Dawud Miracle @ dmiracle.com » SOBCon http://dmiracle.com advice you can use to grow your small business Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:16:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 SOBCon08: What Did Everyone Else Think? http://dmiracle.com/tools/sobcon08-what-did-everyone-else-think/ http://dmiracle.com/tools/sobcon08-what-did-everyone-else-think/#comments Mon, 12 May 2008 06:54:30 +0000 Dawud Miracle http://dmiracle.com/?p=422

You already know my experiences at SOBCon08 – at least those I could get down in a reasonable amount of time.

But aren’t you curious what others have been saying about it?

Well, I’ve done my best to compile all the posts I could find about the event. While extensive, this is likely not a complete listing. So if you have a post you’d like to add, please do so in the comment box and I’ll add it to the post below.

Did I read them all…no. But I did read most of them and commented on those I had something to add too. What always intrigues me most is that people often report more about their time getting to know someone then then they do the event content. Is there a little business secret tied up there? What do you think?

So what’s the marketing secret I mentioned above? Any idea?

And for SOBConers and non-SOBConers alike, just one question: what’s one tool you’ve most recently started using that’s changed the way you use your blog or social media? How has it affected your marketing and your business?

(note: image from Tojosan on Flickr)

]]> http://dmiracle.com/tools/sobcon08-what-did-everyone-else-think/feed/ 12 SOBCon08: Recap – Live Blogging and Reports From The Event http://dmiracle.com/conversation/sobcon08-recap-live-blogging-and-reports-from-the-event/ http://dmiracle.com/conversation/sobcon08-recap-live-blogging-and-reports-from-the-event/#comments Sun, 11 May 2008 08:03:31 +0000 Dawud Miracle http://dmiracle.com/?p=423

Most of us at SOBCon08 are bloggers, right? So you had to know that we blogged the event. Now I say we collectively as I was too busy jotting notes to live blog and too engrossed in conversation to blog at the event.

So what about the evenings…well, if I was getting to bed before 2am, perhaps. But I wasn’t.

Yet plenty of people either wrote reports from SOBCon08 or were live blogging as it happened. We even had a Twitter feed going at one point. The conversation behind the event didn’t stop – even during it.

So if you missed something or lost your notes at least you can find what you need from the vast resources below.

And if you couldn’t make it to SOBCon08 this year, you’ll find a great list of content that was written during the event. Having gone through all of these posts, photos and videos, there’s enough content here to make it feel like you were there – just without the smiles, hugs and handshakes.

So, if you were there, what was the biggest (I know it’s hard to find only one) highlight of your weekend. Doesn’t have to be something Brian or the Chris(es) said. Could be a meal, a conversation or a relationship.

So I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours…in the comment box.

(note: image of (left to right) Stephen Smith, Clay & Jared Goralnick from Wendy Piersall on Flickr)

]]> http://dmiracle.com/conversation/sobcon08-recap-live-blogging-and-reports-from-the-event/feed/ 16 SOBCon08: Is Your Blog Serving Your Business? http://dmiracle.com/general/sobcon08-is-your-blog-serving-your-business/ http://dmiracle.com/general/sobcon08-is-your-blog-serving-your-business/#comments Fri, 09 May 2008 14:18:01 +0000 Dawud Miracle http://dmiracle.com/?p=412 SOBCon08 – Biz School for Bloggers… A report, part 2

Amazing that it took a whole blog post to cover the first day of SOBCon08, but it did. Friday was great. The boat ride stellar. And the conversation even better.

Seeing Lorelle first thing Saturday morning started the day off right. Got a chance to speak with Easton Ellsworth a bit, catching up on family and the like. Truth is I talk to Easton almost weekly. I did get to have breakfast with David Dalka and Phil Gerbyshak. We mostly talked shop – not blogging shop, but business shop – niche marketing and expert positioning. In other words, what problems do you solve for whom.

Business School was the theme of SOBCon08. The idea was born from watching lots of bloggers getting traffic and tons of comments, but making no money. This year’s SOBCon was going to bring business people and bloggers together so that business owners could learn about communities and using social media while bloggers could learn solid business practices.

Anita Bruzzese of 45Things kicked off the morning. She gave a great talk about managing your online reputation. Her advice: Remember “whatever you write has your name on it and you must be willing to stand behind it.” Her talk sparked a great conversation afterward that I was really getting in to. If only more time.

Next up was the Copyblogger himself – Brian Clark. Brian opened with “forget blog. be an entrepreneur rather than a copywriter.” He had me with forget blog.

What Brian did really well was remind us that a blog isn’t in and of itself a business. What we actually do to make money is our business. So he encouraged everyone to consider a business model showing us that a business model is not:

  • Your revenue source
  • Your traffic strategy
  • Your blog

What a business model is, rather:

  • The right product or service (for) the right target market (at) the right price.

That sentence above is the key to having a successful business. Brian knows it which is one of the reasons why Copyblogger and Teaching Sells is doing so well. There’s more, of course, but this was the key point that I felt was most important to take away form Brian’s talk.

One note on Mr Clark, somehow he managed to leave Chicago without us having a good chat together. Not sure how he managed that, but he did. That’s all right, I’ll pin him down next time.

After Brian, Lorelle VanFossen led a discussion and exercise to help everyone find the ten words that would describe what you do as a business owner. That was her main point – you have to be able to describe what you do to people who may be interested in language they understand. I’d go a bit further and say that you need to concisely show that you can solve their problems. That’s why the conversation can be so valuable before you get to talking about what you do.

Next came Chris Garrett of chrisg.com fame. Chris and Darren Rowse just released a book called Problogger: Secrets of Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income. Haven’t finished it yet, but from what I’ve read it’s really good. Make sure you get a copy.

Chris’ talk called, More Bang from Your Blog, covered a lot about workflow. He says, “you have to have a work structure” to be successful at blogging (and at business). His workflow consists of Learn / Create / Communicate / Promote. Workflow – both for you blogging and your business – is something I spend a lot of time with clients working on so I couldn’t agree more. There’s so little time, why not make the most from it.

Somewhere in here we had lunch and I spent a nice time talking with Stephen Smith from Productivity in Context and Jared Goralnick from Technotheory. Jared and I shared in great converation around business building, marketing and business growth. Then we mingled a bit chatting with a number of people – most whose names I just can’t remember. Sorry.

Back to the presentations…I next got my socks blown off by David Bullock. Obvious this guy knows what he’s doing when it comes to business development, business growth and metrics. David was one of the business owners who was there to learn about social media. And boy did he get a dose of it. His S.T.A.R.T. Formula is a solid business development model:

  • Strategy – what’s the overall story and how does your overall story match the overall story of the marketplace?
  • Tactics – planning – how are you going to do what you need to do to grow your business
  • Action – doing the plan – you’ve gotta actually do something to make the tactics work for you.
  • Results – you’ve gotta know what results you want from your actions and whether or not your site or business can gain those results.
  • Tracking – pay attention to what’s going on – most often missed by small business owners. It’s more than just site statistics. It’s knowing what you expect from your marketing, for instance, and being able to measure effectiveness.

David also had what may have been, for me, the most power-packed quote of the whole event: “I want to own a space not own a channel.” He and I talked about this afterward. Be a great conversation piece in the comment box.

Funny thing is that Chris Brogan followed David – which was a perfect blend. Following David’s business-minded presentation, Chris offered an opportunity to for us to think of businesses as being people (sound familiar?). His overall message was to differentiate your community from your marketplace. In community it’s about the people and how you connect with each other. Ultimately it’s about people doing things freely for each other. Marketplace, though, is where you sell things. Chris suggest keeping them separate. How, invite community into your marketplace, just don’t turn your community into the marketplace. Let people have both.

We started running long on time so Liz Strauss’ presentation was cut a bit short. The key element I took from her was, “Know the difference between traffic, readers and customers.” I’d say know who each are, why they’re at your site and how you can meet each of their needs.

Wendy Piersall ended the day with an emotional, spirited and high energy presentation challenging each of us to be great; great as bloggers, great as people, great as business owners. As she says, “what right do you have not too?”

That ended Saturday’s main events. There was still Sunday to go – and don’t forget Saturday night – which I’ll write about later in a piece about selling.

Reading through all this, are you beginning to get the idea that blogging is not, in and of itself, a business? Rather, blogging is a way to interact with your audience, increase your reach and inform about your business. In other words, a blog is a method for marketing.

I see way too many business owners confusing their blog for their business. Perhaps it’s because they put so much time into it – I’m not sure. Yet it’s important to consider that a blog is something that serves an overall business, helping the business reach its goals.

So how is your blog serving your business? Are you selling products and a landing clients from your blog? If so, what have you done to make yourself successful?

(note: images from bjmccray, ChrisCree & DWakeman on Flickr)

]]> http://dmiracle.com/general/sobcon08-is-your-blog-serving-your-business/feed/ 23 Boat Rides, Indian Food and Great Conversation at SOBCon08 http://dmiracle.com/conversation/boat-rides-indian-food-and-great-conversation-at-sobcon08/ http://dmiracle.com/conversation/boat-rides-indian-food-and-great-conversation-at-sobcon08/#comments Thu, 08 May 2008 08:08:39 +0000 Dawud Miracle http://dmiracle.com/?p=411 SOBCon08 – Biz School for Bloggers… A report, part 1

Liz and Terry sure nailed it this year. Not only in concept but in execution. Their goal – create an event where business owners and bloggers come together to learn from each other – both about social media and about running a business. In my opinion, much needed and only scraping the surface of what’s needed around social media. The weekend was great…here’s my experience.

The flight to Chicago on Friday was quick and uneventful. We landed just before a storm rolled in that delayed a number of SOBCon-ers, including Chris Cree and Gorgeous (his name for his wife). I jump on the orange line out of Midway which deposits me, 40 minutes later, a block and a half from my hotel – in a downpour. Cab it or walk…I chose to walk. And when I stepped into Hotel 71 I was drenched.

I get to my room, dry off, unpack and out comes the laptop. I was thinking of a short nap before the afternoon’s festivities, but turns out Chris Garrett was looking for a lunch date. Sonia Simone and I join Chris for a stroll down Michigan Ave, a nice chat and a great lunch lunch at Carmine’s. Thank God the weather cleared up.

Back at the hotel we walk into a cloud of bloggers. Liz, Terry and bunch of old friends from last year’s event. Hugs go all around. I’m overjoyed to meet Joanna Young for the first time. To David Airey: she flew all the way from Scotland.

Lots of faces, new and old. Too many to remember. But I did get a huge hug from my dear friend Wendy Piersall (tell Dave it was great to meet him). Had a great talk with Tammy Lenski – she and I need to do some work together. Then, finally, after months of phone calls and emails, I got to see the communicatrix – Colleen Wainwright in the flesh. She’s shorter than I thought thought she’d be – AND big bags of fun. We spent much of the weekend hanging out. Loved her before, love and adore her after. She’s a friend for life, I think.

Dinner time was approaching so Adam Kayce and I round up a few people for Indian food at Kypher Pass on East Wacker. Pretty nice food. Nothing, though, like Tandoor Fine Indian Cuisine which Adam and I found last year. It’s out in Park Ridge near O’Hare (map) – like Indian food, gotta check it out.

Anyhow, Todd Jordan along with Shashi Bellamkonda & Randy Windsor from Network Solutions joined us. I learned much about Shashi over the weekend. One thing is he loves to take photos. And did you know he was once a chef?

Chicago Cruises and the Chicago Skyline provided the backdrop for our evening. The entertainment…by a hundred bloggers on a boat, Jim Beam (who sponsored the Friday night) and the amazing music of Christine Kane. If you don’t know Christine’s music – you should. But more on that later. Becky McCray has some great shots on Flickr of Chicago at night. As does Wendy.

Had a great walk and chat back to the hotel with Ruth Marie Sylte. We could have stayed up all night talking politics, spirituality and fixing the problems in the Middle East. But sleep called – especially since I missed that nap (thanks ChrisG).

I’ll continue with my in depth report of SOBCon. For now, I’d love to know your SOBCon experience. If you were there, what was one highlight. And if not, what’s one thing you would have liked to have taken away from the event if you could have come?

(note: image from bjmccray on Flickr)

]]> http://dmiracle.com/conversation/boat-rides-indian-food-and-great-conversation-at-sobcon08/feed/ 26 A Business School for Bloggers http://dmiracle.com/general/a-business-school-for-bloggers/ http://dmiracle.com/general/a-business-school-for-bloggers/#comments Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:46:15 +0000 Dawud Miracle http://dmiracle.com/?p=407 Are you coming to SOBCon08?

I’ve been set on coming ever since I left Chicago last May. The event in 2007 was great. Lots of great people. Lots of great information. And, of course, lots of of great conversation. But what would I expect from an event that was partially the brainchild of Liz Strauss, Miss Conversation herself (now, that’s my opinion and she would probably deny it even though it’s the truth)?

That’s why I was so excited last fall when Liz and Terry Starbucker started planning for SOBCon08. This year’s theme – Biz School for Blogging. Notice the title closely. It’s not blogging for businesses. Rather, it’s business school for blogging. In other words, bringing sound business principles into the blogosphere.

This year’s speakers are top-notch. And I can’t wait to see the presentation format – which centers around masterminding. The plan is to bring what’s talked about into a working model to actually use in your business. As I said, pretty sweet, huh?

Check out who’s beginning the conversations:

And, of course, the sweet sounds of Christine Kane.

And, like last year, this year’s event isn’t about the speakers. Rather, it’s about all the people who are there – speakers, attendees, organizers, sponsors – everyone. As we saw last year, everyone had something valuable to add to the conversations during the sessions.

Below is a list of everyone else I could find who’s going to be there. Small, simple, people-focused event. Find some of these folks on Twitter. The rest, just link with below.

So are you coming? If so, say, “Hi” in the comment box. And definitely look for me this weekend.

And if you’re not on the list, you’ve gotta ask yourself why – especially if you have a business – blogging or otherwise. Get here. Meet some great people and join some amazing conversations that will help you focus your business online.

What do you have to say?

]]> http://dmiracle.com/general/a-business-school-for-bloggers/feed/ 37 Do You Call Yourself A Blogger? http://dmiracle.com/blog-marketing/do-you-call-yourself-a-blogger/ http://dmiracle.com/blog-marketing/do-you-call-yourself-a-blogger/#comments Fri, 08 Feb 2008 13:53:25 +0000 Dawud Miracle http://dmiracle.com/your-business/do-you-call-yourself-a-blogger/ Why? Why not?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot since David Armano talked about it at SOBCon last year. His basic point was that “blogging is a commodity. Anyone can do it. We are human beings with passions and interests that come out in our blogs—not the other way around. Stop calling yourself a blogger. You are a… (designer, businessperson, marketer, artist, baker, mother, grandfather, etc). Calling ourselves bloggers takes away from what makes us unique.”

I have to say that I agree. I think the term blogger is overused and often misunderstood. When I talk with businesses about blogging, they often, even after all this time, think of journaling. They haven’t fully appreciated the breadth of what the term blogger can mean.

Sure, I still use the term blog or blogger, but only in select company and mostly as a shortcut. But I don’t really think of myself as a blogger anymore. Rather, I think of myself as a publisher. And I think of my blog as a publishing platform; one that lets me focus on content instead of site structure.

Think about it. Isn’t blogging basically writing and publishing? That’s pretty much the basic thing we do on our blogs.

When I explain it to business owners that way, it makes sense. When I drop the word blog and talk about a simple, easy-to-use publishing system for their business, it makes sense. It gets us past the terminology and misperceptions. It unbridles our conversation. I mean, what business owner wouldn’t want to have an inexpensive, simple and ever expanding way to share their business with potential customers? Isn’t that what a blog can be?

Yesterday Darren Rowse postsed a great article on this same topic. The video that accompanied the post I’ve included below and would love to hear your thoughts on it.

Darren made three points in his post which are each relevant for the business and nonbusiness blogger publisher alike.

  1. “Your competitors don’t limit themselves, why should you?”
    Ideally, you’re thinking of your blog as a website – because, that’s what it is. So rather than thinking about how your blog stacks up against other blogs, consider how your blog stacks up in your business niche.
  2. “Your readers don’t really care what format your site is.”
    Really, people want great content – whether it’s in an article bank, part of an ezine or posts on a blog. From their perspective, it’s less important how that great content is delivered than what that great content shares.
  3. “(Properly) positioning yourself for the future.”
    If you look around the so-called blogosphere, you’ll see that blogs are changing. They’re morphing into new structures with new features and functions. For me, the term blogging can get in the way of this evolution, don’t you think?

So what do you think? Do you think of yourself as a blogger? If not, what do you call yourself? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Below I’ve posted Darren’s video from his post yesterday. It’s just under 5 minutes. Give it a watch and join the conversation in the comment box.

]]> http://dmiracle.com/blog-marketing/do-you-call-yourself-a-blogger/feed/ 37 Lorelle VanFossen Has Made Every Blogging Mistake http://dmiracle.com/how-to-blog/lorelle-vanfossen-has-made-every-blogging-mistake/ http://dmiracle.com/how-to-blog/lorelle-vanfossen-has-made-every-blogging-mistake/#comments Thu, 28 Jun 2007 00:08:58 +0000 Dawud Miracle http://dmiracle.com/conversation/lorelle-vanfossen-has-made-every-blogging-mistake/ If you use WordPress you likely know who Lorelle VanFossen is. If you don’t know who she is yet, don’t worry…you will soon.

Lorelle VanFossen, of course, writes Lorelle on WordPress (RSS) – one of the best resources for anything relating to WordPress. Need a plugin? Lorelle’s likely written about it. Need to solve a problem? Lorelle may have covered it. Want the latest news? Lorelle’s the one. She even sums it all up with her WordPress Wednesday column on Blog Hearld (RSS).

Lorelle’s done it all. Including make every blogging mistake possible. At least that’s what she said in her interview with Daniel Scocco from Daily Blog Tips (RSS).

Daniel: What is the biggest blogging mistake you did?

Lorelle: Oh, honey, I’ve done them all. I’ve been doing this so long, I’ve done all the big mistakes. When I read through blog posts listing their blogging mistakes, I think, “Yep, did that one in 2001. Oh, that one, I did it big in 1998. Been there, done that in 2004. Won’t repeat that mistake of 1997.”

Is there just one big mistake? Nope. There are only big lessons that come from every mistake along the blogging path. I tend to focus on the lessons learned and not the screw-ups.

Lessons…that’s the perspective I love about Lorelle. Having spent some time with her at SOBCon07 back in May, it was easy to fall in love with her. She’s real, she’s honest and she doesn’t judge. And just like me, she has her opinions…

Daniel: How long should a blogger wait to monetize the blog?

Lorelle: I do not think bloggers should monetize their blogs. I think that people who want to get into the business of blogging must make a business plan on how they will use blogging for their business or as their business, thus creating a plan for monetizing their blogs.

But general bloggers? Why should your hobby make money? If you want to work your way towards professional blogging, then blog for a year or two to get a feel for blogging and make your business plan. Then move towards being a professional blogger.

I couldn’t agree more. Too many bloggers are watching what the business bloggers are doing and think about the “easy money” they could be making off their blogs. But it’s not easy money. It’s hard work.

bloggingtipsbookcoversm1.jpgBut so is blogging in general. Some days it’s easy, some it’s hard. Everyday it’s effort. That’s why many blogs aren’t successful.
And that’s what I love about Lorelle, she tells it like it is. She doesn’t sugar coat it. She’s honest about the ups and downs. That why I recommend that everyone read her new book, Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won’t Tell You About Blogging.

I’ve read it three times cover to cover and it’s full of great advice. It’s literally the first blogging book I’ve read that’s really about blogging. Most blog books spend way too much time covering blog platforms or why to blog. Authors sometimes spend 1/2 to 3/4 of a book getting to the meat.

Blogging Tips is different in that Lorelle assumes you’ll get that type of information elsewhere. Instead, she gets right into meat. I highly recommend her book (and I’m not getting an affiliate kickback to say that).

dawud-lorelle.jpgI also really enjoyed Adii’s interview with Lorelle where they talk a bit more WordPress.

You know, it’s also kind of challenging to find photos of Lorelle. I snagged one with her and David Dalka (he’s on the right, I’m on the left and Lorelle is between us) when we were at SOBCon.

]]> http://dmiracle.com/how-to-blog/lorelle-vanfossen-has-made-every-blogging-mistake/feed/ 31 Songs That Make My Heart Sing http://dmiracle.com/conversation/songs-that-make-my-heart-sing/ http://dmiracle.com/conversation/songs-that-make-my-heart-sing/#comments Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:20:41 +0000 Dawud Miracle http://dmiracle.com/conversation/songs-that-make-my-heart-sing/ I’ve always loved the feeling that a good string of words can incite. Whether a quote from a speech, a line in a book or a poem, I can easily be moved into a deeply contemplative space.

So it’s no surprise that I love song lyrics. Don’t get my wrong, I love the music behind the lyrics. But if I want music I’ll listen to classical or jazz – gotta love Monk on the ivories; Bird, Trane, Hawk or Sonny blowin’ sax or Charlie Mingus workin’ the bass. Then there’s Miles. But we’re not talkin’ jazz right now, we’re talking lyrics (okay, I know Bessie, Ella and Billie were amazing).

So Phil, there’s a taste of some of the music that makes my heart sing. But not always. I love jazz, but only when it feels right. For me to listen to Monk or Miles, I’ve gotta be with it. I’ve gotta feel it inside as though each note is waking up parts of my soul. That’s just the way jazz is for me.

But I’m not always in that place. Sometimes it’s the words in a song I want to inspire me. And that’s where it all gets tricky for me to express.

As my dear friend Adam Kayce knows, I’ve got tons of song lyrics packed away in my brain. And sometimes they just come flying out when he least expects them.

It’s actually difficult for me to pick one, or even five, songs that make my heart sing. Hilda asked for only one song to make thing easy on Joanna, Phil, Judith, Terry, Kirsten, Karen, Claire and the others she tagged. But I’m with Judith, I’m not finding this easy at all.

Why? Well, like Becca and Animaitaliana, there’s just so many options it’s hard to narrow it down. And because the music that makes my heart sing changes greatly with the mood I’m in. Truthfully, I love everything from the Blues to John Denver; Motown to Toad the Wet Sprocket; early 80′s rap to Prince, R&B and funk to Elton John and James Taylor. What I mostly don’t enjoy is Country, modern pop, and hip-hop.

In tagging me Adam mentioned he’s got 1800 plus songs in his iTunes. Well my iPod is carrying around over 5000 songs right now and iTunes tells me that’s about 30 days worth of music. The newest music I’m carrying is from Christine Kane – who I met, and heard, for the first time live at SOBCon07. She’s truly lovely – as a person, a songwriter and a performer. And I really enjoy her storytelling.

Okay, okay…maybe I am stalling. So I’ll share with you what I was listening to yesterday as I worked.

There’s no secret that I deeply love my wife and that I’m constantly striving to be a better husband, a better man, for her. One artist that inspires me from time to time is Brian McKnight. His lyrics, his voice, his expression all speak to my heart. Since I rarely listen to the radio anymore, I don’t know which of is songs are popular. But one of my many favorites is Never Felt This Way:

There will never come a day
you’ll ever hear me say
that I want and need to be without you.
I want to give my all.

Baby, just hold me.
Simply control me.
‘Cuz your arms, they keep away the lonelies.

(chorus)
When I look into your eyes
then I relize
that all I need is you in my life.
All I need is you in my life.
‘Cuz I’ve never felt this way about lovin’.
Never felt so good.
Never felt this way about lovin’
It feels so good.

How it takes my breath,
starts a pounding in my chest,
makes me weak, when I think about you.
Makes me wanna give my all,
Life wouldn’t mean a thing.
Not a happy song to sing,
just emptiness if I had to live without you.

(repeat chorus)

‘Cuz I’ve never felt this way about lovin’, darlin’
Never felt so good.
Never felt this way about lovin’
It feels so good. woo!

But it’s not just the lyrics. Listen to the delivery, the timing, the way he expresses the lyrics…

[audio:http://dmiracle.com/wp-content/audio/Never-Felt-This-Way.mp3]

Then there’s Discovery:

So now that I have seen
An angel spread it’s wings
Go on, lay me down
I can die now
Every since you came around
There’s a new love found

[audio:http://dmiracle.com/wp-content/audio/Discovery.mp3]

And since I’m certainly not perfect, I love So Sorry:

For all the wasted time that we cannot replace.
For everytime that a discussion turned into an argument, we’d fight.
Hey, how I wish that I could have it back tonight.

I’m so sorry for anything I might have done.
And I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt the only one,
And I’m sorry, the best laid plans sometimes fall through,
For anything that I might’ve done, I apologize to you.

[audio:http://dmiracle.com/wp-content/audio/So-Sorry.mp3]

So there you get a taste of my sentimental, openly emotional and soft side. Thanks for the space to share.

Now, I have to tag a few people I’d love to hear from – David Airey, Liz Strauss, Christine Kane (what one song truly inspires you?), Chris Cree (and Gorgeous too), Wendy, David, Char, Gayla, Carma, Randa, Lauren, Edward, Ben, Mark, Lorelle, and Scoble (Robert, this seems right up your alley).

And you…what song(s) inspire you? Lift your spirits? Express how you feel? Or just get the blood flowing? I’d really love to know…

]]> http://dmiracle.com/conversation/songs-that-make-my-heart-sing/feed/ 41 Business Blogging Advice: You’re Not a Blogger http://dmiracle.com/marketing-strategy/stop-calling-yourself-a-blogger/ http://dmiracle.com/marketing-strategy/stop-calling-yourself-a-blogger/#comments Wed, 16 May 2007 18:19:01 +0000 Dawud Miracle http://dmiracle.com/marketing-strategy/stop-calling-yourself-a-blogger/ sobcondarmano.jpgThere I was sitting at SOBCon07 over the weekend enjoying the speakers and the conversations they started. Soaking in all kinds of great ideas for taking my blog the conversation (and my business) to the next level.

Then, out of nowhere he said it…what’s been on my mind since I began writing publicly. The meaning in the question I asked weeks back.

“Stop calling yourself a blogger,” proclaimed David Armano.

“Blogging is a commodity. Anyone can do it. We are human beings with passions and interests that come out in our blogs—not the other way around. Stop calling yourself a blogger. You are a… (designer, businessperson, marketer, artist, baker, mother, grandfather, etc). Calling ourselves bloggers takes away from what makes us unique.”

The reactions in the room were interesting. Everything from gasps to confusion to euphoria. Okay, so maybe euphoria is a bit overstated. But that’s close to how I felt. Finally, someone was saying it – stop limiting yourself as just being a blogger.

David wasn’t advocating that we stop identifying ourselves as bloggers with our blogging circles. What he was suggesting is that we stop referring to ourselves as bloggers to the outside world.

And I agree.

It seems that these words – blog, blogging, blogger, blogosphere, etc – stand in the way of people participating in a new, interactive internet. I hear it from clients all the time, “…isn’t blogging just a journal?,” “I don’t want to have to write so much,” or my ever favorite, “my son/daughter has a blog they talk to their friends with…it’s sort of silly.”

The truth is, this medium is incredibly powerful at reaching an audience. Yet if we only speak in our jargon, we’re effectively alienating a huge population of people who aren’t blogging. Many of those are potential clients and customers.

David said in a post on Monday:

…my theory is that focusing on the passion more so than the medium (blogging) will lead to a better personal brand.

…Being a blogger doesn’t make us unique. Our individual talents, passions and personality does. This is the stuff brands are built from—and blogs, despite all of the baggage that comes along with the word is an extension of our brands, whether it be personal or business.

Again, I couldn’t agree with him more. That’s part of why his presentation was so refreshing for me. He, in part, said what I’ve been chewing on for months.

So if we’re not going to call ourselves bloggers, what do we call ourselves? Do we need to call ourselves anything? Let’s start a conversation…

]]> http://dmiracle.com/marketing-strategy/stop-calling-yourself-a-blogger/feed/ 52 Link Lovin’ & Huge Huggin’ To All My New Friends From SOBCon http://dmiracle.com/conversation/link-lovin-huge-huggin-to-all-my-new-friends-from-sobcon/ http://dmiracle.com/conversation/link-lovin-huge-huggin-to-all-my-new-friends-from-sobcon/#comments Tue, 15 May 2007 10:52:28 +0000 Dawud Miracle http://dmiracle.com/conversation/link-lovin-huge-huggin-to-all-my-new-friends-from-sobcon/ I had an amazing weekend at SOBCon07 in Chicago over the weekend. My write up will come next. But first, I want to send out some link love and a whole bunch of huge, bear hugs to every person who was there. Each of you inspired me to be a better blogger personal publisher, and a better person. I’m truly in awe of each of you. Thank you for your sharing, your honesty, your beauty and our new friendship…

sobcongrp.jpg

To SOBCon07 Chicago Attendees: Sandra Renshaw Brad Shorr Timothy Johnson Tammy Lenski Muhammad Saleem Lorelle VanFossen David Dalka – Mobile Search Marketing Todd And John Yedinak Joe Hauckes Tim Draayer Jeremy Geelan Carolyn Manning Sheila Scarborough Steve Farber Dawud Miracle Doug Mitchell Jeff O’Hara Dave Schoof Jamy Shiels Adam Steen Hannah Steen Chris Thilk Barry Zweibel Eric Bingen Ellen Moore Cord Silverstein Jean-Patrick Smith James Walton Sharan Tash Vernon Lun Tony Lee Scott Desgrosseilliers Mark Murrell Kammie Kobyleski Easton Ellsworth Mark Goodyear Ann Michael Kent Blumberg Ashley Cecil Robert Hruzek Sabu N G Lisa Gates Franke James Chris Brown Troy Worman Karen Putz Jesse Petersen Terry Mapes Andy Brudtkuhl Lucia Mancuso Peter Flaschner Derrick Sorles Mike Rohde Thomas Clifford Rajesh Srivastava Claire Celsi Jason Alba Cristiana Passinato Sean R. Alex Shalman Cristiana Passinato Brad Spirrison Ari Garber Dr. Rob Wolcott Cheryll Cruz Sharon Scherer Jonathan Phillips Jason Wade Jill Pullen Doug Bulleit Wendy Kinney Chelsea Vincent Ayush Agarwal Paul Mangalik Premchand Kallan Xochi Kaplan Michael Snell Ella Wilson Adam Kayce

And to the speakers, thank you for making this the most engaging experience I’ve ever had at a conference…

SOBCon07 Chicago Speakers: Andy Sernovitz Phil Gerbyshak Liz Strauss David Armano Mike Sansone Drew McLellan Mike Wagner Terry Starbucker Rodney Rumford Ben Yoskovitz Chris Cree Robyn Tippins Diego Orjuela Vernon Lun Wendy Piersall

I can’t wait to see each of you some time soon…

]]> http://dmiracle.com/conversation/link-lovin-huge-huggin-to-all-my-new-friends-from-sobcon/feed/ 26 What’s your SOBCon oneliner? http://dmiracle.com/general/what%e2%80%99s-your-sobcon-oneliner/ http://dmiracle.com/general/what%e2%80%99s-your-sobcon-oneliner/#comments Fri, 04 May 2007 12:01:24 +0000 Dawud Miracle http://dmiracle.com/general/what%e2%80%99s-your-sobcon-oneliner/ SOBCon07 is only one week away. Who’s coming? Are you?

bloggytagsmall.pngThe Idea Dude started a neat little idea (I guess that’s why he’s called The Idea Dude). He asked, What’s you SOBCon oneliner? Liz followed up with hers. Now it’s our turn. Me first…

  • One person, you
  • One thought, friends
  • One action, smile (okay, I have to have two – a hug)
  • One question… isn’t this great?
  • One event, SOBCon07

So are you coming? How can you not with this line up of conversation starters?

Can’t wait to meet you. So, to everyone coming…what’s your SOBCon oneliner?

Sandra Renshaw : Brad Shorr : Timothy Johnson : Tammy Lenski : John Yedinak : Joe Hauckes : Tim Draayer : Jeremy Geelan : Carolyn Manning : Sheila Scarborough : Steve Farber : Dawud Miracle : Doug Mitchell : Jeff O’Hara : Dave Schoof : Jamy Shiels : Adam Steen : Hannah Steen : Chris Thilk : Barry Zweibel : Eric Bingen : Ellen Moore : Cord Silverstein : Jean-Patrick Smith : James Walton : Sharan Tash : Vernon Lun : Tony Lee : Paul Mangalik : Scott Desgrosseilliers : Mark Murrell : Muhammed Saleem : Kammie Kobyleski : Easton Ellsworth : Mark Goodyear : Ann Michael : Kent Blumberg : Ashley Cecil : Robert Hruzek : Sabu N G : Mazur Krystyna : Lisa Gates : Franke James : Chris Brown : Troy Worman : Karen Putz : Chelsea Vincent : Jesse Petersen : Terry Mapes : Andy Brudtkuhl : Premchand Kallan : Lucia Mancuso : Peter Flaschner : Derrick Sorles : Michael Snell : Ella Wilson : Mike Rohde : Ayush Agarwal : Thomas Clifford : Rajesh Srivastava : Claire Celsi : Jason Alba : Cristiana Passinato : Sean R. : Alex Shalman : Lorelle VanFossen : Adam Kayce : you

]]> http://dmiracle.com/general/what%e2%80%99s-your-sobcon-oneliner/feed/ 11 Make It Great http://dmiracle.com/general/make-it-great/ http://dmiracle.com/general/make-it-great/#comments Tue, 06 Mar 2007 14:20:50 +0000 Dawud Miracle http://healthywebdesign.com/general/make-it-great/ philgerbyshak.jpgStaying with the Phil Gerbyshak theme…

Last year Phil asked for your help to reach 200 blogs with links back to him. He made it, having 231 blogs linking back to him by the first of the year. And, he met 30 new bloggers.

Apparently, Ben Yoskovitz has challenged Phil to ‘go big or go home.’ So now he’s shooting for 2000 bloggers to link back to him by Jan 1, 2008. I enjoy Phil’s blog a ton, so I’m going to help him out as much as I can. You can help him out as well. Simply…

Link back to: http://makeitgreat.typepad.com

One further goal Phil has with his own “2000 bloggers project” is to meet, in person, 150 bloggers this year – AND take pictures with each of them. Now Phil should get pretty close to that number just speaking at SOBCon07, in Chicago in May. But he’s said he wants to meet 25 bloggers that are not at SOBCon07.

So how can you help Phil Make It Great!?

]]> http://dmiracle.com/general/make-it-great/feed/ 9 You’ve Gotta See Wendy Piersall’s New Design at eMom http://dmiracle.com/general/youve-gotta-see-wendy-piersalls-new-design-at-emom/ http://dmiracle.com/general/youve-gotta-see-wendy-piersalls-new-design-at-emom/#comments Thu, 01 Mar 2007 14:35:06 +0000 Dawud Miracle http://healthywebdesign.com/general/youve-gotta-see-wendy-piersalls-new-design-at-emom/ I’ve been reading Wendy Piersall’s blog, eMOMS AT HOME, for a few about a month now. Since finding it, I’ve read her posts daily. Her writing is always engaging, informative and helpful for what ever I’m doing. Her ‘tagline’ sums it up…

It’s not about the home business, nor about what you are doing as much as who you are being. Be true to the real you, the brilliant, spectacular, talented and remarkable you, and guess what?
Your business will skyrocket.

emomsathome.jpgWell, Wendy has recently redesigned eMOMS AT HOME. You’ve gotta check it out. The site is better organized with lots more stuff. Take a few minutes to check out what’s new. I love her

And for all you men who don’t think eMom has anything to offer you…think again. Wendy recently shared with me that about 40% of her readership is male. So don’t let the name of her site fool you. She’s got plenty to help you with. And remember, we’ve all had moms.

She’ll be speaking at SOBCon07. I’ll be there. Will you?

]]> http://dmiracle.com/general/youve-gotta-see-wendy-piersalls-new-design-at-emom/feed/ 11 Blogging Conference in Chicago – SOBCon07 http://dmiracle.com/general/blogging-conference-in-chicago-sobcon07/ http://dmiracle.com/general/blogging-conference-in-chicago-sobcon07/#comments Tue, 20 Feb 2007 11:15:49 +0000 Dawud Miracle http://healthywebdesign.com/general/blogging-conference-in-chicago-sobcon07/ Look ya’ll, there’s a blog conference heading to Chicago May 11 & 12. SOBCon07 will bring together bloggers from one of the blogosphere’s most dynamic communities. So here’s your chance to meet some of the bloggers you know and find some some really good bloggers you don’t know.

Speakers include:

What you’ll learn:

  • LEARN how to write compelling posts that draw readers in
  • SEE how great blog design can make a difference
  • DISCOVER how analytics and other tools can help you maximize your blog’s potential
  • HEAR innovative and useful blog marketing techniques that will expand your reach and viewership
  • GAIN valuable insights on ways to use blogging as a coaching tool
  • CONNECT with other bloggers through our pre-launch activities and interactive presentations

I’m trying to clear room in my calendar to go. If you’re nearby, please join us. Only catch, it’s Mother’s Day weekend so be sure you take care of the moms in you life.

There are only 250 seats available so I’d suggest you pre-register for the conference. Hope to see you there. And if you’re coming, drop me a line and let me know – I’ll look for you.

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