Hello, Fire
Enthusiasts. How are you all doing? Are we in the Christmas spirit yet? I hope
so. I am getting there, but some things have risen up to do their best to
dampen them…
Things have
gotten tough at the dreaded day job. Due to many factors, we had a lousy busy
season and have been forced to work weekends. I got out of working a weekend ago
and the subsequent Monday due to the fact that we already had plans to
accompany our high school freshman and his choir to Disneyland and the
Candlelight celebration. It was a very cool time, but now I’m on the clock for
weekend work and worked this past Saturday. I typically take two weeks off
during the holidays – you may recall my having been sick for them last year. In
any event, even that is in jeopardy, and I may have to work during this time as
well.
Not only are
we really busy, but now I find myself really tired. It didn’t take long at all
for the busy workload to wipe away that three-day weekend I just had. Christmas
makes us all busy. I’m trying to get some writing in, but my three hour window
is shaky now because some days I am far too tired to concentrate. Lately, I’ve
hardly blogged at all. Many have continued to visit in spite of the fact that I
have rarely reciprocated, which I adore you for, and hope to improve upon.
Then this
past Wednesday morning during a work coffee-break I attempted to do my #WriterWednesday
shout-outs on Twitter, only to discover that the Follow Friday App had been permanently
shut down. This left me with no real way of doing that work – which is more of
a labor of love for me, to be honest. I just don’t have the time to check
Facebook or Twitter feeds, so doing my #WW and #FF work from my trusty iPhone
was my only dedicated method of continuing that interaction. I was left more
than a bit disappointed by the fact that I only heard from a handful of friends
last week when I usually hear from so many more.
Out of sight
is out of mind, so I suppose what really bothered me was the very real
possibility that I might be quickly forgotten in a community where we literally
“know” hundreds and thousands of people. One might have thought that less
Twitter interaction might actually be better, giving me more time to write,
read or blog, but I don’t see it that way. To me, it’s a big loss.
So, my
friends, does anyone have any suggestions? Is there another App that can help
me do the same thing? I’m not interested in mass following and unfollowing
people which seems to me to be what these bigger and better mousetraps are for
now. How do you Twitter-loving folks keep up and reach out? I just want to be
able to interact with my friends, even if it is only at 140 characters.
We’ll talk soon… I hope.
Wow, Jimmy, I don't even have time for Twitter. And my publisher told me it was a waste of my time. He wants me to write. So, I don't know.
ReplyDeleteI've been working on my next two books, and plus you know my husband was down with the back problem. That took up loads of my time as he does a lot of things around the house for me. It worried me and got me more than a little depressed, not knowing if he'd get through it. But he has. So far. We'll see how it goes today of 6 hours behind the wheel of a bus.
Hope you figure it out, friend. (wow, thousands of friends? I might have a hand full)
Can't help you with Twitter, sorry! Never done it. I'm not on Facebook all that much, either. Might help if I had a smart phone, but not sure I want one (certainly can't afford one right now anyway). Everything to do with the internet gets done on my laptop.
ReplyDeleteHope you get a break to enjoy the holidays!!
Usually I use the computer or TweetDeck for Twitter. I don't spend a lot of time there as blogging takes the bulk of my hours.
ReplyDeleteSorry about all that work!
Jimmy! No way you'll be forgotten!!!
ReplyDeleteAs for an app, I have no idea. I count myself lucky that I can tweet and post without making my whole computer go up in smoke.
You won't be forgotten Jimmy! I can include your name in our threads and even if you don't talk all the time, when you look at your @ page we will be there and you can reply and say hi anytime you like :).
ReplyDeleteYou aren't ever forgotten, Jimmy! I myself use Gremln.com to tweet lists of folks I want tweeted (like the Coffin Hop crew). It takes a while to set up, but it hasn't failed me yet. I'm not exactly great at social graces myself, but I'm always a tweet away if you need me.
ReplyDeleteMy Wordpress blog auto-posts to Twitter and Facebook, Goodreads and LinkedIn. Of course for Goodreads and LinkedIn, I have included in my profile my RSS to my blog. But Wordpress allows for auto-posting to FB and Twitter. Wahoo!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great posting I have read. I like your article. Thank you
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry you are stuck working so much. Christmas is busy enough without extra work hours. You are a wonderful blessing to your family, my friend. You can only do what you can do. The rest will keep. I too was bummed when I went to use Follow Friday Helper myself and found that it had been shut down in favor of a paid app. If I find anything that will help, I will definitely let you know. And don't worry, your kindness will not soon be forgotten :) I wish you and your family a most magical Christmas.
ReplyDeleteHi James. I'm so sorry to hear that work is keeping you from your precious family at this busy time to year. I do hope that you get some time to relax. May I wish you and yours all the best for the holiday season.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm a bit late to this party post, but hm... I find it extremely difficult to keep up with all the social networking sometimes. Twitter--never could figure out Twitter. Kind of like screaming in a crowded room and only getting the attention of the people right next to you. Fun. I set up announcements on TweetDeck and peruse what's going on right then--beyond that, I don't knock myself out. Now Facebook, I keep up on a regular basis because I find it's more personal and I like the actual interaction. Good luck, James.
ReplyDeleteI've been shying away from Twitter lately. I've never really felt comfortable with Tweeting. (I think maybe I'm too much of an introvert.)
ReplyDeleteI really prefer blogging and Facebook, which I plan to get into more while leaving Twitter behind. So please don't think I've been ignoring you on there... I still want to keep in touch. :)