Successful Blog

The Mic Is On: We’re Talking About Mysteries…

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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.
There’s only one rule — 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.

It’s a Mystery!

The mystery theme is popular for books, movies and TV. We all love a good mystery. Here’s a few ideas to get us started:

  • Murder mysteries
  • Lost keys
  • Famous crimes
  • Things we just can’t figure out

And, whatever else comes up, including THE EVER POPULAR, Basil the code-writing donkey.

Oh, and bring a mysterious link, if you have one to share.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related article
What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?

Open Mic 7pm Chgo Time: It’s All About Mysteries!

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Yes the Mic Will Be on Tonight

Join Us Tonight

We’re Talking Mysteries!

We all love a great mystery. It’s a popular topic for books, movies, and TV. We can talk about murder mysteries, lost keys, famous crimes, things we just can’t figure out, and anything else that comes up.

Oh, and bring a mysterious link to share, if you have one.

There’s only one rule — be nice.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related article
What is Tuesday Open Comment Night?

Metaphors Post Four — We’re Good at This!!

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The Metaphor Project: What Fun!!

This list is the fourth set of metaphors you’ve sent. I’ve gathered all I could find in every corner where they might have come together. I’ve visited most and hope to read the rest today. Each one I read makes the experience even better.

To think that Derrick’s Pizza Makers and Char’s Famer’s Market got this whole thing going is quite the statement of how the blogosphere works. A great idea takes hold and gets growing — each one inspiring another.

Check this new batch out and pass them along to your readers. The more ways we look at blogging the better we’ll be able to explain it when we need to.

Oh, I hope I found them all.

Because this project spread so quickly and not all links are making their way to me, if you’ve written a metaphor and you’re not on the list, please email me a link.

This weekend, when I’m sure that I have them all together with none missed, I’ll compile the entire lot into one list. (If you sneak one in late I’ll add you, you know that.) That’s when I’ll announce the winners of the ten copies of Blogging Tips That Bloggers Won’t Tell You About Blogging by Lorelle VanFossen.

Thank you for all of the submissions to The “What’s Your Blogging Metaphor?” Group Writing Project.

In respect and gratitude to all who took part and all who blog, here’s my metaphor:

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

Personal Identity: Selfless Giving and Giving Ourselves Away

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Can we talk about . . .

giving.

In a conversation about humility, Zakman commented on a comment I made.

“I don’t think a lot about humility. I try to think about other folks always and try to always make room for them.”

with a question

“Isn’t that more like a people pleasing attitude? Which, again, indicates vaguely towards a lack of personal conviction?”

We’re taught that “It’s better to give than to receive.”

Giving — giving love, giving space, giving money, giving something always wished for, or giving time together — as Zackman points out, is more than merely handing over what one has to another.

Still, the act of selflessly giving — freely offering all that one is or can give — looks the same as the act of giving ourselves away to gain acceptance.

We might call one who does the first a hero or a saint. We might call the second a victim, a person with no self-worth. How do we tell one from the other when we see someone giving so much? How do we know which one we are when we do the same?

What determines the difference between selfless giving and giving ourselves away?

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

Related
Change the World: Truth and Humility
Personal Identity: What Is Humility?

The Blog Herald: The Independent Blogger Book Quest

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Submit Your Finished Book for Review

We all know that not all books are created equal. Some have big-name authors. Some have big-name publishers. Some have big-dollar marketing plans. Other books are written after work, after dark, after the kids are put to bed.

Read the whole feature in today’s Blog Herald by clicking the logo.

The Blog Herald

It’s about blogging and real life.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Liz Strauss at The Blog Herald, The Blogging Times, and Who’s One in a Million?

Link Anchor Text: SEO and Relationships

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Reach Out with Respect

relationships button

When we code a link, anchor text is that part people click to get where the link goes. Well-written anchor text is one more way that people and spiders know why you made the link — the relevance between your post and where you are sending them. Link anchor text is another way to reach out with respect to bloggers who offer information we value.

Here’s an example of anchor text in link as code and as the reader sees.

This code:

<a href=“http://[URL goes here]”>Link Anchor Text</a >

would look like this to readers:

Link Anchor Text

Sometimes you’ll see the name of the blog or a post as anchor text. Sometimes you’ll words such as here or click here instead. The first is relevant and SEO friendly. It builds connections and relationships. The second does not. Who wants to be referred to as “click here”?

Relationships and SEO

Strong, descriptive anchor text is a sign that we know how spiders travel links and that we care about people read and write blogs.

Search engines pay attention to what you write in your anchor text. They notice all of the text around a link — key words and descriptions. Spiders use anchor text to determine relevance and authority as they follow links from post to post. Linking with keyword-rich anchor text forms strong links to posts both within your blog and with blogs you respect.

Think about relationships. Links connect blogs and connect the bloggers who write them. Great anchor text, descriptive of what the link is leading to, offers an opportunity to feature those relationships. Spiders read and match up relevant key words in the linking posts. Search engines highlight your anchor text when they index the reference. The blogger you link to sees your descriptive text as how you named his or her blog or blog post.

It only takes a few seconds — a few words inside a link . . . to make a difference in relevance and SEO, to let readers know where you suggest they go next, and to offer the blogger at the other end a few words of respect. That’s a great way to use links to reach out.

Go for the relationship at the same time that you’re following great SEO practices.

Anchor me.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
If you’d like Liz’s help with your business, click on the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

Related posts
How to Code Links for Sidebars and Posts
How to Code Accessible Links–Part 1
How to Code Accessible Links–Part 2
How to Code Accessible Links–Part 3