Successful Blog

Chris Cree Is a B.A.D. Blogger!

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Blogger A Day Call: Hello is Chris there?

The phone call came from Savannah, Georgia, and in reality, it was Chris Cree asking for me. Let’s just say that Chris Cree has my number. . . .

What fun it is to have a conversation with Chris! From the first words, I knew it would be an adventure. Even when Chris is dead on serious talking about life and it’s ups and downs, he knows the value of laughter and sharing it with other people. Chris has a way of adding a spark of life to things.

Chris and I talked about his upcoming speaking role in Savannah’s first ever Blogging Conference. I teased him that I had to read about it on is blog. He laughed with me. He said he knew of a whole group who had signed up already just for his business blogging seminar. That’s so cool! I wish we could all get together and take road trip down to see it.

That bit of conversation led us into a discussion of his new clients. He’s choosing his clients carefully and has a great outlook. “If there’s no joy in it, I might as well stay in my day job,” is how he sees it. His newest clients are raring to go — how excited they are to be breaking into blogging. I’d say that Chris’ criteria seems to be working.

Chris is looking forward to getting these clients running before he comes to Chicago next week. When he returns, he’ll be showing them the details — ins and outs of trackbacks and coding. Yet, Chris has confidence that his handholding won’t last long. He says the fire he saw in the group was sure to ignite in one individual who would take up blogging naturally.

I suspect Chris will be introducing a new member of Tuesday night comments to all of us in a few months.

Chris and I talked about the lovely morning writing time while our significant others are still asleep. He says the irony is that he gets up early because he’s not a morning person. I think that nothing could make him a morning person more quickly than having that time alone to write. We both think of that time as a bit of a luxury. It’s cool to think that he’s writing when I am.

As I write this, I still hear myself telling Chris how my morning ritual includes a moment, when I whisper, “Honey, Sleep longer, a little longer, sleep, sleep, sleep.”

B.A.D. Blogger Quote

I meet new people I would never connect with otherwise, people from all over the world. I love it. I don’t have to be someone I’m not. I like it because I can be just be.” —Chris Cree

Stop by Chris’ Blog, SuccessCREEations, and say hi!

Thanks, Chris, 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.

December Blogtipping Positivity!

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Link Love for Making Things Brighter

blogtipping icon 1

Today I’m celebrating official Blogtipping Day. How about you? As the song goes “Give a little bit . . .” Here’s how it works.

  • Choose three bloggers you admire and link to them.
  • List three reasons why you admire each one.
  • Then add a tip at the end.

That’s all there is to it.

Phil Gerbyshak

  • When it comes to positivity, Phil, you are the REAL THING. No question.
  • On and off your blog, Make It Great! you take genuine pleasure in the success of others. You’re not shy about saying so.
  • I’ve read your entire blog. Your ideas are compelling. You write well and with passion. You are one in a million.

Tip: Keep some of that energy just for Phil. Don’t ever forget that folks who know you are with for the long haul.

Dr. Kirsten Harrell, Psy. D.

  • The Think Positive Blog is popping with energy. I feel it as soon as I click in there.
  • Kirsten, you are the same way. It comes through in every blog post you write and in all of your ipopin affirmations.
  • You’ve brought a bundle of positive insights to discussions throughout the blogosphere. I always look forward to your comments when you visit here.

Tip: You have so much to offer. My only tip is that we want more.

Troy Worman

  • Anyone who’s been to Orbit Now knows that it’s a positively amazing place. It’s always changing in a way that makes me look forward to going there for a fresh new outlook. I find myself re-reading nuggets of wisdom, just to stay a little longer.
  • Troy, you have a positive world view that is creative, clever, and contagious. And interwoven through that is a quite dose of compassion.
  • You and your blog are a category of one. It’s a category worth keeping.

Tip: I think your “I want to be your mentor idea” is fabulous. Please ask for help if you need to find people to sign up.

Thanks to all three of you for bringing positivity to the blogosphere. I’m smiling just to think of the contribution you make.

–Me “Liz” Strauss

Related article
Blogtipping Three of the Best
Link Leak Virus Page

Net Neutrality 12-01-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

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

Ofcom report

Ofcom just released a report today about global telecommunications developments. Key findings here.

[ . . . ]

But on a serious note, this:

Next-generation networks (NGNs) will be able to carry the full range of current communications services via data packets, and the nature and timing of NGN deployment will depend partially on the policy decisions regulators make about whether to intervene (and in what manner) in relation to these infrastructure upgrades.

[ . . . ]

What? The internet already can carry any packet. With enough bandwidth installed, any kind of communication can be watched and interacted with enjoyably. So what’s missing that requires an acronym? Why not say we’re deploying bandwidth — why invoke a whole slew of centralized standard-setting exercises?

Much to ponder, at any rate

But on a serious note, this:

Next-generation networks (NGNs) will be able to carry the full range of current communications services via data packets, and the nature and timing of NGN deployment will depend partially on the policy decisions regulators make about whether to intervene (and in what manner) in relation to these infrastructure upgrades.

What? The internet already can carry any packet. With enough bandwidth installed, any kind of communication can be watched and interacted with enjoyably. So what’s missing that requires an acronym? Why not say we’re deploying bandwidth — why invoke a whole slew of centralized standard-setting exercises?

Much to ponder, at any rate

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

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Sandra Renshaw Is a B.A.D. Blogger!

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Blogger A Day Call: Hello is Sandy there?

If there really is a Des Moines Blogger Mafia, I guess you would have to say their head moll is Sandra Renshaw. We talked yesterday evening about her business, her partnership with Panera man, and her background in traditional organizations. Sandra Renshaw in one interesting lady.

Sandy told me that she started in the corporate world doing marketing. She said she has done most marketing tasks, but her love is graphics. We discussed our experiences with organizations in distress and how they shift people from job to job. Sandy stayed when others left because she’s good at what she does and because she calmly keeps things organized even in times of stress. Those two skills that are important in downsizing companies. Still she said it was disheartening that each time a good team was together another change would pull them apart.

Finally Sandy decided to do writing, graphics, and blogging on her own. That’s how Purple Wren Communications was born. Sandy said she has always been drawn to the color purple. Spoken like a true designer I thought. Wren, of course, comes from Renshaw and Communications comes from what she’s about — a unique brand name for a unique lady’s business.

Sandy told me of a corporate blogging experience she took on in which the business asked her to blog for them. Unfortunately the company wasn’t clear on their blogging goal. We discussed how Sandy’s role was too undefined and as a result, the writing for the blog was a chore. Sandy’s advice from the experience is that a blogger needs a clear role to feel a passion for writing. She said without that, she felt she couldn’t be effective on the company’s behalf.

We talked about blogging and bloggers. We talked about bloggers as adverntures. Sandy said that it takes people who want to try something new to begin with. We both talked about the blogger description that Jon Symons had mentioned the day before. Sandy said that she’d seen something like it too. I wondered where the heck I had been.

Sandy spoke of her first blog and the beginning of the blog she has now. We had a conversation about how many bloggers get caught in the feeling that they have a lot to say, but nothing that anyone would be interested in reading. I pointed out that every writer is half ego and half self-doubt — without the ego, nothing would get written; without the self-doubt, the writer would be too busy casting the movie to care that it did. We laughed about that together.

I wonder whether we were casting the same movie . . .

B.A.D. Blogger Quote

Maybe one day down the road blogging will be different, but right now it feels like family. Everyone is so caring, so giving, and so fun to meet in person. —Sandra Renshaw

Stop by Sandy’s blog, Purple Wren Communications, and say hi!

Thanks, Sandy, 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.

A Future Leaking with Links and Good Things!

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In Due Time

It took me a day or so to get back from the future. I had set down my crystal ball there and I had to find it before it fell into evil hands. Never know when a wicked witch of OZ will show up to cause trouble But finally here I am to report back in again.

Tuesday Open Comments Night, this week had us predicting. We looked into the crystal ball to foretell our future. We weren’t sure about the part that involved fame and fortune, but we felt certain our blogging friendships would continue on.

And of course our relationship with the Link Leak Virus will be with us as well. — The Link Leak Virus is a special strain of the indie virus with blogtipping mutations that occur in threes will keep Open Comment Night a link free-for-all.

Welcome to every person who came, all of you fortune tellers are my favorite people in the universe.

Cool links were shared to last for the future.

Back from the Future — rewind

It was November 29th, 2006 at 9:38 am already when Mike stopped by to say that he read the leaves in his tea.
They said a strange friend would send a message or a strange message from a friend would be coming to me.

Cat, who was wiped out from a hard day of meetings,
left us with a pile of future greeting.

Ah Pek says in his country they rely on the power of a medium to find out whether their future only holds only boredom and tedium. (Fortune must not have given him a nod for he ran off saying “Oh my God!”

In comments 205 – 211, Becky McCray read my palm with grace, poise and calm. She found details in the lines and revealed the secrets of time. She also left a last card for the crew, read it to hear the fortune for all of you.

1-800 HART made sure that we understand the tarot death card. People misunderstand it, when it comes up and take its appearance hard. He also brought a card trick — many like this are about. If you think on it you can figure it out


Joe was looking for a card trick we shared some time back, but it apparently has been by two kids in the rack. He left on a his poetic note. It’s fun to know we’ll soon have a whole book of modern day Berma Shave poems that Joe wrote.

Char wondered aloud about her future potential breaking out. Liz started asking what Char wanted her future to be about. Liz finally realize that there was a confusion. Liz had been talking reality and Char had been playing along with the crystal ball illusion.

Sheila Scarborough came filled with accomplishment of having finally cleared a garage for the cars. So she had time to spend charting a future in the stars.

Service Untitled – Douglas popped in and out in his usual MO. I think he was taking notes on how all of our futures were set to go.

Sean alluded to being rich from a major deal with paypal. Could he have some traits in common with Chicago Al?

Rick Cockrum knows where to go for the latest in future information. I wonder whether he’s up for a giving a presentation.

Renée seemed quite pleased with her future predictions. She’s bringing them home to Tall, (soon to be ) dark, and handsome.

Carolyn Manning isn’t afraid of ghosts or philosophy. Her handwriting reader told her things. “No one would know unless he grew up with me.”

Chris Cree doesn’t want to know his future, but then he made his future to be saying that he didn’t want to know his future.

Sasha Manuel doesn’t find it hard to tell a future with an ordinary deck of playing cards.

Ben Yoskovitz has so much going on these days. You can bet that his future will be about change.

Marti believes in ghosts and so do many. Her new book about the paranormal is better than any.

Trisha is read to start a new future with good things going on, especially no pain. But mostly she wants to be happy.

I’m with her on that. Happy is a good thing to be.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Net Neutrality 11-30-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

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

No Slam Dunk for Net Neutrality (with apologies to George Tenet)

What isn’t yet known is who will chair the pivotal Telecommunications and Internet Subcommittee. If it’s Ed Markey (D-Mass.), then you have a strong Bell opponent, strong Net Neutrality proponent and some momentum. But, Markey has a lot of options. He could try for the chairmanship of the full Resources Committee, and he also has seniority on the Homeland Security committee.

Depending on what Markey does, the Telecom Subcommittee could be led by Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.). Boucher, like Markey, is a strong Net Neutrality proponent. But unlike Markey and very much like Dingell, Boucher tends to favor the Bell companies on many other issues.

[ . . . ]

With some positive Net Neutrality leadership in place, then the question becomes, what would be in any overall telecom legislation, and there the picture gets lots more murky. Let’s start with video franchising. This is the concept behind the Bells’ push for a bill this year. They want to get into the cable business, providing TV programming over their fast networks, and they don’t want to negotiate with 30,000 local authorities to get permission as the real cable providers had to do. So the Bells pushed the bill that gave them, and cable, a free pass nationally to enter cable business, pushing aside objections from local governments.

[ . . . ]

Remember, the Bells still have a lot of friends and a lot of votes in Congress, whether on Net Neutrality or not. There are many legislators of both parties, on the relevant committees or not, who will vote the Bell line regardless. Net Neutrality isn’t a slam dunk. The key will be how much the Bells will be willing to deal. They didn’t feel the need in the last session of Congress. Now, with the leadership against them, they may have a different calculus, of trying to get the best bill they can.

By now, the Bells have realized how important Net Neutrality is to a great many people and organizations, ranging from large companies like Google and Yahoo, to public interest groups like Public Knowledge (my day-job employer), something they probably didn’t count on this year. If they try in good faith to negotiate a reasonable Net Neutrality provision next year, the Bells could gain some of their goals despite themselves.

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

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related
NET NEUTRALITY PAGE