Interview 9.2: Dr. Tammy Lenski, Mediator, Coach, Blogger

How Does One Mediate from a Blog?

Dr. Tammy Lenski helps folks sort out a dispute and converse constructively, even when theyÃ¢â¬â¢re frustrated. That’s her role as mediator — part coach, part strategist — in helping people solve communication problems. Tammy began blogging early in her business. Let’s take a look at what she has to say about it.

Welcome back, Tammy! About blogging, how and why did you bring your business to blogging?

I heard of blogging years ago when it first began, created a Blogger account, and put up a few posts. Back then it was mostly teenagers writing about their lives and I just couldnÃ¢â¬â¢t figure out how to get my clients interested, so I dropped it. Then, a couple years later, I read about the ways that blogging platforms can serve as content management systems. That got my attention, because I had hundreds of e-zine articles I was trying to manage effectively on a standard websiteÃ¢â¬âway too much work. So, I got a WordPress account, started educating myself about blogs (the idea of business blogging had been born by then and was in its earliest stages), and jumped in. I got to write about things that interest my clients, had an easy way to manage lots of articles on my site, and could interact with and learn from my readers.

What’s been the biggest surprise about bringing your business to blogging?

How easy itÃ¢â¬â¢s been to create real connections with peopleÃ¢â¬âlike youÃ¢â¬âvia the digital world. Though I was creating web pages and using email very early on in the development of those technologies, I was skeptical about real relationships being possible via the web. I thought that only happened with weird people who sat alone in their apartments at 2 a.m.!

Next the challenges and important issues of a mediation business.

–ME “Liz” Strauss