Current Project: Untitled RS
Status: It's summer. What do you think?
Status: It's summer. What do you think?
I've been on Facebook for six months. Elisabeth dragged me in, just as she's done to many of you. I admit I started as a friend whore. I went through her list of friends and requested friendship from the many names I recognized there. And a lot of names I didn't. Writers often put their cover as their profile picture, so I friended all those book covers, too. That's why I was there, right? To meet other writers.
As the friends accrued, I whored their lists and smiled at how many friends in common all these writing people had. I put up pics from Nationals and made them available for all to see. I put up pics of my family and limited their views to real friends, meaning people I actually know.
I utilized the chat feature. First chatting with old friends from high school, then tentatively chatting with people who posted on my wall. Surprisingly the biggest draw was the post I wrote about the hamster. I was debating whether or not to get my oldest a hamster, and it drew a lot of comments and opinions. This led to a casual friendship with another writer. Turned out she was my age, unpubbed, had three kids, her husband was a dentist, and our political views matched. Lots in common. Now she's my roommate for Thrillerfest and part of the time at Nationals.
I've friended a forensic pathologist who is an author, had many odd discussions with him from music to cats, and look forward to meeting him at T-fest. I've friended a British thriller author whose real name I'll repeat a million times in my head before I meet him, because I've thought of him by his pen name for so long. He owes me a drink in NY. Then there's the thriller author I chat with that lives in NY. He's going to show me the best pizza in the states. Not to leave out the women. Two are debut thriller authors that I look forward to meeting face to face.
There's a half dozen women friends that I hope to meet at RWA. I want that moment where you read someone's name badge then immediately look to their face, because you know them from Facebook.
Facebook has connected me with high school friends I haven't seen in 20 years and coworkers I'd lost touch with. I've had coffee with old girlfriends that I didn't know lived within miles of me. Yes, there are lots of people I've friended whom I've never heard from again, but there is a core group I interact with over and over.
Social networking site. I hate the term. Yes, if used correctly, you can reap rewards from FB. It has its drawbacks but the pluses far outweigh the negatives for me. I haven't tried Twitter. I haven't tried MySpace. From what I've heard they aren't right for me. Of course, I believed the same thing about FB.
Your opinion on social networking: Yay or Nay?
4 comments:
I did not want to join MySpace at first, but a couple of friends convinced me. Within a day several people from high school had sent me friend requests. At the time, that was not pleasant. Then I joined Facebook, but didn't use it much. But since going to Italy last summer, I've used it much more to keep in touch with all of them. I've become addicted. I hounded Eli to death about joining :D Now, I love it. I have a lot of fun and it's a lot easier to stay in touch with people that way instead of e-mail.
I joined, accepted friends, never got the hang of it. Maybe when this book is finished I'll give it another try but right now I'm having trouble keeping up with the people in my life I actually know.
Your list of friends sounds exciting and your interactions with them fulfilling. That's a big incentive for me to give it another try.
Btw, have fun at TF and RWA.
To all, I was int eh boonies changing water. Tomorrow I head to Montana for a wedding.
Kendra, I like Facebook because I can write something once and my whole family reads it. But I've been slow at nabbing any and all writers. I've never been a chatty Cathy or a person who has to have people around me. I know it's probably my biggest drawback in promotion. I can do one time things where I write a blog or do an online workshop then I don't want to visit with people. It's not me. But it should be to build a fan/peer base like you are doing. Kudos to all the people you've met!
Hi, Kendra!
Sounds like Facebook has been great for you. I set up my page and answered a few comments, but haven't done much with it.
I have kind of a split personality when it comes to social networking--online and in person. I enjoy talking to people and often start conversations with strangers in store lines. Then I go home and pull my cave in after me. I think I could go days or weeks without seeing anyone and be fine with that--as long as I have my dogs!
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