You Like Me?!!

To paraphrase Sally Field: they like me.  They really like me.  I hadn't imagined that it would work this way.  I faithfully followed the directions of that 20-something social network dude, but I was a skeptic. 

I saw Julie and Julia.  I identified with Julia, having once been an American living in France, finding my way around, discovering new delectables.  Being a bit of a foodie, I loved watching her discover her talents and make her own way.  As a self-professed sap, I found the Julia portion of it cute and utlimately uplifting in its happy-ending way.

But as a Tech Newbie, I identified with the scene where her mother is the only one reading her blog and commenting on it, saying something akin to "Are you still wasting your time on this?" (see the "reluctant tech family" blog)  My own Dear Mommy rolled her eyes and guffawed when I mentioned blogging and Twitter. 

But, damnit, this is the wave of the business future, right?  So I've been Tweeting things that I find interesting.  Little tidbits I come across; things that are relevant to my neighborhood, my business, my listings.  And guess what?  People are starting to follow me.

I guess this social networking is like being at a cocktail party.  Except that you don't get the immediate gratification of knowing that someone is interested in what you have to say by watching their facial expressions.  So, thanks, my follower/friends!  As long as your listening, I'll keep tweeting.

Tuesday is the Day

So, as I understand it, Tuesday is THE day.  On Friday, everyone is looking toward the weekend, most people who are working are only half-way there.  The weekend is a washout.  If people are working, they aren't admitting it, and besides, a lot of people are spending it with family friends, or in a horizontal position.
Monday is back to work day.  Gotta GET THINGS DONE.  You'll notice that everyone who let that call to the insurance company, the credit card company, the utility company, the bank/mortgage company on Friday is now making up for lost time.  Who feels like dealing with it on Friday?  But you told your spouse/parents/boss that you'd take care of it, and now you're not one day behind, but the ENTIRE weekend has gone by and answers are expected.  But good luck getting them because you'll be on hold for a minimum of 45 minutes waiting behind all those others who are calling "first thing" on Monday.
After Monday has gone, people are ready to update their Twitter, blog, Facebook, LinkedIn and the like.
How about you?

Is This Just a Fad?

As if my lack of tech skills wasn't embarrassing enough, I decided to take a Social Networking "How to" course. I was probably the only one under the age of 55 in the room. This wouldn't have been so bad if what I was doing was bringing me great success and I was only adding to my marketing repertoire. I have a website. I've sent the postcards. I've done Floor Call. I even have a bus bench (which I am happy to say has not been defaced with the Sharpie evil mustache and goatee. Yet.) Eight months into my fledgling career, I don't have an overflowing list of clients. The ones I do have are pretty diverse, and a few of them are people I have known for years (thanks, Mom).

So there I am at the Realtor's Association and a 15 year old boy steps up to the front to introduce himself and the other speaker. Except he was actually 24- a Grown Up. Oh crap. I am a grammar dictator, a fluent Francophile, a sometime Swedish-Italian-Polish speaking biliophile, but I do not speak 20-something. He's going to be talking and telling jokes in techno-jargonese. Maybe I can sneak out...


How many of you have heard of Facebook? Twitter? LinkedIn or Blogs? Yes, yes, yes and yes. Which is more than many of the others, I was not unhappy to note. Have you ever purchased anything on line? Uhh- Yes. Then you can do this. That was encouraging!

So now I have a blog and hopefully it will get more interesting. Feel free to comment, question, and even critique- but be constructive, please!

I come from a family of extremely reluctant techies. By this, I mean that the technological revolution pretty much skipped us. Oh, sure, us kids know how to email and search the web, and I even use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the like. But this is only by shear force of will...



When the home computer first became widely available, my parents were having nothing to do with it. "It's so expensive," they said. "Plus, what would you possibly use it for?" Frankly, I didn't know. But I somehow thought it would come in handy, at some point. In high school, I took typing, which was useful. This was back when you used sheets of paper, and Correct-o-type was your best friend. They still teach typing. Except they call it "Keyboarding."

In college, there were computer labs that filled up faster than you can say "Term Paper", and the labs had "hours". Yes, the lab actually opened in the morning- around 7, I think, and closed before midnight. It was also prone to overloading and shutting down randomly. You always knew when this happened, no matter where you might be in the library, because of the howls and maniacal cackles of those who forgot to auto-save. Luckily for me, a family friend had gotten me a Word Processor as a graduation gift (really, a glorified typewriter). Ha ha, Suckers! I didn't need to wait around for my turn on one of those clunky machines- I could type my paper AND save it on a diskette. And as long as the diskette didn't get too cold, too hot, too dusty or any scratches on it, I could keep my work.



Until I lost the diskette. Then, I basically had a typewriter.


Now I have computers, Internet (of course), a blackberry. The usual. And I thought I was reasonably proficient. Until I saw this:
Information Overload


I wasn't sure whether to be excited or afraid. If I chose fear, it would mean I should go back to the beloved French history and literature that consumed my early 20s. If I chose excitement, it would mean I could celebrate the here and now and realize my dream career.


Which will you choose?