Disqus - Friends of LEMills

Re: Podcast things I need help with

PurpleCar — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 14:25:13 -0000

MP! I don't get the fishies either. John Keegan hooked me up. Gotta take some time to schweet it up. Nice to see you.

Whitney- Thanks, I will! I mostly need a release form.

-PC

Re: Why Bother Blogging Podcasting and Using Social Networks

PurpleCar — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:52:36 -0000

Chris,

I personally had given up on my the blog I kept for 3 years. I lost sight of what I was really blogging for. Why have a blog at all if no one is commenting, if it is always the same 3 readers? It felt as though I'm just yelling out into the silent darkness. Aren't I safer staying off-line anyway?

Then I went to Podcamp Philly a few weeks ago. Afterward, I revived the blog. Why? Because fellow attendees kept asking "where [I] was" on the net. I needed to have a home, a URL. It doesn't matter what I write, or if I write at all. People want a way to ping me, and a flat e-mail address is colorless and formal. Twitter and an active blog show me as a living, breathing, learning, advancing person. This is great and connections happen, but it also puts me at risk.

As was mentioned here before, fear comes into play. And when a person like me is afraid in my meat world community, I rely on neighbors and friends and the local government to help keep me safe. Who do I rely on on-line? How many of the men here talk about safety? How much energy is spent in the social networking community on making people feel secure? I feel like I'm on my own in this respect. If I wasn't technically oriented already, I'd given up being on-line entirely long ago.

Parents ask me about myspace, etc., and the typical "no-no's" for social networking minors, but I never go into how to protect your information from general whois searches or other more technical concerns. It would confuse and frustrate any end-user.

So I ask you and other veterans to not just be an evangelist for social media/networking. Be true ambassadors and address issues that are important to the newbies among us.

-Christine Cavalier, a.k.a. PurpleCar

Re: Why Bother Blogging Podcasting and Using Social Networks

PurpleCar — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 21:24:36 -0000

Michael,

Gee, sorry to make you "cringe." Sounds serious. Rest assured, I am more myself on-line than I am at any one time in my fragmented "real" life. But the whole on-line persona/avatar/anonymous blogger thing vs. "real life" persona is always an interesting discussion...

As for being marketed to: I want the markets I'm interested in to come to me. I am lazy. I want to be courted, or at least my money to be courted, in a way that interests me. I like quick things that I volunteer to hear/read/watch. I like opting out. Social Networking like Twitter rocks for this (Craft magazine tweets are my newest time-waster). Having multiple e-mail accounts also helps.

But honestly, is marketing really the whole point? My focus is safe exploration and connection. Marketing can bring in the money that greases that wheel. I can't believe I'm saying that, but I'm surprised to find that I prefer the tweets over tv commercials, and I actually appreciate some of it.

Man, I'm turning into a republican online. Speaking of cringe! What were we saying about disparate personalities thing?

-Christine

Re: Personal Branding and Social Media

PurpleCar — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 22:37:11 -0000

ACK! You're right. But I started with a "nom de web" like PurpleCar because, again, I feared for my safety, personally and legally. Lately, I've "come out" of the anon. blogger closet. I'm Christine Cavalier, and I'm a blogoholic.

*everyone: "Hi Christine"*

Re: Welcome to chelpixie.com!

PurpleCar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 22:20:00 -0000

Chel, good for you. And good luck! The site looks very pro. It's great you dropped some names - I could use some help with my new Wordpress space! See you on Twitter.

Re: Whats Your Social Media Strategy

PurpleCar — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:03:55 -0000

Chris, you posted very relevant questions for me. Specifically, do I really need to spend time banging away here in the social media world when my novel isn't ready and I have no service to provide?

I'm a social yet technical person, not a server room geek that writes code all day. Social networking geeks are my people, so naturally I want to be here with them. But I'm feeling the pressure to provide a service, an identity, that I haven't fully formed yet. I'm just the little gal with hopes of a published novel sometime in the next 2 years.

I'll spend some more time watching and learning, and trying to convince people that I truly, honestly am NOT selling ANYTHING, and I'm not sucking up to cc_chapman or stevegarfield to get hits on my site. I met them, I think they are my kind of peeps, I'd love to network. But without a business card that says "Social Media Maker," I feel like I'm ignored. What do you say to this? Should I be here? Is there room for a believer who isn't quite ready to become the next great mover and media shaker?

Thanks! I learn a lot from your site.

-Christine (purplecar)

Re: Why Furniture Is More Evil Than Google

PurpleCar — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 22:20:05 -0000

"Google only costs you your soul; furniture costs real money"

I love that line! Hysterical.

Re: Immersive Entertainment, New Media, and Storytelling

PurpleCar — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 10:44:02 -0000

Marina, thanks for commenting. And I agree, I would think ABC would use the blog to create more intrigue, e.g. dropping foreshadowing hints and such, inner monologue like "He doesn't know it yet, but I'm pregnant," etc, and that in turn would get more viewers and more consistent viewership. With soap operas, a viewer can skip a few episodes and still catch up quickly. If I were on the writing and/or advertising team, I would go after that new generation of viewers that are on-line longer than they watch TV.

I tuned into Steve Garfield's live feed the other day - I followed his Tweet to a conference he was at - and the social media experts were mentioning examples of artists and filmmakers who had made work available "for free" on-line; instead of this devaluing their work, prices for it actually went up. In the new media market, the old adages about "giving it away" aren't relevant in today's world.

I wish storytelling media outlets like the major networks would hire more writers (with a technical bent, like me!) to write Tweets, character blogs, and other immersive new media. Perhaps the job title could be "Staff Internet Writer" and the writer's sole duty would be to keep up the on-line presence of the character in order to enhance the story experience. When will the stodgy old boardroom members wake up?

Re: Immersive Entertainment, New Media, and Storytelling

PurpleCar — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 13:56:36 -0000

Hey Michael, thanks for commenting! your points reminded me of what it is really like on the business side of things: very conservative, not experimental. It will be a while for statistics to be gathered or even identified, before the old fogies spend their hard-stolen dollars on a $30,000/year position like Internet Writer. It's a shame, though, because the shelf-life on the "immersion' storytelling fun is short, and they are gonna miss it.

Re: Writing prompts and memes

PurpleCar — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 21:22:16 -0000

Rick, thanks for the Monday link. I went to your site and it seems like you tag it: MMWUC.

I guess my bookshelf too messy to pass as a stock photo, huh?

Thanks for stopping by and I'll definitely stop in on Mondays! Oh, and don't forget - let's find each other on the NANO front, too. Always good to Nano with other crazy-minded writers.

-Christine PurpleCar

Re: Writing prompts and memes

PurpleCar — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 14:47:06 -0000

OH! and I started my own meme, using my knowledge of personality/developmental psychology: Wacko Wednesdays! Come check it out.

Re: Viddler Tee

PurpleCar — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 19:51:59 -0000

YAY! Chuck is here! Thanks Chuck!

I edited it and make the thumbnail a link to a bigger pic, how's that? Now my boobs will look HUGE... but wait, that may be your point, huh? Duh. Can you tell I have blond roots?

-PC

Re: Writing prompts and memes

PurpleCar — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 11:28:51 -0000

Anonymom,

Thanks for coming! I love your meme. Maybe when I get a chance, I can do it! What I mean by my writing only going toward something, I mean I do my practicing in the context or plot I already have. That way, if any gems show up, I can gather them and use them, and I'm one step closer to finishing. I don't just write for practice randomly, because it can be a distraction away from facing the fear of failing (or succeeding) at a novel or other piece. It's like a block-fighter for me.

What do you think?

-PC

Re: Wacko Wednesdays!

PurpleCar — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 15:30:36 -0000

Been searching around the web for fiction memes, found Fiction Fridays here:
http://www.take2max.com/wri...

and take2max is a NANOer! Awesome!

Will post more as I find them, then eventually I will make a blogroll. If you have any writing memes (especially if they are weekly) please comment and link. Thanks!

Re: Word count: 3337

PurpleCar — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 08:35:57 -0000

Wow! That is fantastic! I like your line much better:

“If you can’t put down writing it, hopefully, readers won’t be able to put down reading it.”

A positive spin is much more inspiring!

I hear you on the wedding anniversary - family stuff during Nano is hard. But it will just help you to keep going like the creative wunderkind you are because you will use your Nano time efficiently. I wouldn't worry too much about finding more story. Just remember to look at every page and ask yourself the question, "What could be more challenging, scary, worse, inconvenient, silly, or lucky for my characters right now?" I went back and added a scary scene to a dull passage and it ended up getting me great stuff AND more word count. Don't assume that every thing you write has to move forward. You can go back to certain scenes and throw in a bear attack! Always have fun with it.

Try the dares, too. The great thing about Nano is that there are so many creative (and just a bit "off") people in one place, you won't be lacking for ideas.

Good luck! I hope to get at least 3K words done today - yesterday was a family day wash!

-PurpleCar

Re: Word count: 3337

PurpleCar — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 09:57:18 -0000

Hey Josie girl! Nice to see you! Where you at lately?

-PC

Re: Suffering for the craft

PurpleCar — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 17:09:14 -0000

You are perfect! Thanks!

Re: Nanowrimo theory not working

PurpleCar — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:38:33 -0000

NOt sure about word war, Calla. I'm sure I'd lose at this point. Living in the moment is a good clue, I'll try to do that. Perhaps I'll get some good descriptions out of it, if my characters don't have anything to say. And DCW, hurry up and sign on. Can't hurt!

Re: Nanowrimo theory not working

PurpleCar — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:05:16 -0000

Maybe! I'll keep you all uptodate. Probably mucking through shite writing is better than not getting my 50k in. Time to just give in to the Nano, huh?

Re: Elements of a Personal Brand

PurpleCar — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:06:13 -0000

Chris, I really am learning a lot from your posts.

As a person who is toying with the idea of starting a website about using technology for mind development, personal branding is interesting to me.

I'm having a hard time understanding the differences between branding a product vs. branding a person (or a person's skillset?). Can you point me where there is a discussion about this, a post of yours, or could you post on that in the future? Thanks!

Re: Loren Feldman Trashes Seesmic; Founder Loic Le Meur Takes The Bait

PurpleCar — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 13:46:03 -0000

Loren's post is obviously for entertainment purposes only. If one would like to discuss the concept of a social media site like seesmic, then one should stir up relevant questions for debate. It's important for us to discuss how we are defining and shaping community in this web2.0 world. Loic et al. have thrown a 'conversation' media idea into the mix. Why talk about the proletariat's camera quality? Is this just the elite geek trying to weed out the unworthy masses again? Also, why talk about accents? It's more helpful to talk about the new community-based building model that Loic and Johann are offering: building with users from the ground up instead of bringing users in at the very last minute.

Listen, I'm a seesmic tester/user but by no means have I imbibed the kool-aid. I'm watching and learning. We think we know coding, social networking, and media, but we don't. There is a new way to push the innovation envelope everyday. I'd rather observe and adopt what is useful for me and the world than disregard tools based on their users.

Re: Explaining Social Media

PurpleCar — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:07:10 -0000

Hey Don! I saw you in and out, I wanted to say hi! But I'm a yakker, too. Why don't you come to the meetup on Saturday? http://seesmeetphilly.pbwik...

Re: Social Media Breakfast – Philly!

PurpleCar — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 20:52:33 -0000

Hi Denis! Yes, please let me know if there are any more meets in Philly. We can keep up on Twitter too. Great to meet you.

Re: The Disciplined Mind.

PurpleCar — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 20:54:44 -0000

Thanks for commenting! Just posted the next one in the series. The book is pretty interesting. I think you'll like the next one, the Synthesizing Mind.

I don't think finding a niche is boring. Nor does it have to mean it is forever. Find a niche FOR NOW, is what it should say. Your overall niche is technology. You can move around far and wide in that!

Re: The Lost Art of Conversation

PurpleCar — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:17:46 -0000

Hey! I LOVE the meetups, been to 2 so far. I'm all about real face to face connection, I agree.