Successful Blog

When Someone Blindsides You With a Negative Blog Post

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On a phone call last week, my friend, Zena Weist and I were discussing incidents such as the Motrin Moms and the Nestle-Greenpeace crises that happened last year or similar circumstances when a person or a group attacks another online.

That conversation reminded me of a negative blog post a few months ago that a fairly known blogger wrote using my name in the headline with two other key words as a obvious SEO ploy to get traffic. I say that because he ignored similar situations with other folks and didn’t attempt to ask me about the event. Nor did he respond to any conversation about it.

These sorts of confrontation can evoke a passionate response.

In the fast web culture, our senses get heightened by the idea that a wide audience of people we don’t know can be reading that bad press about us. It’s only natural to want to to set the record straight.

It’s at times like those that I try to remember this saying,

The more I want to run, the better it is that I walk slowly and with thought.
Passion rarely fuels grounded thinking.

Of course, a great social media team is hired to be mature and is prepared with a plan to handle a crisis such as those I just mentioned. But a knee jerk reaction can foil even the best plans. Realize that it’s happening. Often we sense a bad conversation before it’s really gone wrong. It might be our mood or the mood of the person we’re talking to. Unconsciously we rise to the bait and respond by making things worse.

So … Breathe. Before your hands touch the keyboard to respond realize that you’ve got a few minutes to go with your best reaction, not your fastest one. Take time to think of your best options. We can’t take back a bad response, but we can reconsider our options before we act like a jerk.

  • Own your part of what derailed. Apologize for your behavior not circumstances around you.
  • Diffuse any personal response you’re feeling before you respond.
  • See yourself on the other side of the conversation.
  • Find a way to say “thank you” for the information.
  • Don’t feel compelled to counter every point. Trust the people who know you to know what you stand for. Realize that some folks won’t listen anyway.
  • Get curious about finding common ground — make a goal to meet somewhere you agree. Ask them what they might do in your situation.
  • Live the example you respect. Choose thought-filled words that come from the heart.
  • Keep the conversation limited to the person who brought it and take it offline or private as soon as possible. If
  • In the case of folks who are simply inventing something to hijack your name, answer once, clearly and with grace. Then simply ignore the conversation or enlist your friends to set the situation straight.
  • Know the difference between a stampede of elephants and a flea who’s just irritating.

Of course, the best response is to be solid about what you stand for, willing to listen to questions about it, and open to other’s concerns. Then when things get confrontational, you can simply point out that the behavior, not the discussion, is inappropriate.

Have you ever been blindsided by a negative blog post? How did you handle it?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

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26 Needle In The Haystack Blogging Topics

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By Terez Howard

If you’re just starting out blogging or you want to create an additional blog, here’s a word of advice:

Find a needle in the haystack.

Beginner bloggers probably have heard the terms “niche” and “micro niche.” A niche is a distinct segment of a market, while a micro niche is a more specific form of a wider market. For instance, green living is a niche, and green living with pets is a micro niche.

As a blogger, you want to find a topic that you already have contained a wealth of information, or at least you have a lot to say about the topic. Sounds easy enough, right?

It is pretty simple. Keep in mind that you not only go as tight as possible, but also make sure that you’re writing about something that people want to read about.

That’s where research comes in. Pay a visit to the Google Adwords Keyword Tool. Type in a desired keyword to get an idea of what people are searching for, and then head over to Google to see what you’re competition is like.

This method does not always give you a clear picture, though, since you’re keyword might be too broad, but you’re topic could be perfect. So check through several keywords and remember that a keyword alone should not decide the fate of your blog. It is just a piece of the puzzle.

There are various free and not free software programs that go into greater depth in spotting a niche. You could choose to invest in one if you plan on using it to generate blog topics or post ideas. However, in my opinion, it isn’t necessary.

My short blogging topic list

I was thinking about topics that I would like to write, as well as blogs that I would like to see and/or enjoy reading. I came up with the following list of topics about blogging:

  1. Blog writing tips
  2. Blog design
  3. Unpaid blog marketing
  4. Paid blog marketing
  5. Sponsored blogging
  6. Blogging for businesses
  7. Blogging as a source of income
  8. Blogging with babies
  9. Blogging basics
  10. Corporate blogging
  11. Video blogging
  12. Blogging for fun
  13. Blogging about news
  14. Blogging for newspapers
  15. Where to find best blogs of a certain topic
  16. Affiliate marketing and blogging
  17. Social media marketing
  18. WordPress plug-in reviews
  19. WordPress template reviews
  20. WordPress graphic designer reviews
  21. Ghost blogging
  22. Before you blog, you should know
  23. The blog that responds to the best bloggers
  24. Personal branding
  25. Blog that reviews blogs
  26. Blog strictly about blogging topics!

Within my list, I can see these topics can be even tighter. A blog about unpaid blog marketing could be cut down to only include how to market via Twitter. A blog that focuses on affiliate marketing on a blog could solely discuss using Commission Junction.

Are you thinking that a super tight micro niche blog will run dry on topics? It may. But the odds are slim because within one topic is the possibility of hundreds of posts.

So yeah, you’re trying to find a needle. It’s also a needle with a billion atoms on its point. You won’t run out of material.

What kind of blogging topics would you like to read or write about?

—
Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility. She regularly blogs at Freelance Writing Mamas . You’ll find her on Twitter @thewriteblogger

Thanks, Terez!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Who Won’t Let Your Business Fail?

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We Need Someone Outside the System We’re In

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Some kids learn to ride a bike by just getting on one. They ride and fall down until the falling down part stops. Other kids have the luxury of someone who runs alongside the bike helping them balance as they ride. Those kids get fewer bruises and meet the sidewalk head on fewer times.

Launching a new idea, product, or service is a lot like riding a bike, or maybe more like trying to ride a horse after you already know how to ride a bike.

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We have a grand idea. It’s a good plan. We’ve think through the audience, how we’ll reach them, and how we’ll connect them to each other and our grand service, amazing product or outstanding event. …

Whether we work alone or on a highly competitive corporate team, the hardest part of our work is to get a balanced appraisal of our idea before we take off on the ride.

Why is that?

Each of us is inside a system — a network, a business, a circle of family and friends. Shouldn’t we be able to find help there? Maybe not, because …

  • some people who helped build the idea — participated in the thinking. They can see how we got where we’re going, but not necessarily what we’ve missed.
  • some people in our system often want to maintain the equilibrium of our relationships. Unless we’re about to ride off a cliff or over broken glass, they’ll let us try what we might even when they’re not sure they can see any way it will work.
  • some people in our system have already decided about us and our ideas. We know the people in our system who always say, “that’s brilliant,” “that won’t work,” “we’ll see.” “just go for it,” and “where do I fit in?” to every idea we have.

The problem is that we can’t see the holes in a plan that we’ve made. What we need is the feedback of a naive intelligent customer who doesn’t know how we got to our idea.

Who Won’t Let You Fail

What every system needs is someone outside the thinking to come in at the end to say “Why that?” Imagine a guiding angel (not a devil’s advocate) who is 100% for seeing you and your team succeed with the highest quality result.

The businesses who do more of this are the ones who come to market with renewed confidence. Recently, Dell did a great job of seeking out this kind of advice with their #DellCap initiative. (thanks Dell!) Old Spice has been listening in lots of new ways. SOBCon owes much to so many people: Britt Raybould, Kevin Ferrasci O’Malley, Geoff Livingston, Sheila Scarborough, Chris Brogan, Becky McCray, Jason Falls, Carol Roth, Jonathan Fields, Stephen Smith, Chris Cree, and too many others to name– who have told us their truth while we were working on ideas.

What we need is someone who won’t let us fail. Do you have someone who will

  • keep you and your team focused on your end goal and your passion
  • hold you accountable for your goals.
  • stays out of the thinking and developing in order to question your decisions without prior knowledge of how you got to them.
  • point out hidden assumptions and risks
  • make sure you’re not underestimating your abilities or setting the bar too low.
  • tell you when you’re building for yourself rather than the people you serve.
  • won’t let you fail or limit reach and will tell when you’re in danger of doing so.
  • keep your confidence and trust as you talk about what your worries are.

We can’t be inside the thinking and outside the thinking at the same time. Having someone outside your system who won’t let you fail is the best investment a business can make. A few hours a month to check in on what’s planned can save thousands in time and resources invested in the wrong things because no one noticed the hidden assumption in your plan.

The question isn’t whether the outside source is paid. It’s whether the source can tell you the hard truth gently. The right source would risk your relationship rather than let you fail.

Some folks have it in their DNA that they can’t stand to watch anything fail. Find a few of them and get them on your team. Make them heroes. Listen to what they say or they won’t stay around long. What better safety net can a business have than people who won’t let them fail?

What companies do you know who have found a way to listen to folks outside the system who won’t let them fail?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Here’s How You Gain Customers As You Grow Your Product Line

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Be Visible, Be Focused

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Mike and Larry (not their real names) had an idea. It was simple. When they came to me they had already figured out to enlist other folks by inviting them to be partners, experts, and heroes and their idea became a fabulous reality — a great first success. After their event, we talked about how to leverage their success into something longer and more lasting.

They had so many ideas! Their ideas were all over the place.

Whoa!

We stopped to take a strategic look at what was already at their door and where natural managed growth might go. We started with this model to guide the plan.

oldnewcustomer

  • [top left box] What is your core product / service? Who is in your core customer base? What was the form of your first success? Who are the customer you reached with your first success?

    Mike and Larry had developed an online webinar that had gained a huge following of fans — a core group of online small business folks, particularly pr and marketing people. We named them “old product” and “old customers” to remind us that we were focused on expanding both the product line and the customer base. Doing the same thing for the same people only leads to slow death

  • [top right box] How can you offer that same product to new customers? To extend the circle of people that attended the original webinar, Mike and Larry are offering it as an mp3 and a transcript. They may also use some as newsletter content and possibly later put it in a paid content subscription site.
  • [bottom left box] How can you keep serving the customers you reached with your first success? Mike and Larry have already started a second webinar series on a new question. They’re looking at new forms of the webinar, text versions of the same idea, a book, and offline events.
  • [bottom right box] How can you keep to solid path? Once we discussed how much bandwidth and risk it takes to veer away from a core audience and product niche, Mike and Larry agreed that the lower right box isn’t for them.

Ideas are good, but it’s hard to choose which will take you to the place you want to be, if you don’t know where you want to go. On the other hand, knowing where you’re going is irresistibly attractive.

All you need to get started is two questions: Who’s in your core audience and what is the first thing you will offer them?

I can’t wait to hear.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

I’m a proud affiliate of

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SOB Business Cafe 07-16-10

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SB Cafe

Welcome to the SOB Cafe

We offer the best in thinking — articles, books, podcasts, and videos about business online written by the Successful and Outstanding Bloggers of Successful Blog. Click on the titles to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

AdBusters
Psychologists have long known that North Americans overestimate their own distinctiveness, especially in comparison with East Asians. When asked to describe themselves, Americans and Canadians tend to talk about their individual personality and personal outlook more than Japanese do. North Americans tend to settle arguments in terms of right and wrong, whereas East Asians tend to seek compromises. Dirty Harry is an extreme and violent example, but he is emblematic of Western culture and he sums up our single-minded, goal-oriented behavior with aplomb. “When I see an adult male chasing a female with the intent to commit rape, I shoot the bastard. That’s my policy.”

Pure Natural Diva
The session echoed many of the thoughts that have been running through my mind & dancing through my notes during the past few months. It challenged us to; OWN our irresistibility, really define our goals for our businesses, and it reminded us not to underestimate our worth.

Gwen Bell
In 2005, during yoga teacher training, a teacher explained the importance of off-the-mat time. She recommended we go on retreat four times a year – once a quarter. I recall internal resistance. As the discussion unfolded, it turned out I wasn’t alone. How could we take time away from yoga?

Digital Sabbatical

Purple Wren
It should be all set up now to post to my facebook, linkedin, typepad, twitter, flickr accounts at the same time. That’s cool. It’s been a hit or miss lately as I pick whatever is the most handy. I’ll see how this goes. Depends on the content. Let’s upload a photo just for fun.

Copyblogger
The good news is that writing makes you a better writer. Just like practicing the piano makes you a better pianist, or riding a trail bike makes you a better biker.

hugoguzman.com
Back in the Spring of 2009, I created a short video that summarized my thoughts on how some marketing executives were getting social media all wrong. I called it “Social Media Idiot”:

Related ala carte selections include

The Old Spice Guy Responds
via @IttyBiz Old Spice guy is responding to comments w/ indiv videos. I am DYING. Start here

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

–ME “Liz” Strauss

I’m a proud affiliate of

third-tribe-marketing

I Still Don’t Do Weekends – How Are You Finding Time for the Time of Your Life?

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I wrote this blog post much like this two years ago, but it seems so important to share it again today.

I've been thinking . . .
One Friday ritual that happens in offices is that people ask What are you doing this weekend? I’ve never been good at small talk in general, but I had to study to answer that question.

I kept a list of responses that sounded somewhat normal.

“I’m going for quiet and relaxation.”

“I think a good book is in order.”

“I have an appointment with my pillow.”

“I’m just so happy to be having a weekend.”

You might note that all of my answers basically say the same thing that my friend, KB, once said, “Liz doesn’t do weekends.”

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I used to say, “Hey, the speeding train of week is over, I made my quota of decisions at the office. The last thing I want to do is come home to make more of them — decide what to do, where to go, what to eat, where to eat it, when to go there, what to wear.”

So instead I’d stay home and let life happen.
Sometimes life happens in ways worth remembering. Most often it doesn’t. Time just passes.

That’s what I’ve been thinking about lately. I don’t make plans — too many options. I can talk myself out of almost anything.

“Let’s something.”
“Do what?”
“I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

“How about this place?”
“Too crowded.”

“This?”
“Too expensive.”

“This?”
“Too far. . . . too early . . . too late . . . too extravagant . . . too boring . . . too edgy . . . too too.”

“but I’ll be there…”
“Then I’ll go.”

I care more about people I do things with than what I do. So when a friend would suggest something, I would go. Most cool things I’ve done have been because someone invited me.

That’s a passive way to live a life, waiting for life to come to me.

I’ve changed since those days.
I’ve realized my life is my own to make.
I decided to find time for the time of my life.

I still don’t do weekends …
Now, I do life every day of the week … including Friday, Saturday, and Sunday … finding time for people I care about, people I want know, and even myself.

Life isn’t made of weekends.
It’s made of memories.

I can’t think of a better way to spend the time of my life.

How are you finding time for the time of your life?

Liz's Signature