Facebook was just getting more and more full of silly and just not the community this place is. So I’m devoting myself to the blog and to Closed Circle, which is where I’d rather be. Jane and I came to that conclusion pretty well a month ago, but hung on because we decided to try the ad-thing, just in case it worked—it didn’t. And I think we’ve reached the conclusion here is better on a multitude of grounds.
So both of us will not be posting much over there, and I’m already feeling better about it.
Makes sense to me. More and more of my time is spent clarifying something that I thought was obvious, to someone from the 1,515 Facebook Friends. It’s frustrating, when one is taking a 5-minute break from completing a novel or an academic paper, to have people IM you via Facebook or Gmail, and, to be polite, you answer briefly, tell them where to look for the information they actually need, and then have to say: “whoops, the soup is boiling over. Got to run…”
Personally, I have never understood the appeal “Facebook” has to the people who subscribe to it. I think it’s partally a generational thing. I will admit to being older, 60 next summer. Also I am a fairly private person, I don’t want several hundred million people to know everything about me. Also from what I hear from people I know who have a “Facebook” Page, its a huge time suck, I would rather spend that time reading one of C.J.’s books. You also have to be careful of what you post about yourself. Potential employers look at “Facebook” and have denied more than one applicant a job based on what they posted about themselves. To my way of thinking, it is just not worth it.
I use Facebook to keep up with the rest of my family that are all 10,000+ miles away. It’s the only reliable way to keep up with them.
Here is the latest on Google Editions. It seems they are set to launch by the end of the year. (But my guess is that it will be delayed again – there are too many legal issues and partnership agreements to negotiate.)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704369304575632602305759466.html
“…Google Editions hopes to upend the existing e-book market by offering an open, “read anywhere” model that is different from many competitors. Users will be able to buy books directly from Google or from multiple online retailers—including independent bookstores—and add them to an online library tied to a Google account. They will be able to access their Google accounts on most devices with a Web browser, including personal computers, smartphones and tablets.
…independents will install Google technology on their websites so they can sell e-books and receive a percentage of revenue.”
If you at Closed Circle could promote your books via Google, it may be worth letting them have a percentage of the income, because of their vast reach.
It will be interesting to see the details of the scheme when it is finally launched.
Thank you all!
And, Green Wyvern, I’m watching that development with some interest. Right now the subsurface (vendor chat boards) of Amazon’s POD is full of horror stories and complaints of non-response; and Mobipocket, which they now state is their e-book arm, has queries on their board that have been pending since 2009—no kidding! and almost none current.
Amazon changes their own rules about once a month, their contract is unfindable, and based on what they’ve intentionally done to the industry, I’m already not too trusting.
And as you say, now Google—which started out by listing every book in the universe on its site and saying for writers to get our rights back we had to write them about each book and each edition (each book may have dozens, and I have well over 60 books) to opt out of this honor: no, I’m not kidding—wants to take on Amazon in a duel to the death.
And I can only think that Google execs will somehow try to get themselves paid a lot so they can make the payment on their yachts, but whether or how the writers get paid in this arrangement is one of those things they’re still working out. On the other hand, if we could use them to deal directly, it could actually be an improvement.
Have you seen the latest Amazonian issue, where they’ve apparently been scarfing freebies off of Project Gutenberg, repackaging them slightly, and putting them up as Amazon downloads for sale?
Wonderful!
Plus—apparently they were providing a site to the Wikileaks fellow. That’s just been kiboshed. How much negative news can a business take in a day?
I loathe FB with a passion, as I already said to Jane. So pleased you’ll be back here more!
I quit it awhile back for a variety of reasons, not least of which was 1) that they claim to “own” any content posted, and 2) the whole application seemed to be centered around narcissism. Of course, Tim Berners-Lee says that Social Networks are Ruining the Internet. But, ya know, who would believe that guy?
FB replaced a message board for a few of us Battlestar galactica fans, and since then I have picked up some other friends, old and new on it. It’s quite handy to keep i touch with aquaintances, but I won’t take any more “friends” if I can help it (I have 99), and I have privatised my use of it. I do have a page for my spanish house, which is supposed to help publicise it … not sure that anything has come of that though.
I visit only a few forums and blogs. I’ve never been tempted to join FaceBook or Twitter or the like. I do have Yahoo IM, but haven’t used it in ages…mostly because few and fewer friends were on or IM’ing. My only issue with blogs (versus forums) is that it isn’t as easy for a member / reader to ask a question or start a new topic that fellow members and the blog owner would find of interest, whereas a forum makes the process egalitarian. (But then, the purpose of a blog is different, after all.)
I’m sorry to hear the response to the ad on FaceBook was not good, that’s disappointing.
Google versus Kindle ebooks versus Barnes & Noble Nook ebooks versus Apple’s iBooks — It really seems like there is not yet a good solution for either the authors and booksellers or the reading and buying public. I have gravitated toward Kindle’s PC and iPhone apps, rather than buying a Kindle, and I’m avoiding getting an iPad, in hopes the next version will be better. I’ve also loaded books from Closed Circle into the iBooks on iTunes, to take with me via iPhone (i, i, i…). As a reader, there are things I’d like to be able to do that are not obvious or are unavailable as yet. (I was reading one coomputer textbook, and thought I could copy a few lines for notes and code elsewhere. But no, that is verboten.) (I can’t understand why they don’t embed the book cover art and jacket back blurb into the file, either.)
So, as an interested reader and someone who’d like to know more about how to create ebooks, the coding under the hood, I really hope we get something better than any of what is yet offered.
Also, I “miss” not having some of my favorite books and authors available yet in ebook formats. — But if it means patiently waiting for authors to do their own conversions and uploads, such as at Closed Circle, well, I can wait patiently. — Yes, CJ, any of your books I’ve read are on that wish list. 🙂 — I think I’d have a better chance of ever reading the Harry Potter books, if they were available as ebooks. (As it is, I think I’m going to try for audiobooks there.)
I’d guess that for authors right now, the best bet is to try all the major ebook vendors (Kindle, Nook, iBooks, upcoming Google, etc.) — or go indie like Closed Circle. — I would think the smart thing for the publishing houses to do would be to have a horde of techies, busily converting books into ebooks and proofing like mad, the better to get the public’s money, my dear. But they seem to be blissfully unaware or inactive, from a reader’s / buyer’s (also blissfully ignorant of the true situation) point of view.
Much glee in converting your works to ebooks, but even better wishes for y’all to have all the time needed to write new books.
I wonder how many of us would love to see you revisit this series or that novel, for a sequel. 🙂
I can see the work of converting OOP books to ebooks along with acting as a press agent will be a good part-time job in the future. A flat fee for the conversion. I really need to go back and re-read Jane’s blog about this work. You would need some sort of contract listing all work to be done, etc. Something that could be taken to court.
It was my dream to get free enough this year by writing fast to be able to get to one of the abandoned series—but alas, I was too tired, and instead of being finished in May, I was still struggling in August. Then I just—exhaustion, I think—lost my focus, and couldn’t concentrate worth a damn. I decided I needed a break, and decided then that Facebook was a major part of my stress-out: too much totally random input, while my brain needs an orderly sort of input: too many crises, and I can’t not care that I’ve been offered a pig and said no—sheesh! I’m not an ingrate!
Well, I battled my way back from that, but you’ll notice I’ve been doing a total rewrite, starting from way back, and all of a sudden, once I’d morally resolved to shut Facebook down, back comes the focus! So I’m on track again—and back with you guys, which is just comfy, and a nice break. It’s home. Your input is delightful. The agony of deciding if it’s rude to turn down a free pig for Farmville is just—strange. 😉
I am on facebook only to see what my family is doing. I don’t even play the games anymore. They’re getting lamer by the minute.
Well, a virtual pig can’t talk to spiders or other farm critters….
Or, in the more carnivorous view, a virtual pig does not make a filling BLT or Christmas ham….
If, on the third hand, (wink) the offer was for an actual real world porker, well, ya gotta feed and house that little (not so little?) swine.
In other words, don’t sweat the pig wrasslin’ decision.
Then again, the pig could always show up as a character, somehow, somewhere. There’s a long porcine, suidae tradition.
Facebook is very creepy. I wish I hadn’t let a friend badger me into joining. Now, I feel like I’ll offend people if I leave.
I found quitting easier than defriending one at a time. Now when people ask why we aren’t friends I just say I quit Facebook. I quit everyone. It’s actually easier for them to handle I think. I quit a few months ago and deleted my account and everything and I feel so much better now.
ahah, pigs – I won’t have anything to do with all those ridiculous facebook games – farmville etc. I just hide them. found very early on that I needed to keep it simple.
There have been rumors all week about the press conference at 2 pm today from NASA. It looks like it may be something truly momentous. Be there or be square – Arsenic based life!
http://gizmodo.com/5704158/
On one level, I am not surprised. I have long suspected we’d run into something of the sort. I hadn’t expected to find it in California!
You thought maybe New Jersey? 😀
😆
More info is leaking and it appears that As replaces P in the DNA backbone.
I check Facebook once a week, long enough to read updates/look at photos from my siblings. I post an update once every couple of months. Because no one messages me or posts to my wall, Facebook draws none of my attention or focus away from my daily life.
I have a Facebook account for a specific purpose; I occasionally read it (there are a couple of people whose updates I’m interested in), but otherwise, I stay away from it. Too many privacy issues, not enough signal-to-noise ratio.
Much to my surprise, I like Twitter – it’s a quick way of keeping in touch with people, sharing lives, and the character limit forces people to write creatively. For the rest, there’s LJ/DW, where you can write at length. (I just grokked short stories! I’m over the moon!) Facebook does nothing for me, and I prefer not to mix my real name with my online life anyway.
Yes, FB can become quite the time sink. Understandable that you’d need to cut back, though I must say I’ve enjoyed the consternation of at least one of my FB friends at their discovery that I’m on speaking terms with “the” CJC :D. I’d have told him sooner if I’d realized he was specifically a fan, and I’ve invited him to Shejidan. We’ll see how that turns out. If you haven’t already, you may also want to turn off the feature that echoes posts made here on FB (and have Jane do likewise for C&L)