Thursday, December 27, 2012

Becoming a Social Girl

Recently I opened a Twitter account. In November I started a blog. In December I published my first book. And for the last decade I've been swimming, drowning, and sometimes even splashing around in the sphere of motherhood. There are plenty of moms who stay connected to the world or become more connected once they have kids. My experience was the opposite. My world narrowed drastically along with my social skills. "Cool it with the whining," isn't the best line to win people over. "Chairs are for bottoms, not feet." Another great line for a stinker kid, not so much for anyone else.

Quick one liner commands and a trunkful of expressions I can't school no matter how hard I try make up the majority of my personality. Oh, and there's this one other little hiccup, nothing big, but to quote one of my favorite movies, French Kiss, "I'm an asshole, what can I say?"

So, now I have to be social, via media no less. I'm not a tech girl. I love my sci-fi movies. I love computer games (Lego games mostly). I'm a search engine queen. But texting, tweeting, facebooking...that's NEW. To date I've never sent a text. I have an answering machine instead of voicemail. My cell is seven years old and doesn't have a built-in camera.

I forge this new world of blogs and tweets with a sort of dewy-eyed glee and nervous girl apprehension. What are the do's and dont's? My mom taught me a great deal of etiquette rules growing up and especially right before going to college. But my mom's a wild woman, someone who teaches her kids the smartest ways to tell a person off, not how to make nice online.

My current reference manual I pass on to you guys, Molly Greene: Writer. Her blog is jam-packed with tips and no-no's. I need more brain space to absorb all the information. Okay, all you tweeps and bloggers out there, go on, click away!
 
Photo by Christer Rønning Austad (http://www.sxc.hu/help/7_2)

15 comments:

  1. Welcome to the social world! Congats on publishing your first book. New GFC follower.

    My blog: http://2ndbooktotheright.blogspot.com

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  2. Thanks Kristin, I'll check out your blog.

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  4. Hi!

    I' just saw your post on Book Blogs, and I'm now you're newest follower.
    I hope you can stop by my blog. You can find me at www.tyrony.com
    Good luck with your book!

    Andreia

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    1. Hi Andreia, thanks for the follow! I'll hit you back.

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  5. Hi! I'm new follower from Goodreads Blogger Lift.
    Glass @ Way Too Hot Books

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    1. I'm following. Your blog is way too hot, awesome! I couldn't find a Twitter link, but I'd follow on Twitter too.

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  6. You and I probably have the same mother and the same social graces. Ha. I love your blog. Keep it coming, please.

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  7. Welcome to the world of technology! It's funny how most writers are kind of withdrawn people, yet to get our name out there we have to jump headfirst into social media. It's probably been one of the scariest parts about becoming an author - putting myself out there for the world to see! I plan to check out Molly's manual. Good luck!

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  8. You are so right! I think a lot of people who have a craft of some sort prefer the comfy world of their imagination than the bright noise of reality.

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  9. Robyn, thank you so much! My blog has taken on a life of its own, and I am so honored when someone lets me know the content there has made a difference. Best to you in all your projects!

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    1. Thank you Molly for the good words!

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    2. Great entertaining post! I agree...keep them coming!

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    3. What a nice thing to open my blog to an unexpected comment. This social media business is crazy, but in a neat sort of way that I'm enjoying and laughing at just a little.

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