So tell me, am I the last person on the planet who doesn’t have a website, blog, Facebook profile, or Twitter account? The worst part is that I’m not even sure I want or need to. But maybe this is like years ago, when I concluded I needed to become computer literate or be roadkill on the information highway. My first computer course, through the Edmonton Public Schools Extensions Program, was called something like ?Scared Stiff??or perhaps it was ?All You Wanted to Know about Computers but Were Afraid to Ask. Beginner, beginner. I survived and continued to learn through trial and error, repetition, and the help of others. Now I can’t imagine life without access to this marvellous and empowering tool.
Maybe That’s the mindset I need to employ in overcoming my resistance to these other online ventures. It’s not like I haven’t dabbled. In 2006, I was one of the suckers who bought the Storesonline pitch about how easy it was to make a fortune online with a retail site and drop shipping. The fact that I paid them so dearly for the sites, domain names, tech support, and hosting fees still makes me cringe with embarrassment. I hope the relentless ?closer? who wore me down to the point of capitulation has felt the sting of karma.
It didn’t help that during that time I had been reduced to printing with my left hand because of surgery on my right shoulder, and, on top of it all, was also suffering from anemia so severe that a transfusion was just hours away. A combination of meds and fuzzy thinking didn’t help my cause. I did run a website selling high-end handbags, but certainly didn’t make a fortune. I got fed up with all the costs of doing business with Storesonline.
As far as blogging goes, I’ve done the reading, attended a course, and dabbled with setting up a WordPress account. Again, It’s not as easy as it sounds. I guess I also fear just how much time it will take to keep a blog relevant. I know I’m not impressed when I Google a subject and get led to a site, only to find that someone posted a couple of blogs three years ago. Do it right or don’t do it at all is my philosophy.
As for Facebook, it just plain scares me. Though I suppose if I did go that route, I’d have the sense not to show or say everything. Life has toughened me up. I know there are people with nefarious motives out there, waiting to prey on the trusting or the naive.
Supposedly Twitter has value in marketing a person or product. Hemingway could have made 140 characters count. Those people whose vocabulary doesn’t stretch beyond ?awesome? or ?absolutely? have characters to spare!
With the imminent e-publication of my first novel, I guess I had better get with the program and start building my profile and my platform. Stay tuned for the exploits of a reluctant anything-but-early-adopter. It may not be pretty but at least It’s a start, from where I sit.
