I am approaching my study of internet from three major points of interest:
1) I am a Library School student, very interested in the impact digital publishing has on the library, the publishing industry, the librarian and the book.
I am curious about the future.
Is the future library going to be a museum like some predict? (1)
What is the library facing with the onslaught of digitized information?
What are library leaders doing to ensure the library remains vibrant in the future?
Do we need to make ourselves technological leaders in order to maintain a central part of society or do we keep a place "right behind the curve?"
I am concerned about the future of the library.
We are fine now but we are on shaky ground with the current teens and subsequent generations.
Interest in the library is consistency ranked the lowest among today's teens as compared to other age groups. (2)
For the library of the future to maintain its value to the tech-savvy, multi-media generations of the future, it
will need to speed up the tempo, add more noise, food and drink except in the archives( a branch that is a museum) and provide experiences in information that can't be had as effectively as at home.
Our current teens were born to technology and have accepted rapid changes of format. They don't miss vinyl records, Beta tapes, or black and white TV, and I don't think they will miss the traditional bound book.
I think they will accept the latest, greatest, and think the bound book cumbersome and antiquated.
What is the library of the future?
2) I am an author of stories and songs, wondering where and how to publish. What are the options? Is it better to try to get an agent? Should I bypass trying to get published traditionally? Are there free options on the web that I can use to achieve the same results promised by expensive publishing packages?
3) I am a future promoter wanting my author to achieve her goals. What are effective methods of promotion on the web? Is it possible to bring an unknown author to the attention of the reading public without support from paid alliances with internet giants? My author has had a hap-hazard history with spotty promotion attempts before losing interest. To be an effective marketer, I need a systematic, well planned approach, taking stock of what works and what doesn't.
For a more complete listing, see Bibliography page in sidebar
1) Weiss, Laura. "Buildings, books, and bytes: Libraries and communities in the digital age." APLIS 10, no. 3: 163, 1997. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed July 1, 2011).
2) Borawski, C. "Beyond the Book: Literacy in the Digital Age." Children & Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children 7, no. 3: 53-54, 2009. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed July 1, 2011).
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Dr. Hersberger & Dr. Carmichael, LIS UNC-G (My favorite professors) & Me
Despite my trepidation, my decision to go to graduate school for Library and Information Studies at University of North Carolina, has been a positive, quietly life-changing, experience.
I was lucky enough to begin my continued education in Fall 2011, with what I call the Dream-Team, Dr. Hersberger and Dr. Carmichael, for two required courses, Intro to Library, and Research. I don't think I would have realized that Library School was the right place for me if I had started my coursework with any two other classes or professors.
I started Library School, beaten down and unsure.
Was I worth going into debt to go to school when I never even used my undergrad degree professionally?
While I raised three children successfully, and have had brushes with fame as a performing singer-songwriter, I have never been able to fit into the confines of a responsible job, preferring what I call Gypsy Jobs, such as waiting tables, and cleaning houses, living on the edge with my mind free, rolling with the roller coaster of bi-polarism, and putting the roundy rounds of a.d.d. to use.
Any responsibility besides my dedication to my children felt like an unbearable anchor on my shoulders, one I couldn't bear.
I taught 5th grade from Dec. to May in the early 90's and never went back. I was a star when I did my coursework for being a teacher, but the real job did not translate.
I felt hopelessly overwhelmed.
I lacked the air of authority and matter-of-factness crucial to a successful teacher.
I wanted to mother the children like my own and take them on learning adventures (!) but it was impossible.
Teaching and mothering, it turned out, were very different, something I had not realized while in school. First and foremost, a teacher has to have total control over his/her classroom to even begin to teach.
I realized the time and dedication it would take to become what I considered to be a good teacher was more than I could promise. I'd rather be a good mother/bum than a good teacher/frantic, overwhelmed, burnt-out-on-children-mother.
It looked absurd, even to me, paying my college loans with my waitress tips, and dancing on the edge of poverty with three children, but there you have it.
It is all I could do.
I could only function when my mind and expectations were my own in a job that was easy to find and easy to leave, and flexible enough to always be available for my childrens' special events.
I preferred renting our houses because if you have "nothing," you have nothing to lose.
I preferred putting my worst foot forward, flying under the radar and being invisible, for it gives you miles of freedom in your head.
I refused ceilings as man-made, replacing ceilings with sky. There I found vaulting freedom.
So....am I worth going into debt to go to Library School when I never even used my undergrad degree professionally? Will I do the same thing? Love the school part and hate the real job?
Fortunately, I had Dr. Hersberger and Dr. Carmichael in my first semester, both amazing, inspiring teachers.
The comaraderie I feel and the friendships I've made with my classmates are due to Dr. Hersberger's thought-provoking, but fun, interactive games. She's quietly powerful, academic and warm and can turn your world inside out and upside down. ( See my 6/17/2011 post: "My advisor is Dr. Julia Hersberger-Professor of Library and Information Studies at UNC-G" for more.)
Dr. Carmichael is an amazing spirit, a master storyteller, open, self-deprecating, warm and encouranging, as he twirls his long mustache. He turned research into magic, empowering and challenging us to embark on a journey of locating information, wherever it lives. I would love to read his autobiography!
Compiling my first bibliography about the bacteriophage was extremely gratifying. Despite some of my limitations, I proved to myself that I was capable of understanding very difficult text, out of my field, and explain it back in a clear and concise way.
On Tuesday Dr. Hersberger would rock my world, and I learned what it means: "The more you learn, the less you know" as we tried to apply definitions to what we thought were the simplest of words, like library, information, knowledge.
On Wednesday Dr. Carmichael says things out of the blue, like: "If any of you doubts your ability, or right to be here, I'm here to tell you that you're fine." I think Dr. Carmichael is a mind reader in addition to his other gifts. Dr. Hersberger has that same mysterious ability to talk to everyone and make it feel like they are talking directly to me.
"When the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear."
Hsin Hsin Ming
I was lucky enough to begin my continued education in Fall 2011, with what I call the Dream-Team, Dr. Hersberger and Dr. Carmichael, for two required courses, Intro to Library, and Research. I don't think I would have realized that Library School was the right place for me if I had started my coursework with any two other classes or professors.
I started Library School, beaten down and unsure.
Was I worth going into debt to go to school when I never even used my undergrad degree professionally?
While I raised three children successfully, and have had brushes with fame as a performing singer-songwriter, I have never been able to fit into the confines of a responsible job, preferring what I call Gypsy Jobs, such as waiting tables, and cleaning houses, living on the edge with my mind free, rolling with the roller coaster of bi-polarism, and putting the roundy rounds of a.d.d. to use.
Any responsibility besides my dedication to my children felt like an unbearable anchor on my shoulders, one I couldn't bear.
I taught 5th grade from Dec. to May in the early 90's and never went back. I was a star when I did my coursework for being a teacher, but the real job did not translate.
I felt hopelessly overwhelmed.
I lacked the air of authority and matter-of-factness crucial to a successful teacher.
I wanted to mother the children like my own and take them on learning adventures (!) but it was impossible.
Teaching and mothering, it turned out, were very different, something I had not realized while in school. First and foremost, a teacher has to have total control over his/her classroom to even begin to teach.
I realized the time and dedication it would take to become what I considered to be a good teacher was more than I could promise. I'd rather be a good mother/bum than a good teacher/frantic, overwhelmed, burnt-out-on-children-mother.
It looked absurd, even to me, paying my college loans with my waitress tips, and dancing on the edge of poverty with three children, but there you have it.
It is all I could do.
I could only function when my mind and expectations were my own in a job that was easy to find and easy to leave, and flexible enough to always be available for my childrens' special events.
I preferred renting our houses because if you have "nothing," you have nothing to lose.
I preferred putting my worst foot forward, flying under the radar and being invisible, for it gives you miles of freedom in your head.
I refused ceilings as man-made, replacing ceilings with sky. There I found vaulting freedom.
So....am I worth going into debt to go to Library School when I never even used my undergrad degree professionally? Will I do the same thing? Love the school part and hate the real job?
Fortunately, I had Dr. Hersberger and Dr. Carmichael in my first semester, both amazing, inspiring teachers.
The comaraderie I feel and the friendships I've made with my classmates are due to Dr. Hersberger's thought-provoking, but fun, interactive games. She's quietly powerful, academic and warm and can turn your world inside out and upside down. ( See my 6/17/2011 post: "My advisor is Dr. Julia Hersberger-Professor of Library and Information Studies at UNC-G" for more.)
Dr. Carmichael is an amazing spirit, a master storyteller, open, self-deprecating, warm and encouranging, as he twirls his long mustache. He turned research into magic, empowering and challenging us to embark on a journey of locating information, wherever it lives. I would love to read his autobiography!
Compiling my first bibliography about the bacteriophage was extremely gratifying. Despite some of my limitations, I proved to myself that I was capable of understanding very difficult text, out of my field, and explain it back in a clear and concise way.
On Tuesday Dr. Hersberger would rock my world, and I learned what it means: "The more you learn, the less you know" as we tried to apply definitions to what we thought were the simplest of words, like library, information, knowledge.
On Wednesday Dr. Carmichael says things out of the blue, like: "If any of you doubts your ability, or right to be here, I'm here to tell you that you're fine." I think Dr. Carmichael is a mind reader in addition to his other gifts. Dr. Hersberger has that same mysterious ability to talk to everyone and make it feel like they are talking directly to me.
"When the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear."
Hsin Hsin Ming
Friday, July 1, 2011
Tips for Marketing and Promotion on the Net
To promote your book on-line, you need to present yourself to potential readers. If you want potential readers to visit you, you must have a "place" for them to come. This is done by establishing a web presence by keeping an active blog or website. Search engines, like Google, are attracted to activity, trolling sites for keywords. The keywords used to describe your blog must match the content of your blog, which the search engine determines by scanning the pages for keywords and related terms.
The more links you have to other sites, the more you will be detected by the search engines. Reciprocal links are the best. Try to get other sites to link with you. Some publishing sites suggest joining discussion or special interest groups on-line, or twitter and tweet, to be able to link with other sites.
There are free sites where you can "feed" the search engines, and there are free sitemeters that track your site's activity. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the goal, and there are many articles on how to achieve this, as well as people you can pay to optimize your site for you. Search engine optimization relies on keywords which should appear in your page titles, your URL, headings and alt tags.
This site feeds your URL into a multitude of search engines for free:
http://www.addme.com/
This site offers a free appraisal of the speed of your website, simply by providing your URL:
http://www.websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/
Blogger.com offers a way to monetize a blog site with ads related to the keywords which could potentially drive traffic to a site. A custom search engine is also available. If a custom search is included, a successful blog or website can lead to a liason with an advertizing sponsor who is looking for places to advertise. I have been debating whether to add Google Adsense and the custom search engine to my site. Other than cluttering up my site, it could mean more traffic, and more potential to sell books later. The ads might prove interesting to my study of internet publishing as Google promises the ads will relate to the subject matter of the blog.
This is information about Adsense provided by Google:
https://www.google.com/adsense/www/en_US/afs/
The more links you have to other sites, the more you will be detected by the search engines. Reciprocal links are the best. Try to get other sites to link with you. Some publishing sites suggest joining discussion or special interest groups on-line, or twitter and tweet, to be able to link with other sites.
There are free sites where you can "feed" the search engines, and there are free sitemeters that track your site's activity. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the goal, and there are many articles on how to achieve this, as well as people you can pay to optimize your site for you. Search engine optimization relies on keywords which should appear in your page titles, your URL, headings and alt tags.
This site feeds your URL into a multitude of search engines for free:
http://www.addme.com/
This site offers a free appraisal of the speed of your website, simply by providing your URL:
http://www.websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze/
Blogger.com offers a way to monetize a blog site with ads related to the keywords which could potentially drive traffic to a site. A custom search engine is also available. If a custom search is included, a successful blog or website can lead to a liason with an advertizing sponsor who is looking for places to advertise. I have been debating whether to add Google Adsense and the custom search engine to my site. Other than cluttering up my site, it could mean more traffic, and more potential to sell books later. The ads might prove interesting to my study of internet publishing as Google promises the ads will relate to the subject matter of the blog.
This is information about Adsense provided by Google:
https://www.google.com/adsense/www/en_US/afs/
Lost in Cyber Space
Publishing a book on the internet does not guarantee an audience. I did nothing to promote my self-published books on the internet and, as a result, I never sold any except to myself. I planned to sell my book Hip and Broke: A Songwriter's Journey at my shows, but if my intention had been to sell books on-line, I would have needed to invest major time and energy in marketing and promotion to not be lost in cyberspace like I was.
Every internet publishing site includes free tips on marketing, and offers packages with various levels of promotion included for varying fees.
I don't know yet if the marketing features offered by Amazon and other internet publishers can be replicated by the Do-It-Your-Self-er. There could be advantages for paying for promotion if the publishing site drives traffic to your website.
Driving traffic to your website is crucial for creating an internet presence from which books can be sold.
Every internet publishing site includes free tips on marketing, and offers packages with various levels of promotion included for varying fees.
I don't know yet if the marketing features offered by Amazon and other internet publishers can be replicated by the Do-It-Your-Self-er. There could be advantages for paying for promotion if the publishing site drives traffic to your website.
Driving traffic to your website is crucial for creating an internet presence from which books can be sold.
E-books &/or Print On Demand Publishing
The world of internet publishing includes digital copies of books in and out of print, books that are only found in digital form, and digital works that can be printed in book form according to demand, called Print-On-Demand or POD publishing. Publishing music and other translatable mediums is also possible on the internet, with opportunities for self-publishing and promotion.
The sites that publish E-books vary greatly. I self-published two books using Do-It-Yourself sites: Cafe Press and Lulu. At these sites, it is possible to design your book cover to cover, following specific guidelines for formatting (Adobe PDF files were required). There is no up-front fee and I was able to hold a paperback copy of my book in my hands for roughly $7.00 a book with the option to order one or thousands, the price decreasing as the quantity increases.
Cafe Press no longer publishes books, but Lulu is still active. Like other self-publishing sites, Lulu offers design and promotion packages with varied features in addition to do-it-yourself directions.
http://www.lulu.com/
While I succeeded in my goal to hold one of my books in my hands, I never sold any except to myself, even with the free bar code I obtained through Lulu. For a self-publishing author to actually sell books to the public is a trickier row to hoe.
The sites that publish E-books vary greatly. I self-published two books using Do-It-Yourself sites: Cafe Press and Lulu. At these sites, it is possible to design your book cover to cover, following specific guidelines for formatting (Adobe PDF files were required). There is no up-front fee and I was able to hold a paperback copy of my book in my hands for roughly $7.00 a book with the option to order one or thousands, the price decreasing as the quantity increases.
Cafe Press no longer publishes books, but Lulu is still active. Like other self-publishing sites, Lulu offers design and promotion packages with varied features in addition to do-it-yourself directions.
http://www.lulu.com/
While I succeeded in my goal to hold one of my books in my hands, I never sold any except to myself, even with the free bar code I obtained through Lulu. For a self-publishing author to actually sell books to the public is a trickier row to hoe.
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