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Blogs & Social Media
Does this make your eyes cross:
- Wordpress, Blogger or Typepad
- Facebook, Linked-in or Google+
- Posterous, Tumblr or Flavors.me
- Twitter or LiveJournal
- Tweetdeck or Hootsuite
- GoodReads, Shelfari or LibraryThing
- And a widget?
If this sounds like so much gobbledy-gook, if you would even rather face a blank page than this, don't worry. You're not alone.
Coaching: Social Media Streamlined
I am writing, raising kids, and having a life. I don’t have time to waste, not even to please publishers’ expectations. I’m sure you don’t either. And so I decided that if I was going to blog, I wanted it to be worthwhile in every sense of the word. Part of that is now being able to share what I’ve learned: a good blog is like a good sentence. It’s well constructed and has something valuable to say. And like a good sentence, a good blog doesn't stand alone. Integration is the key.
The Original PC
When I was writing in my garret, back in the dinosaur days of the ‘80s, I used a typewriter. The world wide web didn’t yet exist and a PC cost $10,000, well out of my means as an aspiring writer, but I got my hands on one by using my writer’s creativity. First I answered a want-ad for a chartered accountant (yes I was one of those—read all about it here). Then I convinced the owner of the business, Kernel’s Popcorn, that he needed a good computer system and a bookkeeper rather than a controller. I proposed a deal: in order to gain experience, I would work for a low hourly rate to research the right computer system, set it up, and train a bookkeeper on it. That experience was the beginning of my enthusiasm for technology. Some people decorate rooms; I decorate blog themes.
Becoming a Blogger
I’m a dog with a bone when it comes to computers. I can’t let go until I’ve figured out the problem. That and my passion to make my sites pretty carry me through many trials and errors. When my widget works, I'm so thrilled I make everyone in my family come and have a look at it. You see, I’m not satisfied with just pretty. I like content. And that combination is the secret of good blogging. I started my blog less than 3 years ago with 2 views a day…on a good day. As of last count, there were over 155,000 views to date. I’ve watched my blog stats over the years. Some things are mysterious, others unpredictable, but I’ve also noticed unmistakable trends in what brings people to blogs. The question is: do I care? Yes I do, but for reasons that fit my values rather than because I'm supposed to.
Mastering the Mess
Confession time: much as I love technology for its pretty colours I resisted the social aspect every step of the way. First there was email. I didn’t want it. Not another interruption and distraction. How would I get any writing done? When I found myself out of the loop, I caved, and sure enough, list-serves and email chewed up enormous amounts of time...until the novelty wore off and I learned to use it well. The same thing happened with getting on the internet, with moving to high-speed, with blogging and tweeting and Facebook.
Enhancing Life
Having had the lesson repeated that many times, I have now learned to ride the horse instead of it riding me. I look for new services and try them out, while keeping my eye on ways to consolidate and communicate between them. I keep the ones that work well for me as a writer, a busy mom, a person of wide and varied interests that could fill several lifetimes but has only one. Your life is precious and your time is valuable. Together we can explore how you can best use social media, not because it’s expected (or not only!) but in a way that enlarges the scope of your imagination. Sessions available by phone, chat, or Skype.
To book a session, please contact me.
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