In response to this - yet another social media outlet, my son shared the "secrets to success" in this virtual world of ours. "Mom I've been following media and marketing experts and they all say that you have to dive headfirst into social media, immerse yourself in every venue possible. Get yourself out there until your name is known!"
Let's see... I am on Facebook - I have my author page, my business page, my personal page, my southern regional page and my encouragement community page. I am on Twitter with a personal/author page and a business page. I have a contributor's profile page for my health articles via the network I freelance for, and another author page for the blog posts I freelance for the same network. I have an Amazon author profile and am on Google+... 4 pages to be exact! Then there's the multiple boards on Pinterest, my professional profile on LinkedIn, my official business website, my You Tube channel, Instragram and two - make that three as of today... blog sites! I am exhausted just thinking about it!!!
I should be a household name by now surely... a media sensation right? Well not exactly. Every techno savvy fifth grader in the world knows the art of social media better than me and the competition is fierce! Still, as an author, I am grateful for social media. To pen a line from the movie "The Aviator," social media is "the wave of the future" - title wave I think because it has been the wave for a long time now and drowning out just about every other venue. I am trying to catch it... really I am. I know the only way to truly navigate my way through is to do exactly what my son suggested - dive in headfirst. I never thought I'd see the day when libraries and actual books, magazines and newspapers were obsolete, but it appears they are all on the endangered species list. I think that is yet another reason for me to dive into social media with a passion. I simply refuse to allow my son's generation forget about the thrill that comes with the way a book feels in your hand and how exciting turning the pages are along the "journey" that the book has invited you to travel. I want to preserve the anticipation of the next "chapter" where you have to wait at least long enough to lick your fingers, grasp the parchment paper and physically turn the page. Even that book "smell" stirs up imagery in your mind like the smell of fresh baked cookies on Christmas morning, or the crispness of soaked grass after a thunderstorm.
But I digress. We aren't talking about "classic" books, we are talking about social media - computer screens, phone displays, chat rooms, forums, eBooks and eMags. We are talking about smart phones and TVs that think they know more than we do. So Social Media - I've been comfortably wading your waters for a few years now, but I'm ready. I'm diving in headfirst! Here's the imagery I prefer to see in the process; not ocean waves beating a coastal shore, or rapids twisting hundreds of feet below a mountain cliff, but rather an adult-sized recreational ball pit like the picture displayed at the top of this post! That offers excitement and fun, not fear and uncertainty. I most surely know I can find my way in, out and through that barrel of fun! And no one - absolutely no one will notice if I get it wrong because ALL of our inhibitions are released to simply enjoy the moment in all of its amazing simplicity! Hmmm... I think that is how it all began for us when we first began to read, write and communicate with each other in kindergarten. It was fun!
Welcome to a glimpse into my non-traditional world of writing. No two days are the same and the thoughts from one to the next can be quite random! If you are a new follower, hopefully you will find something in my various venues that will keep you coming back and we can enjoy the process together. Thank you again Social Media for giving me something I never dreamed of a few years ago - a global platform! I am excited to dive in headfirst with thousands of my closest friends...
From The Heart...
Starla
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