My brain has been on a pro bono project lately, and it’s where I’ve let my creativity fly. Usually my creative activity has been reading and this project has taken up the time I usually give to reading. It hasn’t stopped me from finding other times to read. It’s just been a bit more sporadic than usual.
This project came into my lap on accident. I was tapped to give my ideas as a mom to an organization. They were a little surprised when I started looking at it as a marketer. It was kind of a reminder that I need to have my business more visible instead of leading as a mom in the groups where my daughter is active. And in all honesty, it’s a way to help my daughter’s activities thrive when many of them are flailing at the moment. Let’s just say funding cuts are hitting us hard, and I’m really concerned about a few organizations we’re involved in. But I can totally be a part of the solution instead of this constant worry.
And as I ponder how I can help, it’s time to take a look at what I did manage to read this week.
Reading Social Media News
As we near the deadline for TikTok yet again, YouTube keeps investing in its Shorts product. From everyone I know who is actively using it, they are getting great results. But… those results are being reconfigured as YouTube changes how views are counted. Honestly, if you haven’t invested in YouTube Shorts, I think it might be a missed opportunity. At the very least, put some of your videos from other networks onto the channel and see how it works for you.
I still have loads of friends who complain about how AI is stealing their information. At this point, I think it’s in your interest to work with AI instead of against it. As we go along and laws are clarified, I think you will see loads more attribution which will lead to some of those clicks your website has lost to come back. This article on adapting your SEO for AI should be a great first start.
Reading Books, Books and More Books
Past
I think I’ve outgrown Pam Jenoff, which feels weird. I used to love her. Before I got my divorce, I would absorb her books as a welcome respite from what was going on in my life. But now post-divorce and with a crazy toddler, Last Twilight in Paris and her last book just felt really blah to me. In this case, I think it was the switching back and forth between the modern view of the story and the past. I was into what happened in the past. I didn’t know that a French department store was used as a camp where German officers could purchase stolen goods. And the character who told that story was far more interesting than the modern day narrator. Plus there were a lot of inconsistencies in the modern telling of the story that were hard to get past. I think Jenoff was trying to break out of the box she has built for herself, but unfortunately fell short. And I think with this book, I’m ready to part ways with her as an author. Goodbye sweet woman who gave me such comfort during a difficult period of my life. Score: C-
Present
Next week is book club week and so I’m in a mad dash to read a couple books I never chose. Can I make the deadline? Honestly, I have no faith in myself. The first book is Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall. As soon as I saw the Reese’s Book Club sticker on it, I just lost all faith in this book. It’s not that Reese’s choices are bad. They just tend to not be all that interesting to me. I’m more than open to have my mind changed though. I’d love to come out of this book wanting more from this author. Let’s hope that happens, but I’m more than prepared for it to not happen.
What are you reading? What books are you looking forward to?