Sometimes, I forget how beautiful it is where I live.
I’ve had a serious bout of insomnia lately and it’s left me feeling vaguely zombie like. Yes, there are things I want to talk about, but who has the energy?
Instead, I took photos.
You’re welcome.
Sometimes, the light hits the surrounding hills just right, and I manage to catch how it looks in the 45 seconds before it disappears.
These are the moments that I take to breathe, and to remind myself that everything will be okay.
Finally, small businesses have jumped on the social media bandwagon. Sure, it took them two years to catch up to the rest of us, but here they are finally, tweeting and facebooking away.
It’s good, isn’t it?
Well…. maybe not.
When I find a new product that I love, the first thing I do is hunt them down on twitter, or facebook. This way, I keep track of lots of products I enjoy, through various social media channels – although twitter is the biggest way I follow.
What I’ve noticed happening though, is businesses using social media badly. Things like not responding to questions, refusing to acknowledge new followers and generally acting like they’re “bigger” than everyone else out there in this pond.
News flash: Social Media has lowered the barriers between businesses and consumers and consumers are not wanting to be talked at anymore. They want a conversation and a business they can relate to.
It’s called SOCIAL MEDIA for a reason – you use it to be SOCIAL.
When I spot small businesses on Twitter not following back their buyer base, I get grumpy. You’ve got 300 followers, but only follow back 30 people and refuse to reply to me if I ask you a question, or respond to your tweets? Sorry, but maybe I don’t want to buy your product anymore.
I see a lot of Tassie businesses wanting my money and yet, they won’t follow back on twitter. They won’t be drawn into conversation, they won’t respond to my tweets and a few of them have been downright rude.
If you can’t be polite to your clientele, then how do I know that you’re a business I want to support?
I can see that a lot of businesses are aiming at being “exclusive” and I call bullshit.
Exclusivity in your conversations does not make your product more desirable. It doesn’t make me want to visit your restaurant or buy your product, knowing that you have 800 followers and only follow back 30 of them. How is that the POINT of SOCIAL media?
It’s just mind boggling to me, that businesses would treat their customer base like they’re unworthy to be spoken to.
Here’s the thing – you don’t have to be knowledgeable about social media to do it well. You just have to be friendly.
That’s all we want.
And honestly, having a rude social media presence is worse than not having one at all.
I know a lot of you will have completed your Christmas shopping by now and to those of you who have, I bow down before the altar of your organisation. I’m mostly done, but I’ve yet to get stocking fillers and it’s all just a bit much.
So I present to you, a bunch of things that you might like to get your children, or yourself, if you are so inclined.
Chuggington Magnetic Board Kit:
These are all over my fridge at the moment and I keep finding Isaac quietly rearranging them, playing. Bonus points for the fact that they will stick school notices to the fridge at the same time.
RRP $12.95
Barbie Glitter and Sparkle Craft Box.
This had A LOT of glitter in it. Amy was practically in heaven, with the sparkles and the stickers and the glitter glue and etc. Isaac was also a fan, making himself a mask and then shouting at me all day.
If you’re a slightly pedantic parent (like Nathan) this craft box has the potential to be very messy. You’ve been warned.
Funky Fun Minis
I haven’t tried these myself, but they look like something Amy would love. And at RRP $6.99 each, they’re definitely affordable.
Chuggington Die Cast Training Yard Set with Loop
Because while the title is a mouthful, the toy is actually really awesome. We were sent one to review and Isaac played with it steadily for nearly two days and it has been in high rotation since. Anything that has a loop and a battery powered spinny thing to shoot trains is going to be a winner here though.
For parents of children with sensory issues based around auditory processing – this toy with batteries in is quite loud. Isaac coped well with it (better than I expected once I heard how loud the spinning wheels were), but for children who are more sensitive, maybe not the best toy.
RRP $59.95
I know that a lot of people told me that they hated Zhu Zhu pets because of the noise, but I can’t say that they bother me. Both kids love them and thankfully, we’ve now got two Zhu Zhu pets for them to play with.
I know that they were voted best toy for girls, but Isaac loves the wheels and the fact that they change directions, so who am I to argue?
These are almost cheap enough to be considered a stocking filler, but with the accessories provided, can be a large present in themselves.
RRP $19.95 – but I’ve seen them at Big W for $9 lately.
Kindle
I bought myself a Kindle for my birthday, knowing that I needed something lightweight to read books on. My hands and wrists are painful and sometimes holding a book isn’t something I can do.
Honestly, I always thought that I would hate it. I love books, the smell and feel of them and to replace my beloved paper with something electronic? I thought it would be awful. Instead, I found myself a chapter into the first book I bought, having fallen in love with the small grey device. It is brilliant.
As for some people who were worried about book choices and prices, I can say that so far, prices at Amazon are just about the same as my much loved Book Depository, sometimes better. And I LOVE that I can carry around a small library in my handbag, without worrying about the weight dislocating my shoulders. Love.
I bought mine for $139 at Big W.
I’ve been using this on my stomach and arms for a few weeks now and it’s gorgeous. I love how it feels and smells and, the most important part, it hasn’t given me a rash. As someone with skin that has a hissy fit over the smallest things, it’s nice to have a product that doesn’t cause issues.
RRP $17.95
The Sleepless Nights Gift Guide to Christmas.
Disclaimer:
I received these products in the mail to review. I’ve only shared the ones I liked here, so that I’m not recommending things I didn’t enjoy.
I did not receive a Kindle in the mail, I bought it myself for my birthday. I thought I’d tell you what I liked about it, because I couldn’t find any decent reviews online prior to buying one myself and had to ask Twitter what e-reader they liked. Kindle won, which was nice, as it was the easiest one to find and buy.
When I got to the point where the Internet became less escapism and more ‘holy fuck I’m going to stab myself in the eye’, that’s when I decided that right now, novels are safer and the Internet probably ought to fend for itself for a few days. So I took myself off the Internet, mostly ignored twitter and didn’t write anything.
I can’t guarantee that I am completely better right now, but I can guarantee that I know my limits and I will remove myself from the Internet before making sweeping statements regarding selfishness and arseholes.
So, there’s that.
Yesterday I spent sitting in the recliner, with the perfect amount of pillows propped under my left knee (my good knee, bastard luck) and supporting my shoulders, while I lamented the fact that I had only panadol for painkillering and trying not to cry. It was a bad day. It was a bad day in that it felt like I’d been chopped into pieces and put back together badly. A trapped tendon in my knee left me wondering if it was going to dislocate and dump me on the ground screaming first, or tear. It didn’t dislocate and doesn’t feel torn today, so I can only imagine that it has something else fun in store for me.
It was at the end of yesterday that I got incredibly grumpy about my response to pain meds and wondered if it would be worth feeling like I’d taken speed, in order to be able to function just a little bit. In the end, I went to bed and sulked, knowing that sleeping overnight was more important than being pain free and writing a blog post, or eating something.
So that’s what I did.
Today is better, tomorrow will hopefully be better again.