Thanks to Reg Adkins’ ongoing Hero of the Week and a nomination from Ted Demopoulos, I’ve been added to a great list of blogging heroes:
1st Edition: Ted Demopoulos
2nd Edition: Phil Gerbyshak
3rd Edition: Sandy Renshaw
4th Edition: Kirsten Harrel
5th Edition: Kammie Kobyleski
Next week, everyone’s a hero!
Spring has sprung. The Pittsburgh Pirates are in first place (half-game up as of this morning). I’ve moved into an office in Downtown Des Moines at 1430 Locust Street (map)
My office is in the same building as the McLellan Marketing Group, so I should become more creative just by proximity, right?
One reason for the move includes the constant state of flux and location of our Iowa Blog Workshops. Part of the lease agreement is a shared conference room that seats plenty, so the workshops and classes become stable again.
For the first two years of my business, my office was the basement of my house. Without a window (does a window well count?), I could often be found working at Panera on University in West Des Moines.
New digs, new things to look forward to:
Hey, why don’t you come by for a visit Wednesday morning. Drew McLellan is hosting his Branding Breakfast at 7:30 AM.
There’s still time (and seats) to join in the fun for today’s BlogBQ, hosted by Doug Mitchell. I’m bringing bread.
Doug is a geo-arbitrageur. I’m going to try find out what that means today. It doesn’t sound Irish or Italian (of which I am both)
Happy St. Patricks Day.
I’m not sure how or why it started, though I have a clue.
Seems I’ve been branded a web developer, but that’s not what I do.
It takes me twice as long to code, learning as I go
I’ll be outsourcing this stuff from now on, but prices will grow.
I’m a Conversation Conductor, it says so to the right
I build communities of customers, if I’m not coding all night.
My fault, really – I get excited when a company says YES
They want to start a blog, so I do whatever it takes I guess.
But this model isn’t working, no coaching is getting done
I’m as guilty as others, sending them into battle with a loaded gun.
Companies are moaning that their month old blog has no success
Why? They wrote one post last week (same text as their brochure, no less).
Suggest they read other blogs, even make a comment or three.
They don’t have time. Reading other blogs waste their time, you see.
They want to ride on this bandwagon, "Please build us a blog site."
Folks the tool is not the answer, the conversation is what gives it flight.
Six Five code-heavy projects still on the table, but after that no more
Want to build a community of customers? You’ve come to the right door.
The other day, I noticed an intersting referral incoming from Google: Panera. ConverStations is in the top ten (results may vary based on geography).
Just Panera. Not a search on Married to Panera (the page listed in the search results). Not a search on Starbucks is Looking and Tasting Better (which created a stir here in Iowa). Just Panera.
For those wondering, I still visit Panera U – just not as much as I once did.
The reason we moved the location of our Iowa Business Blog Workshops is because we outgrew Panera. As the audience grew larger, I was aware that we might be impending on the comfortability of other customers.
Panera (the corporate/franchise offices – not the team at the restaurant) could’ve handled the situation better (anything is better than nothing). Maybe I could’ve also.
While the relationship has taken a hit – it’s the front office that delivered the blow. Not the team at the restaurant. Definitely not the dining room community (the real reason I go in the first place).
So yes, if you’re wondering, I’ll still occasionally see you in the bread aisle.
I’ve been part of laying a foundation of conversation and community for Photopreneur – even though we’re still weeks away from seeing the tool and marketplace what will be Photopreneur.com.
A while back, I asked Are you a photoblogger? and will be responding to the emails and comments received from that – but Photopreneur is more than just photoblogging, more than photo sharing. It’s a marketplace that will connect the media buyer with the photographer in a unique manner.
If you’re a Photoblogger or Photopreneur (Wikipedia def) and you’re interested in assisting us build a community, let me know.
The Web is a tool for people. A tool for people to use to research, learn, build, create…connect.
During the dot.bomb, I heard sighs of relief as dot.companies folded. "Now we can start using the web as a tool rather than a destination."
I find some are trying to recreate the dot.boom. Their theme song may be "Let’s Hang On to What We’ve Got." Old-style thinking. Time to rethink a few things.
Caught this via Scott McLeod at Dangerously Irrelevant. A video from Michael Wesch, Assistant Professor of Cultural Antrhopolgy at Kansas State:
If the definition of Atypical is the opposite of Typical (def.) – then would Amuse be the opposite of Muse (def.)?
The answer is no – at least not anymore, though maybe so in yesteryear – though and it makes for an interesting thought in light of the ongoing Did Television Cultivate Information Overload conversation below.
Posts have been quick and short
My comments elsewhere, I’ve been missing
If I don’t catch up soon,
Some serious blog cabooses, I’ll be kissing.
But one of the beauties of the blogosphere;
And of the friendships that we build,
Is that your voices stay alive in head and heart
Even with planners temporarily over-filled.
Over the past week or more…
Many offline changes have taken place;
I’m beginning to see the light at the end
I’m eager to see your bloggy face.
So thanks for your passion and patience
I’ll be dropping by in a short while
Your feeds have kept me fed with much thought
Some good tips, a few yikes and a whole lotta smile.
Think about cleaning out your closet or garage. What happens before you get things in order? Disorder
True even when moving into a new house (which we’ve done too many times in my family). Unpacking boxes, looking for the silverware (oh boy, pizza again!)…it can get pretty disorganized.
That’s why we always drill on the Purpose Driven Blogging questions. And though the lines are blurring between blog sites and web site, it’s a good idea to focus on the blog launch. Once that proves successful, then we can bring the two together.
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