Posts tagged Facebook
Guest Post: Social Networking Safety
0Guest blogger today
is John P. Dunker, a retired Navy Master Chief Petty Officer who has worked with computers for over 25 years. He is an independent IT consultant to businesses and individuals and designs and manages several websites. He is also “Tech-Know” columnist for Hometown Magazine.
Writers use Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites to market their work. You want to meet new people, and you want potential readers to know you. But, how do you protect yourself from those who might want to do you harm instead? Today, John concentrates on Facebook safety, but these pointers apply to any online networking site. (more…)
Promotion/Networking: Facebook for Writers
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In my last post, I promised to share my experiences with social media. I have not experimented with all of the possible methods. I primarily use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Follow the links in the previous sentence to see my home page for each site. I’ve found that I have more to say on each method than I originally thought, so I will limit this post to Facebook. Others will be covered in future posts.
My Facebook friends include long-time friends, family, and writers/editors/publishers. I joined because a writer’s conference I planned to attend had set up a Facebook group. At first, I thought I would limit Facebook friends to writers, editors, and publishers. However, I soon found out that I had many long-lost friends on Facebook, so I decided to include them. Since I joined Facebook to promote my writing, it stands to reason that I want everyone who knows me to know about my blogs. So, why leave anyone out just because they’re not involved in the publishing industry?
Promote your blog: I have several blogs, and I often post an announcement that there’s a new post on a blog. This nets me higher traffic on the blog for a day or so after I post. I’m not getting many e-mail subscribers for my blogs from Facebook as I had hoped. It’s possible that I may be getting subscribers by RSS feed, which I cannot track. But, the increase in traffic, even if temporary, is worth the effort.
Promote your published work: Many published authors use Facebook to keep readers informed by setting up a group. Check out Rita Gerlach’s group for her recent novel, Surrender the Wind. I’m not sure whether you’ll get to see comments of fans unless you log in, but try the link anyway. For fiction writers, building a fan base like this is a must. You want your fans to be ready and willing to buy your next book when it comes out.
Non-fiction writers can post announcements about articles published in print or provide links to work published online. In addition, a non-fiction write can use a topic-based or cause-based group to build contacts. As group owner, you can post updates on your topic or cause, thereby keeping your expertise in that topic in front of your readers. See United Methodist Committee on Relief and Power of Prayer.
Priming the pump: In commenting on other people’s posts, I’ve had interesting Facebook conversations on topics that I’d never have a chance to discuss in person. Just yesterday, a friend posted a comment about an experience she had. I commented on it and received updates throughout the day. By the end of the day, I had an idea for a new article based on the topic that was discussed.
I welcome comments about your experiences marketing yourself and your work on Facebook. Next post: Twitter
Promotion/Networking: Social Media
0Most aspiring authors know they need to build their network of writers, editors, and publishers. They know that they need to understand the publishing industry so that they can be positioned to sell their book or articles. In my previous post on networking, I discussed what networking is and how word of mouth marketing builds your network. See that post here.
Social media are a great way to build your contact list. Although there are several options, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn seem to be the most popular with writers. The first two can be used to network with publishing industry folks as well as friends and family. LinkedIn is more for networking with other professionals. There’s a great article on the Writers’ Digest site entitled “A Writer’s Guide to Social Networking” that covers these three social media. Take a look at this article this week, and I’ll write about my own experiences with them in my next post.
Meanwhile, for those of you who have not tried social media, follow the links below to how-to information on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin:
Ehow/Facebook or Butterscotch.com/Facebook
Social Media Networking: Twitter and Facebook
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Do you Twitter? Are you on Facebook, MySpace, Shoutlife? YouTube? Have you found that it helps promote your writing career? I’ve been on Twitter and Facebook for several months, and I’m not sure yet whether it’s worth the time required to follow others and respond. However, I’ve recently researched how other writers are using the social media, and I want to share some of the things I’ve found with you.
First, Wikipedia defines Social media thusly: “Social media describes the online technologies and practices that people use to share opinions, insights, experiences, and perspectives. Social media can take many different forms, including text, images, audio, and video. These sites typically use technologies such as blogs, message boards, podcasts, wikis, and vlogs to allow users to interact.”
Twitter: Let’s look at Twitter first, since it’s the simplest of the social media. Follow these links to learn how to Twitter and how it’s used by other Christian writers.
Twitter and the Christian writer
Lee Warren’s thoughts on Twitter
See my Twitter page, and follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/emilyakin
Facebook: You can do more with Facebook. Your posts can be longer, and you can add photos and notes about yourself. Start with the how-to videos, and then check out how other writers use Facebook.
My Facebook profile: http://www.facebook.com/emilyakin
And finally, advice on how to manage your time on social media:
General Social Media Tips for Writers
I invite comments from writers on this post. As I said, I’m not sure it’s helping me promote my writing, but I’d like to hear about the experiences of others. Comments are moderated, so, if you do comment, it may be a few hours before your comment appears here.
