business-blogging Archives - Page 7 of 8

SOB Business Cafe 7-21-2006

July 21, 2006 by Liz

Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking–articles on the business of blogging written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the title shots to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

Creating Passionate Users makes the point that if you’re not having fun, you’re just not doing it right somehow.

Solo Marketing offers some advice on how to deal with spousal distractions. These aren’t just tips for holidays.

Symplebyte shows us how to make smaller PowerPoint files in five easy steps. Maybe then we can actually send them to clients via email.

Service Unlimited has some customer service tips for freelancers. They really apply to any business that has clients.

Related ala carte selections include

Scrappy Marketing Solutions reminds of the qualities that make an effective business blog.

Sit back. Enjoy your read. Nachos and drinks will be right over. Stay as long as you like.
No tips required. Comments appreciated.

Have a great weekend!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Airplanes, Airports, and Ideas

July 19, 2006 by Liz

Field Trip

I’m on an airplane to meet with a project partner for the next few days. What a great opportunity to be a customer. I’ll be capturing moments and ideas for posts to come. Can’t let those real events go unrecorded. Observing is what writers do. I figure I’ll collect a week’s worth of ideas in the next hour or two.

I love flying, but the airport I’m flying into always has a delay. . . . More after I’ve landed.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles
See the Customer Think series on the SUCCESSFUL SERIES PAGE.

What to Do Before They Ask What Do You Do?

July 18, 2006 by Liz

What’s Your Name

When is a rose not a rose? When it is Compassion. When a car not a car? When its a Model J DUESENBERG. Why did I quit teaching? Because I couldn’t find another word.

It’s true that’s the reason.

I left college being called a master teacher, with student teachers following me into the classroom. It had something to do with my philosophy that if I couldn’t sit in a desk all day, I’d be damned if I would ask a 6-year-old to try to do so. I loved the kids and the teaching, but when new friends asked What do you do? I heard myself saying, I’m a teacher, but not like any you ever knew. That wasn’t good. That’s when I realized that I needed a new word or I wouldn’t be teaching.

You’ve probably not left a career over a word, and probably suspect there was more to it. There was, and there wasn’t. The way folks viewed me was the problem. I wasn’t what they imagined. I didn’t like being put in their box.

But we rely on words figure out our world view.

There is no getting away from that.The next best thing is picking our words.

What Are You? a Blogger? a Writer? a Publisher? a Sales Rep? a Marketer? a Citizen Journalist? a Critic? a Martyr?

What do you do? they say. What do I answer? [Read more…]

Kala, a Reader, from Sprint/Nextel Cares

July 13, 2006 by Liz

Thank you, Kala

This morning, Kala left a comment to the post I wrote July 11 about Sprint/Nextel.

Hello. I read your blog and am very eager to assist you. I work for Sprint Nextel and would love the opportunity to resolve this matter for you. Please e-mail me with your contact information.

I sent her the emails I had received since I’d made that post public, and within minutes I had a phone call from her.

What a charming lady! She’s not only charming, she’s also in a position to change things. Kala fixed my problem in a few seconds and acknowledged that the system was broken.

How refreshing! I’ve met a telco representative who listens and she makes good things happen for customers. Her name is Kala.

Sprint/Nextel has no idea of her value to their brand.

Thank you, Kala, for your help. Thank you, too, for being a reader.

Smiles,
Liz

Looking for This Week’s Ideas?

July 9, 2006 by Liz

Look No Further

Mike Sigers at Simplenomics has done your idea work for you. He’s got a keeper of a post on his front page offering 10 Post Ideas for Business bloggers. Go on over and check it out. Click the shot to get there.

This one is a classic. Thanks, Mike!

I’m going now to print it out.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Email Subscriptions Got My Mother-in-law & 2 Nuns to Read My Blog

June 26, 2006 by Liz

Who Wants a Blog by Email?

See the subscription form in the sidebar under the search box? It looks like this.

I put it on my blog as an experiment. I was skeptical. I thought Who’d want a blog in their email box? Wouldn’t that change the whole experience?

3 Good Reasons

My dad used to say get 3 good reasons for what you want to do. I did my homework, and I got them. Three good reasons for trying email to my blog.

Some folks spend a lot of time on email and little time on the Internet.
Some folks don’t want to come to find me. They’d rather I came to them.
RSS feeds are hard to explain to folks who’ve never seen or used one before. I know. I’ve tried.

Two other reasons I gave email subscriptions a try were that I don’t have to pay anything, and I like the way the email version of my blog looks. I made a screen so that you could see for yourself. [Read more…]