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"Authentic Friendship in an Age of Social Media" This Saturday, Feb. 3 UPDATED

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Shamelessly taking from the blog post about this weekend’s gathering here:

Have you ever questioned the role of friendship in your life?

Why do women have a need for authentic friendship – to be accepted, supported, and loved?

How has social media changed our idea of friendship, perhaps making it more easy to find like-minded friends, or more difficult to deepen new friendships?

How does authentic friendship relate to our femininity?

Please join us for an exciting and pertinent talk on
Authentic Friendship in an Age of Social Media
given by Sister Helena Burns and Lisa Schmidt

Saturday, February 2nd, 2013
Doors open at 7:10pm
Event begins at 7:30
Saint Philomena Catholic Church
3300 N Twelve Oaks Dr
Peoria, IL
There is no cost to attend this event,
though a small donation for this special event is very appreciated
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I plan to attend this Saturday, and I’ll be doing a book giveaway. I’m especially excited to get to see Sister Helena Burns and Lisa Schmidt again, as well in see in person so many women that I don’t get to see very often.   I hope to see you there, too.
I thought it would be fun to have a Twitter hashtag for the event, and I thought #authenticfriendship  while a little long, could work.  I also thought #firstSaturday could be a good one, too, though also longish. Do you have any Twitter hashtag ideas for the gathering?

UPDATED: Dianna Kennedy, of The Kennedy Adventures, suggested on Facebook the hashtag #1stSat.   Works for me!  Any others?

A WinterJam Primer, or How to Keep Your Hearing, Your Faith, and Your Sanity, and Have a Good Time

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Note: In lieu of Worth a Listen (normally appearing here on Wednesday), I’m writing this after the WinterJam just occurred in our area with a concert in Peoria Sunday night.  When I posted occasional updates on Facebook & Twitter from the concert, there were a lot of questions (on FB) about how the concert, how it was, should people bring their small children, etc. This is to answer those questions as well as talk about this great  I’ll re-run this next year as WinterJam makes it way to our area again, so consider this a “primer” on how to encounter WinterJam successfully.

I’m a veteran, having just attended my third WinterJam.  I think I’ve got this “down” now and have a good strategy for attending and making the most of this great concert.

WinterJam, the largest Christian concert series in the world (and largest altogether if Wikipedia is to be believed) is a traveling concert series founded by NewSong and featuring more than a half-dozen Christian contemporary music (CCM) acts.

1.   Here’s your first word:  earplugs.

I mean this as no criticism at all, since I love virtually all the music played at the concert.  If you are not a teen (and maybe if you are), you will be grateful for a good pair of earplugs.  I bought a multi-pack of earplugs to share with fellow parents along with me for the concert.  Happily, WCIC-FM at their merch/swag table gave away free pairs as well.  That was a really sweet touch.

Note to self for next year:  I’m bringing some heavier duty earplugs, as these were not quite enough, especially during certain bands (more on that later).  But do plan on having some kind of ear protection.  Every single musician during the evening I could see was wearing ear protection.  If it’s good enough for TobyMac, it’s good enough for me.

2.  Here are two more  words:  go early.

WinterJam is an unbeatable value at $10 per person, but seating is first come, first serve.  The concert starts at 6 p.m., but doors open at 5 p.m. and you then choose your seats in the Civic Center arena.  There is a “Jam Nation” feature that allows concert-goers to get in early, but you must have a group of at least 10, and then it is $30 per ticket.  This is still an excellent value.  I would have loved to do this in 2013, but I started organizing the WinterJam-interested families I know too late.  After many back and forth e-mails, we couldn’t get to the 10 threshold before my deadline.

As it was, some of our group arrived about an hour and a half before the 5 p.m. doors opening.  We actually would have arrived much earlier, but it was freezing rain most of the day, and I thought we’d have to wait outside.  Turns out the Civic Center opened a large room for people to wait, and there were official looking WinterJam people lining us up and warning us not to jump lines, or we’d have to go to the back.

Around 4:45, they started to let us into the Civic Center arena, and because we had arrived pretty early, we obtained some pretty good seats.  We had not wanted to be on the floor, so our lower bowl seats near the stage were great for us.

Last year when we attended, the weather was much better (Peoria was the last stop on the tour), and we arrived early with a student council group.  What I loved about this was a pre-show concert by two acts not well-known at the time for those waiting in line.  We heard both Group 1 Crew and For King & Country, both vastly more well-known this year.  Here’s a photo from last year:

All around the arena, there are tons of “merch” tables for the various artists, as well as Christian ministries that are part of WinterJam. It’s worthwhile if you are there early to walk around and get to see everything.

3.  Don’t bring the whole family.  Or do.  This is really particular to your family.

The first year we attended WinterJam, our whole family attended, but we only stayed for about the first hour.  It was too much noise for the younger kids in our family (7 and 10 that year), and my husband said, like NewSong sings each year at WinterJam, “This world has nothing for me…” (He does like CCM music, to a point).  So we agreed that I would be the WinterJam designated person, and he would  teach our children to drive.  Fair trade.

A few people have asked about what age ranges would be good for WinterJam.  I’ve seen toddlers happily dancing at WinterJam (not a whole lot of them), but it seems to be best for tweens and teens, and their music-loving grown-ups.  You know your kids. And your grown-ups.

4.  Understand the rhythm of WinterJam.

After going to WinterJam for three years, I can share what is the formula for a WinterJam.  I think it is a good mix.

Pre-show: this would include the time outside, and any pre-show bands.  There was not a pre-show band concert, perhaps because of the weather.

First “half.”  This is like a warm-up for the bigger acts to come.  Each act plays for perhaps four to perhaps six songs.  It’s annoying both when an act you like plays too few songs, and also when a not-so-great band plays more than you’d like.  Either way, these pass quickly.

Sometime in this first half, NewSong plays.  NewSong is a more “mature” group than most of the other WinterJam acts, as I pointed out to a fellow parent along with our group, but those men can sing.  They play a few songs, talk about their vision of starting WinterJam, and promote World Vision, the charity sponsor of the evening.  Throughout the evening, concert-goers are encouraged to adopt a child in a third World country through World Vision.

A young pastor named Nick Hall gives a kind of sermon during this first half.  It’s basically a non-denominational talk about following Jesus.  More on that later…

Then there is an intermission, which is a good time to walk around and check out the merchandise tables, or get a snack.  Some practical matters:  food and drink is something to consider.  I had a big late lunch, and brought along an apple and a bottle of water to have during the intermission. That worked for me, since a concert for me, unlike, say a baseball game, is not a time I want to have arena-type food like nachos or hot dogs.

Second “half”:  After the intermission are the “big” acts–this year it was Matthew West and TobyMac.  They were both well worth the wait.

Sometime during the second half, there is a “love offering” collection taken up to support the ministry of putting on WinterJam. Worthwhile knowing that this takes place and considering what you might do when they pass the bucket.

Finally, be prepared for the night to end super late.

After the concert, there is a big crush as people try to leave.  We ended up staying around a little later because we kept running into people we knew, and chatting about the concert.  After that, we realized most of the “first half” acts were available for autographs, so we got a few autographs and photos.

Our 15-year-old was most excited to meet and say hello to Jamie Grace.  She truly loves (understatement) all of Jamie’s music and especially her sense of style:

We also met OBB, three attractive brothers with a “boy band.” OBB had announced during their concert, “like us on Facebook, because we were homeschooled, and we need all the friends we can get!”  The arena erupted in screams, as you can imagine.  When we met them, I introduced all the teen girls in our group as homeschoolers or former homeschoolers, and it was a fun discussion and an even funnier photo, with one of the girls nearly in tears.

By the time we got back to our minivan and then took several teens along with us back to their vehicles, and then drove home, it was just about midnight.  That is late for a Sunday night (and school the next day), but well worthwhile.  But if you go to a WinterJam, know that it will be a late night, and you won’t be super-productive the next day.

5.  Take the good, leave behind the bad.

Let me start by saying that I am hugely grateful there is a concert series like WinterJam.  The group behind it, NewSong, and the promoters, are sincere Christians truly desiring to put on a good show as well as encourage others to follow Christ.  Putting together this kind of entertaining, hours-long concert, and providing a good value, is no small feat, and I commend them and thank them for this ministry.

At the same time, and being real here, as a Catholic, you’re not going to get the fullness of the Faith at a WinterJam.  Plan to be okay with that.

You might even encounter weak or even truly goofy ideas, and I don’t have time to go into any of them here.  You can use your imagination.  But I consider those a learning opportunity for myself and those who attend with me, as we experience Christianity lived by others.

There is also an “altar call” type of experience where they ask people to turn over their lives to Jesus. 

As I told my teen, thought, I don’t want us to get all triumphalist about it and exhibit spiritual pride, but it’s okay to recognize where the WinterJam theology falls short.  We don’t have to accept it all uncritically, or think we need to become a non-denominational Christian just because they play the coolest music.  How can you leave behind Jesus in the Eucharist?  As St. Peter told Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)

As I write this, the thought of a Catholic WinterJam is really intriguing.  Imagine if, instead of the pastor’s sermon in the middle of the concert, we had a short meditation and then a time of Eucharistic Adoration?  Wow.

6.  Don’t expect entirely live music, but do enjoy the live experience.

Now, a lot of this is above my pay grade and understanding of music, concerts and how these things work.  I didn’t follow along to the “controversy” about Beyoncé not singing the national anthem at the Inauguration earlier this month, and I have attended very few concerts in my grown-up days.

But as far as my untrained eyes and ear can tell, “live music” does not necessarily mean live everything.  I’m okay with that…to a point.

One of the reasons I was annoyed with last year’s WinterJam was that we did stay for the last act, which turned out to be a band called Skillet.

Now, Skillet’s music is decidedly not my kind of music, but that’s not what made me annoyed.  What did annoy me was this: I was pretty sure  they were lip-syncing, except for one slower song in which the lead singer talked and sang.  I am virtually certain the musicians were playing air guitar and violin and who knows what other instruments, I don’t even remember, I just recall thinking, “I could air violin better than that.”  (Apologies to all my loyal readers who are also loyal Skillet fans.  Just my take on it).

There were a lot of pyrotechnics along with this act, and I thought, they are probably not doing it live so they can dodge the fire and fireworks and so forth.  We could have easily left before Skillet and gotten home earlier, but we didn’t, and there goes 30 minutes I can’t ever get back.

So there was a little bit of trepidation about this year’s WinterJam.  Would there be truly live music?  I was just interested to watch closely, but also enjoy myself and the music.

Since I’m not an expert or in the music industry (nor do I have time to look this up),  I don’t know what the current standard is these sorts of things.  Is it okay to sing live before piped-in or canned music?  Is it okay to pretend you’re playing an instrument when you’re not?

I thought several of the acts struck a good balance. For instance, Jamie Grace, a great singer and great performer, sang all her songs live.  While she was backed up with music (with no visible musicians, so it was obvious it was piped in), she played a guitar along with her songs.  You could tell she was actually playing along because she made a few little mistakes, and at one point, the guitar was not properly hooked up, so she was fiddling with it.  I even tweeted to her later in the evening thanking her for singing live.

But there was one “hard rock” group, like Skillet last year, called “Red,” that “played” with a lot of pyrotechnics and so forth.  And they also appeared, to my untrained eye, to lip sync every song but one, and not to be actually playing their instruments, just like Skillet last year.  Coincidence?  I think not.  Perhaps the tour organizers required that they lip sync, in order to be sure they could dodge the fireworks?  Part of the contract?

It didn’t bother me that much.  Recall, I had earplugs, and I know nothing of “Red.”  Though, I must say, I began to be intrigued when I learned their last album was called “Until We Have Faces,” thinking they might have named it after C.S. Lewis’ greatest novel, Till We Have Faces, but it turns out the band goes to pains to say they didn’t name the album after that.  Okay, never mind, don’t need to find out any more about this group.

But what if I had been a Red superfan?  Would I have noticed the lip syncing?  Would I have cared? I do think this distracts from the overall experience to experience this kind of “live music.”  Just my middle-aged take on it, but you don’t have to listen to me.

(UPDATED: A dad who was along with our group turned out to really enjoy Red, and their family is listening to a lot of Red music this week.  So perhaps you shouldn’t take my musical opinion here–though I did respond to a Facebook post on this, “I am all astonishment.”)

What was amazing was Matthew West.  He sang every song absolutely live, and I didn’t even pay attention or care whether his back-up band and whether they were playing live or not.  He was riveting as a performer, talked beautifully between his music, showed several videos of the stories behind several of his newer songs.

That is one of the features of WinterJam I really enjoy, and why I tell you to “enjoy the live experience.”  There are various screens and screen-type stage “decorations” (I don’t know what else to call them) of various sizes,  for projecting the lead singer, as well as sometimes song lyrics, as well as other images. For instance, during Matthew West’s song, “Hello My Name Is…,” there was a curved bank of mini-screens above the stage that flashed the words.

I also cannot say enough about TobyMac.  That man can sing and perform like nobody’s business, and he pulls together a terrific assortment of singers and performers alongside him.  I did not hear the name of the female singer who sang next to him, but she was gorgeous as well as an amazing singer, as was Jamie Grace (again), who joined him for several songs.  The songs he sang alone would have been worth the wait, the price and everything else.

There were musicians along with TobyMac, and it was clear sometimes that instruments were being played live.  For instance, several of his songs featured performers walking with marching-band style drums, and you could hear the beat coming from them.  But at one point, one of his crew came up to a guitar player and “air-guitared” next to him, almost a wink-nod that he might not be really playing.  I’m not sure, but I don’t really care, because again, as I’ve said, the singers were all singing live, and performing beautifully.

Here’s one person I’d love to have a live/not live conversation with about WinterJam, and music in general: DJ Maj.  According to his Twitter account @MajPro (he actually followed me! Along with 6,000 other people, but still….): he’s a God Son / Hubby / DJ For Toby Mac / Rhymer / @wepoplive / @VidiMixShow.

At one point in the show, TobyMac announced DJ Maj, and he and the other band members left the stage.  DJ Maj was on a platform high above the stage, and did a “mix” of video and audio.  I have no knowledge of what was “live mixed” or not, but it was engaging and interesting, and worth watching.  No pyrotechnics, either.  Thank you, DJ Maj.

I shot some very grainy and unprofessional cell phone videos of some of my favorite songs.  If I get a chance to upload them, I will share them in future “Worth A Listen” posts.

Have you ever been to a WinterJam or similar concert?  What is your take on attending these kinds of concerts as a Catholic?

The CNMC "Following Along in Spirit" Edition

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Well, I still have the badge on the blog saying that “I’ll be there!” to the Catholic New Media Conference in Dallas this week, but this year, it’s just going to have to be in spirit, or on Twitter, or something.  A little more than a week ago, for far-too-long-to-explain-here reasons, I had to cancel all my reservations for my planned trip to this great conference.

Last year, when I followed along with several of the sessions that were streamed from Kansas City’s CNMC, I had determined that I would work hard to make it happen this year.  The plans did get made, but now it’s not going to work out this year.  Doubly sad, I was planning to see two young friends at The University of Dallas–a neice and a daughter of my best college friend.  Because I won’t be in Dallas, visiting them and seeing their college home won’t happen.

I’m super disappointed about all of it, especially since at the CNMC I was going to get to see friends that I know, and meet many others that I know only online.  The conference is going to coincide with both the Catholic Marketing Network and the Catholic Writers Guild.  It’s going to be a great experience for those who are going to network, learn about great books, movies and other Catholic media, and just in general soak up the atmosphere.  Attending a conference the first year is often a “lost” year, getting one’s bearings, etc., but I think with all the great topics and speakers and sessions, I would have gleaned a lot from attending even this first-for-me conference.

So, though I am Emily of Deep Valley sad about this (and you can read all about what that means here, in my literary pilgrimage to Betsy-Tacy land), I do hope to make the best of being at home.

The conference starts today, so if you are attending or en route, please do tweet and updating those of us at home about it.  I will be following along on Twitter and Facebook.  And have a great conference!

New Links List: Catholic, Local and Online

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One of the trickiest aspects of being a “local” Catholic blogger for a diocesan Catholic newspaper, The Catholic Post, but writing about books, which are generally not specific to the diocese, is balancing the local and more general audiences.   I’ve wondered, and had a few discussions with my editor, about ways to make the blog more local-friendly or help it have a local “flavor” at the same time.  I’ve added a new links list to help with that.

If you look on the right hand panel of this blog, you’ll see a new links list: “Catholic, Local, and Online”

For some reason, this idea never occurred to me before now, but now I’m very excited to share and compile local Catholic online sources.  You’ll notice I have everything from the Catholic Diocese of Peoria to various bloggers and other local-interest sites.

I made the list relatively local–not just people from our diocese, but those nearby.  I considered Sister Helena Burns and her blog “Hell Burns” in this “local” category, since she is such a friend of the Peoria diocese, speaks here often, and is just a short drive away in Chicago.  I’m really thinking of expanding to include St. Louis people as well, since there are quite a few Catholic folks active online there.  I also couldn’t resist adding Lisa Schmidt, who blogs with her husband at The Practicing Catholic, since they are just in the next state over.

I have a number of requests out to local Peoria-area bloggers that I know locally to see if they would like to be added onto the list.  I’m really on the look-out for anyone who is active online with a blog, Twitter presence or other online resource.  Can you share your favorites?  And if you would like to be added onto the list, or have an idea for someone to add (even if not “strictly” local), then please comment on this post and I would love to add you onto this.

Eventually, I might consider making this a tab on the top of the blog.  If you have any ideas on that, please share away!

For Father’s Day: Great Dads in Fiction (A Re-Post)

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I’m re-running this post from 2010 because I had an idea to write a post like this for Father’s Day, and then I realized that I had already!  I thought it was worthwhile sharing again, and I’d love to hear your favorite dads in fiction.  Next year, I resolve to write a post for Mother’s Day on great moms in fiction, but I suspect that would be even harder to write.


When I had this idea for talking about great dads in fiction, I didn’t realize how hard it would be to come up with a number of great dads, or at least pretty good ones!


Many dads and moms in fiction I love are absent, dead or not a factor.  In others, the dad is considerably less than ideal, and that’s kind of the point.  But here’s a fair, by no means exhaustive, list of good and great dads to consider. 


I am indebted to my almost-teenaged daughter, who helped me immensely in ideas for great dads in the youth fiction in particular, especially why they are so good, and for helping in describing Emma’s father so well.


1.  Mr. Henry Woodhouse, Emma’s father, in Jane Austen’s Emma.  As those who know me know, I am a huge Austen fan, and I dearly love the novel and the title character.  Emma’s father is overly concerned about safety and health of those he loves, always fussing and forecasting doom.  While he is a bit of a comic character (but really, I ask you, who isn’t in Emma?), he is loving, kind and generous.  The love and respect shown to him by his daughter & future son-in-law by their decision to live at his house after marriage rather than have him separated even by a mile from his younger daughter, speaks volumes.


My husband has never read Emma, but enjoyed watching with my daughters this winter the excellent most recent adaptation that aired on PBS, and they took to calling him “Mr. Woodhouse” as he is a teensy bit of a worrier.  He could be heard to say on a number of occasions since then, “Are you not taking a scarf? You might get chilled.” and “No cake, especially for the children. There must not be cake.”



(Mr. Woodhouse looks kind of scary in this photo, but he’s really dear in the book, as well as in this excellent 2009 BBC adaptation of the novel.)


2.  Lavrans Bjorgulfsson, father of Kristin in Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset.  Lavrans is by no means perfect, but so real, like many fathers.  I find him honorable, steadfast, so realistic in many ways, from his work among his farmer tenants to his sacrificial work on behalf of his family, to his fierce loyalty to and protection of Kristin’s honor, both when she does and does not deserve it. 





3.  Father Francis Chisolm in A.J. Cronin’s The Keys of the Kingdom.  This fantastic novel follows the life of Father Francis’s entire life, though it primarily takes place and his missionary work in China.  The 1944 movie starred Gregory Peck, and while it is wonderful, it is a bit more pat and wrapped up nicely than the novel.  If you’ve seen the movie, give the book a try, and vice versa.


Why is Father Francis Chisolm such a great father/Father?  First, how he lives the Gospel through his life more than his words.  Second, Father Chisolm has a passionate, Catholic ecuminism that spans cultures and promotes the deepest kind of friendship.  Finaly, he is brave and good, and only wants the best for his spiritual children, both temporal and spiritual goods, and seeks to provide them.





4.  Caddie Woodlawn’s father in Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink.  This is a children’s book, but would be enjoyed by anyone.  He is noble, calm-headed, kind, but firm with his children.  I don’t want to give anything away from the novel (because if you haven’t read it, please do! It’s a treat!), but his American spirit of hard work and equality brings tears to my eyes whenever I read this children’s novel.



5.  Pa in The Little House books.  Pa’s total love of his family, his dear affection for his brood, is so charming and winning.  Most of us who grew up reading the books and watching the television show immediately think, “Where’s my little half-pint of sweet cider half drunk up?”





6.  Robert Ray, the father of Betsy Ray, the central characters in the Besty-Tacy series of books, that fabulous semi-autobiographical collection of stories by Maud Hart Lovelace. (For our family’s literary pilgrimage to the places that inspired the books, you can read all about it here.)  There are ten altogether in the series, set in early 20th century Minnesota; the firs four are best for younger kids, and the rest good for older kids and adults.  Mr. Ray is a benevolent, hardworking patriarch to three daughters, and lends a loving, mischievous paternal presence in these books full of fun and love.  In Betsy & Tacy Go Over the Big Hill, Mr. Ray successfully referees a “terrible” quarrel between Betsy, Tacy & Tib, and older sisters Julia and Katie.




Any great dads in fiction that you care to share?


Catholic Media Promotion Day: #silenceandword

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Yesterday and today comprised the two-day Catholic Media Promotion Day(s?).  Last year I participated and listed some of my favorite online Catholic “things” like podcasts websites and other Internet sources.

Because of that, this year organizers of Catholic Media Promotion Day recommended that participants this year take a break from social media on Wednesday, May 23, then write about it on Thursday, May 24.   The hashtag to be used is #silenceandword, as a direct quote from Benedict XVI from the Holy Father’s message for World Communications Day.

That message was really about the need to balance contemplation with action related to social media use.  As Benedict XVI writes, “Word and silence: learning to communicate is learning to listen and contemplate as well as speak.” Nice!

I saw on Lisa Hendey’s CatholicMom.com site about Catholic Media Promotion Day earlier this week, and made a mental note to stay off social networks and to write today about it.  But as it turned out, that happened to be no problem.

Yesterday was the class trip for our oldest’s 8th grade class, so I was on a bus from early morning until late at night, coordinating with the coach driver and keeping head counts of fellow parents (yes, that was one of my roles!)   I didn’t feel bad being “offline” at all.  If I had thought about it, I might have checked Facebook on my phone (I need to delete and re-install mobile Twitter, as it hasn’t worked for some months, showing how often I use that on my phone), but I truly never thought of it.

It’s interesting to reflect on that, and to choose to have a day of silence, because I find myself with more silence than noise when it comes to social networks and communications.  I can go more than a day being on the computer, and even longer for checking into Facebook or Twitter. (I use TweetDeck for Twitter feeds, and lately, my laptop is running slow so I don’t often have it up).

Strangely, I find that I have lots of time for contemplation, but not as much time for speaking or engaging.  I still have early morning hours and times of quiet when I reflect, or think of things I would like to write and accomplish as I go about the busyness of life.  But even though the contemplation bears fruit in the form of ideas, getting those writing ideas actually done has been very difficult lately, because when I’ve processed it enough to get it down, it’s time to take kids somewhere, or put in another load of laundry, or go grocery shopping, or go on a field trip or ….fill in the blank of running a household and keeping kids fed, clothed and loved.  And sometimes I get to it, and sometimes I don’t.  As an example, the only reason that this post is being finished, even after day of intending to, is that a huge branch came down from a tree on the tree lawn in front of our house.  It’s blocking the road, and a city crew is here cutting it up with chainsaws, and the rest of the family is outside watching.  (I went out to snap a few photos and say hello to the police who came, and now I’m taking advantage of the quiet to finish this).

The topic then to share about was, “What in Catholic Media has had an impact on me during the past year?”  And to be honest, I have to say my shrinking time online is something that has had the greatest impact on me.  It’s not all bad, and it’s not all good.

I am trying to tweak my schedule and time management skills so that I have more time to accomplish the writing and reading that I love, and with intentionally connecting with others online, whether family members through e-mail, Facebook friends and groups, Twitter or blogging here (as I should!)  

But overall, I’ve increasingly realized that the season of my life right now is meant to be spent as much time as I would like, or feel called to–writing, or reading (sigh!), or interacting with others online–and to be at peace with it.  There will come a time when I’ll have much more leeway in my schedule to write the Great American Novel (or whatever project I’ve got in mind then), and be much more active in whatever social media looks like in the future.  But for now, it’s a lot of analog, and that’s a good thing.

How about you?  Do you find yourself connected online more than you would like, or less?  What would you change about your online engagement?