Purple Wren

SOBCon in Chicago

We're in Chicago at SOBCon '08. Had a great cruise last night and enjoyed great conversation and a mix of rain and clear skies and great lights.

Attendees 

• Cliff Atkinson
• Shashi Bellamkonda
• JJ Betts
• Chris Brown
• Chris Brogan
• Harry Brooks
• Anita Bruzzese
• Dave Bullock
• Mark Carter
• Brian Clark
• Tom Clifford
• Clay Collins
• Valerie Combs
• Chris Cree
• Lisa Cree
• Thomas Croghan
• Donna Cutting
• David Dalka
• Kevin Dixie
• Tim Draayer
• Monica Duncan
• Easton Ellsworth
• Kevin Ferrasci O'Malley
• Jonathan Fields
• Sarah Filipiak
• Mary-Lynn Foster
• Annie Galvin Teich
• Brian Gardner
• Chris Garrett
• Jon Gatrell
• Phil Gerbyshak
• Jared Goralnick
• Karen Hanrahan
• Joseph Hauckes
• Vicky Hennegan
• Scot Herrick
• John Hong
• Stephen Hopson
• Robert Hruzek
• Timothy Johnson
• Sara
• Pete Jones
• Todd Jordan
• Bob Kakoliris
  
• Christine Kane
• Adam Kayce
• Kristen King
• Scott Kolbe
• Jen Knoedl
• Stephen Koernig
• Bryan Kress
• George Krueger
• Amy L
• Tammy Lenski
• James G. Lindberg
• Eli Litscher
• Rick Mahn
• Sim Margolis
• Michael Martine
• Becky McCray
• Maria Meadows
• Cory Miller
• Ann Michael
• Dawud Miracle
• Debra Moorhead
• Matthew Murphy
• Paul O'Flaherty
• Tim Padar
• Jesse Petersen
• Melissa Pierce
• Wendy Piersall
• Sandra Ponce de Leon
• J. Erik Potter
• Karen Putz
• Susan R Quandt
• Levy Rivers
• Barbara Rozgonyi
• Jeff Sable
• Sheila Scarborough
• Mary Schmidt
• Derek Semmler
• Maria Sharon
• David Sherbow
• Steve Sherlock
• Brad Shorr
• Louise Silberman
• Sonia Simone-Rossney
• Julien Smith
• Stephen Smith
• Michael Snell
• Derrick Sorles
• Terry Starbucker
• Liz Strauss
• Jon Swanson
• Ruth M Sylte
• Windsor Tanner
• Michelle Vandepas
• Lorelle VanFossen
• Colleen Wainwright
• Denise Wakeman
• James D. Walton
• Randy Windsor
• Joanna Young
• Sandy Renshaw

Keeping It All In the Air

I was feeling really bad because some of the balls I've been juggling have been dangerously close to hitting the floor.

One of them is this blog. In my travels through the blogosphere I've read that it's better not to apologize when you don't write for awhile, so this is not an apology. It's more of a realization and my written intention to do a better job.

Another one is reading blogs. Lately I've been reading more and feel like it's time to get back in the game.

How are you doing at juggling?

Are You Using Social Media to Extend Your Reach?

The magic of the Internet and blogging . . . I just visited (virtually) a new friend in London. We met because of blogging and had a conversation offline (email). He also happens to be a passionate purple person. He pointed out that the color on my site is not purple, but more mauve. Sir William Perkin would be proud. Mauve: How One Man Invented a Color That Changed the World.

How's that for an introduction? Anyway, I totally agree. On my screen it's more lilac, and I know many purple lovers would not technically call it purple, but I choose to keep it because I like the shade. In fact, I like all the shades of purple. Watch for more about the community of purple lovers. Are there any others out there who share a purple passion?

Back to the main point! This is a win-win-win scenario.

As a result of this conversation, Jeremy has extended his reach to my community of readers because I'm going to talk about him and share a link to his blog because I like the topics he writes about. Maybe I'll get to hear him speak in the U.S. someday.

I was able to share my virtual business of designing presentations for speakers with Jeremy.

This stunning photo taken by Steve Wall is shared with readers with the appropriate credit line and links. I also left a comment for Steve and we have an opportunity for a conversation.

JeremyJacobs - Professional Speaker & Presenter

Steve Wall - Photography on Flickr

SlideShare - Examples of PowerPoint Design by Sandra Renshaw

The new social media tools are a great way to extend your reach. How are you reaching potential clients?

Photo on flickr by Stevetookit

Have You Joined the Club?

It's not too late to join the MarketingProfs Book Club hosted by CK - but you better get a move on because the first group review is next Wednesday, Jan 10.

I'm reading my copy of Citizen Marketers right now. Won't you join the conversation?

The BawldGuy on Slideshare

I had the privilege of creating this presentation with content by Jeff Brown, aka The BawldGuy. You'll find it posted on Slideshare, too. What a great tool!

I've learned a lot about real estate investing from Jeff's blog. Check it out. The average person does not have enough savings for retirement. Now's the time to do something about it as we start off 2007.
 

D.I.R.T.Y. minds

Never thought I would be happy to see a title like this!

But Mark True at Stories by REL is starting a new series about people who understand branding. I'm honored that he picked me. Check out the link for the full post.

It's going to be fun to see who he writes about. I'm looking forward to reading this series.

I think you'll like this blog. They feature multiple authors who each write great stories about branding.

Is your brand D.I.R.T.Y.?

Z-Listers Are Now Pic Shots

The Z-List is still making the rounds - in fact there are several versions - and I may add to this post. These links were taken from numerous sources (MarketingProfs:DailyFix, Christine Kane, Copywriting Maven, and SuccessCREEations to name a few) and I added a visual element cropped from the respective sites. The Z-List started with Mack Collier of The Viral Garden, where you can read all about it and the rules for adding to it.
 

Spreading My Wings: Posting on Successful Blog

The other day Liz Strauss from Successful Blog and I were discussing how I might contribute to her blog on a regular basis. While we were on the phone, Chris Cree (SuccessCREEations) posted a comment and question about the recent post on Photoshop tutorials.

What an excellent opportunity! Liz mentioned blogger synchronicity, which it truly was.

Starting today you'll find me writing on a regular basis at Successful Blog. My column is called Sandy's Great Graphic Find. I'll be sharing info about tools, how-tos, and ideas you can use on your blog or presentation. I'll also build the posts for Tuesday Open Comments.

This is a fabulous opportunity to spend time with Liz and the community at Successful Blog. There's always something going on over there. Liz is a writer extraordinaire. She has a way of crafting words that I admire. She makes everyone feel welcome when they visit. (I still wonder when she finds time to sleep.)

I first heard from Liz in October when she commented on my post about writer's block and gave me links to Popular Posts and the Successful Series Page and invited me to email her. My response to her was "my blog wants to be like your blog when it grows up." She has given me encouragement and motivation, and I can't thank her enough. Then came the Successful Blog birthday party, a few Open Comments nights, and the rest is history. I feel like we have been friends for a very long time.

Hope you join us this Tuesday. You'll like the topic - guaranteed.

Photo on Flickr by windsor'spics

Iowa Blog is a Top-Ten Finalist in Weblog Awards

Brett Trout, one of our own Iowa bloggers, has been notified that his blog is a top-ten finalist for the Best Law Blog in the Weblog Awards, the largest web competition in the world. That's quite an honor!

Voting begins today (Dec. 7) and ends on Dec. 15. You can vote one time per day per computer. Go Brett!

Check out Brett's blog and you'll see he has great, informative content. Did you know he has been blogging since 2003 about intellectual property issues?

I'm copying this list from Brett's post, so you can see the finalists in the Best Law Blog category: 

• Blawg IT (Brett Trout, patent lawyer, discussing intellectual property issues)
• How Appealing (Appellate litigation)
• Becker-Posner (Noble laureate Gary Becker and Seventh Circuit Judge Richard Posner)
• Balkinization (Constitutional and civil liberty issues)
• Concurring Opinions (Law professors opine on various legal issues)
• Consumer Law & Policy Blog (More than a dozen experts discuss consumer law issues)
• The Grotian Moment: Saddam Hussein Trial Blog (Experts discuss legal issues surrounding Saddam’s trial)
• IMPACT (Information technology and IT blog)
• The Volokh Conspiracy (Law professors discussing legal issues from libertarian and conservative perspectives)
• JURIST - Paper Chase (Legal news and real-time legal research service)

Vote today - Click on the banner above and look for "Blawg IT"

Blogtipping Day: Last One in '06

A little late - oh well. Don't want to miss Blogtipping Day! Check out these top-notch blogs - a good example of the variety in the blogosphere.

Christine Kane has a wealth of information on her blog.

1) I love reading about Christine's songs - like how she comes up with titles , etc. It's a foreign world to me and fun to visit.
2) Christine has a conversational way of writing that's easy-to-read.
3) The 'Living Consciously' category is great! Really thought-provoking.

Tip:  Think about breaking up long posts into several parts. Some posts are too much to read at one time and it's easy to get interrupted before finishing.  Christine knows her posts are long and back in August posted about setting up a Print My Blogs link. Great idea!

Think Positive Blog by Kirsten Harrell is a great way to start the day.

1) What a great topic. We are what what we think.  (How did I miss this blog all these months?)
2) Love the format - easy to read each morning to start the day off right.
3) The use of photography really enhances the posts.

Tip: Check the font size or line spacing in the left nav. It looks a bit crowded.

Organizing LA by John is a great example of a business blog.

1) Clean, pleasing look with short, easy-to-read posts.
2) There's tons of information about keeping your life organized.
3) Love the new product highlights with photos.

Tip: All I can think of is more, more, more (how-to posts, before and after photos, etc.).