Successful Blog

Who's Worth Listening to?

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Listening

Listening is the critical start of an effective social media plan.

Whether you’re a big brand or a solo blogger gathering up the conversation about your work helps develop perspective, adjust perceptions, and make plans to serve the people who love what you do. Listening has been called the new marketing. We’re learning to sort through the chatter for:

  • people who are talking
  • volume and location of conversations
  • tone and sentiment — content and context
  • advice, complaints, ideas
  • direction, timing, and growth

We’re learning to sort to the relevant:

Congratulations. People are talking about you and your industry so much that you need a more robust tool for making sense of it all. Several good monitoring services can help, including Radian6 and Nielson’s BuzzMetrics. –NTEN, Got Your Ears On? How to Listen to Your Audience Using Social Media

We’re even beginning sort the signal from the noise to see:

  • the positive and negative
  • the patterns and trends
  • the random and the regular

The information we gather can be overwhelming and contradictory. How we decide when it should move us to change what we do?

Who’s Worth Listening to?

People online are talking all of the time. Sometimes what we say is influenced by the moment or by the group. Sometimes our opinions are uninformed, missing bits of the big picture, bits that would change what we thought or what we would suggest someone might do.

Beyond all that it’s important to remember that we’re a self-sorted group. Everyone online has access to a computer and is literate. Not everyone who has an opinion offers it. Some who offer their opinion have agendas other than helping us improve. And those opinions and the wisdom we offer can fall woefully short of the depth of our feelings. Those opinions and that wisdom also can be far from what we’d actually do.

Even when we listen in the best of faith, we’re still we’re likely to be confused by whom to listen to.

How do you know when a complaint is worth changing a feature or strategy?
Do you listen to the critics?
Do you listen to the fans?
Do you listen to the people who don’t care all that much about you?
Do you try to get the folks who usually don’t talk to weigh in with an opinion?

Seth was brilliant on just this point this weekend.

… the critics won’t be placated. Changing your act to make them happy is a fool’s game.

Here’s a surprising thought, though. You should ignore your fans as well.

Seth suggests that the most important feedback comes from the folks who thrive on sharing what you do. Those “sneezers” are the people who will help you grow.

How do you recognize your “sneezers.” How do you listen for the folks who thrive when you do?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Seven Ways to Offer an Irresistibly Readable Blog to the Undecided Readers of Your Blog

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Who Decides to Read Your Blog?

I went back to the archives to find, revise and expand, and bring this one back to you. The content is even more relevant now that the conversation has moved to so many locations and the noise is so much louder.

In just a brief one-twentieth of a second–less than half the time it takes to blink–people make aesthetic judgments that influence the rest of their experience with an Internet site.

–Kamakshi Tandon
REUTERS, Internet users judge Web sites in less than a blink
Jan. 17, 2006
Liz reading computer

We’ve got less than a blink to grab a reader’s attention. The reader clicks in. Looks. Decides and then . . . and then what? . . . Do they stay or do they leave? If they stay, did what they see lend our words more credibility or did it take some away?

Design, curb appeal, packaging — whatever you call it — it’s what brings customer-readers further into our businesses and our blogs. They recognize what works for them and what doesn’t. If it doesn’t, they’re gone so quickly that even our stats programs don’t know. Try the Blink Test if you want a baseline idea of what your readers are seeing before they blink.

What about reluctant readers, undecideds who decide to stay a little longer? What can we do to convince them to stay? Better yet, how can we turn them into fans?

Capturing the Attention of Reluctant Readers

Uber Reader Sign

In educational publishing, we use a euphemism, “reluctant readers.” It’s meant to describe kids who, rather than read, they turn away to find their inline skates or a shiny object online. To get those customer-readers engaged you don’t forget them, you off them something. As a product builder, they’re my favorite customers to write for and to write about.

Why am I talking about this when you write for literate adults? The interwebs offer so much that this information has become vitally important to every person who writes a blog. .

. . . You see, with no time and too much information to sort and process, we’re all reluctant readers and becoming so more and more. If you’re a skeptic, try reading the tax code –or any “have-to” document on your least favorite subject. You’ll wish that there were something more to see than long columns of endless text, something to break up the boring words.

If we want our customer-readers to stay long enough to hear what we’re saying, we need to offer an experience that’s irresistible. We’ve got to

  • offer information that’s useful and makes sense to them
  • appeal to their sense of fun, offers a beautiful experience, or moves them emotionally
  • deliver it in ways that fit into the time their life has available

Irresistible is all about the engaging the folks who come in all three ways above.

Reader Support as Part of Your Brand

Those kids we call reluctant readers leave their inline skates to read what they’re madly interested in — books on extreme sports and the latest gaming websites and blogs — if they’re made right. As educators, we keep them using the research that show us how to construct information so that they’re reading faster and with more satisfaction.

You can use that same educational research to engage your customer-readers. Brand your blog as a worthwhile source of quality content. It’s one more way, that you can make customer-reader support a resounding part of your offer.

  1. Tell the story of the information. Quality is essential, but know that quality information can’t carry the load. If people only want information sources are plenty. The story of the facts, your experience or response to them is only where you are. It’s the story that gives connects people to the information. Give your words and your blog life, appeal, and meaning and you’ll be most of the way there.
  2. Use sub-heads liberally. Sub-heads break the text into shorter bits. Subconsciously that not only tells me what this bit is about. It also says I only have to read this far and then I get to breathe again. Our brains like subheads. Search engines like them too. The keywords are guideposts that organize our thoughts.
  3. Use everyday words. Everyday words keep the reader moving forward. Big words make us stop to consider them. Think about it. The word use is a fine one, use it. Do you really mean utilize? Use keeps me going. Utilize makes me stop to wonder whether you mean something other than the what use would have said. Anything that stops a reader works against your message being heard.
  4. Use one or two pictures, images, art, and color to enhance your message. Place them with care where add value to the text. Put images where readers expect to find them. If you’re not sure ask a customer-reader to give you feedback on how you’re doing. Design seems easy, but it’s not.
  5. Take the time to write something short. The point here is to make every word count. Be lethal. Remove every word that you don’t need. It’s amazing how many extra words you can find when your quest is to go looking for them. A few sentences ago, I turned this into two posts instead of one.
  6. Use typographic cues, such as bold and italic, to show what’s important. Be consistent and try not to make everything important. If you use underlined text to show what is a link, don’t use an underline for anything else. If you make everything important, then nothing is.
  7. Show up to let folks know you want them there. Write with room for them to add their view. Consider the questions you ask them. When they take the time to respond, let them know that you heard. Take time to answer back with your thoughts and if you can, ask another question.

Each of these points are about helping reluctant readers access your message in the easiest most straightforward way. When you support me like that I feel like we’re both smart.

Ever read something that made you feel like the writer was saying something you always thought? . . . or something that just made you feel smart for reading it? Bet you went back to see what else that writer had to say . . . . These are just a few more ways to a fan.

What makes an irresistibly readable blog for you?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Be There Before the Sale

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The theme of SOBCon09 is the ROI of Relationships. To underscore the importance of relationships in business and to have a chance to make and celebrate a few while we’re doing that, I’ve opened up this series by successful and outstanding bloggers like you.

Be There Before the Sale
by Chris Brogan

Greg Cangialosi is one of the very best salesmen I know. He hasn’t sold the biggest dollar product ever (I think that would be David Bullock). He doesn’t sell thousands of accounts a day. Instead, he gets the title from me because he taught me a powerful sales technique, so powerful that Julien Smith and I wrote about him in our upcoming book, Trust Agents. He taught us to be there before the sale.

Greg was one of the very first confirmed sponsors of PodCamp, long before anyone knew that we’d have an international success story on our hands. When we called Greg, we had never run an event, didn’t really know what sponsors wanted, and had no idea how to communicate professionally about the give-and-take that is event sponsorship. Greg was kind, friendly, and supported our event. He didn’t ask for anything unreasonable in return.

Since that point, I’ve run into Greg at several events. He uses another trust agent move, be one of us, quite often as well, by hanging out at our events, by creating content and contributing to our space. He’s not some company owner; he’s a guy who spends time with us, has drinks with us, and who we know and care about.

The ROI of Relationships

Greg also gets the sales. I am personally a customer. I bought another account for my company. PodCamp co-founder Christopher S. Penn is a customer, and has sold the service to his company as well. Both of us refer Blue Sky Factory to anyone asking about email marketing. We love the service, and it’s cost-effective and all that, but most important to us, we have a relationship with Greg, and his service is the product of record for us with regards to email marketing.

Given Chris’s audience, my audience, the people who will buy Trust Agents, and all the time between now and the end of his business, Greg gets free, passionate advertising all the time from a growing legion of fans. For the price of a few beers here and there, Greg has an army.

If that’s not a return on investment, I don’t know what is.

Chris Brogan blogs at [chrisbrogan.com]. He is president of New Marketing Labs.
His twitter name is: @chrisbrogan

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The Castaways of Survivor SxSW Austin: How to Find ADOS Immunity at a Huge Conference

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Off to the Island We Go

I was still a young pup when I discovered the key to conferences. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in. They’re arranged, funded, and attended by people. People at conferences seem to fall victim to the same behaviors. By the end, the folks leaving can look like they’ve lived a season of Survivor — Take for example this recent conference: Survivor SxSW Austin.

People were off to the island of Austin. Soon enough SxSW castaways realized that their ties to home were gone. We started saying hello; finding common ground; seeing who had a SxSW badge, forming our teams. The people of the town, the people of restaurants, the people in the cars, cabs, and hallways become like so much scenery — we only interacted with them when we needed essentials — food, clothing, and shelter (well, mostly food.)

Survivor SxSW became Reality 2.0. Anticipation was high. Possibilities were higher. Intentions and expectations were everywhere. “Do everything” looked like the only option between now and home. Survival required focus and follow through in the alien environment that only a huge conference can be. The folks who came without training were at a serious disadvantage.

The 3 questions on the Survivor site were heard throughout the week.

  • Who’s most under-estimated?
  • What’s the wildest moment so far?
  • Which castaway seems most out of their element?

Who would be left standing at the end of a week?

It’s easy to feel alone. No one gets automatic immunity. You have to find your own.

The Castaways

Huge conference after huge conference the cast doesn’t seem to change. Let me introduce you to the folks I always see. They were there last year … but like a new season of Survivor, they seemed to be the same people with different names.

  1. The first timer: She was glad to be there and overwhelmed that everyone knew what she didn’t — that just because you know 100 people at the same conference, it doesn’t mean you’ll see any of them. She’s was soon wishing she’d come with comfortable shoes, with a plan, with a friend to keep her company.
  2. The up and comer: He went for the win. In a few hours, everyone knew him. He was networking until the cows came home, or at least back to his hotel. You’ll know him by the number of flickr pix that you find tagged with his name. Do you have a copy of his book? Wait, he hasn’t had time to write it yet.
  3. The information junkie: Her head was in the panels. She could quote chapter and verse of the keynotes and blogged every question. Her program was worn to shreds from handling by Day 2. She exchanged cards with every speaker, but didn’t really have a conversation the entire week.
  4. The party monkeys: Each morning they built alliances on the list of parties they’d attend that evening. The next day they spoke slowly about how long the lines were. They lost their voices and their hearing by bits with each new sunrise.
  5. The rockstar: She showed up for appearances, did her gig, smiled at fans, shook their hands, and disappeared almost as quickly. She might have gotten off most easily because her unreal fame fits the unreality of the conference with a resonating rhythm.
  6. The social jockey: He decided what to do and which people to spend time with based on whether they add to his visibility. You know your star is rising if his kind spoke with you this year.
  7. The sponsors and the sponsored: They worked their butts off and hardly had time to talk. They made everything happen. When they had downtime they talked business or partied like the attendees.
  8. The camera crew: The camera crew was busy with their cameras. They are not allowed to interact while the cameras are on. They’ll experience the conference when they look through their flickr accounts.
  9. The pros: They treated the conference like a Twitter stream — taking part in what they found valuable, letting the rest go by. They did business. They attended some sessions and events. They skipped others for quality conversation. They got sleep every night. They kept their feet on ground and their thoughts in perspective.

Lots of regular folks were there too, by Day 4 they were easy to identify. They were the ones who were still awake and itching to find their own pillow. A Survivor Experience can wear on the most grounded psyches. These are the folks who disappeared from the interwebs when they got home.

How to Find ADOS Immunity at a Huge Conference

Lots of great things happen at conferences. SxSW is outstanding for what it offers –incredible opportunities to expand your network and constant input to move your thinking to new levels. You’ll meet great people and if you try, you’ll get a chance to know them. To be successful, you need to find immunity to an extreme case of ADD that someone called ADOS — AD-oooo shiny.

Five ground rules will help.

  1. Build your network before you go. Meet people via email and telephone long before you get to the “island.” Huge conferences are more valuable if you already have a connection to the people you’re going to meet. You’ll also find that more of the meetings that you plan will actually take place.
  2. Invest in a goal. That will give your conference a direction and a basis on which to make decisions about what to do next when unexpected opportunities jump in front of you.
  3. Only plan 3 – 5 things each day and be lethal about getting those done. Interruptions and opportunities to explore people, places, and conversations will be everywhere all day long. If you find you have time to do more than you planned, you’ll be ahead of the game.
  4. Make time for at least one important conversation daily. Go to lunch with smart people. Talk about smart things. A week of continuous small talk can make any person feel shallow, insecure, and a little lost.
  5. Make time for sleep. Don’t think you can do everything. No one will notice if you missed that third party on Tuesday. Everyone will notice if you look a wreck and can’t think by Day 3.

Those few strategies can help keep your balance. You’ll accomplish your goals, get a return on your investment, and learn plenty from just being there. You’ll head home a Survivor, feeling like the tribe was worth every minute you spent in their company.

What do you do to survive huge conferences?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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50 Blue Feather Tweeters: Talking about People Who Talk With You

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A new guy at the local pub asked me, “What is Twitter?” He said he couldn’t make sense of it, but he supposed his niece could. She has a blog.

I finished what I was tweeting and walked over to show him. I held out the public timeline on my iPhone and began talking about what folks were talking about. As we looked down the stream, I “introduced” him to people in the avatars. We talked about what each tweet showed about the ways people use Twitter.

I pointed out the huge audience of lurkers and listeners and told the man in the pub that I preferred the folks who talk. The folks who talk make the tool a mutual resource. People who talk share information, ideas, and insights. From them I learn, I laugh, and I connect to new people and new ideas. Questions get asked answered by the folks who talk. It’s like networking offline with the speed and reach of the Internet.

The man in the pub was shocked and awed …

The man in the pub came to mind yesterday when I read Lonnie Hodge’s Blue Feather Tweeters.

So, I thought “How about a list of the top 20-30 nicest people to meet and tweet on Twitter?” Here are my first picks for Blue Feather Friends–who actually talk to you….

Lonnie’s post and his idea to celebrate friends who actually talk to you … so inspired me. I want to offer you some of my favorite tweeters too — the folks who help me learn. Certainly these aren’t nearly all of you, but these ones I think wouldn’t mind a a new person starting a conversation.

Just a Few of My Blue Feather Tweeters

  1. @lonniehodge He started the idea of blue feather tweeters and I’ve been reading his blog for almost 4 years.
  2. @amyderby Listen in at night when she and I are designing t-shirts.
  3. @rickmahn Ask him what LoL really stands for.
  4. @zenaweist About as wise as they come and even more fun than that.
  5. @jimpeake His conversation can be about anything. You’ll never be bored.
  6. @DivinePurposeMV Listen to what she says, it’s always uplifting.
  7. @AaronStrout A truly decent human being who knows business and tweets with professional generosity.
  8. @BeckyMcCray Wit, style and everything about small town small business. Ask her about rush moment.
  9. @JimStorer Lovely, kind, intelligent with a wicked mischief in his smile.
  10. @JennFowler Fabulous sense of humor and fabulous hair.
  11. @roberthruzek The original cowboy hat wearing gentleman of Twitter.
  12. @carole_hicks Energy, enthusiasm, and so much honesty. Ask her about socks and social media.
  13. @ahoffmann50 Always checking in to see how things are — if your life is a rollercoaster he knows all about them.
  14. @eeUS Every morning she greets Twitterville with a smile.
  15. @rainesmaker He speaks in brilliant sentences and often they’re hilarious.
  16. @DebNg Soft words and a sly clever way of saying them. She’s a natural community manager.
  17. @gassho He knows that reflection and silence matter. His words show it.
  18. @joanna young The smile in her latest avatar says it all.
  19. @CCSeed Intelligent, soft-spoken, and often profoundly insightful in 140 characters
  20. @amypalko She’s extraordinary. Ask her about soaring.
  21. @davepeck This is a guy worth meeting! Just say, “OMG it’s Dave Peck!” to him.
  22. @heatherrast Every morning she greets Twitterville with a smile.
  23. @markdavidson Twitter maven who’ll answer your questions and make you laugh while he does.
  24. @_Deb She’s picturing us with tha camera. Tell her it’s time to sort her sweater collection.
  25. @toddsmithphoto Always look when he points you to his latest gallery.
  26. @northernchick Gentle and funny … and oh so smart.
  27. @starbucker Positive in his world view. You will be too, especially if you sing along.
  28. @rosasay Every bit of Rosa is leadership with aloha. You hear smile when she talks.
  29. @shashib Truly a connector who wants to help and share what he knows.
  30. @lorelleonwp She’ll talk anything “W” — WordPress, Woopra, what she’s wearing.
  31. @BrentLeary He can talk about almost anything — maybe it’s his skill at interviewing.
  32. @YaelBeeri She gives good tweet.
  33. @remarkablogger Works hard, plays hard. Tweet like a pro.
  34. @AlliWorthington Charming, funny, and graciously good humored.
  35. @tojosan He’s relational. No doubt about it.
  36. @websuccessdiva She’s genuine, generous, smart, and engaging.
  37. @colderice His energy is beyond inspiring … It’s contagious!
  38. @christammiller A whining new start worth every word that she tweets.
  39. @VincentWright Chief Enthusiasm Officer and the nicest, wisest power connector.
  40. @hartsook Awesome, smart, and thinks big thoughts. Inspiring.
  41. @JasonFalls If he says it’s so, believe it.
  42. @debworks Likes to talk with smart people about smart ideas because she has so many of her own.
  43. @CCSeed Intelligent, soft-spoken, and often profoundly insightful in 140 characters
  44. @heatherjstrout It’s so easy to talk to Heather and so fun. Don’t let that fool you. She’s sharp!
  45. @barrymoltz Barry cares about folks succeeding. Asking him how to bounce.
  46. @retheauditors A brilliant, straight shooting, sharp-witted Chicagoan.
  47. @paisano He thinks therefore he’s fun to tweet with.
  48. @momofteenstwit2 Everything she does is filled with generous energy. Get to know this one.
  49. @Ron_Hudson Loves social media, making things happen, and people.
  50. @neenz An alltop favorite of the Internet. Make sure you tell her I need some stickers.

Of course before we talk, it’s always a good idea to listen first. Then do tell them I said, “hi.”

What Blue Feather Tweeters do you know?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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What Is a Social Community?

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(Updated in 2020)

The LANGUAGE of SOCIAL MEDIA

Words have a deep effect on how we interpret and interact with the world. The words we use and how we define them reveal our interests, concerns, and values. This series explores the words of social media.

Social Community

From families to friendships, we share experiences and interactions with groups. Our attachments to those groups strong or weak weave the fabric of association and community. A community is a social structure that shares personal values, cultural values, business goals, attitudes, or a world view. What binds it is a community culture of social rules and group dynamics that identify members.

An online 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. Many social networking sites also offer platforms for discussion of topics that a community or network finds mutually interesting or beneficial.

In the most concise terms, an online social community is a group of like-minded individuals connected by interactions.

@smallaxe: “Community is the family you get to choose”
@KohliConsulting: “We are community.”
@sherrymain “This* is. We are. The ability to ask “what is community” and get a response from a stranger quickly!”
@ettarose “community is the force of people sharing, good or bad”
@peace_: “Community is anywhere where a group of people learn from, interact & care for each other”
@elenakostovska “respect and belonging”

For more information see:
Princeton WorNet
Wiktionary
Community
Etymology and definition of the term “community

SEE ALSO:
What Is Social Media?
What Is Social Networking?

Got more to add? C’mon let’s talk.

Be irresistible.
–ME “Liz” Strauss