Notes taken during Liz Strauss’ WordCamp Chicago presentation.
Lightly edited – check out twitter for more #wccamp coverage.
Image: Liz Strauss, founder of SOBCon, May 2009 by Barbara Rozgonyi
When people Google your name what are they finding – be the person they’re looking for.
How to make your blog stand out so that people don’t just accidentally find you, but they start looking for your.
Don’t write for print – the first thing you can do is to come down off of the podium, which changes you from being the sage on stage to the guide alongside.
Everybody wants to learn, but how many people want to be taught?
Web went from presentation to conversation.
When you come down from the podium – that gives you a good chance to come out from behind the screen.
Liz started blogging in 2005 with a writing blog. When you go to a website and you don’t know who’s behind it, it’s hard to open up and participate.
Being authentic – not the same thing as being naked – I don’t need all of your information. Bright Meadow’s blogger, Cass, doesn’t use her real name, but she is authentic.
Find out why people read your blog. Blog your experience.
The movie critic story – if they only blogged information, they would all be the same.
Reasons blog readers don’t leave comments . . . .
– you don’t leave me any room to comment, conversation must be two-way and nobody is in control
– write one idea – you’re not supposed to be writing a lot, talk in a more open-ended sense
– lists – leave space for readers to add more
– be complete, but not thorough – that puts you on the ground, which is where you want to, sooner or later you’re not going to live up to expectations of being a blog star – people will knock you down
– keep breaking ideas down into subsequent posts – one post could fill up a week – much more thoughtful writing that leads to better flow
– if you want people to visit you, go visit them – this is where twitter comes in, twitter has given her old blog posts new life – “actually I wrote about that in 2007 and I still feel the same way”
If you’re still thinking about what you’re going to blog about . . . choose something that will attract people who look like you who will think you’re really smart.
People come to generations in different levels. New people coming in want to read where you started,
Your raging fans will think a lot like you, but they don’t have the information you have – crosses over from beginners to experts.
Half the show is in the blog comments – lots of theories about what to do. If someone is respectful enough to respond, by responding back you make a personal connection and you can tell them a little more about your story. If you’re in business, you can say do you need help with that? This is what I do: be helpful, not hype-full.
Be more interested than interesting and ask about them. What kind of blog post would you like me to write next?
Thanks to Liz for mentioning me and a term I created “splotchy blog.”
What experience can you share with others?
English