Getting caught in the net

Oh my, this is a biggie. As you may know, this is a new blog...and I'm trapped in the blogosphere and don't want out. When I first "joined the net" I had to: I was working for a bookstore (fun, fun job for a writer) and we researched titles online (the order system on Ingram online wasn't up yet, boy that makes me feel old). I swore that I'd never get caught in the net. I'd just use it for bare necessities. Yeah, right. Anybody out there say the same?

I have a few luddite friends who are anti-net...and yet even some of these friends have discovered how much easier and efficient it is to trade e-mails instead of phone messages. And I know teens who spend hours every day watching youtube, and I want to shout at them, look up! get a life! (But they do this as a group activity, so maybe it's social...hm.)

Yeah, yeah, this is an old argument, with no easy answers--because there is no one single answer. And not just one question. I'm always asking myself: am I spending too much time on the net? And the answer to that question is yes--but this world is part of our world and is an excellent resource. Yeah, it wastes time but it saves time too. I place books on hold at my local library. I research markets. I keep in good touch with good friends, some of them thousands of miles away.

So, how to succeed at balancing the net? Ah--there are ways--it takes a little bit of self-reflection, a touch of planning, and a bit of creative problem solving, all of which we'll touch on in my class.

HINT: If at all possible (and sometimes, I agree, it's not, if your business is too closely tied to the internet) keep your computer off the net whilst your working on a project. Save "net time" for after creative time, it's far less important!