Monday, August 22, 2011

Creating an online "self"

For a person of my generation, I have always been rather resistant to new technology.  In high school, I was reluctant to get my first cell phone, and I elected to take a film photography course rather than one in digital.  Today, I work in an old fashioned, independent, paper book store (and am hanging on tight to my paper books!), and I adamantly use my low-tech flip phone, probably now more out of spite than anything else.

In short, I feel like I would have been the last person (who came of age in the 21st century, at least) to say that I have a blog.  And a Facebook.  And a Twitter.  And a shop on Etsy.  And that I've spent the last two days trying to figure out how to create my online "self" and reach out to the Internet in hopes that it shows me a little love in return.

Ironically, it all began when I decided I needed a distraction from the highly abstract task of emailing out resumes to dozens of job opportunities that may as well have been going into the abyss.  I wanted to do something I loved, namely using my hands to bend wire and match beads and make beautiful jewelry.  And a great forum exists online for selling my handmade jewelry--Etsy--with millions of potential consumers around the world.  The problem now is letting them know that I'm here and I make beautiful jewelry and they should look at ME!

Having blogged a bit before, and enjoying writing in general, this blog seemed like a natural place to branch out.  But then Twitter seems like a good complement for its interactivity, so then I went there.  Then comes sharing the two on any other sites I am on, and all of a sudden I'm spiraling out of control in a cyberspace web of my own personality.

So here I find myself, on the one hand doing something that millions of people are already doing every day, and on the other hand doing something that feels very unnatural (to me anyway).  I'm starting to figure out who I am as a person in real life--and still have ways to go--but now I have to create essentially from scratch my internet persona.  What do I want to tell the world in my tweets?  In my blog?  On my Facebook?  Who will listen to me?  Who will care?  And after all is said and done, will I actually sell any jewelry??

(Cue shameless plug for Etsy store.  I make nice jewelry.  Check it out here!)

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