Successful Blog

SOB Business Cafe 05-08-09

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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

Sonia of Copyblogger
Naomi Dunford of Ittybiz is a genuinely remarkable voice in a sea of sameness. She’s a fantastic example of how content marketing can be used as the backbone of a real business that makes real money.

Seth’s Blog
Most marketers are organized around more. More share. More customers.

And if you want to do that fast, it means marketing to strangers. Strangers that don’t care about you, don’t trust you and aren’t listening to you.

The Fluent Self
So it kind of seemed like it might be time to a) pull back, b) add to the general knowledge base… and c) just try to give you a better sense of what these three methodologies/philosophies are. And why they aren’t really always that good for you.

iJump
One point from the Q&A roundup from Marketing Now bears deeper exploration: Online communities require investment in people.

Rick Mahn
That’s what lies before today’s C-Suite executives if they choose to explore it. What I’m talking about here, of course, is really about relationships. With the advent of social computing in the second half of this decade, the power has shifted from producers and marketers to people.

Related ala carte selections include

Being Five

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

SOBCon 2009 Link Roundup

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Hello everybody! SOBCon 2009 is over. I know that many of you are sad, but guess what? There is a ton of content out there for you to re-live and re-learn some of the experience. While David Griffith is busy compiling all of the video content, I have grabbed a few of the links to posts that our amazing attendees have put together.

Thank you again to our sponsors and all of the attendees who made this conference the best yet.

Please take a look at what these folks have put together and share your thoughts in the comments:

Well that should keep you busy for a while! As an added bonus, here is a short video from Denise Wakeman at Build a Better Blog,

(Turn on flash to see it)

If you have a SOBCon post link that you would like to share in this post, please let me know in the comments.

My ROI – SOBCon 09

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The theme for SOBCon last weekend in Chicago was the Return on Investment (ROI) of Relationships. As we learned from KD Paine’s presentation there are many ways to measure ROI, and in a successful business model that is the goal – to measure output in relation to input. It’s a difficult issue because, first, there has to be a clear definition of relationship and then what does the return actually mean? Are we dealing with dollar and cents as our measure or are we calculating visits to a website as our return? The answer to the question is situation specific and, having said that, I can really only talk about my ROI as it pertains to my weekend in Chicago. 

I must admit I was very nervous about going to the conference. Although I have made lots of great connections online I am new to this and attending a “biz school” for bloggers was a little daunting. My take aways:
 
– Meeting people face-to-face strengthened relationships and took them to a new level of trust and support. And oh how we laughed! 
-I learned things about the business of blogging: how to make money, practical skills, new techniques, and of many new services out there. 
– I learned that having a lot of connections, investing in relationships with many different people from many different backgrounds and areas of interest’s leads to an incredible arsenal of resources. Putting these people in a room together created energy you could actually feel and almost see.  
– I made connections, which will lead to future projects that may provide
employment. 
–  Days later I learned that the best take away was the feeling of being revitalized and knowing of all the support available in the SOB community. 
– I learned that the conversation generated by the presenters, as with Brian Clark’s presentation, was even more valuable than the presentation itself.
 

I measured my ROI and am extremely happy with my return. The most valuable item? Definitely conversation. In the end isn’t that what we’re all trying to create?  A conversation around our post, service, blog, product, idea, or self? ? 

from: Kathryn Jennex aka northernchick

SOBCon09 … Words and Images of the IRL-ROI

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SOBCon09!! Thank YOU

The theme of SOBCon09 was the ROI of Relationships. We underscored the importance of relationships in business and had a chance to make and celebrate a few while we’re doing that.

On Monday @swoodruff asked, “Have you recovered from SOBCon09 yet?”

My answer was simple, “Who’d want to recover from that?” We all experienced the IRL-ROI — The In Real Life Return on Investment of Relationships. How do I describe a community a great minds working and shining side-by-side? I’m working on it. Until then, here’s what some folks have already said.

Top100 blogs in SOBCon09 Category by invesp consulting
Very cool set of charts ranking the blogs of SOBCon09

8 ways social media can learn from church
Let me suggest 8 lessons you may want to consider as you expand your social media efforts.
1. Great stories stick …

Be Nice
It may sound simple, over-simplified in fact, but it is actually not natural for humans these days. But one thing I can tell you for sure: I have been to a lot conferences (although only one other blogging one) and many networking events, and I have never had such an easy time speaking with and connecting to people.

What a Social Media Experience: 150 People In a Room Tweeting and Learning
I took a deep breath. I had come home. This was the kind of social media conference I had been looking for. This was going to be a blast.

What I Learned at SOBCon – Day 1
Zena Weist presents @jenchicago’s awesome video

Places to learn and meet
A thoughtful reflection on two meaningful connections and even more places to find content from the event.

Business Blogging Tips from SOBCon 09
It was a full 3 days, lots of talking, learning, photos, videos so getting interviews felt like a challenge for me.

Building Relationships Online? Meet Their Hierarchy of Needs
But, how do you build a relationships that only happen online? When Terry Starbucker spoke this past weekend at SOBCON, he listed the steps when approaching someone online in order to build a successful relationship.

CityChicOnAFarm goes to a Blogging Conference (SOBCon)
This CityChicOnAFarm was totally intimidated at first and thought “I soooo don’t belong here,” but after it got started and I started meeting many of the other attendees I realized I definitely needed to be there.

How Can You Change What You’re Afraid of?
This weekend, I was blessed with the wisdom, expertise, time, and friendship of more people than I have space to acknowledge here. I cannot begin to put a value on the support I received or the help I was given. I deserve none of it. I am no more special than anyone else and yet I walk away having been given priceless gifts. I doubt I could ever thank people enough.

SOBCon Synthesis: The Rise of the Digiloggers
What SOBCon is creating, in my view, is a new breed of businessperson – the “Digilogger“.
A Digilogger is someone, or a company, who can successfully synthesize what has and always will work on the “analog” side of the fence and blend it seamlessly with the digital tools we now have at our disposal.

Thank you everyone especially you, Terry, for the experience of a life, a heart, and mind.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

The Mic Is On: We're Talking about Generating Content Ideas!!

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It’s Like Open Mic Only Different

The Mic Is On

Here’s how it works.

It’s like any rambling conversation. Don’t try to read it all. Jump in whenever you get here. Just go to the end and start talking. EVERYONE is WELCOME.
The rules are simple — be nice.

There are always first timers and new things to talk about. It’s sort of half “Cheers” part “Friends” and part video game. You don’t know how much fun it is until you try it.

Need Some Ideas?

Content defines who we are. What we write about is our expertise and our relevance. We become our words and our statements online. And as online presence becomes a stronger part of business, business becomes more about publishing ideas.

  • What new product and blog post ideas can we come up with?
  • Where do the best ideas come from?
  • How do you grow ideas from what you have?
  • When is it time to let an old idea become a new one?

And, whatever else comes up, including THE EVER POPULAR, Basil the code-writing donkey . . . and flamenco dancing (because we always get off topic, anyway.)

Oh, and bring example links.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
image: sxc.hu
Related article
What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?

How Can You Change What You're Afraid of?

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Each Year We Get Better

The theme of SOBCon09 was the ROI of Relationships. We underscored the importance of relationships in business and had a chance to make and celebrate a few while we’re doing that.

Every year, we get a better at smoothing the edges of what we’re inventing — our businesses, our community, and this event that we build together when we walk into that room.

At SOBCon08, a beautiful young woman joined us. She signed up with only her first name. She was in the room the whole time, but I didn’t get to know her well. This year she returned with her full name and seemed so much more involved. As I read her story, I wish I had reached out to her more last year. She’s inspired me to make sure that I look to do that more.

Reflections on the ROI of SOBCon09 by Amy LeForge

I’m just home from a weekend in Chicago for SOBCon09. The theme this year was The Return On Investment (ROI) of Relationships and I’ve been reflecting on what my personal ROI is for this trip. This was actually my second time attending SOBCon. That fact came as a surprise to more than one of the attendees this year when I introduced myself. The reason they were surprised is because they didn’t remember me from last year. That’s right. I went to a marketing/business/entrepreneurial/blogging conference last year and hid. I sat back in the shadows and listened and learned. I made a few friends, but I shied away from actually stepping out and having conversations or building relationships.

Don’t get me wrong: I have no one to blame for this but me. No one at SOBCon was (or is) anything less than stellar and wonderful and amazing. Every last one of them. I was out of my comfort zone the entire time; it was clear that I was in the company of people who knew and understood so much more than I and I was intimidated. I do not exaggerate when I tell you I sobbed for a good deal of the drive home last year.

I have long wondered what caused my attack of shyness. My husband, upon hearing me describe what had happened at SOBCon08, was quite puzzled. “You’re not shy,” he said. And he’s right. I’m not. Perhaps it’s that I’m an introvert, but even that label does not completely fit. It’s true that I am a listener, but I also love to tell stories. I wouldn’t be a blogger if I didn’t.

I came to SOBCon09 bound and determined to do better. This meant stepping far out of my comfort zone and forcing myself to join conversations, ask questions, and get to know people. Most frightening were the evening social gatherings. I went anyways. (I won’t lie to you: I had to have several rather stern talks with myself about not giving up and running away.)

If you talk to SOBCON attendees from years past you’ll hear how people walk in as strangers and leave as family. Friendships are forged that extend far beyond the boundaries of this one weekend. It’s all true.

I cannot begin to adequately describe how kind and welcoming people were, or how blessed I am to have been able to friend so many. Even when I very honestly said, “I’m scared out of my wits here,” I was warmly received and supported.

It was a conversation with Chris Cree that really crystallized things for me. When you feel so completely out of your league, as though you’re surrounded by people who are just so far ahead of you it’s emotionally exhausting. You finish every day just raw inside. Chris told me he knew what that felt like; that he had experienced it himself and that fear was playing a big role. That’s when I realized: sometimes we need to change what we fear.

I was reminded of a field trip I arranged for my behaviorally disordered students to a ropes course several years ago. If you’ve never seen a ropes course, it’s basically an obstacle course about 20 feet off the ground. I got it into my head that my class would benefit from doing the course.

Have I mentioned that I’m afraid of heights?

There were safety harnesses of course, but that didn’t stop me from almost passing out at one particular obstacle. Two trees were a few feet apart, each with a small platform. All I had to do was step from one platform across open space to the other. It couldn’t have been more than an 18-inch gap. With all the kids watching I didn’t dare to quit so I took the step. In order to succeed, I had to change what I was afraid of.

This weekend, I was blessed with the wisdom, expertise, time, and friendship of more people than I have space to acknowledge here. I cannot begin to put a value on the support I received or the help I was given. I deserve none of it. I am no more special than anyone else and yet I walk away having been given priceless gifts. I doubt I could ever thank people enough.

So what was my ROI on SOBCon09? Huge. Priceless. Beyond description.

Worth it.

And guys? No longer will I allow fear to stop me from walking into a room to make new friends. No longer will I allow myself to run and hide when I really need to stand and shine. Instead, I will fear letting you down by not using what you’ve taught me. I fear disappointing you after having been given so much.

I have changed what I am afraid of.

Amy LeForge writes about the successes, failures, and funny stories of being a parent at Earnest Parenting. You’ll find her on Twitter as @EarnestOne

I’ve been afraid like Amy has been. Sometimes, in some rooms, I find I still am.
I was afraid when I read this blog post that she, you, and me would only see that I let her down last year. It’s hard to think someone has courageous as she is would have feel so sad on her way home.

But so much would be lost if I didn’t share her story.
I had to change what I’m afraid of. I don’t want it to happen again.

A new outcome is inside a new point of view.

How can you change what you’re afraid of?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!