Things change quickly these days as a result of technology. Sometimes I think changes happens too fast and those who bring about the changes often don't stop to ask the question "should I/we" but rather only as the question "can I do this?" I am fairly certain I am not the first, nor will I be the last individual in history to ponder this seeming need for incessant change.
My daughters don't use their cell phones to make phone calls. When I call them on their cell phones, they get annoyed and suggest I send them a text message instead. My daughters created a Facebook account for me. Not that I use it a lot, they just like to use it to their advantage when playing the various games on Facebook. Still, a lot of old friends, students and teammates have contacted me as a result.
Blogs were supposed to be the media of communicating and one of the best ways to build an author platform. Now its Facebook, Twitter and who knows what tomorrow.
The problem with Facebook, Twitter and the other social media as far as I am concerned is I have to learn to use it. Well, that and I find it almost impossible to learn anything of real value or that requires in depth information to understand unless it is on a blog.
Blogs seem like a much better method of sharing information. So do websites that provide detailed content. Yet the ever present need for instant gratification seems to be heading us towards social media such as Twitter. Time will tell. I may even learn to speak and read "text" and other new languages in my ever increasing efforts to promote my books, share information and just communicate with my daughters. Fortunately, my son is even more resistant to learning the new social media than I am so I will always have one person I can communicate with. My wife, she can communicate fluently with our daughters.
What has this new media to do with self-publishing? The internet has been a huge boon for authors who self-publish. It allows authors to market their books, build an audience for their book and to sell more books than ever before via on-line book retailers such as Amazon. If there was not enough for an author to do as a self-publisher, it seems it is now necessary to keep up with the latest method of instant internet communication as well.
My daughters don't use their cell phones to make phone calls. When I call them on their cell phones, they get annoyed and suggest I send them a text message instead. My daughters created a Facebook account for me. Not that I use it a lot, they just like to use it to their advantage when playing the various games on Facebook. Still, a lot of old friends, students and teammates have contacted me as a result.
Blogs were supposed to be the media of communicating and one of the best ways to build an author platform. Now its Facebook, Twitter and who knows what tomorrow.
The problem with Facebook, Twitter and the other social media as far as I am concerned is I have to learn to use it. Well, that and I find it almost impossible to learn anything of real value or that requires in depth information to understand unless it is on a blog.
Blogs seem like a much better method of sharing information. So do websites that provide detailed content. Yet the ever present need for instant gratification seems to be heading us towards social media such as Twitter. Time will tell. I may even learn to speak and read "text" and other new languages in my ever increasing efforts to promote my books, share information and just communicate with my daughters. Fortunately, my son is even more resistant to learning the new social media than I am so I will always have one person I can communicate with. My wife, she can communicate fluently with our daughters.
What has this new media to do with self-publishing? The internet has been a huge boon for authors who self-publish. It allows authors to market their books, build an audience for their book and to sell more books than ever before via on-line book retailers such as Amazon. If there was not enough for an author to do as a self-publisher, it seems it is now necessary to keep up with the latest method of instant internet communication as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment