The dilemma of Facebook

Every one pretty much agrees that Facebook is a time-suck. Once I get on it, I keep thinking “Oh, just a couple more posts.” Somehow I have this feeling I’m missing something world-shattering if I don’t see every post. Facebook itself saves me—at least on my computer. After so long it will freeze and send a message at the bottom of the screen, “Facebook stopped due to long-running script.” All I can do then is gracefully exit, so I know I do miss some posts.

Give it up entirely? Nope. Never. It’s fun to keep up with friends by commenting and hearing from them. Funny, but posts I think will elicit lot of comments, don’t; then I post something trivial and am flooded with responses. No telling. But I have made friends through Facebook and keep in closer touch with some old friends than I did before. Also it gives me a chance to reach out to acquaintances that I only see from time to time.

Sometimes Facebook is the first place I hear news of importance. The example that comes to mind today is Michele Bachmann’s decision to retire from Congress. But there have been other instances, from national news of significance to local storm warnings and notice of fires, bad wrecks, etc.

Another thing keeps me on Facebook: lost dogs, found strays, and particularly shelter dogs on the euthanasia list. It breaks my heart, and when I first saw them several years ago, I begged my friend to stop posting them. She said she couldn’t because each one broke her heart, and that was her way of helping. I’ve so come around to her way of thinking, and I post pictures of so many dogs I want to rush out and bring home. If I can save one, two or five, I’ve done better than none.

Finally, there’s my work as an author. These days authors are told Facebook is an essential part of their marketing program. But you have to walk a fine line—promote your books but post about other things too. If all you say boils down to “Buy my book” people will tune out quickly. I have a friend who is a political activist and posts a lot on Facebook about the causes she believes in. But she also posts about her grandsons, her yard, her cats and occasionally things she just finds funny. Her rationale: she wants people to know she’s a pretty nice, well-rounded person in addition to advocating the things she cares about—which sometimes includes my passion for helping desperate dogs and cats. I try to follow her example.

Give up Facebook? I don’t think so. Watch how much time I spend on it? For sure. If I spent all day I’d never get anything written. It’s a dilemma.

The puzzles of the internet world

Recently several people have asked me to join their list on Linked In or to register as their friend on Facebook. I have done all willingly, except for one person I truly didn't know. Another acquaintance signed me up for Good Reads and every once in a while I get a long list of books she's read and liked. But what do I do on all these sites? I know my children are on Facebook and maybe I should look them up--I'm now a registered user, if I can remember my user name and password. But it seems to me you could spend all your time keeping up with these people on the various sites, and if they want to keep up with mr, they can read this blog. So I'm really at a loss what to do about it. I don't want to seem an ungrateful friend . . . I'll appreciate any advice.
We are under dire storm warnings tonight--tornadoes and the whole thing--but so far we haven't gotten a drop of rain. It's late enough in the evening now that I won't mind if I have to bring Scooby in for the night, and the storms are supposed to pass (if they ever come) well before morning, so I shouldn't have a problem getting him out in the morning. I know we need the rain desperately, but when I hear it in the forecast, my mind immediately jumps to how I'm going to deal with Scooby.
I started keying in typo corrections on the first portion of the second mystery tonight, and could not find one section. Apparently sometime after I printed it out, I revised. So now I have to go back, reread all ten chapters, and figure out if what I've done is right. I keep doing that to the point that I seem to never write another new word. Halfway through the book, and I just keep rewriting. I suspect its because I'm not sure where I'm going, though I have lots of notes. I also suspect if I got some positive feedback on the first novel, I'd throw myself into this one with more vigor. Is this truly writer's block? I know enough to know that the way through that is to keep writing, just as the way around phobias is to do what scares you (that's a whole other story).
But I have cleared my desk of other chores--my income tax information is off to the accountant, I don't have to write another column until at least a month from now, and all the flotsam and jetsam are cleared up. Except I'm gong to start tonight on concrete plans for publicizing "the" cookbook--bookmarks, mailing lists, reviewer lists, etc. I am getting such good feedback about the cover!