Here's What I Thought About the Grammys

Here's what I thought about the Grammys:

1.) I am a serious slob (clue: the drawers under my TV).
2.) I'm glad you don't have to be skinny anymore to be a pop star.
3.) Elton John's right earlobe must be considerably longer than his left.
3.) Lady Gaga is one gutsy chica.
4.) I'm not really one to cover my lady parts with glitter, but Pink's performance was amazing.
5.) Beyoncé wins everything, but she surely seems like a nice gal; never conceited and always grateful.
6.) Taylor Swift can't sing in tune, but there's something sort of endearing about that.

Care to contradict me? What did YOU think about the Grammys?

Week 4, Day 26: Social Butterfly

What have I been doing this week? I've totally been socializing - with the web. Yeah, me and Flickr hit it off really well today. I can tell we're going to get along fabulously. Yesterday I met www.musicalley.com for the first time. I can see the potential friendship there - especially if Music Alley's posse of podcasters dig the idea of accessing and casting my music for FREE. That's right. But we've ran into a few technical difficulties with our friendship. I do hope we can resolve those soon. Facebook has always been there for me. Right now he's working on pimping out my fan page. I love you Facebook. I also introduced Twitter to Facebook and now Twitter lets me share some of our secrets with Facebook through a little something she calls "Selective Tweeting." Ingenious. You can come hang with me and my social groups on the web anytime.

Successes for 1/28/10

1.) Woke up at 6:45 a.m. to take my oldest son to guitar lessons before school.

2.) Snuggled with a squirmy little boy on the couch in front of morning cartoons.

3.) Did some grocery shopping; squirmy little boy in tow.

4.) Took time to enjoy this stunning exhibit of 120,313 paper cranes.

5.) Had a lovely visit with the in-laws.

Successes for 1/26/10

Success number 1: This is not a hobo engineering my vocal session tonight. It's the Grammy nominated Finn Bjarnson, whom I have wanted to work with for a LONG time. Tonight was my second time recording with him and his work is so unbelievably FUN to record! Finn has had somewhere around thirty number one hits on the Billboard Dance music charts. No big deal.


Close behind at number 2: I wrote a song tonight that hit me like a bolt of lightening out of the sky; a gift from the Divine. (Thank you!)

Number 3 takes up the middle: Wrote a blog post about the basics of Twitter. Go check it out! It's the post right before this one.

Not quite last, number 4: Did P90X this morning. Plyometrics. If you know what I'm talking about, you are hurting just thinking about it. "I hate it, but I love it."

And last, but certainly not least, number 5: Signed my boys up for hip hop dance classes. F'rill.

You've been so shy lately. I want to know about your successes!

Week 4, Day 23: Twitterpated

Have you noticed that so much of the web nowadays is very interactive? Take this here blog for example. A blog is a perfect example of a site where the information is always changing. You can also add your own two cents about what is being published in the comments section, or play my latest song on the music player to the right and then link over to one of the bloggers I am following. Interactive websites that allow for your participation are defined by the term "Web 2.0." Before Web 2.0, there was (and still is) "Web 1.0." This is the kind of internet most of us were first introduced to. The information is static and brochure-like in nature.

One facet of Web 2.0 includes social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. These sites allow people all over the world to interact with each other and find common interests. They are important to me because I don't want to be an artist who just shows up on stage and sings to people just for the attention. I really love the relationships I make with people through music and I greatly appreciate the time that people take to send me a note on facebook or reply to one of my comments on Twitter (and I particularly love comments on my lil' ol' blog).

Most of you are probably already familiar with MySpace, YouTube and Facebook. Twitter is a little bit newer, but very progressive and I seem to use it more than any other social network these days. Here's why:

It's free and very easy to create an account.

According to Twitter, their purpose is "for staying in touch and keeping up with friends no matter where you are or what you're doing."

It only takes me a few seconds to jot down a thought or two or to see what the people I am following are thinking about. It's the most current form of news you can find anywhere. And there are no annoying "gifts," "pokes," and "hugs" apps.

I feel a more immediate connection with people on Twitter, perhaps because it feels like we're having a small conversation rather than leaving a message on a wall. Yet, at the same time, it feels less obligatory to respond. (Don't worry, Facebook. I still love you. You're just a different animal altogether.)

If you're still confused, you can watch these very brief videos on Twitter. Then, if you fancy, sign yourself up and start following me (@MindyGledhill). I'll follow you back and we can banter about the Grammys, the weather, shocking news, or whatever you wish!

Twitter in Plain English: http://www.commoncraft.com/twitter

Twitter Search in Plain English: http://www.commoncraft.com/twitter-search

Week 4, Day 22: Social Media for Musicians

Image by Dan Solo

so⋅cial: seeking or enjoying the companionship of others.

This is my word of the day. It all started out with a social gathering at my house this morning which was likewise spurred by a conversation about salami on the social media website, Twitter.

"Salami is delicious, in a disgusting sort of way," I posted.

Pretty soon, @haileyjs had commented, "Truly, salami does not get its fair shake. I love it. By itself."

Then before I know it, @Jet_Set chimes in, "I love salami. Let's have a party."

Back to me: "I do secretly dream I have girlfriends. I fear @ times I'm too socially inept. Perhaps a salami log is what will cure me."

@Jet_Set: "Its what cured me."

And that is how I found myself in my living room this morning, having a delightful brunch with these fascinating women.

Social Media is powerful, whether for fun or for business or in my case, both. Week 4 is all about harnessing the power of social media. I thought I knew my basics, but I am learning all sorts of terms I wasn't familiar with before. I certainly know what blogs and podcasts are, but vlogs and vodcasts? How about "social bookmarking?" Come join me this week as I sort through it all and weave myself into an ever expanding web of social media connectedness.

End of Week 3, Day 21: Progress in "Site"

The irony of this post is that I really do have an honest to goodness hole in my bathroom ceiling. Awesome.

The Good News: Some improvements have been made to my website, thanks to your awesome suggestions. (Yay!)

The Bad News: The kind person who created the site for me several years ago wasn't too experienced and created the whole thing in flash. There are a lot of problems with the coding of the site that would be costly and difficult to fix. Therefore, I am choosing to wait and put that money into my brand new site that will launch with the release of my upcoming album.

Isn't that just how life rolls sometimes? I remember hearing Lloyd Newell speak at a workshop one time. He told a story about how there was a hole in his bathroom ceiling due to a bad leak in the plumbing above. After a while, he got so accustomed to that hole that he just didn't notice it anymore, UNTIL guests would come over. If ever anyone used the bathroom, they would come out and say, "Wow! How did you get that big hole in your ceiling?"

Going through Chapter 3 of Music Success in Nine Weeks has reminded me of the proverbial "hole in the ceiling" that my website has been. After reading all of your suggestions, I feel so much better prepared to create my new website. For now, we did as much as we could to the current website including: updating the contact info, updating the album release on the bio, fixing the "Scrapbook Page," updating the "Events" page (go check out my upcoming concerts!), as well as updating my "Latest News" page with some exciting happenings and information on new recordings, exclusively found on my website.

I'm excited to create a new website that is very interactive, fluid in design, user friendly and one that has constant special offers and consistently new information that brings people back on a regular basis.

Thanks again for all your help this week. Come back by Monday night as I start into Chapter 4: Social Media for Musicians. Sweet.