blogging-life Archives - Successful Blog

10 Advantages of Being A Beginner in a Blogger’s World

April 26, 2008 by Liz

I Feel So Lucky!

We’ve all had the experience of not knowing how to do something. From the first day of school to the first day of work to our first try at almost anything, the experience of a new challenge can be joyful, exciting, and intimidating.

We like to know things. We like to learn things, but we don’t always like folks watching us learning.

That’s the special appeal of blogging.

The Advantages of Being a Beginner in a Blogger’s World

When I came to my first blog as a beginner, I found an realm of amazing people who made the way easier and more meaningful. They offered their shoulders to stand on as they shared their experience. I can’t help but recognize all I’ve learned in this Blogger’s World.

Some folks want to be an expert blogger. Me? The longer I’m here, the more I want to stay a beginner, for these and a bunch more reasons.

Bloggers love beginners. We all remember our first blog post.

Bloggers are connectors — link love is the culture. Beginners meet a friend and find a community.

Bloggers are explorers or we wouldn’t be here. Beginners can find help to explore anything.

Bloggers are generous and helpful people. Bloggers love to share their discoveries with beginners.

As a beginner, I can try to blog about almost anything.

The beginner in me can talk to bloggers who are as passionate as I am — even what I’m just trying.

Every blogger knows something I don’t — it’s an endless opportunity for a beginner’s mind.

Blogging is more fun when it’s about what I’m learning, not about what I know.

Beginners get comments from people who see and know more. Every comment connects us and offers a new way to see the world.

Beginners don’t look to be the best of all — today I want to be better than yesterday.

Thinking, writing, having ideas and talking about them has been a wonder. Making relationships and connections has made my life richer. I’m a better writer, listener and marketer. Most of all being here has made me a better person. I want to stay a beginner. New beginnings are exciting.

Have you thought about staying a beginner?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
SOBCon08 is May 2,3,4 in Chicago. Register now!

10 Compelling Reasons People Read YOUR Blog

March 24, 2008 by Liz

You’re a HUGE Part

Information is everywhere. My younger, older brother said once,

“Our parents we lucky. They had less information. Information is the curse of this new era. We have so much information. We can’t move for sorting it out.”

He was right in so many ways.
My answer is to ignore most of it, only take what I need now.

I’ve talked to a few readers about why they read blogs and about how they choose the ones they go back to every day. Information isn’t the key ingredient. With so many blogs out there and so much information, we gotta wonder. Here are ten reasons people read YOUR blog.

10 Compelling Reasons People Read YOUR Blog

You have ideas not just information. You look at what’s happening and add a thought about it. You’re there in the text giving the information context.

You have thoughts, not just ideas. You look at your ideas from a variety of views giving them a “once over” with possibilities.

You have experience. You may not have a resume from here to Mars on the subject, but you’ve tried what you’re talking about and you’re willing to say how it was for you. That’s key. Like listening to my favorite movie critic, I may not like what you like, but I know where we agree and disagree so I can tell how what you’re saying applies to me.

You don’t try to teach me. You don’t write so complete that I’m not left with nothing to say, but “good job.” You show me what you’ve learned and how you learned it. That’s a big difference. I like learning with you. Being taught isn’t quite so appealing.

You don’t try to be someone else. You know what you bring is of value. It’s attractive to be with people who know who they are.

You interested in me too. Every question you ask is thoughtfully posed to find out more about me as a person who reads your blog. You don’t expect me to answer question that are too big or too personal for the comment box.

You make me feel welcome. I get the feeling that everyone who stops by is a friend, even if he or she just arrived. That’s very appealing.

You don’t apologize for what you write or take people down in public. It’s nice to know that folks who come by your blog get great information and get treated well too.

You do what you can to make it easy to comment. Other than a small fence for spammers, you take the load of keeping a “clean yard” on yourself so that folks will find it easy to be part.

You don’t write other people’s blog posts. You know you can only be a bad copy of who they are, but that you make a really good you.

More than anything, you know that you are the only you on the Internet. You’re the one we come for.

As I said, information is everywhere.

What are you doing to put more of YOU into your blog?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!! SOBCon08 is May 2,3,4 in Chicago. Register now!

Bloggy Question 56: Get Your Own Network!

July 8, 2007 by Liz

Leave the Computer!

For those who come looking for a short, thoughtful read, a blogging life discussion, or a way to gradually ease back into the week. I offer this bloggy life question. . . .

A few months ago a blogger named, Evan, showed up on your radar. He’s a guy who went to your high school. You didn’t know him then. You figured that you know more about him — where he lives, what he looks like, who he used to hang out with — than you did when you met the blogger friends that you know now. So you befriended him.

You’ve been showing Evan around, helping him with his HTML, introducing him to people. When he’s asked for help, you’ve been there. That’s what bloggers do.

Lately, though, your friends have started complaining about him. They say Evan’s been trying to use them to milk their networks. He keeps asking Your friends to introduce him. Your friends hardly know Evan and don’t want to recommend someone they don’t know.

You heard yesterday that Evan lobbied to have you not invited to a party given by good friend of yours — one you introduced him to.

It’s a touchy situation. The friend throwing the party doesn’t know that you you’ve heard. His girlfriend told you about Evan’s duplicity. BUT the girlfriend is possessive, doesn’t like Evan, and has made up stories about you.

How do you respond?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Bloggy Question 55: It's My Vacation!

July 1, 2007 by Liz

Leave the Computer!

For those who come looking for a short, thoughtful read, a blogging life discussion, or a way to gradually ease back into the week. I offer this bloggy life question. . . .

You’re about to go on a road trip with three non-blogging buddies. It’s a same sex group of friends that you’ve known since college. You’re headed up to a small hotel in wine country. The hotel has all of the amenenties — nice restaurant that seats about 20, television, wireless, gorgeous views, horseback riding, hiking, canoeing. At times you and your friends probably won’t leave the property for days.

Your friends are bringing the trappings of their hobbies. One is a musician and will be bringing a guitar and a harmonica. Another is a runner and is bringing all of that gear. You just watched your closest friend pack a sketchpad, charcoals, an easel, and a complete store of oils and canvas into the car. Just as you are about to put your laptop and accessories in next to the rest. Someone stops you.

You hear, “You can’t take that. We agreed no work on these trips.” You explain that blogging is your passion just as they have theirs. Neither your argument nor the idea seems to convince them.

How do you respond?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Bloggy Question 54: This Conversation Is NOT Bloggable

June 24, 2007 by Liz

Can’t I Talk to Bloggers Anymore?

For those who come looking for a short, thoughtful read, a blogging life discussion, or a way to gradually ease back into the week. I offer this bloggy life question. . . .

You travel a lot and occasionally meet up with a blogger in the city where you are. The conversation and the company are always worth what little it might take to get across town to get together.

Last night was an event. This time you met not one, but three bloggers you read. Dinner was at a beautiful restaurant. Everyone sure hit it off. The conversation went from mutual blogging friends to ideas about what folks might do to improve their blogging style.

As always, pictures were taken and blogger hugs given. It seemed a perfect evening complete with the champagne toast at the end. You wrote up your experience and uploaded two photographs. Then you did some work and went to sleep before an early client meeting.

You didn’t get a chance to read the blogs of the folks you dined with until after 5pm the next day. The first was a great reminder of the fun, as was the second. The third, however, was a critique of the entire dinner. That blogger trashed the restaurant, the service, the food, you and your other new-found blogger friends. Exact quotes, taken out of context, had been and used in the blog post. The quotes were word-for-word accurate, but as they stood they sounded mean and petty, not they way they were said or intended.

The blogger who wrote the critique says that the event was fun and funny. But the remarks he makes are snarky — fully at your expense and that of the other two at dinner. You’ve never seen this sort of behavior before . . . from him or from anyone.

The post has been up for 8 hours and there are no comments.

You check your own post. Some cold “thank yous” are there — from folks not mentioned in your post, but mentioned in the quotes taken out of context in the other blogger’s recap.

How do you respond?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Bloggy Question 53: What Kind of Home Is One Blog You Read?

June 21, 2007 by Liz

Blog, Sweet, Blog

Choose a blog you read. Imagine it as a home. What kind of home would it be?

I’ll go first.

–ME “Liz” Strauss