Nose and Lips Above the Surface

I got a little excited last week because of a wee bit of attention ... a couple new friends dropped by my blog ...  a 2000 percent increase in traffic ... and I felt like I was starting to get the hang of this social networky thing ... then all went stoney silent again ... Fazebook went blank, moths flew out of my email box, and the hoped for reviews on Amazon went begging. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, the Internet is a vast ocean of information: if you drift a little out of the main shipping channels you might float for days without seeing another human. Everyone has their own projects ... and they're busy trying to maintain a presence on the 'Net ... it's pretty hard to keep up virtual relationships ... I understand ... heck, I'm as guilty as the next person. All I can say is that this internet marketing is a slog ... but you gotta keep swimming or you'll slip beneath the waves.

Tunnel Vision

I got a note from author Tom Winton (Beyond Nostalgia, http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Nostalgia-Tom-Winton/dp/1460920937/ref=pd_rhf_p_img_1) mentioning that he had 'tagged' Headwind on Amazon. Weeeeelll, it just so happens that I sorta knew what that meant, because Linda Boulanger (http://www.blogger.com/profile/02380644949713158187) had steered me to Andrew Kaufman's blog, where he had explained what tagging was and how to set it up on your Amazon site. I'm beginning to see how this whole 'social 'net' thing works ... but I still feel like I'm looking at it through a peep hole ... I catch glimpses of things out there, but can't quite see the big picture.

Fazebook

I guess it must be me ... everyone else seems to navigate the Facebook maze with no problems, but when I log on and stare at the screen, it just looks like a riot of information ... I can't figure out who is talking to who ... whether some input is from friends or just ads ...  and when I write something, I don't know where it goes or who sees it. All that is bad enough, but then I created a page for my new book, Headwind ... and I can't figure out if it is a separate page of just an extension of my personal page ... I really don't know what to do with it. I suppose I must sound like an old fogy complaining about a new fangled technology ... and that's probably true ... but, honestly, I was just fine with email.

Red Cheek Day

I'm reading a golf magazine in my doctor's waiting room, shaved, showered and feeling a little smug about actually beating my appointment time for once, when I hear the receptionist call my name. Cool, I'm going to seen early because I'm early!
   "Mr. Hudson," she says, "um, your appointment is for tomorrow."
   "What?"
   "Your appointment is for the 23rd ... this is the 22nd."
She's right ... now I remember. She's trying to be discreet, but the waiting room is small and the other folks can't help but hear what is going on ... I can hear the snickers behind my back. I figure the only way to recover from this gaff is to go on the offense.
   "But someone called me yesterday to remind me of the appointment."
  "Yes, they did ... to remind you that you have an appointment on the 23rd. The person you are seeing is not even here today."
Now I'm embarrassed ... I'm on the tee in front of thousands and I just topped the ball fifty yards. Fumbling for snappy retort, I come up empty.
   "See you tomorrow."
Mustering as much dignity as I can, I put on my coat and slip out the door without making eye contact with anyone.  Sheeesh.

Red Letter Day

So, I'm drinking my coffee and casually flipping through my email, and what do you know, there is a nice note from author Ellen Maze (http://www.ellencmaze.com). I heard Ellen's interview on an Internet radio program (I think it was on a site called Promotion a La Carte) ... anyway, she was talking about her successful marketing campaign, and she sounded so knowledgeable and upbeat, I sent her note asking for advice, and she responded (as I said earlier, I think authors are, by and large, naturally friendly). Well, this latest note was very encouraging ... Ellen had taken the time to look at my website and blog and gave me some wonderful, positive feedback ... brightened up what might have otherwise been an extremely dull and listless Monday morning.

On top of all that, Ellen sent a couple of her author friends to my blog ... Caprice Hokstad and Linda, both of whom took the time to respond to one of my posts.  Gee, I'm starting to feel like Sally Fields at the Oscars, "... you like me ... you really like me!"

Neanderthal

I've been surfing the 'Net ... looking for relevant blogs, book marketing ideas, etc. ... and stumbled onto a site called Copyblogger  and an article titled Two Tribes (http://www.copyblogger.com/two-tribes/) ... I'm still not sure if this is something relevant to me or not, but I figure I have to keep schooling myself about the Internet, so I read it ... it's about a great divide in the online marketing world ... on one side is the "Tribe of Cool Kids and the other the Internet Marketing Tribe ... then there was something about a third tribe ... I'm still not sure what the heck the point of this was, but there dozens of responses telling the author how "on the mark" it was. I guess there must a forth tribe, one for us Neanderthals.

Tuesday something ...

I don't imagine there are many folks who remember a band called The Fugs, let alone one of their songs, titled Nothing ... well, it's a dirge that starts with, "Monday nothing, Tuesday nothing, Wednesday and Thursday Nothing, then on Friday a little more nothing, Saturday and Sunday nothing ..." on it goes through the months, etc. Kinda been the story of my book sales ... but last Tuesday I was sorting through my email and lo and behold there was note from Amazon that wasn't an ad ... it was from their accounts payable informing me that $40.40 in royalty payments from Kindle was winging its electronic way to my bank. Now, before you get too excited, that is for all of last year ... for both books (however, Headwind wasn't published on Kindle until November) ... a small stipend for sure, but I was still pretty stoked ... it meant that my books are out there ... in the universe ... and maybe somebody is even reading them!