Monday, February 23, 2015

Major Blogging and Social Media Mistakes to Avoid

By Edie Melson @EdieMelson

Successful social media is something of an art form—with lots of gray areas. Building a successful online presence takes a good amount of flexibility and a little bit of experimentation. But even though I encourage people to find their sweet spots, there are a few things you want to avoid. Today I’d to weigh in on linking your social media accounts and other major blogging and social media no-nos.

Mistake Number One
Do NOT link your blog with social media. What I mean by that is you don’t want your blog to send a notification of your newest blog post to Facebook or Twitter or any other social network. On the surface it seems that would be a great shortcut for those (almost all of us) who find ourselves in a constant time crush. But it’s not. 

Here’s why:
  • You run the risk of spamming your friends and followers. Computers make mistakes, and especially if you have Facebook and Twitter linked, you can get repeat messages. This is unintentional spamming.
  • People today are smart, savvy and cynical. We can tell when something posted on social media is computer generated and we won’t bite. So you’re not getting any traffic this way.
  • Finally, you need to control the way your social media updates go out and how they’re worded. Different platforms may need slightly different wording. You also want the opportunity to add relevant hashtags and mentions.

Mistake Number Two
Do not link your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Like I said above, you’ll probably end up with duplicate posts and irritate your followers and friends in the process.

Mistake Number Three
Don’t use the auto-scheduler option on your scheduling program. For example, on Hootsuite, I can turn on the auto-scheduler and it will compute when the majority of my contacts are online and schedule my updates to go out then. Again, on the surface this reads like a time saving measure. It’s NOT. 
Here’s why:
  • If the program computes that the majority of your contacts are online between ten am and noon, it will schedule all your updates then. You may have a higher concentration then, but you’re missing out on some valuable exposure by ignoring the rest of the day.
  • The program doesn’t take into account those who will find you through hashtags or by referral.

Now, I can hear the question from here. “What about Hootsuite? Isn’t that an auto-scheduler?”

No, not really. Hootsuite (as well as Buffer and Tweetdeck) are SCHEDULING programs. They have the option of auto-scheduling. But utilized correctly, there’s nothing automatic about them. 
  • I compose the update. 
  • I choose the social media platform.
  • I dictate the time it goes out.

Now it’s your turn. What questions do you have about social media dos and don’ts? Leave them in the comments section below. Also be sure to share if you've gotten in a fix by letting a computer manage your social media life!

Don’t forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie

TWEETABLES


16 comments:

  1. I've always hesitated to create an author page on Facebook. The main reason is that my feed gets flooded with posts when an author posts on her/his author page and it automatically appears on their personal page so I get everythign twice. Is there a way to post on an author page so it only appears there and not on the personal page?

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    1. Mary, you can dictate what's on your author page by only following those you want. You can keep your own posts from showing up both places by making sure you don't post the same update both places.

      Right now, I don't recommend an author page on Facbook. Here's a link to the post I wrote explaining why and how to get around it: http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/2015/01/social-media-mondayditch-professional.html
      Thans for the good question! Blessings, Edie

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  2. As a new blogger, when I share on twitter or FB should I put a link to the entire blog or just one post? Should I stay with the most current post, and/or randomly share older ones? Thank you so much for your advice.

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    1. Cherrilynn, another great question. I recommend you compose your FB post around a specific blog post and then link to that post. Just a general post about a blog doesn't get much traction. Also, it's fine to post about older posts as well. Thanks & Blessings, E

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  3. Such good news! I'm doing all these things without even knowing why. :) :) Maybe because it seemed simpler to me than figuring out anything else new.

    Thank you!

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    1. Julie, good for you!!! Thanks for stopping by, Blessings, E

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  4. Well, rats. Here I thought I was being so clever. Back to the drawing board. :)

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    1. Ane, I know you're doing a whole lot right. Don't be so hard on yourself! Blessings, E

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  5. Hm, can't wait to hear more on this topic at the Carolina conference. I know a little about hootsuite but want to hear what you think about using it the right way. There is such a fine line between time saving and tuning out your audience. That's a difficult one!

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    1. Nicole, you are so right! I'm excited to get to see you at the Carolina Christian Writers Conference. Blessings, E

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  6. I'm glad to say I'm not guilty of committing any of those mistakes. I'm also not selling a lot of books. ;-}

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    1. Carole, it's good that you're not making this mistakes. As far as selling books. Social media and blogging creates relationships and that will eventually help you with book sales, but it's not advertising or mass marketing. Keep sowing seeds, the harvest will come! Blessings, E

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  7. LOL, Carole. Me, either! My blog links to my Amazon and Goodreads' pages but that's it. I have to share it everywhere myself if I want anyone to view the posts.

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    1. Linda, it's good that you share it other places. Like I told Carole, the harvest will come. Blessings, E

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  8. This is so helpful, Edie. So, to clarify on your mistake number one. Are you saying that I shouldn't pre-set the time my post goes live, so to speak, having it go to Facebook and Twitter? That I should do it manually instead?

    I'm good on the other two areas. I don't do those. But this first one, I need to make sure I'm doing it well. :)

    This has been helpful, as always.

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