Reading was once a privilege only enjoyed by those well-off and those with patience. It wasn’t that long ago that books took forever to print and the world clamored for new books a couple times a year. Now, books are published and distributed in so many ways that it’s hard to even keep up. In Martin Luther’s day, The Bible was chained up in the library. I have a version of it on my Blackberry that I can search different translations with just a few buttons.

Technology has met books with the introduction of the e-reader. Amazon released one of the first mainstream e-readers in their Kindle, a device that employs “e-ink” technology, where the page treats your eyes like a piece of paper but you don’t have to turn pages. Reviews raved about this little device: you could download books from anywhere – especially with wi-fi hotspots – on the fly, and store hundreds of books on a little device like this. Ebooks generally run cheaper than regular books anyway, so it seemed like a slam dunk. Plus, the e-ink took less power to operate, so battery life could be over a week.

One problem: the price. Amazon’s Kindle was $259. Sony’s comparable e-reader was a whopping $349. Barnes and Noble released their Nook last November at a price of $259. This is a pretty high upfront price to pay, and you’d have to read a lot of books to make up the price of just buying books like normal. So the niche market has always been travelers and very heavy readers – people who need to lug around a lot of books and can store them in one little device instead. But all these e-readers are looking to crack into the full, mainstream reading market.

Then: The Price War Began

Two things happened that kicked off the price war. One, the iPad . As much as I hate this piece of hardware, it has a slick presentation that grabs eyes. One of the biggest features of the iPad has been iBooks, which is just a slicker version of an e-reader. Even though the iPad is at the ridiculous price of $499 (and jumps to an even-more-ridiculous $629 plus a monthly data plan to add 3G service like the Kindle/Nook offers for free), some people justify that price for a color e-reader. So that started taking market share from the other e-readers; why pay almost $300 for a device that reads books when you can pay $500 and get (in certain ways) more functionality?

The second was the brilliant move by Borders: bringing the Kobo eReader to the U.S. While this device lacks any internet connectivity, its price point of $150 finally started to look enticing to the mainstream. And with the announcement of bringing in the Aluratek Libre eReader for $120 , Borders looks like it is readying itself to start bringing in some serious market share.

Until earlier this week, when Barnes and Noble announced they were dropping their Nook to $199, and releasing a wi-fi only version of the device for $149. With access to a ton of free wi-fi hotspots in the country, all of a sudden, the Nook looks like the best option. Amazon, the same day, responded by dropping the Kindle to $189 . With wi-fi and 3G service, as well as a pending App Store , it looks like the one to beat.

So where is the future of reading? So far, here are your options:

1. Buy an e-reader and use ebooks.

Pros: Extremely convenient – get a book in a matter of minutes, either through your computer or through your device. New releases available immediately. Low price for ebooks. Carry a ton of books without the weight.
Cons: Big upfront price for device. Quality of device varies from company to company.

2. Go to the library .

Pros: Free.
Cons: Can be a limited selection. You’re on a time limit, so you have to keep renewing the book. If you’re like me, you don’t like that added pressure sometimes.

3. Trade books on PaperbackSwap for cheap.

Pros: Own a book for $2-3. Big selection available.
Cons: Have to wrap and mail books to get credits. Receiving a book can take weeks. Quality of books can vary depending on sender. Few new releases available.

4. Buy new books at the bookstore.

Pros: New releases. That “new book” smell.
Cons: Sticker price.

5. Download free e-reader software on computers and smartphones and buy ebooks.

Pros: Software is free. Ebooks are cheap. Take your books anywhere on your phone.
Cons: Reading on smartphones can be hard on the eyes, reading on computer is less-than-comfortable for long periods of time.

6. Buy used books on Amazon.

Pros: Low price. Generally good quality. Excellent selection – pretty much any book you want. Free shipping on orders over $25.
Cons: Shipping charges if you just want one or two books. Have to wait for books to be shipped to you.

What’s the answer?

I don’t know yet. I think e-readers are getting very close to breaking through. If you show me an e-reader using the e-ink technology and works well (and looks slick enough) for under $100, I’m buying in. $150 is still just a little too pricey for me to buy (although I would take one as a gift!). What are your thoughts? With so many options for reading books, which one is the best for your situation and why?

I listen to Bob and Brian On Demand lately (a Milwaukee-based morning radio show – HILARIOUS), and they have featured a segment this year again called “Holiday Horror Stories”, where readers send in their absolutely worst stories stemming from the holiday season. Stories range from grandpa dying and his bowels releasing while his grandson is in his lap to gifts of used underwear and stuff stolen from the local bar, or – my favorite – a guy spending Christmas with his girlfriend visiting her friends and being forced to “distract” them while she steals their presents, and then blames it on him afterwards.

Anyway, while you can’t really control whether or not grandpa is going to kick it while you’re all together, here are some ways you can tolerate – and even enjoy! – the next few days with your family.

Don’t pin it all on the gifts.

This is the easiest to remember. Sure, you went out and found your mother’s favorite book from her childhood that’s been out of print for 20 years and she got you socks. It’s okay. Let it go. I had a grandmother growing up that, for two Christmases in a row, got me the exact same nondescript bright blue hoodless sweatshirt. Not only was it something I would never wear, she clearly didn’t “get it”. But that’s okay. She tried.

More often than not, people are trying. Cut them some slack. While they may be thoughtless once in a while, many times they really do mean well, even if they’re way off base. Be gracious and thankful. Don’t pitch a fit and demand you switch it to “Yankee Swap” just because you gave an iPod and got an oven mitt.

  “I bought Ryan an iPod!”

Limit the liquor.

Eggnog is great. So is a good brandy old-fashioned. Even a holiday beer is a good thing. Note these are singular.

If you’re around people you don’t necessarily enjoy being around, drinking is one of the worst ways to cope. After all, you’re more honest when you drink, and you’re just going to be less tactful at hiding the fact you don’t want to be there. Suck it up and deal with it.

Watch a great Christmas classic.

Don’t like talking to each other? Great! That’s where your Christmas movies come in handy. From It’s a Wonderful Life to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, there’s something for everybody. Pop in Elf or A Muppet Christmas Carol. Turn on TNT and catch A Christmas Story for the billionth time. If you need a distraction, ditch the drinking and use one of these to keep everybody sane.

Pictured: Your sanity.

Swap stories from days gone by.

I have three older brothers. The oldest is 35 years old. We’ve got a lot of stories. There is nothing greater than sharing funny stories from the past, whether they are Christmas stories or just plain good ones. Laugh hard and think back wistfully to a time when Christmas wasn’t such a source of stress for you.

Go easy on the kids.

It’s hard to have a conversation when the kids are running around screaming. But instead of banishing them to the bedroom, let them run around a little bit. Maybe they don’t have to scream so much, but Christmas is a joyous, innocent time for them. They’re playing with family and new toys, and everything’s decorated. Don’t you remember what that’s like?

Heck, even play with them a little bit! Help them put together the latest gadget they got because they’re so anxious to play, or run around with them! Let them enjoy being children before they grow up and have their spirits crushed like you.

Smile.

Show some joy. Hug your loved ones. This is a time of peace and love. You’d be surprised how many problems can be defused with a smile and a little laughter.

Most importantly, enjoy yourself. It’s Christmas. God bless you and your family over the next couple of days, and I wish you all safe travels and peaceful but fun times with your friends and family.

Photo courtesy of the Meitner Family Archives – Christmas 1994

I read some of the angriest emails in the world, just about every day.

Currently, I work in the glamorous world of customer service, answering emails all day. When you go to our store’s website and click “Contact Us”, those emails get sent to my department. On Black Friday this year, we had a huge Early Bird special starting at midnight. I started work at 9:00pm on Thanksgiving night and worked until 5:30am the next morning (like I said, glamorous). At midnight, emails began pouring in by the hundreds.

Our website had gone down. At midnight. On Black Friday.

Here’s just a sample of some of the comments we received over this problem:

• “Our Christmas is RUINED. Why didn’t you prepare for this?????”
• “In this economy, every penny counts. Maybe it doesn’t matter to you, but it does to people like us. I see how much you care about your customers.”
• “Your web designer should be taken out back and SHOT.”
• “You are the REAL grinch that stole Christmas!”
• “I demand that you send me these items, or I am reporting you to the BBB.”
• “If I don’t get these items at this price by Christmas, I won’t have anything to give my family!”
• “What am I supposed to tell my kids???”

Now, I won’t defend the fact that the site had gone down. We absolutely should’ve done a better job there. But look at some of these comments. These are sent between midnight and 5:30am on November 30th. Christmas – the last time I checked, anyway – is usually on December 25th. So I could rant and rave about how they have a whole stinking month to get something else for their kids, but that’s not where I’m going with this. One of my co-workers put it best at around 3:00am:

“This is supposed to be the season of peace and love…”

I don’t know her that well, but she doesn’t strike me as the hippie-“free love”-type. This was an honest comment from a normal person. What has happened to treating your fellow man (or woman) with a little bit of respect around the holidays?

It’s gone the way of the dodo bird. In its place? STUFF. Getting things. Look around – how many kids do you see who sit on their computers while their parents are hanging out in the other room? Are they learning anything about how to treat people? When you see somebody under the age of 20 walking down the street, are they interacting with the people and the environment around them? Nope. They’re listening to their iPods (or their Zunes!).

Never is this more apparent than at Christmastime. Hit the streets and watch people interact with cashiers and with other shoppers. It’s about the Almighty Deal – getting that discount before anybody else. The season of giving is now the season of getting. You can argue that you are getting these things to give to somebody else, but the bottom line is this: you will insult, push, shove, and cut in line to get that toy/TV/computer/whatever. You are perfectly fine cutting throats to get this item.

I hate it. I wish there was a way to stop it. Why can’t we teach children (and adults!) the true meaning of Christmas? Now, that means talking about Christ. If you don’t want to go there, then at least stick with peace and love. Watch those old Christmas movies and smile. The happiness that comes out of Christmas is from the interactions between people and loved ones. The love that they share.

I’ve heard the neverending argument: “But I love watching their faces light up when they open those gifts that I got them!” Does that gift necessarily have to cost an arm and a leg? Does that gift have to be some big-ticket item that you can only get on Black Friday? The gift isn’t what makes that moment special – it’s the person.

This Christmas season, why don’t we all take stock in what really matters? Think about ways you can get a warm smile from that loved one. Instead of blowing all your cash, take them out for a different experience. Stop putting all the weight of the holidays on your pocketbook. Take them to a movie. Take them ice skating or sledding. Give them an experience that will last a lifetime.

I got a lot of cool gifts when I was younger. Heck, I got cool gifts last year! But when I look back on past Christmases, the moments that bring a tear to my eye are the laughs and smiles I’ve shared with the people I care about, not what was inside the box.

Spend your Christmas talking with family and friends. Don’t spend it talking with Customer Service.

For those who don’t know me personally, I am a freelance writer. I’ve done copywriting for several years now, and I decided, earlier this year, to take the plunge into becoming a full-on marketing firm. As I putzed around for a year, completely in over my head, I manage to get a project here and there. Then it dawns on me: social media marketing.

Blogging. Twitter. Facebook. Everything is going social these days, including marketing. This was a slam dunk! I even managed to get Erik Chopin from season 3 of The Biggest Loser to sign on. This was going to be great!

Uh… wait.

After getting into it for a few months, I realized something: social media can’t be done by a marketing firm. Sure, they can put together campaigns. They can develop iPhone apps and YouTube videos. But the execution and the engagement has to be done by the company. So, as I pull away from the social media marketing flop, here’s a few lessons I’ve learned that we can all use in our real-world relationships.

Don’t be somebody you’re not.

I’m not Erik Chopin. I didn’t lose hundreds of pounds on national television. I’m not a no-B.S. guy from New York City. I’m Tom Meitner, a skinny guy who’s never been on TV and who hails from Milwaukee. The people are going to go to Erik’s website to see Erik, not me.

Are you pretending to be somebody you’re not? I’m a fairly quirky guy, and my friends just have to accept that about me. I don’t try to hide the fact that:

• I think everybody should like the same television shows that I like.
• I’m a Christian man.
• I sometimes eat bread and ketchup as a snack, to the disgust of pretty much everyone.

But that’s me. People accept it. Be true to who you are. Don’t be a ghostwriter for yourself.

Engage people in conversation.

Sometimes, when I’m on the phone with my fiancé, if I’m tired or distracted, she winds up getting the “uh-huh” and “mm-hmm” from me. It becomes clear I’m not paying attention, and she gets mad at me. And for good reason. Social media is a two-way conversation as well. The best bloggers out there respond to emails and comments. They get the most loyalty from readers.

Be a part of the conversation you are in. Don’t just be polite and half-listen. And don’t just talk to people either; ask them about their lives and how their day is going. I guarantee you, it will breed a much stronger relationship. Be pleasant to talk to.

Mix it up.

The people who market the best with social media are involved in different areas: they blog with video, they do audio podcasts, they write, they post pictures. They have different methods of reaching out and interacting with their audiences.

Look closely at your friendships: do they just revolve around going to the bars? Do you only interact with them at work? Do you only approach them when you have nothing else to do? A friendship is based on shared experiences of all kinds: go see a concert or a movie together. Stay in and hang out (is that an oxymoron?). Take a short trip together. Build experiences with people, and they will respond in kind.

Make the other person feel important.

The best blogging tip out there is to write for the audience, not for yourself. Which means, base your posts on what they need to hear, not what you want to say. It makes the reader feel like they are important.

Call up a friend to just say “hi”. Buy or make them a gift. Do a nice gesture for them. That’s how you show true friendship.

Don’t do it for your own personal gain.

Social media is to be used for your passion. It is to be done to connect with your audience. After that, if you want to make money, there are ways to do it. But if you head into it with money being the sole motivation, you will fail. Just like I did.

Don’t just be friends with a coworker to get ahead. Don’t just hang out with the guy that always buys the drinks. Spend time with people you care about; don’t patronize people just to get stuff you want.

I’m sure there are other lessons – can you think of any? Share them in the comments!

Online printing site Digital Room has announced a new contest for readers of The Practical Nerd! Contestants are vying for a FREE 18”x24” custom poster print – create a photo-quality poster from an enlarged photograph or custom design for FREE! Click here for more information on poster printing from Digital Room.

For hosting this contest, I will also be getting a free custom poster as well. There are so many cool options for using this, I’m not sure yet what I will be doing. I may pick a nice picture that I’ve taken and get it blown up, or I might just search around for a cool design online for them to use. The possibilities are endless! This is a chance for you to add an original, personal touch to your bedroom, office, or dorm!

Here’s how to enter:

Comment on this post about how you plan to use your free custom poster. Do you want to use a photograph of you and your loved one? Do you have original artwork that you want to enlarge? Drop a comment on this post and get one entry into the contest!

Follow me on Twitter and say “Hi”. If you aren’t following me on Twitter, now’s the time to do it. Not only will you get an entry into the contest, but you will also get all the fun, cool, and useful links and content that I share on Twitter every day! Be sure to say something cool, and include the #posterprint hashtag for me. Following me on Twitter is also worth one entry.

Post about this giveaway on your blog! Already have your own blog? Tell your readers about our giveaway and link back to this post as well as DigitalRoom.com. Spread the word and you will receive 3 additional entries!

Tweet this giveaway to your followers! Just copy-and-paste this into a new tweet:

@TomMeitner and Digital Room are holding a #giveaway for a FREE custom poster! Check it out here: http://ow.ly/qyz3

We’ll take care of the rest, and you can get a new entry EVERY DAY for tweeting this! The more ways you enter, the better your odds are of winning!

This contest, sponsored by UPrinting, also includes FREE shipping. Contest is only open to U.S. residents. It ends on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009, at 11:59am. A winner will be chosen and announced here on that Tuesday afternoon. Those related to Tom Meitner are prohibited from entering the contest. If selected, you must reply to my email within 48 hours to claim your prize, or we will randomly select a new winner. Winners will be selected using Random.org.

Thanks everyone, and good luck – tell me what you plan to do with your poster print in the comments below (and get your entry!).

Great personal finance site The Simple Dollar has done it again, this time with an extensive article on choosing that perfect graduation gift. What’s great about their approach is that they focus on the meaning behind the gift, not the cost.

To put it simply, the best graduation gifts for me were ones that were thoughtful, ones that were inspirational, and ones that actually opened doors for me.

For the most part, these gifts didn’t cost the giver very much at all in terms of money. Instead, the value of the gift was delivered via time and thoughtfulness, and that always means much more than a twenty dollar bill stuffed inside a forgettable card.

The main thing a graduate needs is support from loved ones as they enter the “real world”. This article not only tells you what to do, it details how to do it. It’s a wonderful read.