Indie Tuesday—Reaching YA or NA Readers Online

by Charity Tinnin @CharityTinnin

What if your readers don't read traditional blogs? This is a question both Jessica and I have wrestled with as young adult/new adult authors. Most 30 and under readers don't follow traditional blogs, and a growing number of teens use Facebook less now that their parents and grandparents have accounts. So how does an author reach YA or NA readers online?

Social Media Monday—Plug in through Social Networking BEFORE the Conference Starts!

Many writers have the mistaken idea that social networking is only beneficial for connecting online. Or that it only helps when you can’t be at a conference. But it’s important to plug in through social networking BEFORE the conference starts!

Connecting early can greatly increase what you get out of the event. And that is so true for the American Christian Fiction Writers conference coming up in September. Conferences are expensive and you'll get so much more for your money if you plug in early.

Social Media Monday—Don’t Give Away the Ending with Your Social Media Updates

Everyone knows how important it is to post regular updates on social media. But what a lot of people don’t know, is how important it is NOT to give away the ending with your social media updates.

Social Media Monday—Top 10 Ways to Make Yourself Miserable with Social Media

Everywhere we turn we’re hit with the message of how great social media is. Don’t get me wrong, I love social media. But I didn’t start out loving it. I began my relationship with this new paradigm by hating it.

I don’t have a background in computers or marketing or anything that might make social media look interesting. Add to that fact that I’m a natural introvert, and you have a recipe for a disaster. Truthfully, that was how my relationship with social media began—as a disaster. Here are, from my own experience, the top 10 ways to make yourself miserable with social media.

Weekend Worship—Do You LIKE God?

It’s a rare thing these days to meet someone who isn’t familiar with Facebook, the social media platform. This online world has exploded into our physical experience to the point where even it’s terminology has become common place.

For example, almost every one know what it means to friend someone, or to invite them to be your friend through your Facebook profile. And we’re familiar with the not so nice opposite of that, unfriending.

Social Media Monday—Blogging, Do I REALLY Have To?

The answer to your question depends on your goals. Although blogging is a proven way of connecting to readers and clients, there are some options you may not have considered.

And beyond that, this isn’t a one-size-fits-all sort of world.

Here are some instances where you might want to ignore all the advice you’re getting. 

Thursday Review—Stay Private & Safe on Facebook by Reviewing Your Settings

I talk to so many people every week who worry needlessly about their privacy settings on Facebook.

I talk to even more who should.

When anyone opens up a Facebook account, Facebook has certain default settings that that are the same for everyone. Some of these are ones that make me uncomfortable by allowing too many people to see my information. And that’s saying something because I really try to get found on the Internet, even with Facebook.

Social Media Monday—How to Run a Successful Giveaway Campaign

There are a lot of reasons to sponsor a contest, from getting LIKES for a Facebook page to building buzz about a new book. Many people shy away from this type of promotion because it seems like a lot of time and trouble. Truthfully, running a successful giveaway campaign is easier than you think. Today I’ll break it down, and use my own contest as an example.

Social Media Monday—Top 10 Ways to Fail Spectacularly with Social Networking

This past year, everywhere you turned someone was offering help on how to succeed with marketing, aka social media. Today I’m going to turn the tables and give you my top 10 ways to fail spectacularly with social networking.

My 13 Social Media Predictions for 2013

We’ve seen a lot of changes over the last twelve months. Some were easy to predict, others, well…not so much. I’ve spent a lot of time researching what the experts have to say, and I’ve decided to weigh in with my thoughts. So here’s my personal list of Social Media Predictions for 2013.

Social Media Monday—Are You Social-Media Awkward or Social-Media Savvy?

The world of social media has its own rules
when it comes to interaction.

The social media universe has developed into a world with it’s own ways of interacting. Stumbling around this brave new world is exciting, but it can also lead to some embarrassing moments. Today I’ll share some tips to help you acclimate to this new online society.

Social Media Monday—Social Media & the Law of Diminishing Returns

Social Networks are as hard to number
as a charm of Hummingbirds!

At the time I'm publishing this blog, there are approximately 40 large social media platforms and networks. I say approximately because counting them is about as hard as numbering a charm (flock) of humming birds. And they come and go almost as quickly.

Trying to chase down and join all the networks is not only impossible, it’s completely counterproductive. As writers, we need to remember the purpose of social networking, and it’s not to make a career as a marketer. It’s the means to an end—actually a couple of ends. Our goal with social media needs to stay focused on two thing:

Social Media Monday—A Social Media Schedule Anyone Can Live With

I'm a glass half-full kind of girl!

You can look at this digital age we live in as a blessing or a curse—and there are merits to each viewpoint. Since I’m a glass half full type girl, I happen to take the positive approach. I like the connectedness of this time and place. I like connecting in person and online—especially through Facebook and Twitter.

A word of warning here, it’s possible to let these tools (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.) eat into your writing time. For myself, the way I combat that temptation is to schedule my networking time.

Thursday Review—What is Your Most Favorite and Least Favorite Social Media Network & Why?

Today I want to go a different direction and propose a question rather than post my opinion. There are lots of things to like and social media, and lots of things that make us uncomfortable. We all have differing personality types and I think this is the perfect opportunity to learn how we can communicate better. By sharing what we like, and what we don't, I believe we'll be able to interact more efficiently.


Just to get the conversation started, I'll give you a few of my opinions.


My favorite network is Twitter. For me it's a no-brainer. I can interact with people in short bursts, connecting without losing large chunks of time. Also, I tend to like short, pithy statements, and Twitter is the perfect medium for that.


I also like Google Plus because I like the way it's set up. It works like my mind, grouping people into circles like friends, family and work associates. I also like that I have a lot of control over who I get updates from.

What I don't like about Google+ is that a lot of my contacts aren't active there. But the worst thing is that I can't access it from Hootsuite yet. I know the folks at Hootsuite are working toward that, but Google+ is the hold-up because they don't want to overload their network. I respect that, but it's still frustrating to have to hope back and forth between Google+ and Hootsuite all day.


Facebook is still frustrating for me, less than it used to be, but still a fairly significant irritant. I don't like the way professional pages are set up to only have large updates from the owner of the page. If someone goes on a page and posts something it shows up in a smaller feed on the right of the screen. To me, it makes a page look like, ME, ME, ME. And I really hate that!


I also don't like how I can't get everyone's updates in my Facebook feed on my profile page. I have to designate each person I want to get every post from. That's just not practical for me with the number of friends I have.


Okay, enough about me. Hopefully I've given you some things to jump start the conversation. Now it's your turn to chime in. Feel free to comment about any network, and ask questions, too.


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

Help, I’ve Been Hacked, Now What?

Many of us have experienced the sinking feeling that comes with the realization that one (or more) of our social media profiles have been hacked. It's nothing to be ashamed of, but it can sure wreck an otherwise blissful day. 

The easiest way to get hacked is to click on a link that contains a virus allowing hackers access to your accounts. When you click on the link, you may see a message telling you the link is broken. That doesn’t mean you’ve dodged the bullet. If your firewall or virus software doesn’t catch it, you’ll still be infected. 

Some of the most common messages that spread viruses and allow hackers access are:

“Did you know your friends are spreading nasty rumors about you?” 

“This is a hilarious video of you.”

So what’s a social media professional to do, cancel all accounts and slink away in shame?

Never.

In this post I'll give you the steps to repair the damage. In the next post I'll give you some tips to keep it from happening again.

First, change your password for the social media profile that’s been compromised. 

Twitter: 

• Go to your home page and click on VIEW MY PROFILE PAGE under your name in the top left of the screen.
• Click on EDIT YOUR PROFILE.
• Then click on PASSWORD and follow the directions to change your password.

Facebook:

• Go to your home page and click on the arrow to the right of your profile name in the solid blue header.
• Click on ACCOUNT SETTINGS.
• You should land on General Account Settings. From here click PASSWORD and change your password.

Next, you need to check and make certain the damage hasn't spread. Changing your password is just the first step. For this, you’ll need to visit the app section for Twitter and Facebook. Here’s how:

Twitter:

• Go to your home page and click on VIEW MY PROFILE PAGE under your name in the top left of the screen.
• Click on EDIT YOUR PROFILE.
• Then click on APPS. Here you’ll see a list of apps that have access to your Twitter account. I recommend you revoke access to any you don’t recognize or haven’t used in a while.

Facebook:

• Go to your home page and click on the arrow to the right of your profile name in the solid blue header.
• Click on ACCOUNT SETTINGS.
• Click on APPS. Here, too, you’ll see a list of apps that have access to your Facebook account. Again, I recommend you revoke access to any you don’t recognize or haven’t used in a while.

The fear of getting hacked shouldn't keep us from exploring social networking, anymore than the fear of identity theft should keep us from using a debit or credit card. But we all need to play smart. 

How about you, have you ever been hacked? 

Don't forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Social Media Update—Why I've Switched from Tweetdeck to Hootsuite

For the past couple of years I’ve been singing the praises of Tweetdeck, an ancillary program to help you organize your Twitter stream. Well no more, I’ve spent the past few weeks switching to Hootsuite and I’m MUCH happier.

Why? Well, unfortunately, nothing stays the same in the changing climate of Social Networking! I know that’s the single most frustrating aspect of Social Media, but it’s one we all have to expect and learn to work around.

Last year Tweetdeck was bought by Twitter. Initially I thought that might be a good thing. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Most of the things I liked about Tweetdeck have been eliminated and we’ve been left with a clunky program that’s mostly ineffective.

Luckily, Hootsuite is more than taking up the slack. Now, before you ask, Hootsuite does have a FREE option. That’s actually the account I’m using right now, although I do think I’ll be moving up to the lowest paid option before too long. But here’s what I get in the free account: 

• 5 social profiles.
• Basic analytics.
• 2 RSS feeds.

Best of all, Hootsuite does most of the things Tweetdeck used to do. Here’s a short list of what I like about it. 

• It’s easy to schedule Tweets and Facebook posts
• You can copy and paste tweets into the update window with ease.
• It has two options for URL shortening.
• It keeps track of your @contacts to make tagging easier.
• It has a GREAT get-acquainted video to help even the rawest beginner get started. 

Every morning I spend about thirty minutes scheduling my main Tweets and Facebook posts for the day. I usually line up at least 15-20 updates for the day. I try to schedule them evenly throughout the day so I can reach people in different time zones. Here are some of the things I try to include every day.

• I search my inbox for interesting articles from my favorite social media sites.
• I post updates from my regular writing related blogs, including My Book Therapy, the Blue Ridge Conference site, Novel Rocket and Chip MacGregor’s blog. There are many others, but these are some of my favorites.
• I look to see which of my friends’ blogs have sent me an email update and I try to highlight those.
• Most days I include something about my blog or books, but lately I haven’t Tweeted as much about myself. I haven’t really needed to. A lot of the people I interact with on Twitter are as diligent about posting info about others as I am.

During the day, while I’m working I check Hootsuite periodically to see who’s retweeted or mentioned me.

I do try to do an @reply to anyone who highlights something I’ve done. This accomplishes two things—it gives them a mention and it’s a public way to say thank you.

A lot of people ask me if my schedule has been beneficial? You better believe it! I’ve reached the magic 1000 follower mark on Twitter and I’ve been adding between 15 and 20 followers a day. And, I don’t spend much more than the 30 minutes every morning to schedule my Tweets and Facebook posts.

So I’m curious, how is Twitter working out for you? What are your frustrations and successes. Let’s learn from each other.

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

To Blog or Not To Blog? As a Writer Today, Do I Really Have to Do It All?

When I talk to writers this is one of the questions I’m asked most.

And let’s face it, it's a good one. We live in a world where time is at a premium. It’s hard enough to find time to write, to work on the project we love. How do we sustain working on…well...work?

The answer is far from definitive. Everyone has to find their own balance in this social media world. But here are some suggestions. These are the ones I use to manage my own writing career. Take what works for you and toss the rest out the window.

Decide what you want. I know, you want to be a writer. But, what kind of writer? Do you want to write one book? Do you want to write several books a year, books and articles, books and speaking? The combinations are endless. It’s important to choose. Even if you’re uncertain, pick one and try it on for size. Change is fine, but you can’t move forward without a direction.

Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize. Once you have your direction set, you have to decide what will get you there the best way. Notice I said best, not fastest. You don’t want to burn out just yards from the finish line.

Here’s an example. I know a writer, we’ll call her Ruby (not her real name). Ruby wants to write novels for women, at least one per year. She also loves Facebook and admits she spends lots of time there. She hates Twitter. Those little 140 character bursts frustrate her and she has resisted moving into that arena. She has also resisted blogging, certain it will take all her writing time.

These are my suggestions for her.

• First, she needs to track her time.
• Second, I already know she needs to spend less of it on Facebook. Less, not give it up. Facebook is a great place to grow relationships.
• Third, she needs to venture into the Twitter universe by connecting with her Facebook friends. I recommend she uses an ancillary program like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite to make Twitter more manageable. She should set a goal of tweeting or retweeting 4 times a day. (If you’re totally lost, visit my posts on Twitter here, here and here)
• Fourth, she does need to set up a blog, at least a practice one. Even novelists need to know how to write tight and on a schedule. Blogging is the perfect way to learn that. It’s almost the direct opposite of writing a novel. This post on blogging will give you the basics.
• Last, she needs to make her novel writing time a priority. It’s important to figure out when, during a 24-hour day, your creative sweet spot happens. Once you know, guard that time with your life. 

Now you see why we do have to do a lot to succeed in today’s writing life. But NO ONE does it all and does it well.

Photo Courtesy of Mary Denman

Bottom Line: A strong connection with new readers is always good…but it really won’t help if you don’t spend time writing.

So now it’s time for you to chime in. What parts of social networking work for you? What parts don’t?

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

How to Craft a Perfect Facebook Post using Headline Techniques

With a compelling headline a browser becomes a reader. In the same way, a compelling Facebook post gives the web surfer the impetus to visit your blog or buy your book. But what makes a great headline? The best contain your entire message in one memorable bite…without spoiling the ending.

Here are some of the basic types of headlines: 

• Direct Headlines go straight to the heart of the matter, without any attempt at cleverness. A direct Facebook post might read Free SEO E-book.
• An Indirect Headline takes a more subtle approach. It uses curiosity to raise a question in the reader’s mind. It frequently uses clever words with double meanings. One of my favorites was, Why You Should NOT have a Facebook page. The actual blog post was written tongue-in-cheek about not wanting to promote a product.
• A News Headline is pretty self-explanatory, as long as the news really is news. It might be a product announcement, an improved version, or even a content scoop.  Introducing the New Google Plus.
• The How to Headline is everywhere—mainly because it works. Just be careful not to work it too much. How to Craft a Perfect Facebook Post.
• A Question Headline must be more than just a question—it must be something your audience is actually interested in. How can Google Plus Help You?
• The Command Headline issues an order, telling the reader what to do, such as Subscribe to The Write Conversation Today!
• Another effective technique is called the Reason Why Headline. This is where your popular Top Ten Reasons to … fall.
• Finally, we have the Testimonial Headline, this works because it provides outside proof that what you offer has value. This is the only headline that uses quotation marks in the title. It lets the reader know this is a testimonial and will be continued in the body of the email.

What are some key components to a compelling headline?

• It must provide the reader with the tools to evaluate the content.
• It needs to resonate with a reader’s urgency.
• It’s important to show the reader why this offer/product/person is unique.

And it must do all of this clearly and concisely.

Now it's your turn. Do you have a strategy when it comes to posting on Facebook? What makes a Facebook link one you want to click on? 

Don't forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

Facebook—Personal Page or Fan Page—Choose the Right Facebook Options

Sometimes it seems that Facebook changes almost weekly. Nowadays there are almost as many options as there are Facebook users. But the question I hear the most from writers is:

“Should I have a personal page or a fan page?”

Today I’ll highlight some of the main differences between these two options and help you find the best choice for your situation.

Personal Page:

A personal page is foundational for your Facebook membership. To have any other kind of page you MUST have a personal one. (There is an exception if you open a business page, but this really isn’t applicable for writers)

Note: I’ve seen several posts lately on email loops, advocating opening multiple Facebook pages under different email addresses/names, to manage family and work contacts separately. You should know this is violation of the Facebook guidelines and will get you banned from Facebook.

Why Stick With a Personal Page?

• It’s probably where the majority of your friends are located.
• For some reason, many people will accept a FRIEND offer, but won’t LIKE a page.
• It’s personal and feels more like a friendship and less like a business relationship.
• You have less than 5000 friends. Although, I have over 600 friends and I’m finding that a personal page is becoming unwieldy to manage. 

Fan Page:

• These pages offer you the option of a landing screen before a reader clicks the LIKE button.
• These pages offer you the option of a reward page after a reader clicks the LIKE button. This allows you to offer a free eBook or other incentive for Liking your page.
• If you have more than 5000 friends, Facebook requires you to move to a Fan Page.

Privacy Concerns:

If you haven’t joined Facebook yet, I encourage you to take the plunge. There have been many warnings about Facebook and the way it violates privacy.

Here is my personal opinion about Facebook

It’s a tool—not a good tool or a bad tool—just a tool.

When used correctly it can be a great thing. It connects people and brings a lot of good.

When used wrong, it can do great damage.

But it isn’t inherently good or bad.

That said, there are some privacy settings you probably should enable. You find these under the Account Settings, under Privacy. 

• You should limit all your posting visibility to FRIENDS only, not FRIENDS OF FRIENDS.
• I keep my contact information public because I want to be found. As a writer, I want people to know my name.
• I also keep all my LOCATION settings turned off. I can’t think of any reason I’d want someone to know the location of where I’m posting from. If I do, I can mention it in the post. 

With these privacy settings and a strong password, you should find yourself with a safe and manageable Facebook account.

Next week I’ll be answering some random questions about Facebook. So if you have any, be sure to post them in the comments section so I’ll cover them.

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie

So How Much Time Do I REALLY Have to Spend on Social Networking?

Truthfully—the bare minimum.

Yep, you read that right.

But what about the hype, the promises, the RESULTS? Don’t the results increase in direct proportion to the effort? No, not so much.

Fairly quickly, the return on investment when, it comes to time and social networking, begins to diminish. I that sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s the absolute truth.

That said, how much time is required?

It depends…on your expertise, your audience and the desired result. 

Your Expertise

With any new skill, including social networking, there is a learning curve. It takes time to come up to speed on how to use Twitter, Facebook and Blogging platforms effectively.

But, you don’t need to become an expert. After all, you want to be a writer—not a social media expert! So how do you know when you're expert enough to be effective? Here are some basics you should have mastered:

Twitter: You need to have a Twitter account and know the basics of tweeting. Here is the first, second and third in a series I wrote about Twitter. And one stand alone post about Twitter.

• How to compose an effective tweet.
• How to use hashtags correctly. Here’s a post on that.
• The difference between a direct message, a reply and a tweet.

Facebook: You need to have a Facebook account and know how to navigate Facebook. Here's a helpful post.

• How to accept friend requests, as well as send them.
• How to hide unwanted posts.
• How to compose an effect Facebook post.
• How to configure your account privacy settings to protect yourself and your family while still interacting with readers and clients.
• The difference between a regular page and a fan page.

Blogging: You should have a blog—to practice writing on a deadline if nothing else. Here are parts one, two and three of a series I wrote on blogging.

• You need to know how often to post. Unsure what’s best? Here’s a post to help you decide.
• How to use keywords and labels effectively.
• How to tie your title to your keywords.
• How to use photos and videos to illustrate and partner with your posts.
• How to answer comments effectively.
• Which platform best suits your needs and skill level. Here is a comparison of the three most popular platforms.

Over the next few weeks I’m going to be explaining these topics more in-depth. But for now here’s my short answer on how much time to spend each day—once you’re familiar with social networking.

You should spend no more than 30 to 45 minutes per day, five days a week on social networking. 

Yep, after talking with thousands of authors and writers, I’ve found that any more time than that becomes counter-productive and actually interferes with our writing.

If you’re spending more time than that per day, something’s not working. So now it’s your turn, how much time do you spend daily on social networking? Is it working for you? Do you know how to tell if it’s working? I’d love to have you share your answers and your questions in the comments.

And don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie