The Princess Engineer of the Kingdom

King Mike Sigers had lost 13 of his Knights of the Blog. They were being held in the dungeons of the kingdom of Technorati. (add melodramatic music here) Chained to the wall, they were allowed no visitors. No messages were getting out. None were getting in. It was cold, damp, dark and forgotten . . .

In fact that was the problem. When warrior King Mike spoke to the elegant King David, offering a ransom to retrieve his noble Knights of the Blog, King David promised to look into it. But unbeknownst (add other old words here to beef up the drama) to King Mike the castle was so large that no one could find where the dungeon was in which the guards had stashed 13 Knights of the Blog. No one knew where they were being held. The Knights, alas, were lost.

No matter what King Mike had tried, he received the same promise, yet no relief. He had appealed to King David for a reprieve. Yet his Knights of the Blog seemed destined to languish in the dungeons of Technorati for eternity or longer. (add awful music by Yanni to make it sound as if milleniums have gone by).

Enter the lovely engineer-princess, Janice, her light shines so brightly that everyone lays down their swords.

She asked, “What is the problem?” Then she took up her engineering degree and lit the hallways with her charm. Our lovely princess made short shrift of the task. She found those Knights of the Blog in no time and set them free. Meanwhile, King David seeing the problem, rolled up his royal sleeves, and started checking other dungeons for other missing Knights of the Blog and found some too.

King Mike was reunited with his Knights and sang the praises of the Beautiful Princess Engineer and Royal Head of the Team of Customer Service in the Kingdom of Technorati.

A fabulous ball was held, and everyone wanted to dance with Princess Janice. They realized now that she is even more valuable than at first she seemed to be.

Me? I took home my ailing Knight Blog, who’d lost 80 links in her chainmail from 7 months in the dungeon, and broke the sad news that she now would have to be a squire. We drank bad wine and retired.

Sister Marlene, Stephen Covey, and Mike Sigers

Sister Marlene would like that story. She’s an 80-something, brlliant woman who has the life experience and wisdom of at least six people. She’d like Janice who just did without asking for anything. The first time that I met Marlene she said

There is no act of kindness or mercy that does not benefit both parties.

I knew immediately that what she said was true. When I am unconditionally generous, I make myself a little better.

Stephen Covey explains what you need for Sister Marlene’s statement to be true

The third character trait essential to Win/Win is the Abundance Mentality, the paradigm that there is plenty out there for everybody. –Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Fireside Books)

Mike Sigers in his Simply Good post this morning brings that challenge to our front door.

Now, do me a favor and do a post, Trackback or whatever and let the world know that there is, in fact, an individual [Janice Myint] at Technorati who cares and who can get it done.

Power Linking

I awoke this morning wondering why we’re quick to criticize Technorati, yet we are slow to reward the one who works the hardest for us. It just doesn’t seem smart, right, or good business.

We complain about A Listers getting favor, having power. But we horde our power undercover. We don’t use power we have–the power to give links to each other. The more linked we are together, the more we show what we want and don’t want to happen in the blogosphere. The more we become one giant A Lister on our own.

Links don’t cost money. They don’t take things. I give away more than I get each week, and it doesn’t hurt me or my blog. Are we too short sighted to see how linking to another blog can promote our own blogs and give them value–especially if we link to someone who is dedicated to providing us with a tool that brings us readers?

Link to What You Value

I’m with Mike. If you have asked Janice to help you, or you plan on doing so, what’s wrong with giving her link love and letting her know you value what she does?

You can link to Janice at: http://janicetechnorati.blogspot.com or http://janicemyint.blogspot.com/2006/03/good-linky-linky.html

Remember there is no act of link love that doesn’t benefit both parties.

Or, for the cynics in the crowd, my mom would say

Reinforce behaviors that you value;
what will follow is human nature;
you will get more of the behavior that you reinforced.

Janice, the Beautiful Engineer Princess of the Kingdom of Technorati has proven beyond a doubt that she will do what she can to help us succeed. A link in her direction, just might get her more power to hire more like her . . . Then she can do more in the castle to get more Knights of the Blog freed from the dungeon and out working for us again–promoting our brands and our businesses.

It’s a happily ever after kind of ending that could be.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Technorati Without Janice–We Won’t Have to Know
Put Your 2Cents In–What’s Technorati Worth–Without Janice?