Internet Aid for Octogenarians

Kermit and Clara, becoming Internet savvy.

I just spent the weekend in Roanoke, VA, with my family. For the past few visits, my husband and I have brought our laptop with us. My parents, both in their eighties, have always looked at it curiously and somewhat suspiciously. They talk of others who spend their time on computers doing dark, mysterious things.

The last time we visited, an old family friend (well, not that old. Gotta be careful in case they read my blog) sent my folks a note, through snail mail, about her blog. My mother could no longer resist. “What’s a blog?” she asked. I explained as best as I could and showed her my own blog. I also showed her how email works.

This visit, both of my parents were very curious and asked questions. “What’s the difference between blogs and Facebook?” Good question. “What are websites?” Another good one. I went to check up on family and friends on Facebook and gave my mother a glimpse. She was hooked.

So we spent the next hour looking for anybody they could think of that might have a computer. When we found a match, we went and looked at their personal info. We checked into their neighbors and looked to see who their friends were. Good Heavens. It is a new Golden Age for the Gladys Kravitz’s of the world. I’m sure you young’uns who don’t know who Gladys Kravitz is have already Googled her. After an hour or so, and after (accidentally) finding a photo of a large naked man, my mother was done.

Now my father wants to looks up the touring schedules of those Big Bands who are still hanging together. Then, he wants to know if I can buy his special foot cream online. Sure enough.

That evening, my parents are shooting off questions like dueling machine guns to my 18-year-old twin nieces. “What’s Twitter mean?” “Is that texting?” Now they know the difference between, iTouch, iTunes, and iPod. I really don’t. They can use Twitter and Tweeting in a sentence.

Sunday morning, my husband shows my dad all about YouTube. I don’t think I have ever seen such wonder in that man’s eyes. “Can you pull up something by Glenn Miller?” “Golly.” “How about Duke Ellington?” “Golly.” “What about Tommy Dorsey?” “Look at that!” Yep. YouTube isn’t just for Coldplay fans. And yes, believe it or not, I did not know of Coldplay until this past weekend. We're all learning.

Stuck in My Own Little World, Part I

Why, oh why can't I comment on blogs?!?

I can do it when I do not have to give any information. But when I am asked to choose a profile, no matter what I do, I cannot leave a comment. I select a profile, fill in the info., then press submit. It appears as if my comment is being accepted, then, it's just gone. GONE.

So bloggers, if you see my face on your list of followers, but never receive a comment from me, you know why.

If anyone can help me out, I would sure appreciate it.

Update: After doing some Googling this morning about not being able to leave comments on certain blogs, I'm discovering that it might not be my problem after all. A few bloggers mentioned something about "embedded comments" on the blog they cannot leave messages on. However, I don't understand why some folks can leave comments, and others can't.

Has anyone had a problem leaving a comment on this blog. If so, send an email. I will try to get in touch with those bloggers who have those "embedded comments" and see if others have complained. I was going to do so yesterday to two bloggers, but they did not give any contact information. Oh well. . .

Old Dog, New Tricks?

Sweet Songs of Birds II

Chirp Chirp Tweet Tweet

I always thought that, if I make it, they will come. And it kind of worked that way at first.

I made a “product.” I took it to my gallery. The gallery sold it.

Boy things sure have changed in the last 8 years. Yes, I had my work in a local gallery. I liked them and they seemed to like me. They sold my “products”. A lot of them. Times were good. My confidence level was high.

Then I placed my work on Ebay. My Ebay business was built slowly. I tied my website to Ebay. Times were good. For me anyway. I considered my earnings growing from year to year to $6,000 was good. And it could only get better, right? I was getting more commissions. I did nothing to get these commissions, other than put the phrase, “I do commissions” on my website. It seemed so easy. Only open road ahead, right?

Things slowed. Then stopped. I involved myself in Etsy. Had a few sales from that. Had.

Now here I am, back down at the very bottom again. Say the phrase “very bottom” out loud. Cup your hands around your mouth and make it sound as if you are at the bottom of a very deep well. I did it. Chills went down my spine.

So what am I to do now? I am so behind the marketing learning curve. Sure, I blog. I write and take photos and leave comments on tons of other blogs. I got used to that and then I heard the word Twitter. I once told another blogger that the word sounded like something you got when you didn’t have quite enough money for a full lap dance. What an unattractive word. Something that a nasty little bird would do to another nasty little bird.

I have read the twitter posts (tweets?) of other artists. Seems to me it’s kind of like eating a pinch of sand for each tweet. Dry. Tasteless. I have yet to read a tweet that I give a darn about. Sorry. And by forcing others to eat my own little pinches of sand, I am going to set myself apart from the rest of the creative world and sell my work left and right?

I am now reading Social Media Marketing, an Hour a Day by Dave Evans. My husband will also read it so he can translate for me. We will see if it will help get me “out in the world.” I put that phrase into quotation marks, as I don’t feel it REALLY gets me OUT in the world. Once I give over to the internet powers that be, will I ever have the time to leave the house again? Or will I be hunched over my computer in a dark office, typing such things as,

“I’m enjoying a cup of shade-grown coffee right now.”
“I’m Neflixing for Green Acres reruns.”
“I’m doing nothing.”
“I just passed gas.”

I try to never say the word “never”, but I’ll have to say “not now” to Twitter.

Right now, I'm feeling a bit like an old dog.