What I’m really pushing is you, I suppose, to get out there and explore YouTube. ‘Cause I’m convinced that YouTube is the face of the future in marketing and promotion. Yes, even for writers.
This morning, I read in my PWDaily about a 91-year-old grandma, Clara Cannucciari, who’s just garnered a book deal, thanks in large part to her YouTube and Facebook presence. Her grandson, Chris Cannucciari filmed her, cooking Depression-era dishes and talking about the lives and times of those difficult days. I couldn’t believe what a great job this Italian grandmother did in this segment (see her Youtube video and be amazed!). And now the grandson’s writing the book, Cooking With Clara.
I’m not very handy in the whole videocam world, but I think it’s time to quit watching and start doing. My bud, Bill Elder, who has a terrific vlog (It’s over there in my Favorite Detours), has snagged a ton of subscribers, and he’s doing some slam-up promotion for his voiceover business. I need to apply what’s left of my little gray cells and jump on that YouTube bandwagon. The sooner, the better. I ain’t getting any younger, you know.
And for those of you who thought you might be too old for Facebook (Okay, I’m including myself), I have two (or four) words: 91-year-old Clara. Stand back, grandma, I’m jumping in!
Cathy C. Hall Writes 
Cathy,Thank you for the kind shoutout! Social networks (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, DailyBooth and Myspace) require participation to be effective. That means commenting to others, rating and accepting friends. The benefits are that you’ll reach an audience beyond your traditional media and publications. And, it’s often a younger audience whose disposable income will only increase with time.
love this. i hope i dont have to wait another 45 years. just read your article on left/right brain. very interesting.
Bill, I read an interesting tidbit about how adults vs. kids use social networking…adults are more about making connections while kids are basically socializing with friends. Kinda true, huh?Shelli-Thanks! And I think you’ll be hopping on the YouTube train soon (when your YA book gets published-good luck!)
Cathy, You’re right about the adult/kids social networking. But they use all of the tools, where adults will commit to one or two sites. I encourage social networking because adults need to be very computer savvy especially when their kids are online.Bill