Back in August, I taught a class at the offices of Main Street Rag Press called Networking FTW. I’m really hoping to have a chance to teach it again but I thought I’d give you some insight into the world of Networking as it relates to writers and readers, which was the goal of the class.

I am revisiting this topic, btw, because I am – once again – feeling a bit overwhelmed about being involved on the web. I enjoy it a great deal but I find it hard, at times, to keep up with everything I want to be involved in.

• Blogging. Well yes, you are on a blog. I started my blog back at the end of March 2007 over on blogspot. I moved it about a year later, honestly, cause I thought the wordpress blogs looked better. I began blogging after I went back to graduate school as a way for me to think about myself as a writer. Here is an early post I did. I was starting to read blogs by other writers and beginning to comment. Blogging probably takes up most of my time because I see blogging as a communtiy. I read a lot of blogs, although I don’t keep a blog roll anymore, through Google Reader and I can barely keep up with so many more I want to read and comment on. I don’t want to give up blogging, however, becasue I love this site and the people I have met through it. I love my tabs side bar items. I *heart* my blog even if I only have a handful of regular commenters I seem to get about 70 hits a day? And you can link your blog to places like Facebook, Goodreads etc.
• Mysapce. Ok I’ll give a quick mention to Myspace but let’s face it-it is pretty much dead. I’m not even going to link to it. It was the first social networking site I tried, probably about the same time I went back to graduate school and I didn’t stay there long because most people I knew were not on it. It is kind of a dying site but musicians still use it. Not one I’d recommend bothering with at this point.
• Facebook. I love Facebook and I think, especially poets, should be on Facebook. There are tons of lits mags represented there that send out notices about their submission periods and lots of great writers to start up conversations with. Facebook has changed a lot since I got on it but I still enjoy it. I probably update a few times a day – trying to think of something witty to say, but please don’t join Facebook if you are just going to go on there and put status updates like – buy my book. People want to social network with you because they want to get to know you. If they like you and the work you post, they will consider buying your books. Remember, this is about being involved with other writers and your potential readers not just about self-aggrandizement. I have over 300 friends on Facebook.
• Twitter Ok. I have been getting a lot of questions about twitter. I have a strange relationship with twitter. I have had like 3 different user names (note if you do sign up get a good easy to remember and type user name – l ike your real name – and if you take a break from it just take a break but don’t delete cause hard to get your user name back) but I think I am back for good this time. I thought about deleting it again or suspending but I am able to chat more with writers on Twitter than even on Facebook and I get great links to blogs and other articles. I update about an hour. People who update every 10 minutes, sorry, I usually end up unfollowing you. I also started not reading back over all the tweets from what I had missed over night. I see each new morning as a fresh start. Twitter gives me a chance to say things I might not say on Facebook where I also have family (hehe sorry guys!) you can link the two but I decided not to. I also don’t believe in filtering my Facebook so some people only read some things because it is just too confusing to keep up with. Again, don’t sign up if all you are going to do is post links, you should be here to chat with people! I have about 200 followers at this point.
• Goodreads. I like sites like Goodreads where you can really design your level of involvement. I have an author page now and I was able to post my first chapbook and my publisher posted my 2nd. I can find my friends who are on there via email link ups (same with Facebook and Twitter) and search for new people. You can find out about what people are reading, join discussions, find out about events and very reader and writer oriented. Great all around site. Library Thing also exists but I found it a bit klunky so I haven’t been back.
• Read Write Poem I joined Read Write Poem which is one of quite a few writing networking sites (google it or see my side bar for some others like Poets & Writers, Folded Word Ning others I don’t have like Red Room) where there are articles posted, you can chat with people, join forums. I am not as involved with these as maybe I should be because the sites are so nice (really want to join She Writes but do I have the time?) but I do stop in to read the articles and I might become more involved if other sites slip by the wayside. Having sites like this is nice to find other people with similar interests and your readers but you have to weigh your involvement by what interests you.
• YouTube is one of my favorite things on the web, maybe in part, because I have a zine on YouTube but I have been on YouTube since the fall of 2007. I don’t watch TV during the day but I started watching vlogs by various writers and poets I started discovering and I started posting my own. I have 55 subscribers, a few regular commenters and most of my videos get about 10 views and sometimes quite a bit more. It still seems low to me and I have been a bit disappointed because I really wanted to be involved in this community. I comment on a lot of videos that I watch in between working on other things and I still enjoy recording my poems and chatting about the writing world even if I don’t get much interaction from other people. Sometimes it takes time for things to grow. You might want to try this to showcase your work or to talk about things that interest you but it can take time (or it may never happen) that you become “popular.”
• Other sites. There are tons of other sites I’m not involved with: Red Room, Podcasting sites, I’m sure there are many, many more but if you are writing or if you love reading check out a variety of sites, see what intersts you and get involved with the community around those sites.

Writing and reading can be very solitary ventures but what networking gives you is the chance to find people you click with, finding your tribe as many people say. I’d be happy to discuss more with anyone specific websites and what is involved with them. I love a good discussion. That’s one of the biggest reasons I blog! I have also considered holding an online version of the class via something like UStream or BlogTV if I found enough interest.

Hope everyone is continuing to have a good week. Perhaps I’ll have a poem for you tomorrow

First up, as always, is this week’s issue of Shape of a Box. 3 poems by Scott Owens from his upcoming book – Paternity. This is a book, I am highly recommending people put in for a pre-order and not just because I have gotten to know Scott over the last year but as I am reading the book for review, I am just impressed with how well it is written but how accessible it will be to a wide variety of readers:

Next up is my vlog for the week, jsut some recapping of NaNoWriMo. But here is a LINK to the 2nd part of Sandra Beasley’s discussion of doing Video Poems:

And for a third piece today is the Poetry Animations site from YouTube. I had seen a few pieces by this site before but I didn’t realize how many poems that had put up. Wow! What you can do when you have extra technology. They have over 3000 subscribers!

I am getting some interest from people who might want to do web or video poem work for Shape of a Box so I am hopeful I can keep it going. Now if I could decide what to do about all my other internet involvement. That will be a seprate post, for sure.

Keep up the good week everyone! I’m working on submitting revised poems today. LOTS to revise.

Well, I’m back! I’m not sure how we decided to do it but somehow we ended up deciding to celebrate Thanksgiving every other year at the home of one of the siblings. It might have been after having Thanksgiving with my mom’s side of the family once? I think that might have been where the idea incubated. But, the first time we did it was back in 2003 when we started the tradition at my brother and his wife’s home in Lancaster Ohio. Then 05 was in Chicago at one of my sister’s home and then 07 I hosted so it was back to my brother’s for 09. 11 will be back in the Chicago area and then 13 will be more tricky – it will somehow involve NC or perhaps VA depending on if we celebrate at my house, wherever my other sister ends up after her husband finishes college or if we return to the Chesapeake and Elizabeth City area in general where we grew up to celebrate. If we really spread it out amongst all the siblings every two years there would be extensive travel every time for just about everyone so we are keeping it in a cycle of three for now.

For me the trip meant a 450 or so mile trek into Ohio. I made this trip once before back in 2003 and I actually traveled part of it once ot twice afterwards into Charleston, WV for work but this time I was doing it by myself so I knew there would be a lot of stopping along the way. Along the trip I left the remaining poetry books I had in my give away pile. I thought of it, after the fact, that I should have left like one of my cards for my chapbook or something but I didn’t think of that until I had left most of them at various rest stops, resturants etc along the way. Oh well, free poetry is better anyway!

Ah WV = Travel The SPREAD!

One big thing I had forgotten, for this drive up, is the tolls! Doh! Luckily, when I was buying things, I kept using large bills because I wanted to have change on me. I had forgotten while but I had exact change for all but one toll. $6 in tolls each way. Yikes! Oh well, part of the travel SURPRISE!Before I finally made it to this travel plaza, I ran into bad traffic where I-77 and I-81 split off in Wytheville, VA. I actually debated just putting a detour into my GPS (something I didn’t have the last time I made this trip!) but I just decided to suck it up and to try and enjoy the music on my iPod and the scenery.I lost about an hour. I might have made the trip in only 7 hours if it hadn’t been for that traffic! Was so glad to finally make it to my brother and his wife! We rested up for a bit, debated dinner and ended up getting take-out from Applebee’s cause no one cooks on the day before Thanksgiving right?We spent the evening playing video games, chatting, playing with my sister’s kids and at least one round of Settlers of Catan which is now our new official board game addiction. Thanksgiving Day was great. We had our turkey and fixings early which we prefer to do, so that we can spend the rest of the day just hanging out. There were more games and many cute moments with the kids

Some quotes from the kids.

The SPREAD!

Dylan: Will you pray for my face?

Jasmin: You can shoot me!

Should I explain those? Well, takes away the fun doesn’t it?

We probably stayed up a bit late on turkey day after watching Star Trek and people fall off of things in the new Mario game for the Wii but I think I functioned better with the Black Friday shopping on Friday. We got some great deals at Target and then Sam’s Club later in the day (thanks bro for letting me use your card!) and I could have spent hours in a used book store we went to over in Columbus but by 1 in the afternoon we were all exhausted so we piled back into the house for more togetherness.

At least I slept like a rock before having to get back on the road!

Love the Bridges

And, I really need some salad and a good long walk

Posted in Uncategorized Tagged: Family, thanksgiving, travel ]]> http://jessiecarty.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/shout-out-for-thanksgiving/feed/ 8 jessiecarty IMG_0891 IMG_0915 IMG_0899 http://jessiecarty.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/on-the-road-again/ http://jessiecarty.wordpress.com/2009/11/28/on-the-road-again/#comments Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:12:34 +0000 jessiecarty http://jessiecarty.wordpress.com/?p=1962 ]]>

I’ve had a great visit with my family up in Ohio but the reality of the 25 degree weather outside and the mere fact of having to pack and drive for 8 hours makes me just want to curl back up with my blanket on the couch and pretend it is still Thanksgiving.

But, nope, need to start getting ready and on the road so I can get home and relax for a bit more before getting back to “work” on Monday.

No poems for today. I wrote on the poem a day through 11-27-09 but done with posting and probably done with doing the last few days because I’m tired of the topic, for now, and I wrote about 15 additional poems during the month so techinically I did it anyway

Looking forward to posting about my trip once I get back and get settled back in. Then the decisions on my “new year” that will perhaps start very soon.

Another short post because this hasn’t been a week of working on writing really, but more of spending time with family because that is ultimately what all the crazy eating and black friday shopping is all about.

Didn’t get a lot of sleep and it wasn’t from stress or anything, maybe that was just from too much food but my goodness it was good. I’ll be posting more when I get settled back at home with video and photos of the family.

Although, I have been wondering how much I am going to be posting in the future.  I am, once again, re-evaluating the amount of time I spend on the internet. I like to be involved, it is online that I have found my tribe but it is getting to be a bit much.

Decisions for another day.

Can’t wait to get through the last of the NaNo poems and start December as a month of revision.

Cat – Cow

I’m thankful for cat-cow even if it means I have to be down on all fours and to say I’m down on all fours. A chance for my back to bow and then to sag cat-cow, cow-cat. A short sequence of moves to show I can do this. That, maybe someday, I will be able to move into actually being able to do the more complex moves like shoulder stands, the dancer. To move away from the animals and into movements that involve my essentially human parts.

Am I going to do the typical “What I am Thankful For” post? Not really sure because I feel like I am pretty thankful most days.  But, I am thankful for hanging out with some of my siblings for Thanksgiving and to have a good chance to stay in pajamas all day. Yay!

Have a great day everyone!

The NaNo/Poem-A-Day Challenge poem from 11-25-09. The title is the just the prompt for the day and the poem is pretty lame because – shoot – I was in the car most of the day and the prompt was not up when I first left the house yesterday. So well. Sorry!

temperature or temperament

I miss hot yoga.  I joined an all woman’s gym cause I didn’t have to sign up for a plan and they offered a lunch time yoga class. The girl who is teaching doesn’t really seem to know yoga, or she knows enough to make most of these women think she knows yoga. She doesn’t use any of the Indian names but instead sticks to the animal names, I don’t have a problem with this but she only seems to know a handful of poses so she just keeps alternating them before she just started an extensive ab work out. Cop out. I think I miss the pretentious yoga pants and om T-shirts. At least they cared what they were doing.

This is a traveling holiday for me but I still wanted to try and get in my Poem a Day Challenge before I hit the road, if possible, and to make a quick blog note. But what can I share with you today?

I think I’ll, finally, post a zombie poem. This is on that appeared in the most recent issue of Tipton Poetry Journal (link should take you to the Sept 09 issue which is cheap and has the poem in it! Great little journal, ya know you want a copy).

Zombie Girl Explains Why She Doesn’t Date

Maybe I could but I just don’t feel a need for fumbling in backseats, furtive phone calls, first this, first that.  And with who?  Imagine if I thought I might be queer – and a zombie.  Although my mother would love it.  I think she wishes she wanted women in that way.  But I don’t really want either sex in any way.  Can you be human and asexual like say a seahorse.  They are right? I can’t look it up.  There is no way I’m typing sex into any computer attached to my name.  Then the talks will start again.  Mom will push my hair back behind my ears and rub each finger of my fingers between her index finger and thumb like she is cataloging them.  One little piggy.  Her little piggy.  White as snow.  How white. Virgin white. White as a keyboard. Save document. Control Alt Delete. Lock computer. 

–

So two poems and I’ll be hitting the road after I give my house sitter instructions for the kitties oh and take a shower, pack the car, get some kind of caffeinated beverage and breakfast. What time will I actually get on the road?

Have a great holiday to everyone who celebrates and hope to be blogging from Ohio in the near future.

–

Poem from 11-23-09 part of the challenge

Techno-yoga

Ok. Some people make fun of me when I talk about working out with wii fit. They probably look at me and think it proves their assumption that the work out doesn’t work. But, think of this, at least I’m the same size as the last time you saw me. At least my work out is helping me maintain. And besides, not even a video game and control what you eat. I have free will of the mouth. I’ve met people whose first exposure to yoga and meditation is through wii fit. I wonder if they get distracted by the “game” aspects, the added voice of the trainer tell you – you have good balance – while you are struggle to try out the Dance pose, for which your knees will hurt later or the sound of a bee trying to make you move, even just a bit, while you sit in the meditation game. Yes, there is one with a flickering candle, which you “win” after 90 seconds of staying as still as possible. But, do we ever really meditate or practice a yoga move in silence? Isn’t there always someone in class driving you crazy with how loud they breathe? Or what about your own brain making grocery lists or thinking about anything about how hard you want to be able to put your palms on the floor during a forward bend except you also want to be thinking about whether or not your butt looks like a cartoon blackened light bulb to anyone that is behind you.