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Scorpia Is a B.A.D. Blogger

December 4, 2006 by Liz

Blogger A Day Call: Hello is Scorpia there?

The first words I heard were “Hi Liz! Here we are again.” And sure enough, there we were. Only this time we weren’t trying to figure out why I couldn’t find my way into her chat room (crazy software issue she resolved in no time at all). This time we were up for a real conversation, and a real conversation is exactly what took place

I started with a question that I had been wondering — What are the folks who visit Scorpia’s Gaming Lair like? Scorpia told me that by twist of fate, luck, and technology, the people that have been her readers have always been grown-ups. She said that in the beginning, the adults had the computers; now they’re the ones who have the CPU/RAM/VIDEO to run the games. It was clear that no Playstations or X-box conversations are happening at the Lair. Scorpia serves up solid information — reviews, hints, and conversation on real gamers’ games.

We spent some time talking about podcasting and blogging. We did a while on business. We even talked about my inability to see what I type. Somehow Scorpia and I got to talking about words on the web that we’ve read and never heard said. That brought us back to words from high school facade, canape, and faux pas and the first time we heard someone say them.

Next thing you know we’re discussing how we don’t watch television and what we say when people ask us if we saw some show or other. Then we got quite involved in discussing videos. She said she had only bought eight. I told her I had only bought one. We talked about which they were and came to the same conclusion — we couldn’t see why we would buy them, if we didn’t plan to watch them many more times than once.

Scorpia said she felt the same way about books. Then she went on to say that she had shelves and shelves of them. She said that she goes to the library unless she plans to read a book more than once. I said that tied me to someone else’s schedule.

When we got to talking about what books we like, Scorpia mentioned Erle Stanley Gardner. I mentioned my mother’s index card of his titles. She knew it was so that my mom didn’t buy a copy of The Case of the Velvet Claws twice. We both agreed that his Perry Mason novels weren’t his best stuff. Then Scorpia went on to tell me that mysteries from that era were her favorite reads. When she can’t find those, she said she likes history. I said I like that rare fact-based historical fiction. Scorpia answered that she preferred the real thing.

I didn’t find that surprising. Everything about Scorpia is the real thing.

B.A.D. Blogger Quote

Game bloggers are like everyone else who cares about what they do, they’re serious about it.–Scorpia

Stop by Scorpia’s Blog, Scorpia’s Gaming Lair, and say hi!

Thanks, Scorpia, you B.A.D. Blogger!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Want to be a B.A.D. Blogger see the. . . a B.A.D. Blogger? page in the sidebar.

Net Neutrality 12-04-2006

December 4, 2006 by Liz

Net Neutrality Links

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

Net Neutrality Update — Markey’s back

Net Neutrality champion Ed Markey will take the reins of the House Telecom and Internet Subcommittee.

[ . . . ]

His welcome announcement comes as the Government Accountability Office issued a new report finding there’s less telecom competition out there than we thought in the big-business market, which was supposed to be more competitive than consumers have at home. The report also chastized the FCC for not keeping up with what’s going on in the telecom industry.

Want to know what you can do?
MA Bell Monopoly Versus the Free Internet Ã¢â¬â Tell the FCC Net Neutrality Is Not Negotiable

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Bloggy Question 32: Blogger Alert! Where Is She? What Should You Do?

December 3, 2006 by Liz

She Was Just Here . . .

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 hypothetical question. . . .

You’ve been friends with a blogger for almost a year. You’ve shared a comment or email daily for so long you can’t remember. You met once, when she was in your city. It was a fabulous dinner. You’ve got the pictures. You’ve talked on Skype several times and on your cell phones too.

A few weeks ago, she started a new job and moved to a new city.

Her emails have been erratic. Most have been jubilant, filled with hope for the transition, telling how much she likes her new job, the new city, the people at the new company. Those emails were filled with plans for buying furniture and meeting people. One even mentioned a guy she’s been dating. He sounded a little possessive, but cool.

Then three weeks ago, you got a long email that told a different, darker story. Your friend said that nothing is turning out as she thought it would. She called herself a miserable failure at business, at love, and at life. She mentioned that she’s missed three days of work again this week.

Now, you haven’t heard from your friend since that email. Nothing new has been posted at her blog. She doesn’t answer her cell phone. No one online seems to know where she is.

How do you respond?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Dr. Delaney Kirk Is a B.A.D. Blogger

December 3, 2006 by Liz

Blogger A Day Call: Hello is Delaney there?

From the second that we first started talking at 7:30a.m., Delaney and I were immediately discussing people and their behavior.

We started with people who speak for a living — how so many are animated and outgoing when in front of an audience, but extremely self-conscious when they first meet someone individually. I suggested that the difference was once explained to me as a matter of who is holding the microphone. I suppose in today’s environment that could be considered the ultimate permission to talk.

Delaney and I discussed talking to the audience before a presentation and other ways to draw an audience into the experience, ways to make a relationship before the first word is spoken. We shared the pain of watching someone who had memorized every word, and the misuse of PowerPoint <--well, we said the word, PowerPoint. We were more interested in mindmapping and storytelling. It figures that two teachers would be. We spent the most time talking about how people remember stories and the ideas that stories illuminate.

Dr. Kirk taught me a term I’d not heard before — impression management — managing how people perceive us. We discussed the way teachers manage their image so that students respond with respect for them and what they have to say. That made me think about how I did that with the first graders in my classes. It came up how our impressions affect whether we cut someone a little slack when we find they have reached a rough spot. I told her that’s why I studied harder for the first test than the final in my college classes — the first test said who I was. Delaney knew exactly what I meant.

Delaney wanted everyone to know that the book list she asked for is longer than she could have imagined, and now she has her work cut out deciding which books to use when class begins in January. That led us into a discussion of how she was thinking that her next book might come from her blog. I pointed out that knowing that now works in her favor; she can write her blog with the book in mind. We talked about ways to do that. One way was to write a series of blog posts that would become each chapter — later she could pull the content together already organized, rewriting only to smooth the segues.

She’s full-time professor, one busy blogger, our Dr. Delaney Kirk, and now she’s going to write another book!

B.A.D. Blogger Quote

I enjoy blogging because I’m able to reach out to mentor people, and share the little bit I know and other people can do that too. —Delaney Kirk

Stop by Delaney’s Blog, Ask Dr. Kirk, and say hi!

Thanks, Delaney, you B.A.D. Blogger!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Want to be a B.A.D. Blogger see the. . . a B.A.D. Blogger? page in the sidebar.

Phil Gerbyshak Is a B.A.D. Blogger

December 2, 2006 by Liz

Blogger A Day Call: Hello is Phil there?

By a weird turn of the calendar and of the clock, I didn’t realize it, but I was blogtipping Phil on Friday, and he was my B.A.D. Blogger call. It was 6:30a.m. when I spoke with Phil. Yes, he’s the same cheerful guy even then. If he wasn’t truly that way, it would be really annoying. Instead he’s kind of amazing. Talking to Phil is a great way to start any day. I highly recommend it.

Phil is the VP of the Help Desk Department for a company of over 2000 people and the Wisconsin President of Help Desk International. We talked about how Help Desk is internal customer service. I asked what sort of folks are drawn to that group. He said people who like computers, but want to work with people not machines.

Phil said that it’s not uncommon for people who work Help Desk to have a poor self-image, that they are often treated as the lesser half of IT. We discussed how that was a skewed perception, that the Help Desk was more of a bridge than a back yard. Phil said there’s not much support for Help Desk people about their jobs — that’s why he decided to take on the Help Desk Notes Blog for Know More Media.

I couldn’t help but point out what a helpful guy Phil is. We talked about that for a few minutes. I got on the subject of stories from childhood that seem to define us before we even know who we are.

As an example I told him a story in which I changed a question on test because I couldn’t answer it the way it was written, and though I got every answer right, my teacher took 10 points off for editing her test.

I asked Phil if there was a story from his childhood that predicted the consummate helper he grew up to become. Phil thought for a minute and then told me this one.

He said it happened when he was two years old. He was in church with his family. A little girl he didn’t know fell down. He immediately ran over to her, bent and kissed her knee to make it better.

As I said, if it wasn’t he truly that way, it would be really annoying. 🙂

B.A.D. Blogger Quote

There’s a lot of nice people out there that needed the blogosphere to connect. Isn’t it great how you can open the network and people just help?!!” — Phil Gerbyshak

Stop by Phil’s Blog, Make It Great! and say hi!

Thanks, Phil, you B.A.D. Blogger!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Want to be a B.A.D. Blogger see the. . . a B.A.D. Blogger? page in the sidebar.

Thanks to Week 58 SOBs

December 2, 2006 by Liz

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs.

They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Should anyone question this SOB button’s validity, send him or her to me. Thie award carries a “Liz said so” guarantee, is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and is backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

Want to become an SOB?

If you’re an SO-Wanna-B, you can see the whole list of SOBs and learn how to be one by visiting the SOB Hall of Fame– A-Z Directory . Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss