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!!!