Ahem…(clears throat) Attention, readers! I hereby call to order the first meeting of what I like to refer as “Internet Junkies Anonymous.” Kindly place your cellular devices, iPads, tablets and other media devices down as we come together to talk about our favorite pastime, surfing the net.
Okay, okay…so this post isn’t really about gathering together to overcome our love of the Internet. Far from it! It’s about sharing the love! I freely admit I’m an Internet junkie– –more specifically, a social media junkie. And that’s okay. The first step to recovery is admitting you have an addiction, yes?
When Larissa asked me to write a guest post about how the Internet affects my daily life, especially with regard to social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook etc. I’ll admit I had a mini panic attack. What in God’s name would I write? Um…hi, my name is Lisa and I spend way too much time on Twitter and Facebook? Or maybe “Pssst…my screen name is Netjunkie. Drop me a line sometime.” The first seems a bit sad, the latter, desperate. And no, lol, my screen name isn’t Netjunkie!
Truth is, although social media outlets can be a huge time suck, they are also invaluable tools. They allow us to connect with one another in a way we were never able to before. Shoot, I remember getting my first pager when I was just out of high school and thinking it was the coolest thing in the world. People could beep me when I wasn’t home and I’d know to call them. Wow! What a novel idea. And my first cell phone? The thing was huge! I didn’t care, though. That big, damn phone let me connect with others when I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to, and I was beyond thankful for it.
Flash forward a great many years (ahem, I’m sooo not divulging my age). Cell phones now fit in the palm of our hands and we have outlets like Facebook and Twitter where we can chat with people, look at pictures and share instant message conversations in real time with people living on the other side of the planet. Wicked cool!
My two favorite mediums are Facebook and Twitter. I’d set up a FB account prior to becoming published, and find it’s great for connecting with people on a casual level. Yes, I do have an “author page” but for the most part, I use FB to connect with my closest peeps, and share cheer pics and video (I’ve got three daughters in All star cheerleading). Twitter, on the other hand, has been invaluable to me as far as meeting new people and networking my “author brand.” I didn’t know a soul when I came onto the Twitter scene and honestly felt a bit like a guppy in a shark tank. Would people talk to me? What if no one liked my Tweets? God, how do I fit what I want to say into 140 characters? It took a bit of patience on my part to get the swing of it, but once I did, whoa baby, I was a lean, mean, tweetin’ machine!
Going back to what I said earlier about social media being a time suck, as an author, and a busy mother of three, I find I need to limit my time spent on the net. Gasp! It’s too easy to get caught up in the massive amounts of free information thrown my way. While it’s important for me to connect with both my readers and my friends, If I’m not careful, I can waste an entire morning sitting in front of the computer. That’s never a good thing.
Books don’t write themselves! Balance is key, or as my mother always said “everything in moderation.”
My best advice to readers, authors, and really, anyone surfing the net, is to exercise restraint. Budget your time. Chat on FB, hop on Twitter and Google to your heart’s content, but limit the amount of time you spend doing so. Maybe set aside thirty minutes in the morning for reading blogs or sending out tweets. If that’s not enough time (I require more than that myself) then set aside another small chunk of time later in the day. Allotting time for surfing the net and social media will help you keep up with your goals and prevent you from suffering “Internet Remorse” later on. Good luck!
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Cool giveaway!! looking forward to reading them
wonderful interview. ive never read anything by her but i want to now :)
Looks like some awesome books. I agree with the being an internet junkie especially at work when I don't have a lot to do.
Oh these books look great. Thanks for the wonderful interview
great interview
Great post. I am a netjunkie too. It's very hard to withdraw from social networking and then I find when I add up my words for the day, not enough are spent on novel writing. Allotting time seems like a good idea.
Thanks for the giveaway!
And I am with Alice- I cannot wait to read these books!
;)
Thanks for the advice because I could never live without my fb or twitter. The books sound awesome and thanks for the giveaway.
I was dragged to FB, but I was on Twitter before it became cool. ;)
Great giveaway!
Thanks for hosting!
I just can't get into twitter - I am starting to use Facebook, but not much.
I forgot -
+5 GFC follower
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total = +6
bevsharp@desch.org
Okay - one more post - didn't realize until after I filled out the form that the extra entries were on the form too! Thanks for hosting!
I'm a total social media addict. I love Facebook!! They do affect my college work though, so when the time comes for me to study, I tend to shut down my computer. :/ Anyway, your books sound awesome!
I'm definitely addicted to social media. Constantly check FB and Twitter. Although, Twitter is much newer.
Those books seemes cool, and I love you for having international giveaways! haha :D
These sound promising!
Great post and I totally agree with you, people must exercise restraint. It's why I avoid playing any games on Facebook because i see so many people get addicted to them.
Great contest. I have been wanting to read these for a little while now.
sounds good. Thanks for the giveaway
Great post and good advice. I have to admit I am a total internet junkie and have had to learn to budget time better. Take a little practice but can totally be done.
Cool contest! These look great.
I spend way too much time on the computer! It seems as if I'm on FB or Goodreads all the time LOL!
rootml1@hotmail.com
Cool contest :)
"If I’m not careful, I can waste an entire morning sitting in front of the computer."
I experience the same problem :))
I,too, find myself torn between being on computer and doing things I need to do. It is tough to balance sometimes.
I don't know the author yet, but hope this will change soon *fingers crossed*!
I'm on the internet a lot, but it's part of what I do. Sooo, I have an excuse to be on longer than others. haha I've had my eye on these forever and always love me some Omnific work!
Thanks for the giveaway. Please enter me in contest. I can't wait to read the books. Tore923@aol.com
Thanks for the giveaway. Please enter me in contest. I can't wait to read the books. Tore923@aol.com
I'm so glad to know I'm not the only writer who has trouble finding the balance between writing time, family time and internet time. I spend way too much time on both Twitter and Facebook.
I hope I win your books, nothing beats a good romance on a still chilly night, and yours sound wonderful.
Great topic, I have been trying to find a way to schedule my time on the net but I haven't succeeded yet.
Thanks for the post and giveaway! I'd be interest in reading the book :)
chibipooh(at)gmail(dot)com
I am such an internet junkie! Love the covers of these books!
adsanders77 at gmail dot com
Oops! Forgot to put this in my other comment.
GFC follower, Good Reads, Facebook--Angela Sanders
twitter follower @adsanders77
Thanks!
adsanders77 at gmail dot com
Great post.Thanks for the chance to win.
Nice post! Really love the cover art for the books. Adding them to my TBR list as we speak.
I've been an internet junkie since it was invented. Can't live without it.
I limit my internet time to meal time. Right now I am enjoying coffee oatmeal & my laptop. Amazingly I have never spilt anything on the laptop. Although I have probably just set the events of losing a laptop into motion.
Great giveaway! I can totally relate to the time suckage at the computer--it's hard to tear myself away and buckle down to work.
Thank you so much Lisa Sanchez for the great post. Thanks especially for the advice. I need to manage my time better between reading and internet surfing. It is insane how you lose track of time when you could have sworn it was just a few minutes on the web LOL! Thank you and Larissa again. Great giveaway, can't wait :)
thanks for the international giveway!!
i'm glad i'm not a person who's addicted to the internet. lol, i made a fb account, but i rarely go on it :)
Oh how I remember the first cell phones! They were like bricks compared to the ones now... and I too can spend WAY to much time online...then wonder where the day went!
'huge time suck' l so so agree!!
That is very true, it is! But it is also great fun to spend hours on it ;)
I agree with you that although social media is a massive time suck, it is also the single most important tool in my writing arsenal. I don't know that I would have ever been able to get my novel written and published without Twitter. People always look at me funny when I say that, but it's true.
Thanks for another great giveaway; & in ebook format too! *keeping fingers crossed*
love the covers thanks for the giveaway!
I actually had a professor who was surprised that I use the internet every day. I'm sure it doesn't sound like a big deal to her, but it's how my sis and I keep in touch and chat every evening.
Great post! Internet junkies, surf on!