6 gating questions to ask yourself about the landing pages you are looking at.

Using them, you can decide quickly and feel confident in what you decide. Take a look.

[Read more…]

Bloggy Life Question 25 — Would You Blog as the Opposite Sex?

October 15, 2006 by Liz

Mr. um, I mean Ms. er, Sir, Ma’am?

For those who come looking for a short, thoughtful read, a blogging life discussion, or a way to gradually ease back into the week. I offer this bloggy life question. . .

You’ve been approached by a well-financed enterprised to blog for them on a high-end blog, called Views. The blogging team will be you and one other person, someone of the opposite sex. Each of you will be paid US$60,000/year to post at least six times a week about your opinions on any topic– from music to arithmetic.

The blog will be launched with a massive media blitz, and you’ll have access to the resources of an entire media library for photos and content.

The catch? Each of you must blog under the guise of a member of the opposite sex — in other words, you’d be switching roles — and your contract binds you to keep your true identity secret.

How do you respond?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

If You Want Me to Care, Tell Me Who You Are

October 14, 2006 by Liz

Identity, Credibility, Humanity

It happened twice last night. I was reading a new blog and got interested. I went to the About page and there was none. . . .

Most blogging templates come with an About page — a page ready for the blogger add a bio and background. Here at Successful-Blog the About Liz page is so often visited, the page itself has a Google Page Rank of 5!

Why is that?

It’s not because I am so particularly fascinating. It’s because people want to know who’s talking to them.

When I study my referral logs, I check the visitor paths. New readers come. They read a while, and then, go to the About page. It’s not unusual for visitors who read several posts,to return to the About page more than once in a visit. I see that happen daily.

A well-written About page offers asset value and provides a service to readers. It begins a relationship on three levels.

Identity. An About page welcomes visitors who come to your blog by telling them something about you.
Credibility. It lets your readers see your personal stake in the blog and how only you could write it.
Humanity. The About page lets readers know there’s a person behind the blog. Without it, you’ve left an anonymous letter.

Write an About page that introduces you. It’s sets up your brand and starts our relationship. It makes that first connect between us as writer and reader. We’re all so busy and anonymous sources are unreliable at best.

I want to care about what you write. Please tell me who you are.

–ME “Liz” Strauss