This week I activated a “Fan Page” on Facebook for Pearls My Mother Wore. I also activated an author page for Terry Sue Harms. It’s my third try with Facebook, and this time, I think its gonna work. Nevertheless, I was so confused about what exactly I was doing that I asked for help, and later this afternoon help is coming. My Dentist, Dr. Yolanda Mangrum, referred me to Renea Church-Magnani who set up the dental group’s “Fan Page.” Renea was easy to talk to and seemed knowledgeable enough to get me started. Next week I’ll know what I’m doing, at the moment, I’m clueless.
I was re-infected with the Facebook bug this week because first Monday of the month means I was at the Left Coast Writer’s salon down in Corte Madera. I’ve made friends with a couple of women in the group, Linda Watanabe-McFerrin, see: http://deadlovebook.com and Cheryl McLaughlin, and they always make a strong case for social networking on the Internet.
Oh, and I mean they’re real-life, friendly acquaintances, not Facebook speak “friends.” See, this is confusing. I’m going to need to find a new word to describe my touch-and-feel friends vs. what I hope will become a vast network of cyber-friends. There is a difference, right? It’s the same dilemma as finding a good way of describing the person you are coupled with when you’re not married and boyfriend or girlfriend doesn’t go far enough to describe the relationship. Partner, lover, spousal equivalent, primary squeeze, friend with benefits, these connote something more intimate. Since the word “friend” now appears to be in the domain of Facebook, I want to hunt for a word that will differentiate between my face-to-face friends and my electronic friends. Or is that being prejudicial? Maybe the keyboard and monitor will provide just as much connection as I get with my …sentient friends…my accomplices…my playmates, comrades, pals, buddies, chums. Chums, I think chum would have been a good word for Facebook to use, instead of “friend.” It would be easier to un-chum somebody instead of un-friending them. But Facebook didn’t ask me about this, so here I am, hoping to have lots of “friends” on my Facebook “wall.”
Let me change the subject. This week I got Pearls into two new bookstores, Book Passage (where Left Coast Writer’s meet) and Sonoma Bookends. I also had a great conversation with our local Librarian, Stephan. He says he thinks I’ll be able to do book talks in all of the Sonoma County libraries. He’d already submitted the roster for his library through December, but after that, I could be on! Another good bit of news is that it looks like I’ll be getting press coverage in our local “Sonoma Sun” newspaper. The editor contacted me yesterday by e-mail and asked me to send her my news. And, one last good book-news piece is that I have another author event scheduled for June 28th. I’ll be at the local senior community of Seven Flags, in their clubhouse. The clubhouse is large, well-lit and comfortable. I’ll be looking forward to that.
It’s getting late, so I’d better go. I’ll be sending out requests from Facebook to all my chums, so if you’re on, “friend” me.
I post every Friday, so until next time, have a great week.