For Whom the Web Snags

In preparation for the July release of my new devotional, Bless Your Heart, I’ve been spending a lot of time with my web designer deciding on changes to my website. Most of the revisions are minor, some even subtle (which you may not even notice). We’re mainly adding tweaks about the upcoming book and applicable contests, giveaways, endorsements, and descriptions.

But, since the new book’s theme is blessings, and my previous series, Too Blessed to be Stressed, focused on the same topic, there weren’t massive changes to be made. In fact, my web designer, who created the brand look for DeboraCoty.com 12 years ago, commented he’d rarely run across an author’s site that had stood the test of time as well as mine.

Since I am a dyed-in-the-seersucker (this Floridian’s fabric of choice instead of wool) creature of habit, I was delighted to hear that extensive reconfiguring would not be needed. I wish more things would stay the same over the years, don’t you?

Or am I the only stubborn resister of change?

Anyway, all this trampling around my website started me thinking about webs. Genuine webs, I mean. Fabricated by real spiders to accomplish a specific purpose … usually staying alive by capturing food while also providing a safe place for the spider to live. Even Spiderman’s webs (not sure whether these would be considered Marvel-ously real or not but that lil’ Tom Holland is such a cutie!) are used to thwart crooks and catch bad guys.

So webs are super important to those who use them.

In our current times, many of us use websites on the world wide web. In the beginning of my writing career, I was told I could never progress without one. Yep, it was pretty much mandatory. The first thing a prospective literary agent or publisher did after receiving my book proposal was to look up my website and decide by studying it with a macro-microscope whether I was worthy of their attention or even an ounce of consideration. If not, hasta la vista, Debita.

If my web personality piqued their interest, they would allow themselves to be be drawn closer and cautiously stretch out an antenna toward the unique sticky strands that made up www.DeboraCoty.com.

It works the same with readers. Or at least it’s supposed to. These webs are designed to snag followers like spiderwebs nag flies.

But in marinating over the purpose of webs, I’ve become convicted that I don’t want to snag readers like hapless, helpless flies; I only want to snag readers/followers/new BFFs (Blessed Friends Forever) in the sense of the other person wanting to join my posse by their own free will. That kind of snag. A delightfully good deal for both the snag-er and the snag-ee.

Like snagging a 50% off purse  at Bloomingdales. Everybody’s happy. You’re happy to snag them into your community of all-time best blessed friends and they’re happy to be snagged.

I truly hope that’s how the people perusing my website feel if they decide to hang out with me a while. Or buy my books. Or share prayer requests. Or laugh like loons alongside me and my other crazy BFFs.

How about you? Maybe you don’t have a website … but you have a life. And your lifestyle advertises like a neon sign what your beliefs and convictions are, who and what you admire most (and least), how you spend your precious time, and where you intend to spend eternity.

Whom do you hope to attract to your web? What will make them stick? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Hugs!