Social Media Networking

It's all anyone ever talks about nowadays. And it's all a bit overwhelming. Don't know if it's worse because I went on a sort of a course (it really wasn't that bad!) covering the myriad ways in which one can engage in SMN. And this was just from a business perspective. Do this, you mustn't do that, you should be doing this and this and this. It all made sense, at the time, but in the cold light of the (several) days after it's made me think long and hard and, if I am honest, become slightly (no, I don't do slightly anything) anxious. Think about it. You're 'supposed' to have x no of followers on Twitter, so many that you start moaning about the number of people who are following you (he-llo!) and if you haven't got anyone - or a modest number of people as in my case, it's quite easy to sit there feeling anxious that you're not being taken any notice of. Then you see the tweets from the people that you're following, thinking that they'll notice that YOU'RE following them and follow you right back. But they don't, and what the hell are they tweeting about going for a kebab for? The little noise from TweetDeck that occurs every nanosecond telling me that someone I'm following has just tweeted is the sound of anxiety. They aren't mentioning me, and I must look like Johnny no-mates cos no one IS following me. I respond or retweet too quickly because I'm permanently on my PC working out how I can improve my SMM. I mean, I know I'm a web based business, but I don't work ON the web, I just sit there waiting for people to see the light and buy my books.

But Twitter is just the beginning of the evil. You apparently must have a Facebook page for your 'self' and one for your business persona. Then you need a 'fan' page for your business, then you need a link to YouTube where your videos are stored for cos that'll improve your Google search results. And you need to be on Google this and LinkedIn that and you need to juggle all these balls in the air all of the time to show that you're truly connected to the social media circus. But but but but but. That's a lot of very big buts (how rude!) it's all very well, and most people want to keep up with the times,

but HOW DO YOU ACTUALLY FIND THE TIME TO DO ANY REAL WORK?

I'm a one person band, I make great books, I want people to find me, find them, love them and yes, being blunt, buy them. But I can't be selling things I haven't got the time to make. And my anxiety levels about THAT are enough to deal with thanks, without having to think up a social media networking / marketing strategy. I just want to do my thing, politely and profitably over here in this corner of the world. Shucks, even my website doesn't work properly, let alone my SMN. If people can't find my business when they type in On The Rebound in Google, they ain't going to find a 40 something bookbinder living in the boonies and connect with me via any of the above. The world's gone mad.

Tempus Fugit

Lying in bed, half asleep this morning, you know the time, just before the day crashes in shouting and bashing its cymbal of demand, beloved mentioned that I hadn't posted a blog for over a month. My immediate impulse was to deny it, and to suggest that he hadn't bothered looking properly, but, but, but..... With an enormous crescendo the morning and the rest of the day week month year crashed in and I realised that I've been so busy running fast to just stand still. I've often been accused of having too many horizons, and indeed it's an accusation I level at my little boy (who's far too similar to me in that respect, poor soul) and even within the confines of my precious baby, OTR, I realise that this is the case too. So, although I've previously vowed never to apologise, never to explain when there have been blog gaps, I recognise that I really need to structure this life and this business and get a routine going. They (whoever they are) say that Tuesday is the day that most blogs are updated, and although I hate conforming, I had to grab this one today and get moving.

So, what's been going on at OTR towers? Well, I had my first outing last week to a Christmas Fair. The event itself was lovely, and for an excellent cause - Marie Curie Cancer Care, and the Petwood Hotel was a splendid venue. However, and it's a big HOWEVER it wasn't the 'right' place for OTR books, especially given that (a) it's a relatively new idea that very few people have experienced and (b) I'll hold my hands up and admit that I'm not a natural salesperson. However, the list of lessons learned has started, and we'll see whether things improve at the Dunholme Village Hall Craft Fair at the weekend. ONe thing I would say, with a wry smile, is that I would have done better if I had been given a pound for every time someone said 'Oh I've got a loft full of Ladybirds' or 'I remember when they used to come bound like that'. I was at the point of shouting 'Well, leave them in your loft, but at least when they're rebound they're being used and admired and are legitimately used by an adult' and 'you don't remember them being bound like that because I'm the only person doing it......' respectively. But I'm a grown up and I kept my big mouth shut and smiled. Zen calm is sooooo important don't you think?

Anyway, here's a pic of the stall, in the OTR poison green and purple livery. What do you think?



Obviously, the spectre of Christmas looms - although for us we traditionally wait til after Charlie's birthday at the end of November before we get into the full blind panic (or I do, I rather suspect I panic for the whole family.....) but this year is a bit different. I imagine that, because my stuff makes good, unusual and unique presents, I am expecting that I'll make some books for people as gifts, but this then starts me thinking about the nature of gifts at this time of year. Is hand made stuff from someone you know acceptable? Does the monetary value or volume of presents count? Where do children get their values from with regard to presents (I say this freely admitting that I was an appalling child who was convinced that my sister got 'more' than I did......and didn't mind telling my poor parents so.) (Sorry Mum and Dad). Anyway, all this navel staring won't get the book orders made. Plenty of time for reflection when the Christmas rush is over.