Stuck in the Web

I learned from several speakers at the different conferences I’ve attended, to not try to be everywhere on the internet at once. This follows the Manage Your Time rule (see Focus blog).

Rather than doing everything, select a couple of places you feel comfortable with and are easy to use.

I choose a website and an Instagram account.

www.tamicasias.com needs an update, so I’m working on it now. It’s been around for about six years, but not really used (by me or many readers). I haven’t promoted it, and I haven’t updated it in a long time. It was basically a vintage store selling old content.

I had to think about what I wanted my website to be. I want it to show where I am (and where I want to be) as a writer. I want to offer tips and links for other writers going through the same process. And yes, I wouldn’t mind if I sold a book now and then.

But I am not a technical wizard. Thankfully, my neighbor and friend Stacy is. With a picture of margaritas and a promise to help paint her kitchen cabinets, she helped guide me through the upgrade from Squarespace 7.0 to 7.1. The new templates offered a fresh face I’m excited to promote. If you don’t have a talented friend like I do, it’s worth the money to get some help to do it right. Your website is your store. It’s selling you. Make it bright and clean.

Instagram (My Affair with Mickey and Our Daily Dragon) has been a kick. I find it easy to use and it links well inside Squarespace. For my Instagram pages I’ve decided to post photos related to the stories I tell, versus always posting about my books. It’s more interesting for my readers, and me. It’s not really selling books, but it is bringing people together with common interests (see Build a Network section of Focusing In blog).

There’s lots of work ahead, but I’m happy with the progress.