Surprises Lurk in the Comment Box!

Conversations with others benefit in so many ways. Unexpected surprises surfaced for me recently since I was the 1,000th commenter on Brad Shorr's Word Sell, and the 2,000th commenter on Joanna Young's Confident Writing. They offered a choice of books as a prize!

I comment to engage with people in many fields - to encourage or to learn more. Hearing peoples' thoughts helps me see ideas afresh. So I leave bloggers' sites with extra takeaways, besides building friendships with folks around the world.

Brad said,

I’m glad that Robyn was the 1000th commenter for a couple reasons. First, she was one of my first readers. Without her early encouragement I don’t know if I would have kept it going. Second, I think she was really disappointed she didn’t come up a winner in the recent “nano contest”.

Brad, you were amongst the first commenters on Brain Based Biz, too. I sense we kept learning from each other along the way. You could be right about the nano, but I've been thinking now about purchasing one!

Joanna announced me as 2000th commenter with such fitting words in the title... Brainpower in the Comment Box. I also like the way she encourages me...

She was one of the first people to leave a comment on my blog at a point where those gestures of friendship, encouragement and support are so invaluable. And she's been here ever since.

I hope it gives you even more power to your writing elbow Robyn. You share some powerful and exciting ideas with us about the way the brain works, and we all benefit when your words fizz, crackle and soar.

From Brad's bookstore I chose The Little Blue Book of Advertising by Steve Lance and Jeff Woll. And, from Joanna's store On Writing Well by William Zinsser. I've already had some ideas springing since thumbing through The Little Blue Book... I can see why you recommend it, Brad! And, I can't wait until Zinsser's book is in my mail box!

Thanks Joanna and Brad! Winning prizes through commenting seems like pouring fresh strawberries over warm buttermilk biscuits... extra good!

Hmmm.... It also stirs my thinking about possibilities of a contest here. My thinking cap's revving as we speak...

Use More Intelligences for Effective Sales

"How might small and mid-size business people use different types of intelligences," Brad Shorr inquired, "to create more effective sales and marketing collateral?" I noodled that in the backburner of my mind for a few days and you'll see results at Word Sell, Brad's insightful blog on words.

Most folks want to use more intelligences to their advantage and I show strategies that'll fit your unique needs...

Brad not only plays with language, but he also shares ideas through art and with great humor. Here's an example of the Easter Island series you'll enjoy on Scrambled Toast where he lets his hair down a bit. I'm a fan of Brad's blogs and know my readers will enjoy them, too...


Will you open the windows of your mind to tap more of its rich resources? Do check my guest post at Word Sell for starters. Thoughts....

When Braincramp Hits, Brad Shorr Avoids Panic

"I have brain cramps all the time," Brad Shorr reveals. "Over the years I've learned not to panic. It only makes them worse."

Brad, you do yourself a favor by avoiding panic. You see when you panic, your brain fills with cortisol, a brain hormone that leaves you with an inability to concentrate. Some folks' minds tend to go around in circles. McGill University researchers "measured the stress hormone, cortisol, in older adults over a period of three to six years. Their findings showed that individuals who had continuous high levels of cortisol, performed poorly on memory tests and had a notably smaller hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory." You see added dangers over time when folks panic, Brad.

Your approach, "Patience makes perfect," is right on! For folks to overcome braincramp you suggest, "Walk away from your project, let your mind wander. Suddenly an idea will hit you. I've experienced that many, many times."

And Brad's strategy, "Sometimes it's enormously helpful to seek out those people with whom I have creative chemistry," is win/win. He finds, "An hour of conversation with the right person makes my brain cramp disappear." This is brilliant, Brad! And it helps to bring more serotonin, a hormone of well being.

And as a finale, you add, "A beer or two during the conversation can accelerate the recovery process even more."

Brad, thanks for taking time to share your wisdom.

How about it, do others have yet another tactic to relieve braincramp?

MyBlogLog Community Meme

Andy Beard has a great idea in building awareness in the community and social aspect of blogging with a MyBlogLog meme.

The rules are simple:

1. You should be a member of the community you recommend.
2. You should subscribe to their feed.

Mike Sansone was kind enough to list Brain Based Biz on the MyBlogLog meme. So, I'm passing the baton to two other MyBlogLog community members I found. It makes a lot of sense to sign up for the feeds of communities you enjoy.

The process is also simple: Two links: First link to the blog site, Second to the community page.

Starting with Andy and his choices, then I'll add mine at the end:

Andy Beard Andy Beard's Community
Andy Beal Marketing Pilgrim Community
Graywolf’s SEO Blog Graywolfs SEO Community
A VC Fred’s A VC Community
Converstations Mike Sansone’s Community
The RSS Blog The RSS Blog and KBCafe
Black in Business Jim Walton's Community
Social Caster Bruce Prokopet's Community
Shared NeedLes Jamie Parks' Community
Brain Based Biz Robyn McMaster's Community Thanks so much, Mike!
Branding Strategy Insider Derrick Daye's Community

Here's two I'm adding:

Word Sell Brad Shorr's Community
Successful and Outstanding Bloggers Liz Strauss's Community

As Mike suggested, it would be great to see MyBlogLog come up with a way to grab a single feed for my communities. Thanks for starting the ball, Andy and to Mike for keeping it rolling.

Insights from 8 Intelligences around the Blogosphere

Bloggers eight intelligences're bursting this week with great tips and insights from experts in many fields. Check these out...

Interpersonal: Each week something new's launched to enhance blogging, and sometimes it takes awhile to be sure it's kosher. Last week I noticed a graphic at Converstations that puts a face on recent visitors. Mike Sansone told me to click "View Reader Community" to join MyBlogLog. Thanks Eric for devising a way to find great sites and build community in a space easy to access. Best part is the whole concept is graphically oriented so that you see your community.

Logical-Mathematical: Mike Sansone suggests keeping a calendar with routines to develop weekly rhythm and pace as a blogger. Mike's post extends insights on Pace Wires Performance and shows patterns that work well for him. And, it's a great way to vary your posts each week!

Verbal-Linguistic: Brad Shorr at Word Sell shows how to spice up your writing by using verbs with more punch. And, Brad carries this off with pizzazz you'd enjoy.

Intrapersonal: Ellen Weber says "People who laugh at themselves have the last laugh." Are you scowling more at work than finding fun there? Ellen offers tips for you to "grow" your skill to bring humor to work.

Spatial: C.B. Whittemore reminds us that we can capture consumers with an engaging store window.
C.B. offers insights on how to pull that off. Don't miss this post chock-full of information and strategies from experts in the field.

Naturalistic: At Writelife, Bill shares virtues in deciding to move from Edmonton, Alberta to Moncton, New Bruswick since he avoided the "chilly wrath of icy gods." Take care though, Bill, before making a statement of this sort since winter is not over in January. And in 2005, folks were stranded at the airport there! I wish you well for the rest of the year.

Bodily-kinesthetic: Shandy King introduced uWink, a new design restaurant with runners and no waiters. Amazingly, there's an interactive panel display at each table where you can order great appetizing food. Folks can use Apple laptops, headphones and ipods and tagged images from Flickr on the walls added zest to the already busy atmosphere. Uwink is the brainchild of entrepreneur Nolan Bushnell, former CEO of Atari and Chuck E Cheese.

Musical: YouTube's a great place to go to find great music. Since jazz moves my brain waves in ways that enhance writing, check out Wynton Marsalis's Cherokee and try some music as you write. You may have to adjust what works best for you.

OK.. on to another week and without doubt I'll locate even more great nuggets!