I'm trying.

I feel terrible plagiarizing JZ, though.

It's not plagarizing! It's accepting editorial changes!

You asked for help!

These were my instructions:

It just has to contain these elements: DESCRIBE HERSELF AND HER AUDIENCE: eg. "I'm a pistol, and speak for the millions of people out there who live through their computers..." (tell her to take a classic "underdog position")

MY AUDIENCE CONSISTS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE: This would appeal to all the (X, Y, and Z people) out there, which makes up a huge part of your audience.

MY BOOK IS ABOUT AND I CAN TALK ABOUT: This doesn't have to be too long, our press release will do all the talking, but something about the "mysterious secret world of interent geeks" is fascinating, and if she says something outlandish like "we're taking over the country" then she'd have me. Remember she can touch on these briefly and you can elaborate. All we need from her is a fun little note.

OK, Part B is clearly anyone with a Livejournal or a MySpace page. A and C are covered in the JZ draft, I think.

Oh, and use the Anil Dash line about how the population of LJ is bigger than the population of Illinois.

And to criticize myself, I'd edit

people have compared me to Sarah Vowell

to

people have compared my essays to Sarah Vowell's

and I say plagiarize away iff'n it suits. I wouldn't have posted it if I didn't want you to make use of it.

"My super power would be cooler than Sarah Vowell's."

Hil, thanks. I'll look at it tomorrow. I just want to be a help, not a hindrance. My dad taught me algebra. But he had some history of teaching, which I do not.

Allyson, take the suggestions, bend them to your words.

Also, (and this isn't really relevent, just me musing) but the concept is sort of interesting in light of that story of the teacher's hiring being recinded after her potential bosses ran across her myspace or whatever which included innocuous pictures of her (of age) drinking. There's a huge comprehension/understanding gap. I know I sort of straddle it. On one hand, hello? I'm here. I share. You find me on flickr, you know what I look like, my friends, etc. OTOH, while googlable, you have to fill in some blanks, which I try not to supply. I get myself off the online whitepages.

ANYWAY, the thing is, there's a bit of a double standard going on. In a small town, that (oooh, she enjoys a drink now and then) would probably not be that big a deal (I'm talking gossip, not internet.) Hell, my town was smallish mentally, and lord knows I'd seen my teachers coming out of bars or indulging at a restaurant.... Wouldn't get her fired, except maybe in a dry county. But people who see the internet as a lair of weirdos see this public knowlege, like she's flaunting something, they freak the fuck out. (I wonder... no, actually, I don't... if it'd been a guy.)

Doesn't mean you shouldn't be cautious about what you put out online, from an employment perspective. There's a few pictures that while not incriminating, I'd wish I'd not put online back in the day, but they are difficult to find, thank god. But that there is a freak out potential for those not comfortable with the whole idea of an online existance.

I THANKSGIVING WITH AXE MURDERERS! is how they might see parts of my life.

There's a few pictures that while not incriminating, I'd wish I'd not put online back in the day, but they are difficult to find, thank god.

Mine is an evil laugh....