Wednesday, July 18, 2012

What a difference a day makes...

I'm back on the happy train after it came to a complete halt the other day due to a branch on the tracks.

Yesterday, I was able to break the 10K word mark on a different manuscript from the one that hit the tracks on Sunday. Not by much, granted, but I deemed it ready enough to be sent forth to my critique partners for a very thorough raking over the coals and I sent it out. It's the first thing I've sent along in quite some time and it completely made my day to do so.

Am I ready to dive back in to the other manuscript I've been going round in revision circles on yet? I don't know. But as soon as I'm done working today, I'm going to give it a try.

Follow Me - Why?

Follow me or don't. To be honest, I don't really care.

Last week I got caught up in the social media trend, thinking that because I was so close to finishing and submitting, it was about time I waded in. So I did. I got on Facebook and updated my profile a bit and friended a few people. I was then friended in return by many others. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do now. It's not intuitive to me. My original intention was to connect with my family, which I have yet to do because I can't find them. (Mom, please find me and friend me: Jen FitzGerald in Fort Worth.)

Following a person here on Blogger or on Wordpress or Pinterest or wherever doesn't really mean people are actually reading what you have to say. Of my seventeen followers, two of whom are the same person, how many of them do you think read this blog every MWF? Five or six maybe? Eight on a good day?

I joined another group although I wondered what the purpose was and still do. This group seemed to me like all those other things all wrapped up in one package. I was sort of gung ho, reaching out, making friends, joining a group, creating a group. But this week? Meh. I'm not feeling the love. I have other things that are more fun for me. Visiting all these people's FB pages is not fun. It's a time suck and one I have no interest in. Am I shooting myself in the foot? Maybe. Am I showing my age? Quite likely.

I'm not really sure social media is my thing. I like my blog and I like blogging. I have a website that needs a bit of updating, though not much, and I have Facebook, with which I'm going to connect with my family, because that's what they do (obviously not what * I * do since I can't find them without help).

If I get lucky enough to develop a readership, I'll reassess my needs at that time. Otherwise, I'm just going to do what I've been doing.

How do you feel about social media? Are you knee deep or neck deep? What do you like about it? What don't you like about it?

2 comments:

mtnchild said...

OK I "friended" you on FB. To keep all your stuff private, go into settings and set everything so it can be viewed by "Friends Only"; that way you won't be visible to the regular Joe-blow. If you go to my page, you can click on message and it will be private from everyone, including your other friends and family.

I only use fb to keep up with a few friends and that is enough. You can also set it so that you are notified when someone posts on your page.

Hope this helps a little, but ask Amber, she seems to do well.
Love you
Mom

Regina Richards said...

I sympathize completely. I try to add something to my blog once a month, though I'm not sure why. I don't fb or tweet or anything else and I don't really want to. I may change my mind but for now that's the way it is.