Digital Media AF
Hello, my name is Yokie and this is “I Can Do This All Day,” named after Earth’s Mightiest Hero, Captain America.
And you’re welcome.
On this post, I’m going heavy straight out of the box once again- because I does this and I don’t really know how not to does this- and will be discussing navigating this new age of digital media when all you’re trying to do is live your life and pay the damn bills…
So, for some insane reason and probably because in a subconscious, under-utilized part of my brain I enjoy torturing myself, I am enrolled once again in higher education.
What’s done is done however, and here I am interrupting my usual routine in pursuit of a law degree that will do nothing but make me even meaner and more self-righteous to my clients.
Regardless, it’s been half a semester and like with most things I choose when I’m reluctant to get it done, I am only taking the required courses to reach my goal. One class in particular is all about this new age of digital media.
Sidebar- it must be said that I consider myself quite intelligent. I’m a freakin’ genius, people.
Genuinely.
No… seriously.
I am, dammit.
As a genius, I can figure out most things. Some shockingly fast, others slightly less fast I’ll admit; but all still faster than the dummies I roll with can do. As such, one would think that I could just assume what digital media is and how to navigate this course. Well, let me be the first to educate you- hanging with dummies eventually dummy-izes you, too. And as a newfound, uninitiated, partially dumb person, it took me approximately eight weeks to figure out I could just google it.
So I did. Just now. Literally.
And this is what I got:
“Digital Media is any media that are encoded in machine-readable formats. Digital media can be created, viewed, distributed, modified and preserved on digital electronics devices.”
That’s a Wikipedia definition that came straight from the internet, so you know it must be true.
So, what constitutes digital media? Any media that can be viewed on your cell phone, that’s what; so essentially even this crap of mine that you’re reading now is digital media.
Okay, lesson over. Here come the complaints:
I’m a writer with five published novels, blah blah blah; insert pat on the back HERE. Four of those are self-published and as anyone who has navigated the literary world knows, this means that I have to do my own marketing to get my books, and essentially myself, out there. So, it’s just me out here querying agents begging for representation and ignoring the piling rejections, emailing every Barnes & Noble in the tristate area about author events and putting together these clever little posts with tidbits from my novels and posting them at carefully documented times to generate interest.
Fun stuff.
On top of all of that joy, I also have an online legal firm wherein I provide document preparation and mediation services for local clients, and paralegal support for law firms. I’m trying to build this firm up considering it is relatively unknown. And by “unknown” I mean no one but me knows about it. And now, you... so yay me.
And yes, I know, I know. Here I am, taking a full course load AND working a full-time career AND writing novels and trying to promote them AND starting an online business and trying to promote that AND taking care of two teenagers AND a husband AND a dog AND a damn cat…
I tell you this to emphasize that if there’s anyone on this Earth that ain’t got the time to figure out how to do all of this, it’s this angry chick right here. I don’t have the time to create the perfect caption to promote my novels or find just the right CTA for my business or figure out the exact time of day for my post to reach the optimum number of potential readers.
I don’t have the time for all of that mumbo jumbo when all I’m trying to do here is pay the damn bills.
I’ll say it again for the folks in the back - I AIN’T GOT THE TIME.
But here’s the thing: I have to do it.
If I want to sell more than the five novels bought by my closest friends or generate more clients for my business other than my closest friends (and I’m realizing that it may appear to you like I have really good friends and the previously mentioned “dummy” comment above may seem a bit insulting, but trust me, it’s warranted), I don’t have a choice. I have to learn the terms and the platforms and navigate them. Because if I’m not willing to pay someone to do it for me- and believe me, I most certainly am not- then I have to do it myself; whether or not I have the time.
Insert coursework here:
So with this digital media course, these are my exact requirements for the semester:
1. Examine the theory and practice of writing for digital media.
2. Describe a selection of current applications and mainstream and alternative digital media types.
3. Outline the technical limitations of specific platforms.
Now pay attention, because here’s where the true extent of my dumb genius comes to light: It took me eight long weeks to realize that exactly what I need to do to successfully promote myself online is literally outlined and explained in the course I need to successfully complete in order to obtain my degree.
See that?
So, essentially this epiphany of mine made me realize that digital media is what I need to master in order to master everything else. How am I going to do that, you ask? I don’t know- and you’re a fool to think that this was leading to answer- but guess what I do have? Besides big feet, great hair and an over-inflated ego, I also have access.
Despite hating most of humanity, I do like to occasionally keep in touch with some select folks so I have Facebook. I also knew I’d have to join the land of the interconnected if I wanted to get my work out there so I have Instagram, too. And of course because it’s almost 2020 -and I can’t really avoid it if I plan on becoming the female Latina Tyler Perry- I have Twitter. I now have a blog, too; though this was more out of curricular obligation, but whatever.
With this access, I can use the one piece of ammunition I’ll never be without- content. There is no shortage of things to post because I am full of never-ending crap to spew. It doesn’t hurt that I have five novels done and three more partially completed, so… LOTS of crap to post. And here’s what I’ve learned about content:
1. The retweet is literal gold. It is the equivalent of a formal introduction to the members of an exclusive online community. There’s no telling when it’ll happen or who will do it, and because of that, it can be mind-blowingly frustrating when the rest of your tweets get zero likes. But keep tweeting because eventually, you’ll hit the mark.
2. Facebook is FREE and you can make multiple pages so use them! It may not reach gajillions, but it does reach more people that the usual roster of “friends.” Apparently there are 306 unknown people out there that like my Author page on Facebook. Have any of them bought any of my books recently? The answer to that is a resounding NO, but don’t let that dissuade you from following my expert advice.
3. This was my most popular Instagram post:
It got 56 likes, which is pretty huge for me, thank you very much. When did I post it? On a Wednesday evening. And did I get the same number of likes when I posted at the exact same time the following Wednesday? No, I did not. Nor did I get the same number of likes when I posted the week after that, or on Thursday, or Friday. My point? There’s no formula. Instagram is random AF. Some people are on at the same time every day, others not. Some get notifications, others don’t. Whatever. Post ALL the time. It’ll hit eventually.
4. There’s a reason captions matter. If you post a picture and your caption is stupid, I will not like your picture. Why? Because I can be an asshole sometimes, but I’m not the only one. I’ll sooner open a story or a post if the picture or caption that pulls me in is funny or clever. If you can make me laugh, I’m in. So, do more of that.
Look, I’m not an expert on digital media, by any means.
Film- yes.
Television- of course.
Life and love and relationships- sure. Why not?
But all of this is beyond me, despite my decent grade in class and despite throwing out posts and pictures like I own the place. Half the time I don’t know what I’m doing, and the other half I’m pissed that I have to do something in the first place.
Regardless, I’m doing it. And while I may not be rocking it, I can officially and proudly state that at least 306 more people are familiar with my work than before I started. That’s a pretty good start. And yeah, maybe I don’t want to do it, but I’m doing it, no matter how confusing it seems.
Because my point, ladies and gentlemen, is that it can be done.
So, that’s it for today, mainly because I want to stop typing and watch TV. Feel free to share this, should you so choose to spread the confusion. You can always check out my website, yokairytavarez.com, for insight into this disaster of a mind of mine. And be sure to check back in periodically for posts on everything from writing novels and raising kids to film, theatre and politics; with a whole lot of nonsense in between.
Next time, I’ll be discussing- or rather complaining about dreams versus reality. Basically whether or not those big dreams you have will ever come to fruition, or if you should just accept reality and let it go.
Or something like that.
Thanks for reading. And as always, a million thanks to Jack McFarland, of “Just Jack,” for making all of this possible.
Peace, yo. ✌
And you’re welcome.
On this post, I’m going heavy straight out of the box once again- because I does this and I don’t really know how not to does this- and will be discussing navigating this new age of digital media when all you’re trying to do is live your life and pay the damn bills…
So, for some insane reason and probably because in a subconscious, under-utilized part of my brain I enjoy torturing myself, I am enrolled once again in higher education.
 |
| Why, you ask? God only knows... |
What’s done is done however, and here I am interrupting my usual routine in pursuit of a law degree that will do nothing but make me even meaner and more self-righteous to my clients.
Regardless, it’s been half a semester and like with most things I choose when I’m reluctant to get it done, I am only taking the required courses to reach my goal. One class in particular is all about this new age of digital media.
Sidebar- it must be said that I consider myself quite intelligent. I’m a freakin’ genius, people.
Genuinely.
No… seriously.
I am, dammit.
As a genius, I can figure out most things. Some shockingly fast, others slightly less fast I’ll admit; but all still faster than the dummies I roll with can do. As such, one would think that I could just assume what digital media is and how to navigate this course. Well, let me be the first to educate you- hanging with dummies eventually dummy-izes you, too. And as a newfound, uninitiated, partially dumb person, it took me approximately eight weeks to figure out I could just google it.
So I did. Just now. Literally.
And this is what I got:
“Digital Media is any media that are encoded in machine-readable formats. Digital media can be created, viewed, distributed, modified and preserved on digital electronics devices.”
That’s a Wikipedia definition that came straight from the internet, so you know it must be true.
So, what constitutes digital media? Any media that can be viewed on your cell phone, that’s what; so essentially even this crap of mine that you’re reading now is digital media.
Okay, lesson over. Here come the complaints:
I’m a writer with five published novels, blah blah blah; insert pat on the back HERE. Four of those are self-published and as anyone who has navigated the literary world knows, this means that I have to do my own marketing to get my books, and essentially myself, out there. So, it’s just me out here querying agents begging for representation and ignoring the piling rejections, emailing every Barnes & Noble in the tristate area about author events and putting together these clever little posts with tidbits from my novels and posting them at carefully documented times to generate interest.
Fun stuff.
On top of all of that joy, I also have an online legal firm wherein I provide document preparation and mediation services for local clients, and paralegal support for law firms. I’m trying to build this firm up considering it is relatively unknown. And by “unknown” I mean no one but me knows about it. And now, you... so yay me.
And yes, I know, I know. Here I am, taking a full course load AND working a full-time career AND writing novels and trying to promote them AND starting an online business and trying to promote that AND taking care of two teenagers AND a husband AND a dog AND a damn cat…
 |
| That's not bragging, by the way; and you can tell that by the blur of this text, which is a direct result of my tears wetting the keyboard of my hand-me-down laptop... |
I tell you this to emphasize that if there’s anyone on this Earth that ain’t got the time to figure out how to do all of this, it’s this angry chick right here. I don’t have the time to create the perfect caption to promote my novels or find just the right CTA for my business or figure out the exact time of day for my post to reach the optimum number of potential readers.
I don’t have the time for all of that mumbo jumbo when all I’m trying to do here is pay the damn bills.
I’ll say it again for the folks in the back - I AIN’T GOT THE TIME.
But here’s the thing: I have to do it.
 |
| Just like paying taxes and feeding my hungry-ass kids at least three times a day, I have no choice. |
If I want to sell more than the five novels bought by my closest friends or generate more clients for my business other than my closest friends (and I’m realizing that it may appear to you like I have really good friends and the previously mentioned “dummy” comment above may seem a bit insulting, but trust me, it’s warranted), I don’t have a choice. I have to learn the terms and the platforms and navigate them. Because if I’m not willing to pay someone to do it for me- and believe me, I most certainly am not- then I have to do it myself; whether or not I have the time.
Insert coursework here:
So with this digital media course, these are my exact requirements for the semester:
1. Examine the theory and practice of writing for digital media.
2. Describe a selection of current applications and mainstream and alternative digital media types.
3. Outline the technical limitations of specific platforms.
Now pay attention, because here’s where the true extent of my dumb genius comes to light: It took me eight long weeks to realize that exactly what I need to do to successfully promote myself online is literally outlined and explained in the course I need to successfully complete in order to obtain my degree.
See that?
 |
| DUMB GENIUS = ME |
So, essentially this epiphany of mine made me realize that digital media is what I need to master in order to master everything else. How am I going to do that, you ask? I don’t know- and you’re a fool to think that this was leading to answer- but guess what I do have? Besides big feet, great hair and an over-inflated ego, I also have access.
Despite hating most of humanity, I do like to occasionally keep in touch with some select folks so I have Facebook. I also knew I’d have to join the land of the interconnected if I wanted to get my work out there so I have Instagram, too. And of course because it’s almost 2020 -and I can’t really avoid it if I plan on becoming the female Latina Tyler Perry- I have Twitter. I now have a blog, too; though this was more out of curricular obligation, but whatever.
With this access, I can use the one piece of ammunition I’ll never be without- content. There is no shortage of things to post because I am full of never-ending crap to spew. It doesn’t hurt that I have five novels done and three more partially completed, so… LOTS of crap to post. And here’s what I’ve learned about content:
1. The retweet is literal gold. It is the equivalent of a formal introduction to the members of an exclusive online community. There’s no telling when it’ll happen or who will do it, and because of that, it can be mind-blowingly frustrating when the rest of your tweets get zero likes. But keep tweeting because eventually, you’ll hit the mark.
2. Facebook is FREE and you can make multiple pages so use them! It may not reach gajillions, but it does reach more people that the usual roster of “friends.” Apparently there are 306 unknown people out there that like my Author page on Facebook. Have any of them bought any of my books recently? The answer to that is a resounding NO, but don’t let that dissuade you from following my expert advice.
3. This was my most popular Instagram post:
 |
| From Project: FEMME, by yours truly |
4. There’s a reason captions matter. If you post a picture and your caption is stupid, I will not like your picture. Why? Because I can be an asshole sometimes, but I’m not the only one. I’ll sooner open a story or a post if the picture or caption that pulls me in is funny or clever. If you can make me laugh, I’m in. So, do more of that.
Look, I’m not an expert on digital media, by any means.
Film- yes.
Television- of course.
Life and love and relationships- sure. Why not?
But all of this is beyond me, despite my decent grade in class and despite throwing out posts and pictures like I own the place. Half the time I don’t know what I’m doing, and the other half I’m pissed that I have to do something in the first place.
 |
| I mean, why can't the New York Times Bestseller List, Academy Awards and accolades just be handed to me...? |
Regardless, I’m doing it. And while I may not be rocking it, I can officially and proudly state that at least 306 more people are familiar with my work than before I started. That’s a pretty good start. And yeah, maybe I don’t want to do it, but I’m doing it, no matter how confusing it seems.
Because my point, ladies and gentlemen, is that it can be done.
So, that’s it for today, mainly because I want to stop typing and watch TV. Feel free to share this, should you so choose to spread the confusion. You can always check out my website, yokairytavarez.com, for insight into this disaster of a mind of mine. And be sure to check back in periodically for posts on everything from writing novels and raising kids to film, theatre and politics; with a whole lot of nonsense in between.
Next time, I’ll be discussing- or rather complaining about dreams versus reality. Basically whether or not those big dreams you have will ever come to fruition, or if you should just accept reality and let it go.
Or something like that.
Thanks for reading. And as always, a million thanks to Jack McFarland, of “Just Jack,” for making all of this possible.
Peace, yo. ✌
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