I, like many, have really taken hold of this social media craze. The two obvious biggies out there now are Facebook and Twitter. Facebook for me was a no brainer. Everyone I knew was on Facebook and/is a great way to stay connected with those you currently know, have known in the past, and for some people you'd like to know. Facebook is familiar and you are surrounded by people you know and can easily pick up the phone and call them if need be. But Twitter freaked me out the first time I signed on. I was in this whole other universe and it took some getting use to.
However after reading other tweets and learning a little about it I began to see what all the fuss was about. Twitter allows you to mix and mingle with those who you greatly admire i.e. celebrities, musicians, authors, news anchors, politicians, preachers, and the list goes on and on. Where on Facebook you might can be a fan on someone's page but you really never have any real contact or conversation with. However on Twitter you can speak directly to this person and you are heard/read. Now given, it's up to the recipient to respond or not but often they do. You also get to know these people better because they write about everyday things that we all experience at which time you can chime in on your personal experiences.
Just the other night there was absolutely nothing on TV so I watched the infamous Video Music Awards on MTV. At the same time I was reading the Twitter feeds and there were hundreds of us conversing about how ridiculous this program was. It was interesting to talk to people all over the world about the same topic and see everyone's different ideas and feedback. There were even fictional characters commenting like Peter Griffin, Darth Vader, and my favorite Lord Voldemort. It was hysterical to read some of these responses.
So in a nutshell Facebook really gears for people you are familiar with, your comfort zone if you will. Twitter allows you to go beyond your comfort zone and really push your ideas to the masses, while all the while conversing with those whom you wouldn't normally have the opportunity to converse with. So be bold and tweet. I'll become your first follower @childressmusic.
- Steve
www.stevechildressmusic.com
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Why I listen to Christmas Music year round
That's right, I am guilty. I am a closet year round Christmas music listener. I have an addiction and I admit it which is the first step right? I have a collection of over 100 Christmas CD's I have collected over the years. On my iTunes Christmas playlist I have over 750 Christmas songs that I can just hit shuffle and be a happy little elf. Now with the new Internet radio apps such as Pandora I have even more variety and access. So why do I do this very strange thing, why do I subject myself year round to what most "normal" people listen to for about 30 days max and then store away for the next year? Well I'll tell you and hope to convince you that Christmas Music year round does the body, heart, and soul good.
For me Christmas is more than a one year calendar event where we are forced to save our pennies out of obligation to buy gifts for people who honestly really do not need everything we give them, but it's the thing to do. No for me Christmas is in a word magical. As a child I couldn't wait for Christmas to role around. Thanksgiving kicked it off and it was a truly magical period that encompassed the music, sights, smells, and surroundings. Everything had a since of nostalgia to it. As adults I feel that we lose this magic. I would even dare say it happens as early as our teens. The magic of Christmas fades and again we feel it's just another holiday rather than what we thought it was a kid. It is very sad that the older we get life seems less and less magical. And magical happenings seem less and less because we frankly stop looking for them. Our lives become so mundane that the zeal of life is sucked right out of us. So to my first point listening to Christmas music year round keeps that magic and the expectancy of magic alive in my adult heart. I want to experience the magic that my two children experience everyday. I want to remember what it's like to see the world through their eyes. Therefore I listen.
To me Christmas also is a time of family. It is that one time of year where we set aside our differences and look at each other as equals, as true family. With this sense of family comes a feeling of warmth and protection. The smells of my mothers kitchen, the crackling of my in-laws fireplace, the lighting of my family's tree in our living room. Music paints a picture in our minds that only we can see. It brings back snapshots and memories of days gone by and reminds us of once was and what's to come. Therefore I listen to remind me of what I have, the love of my family and that they will love me unconditionally when the world turns its back on me. We all need that reminder I think.
Finally listening to Christmas music year round is a great reminder of the true meaning, the meaning of Hope. The hope that we seem to lose from January 1 - November whatever when we are absence from the reminder that Christ sent His one and only son to this earth, to live among us, and to die so that we can live eternally with Him. Why wouldn't we want that reminder, we all need it?
So the next time you're stuck in traffic in 100 degree weather, have a million thoughts and/or problems running through your mind, or even to simply lower your blood pressure, put on some Christmas Music. Be reminded of the magic that this life still brings, the warmth of what you have, and the hope for tomorrow.
- Steve
www.stevechildressmusic.com
For me Christmas is more than a one year calendar event where we are forced to save our pennies out of obligation to buy gifts for people who honestly really do not need everything we give them, but it's the thing to do. No for me Christmas is in a word magical. As a child I couldn't wait for Christmas to role around. Thanksgiving kicked it off and it was a truly magical period that encompassed the music, sights, smells, and surroundings. Everything had a since of nostalgia to it. As adults I feel that we lose this magic. I would even dare say it happens as early as our teens. The magic of Christmas fades and again we feel it's just another holiday rather than what we thought it was a kid. It is very sad that the older we get life seems less and less magical. And magical happenings seem less and less because we frankly stop looking for them. Our lives become so mundane that the zeal of life is sucked right out of us. So to my first point listening to Christmas music year round keeps that magic and the expectancy of magic alive in my adult heart. I want to experience the magic that my two children experience everyday. I want to remember what it's like to see the world through their eyes. Therefore I listen.
To me Christmas also is a time of family. It is that one time of year where we set aside our differences and look at each other as equals, as true family. With this sense of family comes a feeling of warmth and protection. The smells of my mothers kitchen, the crackling of my in-laws fireplace, the lighting of my family's tree in our living room. Music paints a picture in our minds that only we can see. It brings back snapshots and memories of days gone by and reminds us of once was and what's to come. Therefore I listen to remind me of what I have, the love of my family and that they will love me unconditionally when the world turns its back on me. We all need that reminder I think.
Finally listening to Christmas music year round is a great reminder of the true meaning, the meaning of Hope. The hope that we seem to lose from January 1 - November whatever when we are absence from the reminder that Christ sent His one and only son to this earth, to live among us, and to die so that we can live eternally with Him. Why wouldn't we want that reminder, we all need it?
So the next time you're stuck in traffic in 100 degree weather, have a million thoughts and/or problems running through your mind, or even to simply lower your blood pressure, put on some Christmas Music. Be reminded of the magic that this life still brings, the warmth of what you have, and the hope for tomorrow.
- Steve
www.stevechildressmusic.com
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