Thank you Elora BIA!

Wow!  We've been Facebooked!  Thank you to the Elora BIA and Terri Allan, proprietress of the incredibly elegant vintage clothing shop Sweet Trash.  Look what Terri did for us: 123 "likes"!    

I always admire the gorgeous window displays Terri creates, like this one from last October:

and it was a treat to meet her last Wednesday and talk about her business right here in downtown Elora.  If you're planning a grand social event and want something unique to wear (like for a wedding, she has quite a collection of gowns!), Terri would be delighted to match you up with just the right aged-to-perfect outfit and accessories! 

PS  And it sent our statistics through the roof!  Holy cow!!!  Thank you Terri!!

Weekly Stats Report: Mar 16 - Mar 22 2015
Project: The Flying Leap Bed Breakfast
URL: http://www.theflyingleap.com/

Summary

	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total	Avg
Pageloads	11	13	162	183	44	22	6	441	63
Unique Visits	9	8	142	168	38	21	5	391	56
First Time Visits	7	6	138	166	34	20	3	374	53
Returning Visits	2	2	4	2	4	1	2	17	2

My social media "universe"

"When not used efficiently and within an overall marketing plan, they [social media options] turn into time vampires, dementedly sucking away precious hours that otherwise could actually be spent on running your business.  The key is to use only those platforms that lead you most effectively to your end goal:  creating an emotional connection with your followers that will lead to sales." ... "What you don't want to do is stretch yourself too thin within the social media world.  It's better to go with fewer and run deep.... it's better to run two or three well, rather than miss out on opportunities through lack of an engaged and active presence."  p.80, Pinterest Power by Jason Miles and Karen Lacey. 

So the book recommends setting up your social media "universe".  Your website is at the center, your sun.  Then you place your other online sites around this sun:  your blog is close to the sun, your etsy site.  Then you place your Facebook, Pinterest, flickr, etc..., their distance to the sun indicating their importance to you.  Of course, you can change your universe, but this gives you a visual map of where you're active and, more importantly, which should have priority.  So if you've decided Pinterest is important, place it close to your sun and if Facebook is placed far from your sun don't waste your precious time poking around on there, focus on Pinterest. 

Makes sense, so I've mapped out my universe and am going to create a rough schedule to most effectively use the world wide web!

Or else your social world will become a cupcake full of maggots!  Like those in this picture, included in my "Halloween Fun" folder on my Pinterest page!

Our addiction to each other

We're addicted to the internet, to Facebook, twitter, blogging, all of it. We're uber-connected and yet have never been more isolated. So why do we spend hours on Facebook, etc..., sending our thoughts out into the web? Who do we think is reading our stuff, who cares about what we have to say? Why am I writing this, why do I feel committed to it and why does it feel good? Maybe because we crave "positive transactions": 
 
"In the 1960s, psychiatrist Eric Berne introduced a new model of psychology that he ultimately called Transactional Analysis. It has many components, but the simplest is this: Our days and nights are filled with small and large "transactions" between people. A quick hello from a friend is a small, positive transaction, while a dirty look from another driver is a negative one. A deep conversation with a lover is a large transaction — it might be positive or negative, depending on the outcome. Berne believed that people's happiness was a function of how these transactions went, and how many positive interactions a person piled up during the day. He believed that positive transactions were as important to mental health as water and food are to physical health. Chart a few days of your interactions with people, and I think you'll become convinced that Berne was onto something." --from Bob Sullivan's post at http://animaltracks.today.com/_news/2012/09/12/13825121-when-my-dog-lucky-died-i-disappeared-too

So here I am, sending my thoughts out into the great void, waiting for a positive reply to drift back and reaffirm my existence... It's kinda sad.  I think I'll go play with my Willow.  I think she's got a better handle on things than I do!

Getting in the mood...

Facebook may be good for something...  Check out this incredible Hallowe'en costume!!  The corset and all the finery were brought together by Glamtastik in New Jersey.  Thank you, Sarah, for posting this on Facebook!  And as you said, Sarah, sadly legs are not included!!!  But I'd wear it anyway!

 And then there's this lovely, atmospheric Hallowe'en dining set-up! I hope to achieve something as inviting for the Post-Mortem party (after Monster Month).  This image is also off of Facebook, visit "The Pumpkin Season - When Witches Fly" for more treats!

 

OVERLOAD!

Yes, I'm on Facebook, and I'm scared! YICKS!!! It's like being at a HUUUGGGGEEEE party and EVERYONE is talking at the same time and you don't knowwhichconversationtolistentoand yougetconfusedandtalkgibberish and hopenoonenoticeswhenyougooutsideto vomit up your frustration because frankly your brain just can't do it. Just can't. After 15 minutes I had to log out with tears in my eyes. Yuck!

I'm really a one-on-one person. Let me give you my undivided attention, I'm a great listener.