MySpace Musings

So I've had my new, improved MySpace page for about a month now, and I just thought I'd share what I've learned so far....

Things I like about MySpace:

1) I can now say I'm friends with Meg Cabot, George Takei, Alice in Chains, and the Police without lying.

2) Fun little web gadgets, like the one I found that shows all of my book covers twirling about in a happy little circle.

3) Reconnecting with people who probably think I've fallen off the planet, like my old college buddy Scott, or fabulous Intrigue author Dana Marton, whom I've been meaning to email forever.

4) Sparkly graphics. Pretty colors. Ooooooooh.

5) Filling out the profile information. Despite the fact that I always make myself sound like a crashing bore in profiles or surveys, I luuuuuuurve filling them out. I can't even resist those warranty cards that come with small electronics (though yes, I know better than to mail them!)

Things I hate about MySpace:

1) People who friend me just so they can electronically pelt me with bulletins about their e-book. People! I hate e-books--and I mean the format, not the content. I stare at a computer screen all day and for much of the night when I have a book due. The last thing I want to do is curl up in bed with my laptop and read on it, too. For one thing, it's hot, which sucks when it's approaching 100 degrees outside. And not so cuddly. And I can't stuff it in my purse and take it with me to the dentist or the waiting room at the DMV when I need to renew my license. Yeah, I know, I can get an e-reader, but I'm cheap. And I like paper. (Although book publishers really ought to get their green thing on and start printing more books on recycled paper, or at least paper from sustainably managed forests. Because the rainforest is shrinking, global warming is serious, and we all need to do our part. That is all.)

2) That giant sucking sound I hear in my head when I've spent more than an hour fussing with my page layout. (Sparkly graphics. Pretty colors. Oooooh.)

3) That Alana Davis won't friend me back. I LOVE YOU, ALANA DAVIS! WHY WON'T YOU BE MY FRIEND! WHY? WHY, GOD, WHY?*

4) Spam comments. Spam sucks.

5) Friend envy. It totally is not a measure of one's worth as a human being if one does not have 600 friends on MySpace. Although maybe if my books stayed on the shelves longer....

* I'm totally kidding about the Alana Davis thing. I was a tad miffed that she apparently has judged my devotion as a fan by my book cover and apparently found me lacking, ergo my MySpace friend request to her has been pending for about three weeks now. But you know, bridge, over it. I'm still cool enough for Andy, Stewart, and Sting, as well as Alice in Chains, so IN YOUR FACE, Alana Davis.