Successful Blog

Thanks to Week 119 SOBs

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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.

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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.

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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

SOB Business Cafe 02-01-08

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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

Dosh Dosh is talking about influencing behavior.
This doesn’t mean that you should deceive customers or readers by providing false or misleading facts but rather, that its useful to situate your marketing campaigns within frames which appeal to your audience’s interests.

Christine Kane is talking about influencing how we look at our lives. You can make it job-related (getting fired) or home related (getting evicted) or even health related. It’s not the situation that matters. It’s how you handle the situation.

Seth’s Blog is talking about the difference between influence and hype.
The idea that a single influential individual (even a blogger like Guy or a talk show host like Oprah) can individually change the herd is crazy, and I don’t think anyone has argued that.

Problogger is talking about other people using our influence without our knowledge.
Last week I had a quick conversation with Seth Godin via email about Twitter and in passing I mentioned his Twitter account. I was shocked to get a response to him saying that he doesn’t use Twitter and that the account I was referring to was actually being run by someone else (who that is I’m not sure).

Simplenomics is talking “too much” influence.
I’ll guarantee that you’re too something. Your company is too something. Your website is too something and your marketing is too something.

Trevor’s Writing is talking about the editor’s influence on what we write.
In the editing stage you need to go back over every word in the piece of writing; it doesn’t matter if it’s a fifty word filler paragraph or a five hundred thousand word novel.

Related ala carte selections include

Drew’s Marketing Minute is talking about the influence of color on a brand.
But sometimes, people do crazy, unexpected things with your brand. Take M&M’s for instance. We’ve all known about the powers of the green M&Ms for years. Pretty darn sure the folks at The Mars Company didn’t start that myth.

M&M capitalizes on a myth

Brain Based Biz is talking about the influence of color.
“Color is so amazingly powerful,” according to psychologist Joerg Bose, “that it is no surprise people throughout centuries have sought to connect it with something meaningful beyond the experience, itself.”

Color Your Banner – Color Your Brain!

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

Bloggy Question 73: Vacation in Your Head

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What might you do here . . . ?

Sand, Sun, Sea

. . . and how will you know when to leave?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles
Bloggy Question 72: And in a World Where Thinkers Meet Feelers
Bloggy Question 71: Blogging by Candlelight
Bloggy Question 70: How Do You Thank All of the Bloggers Who Have Helped You?
Bloggy Question 69: If You Could Be Anywhere . . .
Bloggy Question 68: 2 Palm Trees, You, Me
Bloggy Question 67: Doors . . .

How What You Know Can Kill a Business and Thanks for Listening When I Call

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Once You’re Inside . . .

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We all do it. We misfire on a key point that shoots us in the foot every time. It’s a major disconnect that I see almost everywhere.

We think we can be the business and still represent the customer. As a result, we end up only thinking that we’re delivering on what the customer wants or needs. The reality is

We can’t be the business and the customer at the same time.

A certain kind of thinking goes into building a product or service. Decisions are made about how the offer works and why it works as it does. When it comes time to judge the value of the finished offer, those who did the thinking can’t forget what they know about how it was made.

It’s impossible to participate in the thinking that builds something and then to respond as if you don’t know what that thinking is.

Unfortunately, businesses everywhere — from entrepreneurs to corporations — try to do exactly that. What happens then is that we offer our customers, clients, readers a flawed product or service assuming that they know why we made it as we did.

I reviewed an interactive site where, four clicks inside I was lost in “helpful” information. I was unable able to find navigational signs to get to the content that was past the “lessons” up front.

Their intentions had been excellent service, but the result had the opposite. The developers didn’t know about the barriers . . . because they knew why each “lesson” was there.

That’s how what you know can kill a business. It’s hard to not to know what you already know. It’s hard to see the disconnects from inside the system.

So if you’re one of the folks that I call to talk about what I’m working on . . . thank you so much! The questions you ask really help to keep me on track.

Have you bumped into products that offer you plenty of extra “stuff,” but not the one thing that you want?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

One Tiny Negative Cancels a Positive Every Time

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Obvious? Maybe Not

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In math, it takes two negatives to make a positive. It works differently with people. With people, one tiny negative, even one hidden away, can cancel a positive every time.

We can’t be mad and supportive. We can’t want to punish someone and hold them in our hearts while we do. That’s the reason we can’t tease someone we don’t like.

When we’re mad and try to be supportive, when we try to tease someone we don’t like, our negative feelings come through. They leak onto the positive message we think we’re passing on.

I used to believe that negative leak was the reason that the positive didn’t survive. It’s not the reason. It’s the effect.

Now, I believe it’s because when we hold a negative thought we’ve already chosen sides.

Even the tiniest negative makes it about me, not about where we might go.

Can you see how one tiny negative can cancel a positive every time?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

The Mic is On: We're Talking About PC or Mac!

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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.

The age-old question — PC, MAC, or Something other?

We might talk about:

  • What are the great features of each?
  • Which one thing does each do best?
  • Which is the laptop for business?
  • Will some other form of computer win out by 2018?

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 links about PCs and Macs to share!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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