'We should read...

by tosca on Tuesday, November 9, 2010

...to give our souls a chance to luxuriate.'

~ Henry Miller

Holy kranglebags, Batman, you're late with your Monday post! Yes, yes I am and I make no apologies for it whatsoever :) It's Tuesday but I'm going to blog a Monday post and you can prepare yourself for a shock. I'm going to keep it short. It's true. I am. One update about what I'm currently reading, one update about what I'm going to read and a reflection about work. Choosing two books from about roughly 20 that I'm trying to read *gulps* what a mission. My book sabbatical is over and I'm back reading with a vengeance.



Monday: On the shelf - what I'm reading
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Teen novel:Sixteen-year-old Mackie Doyle knows that he replaced a human child when he was just an infant, and when a friend's sister disappears he goes against his family's and town's deliberate denial of the problem to confront the beings that dwell under the town, tampering with human lives. -- Publisher description.

Came across a small write up about Yovanoff's 'The Replacement' and fell in like with the creepily atmospheric cover and made a purchase suggestion for it. Am only through the first chapter so far but am liking it very much. It's to do with changelings so it's a dark faerie tale. Have always been half-fascinated with the idea of changelings. Probably because I hoped that I was one because hey, what else could explain my weird family, right? Over time I've come to realise that maybe it's me that's the odd one out o_O

I'm about to start reading 'Cooking for geeks: real science, great hacks, and good food' by Jeff Potter. The basics of cooking as a part of a food hacking experiment? The synopsis caught my interest which is just as well because the cover doesn't do it for me. Remember, I'm shallow and I'm all about the pretty.

It's a truly weird time work-wise at the moment because we are now, of course, 7 regions in one city and, as is to be expected, we're all kind of feeling our way. Trying not to break things as we go. A part of that experience is forging new relationships. Another part of that is compromise. And a gosh darn huge part of it all is constant change. I keep telling myself, 'It's not the change you hate. It's the parts of it you can't control.' :)

Is it possible to be professionally informal? Or is that an oxymoron? It was recently brought to my attention how laidback I am in my work writing style whether it's for Facebook, Twitter, blogging, website, email or newsletters. I'm not much of a one for taking the safe road in social media. I'm of the opinion that if you're going to do it, there can be no half measures. I admit that sometimes I have next to no filter *guilty look* but I honestly believe that if you're going to meet customers in social media, do it in a natural voice. It is the perfect forum to be engaging, to be honest, to be enthusiastic, to provoke a reaction, to ask your customers what they want, to be controversial, to encourage your staff to explore (and be constructively critical), to be opinionated and to provide advice. I don't apologise for my style. I think that to do so is to feel that I should also apologise for our organisation having 700+ Facebook followers, 800+ Twitter followers, 300+ work blog hits a week, 1000+ book reviews on our website and honest-to-god newsletter subscribers who actually write in to tell us what they think. But I don't, however, know everything and so I'm conflicted about it. Hence the question. Is it possible to be professionally informal?

[Image taken from GoodReads.com]

2 comments

Hey dude, you are an AWESOME writer in everything you do - I hope you are not discouraged by that comment.

I am the "editor" of our Library blog and got pulled up for letting a "WTF" remain in a blog post. A couple of staff said something to my manager. I don't think I passed it by lightly, but I think an adult wrote it and adults would be reading it, so thought it would be OK. I guess not.

by Robin on November 10, 2010 at 4:54 PM. #

It was somewhat discouraging but I figure, in this somewhat crazy feeling-our-way time, it'll pan out. Hopefully LOL

Like you, I would also be inclined to leave a 'WTF' comment in. I don't particularly see it as a swear word - everyone I know says the letters out loud rather than the words they stand for o_O Now if they'd typed it out in full that'd be a whole other kettle of fish :)

by tosca on November 11, 2010 at 12:12 AM. #

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