The 25-word writing exercise is a powerful and elegant experience of thinking. Write a sentence. Then watch the initial idea evolve as you edit to engineer exactly 25 words.
thoughts feelings
points of light on a webme, you, we, us
cached, captured, carried forward
serendipitous, asynchronouspeople connecting, reaching out
living on threads
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Image: sxc.hu
Work with Liz!!
At night everything slows down and the world is quieter, most of the animals are sleeping, some of the flowers even close — that has to mean something.
Doesn’t it?
At night, I think deeper, fuller, broader, as if I might be out there in the indigo with the stars. It’s easy to picture that. It’s hard to think of being in the open, blue daylight sky.
A wise man I know said to me that he thinks kids grow up slower where there is winter, because they need to come home to be inside and need to wear clothes to stay warm.
I think night is like that. I makes us slow down. In the dark, we walk slower. We come inside to find enough light to read by. We hear the quiet of our own thoughts.
Those are reasons I write at night and in the very early morning when the sun is rising. I can even hear the clicking of the keys as type my thoughts on my keyboard, and the sounds seems to match the beating of my heart. That has to mean something.
Doesn’t it?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Image source: sxc.hu
Work with Liz!!
In preparation for SOBCon09, I’ve been researching the importance of visuals as social media connection points. Visuals are power in helping us recognize where we’re safe, where we want to eat, what we want to buy, who we trust, who’s like us and who’s not.
Unfortunately, one thing is true about visual communication.
When we don’t know what we’re about, our visuals often contradict what we’re saying.
In that research, I came across this page in a report —
The page below is a screenshot from a pdf., called the Power of Visual Communication.
The document leads with a quote in a blue box that says . . .
“We are becoming a visually mediated society. For many, understanding of the world is being accomplished, not through words, but by reading images.”
–Paul Martin Lester
I’m not a designer, but I’ve played a VP of Design and Editorial in a Publishing Company. My experience is that most people respond to a type heavy page like this by looking at the quote, the gray box, and the chart, and then skipping over the rest.
This page wasn’t communicating nearly as well as it might. The text and visuals say different things. The blue box quote says visuals are important. The page layout says they’re not. The visuals on the page — the picture up on the right and the chart below — are overwhelmed yards of tiny type.
How might it have worked with more power and more consistency? Few things are more fun than editing other people’s stuff. I looked at what I might do highlight key information on this page and how they might underscored the point about visual information by using the text in more visual ways.
I reproduced the page cutting and moving text — please use your imagination for precise alignment. (I repeat. I’m not a designer. These are thoughts, not a professional design.)
This is the new version.
Some of the changes I made include these.
Because they’re hard to compare full size, here they are side by side:
My aim was to get the visuals and the text delivering that same message — the richer story that was hidden in the text.
We all make this mistake when don’t stop to access what we’re saying with our visual presentation.
Have you thought about the visuals that represent you — your avatars, your blog, your social media profile photos, your clothes, your videos, your words in text?
And can anyone tell me what that picture in the upper corner has to do with all of this?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
Do certain local or global issues affect you deeply? Would you like to take action and help?
You have the POWER to change the world! Sounds cliché, but please read those words again and think about what is important to you, to society. In this blogging and social media age you donââ¬â¢t have to be associated with a huge humanitarian organization or educational foundation in order to take action.
In fact, if you would like to create your own non-profit group to assist a particular cause, opportunities abound for you to make a positive and lasting change. The best part, most of the technology needed to help spread the word is available for free or at a minimal charge.
The other day when I read Liz’s post, Open Up a World of Solutions with One Idea. She seemed a bit frustrated because whatever she was trying to put together was not working out that well for her. In fact, she stated:
This time itââ¬â¢s not joy Iââ¬â¢m sharing. Itââ¬â¢s a state of confusion, a search for solutions, a total frustration with my inability to make things connect in the direction that was my intention.
I am not quite sure what was troubling Liz that day, however, being the eternal optimist, she goes on to end the post by stating, ââ¬ÅWe can change the world ââ¬â just like that.ââ¬Â
Truly, I believe that we, as individuals, and collectively as a group, can change the world. For many years I would watch stories on the evening news of horrific events that were taking place around the globe in places like Boznia and Rwanda and even in the USA (hurricane Katrina for one).
While I always had pity and empathized with those who were being affected by various events, I NEVER actually took action.
While serving as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Papua New Guinea I tragically witnessed many people die from various illnesses that afflict developing countries, however, it was an incident that occurred during the final night in my village, which finally spawned a call to action.
As my wife and I were packing our things and saying goodbye to friends we could hear screams coming from the little bush hut that acted as an aid station and we went to investigate further.
Upon our arrival we witnessed a young woman of about ten or eleven fighting through the final stages of cerebral malaria and there was nothing we could do to help. The incident, and the image of her struggling and fighting dementia, has been indelibly burned into my mind.
That evening after the young woman passed I made a vow to myself that if I were ever in a position where I owned my own business and could dedicate some of my time to helping assist in certain global crises then I would.
At the time I didnââ¬â¢t know what I would do exactly, or how I would do it, but I was determined and serious.
Recently, in collaboration with some other bloggers in various corners of the world (most notably Leo Babauta of Zen Habits), I turned my pity and apathy into action and launched Train for Humanity to help raise funds and awareness for orphans and refugees who have been affected by genocide. (You can read the full story here: How Did Train for Humanity Get Its Start? )
Our mission is simple: getting fit + social media + blogging = social good
We, the founding members, have combined our collective passion for exercise and getting in shape with the power of blogging and social media in an effort to assist in a dire humanitarian crisis in Darfur. During the pilot project, three bloggers, Leo Babauta, Dan Clements, and I are training for various endurance events and trying to raise funds for Darfur Peace and Developmentââ¬â¢s Shegegkaro School, which was recently bombed and subsequently destroyed.
This post isnââ¬â¢t really about me, on the contrary, itââ¬â¢s meant to be about YOU and your particular cause.
If you find yourself in a similar situation as me and if certain issues affect you (and you would like to help) I would strongly urge you to go ahead and take the next steps toward action. The tools are all there for you. You just have to be willing to use them and the rest comes down to innovation, creativity, energy, and time.
Certainly, it doesnââ¬â¢t even have to be a global crisis, but could just as easily be an issue closer to home. Perhaps your childââ¬â¢s school could use more funding, or maybe you are moved by the plight of stray animals?
To help you get started here are Six Tips to Help You Take Action:
Additionally, because you are reading Lizââ¬â¢s blog I am going to assume that you are already familiar with blogging and social media, but if you know of others who might need some resource material to help them get started, below are five topical blog posts which should help folks take the first steps.
Liz Strauss – The Ultimate Guide 3: Every Blog Needs a Platform
Chris Brogan – 50 Ways to Take Your Blog to the Next Level
Jeff Pulver – How to Start Growing your Business Network
Beth Kanter – How Much Time Does It Take To Do Social Media?
ProBlogger – Launching Your Next Venture Using Social Media – 5 Lessons Learned
Now it’s your turn. What causes are you passionate about? What would you like to change about the world, or even your hometown, today? Do you have other tips that might help us take action and really change the world?
Mark Hayward lives in the Caribbean and he is the creator and co-founder of the recently launched humanitarian initiative Train for Humanity. He is currently training for the Miami Man triathlon to raise funds for the recently bombed the ShegegKaro School in Darfur. You can follow him on Twitter or check out his blog MyTropicalEscape.
___________
Thanks, Mark!
We can change the world — just like that.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
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.
I know. It’s a problem. We all think we’re designers. On the other hand, we all know what we find attractive and comfortable — and what gets in our way. So let’s see how alike we are. Tonight we’re talking about web design:
What
ahem . . .
And, whatever else comes up, including THE EVER POPULAR, Basil the code-writing donkey . . . and flamenco dancing (because we always get off topic, anyway.)
–ME “Liz” Strauss
image: sxc.hu
Related article
What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?
I know. It’s a problem. We all think we’re designers. On the other hand, we all know what we find attractive and comfortable — and what gets in our way. So let’s see how alike we are. Tonight we’re talking about web design:
ahem . . .
Do be nice. 🙂
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Related article
What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?