A Great Experience!

Posted by Susannah Gardner on 04/30 at 07:05 AM • Not About Blogs

I’m happy to report that the Good Experience Live conference was a great experience. It’s hard to explain, though… the basic premise is that in all industries it’s possible to create good experiences, personally, professionally, for your customers, and so on. I’m still assimiliating that with the presentation by the electron microscopist, and the artist who makes beach creatures (which, by the way, are the coolest things you’ve ever seen).

I’ll write more about the conference on Monday, but today New York’s museums and restaurants call. You can check out some photos Travis took in the meantime.

 
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Attending Good Experience Live

Posted by Susannah Gardner on 04/28 at 09:44 AM • Not About Blogs

I’m in New York today and tomorrow for the Good Experience Live (Gel) conference. I’ve been trying to explain what this conference is about to people this past week, with varying degrees of success. Here’s what the Gel organizers have to say:

The purpose of Gel is to explore what it means to create a good, meaningful, or authentic experience.

The theme is “good experience”: how it’s created, and what it means in art, society, media, community, business, and technology.

I’ve never attended Gel before, but I’m assured it’s the kind of conference that refreshes and inspires, sending you back to your work with new ideas and the energy to implement them. Which all sounds pretty great, and also like a tall order!

The thing that intrigues me about this conference is the focus on the user, the idea that the customer is the point of what you’re doing. I haven’t been to business school, or gotten an MBA, but it seems to me that most businesses people lose this point early on. I studied journalism in school, and there was plenty of focus on editing and reporting, but none of my professors ever let me forget that I was writing for someone, and that they better be able to understand what I was saying. Say what you will about the media, but they almost never lose site of the fact that they are nothing without readers and viewers (critics call it pandering).  I’ve always regarded that training as an advantage I have over other Web designers and authors, so many of whom do great work but forget the user in the end. And, of course, it’s an attribute shared by many successful bloggers.

I’ll let you know what the conference is like over the next two days. Things kick off today with a variety of hands-on experiences conference attendees registered for a couple weeks ago. I’ll be part of the Nosh group:

Myra Alperson, founder of NoshNews, will take attendees to Sunnyside, Queens, one of the most polyglot neighborhoods in NYC. While sampling Colombian, Romanian, Salvadoran, Lebanese, Turkish, Irish and other specialties on this route, you’ll also learn about one of New York City’s most intriguing communities. Includes a visit to Sunnyside Gardens, the first planned garden community in the US.

 
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Blogs Will Change Your Business

Posted by Susannah Gardner on 04/23 at 12:06 AM •

... or so says the headline of the May 2 BusinessWeek cover story. Of course, I happen to agree. From the article:

...you cannot afford to close your eyes to them [blogs], because they’re simply the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the Internet itself. And they’re going to shake up just about every business—including yours. It doesn’t matter whether you’re shipping paper clips, pork bellies, or videos of Britney in a bikini, blogs are a phenomenon that you cannot ignore, postpone, or delegate. Given the changes barreling down upon us, blogs are not a business elective. They’re a prerequisite.

This is one of the best overview articles about blogs I’ve read in all those appearing in recent months. It speaks eloquently and urgentlyl about the pertinence of blogging for businesses and does an excellent job of covering recent business-related blog events like Google/Mark Jen and important players in the business blogging world (Steve Rubel or Micro Persuasion and Dave Sifrey of Technorati). If you’re looking to bring someone up to speed quickly on the phenomenon of business blogging, this is a great place to start. Kudos to writers Stephen Baker and Heather Green.

And then there’s this book I know about you could follow up with ... wink

 
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My First Review!

Posted by Susannah Gardner on 04/21 at 09:47 PM • About the Book(s)

I discovered that Tom Duff has reviewed Buzz Marketing with Blogs for Dummies on his own blog, Duffbert’s Random Musings—and kindly said some great things about it. This is the first review I’ve seen out there, unless I’ve missed one. Anyone seen one? Anyone written one? Leave a comment and let me know.

I want to also take a minute and explain the delay in getting the book out to you all. There was apparently a problem at the printer, at virtually the last minute, that pushed back the actual release of the book by about two weeks. They are out in the world now, fulfilling all that pent up demand wink.

 
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All About Blog Memes

Posted by Susannah Gardner on 04/20 at 02:15 PM • Blogging Tips

If you’re new to blogging, you may not be aware of blog memes—ideas and post topics that spread across the blogosphere. Blog memes range from posting a picture of your cat, to posting the first sentence on page 123 of the book you’re reading, or this one:

Your Linguistic Profile:
70% General American English
15% Upper Midwestern
10% Yankee
5% Dixie
0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Participating in a blog meme is a great way to go if you’re having a hard time coming up with a post topic, or for those Fridays when you’re brain takes an early weekend, or just to lighten things up a little.

The Memes ListIf you’re looking for a meme to be part of, start by visiting the Memes List, which lists memes for every day of the week.

 
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Jot those ideas down!

Posted by Tris Hussey on 04/17 at 03:47 PM •
This is something important to writers, bloggers, artists—really anyone doing creative things.  Keep anidea journal.  I have too many, I think.  I have one in my office, one next to my bed, and PersonalBrain, which I’m starting to use again.
 
Now more important, I think, than having an idea journal around all the time, is having a pen around all the time.  It’s great to have paper, but without a pen or pencil, it isn’t much use.  I recently got a Cross Ion pen which is neat and compact that it fits nicely in my pocket.  You can find a scrap of paper almost anywhere, but having a pen…well then.
Tris Hussey is the Chief Blogging Officer for Qumana Software and Managing Director of Qumana Services.  He can be reached at tris AT qumana DOT com.
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From Diva Marketing check out the Divo Blogs!

Posted by Tris Hussey on 04/17 at 03:35 PM •
Pink boaFirst we had the  Diva Blogs now it’s the boys turn with Divo Blogs!  Susie was one of the Divas listed.  I haven’t even begun to work through the list of great blogs to start reading.  Luckily I already have some of them on my list.  Man, it’s going to make for a lot of feeds to aggregate.
Tris Hussey is the Chief Blogging Officer for Qumana Software and Managing Director of Qumana Services.  He can be reached at tris AT qumana DOT com.
 
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Reviews

Posted by Susannah Gardner on 04/15 at 09:55 PM • About the Book(s)

“A very good selection to give to your boss if s/he wants to investigate the subject.”
—Tom Duff, Duffbert’s Random Musings, 4/12/05

“I wouldn’t be here typing this brief review if it weren’t for her book. Easy to read and apply. Is ‘unintimidating’ a word?”
—Stan Dubin, Small Business Success, 4/26/05

“No legal marketing professional or lawyer looking to expand business, whether you are publishing a blog now or soon will be, should be without Susannah Gardner’s new book Buzz Marketing with Blogs for Dummies.”
—Kevin O’Keefe, lexBlog

“So far the best book on blogs is Buzz Marketing With Blogs for Dummies. I loved the book and it explained everything.”
—Blog Noggin, 5/14/05

“Damit schafft sich das Buch eine interessante Nische, die es auch gut bedient. Die Leser benötigen keine besonderen Vorkenntnisse, sondern erfahren von Grund auf, was Weblogs auszeichnet, wie man ein Weblog einrichtet und wo die Besonderheiten von Business-Blogs liegen. Aber Susannah bleibt nicht bei den technischen Grundlagen zur Einrichtung eines Weblogs stehen. Sie gibt zahlreiche Tipps und Hinweise zum Führen erfolgreicher Business-Weblogs.”
—Markus Stolpmann, eDings

“Let me make one thing perfectly clear from the beginning: Buzz Marketing with Blogs for Dummies is an extremely helpful and thorough book about blogging.”
—Elisa Camahort, Worker Bees

“Get the book, Buzz Marketing with Blogs for Dummies by Susannah Gardner. Though the title suggests the book is about marketing, this is really a complete “how to blog successfully” manual. I’ve read several books on blogging, and this one is by far the best.”
—“Create a Blog to Boost Your Business,”  By John Nardini, Entrepreneur Magazine

If you’ve written a review, or have seen one online, leave me a comment and I’ll include it in the list.

 
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Guest time coming to an end

Posted by Tris Hussey on 04/15 at 03:11 PM •
Well, Susie will be back soon so I’m running the vacuum and cleaning up after my stint here at Buzz Marketing with Blogs.  It’s been great writing here.  I know that some of you read my primary blog View from the Isle and the Qumana Blog.  I have several others, but we can stop there.  I hope you’ve enjoyed want I’ve written.  Hope Susie does too!
 
I’ll do a couple more posts over the weekend to round things out…but this is an initial good bye!  Be well.
 
Tris Hussey is the Chief Blogging Officer for Qumana Software and Managing Director of Qumana Services.  He can be reached at tris AT qumana DOT com.
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Spencer F. Katt is bloggging…why isn’t anyone yelling?

Posted by Tris Hussey on 04/15 at 09:38 AM • Blogs -- Blogging News -- Fake Blogs
Susan Getgood posted  more on the whole character blog issue—Marketing Roadmaps- Personas and fictional blogs—and mentioned Spencer F. Katt and what if he were blogging.  Spencer is clearly a character, a persona.  Well Spencer is blogging.  So why hasn’t everybody jumped on his tail?  Is it because we’ve been reading him since we were still typing DOS commands?  Since a 400K 3.5 inch “floppy” was a big deal?  Think about it.
 
Tris Hussey is the Chief Blogging Officer for Qumana Software and Managing Director of Qumana Services.  He can be reached at tris AT qumana DOT com.
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Promotional Blogs on the Rise

Posted by Tris Hussey on 04/14 at 09:02 PM •
Fitting into the general theme of this blog, I saw this article on ClickZ this morning—Promotional Blogs on the Rise.  Unlike the character blogs, though they mention one for Lee jeans—which seems to be defunct now, they were talking about LOTR blogs, and blogs that give behind the scenes views of movies and TV shows.  So, what about these kinds of blogs?
 
Like character blogs, maybe more so, I think these have their place in the blogosphere as well.  Hearing what it’s like day to day on set could be interesting.  But, one has to wonder if the actors are being authentic, or going for good PR/news?
 
Comments?
 
Tris Hussey is the Chief Blogging Officer for Qumana Software and Managing Director of Qumana Services.  He can be reached at tris AT qumana DOT com.
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Character blogs continued…

Posted by Tris Hussey on 04/14 at 11:11 AM • Blogs -- Blogging News -- Blogs and Business
Well the character blog saga continues.  This time it isn’t a gourmand but a ungulate, a moose.  Moosetopia is a blog “written” by the moose mascot of Moose track ice cream.  So controversy rages again.  Since Susie is away (hee, hee) I get to put forth my opinion on this in not just one, but two places!
 
I wrote a blog-tome on this on my site—View from the Isle - More on Character blogs—and I won’t repeat it here because well, that would be really boring—thanks BobbyM!—but I will say that character blogs aren’t the end of the word and I think we should just let the bloggers behind the blogs find their voice.  Then if they still suck, well stop reading them.
 
Paul chimed in on this first, so tip of the hat (or tip of the trackback) to him—Radiant Marketing Group- Even a Moose Can Blog.
 
As a reminder, this is what Susie posted about the last character blog that kicked up a little controversy—    Deliciously fake
       
Tris Hussey is the Chief Blogging Officer for Qumana Software and Managing Director of Qumana Services.  He can be reached at tris AT qumana DOT com.
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On blogrolls…they’ve come a long way baby!

Posted by Tris Hussey on 04/13 at 06:39 PM • Blogs
This post of Paul’s—Business Blogging Tips - Posting Quotas & Blogroll Policies—reminds me of what I often say about chocolate chip cookies…“You know what these taste like?  Another.”
 
In the top half of this post covers the old “How often do you post?” question.  I dropped the gauntlet on doing a podcast on this with some of the players in the discussion.
 
Now the bottom half of the post talks about blogrolls.  Ah blogrolls.  I started off linking to everybody.  Now, I link to folks I like to read.  And speaking of which I should probably add a bunch of people to the list.  Paul and Susan are right.  A blogroll shouldn’t be just a list of the “A-list bloggers”...it should be links to blogs that you recommend and especially the ones who are “undiscovered”.  Because that is what it’s all about.
 
Tris Hussey is the Chief Blogging Officer for Qumana Software and Managing Director of Qumana Services.  He can be reached at tris AT qumana DOT com.
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View from the Isle podcast on Podcasting

Posted by Tris Hussey on 04/13 at 05:08 PM •
  Quick post here…
I did a little podcast on the recent Forrester report that 12.3 million Americans will be listening to podcasts by 2010...Enjoy!
 
Podcast: Podcasting to grow significantly
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MarketingProfs: 5 reasons to use RSS (for marketing)

Posted by Tris Hussey on 04/12 at 09:14 AM • Blogs -- Blogging Tips -- Blogging Tools
Yep, RSS is getting hot.  People are starting to catch on that it’s the power way to gather information, now the push is on to expand the Syndisphere from blogs and online publication to everybody else.  Cool.  Good.  Actually great.
 
MarketingProfs is read by a lot of non-techie marketers so this article is well positioned to help the non-techie marketer see the benefits of RSS to them: Top 5 Reasons to Use RSS
 
Here are the five reasons given:
1. Avoid spam filters
2. Make journalists happy
3. Improve your Web traffic
4. Monitor your online reputation
 
5. It’s easy (even for a non-techie)
Yep, #1 and #2 are key.  Journalists are info junkies.  That’s their job.  RSS aggregators make their lives easier by brining scads of information to them.  So if you want press, RSS-enable your press releases.  Go where the journalists are.  Of course for #1, e-mail is getting harder and harder to manage.  I get tons of spam.  Thunderbird handles it pretty well, keeping it out of my inbox.  RSS lets you avoid the whole problem.  People actively choose to get your content.
 
I’ll add a 6th one to the list: SEO.  Search engines love RSS because they don’t have to work as hard to know when content is updated…they are just told.  If you want to get better rankings, have an RSS feed.  Even if you don’t blog, having an RSS feed will help you get the attention you’d like to get.
 
The article closes with this nice snippet.  I think it closes this post out well too:
 
 
RSS is a valuable tool, a new weapon to add to   your arsenal and an efficient way to reach customers, partners, investors and   journalists. It’s an easy way to communicate information to an interested   audience.                     
 
You know the people subscribing to your RSS   channel want your news, and you are providing that information in an   unobtrusive, timely fashion. Because RSS is still a relatively new technology,  you can still be ahead of the curve.                         
 
If 2004 was the year of the Weblog, 2005 is the   year of RSS.       
Tris Hussey is the Chief Blogging Officer for Qumana Software and Managing Director of Qumana Services.  He can be reached at tris AT qumana DOT com.
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