5 Tips about Surviving on the Road with Lorelle

Hi!
It’s Liz Strauss. I’m hijacking Lorelle’s blog while she’s off in Pasadena being brilliant again. Lorelle and I were together at WordCamp Dallas. While we were there, I learned and confirmed a few things that I’d like to share.

I got home from WordCamp Dallas 2008 on Tuesday afternoon, and I’m still recovering. The event was fabulous! Charles Stricklin, the founder of WordCamp Dallas, and John Pozadzides pulled the event off with finesse and a true sense of style. Frisco, Texas will never be the same.

The content was rich. The speakers were well chosen, well prepared, and well versed in their subjects. The participation from the community was vibrant and energetic. Every minute was packed with value, making folks comment on how glad they were that they came. You’ll find great recaps and photos at Technosailor, NotaNiche.com, Williamedia, and paper graffiti to name a few.

But that’s not what tired me out.

It’s because I was on the road with THE Lorelle.

Being on the road with Lorelle takes a life to a new level. I know. She and I did SOBCon07 together. Now we just did WordCamp Dallas 2008. It took this second event for me to confirm what I learned at the first. So I’m ready to share.

BTW, this will post long before Lorelle ever has a chance to read it. I thought you might enjoy getting to know her in a new way, from a new angle — as a travel companion and speaker-friend. Here are 5 things you should know to survive being on the road with Lorelle.

1. Lorelle loves everyone — not just me, not just you — everyone. I’m sorry, but it’s so. It’s a little hard to get used to at first, but once you accept it, there’s abundance enough for the universe. Could be abundance enough for a universe or two. My tip is to take it all in and smile with the joy of it.
2. Lorelle was made to have a microphone in her hand. She’s a natural teacher. It’s hard to find a topic Lorelle doesn’t have a story about. A life-long traveler, Lorelle is a rich store of information about the world and the people who live in it. Some of her escapades are unusual, and almost all of them are fun, especially the way she tells them. She’s great presenting information about business, coding, photography, education, or silly stories. My tip is to listen as much as you can.
3. Lorelle makes the Internet look slow and lazy in comparison. From the minute she rises until she shuts down, this lady is going, doing, and making things happen. I’m surprised that sleep ever finds her. My tip is to move at your own pace beside her. Keeping up is out of the question. Don’t try to be Lorelle. She’s the only one.
4. Lorelle loves the code, loves the language, loves the people, but can’t stand words that are misspelled. Makes her crazy, just a little bit. My tip is, if you have a spelling error in your past, to realize that you’re already busted.
5. Lorelle wears clothes the same color as her blog. (Bet when she saw the title of this post, she was waiting for me to say that.) She didn’t realize at SOBCon last year that she had dressed in the same shades as Lorelle on WordPress. But at WordCamp, she made it a point to bring something of the same color. I think it makes a fabulous trademark for her. She looks great in that teal shade. My tip is to let her know how nice she really does look in that color.

Lorelle is a brilliant package of brains, heart, and gratitude all rolled up in a unique, larger than life person, who once you get to meet her, you’ll never forget. You might never get a chance to be on the road with her, but know this, the universe is better because there’s a Lorelle in it.

I’m proud to have her as a friend.

Next month we’ll be doing SOBCon08. I’ll let you know if I learn more tips while we’re there.

What tips do you have about surviving on the Internet with Lorelle?

— Liz Strauss
Founder of SOBCon and author of Successful-Blog.