Remember this? A different kind of Gap now. Give me my emotions back...please.

Somewhere, someone in Denver has a fantastic read.  I, on the other hand, have lost about 4 years of my emotional life.  My husband and I recently took a trip for our 10^th anniversary - the first time we have been away on a trip like this since our wedding.  Naturally, me being an avid writer, the first things I set out for the trip were my notebook (everyday stuff, ideas for the blog, to-do lists, etc.), the novel I was currently reading, my family journal (not to be confused with the 2 I keep for my youngest children-my oldest inherits all my journals), and my dream journal - reserved for dreams only, jotted down in no particular date order.

After arriving in Denver, the one evening I took out my journal because I wanted to record two things the kids said that were cute.  Norah, my 4 year old, said to me "look at these feet Mom.  They look like the feet of a 4 year old!"  I also wrote down something awesome Pacey, my 5 year old, carefully relayed to me.  I can't recall what it was though, and now I will never get it back.   I left my journal in the hotel room somehow (even after a scan of the entire room) and it has not been returned, found, replaced, anything.  I am absolutely crushed.

There are two things that disappoint me tremendously in my life.  The first is that I will never know about my own childhood.  The funny things I said, the crazy things I did, the way I empathized with others, the awful things I did, or how I got along with my father, who died suddenly of a brain aneurysm when I was just five years old.  The second disappointment is that I didn't get to share life with my mother after I became a mother.  Like many other mothers, I had no idea what life was all about until I had kids.  Only then did I start to wonder about my experiences as a child, and more importantly wonder about my mom's experiences as my mother.  I prayed that my mom left a long letter for me when she died at the age of 58, succumbing to the ferocious pancreatic cancer.  But my mom wasn't a writer.  I once found a journal she started after I moved away from home (I was the youngest, and the last to leave).  There were 2 entries, each one sentence long.

But I am a writer.  So my gift to my children is to always keep a record of their lives.  Nothing big, nothing even consistent, but something.   I try not to put pressure on myself because I think that makes a journal less genuine, the entries not as warm and spontaneous.  Inside my lost journal are the struggles as a family that desperately misses maternal grandparents.  Inside my lost journal are my struggles to keep it together when I really wanted to just give up.  Inside my lost journal are the funny things my children said in the most formative years of their lives, the profound ways they care for each other, and the surprising ways they have cared for me when I needed it most.  Inside my lost journal are many conversations I had with my mom, if only on pen and paper.  Inside my lost journal are many "Goodnight Mom, I love you and I miss you."

Why would somebody want to keep another person's journal?  Surely you can enjoy the read and return it?  Definitely the most saddening Gap of all.

So many options!

My words will be few.  I'm exhausted from all the template changes I just made!  Colours, gadgets, feeds, other blogs, adding, fixing, swearing, doubting.... but it looks cool! 

One quickie for today.  My friend Michelle shared a very cool website with me.  I'd say it's for women primarily, there are some really neat things to see and read.  A time waster for sure, but I took away some cool ideas for my creative energy.  Site is http://pinterest.com/ .  Ok, now I take that back about being just for women.  Apparently I missed the fact that you can view by category, of which there are many!  Looks like you have to ASK to join too....nothing like creating anticipation!

Why the Gap?  To energize the creative brain cells in new ways.  This small change in my template is more rewarding than you will every know!

Surely I can't be alone.

When I think of myself as a consumer, I consider myself part of a lucrative target audience.  My kids are out of the toddler stage so I actually have some resemblance of a social life again, I am re-discovering who I am, carving out some high-quality BFF time, and I have a decent amount of disposable income.  Basically I'm no longer cocooned in my house with 3 kids under the age of five.  Plus, since I've chosen a professional career in marketing, I tend to pay dedicated attention to the 'details' in the marketplace.  I open my senses to the traditional marketing and advertising clutter that many people try hard to avoid, inviting learning and observing opportunities whenever I can.  I know you may be laughing since I have admittedly avoided the new social media world.  I'll add some clarification then to my previous statement.  I have always invited the traditional channels into my personal space.  I'm slowly expanding my invitation, albeit with a few reservations. 

What frustrates me though, is the risk I feel many companies take by dumping all their marketing eggs into one shiny new basket, and forgetting the hand woven, traditional, perfectly capable, original basket.  There's got to be many others like myself who represent a great target audience, and yet have not spent a day on Facebook or LinkedIn, or the many others that I am probably embarrassing myself by not mentioning.    I suppose if I truly wanted this blog to attract more of MY target audience, I'd have to print it and send it by mail in a beautiful greeting card.   People like me LOVE getting pretty greeting cards in the mail because they are personal, beautiful, and have the power to put me in a comfy chair with warm thoughts and a pen to return the favour to a host of deserving people.

My remaining question:  Is it ok for a company to say 'no' to social media?

Why the Gap? To find out if I am a target market of one. 

Smell the meal in the kitchen.

As my best friend so pleasantly reminded me tonight, I have already broke my commitment to blog once a week.  Funny thing is, I thought about it last night for a brief second.  Then I forgot about it.  Then I received the email, "I'm waiting..."  So even though I really want to go to bed, I am going to wind up my brain to put together something half decent. 

Let's not kid anybody, my Gap is for learning more than just social media.  I went back to avoiding social media last week and managed just swell.  Sure I missed several posts to my facebook page regarding Glee and New Girl (I have them on my tv list), but since I've lost interest in Glee (seriously, what's with the writing - one week is fantastic and the next week painful enough to turn off half way through) and didn't notice that New Girl hadn't been on (I love that new show, just been busy), I really didn't miss a golden nugget of info.  So the truth is, while I am committed to make sure I build on my talents, I am also enjoying the slower pace of life while it lasts.

For the the past year and a half, my husband and I would describe our home life as a gong show.  Both working full time, one travelling, kids scattered all around the community on various days for daycare (how many times did I turn down the wrong street, forgetting where my kids were that day), coaching for kids sports, etc, etc.  Really no different than zillions of other families out there.   It was doable, but obviously something gives, and in our case, it was my down time.  I didn't have down time.  When my husband said he was going to bed at 10:00, he went to bed at 10:00.  When I said I was going to bed early, it meant before midnight.  All that stuff needs to be done at night, or on a work lunch hour.   Longing for days at home when I could "get stuff done,"  I now have that time, and then some.  And my revelation?  Stuff never gets done. More stuff happens. (I really wanted to use a different word for 'stuff' that starts with 's' and ends with 't', but I didn't know if that was appropriate.   I suppose it could be appropriate considering I can officially say whatever I want to say, but I'm going to take the high road :)

So my Gap is also to enjoy time to smell the roses so to speak.  Or smell the REAL meal cooking in the kitchen.  Although I will admit that one frozen dinner takes up a lot less dishes than a yummy healthy one.  The other day, I did a few loads of laundry AND put it away the SAME day - now that deserves a Nobel Prize!!!

Satisfied Michelle?

Why the Gap?  Why NOT!!!

Why am I an avoider?

This past spring, I attended a social media course put on by the Canadian Marketing Association.  I'm obviously smart enough to realize the incredible impact of social media and recognize that my avoidance isn't likely going to work out in my professional favour.  After a day of discussion, I came home with some interesting insights and a book called "Six Pixels of Separation" by Mitch Joel.  I finally cracked open the book a little over a month ago but I'll admit it's going slow.  I get about a few pages done before I fall asleep at night.

Somewhere in this book (I just recently started to dog ear my book and write notes in it, now that I have this new exciting project on the go), it says that you should be part of the online community.  And it also says that you should be decisive in terms of both your expectations, and the reader's expectations.  In other words, don't start a blog and write in it twice a day only to not show up again after a few weeks hiatus.  So.....for ALL my readers (tee hee) who eagerly await my next entry......I am creating a manageable, and seemingly acceptable expectation of once a week.  Sound good?  (On a completely hilarious note, my equally social media avoiding friend thinks she signed up for my blog, but doesn't know for sure...too funny.)

Why am I an avoider?  I resent the amount of time it takes to be connected that in depth.  Sure I know a lot more about stuff, but does it all really enrich my life at the end of the day? I can barely keep up with the family and friends that I really truly love to see!  It also makes me feel a little like life is passing me by.  The next best new thing is already come and gone and replaced before I even catch wind of it!  Plus, when it comes to technology I am NOT an early adopter.  If I want to know how something techy works, I ask my husband. He loves the latest greatest gadgets.  I could care less if what I have still works.  And to partake in a large portion of social media, you need to be able to roam around freely in the tech world - at least that is my perception as an avoider.  I suppose I don't want to read the '500 page instructional manual.' I'd rather avoid it.

All that said, I am committed to using the Gap in my resume to learn about this new channel.  I can accept it for work, and am starting to enjoy a teeny bit for fun too.

Why the Gap? Learning opportunity.

CS

And I have a follower!!

A few days in and I already have my first follower!  I knew I could count on you Michelle.  You're my social media hero - not in a marketing sort of way no offence, but as a professional and a consumer sort of way.  Luckily you have known me long enough to know how big of a leap this is for me.  And on BBM tonight when I asked the question "how often does one blog?", you responded "whenever one is inspired." 

I can't tell you how giddy it felt to see my blog (I am shoulder chuckling when I write this as it sounds so absurd) posted on somebody else's with REAL people following him (not that you aren't a REAL person following me Michelle, but I have deep dark secrets hanging over your head).  And while I have recently felt that being an avid BBM user gives me some connection to the social media world, it really doesn't (does it?).  That's essential as our good old home ec classes when we were in grade eight.  After all, I'm too cheap to pay for browsing on my BB.  I can't check my LinkedIn or Facebook pages while I am at the arena or swimming lessons.  I have to wait until I get home and fight the kids for use of the desktop.  We do have a Playbook.....but I don't know how to use it yet other than to put a movie on so my kids don't drive me insane on long trips (never thought I would give in to that either).

Come to think of it, maybe social media is a lot like parenting.  My husband and I were fantastic parents before we had kids.  Then we had kids.  And things I thought I would never give into, I do if the end result is silence or mutual agreement.  So maybe as I learn to give in to social media, I will be rewarded in new and exciting ways too...like maybe an awesome next job because someone read my post and thinks I'm super cool, or free backstage tickets to a Maroon5 concert because I included them in my profile on Facebook.  I think I may be extending my arms to social media soon.  Now if I can just figure out what sort of a label I should attach to this blog now that I googled this term and know what it means.

(Hmm....I don't know if you are supposed to use trademark and copyright symbols in a blog.  I'll have to find that out!)

Step 1 - Become a Participant

I'm the type of employee that always likes to be challenged.  I go to work to learn, grow, share, and achieve.  I recently finished a 15 month contract as a Marketing Manager and eagerly looked forward to my next career jump.  With new experiences and qualifications to add to my resume, I felt that companies would be fighting over me!   In comes social media to kick the crap out of me.  I am a self confessed social media avoider, and in the world of marketing,  the two go hand in hand like coffee and a donut.

So as I contemplate my next move, I have a large task ahead of me in order to prepare for that question that will come up in an interview - "Why the gap?"

Instead of taking a $3000 course on social media, I'm taking baby steps and becoming a participant.  I wouldn't say I have jumped in yet, it still scares the heck out of me.  I'm just nibbling a little.

I've debated how best to track my newfound self guided education (remember I'll need it when a potential employer sees the gap in my resume), but since I didn't know how to blog, twitter, or....I'm sure there are more names I don't know yet, I wrote down some captured statements in my journal.  You know, with a pen, and pretty paper, and lovely poetical sayings in the corner of every page.  Some went in my regular journal, others in my 'dream' journal, and I think a few even made it into the journal I keep for my son.  All in ink. 

Then I debated whether or not I should start a word document of all my statements so that when I finally learned to blog, I could just cut and paste.  Of course several weeks went by and I just kept trying to remember this 'good stuff' for a blog.  I probably lost a few good lines just from memory loss (it is Oktoberfest after all).

So I think I can successfully say I have allowed myself to become a participant - Facebook, LinkedIn, my new found blog.... I'm on a roll.  Now I have to send this to at least 3 friends who I know will read it.  Of course it will be the most boring to look at it save for the awesome templates Google offers.  I can't figure EVERYTHING out in just one night (pictures, labels, profiles.....so much to do).

Participant.  Never thought I would get here.

CS