or my last post about Twitter
I've been all over the "Interwebs" today (and most of this month) following intriguing links for books that look like tantalizing reads. Sometimes I find one I just can't resist, and I have to download it. Others I put on my "To Read" shelf in goodreads. I am loading up my browser's bookmarks with web sites of authors I want to check out, and I have a growing Twitter "To Read" list of authors as well.I am new to all this information that pours out from Twitter. It's like a constant IV drip of a powerfully addictive drug.
Truly, I am a book-a-holic. A good cover gets me almost every time, even if it's on a book I would not typically read. I could find a corner in a library or a bookstore and hide there just living on books. So, when I see all these books being tweeted at me, I nearly lose my mind.
In the effort to keep my sanity, I am going to have to cut down on reading my main twitter feed and concentrate on enjoying some of the tantalizing books. I am planning a review blog, so I have somewhere to promote authors and guide readers along on their own personal reading addictions. I am a reading enabler.
I am also a writer. One of my final lessons on this Information Gathering journey is that there is a limit to how much information and how much "people pleasing" I can handle. It would not be a good thing for me to lose myself in the twitterverse and forget who I am. I am learning how to customize Twitter for my purposes and use it as a tool instead of a "fix."
Thanksgiving is going to provide me with a welcome break. I will not have Internet where I am going. I'll be gone for 3 days and hopefully I will actually have time to just read a book. *ahem* *crosses fingers and toes*
How do you deal with the Twitter IV Drip? What's your strategy for discipline and how did you get over the novelty of the first few weeks you were on Twitter? Please leave a constructive comment below if so inclined.
I'm really surprised at how addicting Twitter is. A month ago I looked at the site and thought it was an annoying lot of gibberish. Today I tell myself, just two more minutes...really. Wish I knew how to discipline myself, but the upside is that, like you I am finding new writers and getting more books!
ReplyDeleteGive yourself some time to take it all in, and then weed your feed. That's what I am doing. I am not disciplined either yet, and I totally felt Twitter was gibberish, like you. But it sucked me in.
ReplyDeleteI am discovering it can be a really good tool if I could just learn how to manage it to my advantage. I am going to use this weekend without internet to change the habit.
Also, you can use the Nano Word Sprints and it would be totally to your writing advantage. :D @NaNoWordSprints, and you can still peek at Twitter during breaks. :)
Oh And make lists! Put your faves in private lists so you can just focus on favorite feeds rather than your timeline news feed. :) Hope that helps. And thanks so much for commenting!
Wow. Duh. I didn't even know about the lists. Good idea. Thanks
ReplyDeleteFriendly Warning: Lists are a little wonky at least in Firefox which is the browser I use. I've noted a few bugs while trying to make them. Just keep trying and you might have to edit them a couple of times to make sure they are saved the way you want them, as in private or public.
ReplyDeleteLearning curve for Twitter is surprising, but not as hard as facebook. ;) I am never going back to facebook unless dragged there kicking and screaming.