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William Tully Is a B.A.D. Blogger!

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Blogger A Day Call: Hello is Bill there?

BAD Blogger Button

It was Chicago calling Toronto when I got Bill Tully on the line and any conversation between those two cities almost always requires a discussion of the weather — even when one of the participants is woefully lame at small talk — that would be me. It went fine. It went fine because weather talk isn’t small talk when you’re discussing winter in Chicago and Toronto, and we both knew that.

Almost immediately I was telling Bill, about my affection for Toronto, about how it reminds me of Chicago. He mentioned what he knew of Chicago. And next I was off on a story high up, in an elegant Toronto restaurant. I described the head waiter dressed in a Prince Charming uniform who delivered handrolled chocolate truffles on a porcelian plate that was set on red velvet pillow. I explained how I reached up to take the plate and was told that one truffle was what I was being offered.

How could I not love Toronto? I had my first genuine chocolate truffle there.

Our conversation turned from chocolate to writing and then to why we write. We spent some time discussing and dissecting that condition folks call “Writer’s Block.” I said that since I write for a living, I can’t give credence to it or i might go broke. Bill said that blogging was his plan to take him out of his comfort zone to write for everyone. He talked of a plan to write his blog into a book. We talked about the best ways of doing that. His plan is solid and well-structured. His premise is compelling — it’s about how people interact with the world.

Among the ideas that Bill is writing about is the fact that the Golden Rule really doesn’t work. He pointed out that we really don’t want someone with a bad self-concept to treat us as they might want to be treated. I told him I thought so too. He’s a philospher. Mr. Tully is. He said, “We draw on what we know and get to know other people that way.”

Our conversation went deep and wide. It followed no particular straight or narrow pathway. It had it’s own logic to it — sort of like a blogging thought highway. I keep thinking of the guy in Toronto who is writing about logical emotions. It makes sense if you read it, if you get to know him.

The tagline on Bill’s blog says, It isn’t about what I have — it’s about where I’m going. That’s a glimpse into how the man thinks.

B.A.D. Blogger Quote

People by the millions trying to be part of a community . . . It gives people a chance where they can actively participate. Somehow, somewhere, at some point . . . — William Tully

Stop by William’s Blog, Logical Emotions and say hi!

Thanks, William, 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.

Nice AND Intelligent: The Big Picture and Selfish Requests

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I've been thinking . . .
In my time in publishing, there were always way too many balls in the air and way too many plates spinning. Balls flying, plates spinning steal focus and emotions.

People knew me as smart, great at making things happen, and good at my job. They didn’t necessarily get time to know me as nice and sometimes I didn’t do much to encourage them.

But perception is reality. People saw smart, but they didn’t see nice, or when they saw both, they saw them as separate. It’s one reason I left that business.

My head and heart want to be back together. . . .

Yesterday, I got three requests for help. Two were from readers — people who “know” me. They were thoughtful and generous, suggesting ways they might return the favor in kind if not payment. I so enjoyed helping these two people.

But the third —

The third message was a moderated comment that read something like this.

I read your post and I found it interesting. I’m a new blogger. Would you visit my blog and look it over to tell me what you see. I’d really like the opinion of an expert. . . .

What? My post was interesting? Would I critique his blog? I took a peek at the blog in question. It was a business blog! New to blogging, I thought, but not new to business or other relationships. He hadn’t seemed to notice the Blog Review Checklist on the page two posts below the one he commented on. That said something about his level of interest.

I get these expectations every few days . . . and they always amaze me.

The problem is that my head and heart always want to respond differently. These things put back in the world of intelligent versus nice. Yet I can’t seem to reconcile the big picture of these selfish requests because I’m sitting inside them.

So I’m asking for your view. Can you help me on this? I want to stay nice . . . AND intelligent.

What are folks thinking when they write a request like that? Do they write such things to everyone and hope someone, anyone will do their work?

What’s going on that I don’t seem to get?

Liz's Signature

We Know A Lot About Blogging . . .

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. . . And Here’s the Wrap-up

This week on Tuesday Open Comments Night we talked about the use of blogs in the classroom, blogging mistakes that were doozies, blogging about books, podcasts, giving away ideas and solving problems, when to move forward with a secondary website or blog, introducing folks to blogging for business, redesigning blogs, publishing books, business and blogging goals for 2007, business books, making money from a blog, people who comment on blogs — or don’t, favorite blog platforms, links to your blog, blog carnivals, memes, migrating to another platform, hosting services, domains and vendors, writing books, MP3 laws, and spam.

There was also conversation about the new year, chauffeuring kids, weather challenges, poetry, health issues, food and drink, studying languages, and a duck.

Here’s some of the links we shared.

Thanks for the cool links and for being part of the conversation. I wish I could quote you all, but I know you have an idea of how much time it takes to make that long link summary happen each week. I hate to let it go, but I thought you’d understand.

So, for 2007, we’ll just tell the story and share the links that you bring.

After all, how DO YOU explain Open Comment Night, if you’ve never experienced it?

See you next? I sure hope so.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related article
What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?

Beth Kanter is One in a Million

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Yahoo! Says So

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

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

raising nearly $50,000 for orphans and needy children in Cambodia over the holiday and doubling that money by winning the compeition at Yahoo! AND for knowing how to capture a quote like this one:

“When I approached an accountant to file our nonprofit incorporation papers, he thought we were just a bunch of old ladies in tennis shoes and wouldn’t do very much.”

The winner is Beth Kanter, Beth’s Blog

Thanks Trée George and Sandy Renshaw for the logo that shouts it out!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Yes, you can still give an award. Here’s how:
One-in-a-Million Award for Every One-in-a-Million Blogger

Enough About Me, Let’s Talk About What You Think

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That Couldn’t Be Us Or Could It?

Customer Think Logo

I share a joke with a friend in California. It’s like a script. It goes like this.

I call him up. He answers.

I say, “Hi, Eddie, how am I?”

He replies, “Oh, you’re fine. What do you think of me?”

I tell him he’s wonderful.

Then he says, “Enough about me. Let’s talk about you. What do you think about my sweater?”

That’s when we laugh to think that we’re not like the people who actually do that.

This morning at Poynter Online something made me realize how it is to do what Eddie I joke about.

Butch Ward gave five New Year’s Resolutions. It’s number 2 that brought this thought home to me. His second resolution was talk to your readers. My thought was I do that. He offered fine advice on ways to engage in dynamic conversation. Then Mr. Ward made a suggestion for this New Year’s conversation . . .

Don’t ask him what he wants you to put in his newspaper or on his news broadcast. Instead, ask what he does. What she thinks. Then you decide how your newsroom can be more relevant to their world.

That’s when I realized it.

Those standard, customer-survey questions sound like “What do you think of my sweater? What do you think of ME?”

Sure, we need to ask how we’re doing, but those can’t be the only questions, or we’ll never know our readers.

Authentic values aren’t revealed by survey questions.

Relationships and understanding come from listening to what folks want to talk about — dreams, desires, unexpressed needs and wishes — what they find marvelous, annoying, heartwarming, concerning, breathtaking. At least, that’s my experience.

But hey, enough about me. Let’s talk about what you think.

What do find worth spending thoughts and words on?

–ME “Liz” Strauss