Successful Blog

Lost My Way with Hitchhiker’s Guide . . . Did You Have to Be There?

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Another Saturday Night Movie

You know the saying, “Guess you had to be there.” You might have said it yourself, when you told a story of a great experience that doesn’t translate to the audience who’s hearing it.

Shared experience is part of our cultural literacy. It gives context and meaning to the things we find entertaining and interesting.

If you know and enjoy “Lost My Way” from Matthew Ebel’s “Goodbye, Planet Earth,” you’ll feel a connection to this video. If you know the movie, “Hitchhiker’s Guide,” you’ll be connected even more.

Social media connects us with context. We form a community around common experiences. Our experiences with our friends make it easier and easier to predict what they’ll enjoy sharing with us. I feel more connected to Chelpixie because she connected me to this video.

Learning to predict how people will react is a key skill of marketing and social networking.

When you think about it, you probably know someone who’ll like this video. How will you tell them about it?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

When a Hammer Beats a Swiss Army Knife

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One by One by One Thing Well

Working Plans logo

Any tradesperson will tell you, “Use the right tool for the job.”
The same logic applies when it comes to the people we hire.
Get great art and design from the people who went to art school.
Get great writing from great writers.
Get great programming from . . . you know who.

That’s the most efficient way to get the work done well.

In your own shop concentrate on your stellar skills and get other folks to do what they do better than you. Offer your best and nothing else, and smart business folks who value their time will value what you do.

Clean, Clear, Simple: Example 1

e-junkie

At SOBCon this year we were offered a pro account at e-Junkie.com. If you were an attendee and didn’t take advantage the promocode was SOBCon08. Check out their services. They do what they do so well that I’ve set up my affiliates there.

Clean, Clear, Simple: Example 2

How to Start a Business Website logo

Another great example of focusing on what we do well is Michael Martine’s new eBook launch. His book, How to Start a Business Website and Hire a Web Designer focuses in on on specific problems and how to solve them well. The answers he’s brought are the best tools for the job, and his discussion of the product only talks about that. I think his product — content and presentation — is so well done that I’m selling it to you. I don’t do that unless I find the values that I would put there myself.

Click here to see what I’m talking about.

When a Hammer Beats a Swiss Army Knife

People have problems and search for answers. The answers they search for are straightforward and specific. They want the best tool fix what’s broken not an expensive toolkit. If you want to win their attention, solve the small problems before you try to win the big ones.

Be the best answer to what they’re searching for. When we need to pound a nail, a hammer beats a Swiss army knife every time.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
Buy the ebook and find out the secret.

Thanks to Week 147 SOBs

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muddy teal strip A

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs.

muddy teal strip A

StealthmodePartners

They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Should anyone question this SOB button’s validity, send him or her to me. Thie award carries a “Liz said so” guarantee, is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and is backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

deep purple strip

Want to become an SOB?

If you’re an SO-Wanna-B, you can see the whole list of SOBs and learn how to be one by visiting the SOB Hall of Fame– A-Z Directory . Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Save on blogworld expo! Register now!

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Join Me at blogworld expo!

join me at blogworld

Are you going to blogworld expo, Sept 20-21 (Executive & Entrepreneur Conference Sept. 19)? I’m going. Will I be seeing you?

The speaker list is filled with folks you know and folks you should meet. The educational sessions offer tracks for executives, entrepreneurs, real estate bloggers, citizen journalists, folks pushing the edge, videobloggers, podcasters, with additional tracks on monetization, new media, and the business of blogging.

Did you know that . . .

Remember the high returns of attending a conference?

Now’s the time to make your commitment.
Register by August 22, 2008 SAVE up to 25%!
Use this promo code –> LSVIP <-- and save 20% more just because you read this blog!!!

I’m going. I’m speaking. Will I see you there?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

SOB Business Cafe 08-15-08

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SB Cafe

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 titles to enjoy each selection.

The Specials this Week are

Real Lawyers Have Blogs proposes a new look at our courtrooms.
Corporate communications pro, Shel Holtz, picked up news of something I thought we’d start seeing. Twittering of trials from the courtroom.

Copyblogger proposes three success secrets within reach.
Actually, there are three secrets that work together. To be blunt, these three magic success secrets separate the winners from the losers. Master them and you’ll start to move forward.

Levite Chronicles proposes a new view of the last days of summer
So there isn’t much time left to waste. But here’s how you can make the worst of it.

Dosh Dosh proposes a new view of highly populated areas.
What marketers and anyone who wants to promote themselves can learn is the strategy of seeking out people-saturated public spaces (online or offline) and seek to populate that area with your message. Buskers, beggars and poster street teams are all familiar with how to promote their agenda or needs in areas where people frequently pass through.

Blogging Tune proposes a new themed view from a new feed reader.
But those who read techcrunch a lot wouldn’t want to miss their blog theme in their feed reader too.

Joyful Jubilant Learning proposes a new view on pretzel meditation.
Infinity means unboundedness or without end. Although the infinite pretzel above is quite concrete (and maybe a little salty) the concept of infinity to me is abstract, elusive and without end.

Related ala carte selections include

The Onion proposes another glance in the mirror. . . .

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

The Top 7 Ways to Celebrate a Life Worth Living

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Flowers_by_the_river_by_Liz_Strauss

On a Friday, I usually make sure I’m through my list, but this Friday I’m planning a new list. I’m making a celebration scheme — a way to hold my life close. I want to gather up this summer time to carry as clear memories to pull out when the weekends aren’t so welcoming or warm.

It’s easy to forget when I’m working that I’m working for a living. We only get 52 weekends and I plan to make this one a celebration.

I’m out to celebrate being alive.

The Top 7 Ways to Celebrate a Life Worth Living

Life. We either make every minute meaningful or it ticks by as a meaningless moment. Here are ten ways to see the meaning of living and hold to it long after summer gone by.

  1. Aspire! Aspire means to breathe. to breathe toward. Pull out those buried hopes and dreams. Plan and do something that makes you feel alive.

  2. Inspire! Inspire means to move by the spirit! Find a friend or two who see life as you do. Invite them to come along.

  3. Conspire! Conspire means to act in harmony toward a common goal. Plot a quiet celebration!

  4. Experience! Invite your senses. Bring favorites — foods and music — and go somewhere you can’t take your eyes off the view.

  5. Discover. Listen to how your friends have grown and as you talk listen to how you have changed in ways you haven’t had a chance to notice.

  6. Recover. Regain your balance by laughing, dancing, resting, playing, talking, singing, sharing stories, solving problems, being noisy, being silent, being human.

  7. Uncover! Look for what you value that you’ve been missing. See what you’re not seeing around you and in each other. Find a way to never forget.

What might that add up to?

I can imagine a great friend with our favorite tunes, wine, apples, cheese, and conversation by the north river where the flowers seem to float over the water on a lazy afternoon. Think I’ll call her now.

flowers_floating_over_the_river_by_liz_strauss.jpg

What will you be doing?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
Related
The Top 10 Ways to Start Living Your Life
How to Be Alive and 10 Ways to Celebrate It!
Top 10 Ways to Become a Miserable Blogger
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