Social networking. Isn't it just a fancy word for a lot of computer on computer action? It's a sexy title for what amounts to trumped up interfaces that allow you to post comments and pictures on the Web.
Don't get me wrong, I actually like it. I'm an introvert, and all of my friends will tell you they have to drag me out of my solitude periodically because I'm likely to hunker down with my computer and rot there.
My husband, on the other hand, thinks Facebook is the biggest, weirdest waste of a good computer he's ever seen. He's the tech-savvy member of our family, and he can usually find the solution to just about anyone's computer problem. But he's not so keen on the artificial world of social networking. A friend request from a third-grade lunch pal fills him with bewilderment.
Me? I'm tickled. I love to see what happened to my best friend in second grade who moved away. It puts a smile on my face to see pictures of friends and family all over the world, from Alaska to Japan and back again.
And here's the really weird part: My real, live book club plans all of our in-person meetings on Facebook.
Sure, it can be fake and weird and stalkerish sometimes. But sometimes it just works.
Showing posts with label networking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label networking. Show all posts
Monday, August 10, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
The network
I've spent the last couple of days at the Taos Summer Writer's Conference. A great event in a lovely, if touristy, town. Writers, poets and publishers ascended the 8,000-foot terrain to mix, mingle and meet.
That's what writing is about: who you know.
Every writer I've ever spoken to says the same thing. Thankfully, it's not about dropping names (this may help at times, I suppose). One of the keys to networking is to meet people for who they are and not what they might possibly - some day - get you. I've met wordsmiths I never knew; now I'll read their work and learn from them.
I have a very jaded acquaintance who likes to point out all the pitfalls in the business. No doubt, there are many. And that philosophy can be overlaid to just about any industry. Instead of dwelling on what can't be changed, why not meet others who know the ropes, can tell you of the perils of the climb?
That's what writing is about: who you know.
Every writer I've ever spoken to says the same thing. Thankfully, it's not about dropping names (this may help at times, I suppose). One of the keys to networking is to meet people for who they are and not what they might possibly - some day - get you. I've met wordsmiths I never knew; now I'll read their work and learn from them.
I have a very jaded acquaintance who likes to point out all the pitfalls in the business. No doubt, there are many. And that philosophy can be overlaid to just about any industry. Instead of dwelling on what can't be changed, why not meet others who know the ropes, can tell you of the perils of the climb?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)