Successful Blog

Introducing Thomas R. Clifford, the Blog

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SOB Hall of Famer: Thomas R. Clifford

Thomas R. Clifford is a award-winning documentary filmmaker. His Director Tom blog focuses on igniting conversations by helping people tell their story authentically and dynamically. His passion for the past 23 years has been filmming remarkable stories from remarkable organizations. Tom uses that passion that has produced films for a variety of organizations — including The NFL Hall of Fame, Deloitte, and more — to give readers a look into the “what and how” of corporate filmmaking.

Tom also co-produced a one hour worldwide documentary entitled, “The Men Who Brought the Dawn.” It featured the surviving airmen who flew both atomic missions to Japan. A shorter version was produced for the NASM at the Smithsonian Institution to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the atomic missions.That experience and expertise shines throughout his remarkable blog.

Notes from Liz: When I spoke with Tom on the phone, his enthusiasm for the blogosphere and for sharing what he does was wildly contagious. When he talks about making corporate films, he talks about diamonds . . . “the job is not done until they are cut perfectly.” It’s easy to see why he calls the folks he films at each organization heroes — he makes sure that he tells the story in a way that they truly are. Tom’s blog is energy, information, and techniques, made readable.

Thanks, Tom, for wanting to share what you’ve learned in your award-winning career.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Introducing Principled Innovation

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SOB Hall of Famer: Principled Innovation by Jeff De Cagna

You?

The Principled Innovation Blog, written by Jeff De Cagna, seeks to drive a new conversation in the community of non-profit membership associations. Innovation is critical to the long-term success of associations and, contrary to popular belief, it is possible for associations to innovate in a principled, values-based way. And yet many people still believe that “association innovation” is a contradiction in terms. The Principled Innovation Blog will always push back against the popular mythology and prevailing orthodoxy surrounding innovation, and will continue to challenge association leaders to accept responsibility for making innovation happen in their organizations.

Notes from Liz: Jeff’s blog is definitely one that’s dedicated to a niche, and when I say dedicated I mean all of the time and personal investment that word can imply. You can hear Jeff’s commitment and energy in every paragraph. He’s taken the time to show exactly how much he believes in the idea of strategic innovation to create a new culture of growth and success in the world of nonprofit associations. He has me convinced.

Thanks, Jeff, for sharing your vision that quality, principles, and values matter in every endeavor where people work together.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Introducing the Blogs of Trevor Hampel

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SOB Hall of Famer: Trevor Hampel

Trevor Hampel is a retired elementary school teacher who lives in South Australia. He has always written stories and poems to use in his classroom and many have been published in Australian magazines. In the 1990s he had six books published, two curriculum guides for teachers with four accompanying student work books. He is now concentrating on writing this blog about writing and blogging which he hopes will help and inspire other writers. Some of his poetry and short fiction also appears on this blog. He is also working on several novels and picture book texts for traditional print publication.

Trevor’s Birding is a blog about the wild birds that live in his garden and in the district where he lives in South Australia. Watching birds in the wild has been his hobby now for over thirty years and he passionately shares this interest with his readers. More recently this passion has developed into a desire to photograph the birds he observes and to share the beauty of these birds by posting the photos on his blog.

Trevor’s Travels is a travel blog written by author Trevor Hampel. He has travelled extensively throughout Australia and more recently Thailand and Nepal (including a trek towards Mt Everest) and he writes about his adventures in his blog. These adventures are well illustrated by some beautiful photos of places he has visited over the years.

Notes from Liz: Trevor is a blogger’s blogger. He documents the details of his doings, a variety of experiences recorded through his writing. Trevor’s blogs bring his thoughts and images through the screen to make them ours. We get to share his world view with him. It’s his curiosity about how we choose one word over another, which bird comes to sit for his camera, or the diversity of what he finds when he travels that makes the reading unique and Trevor.

Thanks, Trevor, for the time it takes to document the details of your thoughts and your travels.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Introducing Have Laptop Will Travel

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SOB Hall of Famer: Have Laptop Will Travel by SeanRox

HaveLapTopWillTravel.com went live on June 3, 1999 as the personal site of me, SeanRox, to have a place to post random thoughts, rants, jokes and photos, all hand coded and static.

Since that time, it’s no longer a static site. It’s now a database powered with the same content and has grown into a place for me to review technology, movies, music and to let people know what’s new and exciting around the world. Have Laptop Will Travel still reflects my fun, easy-going attitude which is who I am, a laid-back geek with social skills, who enjoys geektastic toys and likes to give people a hard time. If I like you, I needle you but it’s all in good fun. I’m a nice guy, really.

I hope the above helps motivate and stimulate your brain… that’s what I like to do, get people thinking.

Notes from Liz: When SeanRox and I had our first conversation about relationship blogging, he told me about a post in which he asked his readers whether he should be the next James Bond, and about two other posts in which he and his readers discussed two laptop art projects — one involving a dollar bill collection he’s started and a second that updated both the stencils rocking the cover of his laptop and the tech advances going on inside. SeanRox’s extensive background in computers also means that he knows what he’s talking about when he decides he talking tech.

The cool part is that what he says about being a fun, easy-going, laid-back geek with social skills is also true. He proved it when he stopped by Open Comment Night with food for everyone and lots to add! Can’t help but like a blogger like that.

Whether he’s talking movies, tech, geek toys, instant messaging, hacking, or about his dog, SeanRox has a way of making what he says fun to read. Take a look and tell him that I said I need a picture first before I decide on that James Bond thing. They’ve already chosen the new guy for this time around, so I don’t suppose he’s waiting on me anyway. . . .

Thanks, SeanRox, for all of the conversation that makes you part of Successful Blog.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Introducing TechzOnline

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SOB Hall of Famer: TechzOnline

TechZ Online

TechzOnline started out as just a personal space to put down a few thoughts and a central place to let people know more about me. It slowly became a very comfortable medium via the exellent CMS, WP, to put down my thoughts and interact with a wide spectrum of people, in terms of culture & thoughts. I’m a technology fan, and as such my Friday Link Day usually has a good bunch of tech links, not to mention I keep categories devoted solely to tech. I keep my blog ad-free so users need not worry about pop-ups and ugly boxes with ads in them.

Notes from Liz: In the olden days when I was a kid, TV had variety shows. Today you meet a tech blog with variety posts. Techzonline from Bahrain is that blog. It’s not only more informative and it’s way more entertaining than those old variety shows were. You just never know what the next post will bring you. The Microsoft Dead for the Live Challenged Review was one of my favorites. The blogger behind this tech blog is clever and worth paying attention to. Each post is packed with refreshing new slants, and facts and ideas that make fun tuning into this blog — like it used to be fun to tune into TV in the olden days.

You’ve probably seen Techz commenting on Sucessful Blog. He’s planning to visit the blogs in the Hall of Fame. He’s one Successful and Outstanding Blogger.

Thanks, Techz, for letting me introduce you to the readers of Successful Blog.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Introducing The Zehnkatzen Times

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SOB Hall of Famer: The Zehnkatzen Times

by Samuel J. Klein

The Zehnkatzen Times is the record of the perambulations of Samuel John Klein, a designer and self-styled pundit based in Portland, Oregon. From this podium he finds and comments on interesting things in graphic design, logo design, web design, map design, life and times in Portland, and the occasional ironic or funny random observation and, every now and again, a somewhat-trenchant political observation. Feel free to stop by and celebrate the process.

Notes from Liz: Sam J. Klein is a graphic designer who has a way with words. As soon as you begin reading The Zehnkatzen Times, you start to get the feeling, “Hey, I think I know this guy.” He understands the writer’s magic of bringing a smile and his own viewpoint to a story. His content includes commentary on blooks, blogs and his ongoing projects some of which are

He’s into so many things and writes with such a light touch. I can’t help but wonder whether his last name isn’t really Clemens.

Thanks, Sam, for letting me introduce you to the readers of Successful Blog.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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