Liz Strauss, Queen of the SOBs

An Interview by Tony Hung

“Liz” Strauss has worked over 20 years in print, software, and online publishing, in roles such as VP and Publisher. She has also worked with small companies making acquisitions, companies in crisis, and corporate giants such as Pearson, Reed Elsevier, and Wolters Kluwer. Today, Liz is a writer, career coach, and strategic planner with a focus on corporate blogging and strategic marketing, and her blog is Successful-blog.

Although Liz has celebrated her first anniversary blogging just recently, what struck me about Successful-blog was its sense of community, and how active its readership was. It’s far more than most business-oriented blogs that way, and we took the time to chat about what community meant to Liz – both personally and towards the development of her blog.

Thanks for taking the time for the interview Liz!
Not a problem.

You have an established background in writings, communications and marketing - what was your motivation to start blogging a year ago?
A friend had been talking about how her company President had been saying they should start a blog. She thought I would be perfect since they were an educational publisher and I was an educational writer. I also had worked with many of the people at that company when we were at a previous company together.

At the same time, I’d just finished the first edit on a novel and my head was into to thinking about agents and writers. I got to thinking about a writer I’d always thought highly of, whose style had changed drastically over the years. His original style had been more journal-like. I had thought of him as a “best friend in a book”

It was a Sunday afternoon and I had time so I went to look at whether anyone had taken this writer’s place at Amazon. I couldn’t find any writer who wrote the same kind of thing with the same open-hearted style. I started reading his statistics on my favorite and two of his earlier works.

I thought I could write like that. I wonder whether I would get reviews and comments like that too.

Then putting the first idea and the second together I decided to write a blog (testing for my friend whether I could do that) to see for myself whether I could be a “best friend on a blog” to replace the writer who no longer provided the service to his readers that he once was.

That night I wrote my first blog post.

Successful-blog currently sits in the top 50 000 for Alexa, and in the top 3 000 for Technorati ratings. Did you ever foresee this level of “success” in just one year?
I could never answer that traditional interview question “Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years” My answer would always be filled with too may it depends to be worth worrying or even thinking about.

A year ago I didn’t know what Alexa was and I was fighting with Technorati about links that they weren’t tracking - sound familiar?

I never spend much time thinking about success or the future. I live my days in the moment, thinking about what I’m doing now and what has to be done to get my work right for my readers. That’s probably a learned thing from being in publshing — if you look too far ahead then, you’ll only get frightened by how much there is left to get finished in the little time there is to do it. So it’s a bit like playing basketball, you keep your eyes on where the next pass is going.

I’m always thinking about what my readers are thinking and what they might be doing. What will interest them is fascinating to me. I’m incredibly curious about that.

In fact, one of the things I found so unique about your blog is the community. You’ve always been so exceptionally classy and nurturing to all of your readers - was developing a community-feel to your blog always one of your intentions?
Thank you for asking that. Yes, yes, yes. yes.

From the minute that Paul Scrivens and I agreed that Successful-Blog would be officially mine. I started talking out loud and in the comment box to everyone who came about how we might make our little blog into a community and that’s how the SOB cafe got started.

I care a great deal about high-trust environments, because that’s where creativity happens. People need space to be who they are and when you give them that space, amazing and incredible ideas and insights happen. The blogosphere doesn’t really need any of us, but if we can make it better by being here that makes us all something more.

Besides it’s fun.

The Tuesday night “Open Mic” is such a great example of that. As have your own roll of “SOB’s”. Can you tell us how developing your own ‘badge of honor’ contributed to the development of the community that your blog enjoys?
I learned a lot growing up from my father, watching him at his saloon. Treat everyone as if they are the only one. Talk to everyone on their level - never be above anyone. Always let folks know when you value them. Don’t be a fool, but don’t worry about looking foolish. Always leave the other guy a place to stand…

We were sitting around the sidebar in the early days of Successful Blog. It was Mike Sigers and Martin Neumann, and sometimes HART. I came up with the SOB idea that it would stand for Successful and Outstanding Bloggers. I said something about making it a t-shirt. Mike Sigers said he’d rather have a badge for his blog. Martin seconded that.

So really the brilliance of the idea was theirs not mine at all.

Any last pearls of wisdom for aspiring bloggers out there?
Know that the world will turn without you.
Know that the words on the Internet last forever.
Know that everything is about the people and that whenever we start to feel we’re righteous we’re usually wrong.

Be honest and authentic with yourself and generous until it hurts.

Never forget that all it takes to make a link is a little coding and kind words.

Many thanks to Liz for taking time out her schedule to share a little bit on how important community is to blogging. Liz’s “Open Mic Night” is every Tuesday, and I’ve found all are welcome to attend - stop by for a metaphorical cold one and you’ll never know who you might bump into!

This Interview was published on November 7, 2006 at 12:00 pm • Did you like it? Subscribe!
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