Successful Blog

SOB Business Cafe 01-25-08

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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

Copyblogger is sharing the changes he sees in the blogosphere.
And yet, we’re barely into the new year and I have repeatedly bumped up against old school bloggers who are still spouting the same dogma from circa 2004.

David Airey is sharing a powerful technique for stopping theft.
Lately I’ve been finding more and more bloggers lifting images directly from my server and using them on their own blogs / websites. Not only is this stealing, but it’s also using up the bandwidth you’re paying your web host for.

Director Tom is sharing secret sins — seems like more than corporate video clients face these.
This post will take a brief look at the five temptations from the perspective of a potential corporate video client.

Blogging Sueblimely is sharing the mysteries of a tag.
When discussing accessibility techniques in blogs, I mentioned the importance of using the “alt” attribute. Here I am going to define it further, show you the positive aspects of using “alt” and how to use it to its best advantage.

Freelance Writing Gigs is sharing the haunts of great subjects.
When I first began writing I used to dread interviewing anecdotal and expert sources. Not because I didn’t like the interview process, but because I had no idea where to find interview subjects.

Related ala carte selections include

Michale Sync is sharing the strangest things.
I started collecting the list of strangest websites on the net since last year. Now, I have quite a few links in my bookmark and decided to share them with you all today.

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

What Are You Holding?

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I've been thinking . . .

about holding. . . . Holding can be a good thing or a bad thing. It depends what we’re holding. If it’s a holding pattern, it’s less than anything — we’re not going anywhere at all.

We need to hold onto our dreams. When we hold them up for the world, we’re more lilely to find the dream become ours.

If we hold tight to a bad thing, we’re held to what we’re holding. Sometimes holding on, only serves to hold us up, by keeping us attached.

man and woman walking on pier

We hold hands. We hold ideas. We hold material things. We hold the power to influence others, and the ability to change the world.

We hold our breath in anticipation. We hold meetings and conversations. We hold each other as we walk through our lives. We hold a memory in our hearts.

I have a feeling that the things worth holding are far larger and far fewer than the things I should let go.

Does that hold true for you?

Liz's Signature

Liz and Dustin on Lifehack Live! this Morning!

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Sorry I Didn’t Tell You Sooner

Mighty great thanks to Dustin Wax at Lifehack.org and Lifehack Live! the podcast. We had a lovely conversation this morning about relationships and business. If you’d like to listen in, click the logo below.

Listen in to Liz and Dustin on Lifehack Live! this Morning!

Thank you, Dustin!
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Wishing to Be Someone Else . . .

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I've been thinking . . .

about this part of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29.

. . .
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him with friends posess’d
Desiring this man’s art and that man’s scope
With what I most enjoy contented least.
. . .

A young man told me about his dream for a business. Then he told me why it wouldn’t happen. I said, “Tell me about the problems that are in your way.”

He did.

I offered a solution to the biggest one.

He argued for the problem — explaining why no solution could solve it. In the course of the argument, he pointed to others who were already living his dream. I reminded him that they were not offering nearly as much as he was. Still he kept moving the conversation away from his value to what and where others had “more” to offer. Everyone else was worth more.

A mere two weeks ago, the young man was filled with the potential of the new year. He was boundless power. Now he compared himself to everyone and found them all higher, bigger, better. I said that if he was determined to be lacking, trying to be someone else was a great way to get there.

Even Shakespeare had his moments of thinking he didn’t measure up. I have to think we all do. But Shakespeare held onto his dream, and we know his name.

No rule says only certain folks get to make their dreams come true.

Why do we wish to be someone else? Do we think another life would be easier?

Liz's Signature

Put on Your Red Shoes and . . . [Apologies, Mr. Bowie]

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A Good Rant Can Be Better than Dancing!

I was sitting here, thinking about January . . . yuk! I decided maybe I should stir something up but, I didn’t feel like it. I looked at all things I should be doing. They didn’t want to get done. I checked my archives to see what might inspire me. Wouldn’t you know I found?

It’s dated January 2006. That’s when I knew it’s not me. There’s a reason it’s called the dead of winter.

I put on some music to soothe my soul. This is what played:

Let’s dance! Put on your red shoes and dance the blues. . . .

That’s what I heard: Let’s rant! [Apologies, Mr. Bowie]

Hey, I say, “blog your experience.”
I put my red shoes and decided to go with the feeling.

A Winter Rant in Red Shoes

Winter is deadly, dastardly, and despicable because

  • it’s too cold.
  • it’s too long.
  • it’s too easy to fall down.
  • snow is always whiter on someone else’s street.
  • the wind actually hurts.
  • it’s too dark too early.
  • it’s too easy to hibernate instead of doing what I’m supposed to.
  • warm coats and hats don’t come in “attractive.”
  • parking places hold cars hostage. Don’t get me started about traffic.
  • staying inside makes folks loony.

Whew! What a relief! Now back to the previously scheduled, David Bowie.

red shoes relaxed

Sometimes you just gotta put it out there.

Feel free to put on your red shoes and . . .

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!