Successful Blog

Thanks to Week 4 SOBs

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Now, now, you know what that means . . . Successful and Outstanding Bloggers.

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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.

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0rules mini plus logo

Digital pr Italy logo

Marketing Tools Review Blog

Solo Business Marketing

Workboxers logo

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.

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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

2.6 Thanks for Coming, Ellen

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Interview with Ellen

Reign of Ellen Logo

Interview with: Ellen
Her Blog: The Reign of Ellen
URL: thereignofellen.blogspot.com
Her audience: easy-going, funny, non-judgmental readers–moms; dads; college-aged women
Things to note when you visit: the open spirit of community; the royal gallery; the blogroll; the multiple kinds of interactivity; the connection between Ellen and her readers; how the open, friendly, design supports the concept; the special features and unique ideas

2.6 Thanks for Coming, Ellen

THANKS ELLEN, for sharing your blog and yourself with us this week.

THE REIGN OF ELLEN has so much that makes it a successful blog–among these the deep and authentic feeling Ellen has for her readers and how everything about her blog communicates that. Before we concluded the interview, I asked Ellen to offer some weekend reading– “Best of” excerpts from her blog.

What do are your most visited stories?

The Battle of Waterpoo

Television Point/Counterpoint

Every Sperm Is Sacred?

The Ear Wax Story: Loser Date
The Ear Wax Story: Gross Ear Wax Information
The Ear Wax Story: Poll
The Ear Wax Story: Okay, You Asked for It

AND THANKS TO ELLEN’S FANS AND READERS who have been visitng all week. Please feel free to leave your comments and your favorite stories here too.

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A successful blog, like a good movie, gives the audience someone or something they can relate to. This cartoon reminds me of me. 🙂

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Writing for a Diverse Readership

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I sit down to write about a complex topic. My first thought? Here I go again.

I’m about to battle with myself about the appropriate writing level for this topic. I say for the topic not for the reader because my readership is diverse–you have many levels of experience.

I’ve been writing for diverse skill groups for almost three decades. I’ve also been training editors to do the same thing. There are some mistakes that everyone makes, and some techniques that can make what you write more more useful and engaging for at least 80% of your readers.

    80-20 spectrum

These are some tips on writing for a readership that includes beginners to experts. Let’s imagine I’m one of those readers. Here’s what I want you to do.

  • Write for someone who’s like you, but doesn’t know what you know about this topic. Choose a voice you’d be comfortable reading. Take an approach that makes sense to you. Use a structure that follows your logic. I’ll be grateful that you made clear decisions about presenting the information, because your article will be easy to follow.
  • Don’t worry about insulting me. Give me information. I’m smart, but that doesn’t mean I know. If you worry about insulting me, you unconsciously omit information. Often that detail you think is obvious is the one detail that I can’t see. You’re more likely to upset me by confusing me than by telling me too much.
  • I like a well-written review of the basics. Hey, we all forget little things, and we all like to feel smart. As long as you don’t beat me over the head with stuff, I don’t mind hearing good information again. I learned the value of review in school. Just don’t make me feel like I’ll be tested on it.

    • Two points are for bloggers who might be nervous.

  • Do all you can not to be self-conscious. Writers who are too aware of their readers, thinking too much of what their readers might think, write in a way that makes readers uncomfortable. If you think you are worried that readers might see you as unqualified, ask someone to read your work before you post it. It’s likely that you need to add some confidence.
  • Don’t end your post with a sentence that says, “I hope you really liked what I wrote.” You’ve given me advice as an expert. I want to believe you are one. If I’ve made it there, I’m convinced–to say that tells me I might have been wrong.

Keep in mind that some expert readers may want to help out a beginner, and you’ll have more confidence writing the basics, especially if you’re worried that they already know them. But before you convince yourself that all of your experts know all of the basics, think of how fast things change and how many self-taught people there are. If you are thorough in your writing, there is a good chance you’ll be teaching some of your experts something they didn’t know too.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

2.5 Queen Ellen’s Advice

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Interview with Ellen

Interview with: Ellen
Her Blog: The Reign of Ellen
URL: thereignofellen.blogspot.com
Her audience: easy-going, funny, non-judgmental readers–moms; dads; college-aged women
Things to note when you visit: the open spirit of community; the royal gallery, the blogroll; the multiple kinds of interactivity; the connection between Ellen and her readers; how the open, friendly, design supports the concept; the special features and unique ideas

2.5 Queen Ellen’s Advice

Ellen Flipped

Ellen has been building blogging expertise since May 2003. Her background in design and graphics also brings an additional dimension to the conversation. She shared some of her experience with the highs and lows of blogging.

What was the biggest mistake that you made?

I wrote some critical comments about one of my sisters on my old blog. . . . None of my family even knew that my blog “diary” existed, so I never thought that she’d ever read it. But search engines are tricky little things, and she . . . found my blog and read every archived post. She was very hurt and angry. I don’t regret writing my true thoughts and feelings on my blog, but I’ve learned that you must be willing to accept the fallout if you choose to do so. Needless to say, I don’t write about family anymore. I don’t know who is reading.

What change made the greatest improvement?

Besides the obvious switch from my boring old “Sugar” blog to “Reign,” I think that the addition of the “The Court of Ellen” cartoons bolstered the community on my blog. People love to belong and love to feel special and unique.

What do you wish you could do for your blog?

To be honest, I really like my blog the way it is. But I do wish I had more time to respond to all the emails and comments that I receive from readers. However, being a working mother with several personal hobbies outside of blogging, this is impossible right now.

What was the best advice anyone gave you?

“If you delete that blog, I will beat you, woman.”

Not really advice as much as a threat. Said to me by my husband after I received my first attacking comment from a “troll.” I get my feelings hurt easily, and I was about to delete my entire blog. Thankfully, I listened to him and have toughened up a bit.

What advice would you give a beginner?

Surf the network of blogs. You can learn a lot about blogging from other bloggers�the good, the bad and the ugly. And as the saying goes for writers, “if you want to be a good writer, read good books,� so it goes for bloggers . . . “If you want to be a successful blogger, lurk on a lot of blogs.�

Finally, make your template–“your template”–something you like to return to time and time again. My personal preference for my template is to keep “clean and uncluttered.â€? It’s about the only place in my life that is “clean and uncluttered.â€?

“Hey, you try having a baby, working part time, and pumping out artwork every week,” added Jason, Ellen’s husband.

In what ways, have you made your template your own? Stand back. Take a look. Does your blog reflect what happens there?

Is your blog a place you want to come back to time and time again?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

TWO Simple Keys to Success

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I was a VP in an executive meeting at a publishing company. The people around the table had the most solid core competencies I’d ever seen in one room. We’d been working together for five months. Our quest was to turn around a failing company. We had about six months left to do it.

“How do we grow the company?” they said.

Three reasons made them turn to me with the question. I had the applicable experience in that industry; I came from a high-growth company; and I was the product person who knew the customers intimately.

How do we grow the company?

Sometimes I get lucky, and the words that come out make me look smart. This was one of those times. My answer became the company’s guiding statement. I’ll adapt them slightly to apply to blogging.

All successful publishers do two things consistently.

  • Give readers what they want–quality content to read that informs, entertains, and makes their lives easier or more fun.
  • Give readers more opportunities to find what they want easily–posting with frequency, writing clearly and consistenly, keeping tags and archives understandable and organized, pointing to other blogs that answer questions and needs.

We give them more of the content they want and more opportunities to find it.

It’s not rocket science. It’s not even particularly clever. It’s simple, respectful, and elegant. Readers know what they need. If they had time to, they could find it themselves. We are the value-added. Those two simple keys–more great content and more ways to get to it–define their reason for reading us.

Our task is to come to agreement with our readers on the definition of quality content and never stray from delivering it.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

PS That little company I spoke of went from $9M to $35M in 3 yrs. At the same time the industry grew 3%, and the dot.com bust occurred.