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Social Networking: Make It Imperfectly Human for Me

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New York City, Seth Godin, Ann Michael, and a Paper Flower

Favorite Paper Flower by Liz Strauss

In August 1998, I was wandering the streets in New York City. Later that evening our company sales conference would start. As I turned the corner somewhere near 33rd and Park, I was enjoying the view in a florist window. I walked two stores past. Stopped. Something I’d noticed had taken me. I literally backed up ten paces and went into that flower store. I came out grinning.

What had stopped me were handmade paper flowers — taller than I am. I had found a new friend for my presentation the next day. I left the florist with giant flower with a stem down to my ankles and greeted New York like a giant kid with a huge balloon. The flower has shared my office ever since. On occasion, it even sits in my desk chair.

In 2006, I returned to that same New York neighborhood for a Seth Godin seminar. I met Ann Michael. there for the first time. As we walked around the city, I’m sure I told her the story of that flower and the people who opened doors for me — the strange tall woman with a bag in one hand and unhelpful flower friend in the other.

I keep a white silk flower in a blue glass vase on a shelf in my living room. I bought the vase from a catalog. Then I bought the flower. They look stunning together, but they have no story.

This morning at Seth’s Blog something he said in May made me stop, like I did that day in New York City.

If you want to get noticed, don’t be so polished. . . . When in doubt, scrawl make it human.

White rose in a blue vase by Liz Strauss

I looked around for examples in my life — and I found two flowers . . .

That white rose in the blue vase is elegant, but that that paper flower connects me to people — people who’ve seen it in my office or heard the tale of how it got bought. That paper flower calls up so many stories, it could fuel a blog.

When you make a blog, a social network, or product for me, could you make it imperfectly human? It’s human touch that lingers and connects.

What do you have that’s like my paper flower?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
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Images: Liz Strauss

Can’t: Wendy Piersall, Ann Michael, Inside Out

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The Story of a War

Sometimes I think of problem solving as strategizing a war. Maybe it’s because I read The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Maybe it’s because my big, big brothers could win in any confrontation.

Usually I start out thinking I’ve lost. Then I rally, go on a quest, and conquer the enemy. Hey, it takes some thought to beat opponents who are bigger than you are.

Wendy, I Can’t

Thursday night my friend, Wendy Piersall. and I talked about the future over a glass of wine. I was explaining a place where I was finding myself . . . um, er . . . stuck. She said exactly what I needed to hear.

I artfully dodged her advice using the phrase, “I can’t, because . . . ” Hey, when you’re talented, you’re also talented at things like that.

Wendy: Blog what you do.

ME: It’s right-brain intuitive. I can’t.

Wendy: You? Liz Strauss? You can’t? You can blog anything.

ME: Don’t say that I’m arguing for my limitations.

Wendy: You knew I’d say that. You are doing it, you know.

The conversation stayed with me. It’s Sunday, and here I am telling you.

Ann, Help Me Test

Back to the story . . . She wasn’t buying my argument. Either I had to come up with a better argument or beat down that can’t. My brothers had taught me I never win arguments.

I was in the taxi headed home that night when I started to see the plan. I put the words together in a few hours. This is a quest. I called in Ann Michael last night and today to test my thinking on final tweaks before I went live with this post.

The Announcement

I am pleased to announce a new series. It will show you how to build a solid business strategy based on who you are. The series will offer down-to-earth methods and questions that bring business into focus. It’s time someone showed how to build a market view on concrete not sand. I’ll share models you can use to test decisions.

Tomorrow, the new series begins.

I call it

Inside out logo

because it begins with your strengths, your ideas, your passion and builds on the customers who love what you do.

I’m jazzed. This is what makes my heart sing. This is what I’m good at. This is what the Perfect Virtual Manager does.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

Successful Blog Meets Problogger! Join Us if You Can!

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The Ann-iversary

On May 4, 2006, Ann Michael, left her first comment here. In a bit of fun, two weeks later, we started planning a trip together. The first place mentioned was Australia. As it turned out, we actually took a trip — to NYC to the Seth Godin seminar. We met outside our hotel, checked in and had dinner. We walked the city at night talking about life, and the next day went to Seth’s Seminar. That was last June.

Ann Michael was the first blogger I met in person.

So when Darren said, “I’m in NYC. Are you coming?”

I called Ann and said, “It’s been a year. We have to.” Then we laughed and started plotting.

ProBlogger New York Readers Meetup

On June 9th in beautiful New York City, Ann Michael and I are meeting Darren Rowse (and, oh probably, over 100 of his best friends) in a saloon called “Speakeasy.”

One year since we met to go to Seth’s Seminar and we’re going to a meetup to enjoy the famous Australian hospitality of Darren Rowse. Talk about kicking it up a notch! Is that cool or what?

It’s the official Problogger Meetup. Are you going to be there? The folks who went last time said it was incredible.

Here are the details.

ProBlogger New York Readers Meetup
Date – Saturday 9th June
Time – 7pm – 10pm (we might go on somewhere afterwards)
Venue – The Speakeasy (a party room at 442 Amsterdam Ave between 81st and 82nd St)
Cost – Free – thanks to the generous sponsors Chitika (they are providing some finger food snacks and a free drink to the first 100 people to arrive – don’t be late). All we ask is that you tip the bar staff and ‘be merry’!

If you’re planning on attending it’d be great if you could drop by the page to RSVP. While it’s not compulsory to RSVP it’ll certainly help Darren with planning for prizes and such.

Too fun! I get to be with the first blogger I met and meet the friend — legend, star, super human being — who’s always been there for me. To think I once believed blogging was only about writing.

Rowse and Strauss — they rhyme.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Alexander Kjerulf and Pamela Slim Are Two-in-a-Million!!

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Let’s Start with One-in-a-Million Ways

One-in-a-Million by Trée George and Sandy Renshaw

I suspected that if I made a One-in-a-Million Award that people like me would see the value in shouting out someone’s uniqueness. I also suspected that folks would find their own one-in-a-million ways of telling the world about what people do that’s special — maybe even two people at a time! Here’s the first One-in-a-Million Award(s).

For the One-in-a-Million-Category of:

Enthusiastic and contagious entrepreneur who regularly helps us all be happy at work. This category requires an above average ability to enlist the support of others in your quest, a generous spirit, an amazing sense of humor, and a flair for words. This person must sincerely desire to see others happy in what they do and be willing to sacrifice their time and energy to make it so.

The winner (male): Alexander Kjerulf, Chief Happiness Officer

When I started to write this with Alexander in mind, I realized that there is another person that offers their time freely (and as a coach), helps people reach their professional “happiness” goals, and helps us to realize that job satisfaction comes in lots of shapes and sizes.

She more than qualifies too!

The winner (female): Pamela Slim, Escape from Cubicle Nation

Alexander and Pam help make the working world more enjoyable – on which ever side of a corporation you happen to find yourself!

This award was submitted by: One-in-a-Million Cohort Ann Michael

Thanks, Ann, for seeing the one in a million in another blogger! Thanks Trée George and Sandy Renshaw for the logo that shouts it out!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Once Upon a Time: Five Things in a Story

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Oh Okay
I’m not a big believer in memes or tagging games. Most folks have plenty to do. Plenty of them want to keep their blogs focused on their blogging goal.

However, this one is short, and seems to fit almost any blog scenario — it offers more details about the blog writer. Our friend, Phil Gerbyshak passed it me, Troy Worman, Jodee Bock, Ted Demopoulos, and Kammie Kobyleski. That hero man, Troy, already has his up. AND it’s not just some list; it’s packed with his personality.

So here I sit with the gauntlet on the flat screen before me. I feel the beads of sweat beginning to form on my forehead. Where will I find five things about me that the committee of me will agree are interesting enough folks will want to read them? Perhaps if I pick five things and put them in story form. That will make the difference.

Once Upon a Time: Five Things in a Story
Once upon a time a little girl was born, and though today many people know her, details from those days aren’t well known. That’s what this story will share.

The little girl’s surname at birth is Italian. It’s long and musical. It means “star of the mountain.”

It could be that the star name ties to the branch in her family tree where she shows up. She’s the second daughter in three generations on one side of the family. On the other side, she’s part of the third generation that is made of two boys and a girl. Figure that one out.

She was a long-awaited daughter of an Italian father. So when she finally came, her proud papa rented a 40-acre farm and hired an accordion band for a party.

She was painfully shy as child, totally not a risk taker — even grass was suspect in her book. People, however, could win her over. That’s how she ended up with two childhood nicknames — Bashful and Mushy. They came at almost the same moment in time.

Her mother sent the three year old off to traditional dance training because she said the child was clumsy. The little gifl must been very clumsy because she was still training 14 years later.

The rest of the story is not nearly so interesting. . . .

Ah, to have the best life details of your story show up before you are four. I guess worse things can happen. 🙂

Now I tag Mike Sansone, Drew McLellan, Delaney Kirk, TechZ, and Ann Michael.to do the same. What are five things we don’t know about YOU?

Liz's Signature

PS. I’ve been tagged again.
Tag It Is, Then

Ann Michael Is a B.A.D. Blogger

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Blogger A Day Call: Hello is Ann there?

They say content is king. But I hear the king can be unmanageable. If you’re having a content management problem, do what I did yesterday, call in a content management expert — Ann Michael. Gosh we had fun talking. I’ve been making content all of my career, and I hadn’t met a content manager until Ann. They do some really cool stuff.

In her consulting business, Ann makes sure that misbehaving intellectual property does what it should. Talk to her for five minutes, and you’ll know her real love is helping clients manage change successfully. She’s so positive and centered on the needs of others that you want to check where you might use her this very minute. She says she hasn’t ever had to turn anyone away yet . . .

Ann’s a fascinating person with a sense humor, and a great laugh. Ask her a question and you can hear her thinking how she’s going to help you solve it. It’s so fun that we took this time to talk blogger to blogger.

B.A.D. Blogger Quote

“Strategy without action is just philosophy.” — Ann Michael

Stop by Ann’s Blog, Manage To Change and say hi to her!

Thanks, Ann, 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