I'm Having Fun

Wow, I've received tons of feedback from people really enjoying the contest, picking between the film photos and digital photos. Well, I really appreciate each and every one of you who have participated. It was been a real eye-opener for me and is inspiring me to take this discussion further once the winners are determined.

I've decided to give the contest an extra 48 hours, mainly because I just sent notification about the contest out to my mailing list and I want to give them the chance to participate, since they are supposed to be the VIPs who get the first shot at everything. And speaking of my mailing list, I'd love for all my new Twitter friends and any other new friends of the blog to sign up. It's super simple...just go to my website and you'll see a little box below the menu bar on the left. Type your email address in the box that says "email" and click the "Sign Me Up" button.

Speaking of my website, I still haven't posted anything on there about the contest - another reason to extend - someone please remind me to do that first thing tomorrow. Anyway, the reason you want to sign up is that I notify my mailing list of new things that are happening before I blog it (okay, except this time I kinda screwed up) and sometimes I do specials that only go to the mailing list. It's especially important now because I have a couple of huge announcements coming up, including a very special event (hopefully) that's in the planning stages. Also good to know, I don't send out spammy stuff, I don't email people more than once a month (today's was only the second email this year) and I never share or sell your email address with anyone. I hate it when people do that.

In other social networking news, I would love to connect with more people on Facebook. So, if you're on there, please send me a friend request. You'll get to know another side of me over there as it's more instantaneous than my blog. As an example, I like to post mobile photos up there...mostly goofy stuff such as today's photo, titled "Eating a Burger on the Corner of Hollywood and Highland":

Notice the stealth-like way I integrated today's photo into the post?

And my new favorite way to waste time and procrastinate is Twitter. Are you on Twitter? This is me on Twitter. Please follow me (sheesh, that sounds stupid, like I'm the Pied Piper or something). I've met a lot of people over there. Some of you are probably reading this right now. The thing I love about it is your posts are limited to 140 characters. It's fun to exercise and stretch one's writing skills...you gotta be brief...ybe good at bantering...and make sure you're not boring. Twitter is where I got the fodder for my John Mayer Sucks post. Here's what my Twitter page looks like right now:

See, I said Hi to you. The only drawback of Twitter is the addiction factor, which led me to post this little diddy: I'm going into the basement to mix up some medicine...not coming out 'til I come up with a pill to cure Twitter addiction...KER-CHING!!!

Anyway, that's enough social networking crap for one post. It's time for me to get the sleep I thought I was going to get last night, but didn't. My apologies for typos and poor grammar in this post...my eyeballs are falling out so there's no editing or rewriting tonight.

If you haven't done the contest thing, go do it now.

The Ever-Expanding World Wide Web

The mind boggles.

How long has this thing been going on?

When I moved up to Vancouver in '94 for a respite from the Northridge earthquake, among other annoyances, the world wide web was in its infancy. A few stagnant web pages forging a trail. I even did a little graphics work for some of the pioneers...a masthead here and there, a few buttons. When I decided to come back to L.A. in '95 I searched for a moving company on the web. There were less than five.

There were a few networking opportunities - I used to hang out in an AOL chatroom aimed at film industry folks - and there was email...but nothing like myspace, facebook, plaxo and linkedin blah, blah, blah.

Not a day goes by that I don't get a request from someone somewhere wanting me to sign up to the next best networking network. Do we really need all of them? In this time of unemployment is networking the new full time job? That's what it feels like to me.

I recently joined facebook - you can find me under my real name and become my friend - which I am just realizing its benefits. It's a way for me to reach out to people that are into the musicians in my book, helping me attain my goal of keeping their memory[ies] alive. And it will also be a great way to publicize an event that I'm planning in the coming months. However, I still don't know all the ins and outs of facebook and am finding the learning curve annoying, even though I'm pretty sure a two year old could do it.

And this brings me to the latest networking thingy I've been told I MUST join and utilize...

As you can see in the picture I'm 'following' no one, I have no 'followers' and I've made 0 'updates'...whatever all that means. Oh, I know...it means I've done nothing. And do you know why I've done nothing? Because I've come down with Twitter Paralysis. It's the latest malady that I'm sure the prescription drug companies have already designed a pill for. I liken it the Restless Leg Syndrome. Anyway, I'm on the jumping off point of the learning curve and I don't have a clue. Go ahead and laugh. I hear the echoing..."ha, ha, ha... a two year old could do it."

I've heard I can have this very blog go out through Twitter and people will flock to read my sometimes witty words. But I don't know how to hook it up.

I want to get a ton of followers so I can invite everybody to the way-cool event I'm planning. But I don't know how to get followers. Heck, I don't even know how to follow.

Where's Jesus when I need him. He's gotta be the authority on followers, right? How do I get followers without looking like the complete idiot I am in the process? How long do you think it will take me to get a million? Should I go for a million? Hmmm, I think 5 million sounds better.

I'm sure there's a lot of other interesting ways I can make use of Twitter - wait, I have to learn how to tweat, don't I? But that's a bird thing, not a Chesher Cat thing. My Oh My. And I've seen people doing that @so-and-so thing, which I get but I don't get at the same time. Is the room spinning or is that what's left of my brain?

As I was muddling my way through this whole Twitter thing, a friend posted a link that showed up in my facebook newsfeed. I clicked it and was presented with this ever so timely cartoon...

My sentiments exactly.

The mind continues to boggle.

Help.