There are books that instruct us on "how to get noticed," and "how to generate more traffic on our websites," and "key words to use in the beginning of my blog post."
The message we can so easily buy into is, Look at how great and wonderful and special I am!! And while you are at it, please click LIKE on Facebook.
Can you tell this drives me a bit crazy? I am being triggered by having to promote the Passover seder we are doing in April (I will not tell you the date nor how you can buy tickets here), although I did it yesterday on this blog.
My struggle is compounded by the fact that I actually like to promote worthwhile causes, even my own. But we are all so overwhelmed by the many event requests, e-vites, doodles, etc. that I am reluctant to be part of the noise.
Nonetheless, I have needed to suck it up and deal with life in the 21st century, and be part of the Promotion Noise. My consolation is that I really believe in the people and causes that I give "shout out" to, either on this blog or on Facebook.
Here's a few of the causes I am passionate about or intrigued by at the moment:
- Beirut and Beyond - run by a new friend, Suzann, here in Denver.
- Immanuel Church, Spokane - a new innovative church led by my friend Rob Fairbanks.
- Playfull - led by my wildly creative and fun friend Troy Cady.
- Leadership Connextions - led by Brian Rice. LCI has some of the most impactful materials for leaders on spiritual formation.
- SUNY Cortland - where I did my undergrad work in New York. A working-class public university that is educating young people well.
- Carl Medearis - who thinks so well about relationships between Muslims, Christians, and Jews... and challenges me every step of the way (even when we disagree sometimes).
Oh ya, my friends Aram and Ellen are having a Poetry Party with Art from Ashes in Denver this coming Thursday evening. I don't exactly know how to promote it here, but if you are in Denver and are interested then do what we all do in the 21st century: GOOGLE IT!
Brian, thank you for saying what I was thinking. I just self-published a book. In the old days, that would be that. People would buy it or you would be stuck with dozens of cartons of scrap paper. Now, I am realizing that the job has just begun. I need to start a new FB page, I need to get endorsements, I need to write a blog, etc, etc. And I am a person who has been taught my whole life not to blow my own horn. It is deeply uncomfortable. (Nevertheless, I have begun working on setting up the blog...)
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