Navigating Murky Waters

When I am asked what I enjoy reading, my typical answer is, "Anything with pictures!"

First off, I "read" lots of magazines, home decor and craft books rarely ever taking in the text unless a pretty picture catches my fancy. Second - I like non-fiction. My bedside table usually has something like "Drive" by Daniel Pink or "The Social Animal" by David Brooks (see his entertaining TED talk on the same subject by clicking here) - or something having to do with creative entrepreneurship like "The Right-Brain Business Plan" by Jennifer Lee or "The Creative Entrepreneur" by Lisa Sonora Beam. As for fiction: it's either Shakespeare or Jane Austen ("Persuasion" is, by far, my favorite!) and I can only read those while speaking softly to myself in a British accent. :)

Well, this brings me to the book I'm presently loving - "The Zen of Social Media Marketing" by Shama Hyder Kabani. The reason I am loving this book is because Shama approaches Social Media like no other business guru I've read. I am only into the third chapter and am already feeling like I can maybe handle this social media stuff because I really don't "get" it. It's not the way I like to interact with friends and (since I'm trying to also market my artwork) potential customers. Facebook, for example, is a big mysterious mix of everything from weird everyday flotsam (aka. "I'm watching Glee right now!!" or "I just had corn flakes for breakfast" sorts of stuff) to the sharing of big ideas that might actually change the world. I find it completely perplexing and am striving to change that. I hope Shama can help me navigate the murky waters.

And, just so you know, I don't know Shama except from her website and the pages of this book. I am not being paid to give her the thumbs-up. I haven't even bought the book (although I might!) - I got this copy from the local library - but I hope you might check it out, anyway. How do you find your way through the Social Media maze? I would love to hear your thoughts - leave a comment and let me know :)