So by now you probably have a Facebook account. And you may have even tried Twitter (and not seen the point). Or you’ve lost parts of your life you’ll never get back again in the black hole of time that is StumbleUpon. And it’s all very interesting, but not exactly … applicable.
I’m here to say two things: yes, it is applicable and no, don’t give up yet.
One of the grandes dames of social networking is the virtual world known as Second Life. I know Second Life well, as I co-authored one of the chapters in Wiley’s Official Guide to Second Life. So you could say I wrote the book (or at least part of it!) on Second Life. Yet it took me what seemed like forever to learn my way around there, and then another long period of time before I got really involved.
I’d planned to use Second Life for fun only … but before I knew it, I was a writer-in-residence and figuring out ways to organize readings and get work “out there.” Because whatever your interest is, you’ll eventually find it in a social community.
Yes, a lot of people on Twitter mention their bathtub grouting or their choice of breakfast cereals more than anyone should want to share. But if you decided not to try any activity based solely on those who use it differently than you think you would, you might not do much at all in life.
So let’s give it a try. In the next few posts I’ll give you a beginner’s tour of some of the social networking sites that writers and word-people might find of interest. Try them out; some will be a good fit, some won’t. But you’ll never know until you try! And then you’ll be … beyond the elements of style!
