Let me get this right out in the open: I have to force myself to blog. It does not come at all naturally to me. Hiding in a corner (or behind a photogenic feline) and remaining invisible is my natural, introverted state.
To this day, I have no rational explanation for why I blog except for the fact that blogging is the grain of sand in my oyster - I hope to make something out of it, whether it's a little bit more facility with short essay type writing, or merely as a means of keeping me from hiding. I envy Jeffe's ease with the medium. And I am frequently annoyed with how Uneasy I am with it. :)
That said, I have been here since the doors opened. I'd lost track of the time and had no clue that I'd been here for anything approaching five years. I imagined I didn't have much to say for a group blog. Yet here I am. Still typing. And still enjoying all of the different view points and experiences of this group. Now. Do I pin a bunch of marketing hopes on blogging? Nooooooooooooo. That way lies madness. Blog because it's fun. Blog because a topic interests you. When you hire a marketing person for a book, a blog tour will undoubtedly be a part of the package - those blog posts might be a little more market-targeted and slightly less pictures of cats. Or knowing me, maybe not. But it was Jeffe who suggested I treat blogging like a conversation. I really like thinking of it that way. Even though, socially awkward as I am, I'm not that great at conversation to begin with. :D
I wish I could tell you I had mastery of any of the social media, but I don't. I do a single 'You know you're an introvert' Tweet a day, and have for the past few months. I'm having fun seeing how long it takes me to run out of introvert problems. Facebook is probably where my geeky personality comes through the strongest. Mostly, I think the only way I can survive in social media at all is to keep Jeffe's advice in mind. I must consider it a conversation - a series of jokes and shared fun with my friends - even if the circle of friends are people I haven't actually ever met.
Maybe it makes me weird(er), but it's great fun for me to make friends in the comments sections of either blogs or FB. Making friends is hard when you're a wall flower. So I blog. To make sure I don't let myself become part of the backdrop.
Yesterday's Introvert: "You know you're an introvert when even the voices in your head tell one another to shut up." #introvertproblems
