In Deep Smit– 10/17/08

It’s Friday again. And this week I have a secret love. I didn’t want to let this happen, but you can’t fight a tidal wave.

This week, I am deeply smitten with Facebook.

Since I began trying to publish my novel, I’ve done the recommended steps to make myself a desirable client. I’ve worked to build my blog readership and have dramatically improved my SEO results. If you search for H. L. Dyer, hldyer, or the name of my novel, The Edge of Memory, you can easily find me now.

But if you search for Heather Dyer, I won’t come up as quickly. This is because there happens to be a fabulous children’s author with the same name. Oh, for my college and med school days, when googling my name would bring up only hits about my poetry…

In hopes of boosting myself a smidge higher in google searches for my actual name, I finally caved and joined the social networking sites. I have been active in many online communities (both writing-related and not) for years, but I had avoided sites like Facebook for one simple reason…

I inspire weird crushes. I have no idea why this happens. Apparently, slightly nutty people are REALLY into plus-sized chicks with rosacea and buck-teeth. So I tend to avoid sites where matchmaking is among their stated purposes.

Hoping that my recent transition into the “women 35 and over” demographic might afford some protection, I swallowed my concerns and joined up. Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Rallystorm

We were supposed to have purely a business relationship… Facebook and I. I did not expect to be in deep smit, but there it is.

Thanks to Facebook, I have found three old friends from grammar school that I would never have found otherwise. I’ve also reconnected with some high school friends. I’ve gotten to learn more about a few of my test readers. I’ve chatted with some of my crit partners. My blog traffic is increasing. It’s been a whirlwind romance so far.

Yes, deep smit.

In Deep Smit: Rally Forth!!

Wow! Friday really sneaked up on me this week… I guess I got distracted by my oldness and the chain gang.

This week’s reason for jubilation is a new website which I’ve been testing for a few weeks.

It’s called Rallystorm and here’s how it works…

Basically, it’s a social networking site. In some ways similar to MySpace or Facebook.

As a Rallystorm member, you have a profile where you can include information about yourself. You can designate other users as “friends”, post comments on their profile pages, and send virtual gifts. But unlike other sites where your profile is the focus, at Rallystorm it’s just a small part of your ways to connect.

Rallystorm allows you to create and manage your own FORUMS. Your forums can be personal or public, open to anyone or invitation only.

Want to create a public forum to discuss Barack Obama or Paris Hilton or Project Runway or Knitting Techniques? Done.

Want a private forum to post pictures of your kids and talk about them with your family and friends? Sure.

Need a private site for easy group discussion by your test readers on your latest work in progress? Rallystorm can do that too.

Create a virtual Book Club. Discuss the latest breaking news. Form a Chocoholics Support Group. Pretty much anything you can think of to discuss, you can find or make a place to do it.

And it’s free!

I it!

I’m Kiddoc over there, as I am on most chat sites. So if you find your way over, make sure to say “hi”!