Where are you now?

I recently received an invitation from someone I have never met to join the social networking site WAYN, an acronym for “Where Are You Now?”

My first response is, “Who wants to know?” Next, “Who cares?”

WAYN wants to know where I am now. Foursquare wants me to check in on my mobile phone wherever I go. And Facebook wants to know my status. 

The very essence of social networking websites is to share with friends what you’re doing, watching, reading, listening to, photographing, buying, thinking, planning. Most of these friends you may never even have met face to face or not seen in years. And there are many, many flavors of social sites, just check the growing list on Wikipedia.

Yet as a nation, we are so worried about privacy that we enact the U.S. HIPAA Privacy Rule, unleashing a bureaucracy of forms to sign, virtually unread, at every medical office you visit. Thanks to HIPAA, the nursing home could only tell me an aunt’s “status had changed” instead of informing me she had passed away in her sleep. At least her privacy was safe, while I drove like a madwoman to see if I could reach her bedside in time.

Yet we have IDs and passwords and security questions and special images for dozens of websites where we conduct business, because transactions contain sensitive information we never want to share. Too bad hackers are finding ever more insidious ways to break through these barriers.

Yet our cable provider now offers a comprehensive home security system so we can watch streaming video of our home when we’re away from home and even get text and email alerts when someone comes in the door or the system is armed or disarmed.That's how closely we could be watching our home for intruders...or our family members.

And yet…and yet…we willingly give away to the world who we are, where we are, what we’re doing, both in word and visuals. So much for personal privacy.

I guess freedom really is just another word for nothing left to lose.

P.S: In the interest of full disclosure, you can follow me on this blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, or About.me.  ;-)

Write like you (should) speak

Plain English. Simple language. Conversational style. I'm all for it.

Often, this approach is called "writing like you speak" -- advice that doesn't take into account how some people talk.

One guy I know sounds like a corporate memo, even when speaking to his kids -- with planned discussions and agreements about coming to an understanding.

Another is the opposite, sounding more like a kid (OMG!) than an adult.

And others ramble on and on (and on), without any sure path toward clear meaning or interesting storytelling.

What's a writer to do? These postings have some observations and suggestions:

• Don't Write Like You Talk by Robert Warren offers several solid tips about writing in a conversational tone.
• How to Write Like You Talk by Richard Skaare has three recommendations for upgrading the quality of written conversations.
• Miss Lola writes like she speaks and says, "both are lacking discipline."

Here's what I suggest if your speaking or writing style are somewhat suspect: Write like other people talk -- people you find interesting, persuasive, easy to understand. If you copy their effective communication styles long enough, you will surely end up creating one that's distinctly your own.

And when that happens, I want to hear all about it.

Peace out.

Is it still August?

It's only 11 days into August -- barely one-third through the month -- and already I feel rushed into September and October.

It's always like this. I work on projects with deadlines that draw me into the future.

This forward thinking is so much a part of my life that I find it difficult to stay present in the present.

And, really, how can anyone take it one day at a time when back-to-school sales beckon and previews of the fall TV lineup are sprinkled into daily programming?

I went to the Internet for answers, as I do for most things. Among all the workshops and DVDs and books on offer were several sites with rational (or only slightly strange) advice. Here are a few to get you (and me) started:

• Work Happy Now!: 4 Tips to Help You Stay Happy, Present and Productive at Work
  
• The Positivity Blog: 8 Ways to Return to the Present Moment
• HowToDoThings: How to Stay in the Present Moment
• PositivelyPresent: 5 Ways to Stay Present in Challenging Times

A short search and many tips later, I've come to the conclusion that I'm not alone is my inability to focus on today, everyday.

One bit of advice I can surely remember -- probably because my yoga instructor repeats it every class -- is to take a deep breath...and then let it all go. 

More books please

I've been looking for good books this summer. Some I read on my Kindle, others in hardcover or paperback. The format matters little; it's the content that keeps me reading.

Still, there are a few things about books that e-readers can't match:

1. You don't have to turn them off for take-off and landing in airplanes.

2. Gather enough of them together and they fill bookshelves in colorful ways.

3. They can be decorative items in and of themselves, left open on a coffee table or used in a short stack under a plant or lamp.

4. They hold down the corners of beach towels, and the sand won't gum up their works.

5. You can read them in the bathtub, and the water won't fry any electronics. (Soggy pages eventually dry out.)

6. They can steady a wobbly table by adding length to a short leg.

7. Books are readily available from stores, libraries, friends, flea markets, and sidewalk sales.


8. They're easy to lend and give as gifts.

9. There are many informal book exchanges (at B&Bs, vacation homes, club houses, community centers).

10. They can be signed by the author.

And so on and so on.

I'm sure there are similar lists for digital books and even specific e-readers.

For those who love to read, it doesn't have to be either/or. It's nice that it can be either/more.