Successful Blog

SOB Business Cafe 3-28-08

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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

Chris Brogan explains how to sort through the social media landscape.
If you’re in the business of delivering a service, such as coding skills, design, marketing expertise, sales, etc, there’s a whole lot of factory work that you do that’s not easily displayed.

Confident Writing explains the value of taking on a challenge.
I also share the two biggest stumbling blocks in starting to podcast (1) not liking the sound of your own voice and (2) plain simple fear…

And the solution to both of them.

Genuine Curiosity explains how to use a new product.
I’d looked at it before and didn’t like it, but they’ve made significant improvements since then and now I think it is awesome. What’s so cool about i-Lighter? Read on…

Lip-Sticking explains why marketing to women is becoming EVEN MORE important.
So, who’s reading your blog, visiting your website, contemplating your products and services?

It’s a girl. Or, her Mom.

O’Flaherty explains that we’re defining ourselves every day.
If you take the economic factor out of it, the choices that we make ultimately become a matter of personality and the image we wish to portray of ourselves.

skelliewag explains how to digg dugg digging.
In this post, I want to talk about the most often overlooked aspect of what is required to write content with strong potential on Digg (and the same principle applies to StumbleUpon, Reddit, or any other social media service you can imagine).

Related ala carte selections include

Abundance Highway is my new healer.
Driving back I thought well I have attracted this to me and I don’t have time to be sick. I was immediately aware that I had used the word DON”T, so what did the universe hear? TIME TO BE SICK.

See you at WordCamp Dallas.

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
Work with Liz!! SOBCon08 is May 2,3,4 in Chicago. Register now!

Change the World: Find Rock Bottom

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changetheworld8

I was on my way to a post by Cath Lawson I read yesterday. I Googled her name to get there. The post that came up first had a great headline.

Sometimes You Need to Hit Rock Bottom

I’ll wait while you read it.

I know few things about hitting rock bottom. Haven’t been there recently. Don’t plan to go there again ever, but I’m sure glad I made the trip. I was just turning thirty . . .

Losing everything isn’t the worst thing. It was the best thing that happened to me. With all of the “stuff” gone, I was left with me. That made it easy to see just who I was and who I was not. Even better than that, I learned a secret. People liked being around that person — broke, flaws, and all. Losing everything got me to build a new foundation on what I believed to replace the one I had built on other people’s voices. Why not? What were they going to do? Take all of my money? I had none.

I don’t wish you ever lose what you need to make your world function. But I do wish you the joy of security based in who you are not in what you own. It’s a new way of belonging. Rock bottom means that you’re standing on stable ground.

When we belong, we can make things better from just being a part.

We can change the world — just like that.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

Bloggy Question 78: Like an Intriguing Blog Post Headline

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What Do You Suppose Is Inside that Window?

mural with open window

source: etstrauss photo

I’ve been imagining cool possibilities since I first saw the photo.
What do you see inside that open window?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Related articles
Bloggy Question 73: Vacation in Your Head
Bloggy Question 72: And in a World Where Thinkers Meet Feelers
Bloggy Question 71: Blogging by Candlelight

SOBCon08: Who Could Ask for More Value Than That?

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SOBCon07 Was Something Special

SOBCon08 Logo50

From the minute the first of you showed up at the Sofitel. It was like magnets. No one was alone. People found each other and started to talk. A few found us and immediately the conversation began. We just watched as people jumped right over the small talk to get on with knowing each other.

You even said thank you in a most awesome way.

Generosity of spirit is viral. Picture 110 people in a hotel ballroom, all generously sharing business ideas and secrets, building on each other’s creativity, and offering their experience as a gift. I can’t remember the last time I was in a space where that kind of spirit abounded on such a large scale. Conflict tempts us to hold our cards close to our vest, to be cautious, to be stingy with our warmth and spirit. That stinginess begets more of the same. Generosity of spirit is so much easier…all we have to do is make the choice to do it. Thank you, my fellow SOCcon-ers.–Tammy Lenski

This year had to be even more. How could we offer less than that?!

SOBCon08 Magic — It’s What Happens In One Room

We set out to build a conference that had all of the values of a great blog. Thank you, Brian Clark for pointing out what Tony D. Clark said about that.

Thank you, too, to Chris Brogan for a great peek at what you’ll be talking about — one of the best social media documents on the web.

The value only begins there. . . here are just a few more presenters.

Every one of them is handing over something

Then, of course, there’s you. You’re coming together from Scotland, England, Denmark, France, Mexico, and Canada. That’s going to be one incredible room of international experience.

Models and Mastermind Teams that build to a Plan. A support system that goes deep and lasts long — maybe a lifetime. Who could ask for more value than that?

Are you coming? Can’t wait to see you.
SOBCon08 is May 2,3,4 in Chicago. Register now!
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Ain't Misbehavin' Anymore, Back to My Frequency

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Remembering What I Forgot

relationships button

I’ve been stuck, watching folks misbehaving. One of those folks has most certainly been me. It seems I forgot some of the fundamental truths I’ve discovered. They got buried under the blankets when I got slammed with that awful flu, and for some reason finding my way back to them was Herculean work.

I forgot that

  • I can’t love someone and keep score of what they’re doing.
  • I can’t be thinking about what they’re actions must say about what they think about me. Truth is they’re not thinking about me at all — I am.
  • I can’t be my best when I’m focused on being let down or angry.

What was I thinking? Unconditional love is unconditional, if I don’t know that . . . My whole life has shown me that I’m always clear and right when I follow that simple frequency.

So, to all of my friends who’ve felt the fallout of a head and heart turned in the wrong direction, I’m sorry. I’ve behaved badly.

I ain’t misbehavin’ anymore. I’m moving forward instead.

Whew! What a relief!

Back to the regularly scheduled changing the world. . . .

What’s your frequency?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Work with Liz!!
SOBCon08 is May 2,3,4 in Chicago. Register now!

Questions to Get Closer to You: Question 17

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Get Closer to You

This is a series of questions, I don’t know how many. They are the ones I ask when I help folks get closer to their personal identity.

The Internet has no eraser. It’s a chance to write your history now. What legacy do you hope you are writing?

I’ll answer first to get things started.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

Related< a href="https://www.successful-blog.com/branding/branding-5-ways-to-help-you-find-out-who-you-are/">Branding: 5 Ways to Help You Find Out Who You Are

Questions to Get Closer to You: Question 16
Questions to Get Closer to You: Question 15
Questions to Get Closer to You: Question 14
Questions to Get Closer to Your Brand: Question 1
You’ll find the entire series of Questions to Get Closer to you on the Successful Series page.