DO YOU BLING? By Morgan Mandel

HOW MUCH DO YOU BLING? IS THERE A RIGHT OR WRONG TIME TO BLING?




Which glasses have the bling? The ones on the right, obviously.

After four years of wearing the same frames, even after changing prescriptions, I broke down and added more bling to my life. What prompted the change was a small scratch, which I knew would get larger with time, also Sears had a good sale. For the heck of it I tried on some snazzier frames and decided I liked them.

I wear them a lot, but not always. They do have their disadvantages. For one thing, I can see the sides of the new frames in my peripheral vision, which is very distracting. The old frames were open. Because of safety factors, when I’m driving, I still wear the plain frames. Also, when I go to aerobics class, I use the oldies so the new ones won’t get all sweaty.

For a while I even kept the old ones on the nightstand because I was afraid I’d knock the new ones off, but decided I was being overprotective.

I’ve come to the conclusion there’s a time and place for bling, actually many times and places. Also, there’s a time and place for plain.

Even before I changed glasses, I already was into bling. If you take a look at my website at www.morganmandel.com , you’ll find bling on the main page—banners, review site logos, photos, other doo-dads. At one time, it even had an electronic marquee advertising the release of Girl of My Dreams.
I try to make each page unique, depicting the flavor of my novel and the subject matter I’m presenting. You’ll find airplanes and landmark photos on the travelogue that tracks the rounds in Girl of My Dreams. You’ll find a projector on the page with the first chapter excerpt, plus other gimmicks throughout the website designed to grab the reader’s attention.

On my blogs, whenever I can I add some kind of graphic to catch the eye, like the photos of my glasses above.

I belong to a lot of networks on http://ning.com , also am a creator of a few, http://bookplace.ning.com and http://sixtyandsavvy.ning.com, where you’ll find all kinds of bling in the form of photos, trailers, and other gimmicks.

Along with the glitz, I also belong to a great many no-frill listservs - bookblogtours,longandshortromancereviews, MurderMustAdvertise, and too many more to mention. I learned of these groups through networking and also by typing in groups.yahoo.com and choosing topics I was interested in. From these message groups I’ve gained valuable information and valued friends. They are a necessary part of my education,marketing strategy and online social life.

So, which is better, bling or plain? I say they both have their merits.

What about you? Do you like bling? Or plain? Or both, like me?

Morgan Mandel
www.morganmandel.com
http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com