Maya Northen

SOCIAL MEDIA: TOOLS FOR WRITERS, TOO

Facebook:

Facebook, originally used solely for social purposes, is becoming increasingly influential in the business realm. It allows users to have both an individual profile, for connecting with those you already know and sharing more personal information, as well as a business page to interact with readers, industry peers and others on a professional level. Both can be used to post status updates, upload photos and videos, and give others the opportunity to comment on each of the above. In addition, business pages allow the owner to take polls, start discussions and receive reviews. Some common uses of Facebook include:

• Gathering Facebook page "fans" through friends, friends of friends and industry colleagues to increase your audience size
• Posting updates throughout the writing and publishing process to keep readers engaged through the release. Example: Beauty Is A Verb utilized their Facebook page to inform fans about upcoming readings, and to allow authors in the anthology to comment on their works and the collection as a whole
• Linking to blogs, articles or reviews written about a work
• Posting pictures of any artwork or photography for the work
• Creating a discussion around the book topic or genre
• Posting videos of a book signing or reading
• Providing specials or discounts exclusive to Facebook fans

Getting started on Facebook:

• Go https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php. You should also be able to create a Facebook company/business page without a personal Facebook account.
• Choose the type of "page" you want – for instance, local business, entertainment, cause/community, etc. Facebook provides several options to choose from. This is difficult, if not impossible, to change once you've chosen, though, so give some thought to what fits best. If you're local, but hope to expand, "local business" might not be the best option for you.
• From here, answer the questions as indicated (basic details such as company name, year established, etc). Make sure to include a notable picture and detailed information. This will make it easier for people to find you that are looking, and more attractive to those who don't yet know you but might be interested to learn more about you and your work.
• Invite friends to become "fans", and start posting on your page. Three to five updates per week is generally a good start. Eventually, one to two posts per day is ideal. Don't be shy about asking your friends and colleagues to recommend your page to others.
• If you want to create a personal page, go to www.facebook.com, create a login with a username and password, and then fill out the form as required (basic details such as name, city). I suggest using your actual name. A nickname is ok if the general population would recognize it. If you write under a pseudonym, it's fine to use that as well – whatever people would use to search for you. Facebook has an option for married women to add in a maiden name where applicable.

Twitter:

Twitter is comprised of 140-character posts with key pieces of information. Like Facebook, people often keep separate accounts for personal and business. Unlike Facebook, twitter can be (and should be) updated multiple times per day. Users often engage in back-and-forth conversation, and can direct message each other to chat privately. Some uses for Twitter would include:

• Tossing out small pieces of information frequently throughout the writing and publishing process to get people interested in and talking about the work
• Getting to know industry peers and/or mentors through frequent interaction
• Linking to blogs, articles, reviews and write-ups about a work
• Participating in twitter chats about a subject of interest to gain recognition in a field
• Posting links to pictures or videos surrounding a work, reading, book signing, book fair or other event
• Using keywords to track when your work, field or other areas of interest are mentioned, and respond as desired

Getting started on twitter:

• Go to www.twitter.com.
• Under "New to Twitter? Join today!" Fill out your full name (not necessarily your "twitter name"), your email address and a password.
• You will have to pick a twitter "handle" which is the name you want to go by on twitter. It can be your actual name, a pen name if you have one, or something that tells people what you do (for instance "marywritespoetry").
• Fill in your bio and add a picture. People tend not to follow those without pictures or bios, as it is often the sign of a spammer.
• To reply to or catch the attention of others, use the @ symbol plus their twitter name. For instance to reach "deafwoof" (real name Raymond Luczak) you'd tweet @deafwoof.
• Poet John Lee Clark (@johnleeclark) and novelist Jessica Powers (@jlpowers) are two writers who use Twitter frequently to promote their work and connect other writers to information they have found interesting. Try following them to see how Twitter can be used.

You can also send a private, direct message.

Linkedin:

Linkedin is different from either of the above outlets in that it is strictly used for business purposes. While updates don't have to be devoid of feeling or emotion, people aren't posting pictures of their family on Linkedin. There are numerous features that one can use to for information gathering, discussion and marketing on linkedin. Some of the most popular uses include:

• Status updates to keep potential readers, publishers and other industry peers informed.
• Participating in group discussions: Linkedin users create groups based on industry, organization, special interest, and a host of other topics. Search for groups that might reach your target audience (be it professional colleague or reader) and join. If you don't find a group that fits your interests or needs, start one and invite others. See what groups your connections are part of as well and give them a try. It's rather taboo to directly promote and advertise in these groups but you can invite people to an event such as a book fair or book signing, and it's a great place to discuss what's going on in the industry. It helps establish you as a source in the field.
• LinkedIn makes it easy to see who your connections know, and ask for them to provide an introduction (there's actually a "get introduced" button").
• A key feature of Linkedin is the ability to give and receive recommendations. Given that it's a purely professional media source, recommendations on linkedin go a long way.
• If you have a blog, you may be able to link this to Linkedin, so that each time you update your blog, it automatically shows on your Linkedin profile (more on blogs below).

Starting Linkedin:

• Go to www.linkedin.com.
• Click "join today."
• Fill out the details as required (general details, straightforward).
• Under the profile tab: add a picture, fill in your work experience, education, website and other contact details. The more you have filled in, the more likely others are to find you.
• To connect with others once you've joined, you can search for contacts by name or email, and Linkedin will actually suggest people you may know.
• To find groups you might like, click on the "groups" link near the top of the page and search for key words (for instance: author, poetry, writers, etc). As mentioned above, also see what groups your connections are in, as these may also be ones that interest you.

Blogging:

Blogging is different from the forms of social media above in that it isn't strictly a quick message or update used to catch readers' attention or engage in conversation. It certainly can be social, and often is, but it's traditionally not a quick blurb here or there. Blogging is (generally)a rather informal piece of writing that's strictly posted online. You won't find blogs in your print magazines or the Sunday paper (though you may see "check out our blog online at 'website address'", as more and more publications are going online).

While less formal, they can, and should, still be informative, factual and above all, interesting. Ultimately, a blog is a story. While a tweet, facebook post or linkedin update can have a few catchy words and attract a viewer, a blog has to do more than this. A creative or shocking first line can pull a reader in, but if the rest of it leaves them unenthused, they most likely won't revisit your blog and quite possibly won't even finish that particular post.

While a blog post must tell a story, it doesn't have to be prose. It can contain a poem, stunning pictures with captions, an intriguing video, or a thought-provoking question.

You might use a blog for:

• Getting readers excited about a brand new piece of work (even giving them a "sneak preview" before anyone else learns about it).
• Keeping readers engaged through the writing and publishing process with updates about the work, tidbits of information or pictures.
• Writing in detail about a topic that is prevalent throughout your works to develop your reputation as "knowledgeable" about the topic or even an "expert".
• Linking to other blogs and websites that compliment yours or might interest your readers and vice versa. Note: be careful in requesting or providing a link exchange – there are plenty of people who just want to have as many links as possible on their site to try to drive traffic, and aren't looking for the right kind of audience. Work with someone you know and respect who is truly interested on a mutually beneficial relationship.
• Display pictures and videos. A shot of the newly developed book cover, a picture or video of a reading, a video testimonial, or a picture/video of a speaking engagement you've done, for instance, can all be valuable additions to a website. Of course, this depends on your audience– if you're targeting the visually and/or hearing impaired, for instance, these would probably not be a valuable tool. However, you still may want to have these available for any media/press promotion.
• As samples of what poets do with blogs check out Stephen Kuusisto's "Planet of the Blind" at http://planet-of-the-blind.com.

As a travel writer, I constantly make use of social media and invite you to look at what I have created to use in my own work to help you get started on your own. My direct Facebook is www.facebook.com/chimeratravel and twitter is twitter.com/chimeratravel. My blog is www.chimera-travel.com/blog. Even if you are just curious about travel, feel free to take a look.

Maya Northen is the owner of Chimera Travel, a travel planning company that creates customized itineraries for individuals and groups. She is also the editor of TraveLuxe emagazine, and does consulting in the social media marketing and blogging fields. Northen is a regular contributor to the MPI Eye to Eye magazine, and has served as a travel editor for Maven Mag Philadelphia and as an associate content editor at Travel Tribe, LLC. She has been featured in Ladies Who Launch and Philadelphia Women's Journal. She has an M.S. in International Marketing from St. Joseph's University and is a graduate of Bryan Travel College.