jumping back in

I think I've got it down to a manageable piece now: it's going to be Facebook and LinkedIn for me.
Conversations2013 is going to pull me into the world of social in a big way over the next seven-and-a-half months, and it's easy to be overwhelmed - so I'm picking Facebook and LinkedIn.

I've been silent on this blog lately. Most of my thoughts have been either about politics or about my job - neither of which I'm prepared to comment on in a public forum. My friends know what's going on, and how I feel, and that's enough for me.

But my opinions about my profession -  how excited I am about the conference we're planning for next June, and how proud I am to be doing something Big for once - those I'm more than happy to share with the world. It's been so long since I've led anything of any real importance. It feels amazing: scary, nerve-wracking, inspiring, and thrilling all at once. Once in a while, technology gets my goat - our blog, for example, is set up in something called Joomla, but man oh man, it's not intuitive at all to use. I am completely stymied at the moment. Now I know that this, too, shall pass, but it's emblematic of the cliff I am trying to avoid as I lead this amazing team towards our goal.

Franklin Holtforster spoke at our Take the Leap conference in February, and left me with a message that has been a beacon of sanity for me from that moment on: a leader's job is to inspire and motivate. Period. I am a doer, you see - I want to tackle that Joomla thing until it's consumed whole evenings of time with cursing and general bad-temperedness.

I am fortunate to have an amazing - I mean, amazing - team of volunteers who are jumping in to this challenge, and they will solve my Joomlas for me. It's my job to set and keep the course, run interference for them and get them what they need, and most of all, to celebrate how fortunate we are to have their commitment to putting our chapter on the map with one of the best national conferences in memory.

Yep, I'm jumping back in all right. Woo hoo!

My daughter isn't on Facebook - wtf???

You read that right: my 25-year-old step-daughter is a luddite, a social media holdout of the first order. Even after buying her a new laptop with a built-in web cam for Christmas, I think we've had a grand total of three Skype calls this year. Quite simply, she just doesn't want to be online. Ever.

How does this happen in a 25-year-old? Everywhere I look, I see young folks with their noses buried in their smartphones, blogging about their latest deep thought or tweeting a smart remark about that smelly guy on the bus. I've grown rather fond of this running commentary - indeed, it's almost if not more entertaining than the latest fare on TV these days. 

Now I admit that my online activity is hardly at the level worthy of my being considered any kind of influencer. I love my Facebook friends and share important news with them such as the blooming of my winter-hardy cactus, the state of our home renovation project, and the odd photo of a vacation (posted after the fact, of course - no sense telling any prowling thieves that I'm out of town!).

So I'm not really one to talk. As I get more deeply involved in planning next year's CPRS National Conference - "Conversations2013" - I will be upping my online presence of necessity. But I'm not talking about raising my Klout score. I'm talking about using today's tools to simply stay in touch with friends and family.

Thus my frustration with my daughter. You see, I've become accustomed to checking Facebook every day, quickly scanning my news feed to find out what's going on. I am grateful for my friends and family - both near and far - posting news, status updates, and the occasional photograph reminding me of what they look like. I feel more connected to my vast circle of friends and relations by virtue of knowing what is happening in their lives. It's easy for them: post a few words and go on with their lives. 

So why does my daughter resist? What inoculation did she get as a kid that has made her immune to the siren call of social media? She has a smartphone, but barely uses it. Texting seems to be the only way to reach her.

Am I alone in this? Are there other twenty-somethings out there who have stayed out of the pool? Or did I just get lucky??