Putting the "Social" Back in Social Media

By Jody Hedlund, @JodyHedlund

Lately, I've observed a disturbing trend among the writing community on social media sites—the lack of interaction. Hordes of writers are populating Twitter and Facebook. But over the past year, there's been a steady decline in person-to-person socializing among all those writers.

Instead of having real-time communication, nowadays social media—particularly Twitter—has become one big infomercial.

As I watched the live stream of tweets one morning, almost every tweet was a plug for something. Here are just a few of the tweets I saw in about one minute of looking:

"I'd love more 'likes' on my FB Author Page. Help me out, but only if you want to [insert link]."

"Some of the best fantasy in the world comes from right here [insert blog]. Stop by and follow to keep up with the best."

"Don't forget your favorite vampire antho is now in the #kindle store! [insert link]"

For every one tweet from someone attempting to have a real conversation, there were about 10 tweets from people promoting books, blogs, businesses, or some other social media site.

The twitter stream that morning was mostly SPAM. And watching it disheartened me.

I think there are a number of reasons for the decline of socializing on social media sites:

1. The newness of a site fades and the initial enthusiasm wans. When that happens we tend to slow down in how much time we spend on particular sites.

2. We don't know what to say anymore. Perhaps after time we've said everything witty or interesting about ourselves, and we don't feel we have anything left to say.

3. We've grown disillusioned with social media. Perhaps we thought it would bring about some measure of success. And when that didn't happen as quickly or easily as we'd hoped, we fall away from using it regularly.

4. As we add in more social media sites, we become spread too thin. We don't have the time to spend on each site to adequately connect with our followers in meaningful ways.

5. As we become busier in our writing careers, we've had to prioritize our workload. Socializing on twitter or facebook has to take backseat to other responsibilities.

6. After trying to do it all, we eventually get burned out. We tell ourselves that we don't want to disappear completely, so we schedule interesting links, quotes, or promos about our books in order to keep our avatars in the public spotlight.

All of the above can happen to the best of us. I'm guilty. There are times when I've been too tired or busy to socialize. It's during those lulls that I fall into the trap of sending the "social" in social media on a vacation and start treating my sites like billboards. When we reach that point, we're better off to give ourselves a break, unplug for a few days or a week, and then come back energized.

Even though all of the above factors have likely contributed to all of us misusing social media on occasion, I think the BIGGEST CULPRIT in the demise of socializing on social media is the increased numbers of authors jumping into self-Epublishing. 

The self-Epublishing surge has increased the numbers of books being published as well as the number of authors needing to promote. As more and more authors (traditional AND self-published) compete to attract readers, they become more desperate in their marketing efforts. Many mistakenly believe that social media is the magic bullet in the scramble to get "discovered." And many also mistakenly employ traditional marketing methods on social media.

And thus our twitter streams have become clogged with everyone shouting about their books. But as the shouting has grown louder, no one can be heard any more. It's just noise. A lot of unpleasant noise.

So what am I suggesting? Should we stop promoting ourselves and our books on Twitter?

After all, I'm not really sure that social media boosts sales. (Read my recent post: Does Social Media Really Help With Success?)

Perhaps we don't need to take a drastic approach and cut out any mention of our books at all. But maybe we can work harder at putting the social back into social media, in making social media a community where we can come together for support, encouragement, and information.

Even if we never sell another book as a result of social media, we can all still benefit from being apart of the community of writers who are there for one another in all of the challenges we face.

Social media can be a place where we can share our joys and frustrations with other writers who "get it." It can be a place where we learn collectively how to be better writers and navigate the ever-changing industry. And it can definitely be a place for us to relate on a personal level with our readers.

I like Kristen Lamb's Rule of Three for social media interaction: 1/3 Information (link to your blog), 1/3 Reciprocation (RT for someone else), 1/3 CONVERSATION.

So no, it's not "wrong" to post informative links to blogs or to retweet or make an occasional plug for your book. BUT, we can't do it to the exclusion of having conversations.

We need to be there and be real. Because ultimately people are more important than products.

How about you? Have you noticed a decline in interaction on social media and an increase in promotion? How does it make you feel? 

3 Ways Bloggers Can Attract Twitter Traffic

Twitter brings the most people to my blog. In fact, according to my statistics, Twitter draws the most traffic by FAR compared to any other incoming source.

As I mentioned in this post, Is Blogging on the Way Up or Down,Twitter is having an effect on the blogging world. And writers who aren’t joining in are missing out on an incredibly helpful social media tool. (If you need help getting started, I suggest you read Kristen Lamb’s blog for her Twitter Tuesday series or take a look at her book: We Are Not Alone: The Writer's Guide to Social Media.)

Here are three simple ways I’ve learned to make my blog THRIVE through the use of twitter:

1. Pick blog post TITLES carefully.

I cannot stress enough the importance of picking the right title. As writers, we all realize just how important the titles of our BOOKS are. The wrong title has the power to keep readers from picking it up and seeing the glory between the cover.

Same with our BLOG POSTS. The wrong title can be the kiss of death for even the most riveting of posts. In the busy online world, with thousands of blogs clamoring for attention, readers can’t physically read everything.

So in their limited time how do most readers decide what posts to read?

We look at the TITLE. When we see a new post in our google readers or dashboards, the TITLE (and sometimes the first few lines) must grab our attention in order for us to take the time to read it. This is especially true on Twitter. We have 140 characters and a very brief window to catch our follower’s attention before the tweet is out of sight and mind.

This is not the day and age for cutesy, creative titles. Rather, a title must clearly convey what the post is about, but in a way that says “You absolutely must read this post.” If you’re having trouble thinking of titles, keep an eye out for Twitter titles that catch your attention. Analyze them. Figure out what is catchy and magnetic about them. Then start shaping your own titles with great care.

2. LINK to your blog post and use HASHTAGS.

One of the great things about Twitter for writers is the ease of finding links to great blog posts. I usually tweet a link to my new posts, but try not to do so more than three times a day—once in the morning, once at mid-day, and then once later in the afternoon in order to hit different crowds. Sometimes I’ll try to reshape the title into a provocative question or a writer’s tip and include the link.

I also include hashtags each time I link to my blog. Common hashtags for writers include: #amwriting, #writers, #novels, #litchat, #writing, #publishing, etc. (For more tips, see Kristen Lamb’s recent post about how to use hashtags.) The hashtags have the potential to put our links in front of new people (other than just our followers).

3. Provide Quality CONTENT.

If we come up with catchy titles, tweet links to our blogs, and use hashtags, we’ll likely start attracting curious new readers. However, in order to keep those readers we need to give them a quality post.

In other words, when we “invite” all of twitterland to come to our blog, when we “tease” them with a title that promises a helpful post, then we need to deliver the goods. If they come to our post expecting a hearty meal but only get a skimpy snack (or crumbs), then we could be doing ourselves more harm than good by putting our blog link out there.

If we’re consistently providing helpful content, then people throughout twitterland will begin to trust us. They’ll be more willing to visit us again. And they may be willing to retweet our posts which will generate even more traffic.

There you have it! Those are three simple strategies I employ to mesh blogging and twitter. When you’re on twitter, how do you decide what links to follow? The title? The trustworthiness of the tweeter? The reputation of the blogger? Other? Or have you ever followed an interesting link only to find the post didn't deliver?

Ten Twitter Blunders Writers Make

Writers everywhere are flocking to Twitter. In some ways it’s become the water cooler of the writing world where we can hang out, chat with like-minded writers, meet new friends, celebrate good news, and keep tabs on industry happenings.

While there aren’t any hard, fast rules for using Twitter, there are some blunders that might hinder our effectiveness, especially if we’re hoping to use it as way to broaden our web presence.

Here are ten top blunders that I see writers making on Twitter, and since I’m not a Twitter guru, please chime in with your thoughts!

1. Over-chatting. We should be aware of how long we’re carrying on our conversations with others. If we’re starting to clog up the twitter stream with a lot of @’s to the same person, then perhaps we should send them an email or carry on our conversation via direct messages.

2. Not interacting enough with others. Some people over-chat, and then some don’t chat at all. Remember twitter is a social media. If we’re relying too much on scheduled tweets, posting only links, or tossing out a tweet and then disappearing, we’re not maximizing twitter’s potential.

3. Not responding back to tweets or direct messages. I admit, I can’t always keep up with responding to everyone who sends me a tweet. And granted there are times when direct responses just aren’t necessary. But if we’re only having one-sided conversations, then we’re missing out on relationship-building that can help us long term.

4. Forming cliques. Of course everyone is going to have a closer group of friends. That’s only natural. But if we want to broaden our web presence, then we have to make an effort to meet and interact with new people. Using hashtags like #amwriting #litchat #yalitchat #followfriday #writers can help us meet other writers.

5. Bordering on unprofessional. If we’re using Twitter for purely personal reasons without a thought to how it might help our writing career, then I suppose we can say and do whatever we want. But if Twitter is part of our writing platform, then we should be unique and let our voices shine through, but show some discretion in what we share. Also, our twitter name should be the one we plan to have on our published books. And we should make sure we put "writer" somewhere in our bio.

6. Not following people back. About once a week, I make a point of following people back. If someone is obviously using twitter as spam, then I don’t. But I always try to follow everyone who is legitimate. I personally don’t see any reason why we would limit our following, especially with the ease of creating lists and organizing followers via Tweetdeck and other applications.

7. Sending auto-direct messages to new followers. They’re cold, impersonal, and totally defeat the purpose of twitter. I never respond to auto-mated messages. However, if someone makes a point of sending me a personal direct message, I will usually try to interact back.

8. Using twitter as a billboard. I’ve noticed that published authors tend to do this the most. They hop on Twitter primarily when they have a book signing to announce, a new book to promote, or an interview to share. Or they use twitter to feed links from their blog or facebook, and that’s it. Those authors are essentially spamming and doing themselves more harm than good.

9. Focusing too much on self. Yes, it’s okay to post links to our own blog posts. And yes, it’s okay to share personal information. But if that’s all we do, then we’re missing out on one of the great things about Twitter—the opportunity to genuinely encourage, support, and promote other writers.

10. Using inconsistently. No, we don’t need to be on twitter all day, every day. But again, to get the full benefit, we need to make a point of jumping into the tweet stream on a somewhat regular basis. If we don’t have anything to say, then we can always respond to the tweets of others, ask questions, or retweet interesting links.

Those are some of the blunders I’ve noticed. What about you? If you’re not on Twitter, what’s holding you back from the water-cooler? And if you are hanging out there, what other blunders have you noticed? What kinds of blunders bother you the most?

Common Excuses For Not Using Social Media

Last week I was emailing back and forth with a real-life friend. We’d both gotten busy in our lives and hadn’t been able to spend as much time together, so I off-handedly suggested we stay in touch via Facebook. She quickly dismissed the idea, saying she “doesn’t have time” for it.

I didn’t push her even though I thought it would be a great way for us to stay more connected between the times we’re able to chat face to face. In fact that’s one of the things I really like about my personal Facebook account, staying in better touch with real life friends.

My email conversation with this friend got me thinking, however, about the excuses we often make for not trying new things. My friend isn’t a writer and obviously doesn’t have the same motivation for branching into social media that a writer pursuing publication would. In fact, I respect her choice. Not everyone is going to like or want to connect through social media avenues.

And yet, I often I hear excuses from writers seriously pursuing publication. Here are just a few of the most common excuses I’ve heard:

Excuse #1: “It’s just not my thing.”

Any time we start something unfamiliar, it takes a while before we get the hang of it. We shouldn’t let the frustrations of setting up accounts and learning how things work prevent us from dipping our toes in the water.

Remember the first time we tried using a computer or the internet? They were strange, cumbersome, and often frustrating. But most of us now have laptops surgically embedded to our fingertips, and we run to the internet every time we need information about anything.

If we’re serious about a writing career, then we have to be willing to step out of our comfort zones. As technology continues to advance, we’ll need to challenge ourselves to branch out and give new ideas a shot.

Excuse #2: “I don’t have time.”

When my friend said she didn’t have time for facebook, was she implying that I did? That she was busier than me? Or was she hinting that I’m wasting my time using social media, time I could devote to other more worthy causes?

The bottom line is that there are very few of us that have much time. I'm probably just as busy as anyone else. But we can make the time if we want, especially for the things we feel are important. Perhaps the “I don’t have time” excuse stems more from a fear of mishandling time, the knowledge that we’re weak in self-discipline, and that if we add one more social media outlet, we’ll get sucked in too far. Then the issue becomes knowing how to set appropriate boundaries—the same way we must for everything (including eating, TV viewing, etc).

Excuse #3: “I’ve tried Twitter (etc.) and I didn’t benefit from using it.

If we don’t think we’re benefitting, then perhaps we need to re-evaluate exactly what we’re defining as the “benefit.” More sales? More recognition? If we’re attempting to use social media in the traditional marketing format, we won’t get much out of it. In fact, we’ll probably risk alienating our followers.

Instead, we need to get a better grasp on successful social media strategies. As I’ve said plenty of times on my blog, social media is ALL about being social. To make the most of twitter, facebook, and blogging, writers need to understand that relationships drive the success or lack-thereof.

~Obviously, like my real-life friend, there are some writers who just don’t want to use social media. However an online presence is an increasingly important aspect of the future of publishing. When a writer reaches a point in their writing careers when they’re seriously pursuing publication (at the querying stage or beyond), then they need consider long and hard whether they have a truly legitimate reason before saying “no.”

What do you think of the excuses? Have you ever used one or heard someone else offer one as a reason for not being willing to try social media? What do you think constitutes a legitimate reason for NOT using social media?

Why an Online Presence Can Help Every Kind of Writer

Writers are told to get online because that’s where the population is hanging out, and that’s where we’ll engage our readers. But what about those who write for children? Most children aren’t blog hopping or hanging out on Twitter. My six year old sure isn’t. Other than playing Webkinz occasionally, he doesn’t have much interest in the internet.

Rachna Chhabria asked this great question: How does blogging or online interactions help writers who write Middle Grade, Chapter, Picture Books, or Early Readers? How do these writers connect with their readers who will be in school?

I think the heart of Rachna’s question is this: Children’s writers usually aren’t going to connect with their readership online. So, does a web presence really matter for them?

If done correctly, I think an online presence can help every kind of writer—no matter their genre. And here are several reasons why:

1. When we actively and genuinely participate in online communities, we gain a team.

Some call it a “tribe.” I personally favor “team.” We’re all in the game together and we’re cheering one another on. When one person succeeds in landing an agent, we rush over to congratulate her because we know what an accomplishment that is. When a friend lands a book deal, we set off cyber fireworks .

We become invested in seeing our teammates succeed, no matter their genre. In the long run, the people on our team will be our strongest supporters and promoters. And ultimately promotion is more successful when it comes from the mouth of another rather than our own.

2. The friendships we form online can lead to further opportunities.

As we begin to develop a web presence, those connections often lead to new opportunities. For example, I have a list of online interviews and guest posts lined up over the next several months during the release of my debut book. Almost all of them are from people who offered to host me. I didn’t have to go knocking on cyber doors trying to sell myself and asking for interviews. An online presence can open doors in a natural way.

3. “Word of mouth has become World of mouth.”

We’ve all heard it said, “Word of mouth is the best marketing.” One person raves about a book to five friends, who then each tell five more, and the numbers begin to spiral exponentially. Internet connections make this sharing possible on a worldwide spectrum in a much faster way. People around the world already know about The Preacher’s Bride, even before publication because of the power of the internet.

4. Maybe we won’t mingle with our readers directly, but the indirect connections can still have an impact.

Not all my internet friends are fans of inspirational historical romance. But some online friends have told me they’re buying my book for their moms, or wives, or friends who like the genre I write. In other words, maybe not all my friends will read The Preacher’s Bride the moment it comes off the press, but they’ll still be able to talk about me as an author and recommend my book to others who DO like my genre. And the same is true of children & youth books, maybe even more so, because usually parents are the ones buying the books for their kids.

5. In online marketing, relationships count the most.

In We Are Not Alone: The Writer’s Guide for Social Media, author Kristin Lamb says this: “Social media will capitalize on what is known as relationship sales. People will generally buy your book not because they are being pitched to and hounded, but because they know you and it makes them feel good to support who they know.”

Kristin’s statement is true for me. I’ve purchased books of authors I’ve met online for no other reason than because I like them and want to support them. When an author is genuine, approachable, and kind, we’re drawn to them even more. Likewise, when they’re cold and distant, using social media as a billboard for their glory, we’re often less likely to want to support them.

My Summary: The key to social media success doesn’t rest upon the genre we write. Whether we’re writing picture books or memoirs, science fiction or cookbooks—online success has to do with being able to harness and use social media outlets effectively.

What are your thoughts? Do you think a web presence can help any author if done correctly? Or do you think there are some writers—like children’s—who won’t benefit as much from developing a web presence?

Twitter Etiquette

More and more writers are joining the large community of writers on Twitter. I’ve personally found the support and encouragement there incredible. I’m better able to stay connected with friends and meet new writers. It’s a quick and easy way to promote our blogs, books, and one another.

However, after participating in Twitter for many months, I’ve come to realize there are a few basic courtesies. I'm not sure I have a full grasp on twitter etiquette, but here's what I've learned so far:

1. Promote yourself, but promote others too. It’s perfectly fine to use Twitter to post links to our blogs, to share big news about ourselves, or to showcase our books. That’s a wonderful part of social media--the ability to share news instantly with crowds of people.

But we can’t stop there. Nobody likes to listen to someone who is constantly talking about themselves. And the same is true on Twitter. We should be looking for opportunities to help shout out the good news of others, link to other encouraging blog posts, and retweet helpful information.

2. Join in conversations, but don’t overdo it. People talk back and forth on Twitter, but because of the fast-pace we can’t always easily follow along with all the chatting. My eyes tend to glaze over the tweets of someone who comments too much.

For more personal ongoing conversations, consider using direct messages. I’ve begun to make more use of DM’s for private matters, thank yous, or conversations that others may not understand.

3. If you find a helpful link, give credit where it’s due. Retweet is an excellent function on Twitter. When we see a helpful link or comment that someone else has tweeted, retweet allows us to quickly post it to our followers.

However, we need to make sure we’re giving credit to the person who first tweeted that post and not making it seem like the clever saying or link came from us. It’s just one more way to help promote others.

4. For every complaint you post, try to make an equal number of positives. We all appreciate open and honest communication. If we’re having a bad day, we should feel the freedom to express ourselves to a caring community.

But we don’t want Twitter to become the place where we’re constantly complaining about our health, work load, or life in general. So, let’s be real, but remember to balance with the positives too.

I think we’ll all be safe if we follow the Twitter Golden Rule: Tweet unto others as you would have them tweet unto you. (Yes, I made that up, but you get my point!)

A few other basic Twitter considerations:

• Make use of hashtags to communicate with others. Among the writing community here are a few that I follow: #amwriting, #writechat, #writers, #authors, #writetip

• Make use of Twitter applications for ease in organizing followers. There are quite a few available to download for free. I use Tweetdeck and organize my followers into columns like: Blogging Friends, WordServe Clients, Agents, Etc.

• Make use of Twitter buttons. At the very basic, we can all get one of those cute birdie widgets into our sidebars so people can sign up to follow us on Twitter. Also, a retweet button like the one at the bottom of my posts, allows readers to easily share a link to helpful posts on Twitter. (Click here for the application.)

• Make professional use of the Bio. Just like our blogs, we never know who might stumble across our Twitter home page. We should make sure our real name is evident, the fact that we’re a writer, and any other credits or important links.

What about you? What things about Twitter bother you the most? Are there other “rules” or etiquette you would add to my list? And are there other Twitter gadgets or applications you’ve found helpful? Please share!

5 Ways To Use Facebook & Twitter Effectively

Since we're on the topic of cyber networking this week, I can't neglect a post about Facebook and Twitter.

If you've read some of my previous posts on the two, you might have picked up on a tone of skepticism. That was in my early days, before I really understood their purpose and functionality.

However, after months of facebooking and tweeting, my skepticism is rehabilitated. I've gained a new perspective on both. Here's what I've learned. 5 ways to use Facebook and Twitter effectively:

1. Don't tweet or leave a comment and then disappear. In this sense, they are similar to blogging. We can't expect to get much out of such sites if we toss our comments out there and then run back into our safe hole.

I can't respond to every Twitter or Facebook comment, but I try to take some time to personally interact with those who respond to me. More importantly, I try to show interest in the lives of others. Yes, here it is again--the give and take of successful communication.

2. Make an effort to meet new people. I'm not always sure how people find me, but I'm glad they do. I rarely turn down requests and almost always follow back (unless someone looks like a hacker or spammer).While many friends overlap between the social networking sites, I've also met a whole new spectrum of friends in each realm that I wouldn't have met otherwise.

If we want to network, we can't be shy. We have to jump out there, show interest in others, and make an effort to socialize. If we wait for others to make the first move, we might miss out on new friendships.

3. Use the cyber world as a place to express our uniquenesses. I fully realize not everything I say on Twitter or Facebook is life-shattering or world-altering. Some of it might be downright mundane. But the trick, just as in novel-writing, is to take the ordinary and share it in new and intriguing ways.

Maybe we can't expect every comment to have our special flare, but Twitter and Facebook give us a stage on which to showcase our uniquenesses, to establish ourselves as interesting and worth listening to. Debra Schubert recently landed an agent partly because of her unique voice on Twitter. Read her agent story here.

4. Link to other helpful articles or posts. Twitter is an especially useful resource for finding quick links to blogs. Agents and other writers often tweet links to helpful articles. If the title catches my attention, I pop over to scan the information. (This shows the importance of crafting catchy titles.)

I've also found Twitter an especially useful place to link to my own blog. I don't link every day or make that the main focus of my tweeting, but sharing about a blog post can generate more readers. When others find my blog posts helpful or inspiring, sometimes they retweet it (send it into twitter again), which has the potential to bring even more readers.

5. Use social networking consistently and with balance. Tweeting and facebooking don't have to be a huge effort. In fact, with Twitter and Facebook, sometimes less is more. We don't want to tire our followers with our our constant chattering. When someone tweets or comments too much, my eyes tend to glaze over when I see their name.

On the other hand, tweeting or posting for one day and then disappearing for a week doesn't help maintain the connections either. Everyone needs to find a system that works for them. But I try to make a comment on Facebook approximately once a day and then get onto Twitter for several short bursts on a daily basis. Of course I miss days. Life happens. But for the most part, I try to stay consistent.

That's it--that's what I've learned so far about Facebook and Twitter. What have you learned? Do you find them beneficial or are you still skeptical? Please share!

To Tweet is Sweet

This week we've been discussing the connection factor that blogging provides. I think we can all agree that blogging benefits writers in countless ways--especially with friendships.

But what about connecting through other social networking sites?

In previous posts, I discussed facebook as a way to network (link). At first I was hesitant about joining facebook since I already struggle to limit my online time. However, I quickly realized it doesn't have to be a time guzzler. The comments are short and to the point. Replies, if any, are also brief.

With blogging and facebook, why in the world would anyone need twitter? For the longest time I resisted the tweeting call. Once again, I told myself I didn't need to add one more internet activity into my already overloaded screen time.

Then during one of my first conversations with my new agent, she asked, "Do you twitter? I'll follow you if you do." I stammered, "Er, uh, not yet. . ." I was too embarrassed to let her know I had no clue how twitter worked or even how to sign up for it!

After that phone call, I decided I would at least check into it. After all, if my agent twittered and liked it, then maybe I needed to get on board. End of story: it took me all of five minutes to set up a twitter account, and it takes even less time to tweet.

Now after twittering for a few weeks, I can report back some of the benefits:

• Connect more with fellow writing friends: Some of you twitter too, and it's been really fun to get to know you more personally and stay in daily contact with you.

• Meet new writers: I've connected with different writers that I don't normally see in the blogosphere.

• Keep up with agent news: Since my agent uses twitter as her primary mode of communication of her daily activities, I feel more connected with what she'd doing.

• Promote writing industry news: Many writers post tidbits of writing-related news, or encouraging and motivational quotes.

• Market ourselves and our writing: Often authors post links to interviews, blogs, book release information, and more.

If blogging is a satisfying meal and facebook is a snack cracker, then twitter is like a tiny treat. It's not satisfying in and of itself. But combined with other networking, it's another easy way to build our platforms.

Terri Tiffany recently posted about the importance of searching out new ways to market ourselves as writers. (Read her post here.) For me, twitter is the next step in expanding my writing presence and it could potentially be an excellent marketing tool.

Have you tried anything new recently? What do you think of Twitter? I'd love to hear your opinions about it, both the pro's and con's.

Have a great weekend!