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The SOB Directory Update 02-07-06

February 7, 2006 by Liz

Have you visited the SOB Directory lately? It’s got its own page–right there in the sidebar. Check it out! It’s constantly changing, updating, adding the links of the latest Successful and Outstanding Bloggers. You can browse there to find the bloggers who take the conversation at Successful-Blog back to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, and make us better. It’s a great place to discover a favorite blog to read–a blog writer you have something in common with.

Want to become an SOB?

If you’re an SO-Wanna-B, you can see the whole list of SOBs and learn how to be one by visiting the SOB Directory. Click the link or visit from the sidebar.
Everything you need to know is on that page. Everyweek we add new SOBs to the list, no reason you can’t be one–you’re outstanding aren’t you?

Send Bios for the SOB Directory

If you already are an SOB, the Directory is my thank you to the Successful-Blog Community. It’s a way that we can keep connected, an annotated blogroll with logos, so to speak.

Why not send me 1-2 sentences about your blog? You must have a short description from some directory listing on your computer. Dust it off and send it along. Think of it as free advertising to a substantial readership.

By the way, if you’d have a better version of your logo feel free to send that too. Only one restriction–60 pixels high and not more than 200 pixels wide. That’s what fits.

In case you don’t know where to send them . . .e-mail them to me at lizsun2@gmail.com.

We’re making Success a habit.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

If Youâre Looking for Blogger Status

February 6, 2006 by Liz

If you’re looking for Blogger Status, click the image link. . .

The URL is http://status.blogger.com/

You’ll note I’ve made this post into a page for Blogger users whenever you need it.
It’s there in the sidebar for you.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Successful Blog Moves Back to the City–b5media

February 6, 2006 by Liz

Sometimes Success means Failing Faster. For sure it means knowing when to make things right.

Two Personal Heroes

I don’t have many personal heroes or maybe I have too many personal heroes. I guess that depends on how you define them. I do know this–two of them are my dad and business giant Tom Peters who taught me the principle above.

I’ve been talking and listening to all of you since we left 9rules/Fine Fools about where we might focus Successful-Blog. You’ve had great suggestions, given me super advice. You’ve loved some of the changes. Others, well, you’ve not liked so much. In the end, I have to admit that when all of the ideas are thought through and filtered, the answer is that Successful-Blog doesn’t belong in the Wild, Wild West.

We’re moving back to the city where we belong.

That’s why when you clicked in this morning you see some changes, the ads are gone . . . there might just be a few bumps here and there. Last night we moved servers and this morning we are are with

b5 media.

I want to thank everyone at Erati and Blog Media for all they have done for Successful-Blog to make us feel part of the family. You were heroes in how you saw Successful-Blog’s need to move. I really appreciate that.

More Personal Heroes

I want the world to know that I went to b5media, not the other way around. You already know that Jeremy, Darren, Shai, and Duncan are personal heroes. This move has only shown me what good reason I had for having those feelings. They made things happen quickly, painlessly, and I look forward to learning and growing with them. I also look forward to learning more from you.

Isn’t that what success is all about?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Google Blogger–403 Forbidden–How Could You Let that Happen!

February 5, 2006 by Liz

Dear Dr. Eric Schmidt and Larry Paige,

I realized last night that, as a Blogger blogger, I am a guest in your home or should I say a captive visitor. Darn, I thought I was a welcomed customer. What made this clear was when you locked me in my room and forbade me access to my stuff. My own parents didn’t use the word FORBIDDEN, nor have I ever used it with my child.

Yes, I realize that you at Google did not actually write the script for the 403 error code that uses the word FORBIDDEN, but you’ve been in business long enough to know how it works. You’re at the top. You get all three of the big Ps–the Big Press, the Big Paychecks, and the Big Pain when things go wrong.

Blogger has put on a show of the worst customer service and total random inefficiency I’ve seen in ages. It started about 2 days ago with outages. Then random inability to access Blogger blogs. Last night I was able to reach the dashboard of my Blogger writing blog, but not my blog itself–even from its own dashboard. I received a 403 Forbidden access error, because I was being read as a directory. It told me to contact myself and give me permission!

This was an opportunity for Google to show some care for its customer. Instead here’s the current Google Blog post still up.

Google has an informative, how-to blog for everything, except for it’s Advertising cashcow Blogger.

You might say, “What about Blogger Buzz?” The Blogger Blog is fun to read and chatty, but it offers little information about how to use Blogger. A post here too might have made me think that Google cared. It also might have made me know for sure that it was a Blogger problem and not a problem with my computer. This is the current post Blogger Buzz.

The email abyss Blogger Help offers a return reply that says go search the help database. Then write again. Of course, then it never answers. Been there. Done that many times. It’s been that way for every email I’ve ever sent.

Google makes products, such as sitemaps, that don’t work on Blogger. To use them people have written scripts on Greasemonkey that go through Firefox to rewrite your software. Blogger customers are forced to get help from other Blogger users. That’s not customer service. That’s leaving customers to fend for themselves.

When I look at your corporate structure, it’s very telling. I don’t find the word customer anywhere.

Larry, you write ten points that you call the Google Philosophy. You explain each one carefully. I bet most users (that’s what you call us isn’t it?) have never read about them and will be surprised to see them.

Let me remind you what they are.

Focus on the user and all else will follow.
It’s best to do one thing really, really well.
Fast is better than slow.
Democracy on the web works.
You don’t need to be at your desk to need an answer.
You can make money without doing evil.
There’s always more information out there.
The need for information crosses all borders.
You can be serious without a suit.
Great just isn’t good enough.

My answer: Get a Blogger blog, and you’ll see that where Blogger is concerned NUMBER 10 IS REALLY NOT A WORRY.

Why not try what Technorati has done recently . . . decide that customers are people who deserve support, not users who will always be there. Hire a full time Blogger Customer Service Team. Don’t make your customers do your work for you. That’s not nice.

How could I possibly, tell a new blogger that Blogger is the platform he or she should use to be successful?

I’m the nice one.

Sincerely,

ME “Liz” Strauss

PS. I forgot to mention. I could not get to Blogger Status. I didn’t remember the address. Why don’t you have a link to it under Blogger Help on the Dashboard? There was no notice to go there.

UPDTATE—If you came to this page because you got a 403 Forbidden Error, the URL to find out what’s going on is

http://status.blogger.com/

That’s where you can get up-to-minute information about what is going on.

Google for some reason can’t see to get that information where people can find it. So they send you to Successful-Blog, because they know that I have it. Bookmark this page because, as we all know Blogger and Blogspot go down A LOT

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Fun Find: Button Generator.com

February 4, 2006 by Liz

I was looking at some sites around the Internet that had unique and personal buttons for their blogs last night. That seemed like a fun thing to do. Fun is something there just isn’t enough of in my life during the gray Chicago winter months. So I went hunting for a button maker. I figured it was one more way I might brand my personal blog.

Boyhowdy! Did I find one! What kind of button would you like? Will you be having a menu to go with that?

FUN Find: Button Generator.com
Type of Site: Webmasters’ resource for creating buttons and menus
Target Audience: Anyone who wants a one-of-a-kind button
Content: This site has an easy and a pro generator. It has a huge variety of free choices for making buttons and menus and provides member services. The free choices are extensive and quite elegant. In fact, I found myself enjoying the experience of making choices a relaxing change from a stressful day. (But that could just me be. We know I have that weird side.)

Before you enter there are two things you should be aware of:

Free use is on a moving time clock.
Link back is required–the linkback button is cool–or you can become a member.

All buttons also come with their own code. We’re talking Super-Buttons. You can use hex charts to change every color. If you use the advanced format you can change every layer of color. You could be here all day. You could be here until next Friday morning!

There are 11 pages of sample buttons. This is just one of them. The menu generator designs menus that match the buttons. How cool is that?

I can’t believe you won’t be able to find something that perfectly expresses you and your blog’s design. In fact, the bigger worry is that this site could very well get you into a button collecting mood. You might even start a button-trading club. Then you’ll have to join Button Generators Anonymous. Please use this information with caution. This site really is addictive. I might just have to become a member so that I can play with the button generator everyday now and forever.

C’mon. You know, you wanna.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

More Fun:
Internet Dictionary and Slang Translator
A Message for Everyone
Top 10 Ways to Become a Miserable Blogger
65th Crayon Finds that Google DoesnÃ¢â¬â¢t Use Search

Thanks to Week 15 SOBs

February 4, 2006 by Liz

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

muddy teal strip A

They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Should anyone question this badge’s validity, send him or her directly to me. This award comes with a full “Liz said so” guarantee. It is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

Want to become an SOB?

If you’re an SO-Wanna-B, you can see the whole list of SOBs and learn how to be one by visiting the SOB Hall of Fame. Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss