Toops Scoops: Rear Windows XP

Remember the Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece “Rear Window,” in which photographer Jimmy Stewart, laid up with a broken leg, gets into all kinds of trouble?

Well, in case you don't already know, I'm stuck in the same situation right now–working from home due to an injured leg.

Like Jimmy Stewart, I'm hobbling around on crutches, stuck in a single room with a rear window, and looking out of it occasionally. Unlike Jimmy Stewart, I don't have exciting neighbors, a telescope, or Thelma Ritter to take care of things around here (with two moody teenagers heading into the end of summer vacation, whatever help I get is pretty reluctant). What I do have is my laptop computer and plenty of time to ponder the meaning of life.

The simple fact that I can work remotely, doing just about everything I do in the office, is pretty miraculous in itself. Throw in the wonders of social media, and it's like I don't even need to be a physical presence at all (next stop, AA&B goes to Second Life and I get a sexy avatar  — in keeping with the theme, maybe a Grace Kelly lookalike?).

Still, all this virtual meandering only makes me realize a few things. To wit:

• Social media is a tool, not a panacea. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are all swell. I use one or a combination of all to broadcast new Web postings, seek editorial input, and otherwise keep track of what's happening around the industry. However, I don't subscribe to the opinion that Twitter should be the recipient of the Nobel Prize (someone actually proposed this), or that all your friends on Facebook care whether you live or die — or even know you, for that matter. I used to have Twitter on my Crackberry, but put a stop to that after getting a huge phone bill. I don't want to pay for all those up-to-the-second postings from all those friends I don't know (“Just landed at O'Hare,” “Having dinner at Joe's Place,” “How about those Cubs!”). Yes, social media is great, but let's keep things in perspective. After all, a peep through the old telescope is worth a million tweets, right, Jimmy Stewart? 
• Personal contact is highly underrated. Tweet this. Over the last month the most meaningful exchanges I've had were with the few friends who got out of Virtual-Land and actually came over to see me, live and in person, leg brace and all. This is definitely something to keep in mind when you're dealing with valued customers.
• Some people have way too much time on their hands. News flash: Your second-by-second random thoughts broadcast to the world aren't interesting to the rest of us. Neither are the endless political analyses (unless you're being paid for it), lame “tests” (“Which 'Saved by the Bell' character are you?”), and virtual hugs, kisses and drinks. I want real drinks.
• Your professional life is your personal life, and vice versa. Once upon a time, bringing your personal life into the office was verboten. But with all the spillover between social mediums, it's becoming more prevalent, and ultimately, inevitable. But is it professional? Good question which I can't answer. Work contacts frequently ask me about my novels. Stop asking, just buy them.
• My neighbors are way too boring. No murders. No Raymond Burr. Just lots of noisy lawn services  and screaming preschoolers.

I can't wait to get back to the non-virtual office.