THE GRAND ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE TWEETLY NEWS FROM THE ONE AND ONLY MOST FASHIONABLE PERSON IN WONDERLAND (EXCEPT FOR THE QUEEN, OF COURSE) –THE MAD HATTER!

May 22, 2011

Friends of the Mad Hatter: Tweeter of the Week

@janewrites

Story of the Week

Hands of Time by @melissalwebb

The Mad Hatter’s Favorite Tweet of the Week

via @AdviceToWriters Good books don’t give up all their secrets at once. STEPHEN KING

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The importance of having an online presence in today’s world cannot be understated. Online searching is the way people find businesses, products, and other people. If your business or product cannot be found online, people will not buy it. Creating a static web site to provide information regarding your product will allow the general public to find you but will not necessarily persuade them to open their pocketbooks. It is important for you to engage in the conversation out there about your industry. Social media is the vehicle that will allow you to do so with other professionals and with fans and customers.

Getting started is the most difficult part, as there is so much out there, it is overwhelming. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogging, web sites, search engine optimization, mini pages, Stumble Upon, Digg, oh my! And that doesn’t even scratch the surface. So, where do you start? Over the next few weeks, I will lay out a basic plan and some resources to help you get started with building your online presence. This will not be comprehensive; however, it will give you a basic guide to help you get set up for success online.

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I have been named a Stylish Blog by Closet Writer (Thanks!), and in return, I am supposed to tell you 7 things about myself and then pass the award along to another blogger. Here are 7 things you likely do not know about me:

1. I am a Disney fanatic, especially with Winnie the Pooh. I have a giant stuffed Tigger that I hold tight and a real life Tigger, a Yorkie-Pomeranian mixed 11 lb. puppy. I am SO excited about the new Winnie the Pooh movie coming out this summer!
2. I used to be the mascot for our AAA baseball team here in New Orleans, the Zephyrs. I still moonlight as a mascot from time to time at other places as well.
3. I have 5 pets – Tigger, an Australian Shepherd named Indiana Jones (Indy), and three cats – Aurora, Fiona, and Ellie. My house is a zoo!
4. I am attending the New Kids on the Block/Backstreet Boys concert in Lafayette in June, and I’m excited about it. Embarrassing, yes, but when I was a teenager, it was cool. I promise.
5. I have mild OCD. Isn’t that natural for most writers? I have to do everything in threes: I have to kiss my husband three times before leaving in the morning, if I’m knocking on someone’s door, I must knock three times, etc. It’s a coping mechanism so that I can feel like I have control. I know this. It just makes me feel better.
6. I LOVE polka dots and the color green. I have several outfits to prove it.
7. I miss 24 and Lost desperately. I haven’t been able to find any shows good enough to replace them. There are decent shows now, but none that keep me at the edge of my seat like those two did.

And now, to announce the blogger to which I bestow the Stylish Award (drumroll please!):

Congratulations to my friend Sam Adamson @FutureNostalgic! Here is his blog: http://future-nostalgic.blogspot.com/

Hope you learned some interesting things about me!

The final set of writing advice I received at the Berries, Bridges and Books conference in Hammond, LA came from June Shaw during the afternoon Mystery/Intrigue session. June lives in Thibodaux, LA and has represented Louisiana on the board of Mystery Writers of America’s Southwest Chapter for the past two years. She has written for several periodicals, including The Writer magazine, and she writes what she likes to call humorous mysteries. Deadly Ink nominated her first book, Relative Danger, for their David Award for Best Mystery of the Year.

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