Don’t be afraid of adding ‘friends’ . . . mine are, besides
family and close friends, people who like reading, writing, articles and ideas
about writing, etc. They are engaged,
supportive, and excited about writing also.
Not only will your followers see you as a professional writer,
they’ll see you as a person, one with family and hobbies, just like them. (Click here to friend
me.) https://www.facebook.com/ritakarnopp
I
wish I could acclaim ‘Facebook savvy’ but my name isn’t Ginger Simpson! We all need a Ginger – one who has a way with
‘social media.’ I’m old school, I’m sad
to admit, and nothing that is media comes easy to me. So, I have had to learn the hard way – the
way I always learn things – at the School Of Hard Knocks.
Fear
keeps us paralyzed – and it’s been a struggle to relax and realize anything can
be learned. I wouldn’t post anything I
wouldn’t say to others in a conversation, so why fear posting it?
Then
came the blessed day my writer friend, media savvy Ginger, asked me to join her
on her already popular and successful blog site; http://mizging.blogspot.com
Not only was I honored, I was totally humbled by her request. Of course I shouted, “Yes!” Then asked myself, “What have I just agreed
to?”
My
strategy was to be a ‘solid contributor’ and make her glad … even ecstatic
(maybe that’s a bit strong) that she asked me to join her. J
Facebook Strategy – One thing I felt certain -I had to know
my demographics – anyone who wants to read articles about writing. People who are learning to write, other
authors, those who have product or service for writers, or those with messages
to share regarding writing.
So
I’ve learned a few things since the day I said, “Yes,” to Ginger.
1.
Tag everyone as part of a group. This will help you manage your growing
list of friends.
a. Do this when people request to be your
friend.
b. You can tag those who are already your
friends.
c. Why should you do this?
i. It allows you to choose what lists
should see what information. For example
you might only want your family and close friends to see your personal photos
or maybe an invitation to a family party.
ii. Use this ‘privacy control’ with
finesse, or you might find you’ve offended someone if they find out they’ve
been blocked from certain areas of your profile.
2. Is your Facebook a
personal or professional site?
a. You may want an ‘only personal’
Facebook site, or
b. You may want it to be focused on your
writing career.
i. Is it your sales tool?
c. You might want to consider creating an
environment of interaction, learning, sharing, and mix in a little book
promotion.
d. This site may be the connection you
need to share some one-on-one time with other writers and readers.
e. Share your services options, but leave
it up to them to contact you at a ‘hyperlink’ to do business on.
3.
A time sink hole – Whatever you decide, decide ahead of
time how much time you want to allow yourself for Facebook. I do the same with emails. If you don’t, you won’t have time to write.
a. Don’t get caught up in games, causes,
quizzes, etc. It will rob you of your
writing time for sure.
b. Save yourself time for a single
Facebook page and forego creating a ‘fan page.’
i. Because you then will have to maintain
two separate profiles and two separate interactions – it just saves you time in
the long run.
Facebook is an incredible tool that is growing – and in my humble opinion – will be here for a long time to come. The interactions you develop will not only bring you reader fans, but even more important good old fashion friends.
I bless the day I asked Rita to be part of my blog. She has enhanced the content, and enticed more readers to follow in order to learn from her. She's a definite keeper, both as a fellow bloggers and a sister. Love her despite the fact we've never met in person. I plan to remedy that one day.
ReplyDelete