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March 2009 Article

“To Social Media Site or Not To Social Media Site”

 

By: Kelly Moran

 

 

In today’s day and age of internet technology, with update your status, post a bulletin, and you have a friend request pounded into your cranium, it begs the question… To do it, or not? Does it really help sell a book? Can it make me a better writer? Is it worth the invested time? Is it safe? And how do I handle being interviewed if asked?

 

Well, folks, I can’t answer that. (Insert irritated grunt here.) Seriously. What works for one, may not work for all. Social media sites don’t come in a one-size-fits-all package. But, rest assured, if you know me at all, I’m going to give you my vested opinion and what I found worked for me.

 

First, a little background on me. I am an author of several published books of fiction, to which are mainly self-published, and I am in the dreaded process of agent seeking. (Dum, dum, dum.) I am also an award-winner, a book reviewer for Bookpleasures and interview authors on my Blog. I am networking on several social media sites currently.

 

Now, here’s the break-down. (Got your notebook handy? Go ahead, I’ll wait.) I find social media sites to be very helpful, especially in those instances for us authors who are not on the best-seller lists. If you are self-published, from a small press, or simply looking to become an author in the future, social media sites can be very useful if done correctly. Correctly? you ask. Yes. There are do’s and don’ts that apply here. Whether it be Myspace, Facebook, Twitter- It matters not. It has also been known to help the big authors connect with their readers.

 

#1- Your profile picture should be a professional looking one. It doesn’t need to be a paid studio portrait, but you shouldn’t use the one from your twenty-first birthday when you were about town in a drunken stupor singing I Wanna Be An Airborne Ranger!

#2- It is okay to promote your work on sites. In saying that, I mean to post your book photos in groups, to announce in bulletins or notes an up-coming release, to make it your status update. It is NOT, let me repeat, is NOT okay to cram it down ones throat. No one wants a pushy person on their friends list, and it makes you come off as annoying.

#3- Always respond when someone contacts you. If you get a wall post, email, new friend, etc- You should comment back. People like to be acknowledged and know that they are not just a random number to you.

#4- Always be conscientious of what you say and do. Remember everyone on these sites can see and react to what you do. You want them to like you and be interested in your work.

#5- Keep your security settings high. You want people, if possible, to see your profile, but not have access to your innermost secrets, (Like that bedwetting episode from 3rd grade.) Hide your email address, don’t post the year you were born, or your phone number. Common sense- right? I thought so.

 

Even if you are technologically inept, these sites can be pretty simple to use. Get the hang of it before you go public. Make sure your profile is ready before going forward, and that you are comfortable with the site. I found it most helpful to check the sites once a day, or every other, for emails and posts. I found readers that related to me and my work by following the rules above. Quite possibly, some lasting friendships and writers groups, too.

 

Lastly, the interviews. Interviews are a great way to get yourself out there and gain a larger target audience. If you are seeking to interview authors like I do, keep the interview questions short and under ten. They are busy people, too. Be professional and ask things that people would want to know. Deliver what you promise. Promote the interview on the media outlets. And do not hound people to interview. When being interviewed yourself, you want the reader to remember you. Let me rephrase that… You want them to remember you in a good light. Be professional. Thank them for their time. Don’t give one word answers, nor give a page length repertoire on the meaning of page 5. Be yourself, it is what you’re selling after all!

 

Now, onward soldiers to the great internet unknown. Best of luck!

 

Kelly Moran