The other side of the slush pile issue for me is that it does seem like a party and the possibilities are still based on imagination as much as on established practice. The best mouse trap ain’t been built yet.

It will be fun seeing where we, meaning the bazzilion of us giving it a shot will take it.

Hopefully, the big corps. won’t gobble it up to the point that it drifts off into the equivalent of network/cable T.V. The push to centralize and control being what it is.

For me, when I first got started, blogging seemed a foreign concept. I should stop writing my novel in order to write free musings in hopes someone would like to read? And I’m still by no means accomplished at blogging. I still have to get myself to set aside time to produce posts.

However, the online presence is just part of a whole suite of buzz builders, and the different pieces play off each other, providing feedback that amps the volume. Yes, my blog hasn’t the power of Neil Gaiman’s, but as my presence grows elsewhere–Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Youtube, and traditional channels–traffic will grow here, and my efforts will become more focused.

I guess I see social media as a big party with lots of great people. The first important thing is to go to the party. The second is to be social and meet people. The third is to have fun. And last, but certainly not least, stay at the party until something big happens so that you can take part.

This little tid bit about blogging should give publishers who ask writers to spend time blogging pause. Currently, according to Techorati,there is an estimated 100 million blogs online. Give or take, that is one heck of a slush pile to float above.

Basically, when I/we blog, we have, in addition to the paper we sell, we have an online publication to market. I doubt that is news to you but it is worth saying.

There does seem to be just a bit of wishful thinking on the part of publishers that online means instant discovery. I have a hunch about how that is going to work out.

For giggles and grins do you have an idea how many hits your blog has had? I don’t need to know the number. But, is your publisher going to help with the visibity of your blog?

Now, I promise to leave this alone.

I like what you said about privacy being reconcepted as obscurity.

I also was really amazed by the article on Facebook’s eroding privacy policy. Wow does that make this shift completely demonstrable.

It’s all a lesson for me. I’ve been seeking fame for twenty years now. I might not like it once it arrives.

Thanks, again,
Rob

Connectivity ain’t going to be cheap.

Facebook’s Eroding Privacy Policy: A Timeline
Commentary by Kurt Opsahl
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/04/facebook-timeline

Since its incorporation just over five years ago, Facebook has undergone a remarkable transformation. When it started, it was a private space for communication with a group of your choice. Soon, it transformed into a platform where much of your information is public by default. Today, it has become a platform where you have no choice but to make certain information public, and this public information may be shared by Facebook with its partner websites and used to target ads.

Remember the “… Sultans of Swing?” They wanted their”… money for nothing and their chicks for free.” Same song different dance.

Also, how, in making a point, I am allowing myself to be “used” by the service to actually advertise their product. Isn’t that a hoot. Like it. Love it. Despise it. Hate it. A networked conversation is, as they say, viral.

http://blog.evernote.com/2010/04/28/tip-use-evernote-to-remember-the-people-you-meet/

What we used to call privacy the next generation calls obscurity. They will trade their soul for visibility. The dream of course continues to be the same, to become the next big thing.

” does not feel right… can’t put my finger on it.” I do understand. My guess,it empties relationships of more than a tad of meaning or significants and replaces them with superficial contact. The “tired” you feel, I’m guessing, is the sense of actually expending energy on a real relationship when in fact all we have done is tweeted or broadcasted something to a general audiance on FB.

And, the rest of the story. The big boys i.e. Google et.al. are spooling up info. like crazy.

There is more to privacy than you not knowing “something” about me. The end of privacy and constant conectivity can leave us with the fatigue of exposure. Not to mention the end of solitude. Connectivity can become just another addiction. And, we know how that works out.

Yours for the celibration of sanity in a wired world.
Curtis

Thanks for stopping by.

I’m glad you’re pressing through that singularity, buddy. It can get tiring, and it does seem to be odd to be connected all the time.

As I say, I wouldn’t have gotten through this singularity except that my boss required it, and I’m so glad he did. Otherwise, I would have blissfully faded into the past.

Yes, I’m a digital immigrant, but I’m going to learn the language of this new culture and be part of this country we’re all building. I’m going to keep my wits about me and figure out how a writer can succeed in an industry (publishing) that is so catastrophically failing.

Yes, the best writers are the ones who can adapt. That’s true at any time, but especially now.

As for dropping off the face of the earth, I’m currently in the throes of a really heady revision. It’s tough to carve out time for writing blog posts–but I really should.

Thanks, again, for your great insights!

Rob