Follow The Leader

Several of my favorite bloggers have mentioned that they've lost a lot of followers lately, and most of them seemed to take it rather personally. I can understand why. After all, people follow your blog because for one reason or another, they're interested in what you have to say. So, logic dictates that if someone stops following you, it's because they've lost interest in what you have to say. Whether it's your words, your personality, the design of your background, whatever--you just don't do it for them anymore. And that stings. It's like that guy or girl back in high school who went out with you a few times and never called again.

Fortunately, Blogger.com cleared up the confusion with this explanation earlier this week. There, you see, it's not your breath, after all! Yay! (Seriously though, I lost a follower this week myself, and I thought something was wrong with me, too.)

Anyway, that little wrinkle in the blogosphere got me thinking. Out of all the potential millions--maybe billions by now, who knows?--of blogs out there, how do you decide which ones are worthy of your time? What makes the difference between you subscribing to a blog's feed and you passing on it completely? How do you choose your favorites? Any thoughts?

P.S. Speaking of blog mishaps, a few of you emailed me this week to mention you were having trouble commenting on my page. After checking into it, I've fixed the problem. It seems I changed the comment option by mistake. Silly me! *head desk* Anyway, it should be fine now. Feel free to email me again if it's not.

Breaking Up (With Facebook) Is Hard To Do

Disclaimer: The following post is rife with sarcasm and hopefully a good dash of wit. Please be advised. Those without a decent sense of humor need not read any further.

Before I had this fantabulous blog, and long before I began Twittering my life away, I was a Facebook junkie.

I was in undergrad when Facebook first exploded onto the online social scene, a sleeker, more sophisticated (read: "adult"-like) version of MySpace. University students signed up in droves, creating profiles complete with their weekly drinking/club-hopping escapades for all to see. And who doesn't want in on that? So, after months of fighting off the peer pressure from my buddies, I finally jumped on the bandwagon and created my own profile--minus the alcoholic binges. And thus the madness began.

In the early stages of our relationship, Facebook was everything I never knew I always wanted. It allowed me to cyberstalk my friends without actually having to--ya know, speak to them--and they could do the same with me. I could "friend" people I had never and would never meet in real life under the guise of so-called "networking," all without having to worry about someone filing one of those nasty restraining orders. Yay! L0000ve it! And of course, the biggest reward of all, having all the intimate details of my early-20's published on a profile that could be viewed by everyone from my grandmother to potential employers. Fantastic!

Once the honeymoon was over, however, I realized that my beloved Facebook wasn't quite all it appeared to be. It developed ugly web applications that allowed total strangers to know what I was doing at every minute of every day. It made my information easier and easier to spread around, and at the same time, it made my privacy harder and harder to protect. And when I complained about the changes it had made, Facebook responded with chilling indifference. This is the way things are, it replied, so you'd better get used to it.

I was mortified, but I loved Facebook dearly, so I stayed faithful and convinced myself that I could make it change its ways. We fought a lot, but it seemed like we were making progress. We were going to work things out. Or so I thought.

And then, this ridonculousness happened (yes, I did just make that word up).

Ugh. All I can say is, why, Facebook, WHY?! Why do you hurt me so? Why do you insist on pushing me away? We have so much history together, and yet, when I confronted you about your behavior, this is all you had to say.

Was that supposed to make me feel better? Stealing my time wasn't enough, so you had to steal my privacy too, is that it? What's next, selling pictures of my kid to the highest bidder?

I don't think I can take anymore of this, Facebook. This just might have been the last straw. I love you, you're one convenient piece of work, but unless I start seeing some major changes in you very soon, I'll have to move on. I really do deserve better.

I Have Been Officially Been "Twitterfied"

It's finally happened; at last, I've succumbed to the latest social networking phenomenon, at least as far as I know. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's true: I've been "Twitterfied," and no one is more astounded by the event than yours truly. For months I ridiculed the entire concept of Twitter as being "the most pointless activity ever," and yet here I am, jumping my happy behind on the bandwagon with my own cutesy pink profile.

Let the madness commence.

Peg Corwin, a SCORE Chicago volunteer, put together a comprehensive list of posts that can help people get the best out of Twitter (which I found courtesy of Personal Branding Pro Meg Guiseppi). Also, SEO Marketing Consultant Jennifer Slegg wrote an excellent post back in March of last year about how to market your blog without spamming your followers. Interesting stuff, that. Me and my newbie self didn't even realize something like that would be a problem, but the implication there is that it's pretty widespread. I'm guessing it's just as widespread now, if not more so, since Twitter's popularity has grown so much since the post was written.

Most of you have probably heard about this already, but in case you haven't and you're also new to the Twittering scene, be sure to read this article about a nasty phishing scam going around on the site. Can't say I'm surprised; the "Koobface" virus has been floating through Facebook space since at least December.

Well, I suppose at the end of the day, what's most important is that we have more ways to communicate/stalk one another today than ever before. And if you're a budding author trying to make a name for yourself, it's probably best to take advantage of as many of them as possible. Does twittering really translate into book sales later on down the line? Let's hope so!

Oh, one more thing: Does anyone know how to add a Twitter feed to your blog page? Just curious...