#HASH TAGS, STATUSES, UPDATES AND POSTS

Have you become obsessed with social media? Are you always posting a status, an update or a #

Do you find yourself talking in 140 characters or less. What does 140 characters look like?

In the time it takes you to read the next group of words you will have read 140 characters. Our lives are becoming short bursts of information that make our points quickly.

Those last two sentences were exactly 140 characters. The problem with this is, that our children are not able to communicate with us properly. They have lost the ability to answer in complete sentences. They have lost the ability to speak clearly on the telephone. In fact they are losing the ability to spell words correctly.

For example; have you gotten a text from your child that says. B Home Soon or I C U L (I'll see you later)

Studies have shown that more children are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD.

In my younger days no child was diagnosed with this and if a child were, their parent was the expert and knew what to do for it. It was called, 'sit down until I tell you to move" . Nowadays we are given quick information and if you have to 'think' about it, you become frustrated and give up easily. This is due to the hash tags, the update of statuses and the posts on social media. All of the things that are scrolling up the screen so quickly we don't have time to digest the information

We want everything right now, at this very second, and if we don't get it; we move on to the next one.

So I ask you, has social media taken over your life? Do you need an intervention?

My prescription is; sit down, and write a letter. Yes, a good old fashioned letter. Write it to your parents, your children or your best friend. Then put it in the mail.

Trust me, they will love a piece of mail that doesn't require payment but makes them feel good.

STILETTOS, STETSONS AND STORIES

This past weekend, I attended the +Bay to Ocean Writers Conference on the Eastern Shore and when I normally attend there is always a good time to be had.

This year I took publicity photos with +KRRaye +Dee Lawrence +DBCorey +Austin Camacho. You see we are the people that make up the MysterWrite and Book Divas tour groups.

Yes, they are boots and comfortable

It was the brainchild of Ramona and myself last year. Of course being called a Diva is what led to the name becoming Book Divas

Now on Feb. 22, we met up with other authors and I am so well know for my +stilettos that everyone wanted to see what pair I had on and I didn't disappoint as you can see on the right.

I never go anywhere without my 'brand'. I didn't set out for it to be this way but I'm glad that it is.

B. Swangin Webster, KRRaye and Dee

Now, since we are divas, we needed publicity photos, right. so we grabbed our camera's (OK, camera phones) and posed and got some really great shots. Of course we grabbed others into our photo session and we were actually able to get two of the MysterWrite tour group to take a photo with us as well. Now if you notice DB Corey has on a stetson. This is becoming his brand, his trademark. I first saw him at the +MDC3Conference last year and he wore a really nice Fedora and I commented. Well, I think you found your brand. He wasn't so sure and I said, "there isn't a lot of times that a guy can rock a hat, and you are ROCKING that hat". I guess he listened and now that is what people will begin to recognize.

Dee, DB Corey, B.Swangin, Austin, KRRaye

 We all have stories to tell about how much we enjoyed the Bay to Ocean conference and I am sure that the next time we all get together we will share them. But until them, I will continue to rock my Stilettos and DB Corey will continue to rock his Stetson.

What have you made it into your brand? What? You haven't done that yet, what are you waiting for?

As you can see, DB Corey and I are camera ready, him with his Stetson and me with my Stilettos, all of the time.