Another drive
I will have to do another drive to sell my book. I know people get sick of seeing the same old thing posted on Facebook but at the same time, a further spur is just what some people need. I know that sometimes, I will see something that takes my interest, mean to take a note of it but not do so and before long that thing is forgotten or can’t be found. Lately, I have been taking more screen shots; that way I have details etc. of whatever it is that I want to remember.
Generally, if I see something that I want to buy, I act quickly for often things only last a short time once advertised. This is a far cry from the old days and by that I don’t mean that many years ago, but the days before local Facebook groups sprung up. If one had something to sell, it was necessary to get the ad in the local newspaper, before that paper’s deadline. That was often the frustrating thing, especially for garage sales. Saturday was always the best paper to advertise in as anyone wanting to buy or know where the garage sales were, would make sure to purchase a copy. And it usually meant someone would have to visit the paper office to place their ad, meaning quite a bit of time was involved in the process. I am sure that put many people off selling items and instead either hoarded or dumped unwanted belongings.
With the advent of these Facebook groups, people can sell whatever and whenever they feel like it. It is no longer a matter of being earliest up to get the bargains. It could entirely be a matter of luck that one opens Facebook to see something listed a few minutes ago and thus gets first option on that particular item. And generally, there is no charge on the actual placement of the ads as it was with newspapers. I wonder if that will change in the future.
The same applies to the newspapers themselves. With the two main websites, Stuff and the Herald, readers can get access to most articles without having to buy a physical copy of the paper or even pay for it. However, I notice the Herald site now has more articles that can only be read on premium, ie, paid content. I guess in the future more of these articles will be paid-read only.
As a former journalist, I know how important it is to have the public buying your paper but as long as we can read most things for free, why would we need to invest in the hardcopy. But in saying that, nothing can beat the paper version, turning page after page, the smell of the fresh ink. And what would we have to wrap our broken glass in without the good old newspaper.