Why I Deleted Half My Twitter Lists

Three years ago Twitter was my favorite site for connecting with people. I read a lot of blogs and retweeted any I found helpful. It was fun to pop on, see if anyone was drinking loads of coffee (like I do on a regular basis), say "hi" to friends and hopefully learn some new writing tricks through the links others shared.

I followed new people every day and they followed me too. It became harder to keep track of all these new people, so I made lists. But the lists grew large--too large. I created more lists.

Then I found myself reading fewer blogs at the same time many of my favorite bloggers stopped posting. It seemed like my Twitter feed no longer had fun snippets regarding silly cats, a lack of exercise and excess coffee consumption. It was link after link after link.

I never stopped checking in on Twitter, but I wasn't engaged.

I'm still not engaged.

Yesterday I went on Tweetdeck and wondered about some of the people I "conversed" with years ago. Was I missing something by not making more of an effort? 

This led me to reviewing my lists. Wow. Some of them were full of people I've never exchanged a tweet with. Others had duplicates. And some I wondered why I created in the first place. I had so many lists, I couldn't add them all as columns in Tweetdeck, which meant I never checked them.

Over the course of two hours, I consolidated my lists. I deleted over half of them. When I finished, I made sure Tweetdeck had a column for all of my current lists. Now I can actually see every list's feed when I log on. Isn't that the point of making them? *yes*

I don't know if I'll become more engaged on Twitter or not, but I took a step in the right direction. That's the thing about social media--sometimes we outgrow what worked for us in the past. It doesn't mean we have to quit, but we should tweak it to make it useful to us now.

Have you ever become overwhelmed by a social media site you used to enjoy? What did you do?

Have a fabulous weekend!!

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Blogging: The New Challenge Part 2 Finding Readers

Blogging: The New Challenge Part 2

New Methods of Finding Readers

On Monday, we talked about the current reality of dwindling blogs and the loss of Google Reader. You can read about it in, "Blogging: The New Challenge Part 1." Today we're discussing how the current blog climate is forcing us to use new methods to find readers for our blog.

A few years ago finding readers for your blog was as easy as offering a few subscribing options in your sidebar, following other blogs, and sharing your posts on Twitter or Facebook.

Oh, how the times have changed!

As with all good things, there can be too much of a good thing. The blogosphere became flooded with aspiring authors. Many of them saturated Twitter with promotional links. Although I love sharing other blogs, I completely stopped sharing links on Twitter for several months. It felt like  noise. Twitter shouldn't be about shouting, "Buy this! Read that!" at other people. It should be about having a conversation, saying, "hey, you guys might like this post, I sure did."

Also, at one point I had eight different folders in Google Reader and each folder contained 20-30 blogs in it! I couldn't keep up, and I didn't bother trying. Occasionally I would click on a blog from my Facebook feed, but mostly I relied on Google Reader.

My blog reading changed about nine months ago. I no longer went to Google Reader--seeing over 1000 unread posts every time I went intimidated me. Instead, I found myself reading blogs I noticed on Google+, Facebook, and, sometimes, Twitter. I also clicked through pictures on Pinterest that linked to an intriguing blog post.

I can't speak for other blog readers, but here are reasons I read a blog.

1. The author is a friend. I put high priority on my friends' blogs. It's one of the ways I feel connected to them.
2. The title grabbed me.
3. The blog post was right there in front of me on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
4. It was recommended to me.

How do I find the blogs to read?

1. It's linked on one or all of the social media sites I frequent.
2. Someone I follow shared the blog, and the title interested me.

Since Google Reader was eliminated, I no longer subscribe to a reader (with the exception of Blogger). This means that almost every blog I read, I found through Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, or it's written by a friend.

Why is this information useful?

Many bloggers stopped feeding the link to their current blog post on Facebook and Twitter. But by doing this, they're losing me as a blog reader. I read 3-4 blogs every weekday, and I find most of them on social media sites. If your blog post isn't there, I'm not likely to read it.

Google+ confuses many writers, but it only takes a few seconds to share your blog post on the site. I read more blogs shared on Google+ than I expected to when I started using this service. Google+ does an amazing job with sharing. I can see the title, the first few sentences, and the photo for the post. The posts are easy to navigate.

Pinterest is another place to find readers. Edit a stockphoto or personal photo to include a "hook" to lead people back to your blog (see the photo above). If someone "pins" the photo, it's automatically linked back to the post. This is an easy way to tempt new readers.

Staying social online still has benefits. By taking the time to comment on active blogs, you increase your odds of connecting with the author, who in turn will be more likely to support your blog too. I made so many friends through blogging--I can't put enough emphasis on how this has added to my life.

As time passes, some of your blogging friends may seem to disappear. You might even find that the majority of your "core blog friends" have chosen to spend their time elsewhere. Be open to new blog friends. There are always up and comers out there. A few newer bloggers I enjoy are Lindsay Harrel, Jeanne Takenaka, Susan Tuttle, and the new Married...with Fiction (a group blog written by Jennifer Major, Becky Doughty, and Heather Day Gilbert).

Keep your eyes open to what other successful bloggers are doing to increase their traffic and find readers. Don't be afraid to try their techniques!

The other behind the scenes factor: SEO.

Another way to find a blog is by typing a topic in a search engine. If the search engine determines your blog is a match (through tags, keywords, labels--search engine optimization), your post will pop up in the results.

This is one reason I always recommend typing your author name into the "tag," "label," or "keyword" section. Every post you write will be related to your author name. Regular, frequent blog posts keeps your name and blog relevant with search engines.

When authors get published, they want readers to find their books. Readers might type the author name in a search engine (I do all the time). What does an author hope the reader finds? The author's website/blog, of course! From there, the reader should be able to easily navigate to find out about the author, what books she's written, links to buy the books, and a way to contact the author to tell her she's fabulous.

Type your author name in a few search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing...) and see if links show up leading a reader to you in one way or another. Ideally, you want your website/blog to show up as the number one result.

Blogging in 2013 is challenging. Authors have to get creative and keep an open mind about where a reader might find their blogs. Don't be shy about continuing (or starting) to feed your blog posts into Facebook, Twitter, Google+. You never know who might find your blog this way! And don't get discouraged. If you enjoy writing a blog, stay with it!

Do you have a blog? What challenges are you facing with it?

Thanks so much for stopping by!

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Blogging: The New Challenge Part 1

Blogging: The New Challenge Part 1

Is Blogging Still Relevant?

I started blogging in 2008, and I instantly loved it. Writing a blog provided me a different outlet for my writing--one that meant no plotting, no characterization, no worrying about pace--just short, informational, casual pieces.

Until a few generous souls went out of their way to help me, I struggled to find readers. Who knew a "Google Friend Connect" button would rock my blogging world? I thought it would only show readers how unpopular I was!

It didn't take long to see the Golden Rule worked beautifully with my blog. By reading other fabulous blogs and commenting, I found plenty of new readers. It was slow, time-consuming work, but it was worth it.

I tried other outlets too--I had my blog fed to Networked Blogs on my Facebook account. I signed up for my posts to automatically post to Twitter when they went live. I included my blog link on every social media site to up my odds of having new people stop by.

Through it all, my blog thrived with the support of fellow bloggers, Twitter users, Facebook friends, and the like. All the shares, retweets, and links helped boost my readership.

Over the last year, I've noticed a trend. Many of the blogs I followed no longer showed up in my Google Reader (Google Reader has since been eliminated). Some of their blogs still exist--the bloggers chose to stop posting new articles. I also noticed my blog comments went down, but I figured a large part of it was the fact I'd trimmed my blog reading time by about 75% in order to meet my writing goals. I'm realistic--when I don't take the time to comment on other blogs, I don't expect people to flock to mine.

But then little things jiggled in my conscience. More friends reduced their blog posting schedules. Google Reader disappeared. I used to see tons of blog posts on Facebook every day--I started seeing only a handful.

Was the blog dying? Was my blog dying?

For years I've tracked my social media stats. On the first of each month, I log the number of followers I have on various sites, how many page hits my website gets, and how many page views my blog gets.

The comments might be dwindling, but I still get thousands of hits every month on my blog. Maybe it's just a perception that blogging is dying.  Still, I asked myself, Would my time be better spent somewhere else?

(For a terrific article about this topic, head to Jody Hedlund's "The Changing Nature of Blogging for Fiction Writers."

If I only view my blog (or a Twitter account, Facebook Page, Pinterest Board, etc...) in terms of pageviews (or followers, likes, repins, etc...), it will only lead to disappointment. But more than that, it isn't the question I should be asking.

I went in to all of my social media accounts with one purpose: to increase my author name exposure.

That's it.

I want my author name everywhere. I want a web presence wherever a reader might be.

For me, blogging IS still relevant, because I'm still accomplishing my original goal. I'm sure I'll get flak for admitting my main goal with blogging isn't to get a million hits each month.

The reality is, every time I publish a post, search engines pick up my name and my topics. Regularly submitting posts keeps my author name out there.

This blog means a lot to me. It's where I show up every week whether I'm two millimeters away from quitting or flying high with great news.

This is where I share my life. Maybe one of you will be inspired to buy that used leather purse and attempt to restore it because I posted about it. Maybe you'll try a book by a new-to-you author because we had a party for the release here. Maybe you'll nod when you read that I struggle with disappointment, or you'll share my happiness in a plotting breakthrough.

I don't know, but I do know I appreciate you. I love that I have the opportunity to connect with you here!

What are your thoughts on blogging in 2013?

Join me on Wednesday when we'll tackle Blogging: The New Challenge Part 2--Finding Readers.

Have a wonderful day!

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Do Telemarketing Tactics Build Readership?

Every weekday I log onto my Twitter account and check for new followers. I scroll through a few of each of their tweets to get a feel of who they are. Lately, I've noticed a marked increase in authors using telemarketing tactics.



Telemarketers cold call people to either sell a product or to obtain a donation for a charitable cause, and they use a targeted list of potential consumers. While telemarketing a legitimate product is not illegal and can be successful, many people on the receiving end of the call are angered to have their time wasted.

I loathe picking up the phone to a telemarketer.

Like telemarketers, some authors are targeting a list of potential consumers on Twitter (it's simple to find like-minded folks through hashtags and profiles) to promote their books. Nothing wrong with that. However, the relentless sales pitches hurt them.

***

I do not follow back people who are solely self-promoting.

For example, this morning I reviewed the first three tweets of an author who recently followed me. Every tweet was a variation on the same:

#Nameofbook is #2 on Kindle. Who will be the first to review #good #fiction #nameofbook on #Amazon? Go to bit.ly now! #Crime #Readers

#Shortstory on #Smashwords. Guaranteed you'll love it. #Books Only 99cents! #Buyit!! #Share this!

This is not effective. It makes me want to run and hide.

If the author is trying to spread news about his book through Twitter to increase sales, he needs as many followers as possible to help him share the message. By treating people on Twitter as wallets instead of friends, this author loses his chance for people to connect with him, and he loses avenues to help him promote his book.

***

I do follow back people who carry conversations and self-promote.

You know the old adage--for every criticism you give, you should give five compliments? We can apply the same strategy on our social networks. For every self-promotion post, write five conversational posts.

Frankly, I'd caution even less shameless plugs. The majority of what we share on social networks should be conversational or informational. By this I mean, we're either talking to someone (@coolauthor Thanks for the coffee! What are you working on today?) or sharing information (Great tips! RT @coolauthor 5 Writing Helps bit.ly #amwriting).

The thing about social media is if we're doing it right, we only have to post a "look what I did, Ma" type of message once, and our followers do the rest for us. It's the power of re-tweeting and re-sharing. If we get the message out, our friends help spread the good news. I routinely re-tweet and re-share other authors' celebrations, whether they're announcing a book contract, landing an agent, winning a contest, hitting a best-seller list, or even finishing a first draft. I'm excited for them, and I want everyone else to get excited too.

What's more effective? One telemarketer calling a stranger, or a fundraiser attended by thousands of people?

People buy books from people they like. Telemarketing tactics don't build a readership.

What makes you want to follow someone on Twitter, Facebook, or blogs? What turns you off? 

Have a fabulous Friday!

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17 Simple Steps to Build a Fiction Platform

Way back in 2008 when I started this blog, I knew next to nothing about how to build a fiction platform. It's a good thing I don't embarrass easily because as I kept my eyes open and learned more, I realized how many things I could be doing better.



We have so many fantastic, free media sites to help us with our networking, but we don't always understand how to use them. Fear and ignorance hold us back. And I can only speak for myself, but I was overly cautious. I wanted to build a platform but didn't understand the fundamental mindset behind one.

If you're unsure where to start or how to grow a web presence, I'd like to help.

With that in mind, here are 17 simple ways to build a fiction platform:

1. Decide on your author name. Real name or pen name? Your author name is the foundation of your fiction platform.

2. Get a good head shot of yourself smiling. Use this picture on all social media sites.

3. Fill out a Blogger profile under your author name even if you don't have a blog. Include an e-mail address. Create a new e-mail address if necessary, but include one. Upload your fab picture in your profile. Why do this? Many blogs are hosted by Blogger. When you leave comments, you want your pen name and your picture to be associated with your comments. Also, if the blog host or someone else wants to contact you, they can e-mail you.

4. Start reading author and agent blogs:

    a. Leave comments on blogs (use your author name--an anonymous comment won't help you)
    b. Read the other comments--there's a wealth of info in them
    c. Click on the commenters you enjoy and check if they have a blog
    d. Read the blogs of commenters you enjoy
    e. Go ahead and follow blogs either through Google Friend Connect or by clicking on the RSS feed.

5. Purchase a domain name with your author name. Ex: http://www.jillkemerer.com/

6. Brainstorm topics you consider your strengths. If you decide to start a blog, this will help you narrow down what to focus your posts on.

7. If you decide to blog, weigh the benefits of using Wordpress or Blogger. Go to blogs using these services, do an Internet search of Wordpress vs. Blogger, or ask bloggers their opinion. We all like to share opinions.

8. Create a Facebook page under your author name for networking and accept all friend requests (keep your personal info out of this account)

9. Whenever you log on to Facebook, friend request one or two people it suggests to you. Easy way to grow your network! Don't be offended if not everyone accepts your requests.

10. Create a LinkedIn account under your author name.

11. If you create a blog, use your author name in your URL (http://jillkemerer.blogspot.com/)

12. Check out your favorite author's websites and analyze what you like and don't like about their sites. Take notes on the types of pages they feature, the wording and length of the biography, and the overall look and theme of their site. Bookmark the sites for future reference.

13. Write a short author bio to use on your social media sites

14. Determine how much time you can devote each day or week to building your platform (if you only have 10 minutes a week, stick with a Facebook account. If you have three hours, consider blogging.)

15. Join a national writing organization and attend local chapter meetings. Romance Writers of America has given me priceless information, great contacts, and plenty of opportunities to "get my name out there" by networking in person.

16. Willing to speak at a local writers group? Draw up a list of possible topics. It's never too early to plan for speaking engagements. Remember, a fiction platform doesn't have to be contained to an online presence.

17. Create a Twitter account under your author name. If this terrifies you, see my articles Twitter 101: Creating an Account and Twitter 101: Beginner's Tips. And e-mail me with any questions (jill(at)jillkemerer(dot)com) I'd love to connect with you on Twitter!

Breathe. You don't have to build a platform over night. Just add to your knowledge, add to your social media sites--and keep learning!

I've recommended her book before, and I'll recommend it again. Kristen Lamb's We Are Not Alone: The Writer's Guide to Social Media is my favorite book on social media and building a platform. She's also created a hashtag on Twitter to connect the We Are Not Alone tribe--#MyWANA. Just do a quick Twitter search and you'll find tons of like-minded writers plus oodles of great links!

What is your best tip on building a fiction platform?

Have a super Monday!

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The Long Term Approach to Author Platform

In three years of creating an author platform, I know one thing. I don't have the same amount of time every day for social networking. I'm sure you don't either. Maybe some of you started out fast and hard, finding and following new blogs regularly and getting involved on Facebook or Twitter. You may have been exhilirated, scared, or both.



Six months later, a year later, two years later...are you social networking with the same intensity as when you started?

I can only speak for myself, but in some ways yes, in others no.

Last year, I cut back on my social networking. I read fewer blog posts. My blog readership went down and I added few new followers. But I sensed a deep need to focus solely on my writing, and I don't regret it. Also, I found myself often feeling sad when I went to blogs, Facebook and Twitter. All of the wonderful success stories depressed me. Not that I didn't share in my friends' joy--I did--but it didn't change the fact I felt stuck in one place, like a child trying to climb up a "down" escalator.

Sometimes letting your platform stagnate is the best thing you can do for yourself.


The extra time spent on my writing helped it flourish, and, as months passed, I longed to grow my platform again. Since I never disappeared from my networks, I found it fun and easy to increase my web-presence.

Here are my tips for successful, long-term social networking.

1. Acknowledge there will be periods of time when you will have less time to interact online.

2. Come up with a plan on how you will stay connected with your various networks during your busy months.

   In hectic phases:
   - I read fewer, if any, blog posts.
   - I check in every weekday on Twitter and Facebook, but I spend less time socializing and I share fewer links.
   - I don't actively find new blogs.
   - I DO continue my blogging schedule.
   - I try to respond to each comment on my blog, but I give myself permission to pop-in with a quick comment if I'm too busy.
   - I keep in touch with my closest online friends either through e-mail, direct messages, or leaving a comment on their blogs.

3. Recognize the less time you spend on social networking, the less benefits you will receive.

   - I get less blog hits, less new followers, less Twitter interaction, less new friends on Facebook, etc...
   - I do not panic over this. I know that when my life settles down, I will spend more time networking and will reconnect with everyone.

4. Realize the drop in your "popularity" does not reflect on you personally. Your blogging friends still like and support you, they're just busy too. We all respond to people who reach out to us the most. When your life settles down, go back to their blogs and leave comments. You'll be back in the loop before you know it.

5. Maintain visibility on your networks. Dropping out is not good for your platform. You can drastically cut back, but by no means should you disappear completely. You've worked hard to build your platform. Support it.

   - If you have a blog, find a way to post regularly. Maybe your posts will be shorter, but make sure they're there.
   - Find five minutes to check in with Facebook and "like" the comments your friends leave. You know the Friend Suggestions in the sidebar? Send a friend request to two of these each day to continue growing your Facebook presence.
   - Find five minutes to check in with Twitter and respond to mentions or say hello to your friends. Chances are your friends share #WW (writer Wednesday) or #FF (Follow Friday) lists. Add two or three new people they suggest and your Twitter presence will continue to grow.

6. When the busy time ends, double or triple the amount of time you spend on social networking to increase your online presence. This might last a week or two, whatever you can afford, but every minute will be time well-spent.

7. Published authors: Ramp up your social networking at least two months before your next release. Try not to wait to reconnect with your networks until a few weeks before a release because you will be heavily promoting your book. Social networking is a conversation, so take extra care to chat with your networks before heavily promoting your book. Remember, people buy books from people they like!
Anyone working on an author platform will have to adjust to the commitments it brings. Try not to feel guilty at not being able to keep up with everyone equally and at all times. Building an author platform means we're going to follow many more people's blogs, Facebook updates, and Twitter feeds than we could ever keep track of. Let go of that burden. Do your best to interact with your closer online friends and new contacts.

Do you have long-term strategies to nurture your author platform? Care to share them?

Have a fabulous Friday!

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Twitter 101: Beginner's Tips

Okay, you have a Twitter account. Now what?

If you don't have a Twitter account and want to set one up, refer to Twitter 101: Creating an Account for step-by-step instructions.

Before we get into details, it's vital to understand what you want out of Twitter. If your co-worker is urging you to join and you have no agenda, you'll have a different experience and approach than I do.

I use Twitter to connect with people and this builds my fiction platform. Since I want to connect with a large audience and I don't need to be considered an expert in my field, my goal is to follow a wide range of new people. People buy fiction from authors they like. Readers want to connect with authors, so fiction authors are wise to avoid being exclusive on Twitter. What do I mean by exclusive? I mean only following friends. Look, no one can keep up with a thousand followers' tweets, but no one expects you to. That's what lists are for. We'll talk about them later.

If you are a non-fiction writer, a publishing professional, or in a field where being considered an expert will help you, by all means be exclusive. The quality of your connections count. But also, be friendly and share quality links often.

It's a good idea to decide now what types of followers you will follow back. I wrote a post about this a few weeks ago, Twitter Limits.
A quick recap: I don't follow back--
a. businesses unrelated to publishing
b. anyone with a provocative profile picture
c. anyone who doesn't tweet in English
d. anyone with an egg for a profile picture (usually spammers) and
e. anyone who's profile includes "social marketing expert," "help me help you," or any other keyword that sounds like a sale's pitch. Your list might look different than mine--that's fine.

So let's get started!

When you sign into Twitter, your home screen will show up. Across the top will be a search box and buttons for Home, Profile, Messages, and Who to Follow. The upper right hand corner will have your profile picture and a drop-down menu to edit your settings and profile.

The Home button is a link to your main Twitter page, Profile takes you to a list of all the tweets you send, Messages is where you read or write direct messages (the Twitter equivalent to e-mail), Who to Follow suggests people to follow.

Below this is your Twitter feed. The tweets of people you follow will continuously update in the Timeline, the main tab above the feed. Next to it is a tab named Mentions. If you click on it, any tweets directed to you will show up here. For example, my mentions all have @jillkemerer in them. The tweet may have other names too. You want to check this tab whenever you check in.To make the most of Twitter, be friendly and if someone initiates a conversation, you'll see it here. If you move your browser to the tweet, a few buttons will show up below it. You can set the tweet as a favorite, you can retweet it, or you can reply. To continue a conversation, click on reply. A pop-up box will appear with the person's username. Type in your reply and click Tweet. Easy!

The Retweet tab allows you to see retweets by you, retweets by others, or your tweets retweeted. If someone says something funny or shares a terrific link, go ahead and retweet it. Doing this does two things: promotes the person who originally shared the link (promoting others is a key component of successful social networking, aka building a platform) and it gives your followers information. If you consistently retweet great content from other sites, you'll find more followers.

The Searches tab brings up all of your saved searches. Hashtags (#) group conversations. For instance, if you type #amwriting into the search box (at the top of the screen), a list of tweets will show up with people talking about writing. This is a great way to connect with other writers. You can follow interesting people, reply to them, and type in your own #amwriting tweet. Hundreds, probably thousands of hashtags exist.

The Lists tab shows all of the lists you created. It took me a while to create a list because at first I only followed people I knew from blogging. But as my network grew, my friends' tweets got lost in the shuffle. I quickly added them all to a list. Then my network continued to grow so I made more lists. Whenever you follow a new person, you can add them to a list by clicking on the button that looks like a lined piece of paper. Either "create new list" or check the box next to an existing link. Of course, you can uncheck the box at any time.

Lists do three things for me. 1. Keeps me connected to my friends. 2. Allows me to connect regularly with new friends. 3. Helps me share quality information with my followers.

**A quick note about lists. I try to share links from publishing industry professionals to keep others informed of interesting news. I created a Business list where I add agents, editors, top information authors like James Scott Bell, Donald Maass, and Michael Hyatt, as well as NYTimes, and WSJ (Wall Street Journal). All I have to do is check this list, scan for interesting topics, click on the link and read the article to decide if I should share it or not.**

On the right side of the screen, you'll see your profile picture, number of tweets, a link to who is following you and a link to who you are following. It's good to regularly check to see who is following you. This allows you to follow back anyone who interests you. It also alerts you to any spammers. You'll also see a link for Listed. This shows you that others have added you to their lists.

If you do get a spammer or someone who just seems off to you, feel free to either Block them or Block and Report for Spam. Click on the picture of the gear next to their name for these options.

Now that you know your way around Twitter, you can start finding people you know to follow them. On your Home page, look at the right side under the Followers and Following links. You'll see a list of Trends and next to it, a list of Who to Follow. Below Who to Follow is a link to Refresh Suggestions (a new group of people will appear), Browse Interests (type in an interest and anyone else who has tweeted about it will show up), or Find Friends.

Click on Find Friends and a new screen will appear. You will be given the option to find friends through an e-mail account. It's entirely up to you if you want to grant Twitter access to your e-mail contacts or your Linked In account. You can also type in a name at the top of the screen. Anyone with the name or one similar will show up. I do have difficulty finding people with this method because Twitter is very picky about spaces and such, but I've found many friends this way.

Another great way to find fellow bloggers is to go directly to their blog and click on the social media buttons to follow them. Bloggers who use any social media site with the intent to build a platform SHOULD PROVIDE LINKS to their accounts on their blog.

A brief mention about etiquette. If someone mentions you in a #WW (Writer Wednesday) or #FF (Follow Friday), reply and thank them. If you like their tweets, follow them back. If someone retweets one of your blog posts, thank them. They are actively promoting you by doing this. How many people actively promote you? Show them some love!

I know this is a ton of information, but I assure you, actually using Twitter takes little time once you know what you're doing.

When you move beyond the beginner phase, consider downloading a free service such as TweetDeck or HootSuite. These services streamline your Twitter experience and allow you to see several lists, mentions, direct messages, and so forth on one screen. I love TweetDeck for the ease of keeping track of people I follow. It's also a snap to retweet things and to reply to several people at once. I can't recommend this site enough.

Any questions? I'm no expert, but I'll answer anything to the best of my knowledge.

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Twitter 101: Creating an Account

The regular Wednesday segment, 5 Easy Questions with..., will return next week.

Susan J. Reinhardt of Christian Writer/Reader Connection suggested a post on Twitter basics. Since I regularly receive e-mail and comments with questions about blogging, Facebook, and Twitter, I realized a post on this topic could benefit many people unsure of how to tweet.

Twitter is a fun, non-threatening, quick way to meet new people. Some of the manners we use in everyday life do not apply on Twitter. It's okay to jump into conversations with people you don't know, and you can follow anyone and not be considered a stalker. On the flip side, it's fine to not show up for days at a time, and if you never feel like saying a word, you don't have to. However, you'll find the experience more rewarding if you check in regularly.

Twitter excels at bringing together like-minded people for jags of conversation. It's easy to use, non-exclusive (you don't have to send a request to follow someone, and you don't have to follow anyone back), and full of information. People show up under their username, which always has an @ symbol before it. You would see my tweets under @jillkemerer. If I mention I desperately need coffee, you could tweet me back with a quick, @jillkemerer Here's a cup of joe!

All correspondence must take place in 140 characters or less, so think short and sweet. You can also link blog posts, websites, and any online article. Go ahead and create lists for friends, agents, publishers, even cat-lovers (yeah, I watch Must Love Cats and found a slew of people like myself; someone tweeted me "Whiskertastic!" and it's become my new favorite word).

Sounds good, right? But how do you get started?

I will take you step-by-step through creating an account and setting up a profile. First, head to Twitter. It's linked through a pop-up window for easy reference back to this post.

1. On the top, right-hand side, you'll see a New to Twitter box and a button to sign up.

2. Click on the Sign Up button.

3. Fill out the information: Full name, Username, Password, E-mail, and click on the terms of service agreement. Then click Create Account. **If you are a writer, use your author name as your username. This will help people find you from your other social sites. If you're already published, readers will search for you by your author name. Make it easy on them! If your name is taken, consider adding a middle initial or "author" to the end. Example: If jillkemerer had been taken, I could have used jillrkemerer or jillkemererauthor. Or I could have included underscores, Jill_Kemerer.**

Congratulations! You have an account!

Now I'll walk you through setting up your profile. At the top of the screen, you will see a search box, Home, Profile, Messages, Who to Follow, and your username. Click on Profile.

A new screen will appear. Click on the Edit Your Profile link.

1. An account page will show up. Read through and modify it to your taste.

2. Next to the account tab is a page to change your password if you desire.

3. Next to the password tab is a mobile tab to set up your phone to tweet. This is optional. I do not tweet from my phone, so I never filled this out.

4. Next to the mobile tab is a notifications tab. This determines which information you will be e-mailed about. If you want an e-mail to let you know you have a new follower, check the new followers box and so forth.

**Mine is set up to only notify me when I get a direct message. This keeps my in-box from filling up with needless information.**

5. Next to the notification tab is the profile tab. Click on this.

a. Upload a photo or gravatar of yourself in the Picture section. Don't use the generic egg--many spammers use this.

b. If you're comfortable including the region you live, add it. If you have a blog or website, add the URL. I linked my website because anyone can get to my blog through it. But if your website isn't updated regularly, you may be better off linking to your blog instead.

c. Fill out your bio. Think casual. This isn't a business profile. You want people to see what you're about and that you're a real person. Mine reads as follows:

Author of sweet, emotional, sparkling inspirational romance novels, encourager, coffee guzzler, obsessed with fluffy cats, and addicted to magazines

d. Click on the Save button at the bottom of the screen.

6. Next to the profile tab is the design tab. Choose the background you would like for your profile. You can also upload a custom background if you click on Change Background Image. Click on Change Design Colors to modify them. Save the information.

7. Next to the design tab is the connections tab. This will show any sites you've allowed to access your account. For instance, I have my blog posts fed into my account through Twitterfeed, so Twitterfeed shows up in this area.

Guess what? You're done! Now you can start using Twitter!

Tune in on Friday for Twitter 101: Beginner's Tips.

Have a terrific Wednesday!

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2 Different Atmospheres: Twitter and Facebook

Last week, my agent, Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary Agency, wrote an eye-opening blog post about Twitter and Facebook, Taking Advantage of the Times: Marketing. She shared the following statistics:

The Huffington Post reported these statistics on Twitter for 2010:

•Twitter now has 105,779,710 registered users.
•New users are signing up at the rate of 300,000 per day.
•180 million unique visitors come to the site every month.
•Twitter users are, in total, tweeting an average of 55 million tweets per day.
•Twitter’s search engine receives around 600 million search queries per day.
To view the original blog post (with more stats), click here: http://huff.to/huffington-twitter-stats

Here are some Facebook statistics taken from Facebook’s page:

•More than 500 million active users.
•50% of active users log onto Facebook in any given day.
•Average user has 130 friends.
•People spend more than 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook

Rachel went on to give smart tips about how authors can use Twitter and Facebook to promote their writing. My opinion? Easy to use, socially acceptable sites with hundreds of millions of users? Perfect places to network with readers and writers!

Obviously, I'm biased toward social media sites. I enjoy them. My main goal in blogging, Twitter, and Facebook is the same--to build relationships. I read and cherish every comment on my blog. When someone retweets my post or shouts my name out for Writer Wednesday or Follow Friday, I'm extremely grateful. I feel close to my friends when I read their Facebook status updates.

Twitter and Facebook have different atmospheres. You might feel more comfortable in one over the other, but give them both a try with the following in mind.

Facebook, for me, is like a family reunion. I learn about my friends' triumphs, their illnesses, the animals digging in their yard, how their workouts are going, and anything else going on in their lives. I sit and chat at the table with my first cousins and grandma (close friends), but that doesn't mean I ignore great aunt Sally or the third cousin walking up the drive (new friends).

Twitter is more like a relaxed party with my friends. We talk about writing, share virtual coffee and chocolate with each other, and discuss information. Since I love meeting new people, I regularly follow anyone who interests me on various hashtags such as #amwriting, #amrevising, and #writers. I also follow people who share similar interests, like my obsession with fluffy cats. The party isn't invitation only--we encourage new people to stop by. We'll throw a soda in your hand, shove a plate of brownies your way, and join you in conversation.

Bottom line: I enjoy the family reunion as much as I enjoy a relaxed party with my friends.

If you enjoy Facebook, Twitter, or both, do you think they have different atmospheres? Do you prefer one over the other?


Have a fantastic weekend!

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Three Topics for Writers to Avoid on Social Networks

Facebook. Twitter. Blogs.

I love interacting on each of these social networks. When I meet new people either through friend requests or new twitter/blog followers, I subconsciously form a mental snapshot of them based on their profile, picture, and their posts.

Writing is a tough, competitive business, but it's also full of some of the most generous people you could ever meet. We encourage each other through the bumps, offer virtual coffee and chocolates during the rough patches, and shout congratulations at good news.

But...

If you're a writer, consider only sharing certain information with your entire social network. You can e-mail or direct message news to your close friends.

I suggest avoiding the following three categories when posting to everyone.

1. An agent or editor just requested material from you.Why not shout this out to the world? You may have a rejection in your e-mail the very next day or you might not hear anything for months. People will wonder what happened with that submission, and it might not be news you want to share.

2. An agent or editor just rejected you.Why not shout this out to the world? If you're querying other agents and editors, do you really want them to know someone passed on your book? It doesn't help your cause. And under no circumstances post who rejected you. Believe it or not, agents and editors don't like to reject people. Be courteous and keep that information private.

3. You haven't touched any work-in-progress in months.Why not shout this out to the world? Your social networks consist of people who have never met you and who are forming an opinion of you based on what you say. This downgrades your image and doesn't make you look serious.

I won't get into obvious posting no-no's like trash talking other authors or industry professionals, or oversharing your party habits. I think we all have common sense about that!

Before you post something, think about possible consequences. Also, ask yourself if the post was written by a stranger and you read it, what would you think of the person? You don't have to be cavity-inducing sweet online. It's okay to whine and need coffee, just as it's appropriate to pat yourself on the back about finishing a chapter or exercising the night before. The key is to remember who your audience is.

Do you agree with my three topics to avoid? Why or why not? What do you think is appropriate to share with the world online?

Have a fabulous weekend!

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Why You Might Fear Twitter and Facebook

Twitter and Facebook--two social networking giants. If you're a writer, you've probably heard countless times how you need to get out there and promote yourself on these sites. If you aren't on either, what has held you back?

I don't have time to waste on Twitter or Facebook.

Nope. That's not the reason, although you tell yourself it is.

I don't know how to use those sites.

Let's face it, kids and grandparents tweet. The sites are EASY to use.


So what's the real reason you aren't on Twitter or Facebook?

Simple. Writers obsess over every word we write.

Trying to fit something interesting and creative into 140 characters or on a status update is intimidating.

I've been on both networks for over a year and I still stare at the screen and wonder what I can possibly say that won't sound lame. Facebook can feel like a repeat of high school when you first start out. You have three "friends" while the cousin who took pity on you has 654 "friends." Talk about unpopular! And there the sad number sits, staring at you, accusing you, taunting you.

Twitter is a whole different animal. People you've never met, never heard of, suddenly are "following" you. Their tweets have weird pound signs in them. Is there a secret code? Do you need a decoder ring to tweet? And how do you find your real friends? You type in their name and no one shows up, yet you overheard them say they have an account. I wish I could help you on this one, but unless you type in your friend's name exactly as she's set her account up, you'll have a tough time finding her.

We all feel intimidated when we try something new. It takes time and effort to get used to new technology. If you spend a few minutes each day, you'll soon feel comfortable on Twitter and Facebook. You may even get 655 "friends," just to show up that cousin!

As always, I'd love to "follow" you on Twitter and be your "friend" on Facebook. Click below if you'd like to add me to your networks. Jill's Facebook account. Jill's Twitter account.

Join me on Friday to set one goal!

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The Human Value of Social Networks

Do you ever feel guilty about the time you spend reading blogs, checking your own blog, logging into Facebook, or tweeting a post on Twitter? Do you think, I shouldn't be spending so much time online--I should be writing, cooking, playing with my kids, reading a book, and so on?



I'm not going to discuss why social networks are good for your writing career (although I believe they are), but I do want to bring up an often overlooked aspect of social networks.

Online social networks fulfill a basic need.

Basic need? Yes. Humans have always had social networks in one way or another. The venue changes as time progresses. And we've been extremely creative in how we fit our craving for human contact into our busy lives.

Think about the following--yesteryear's tradition of afternoon tea in England, the American housewives' coffee cliques in the fifties and sixties, or even the watercooler in our current workplaces. We need to discuss the minutiae of our lives.

We need small talk on a daily basis.
I think that's the main reason Facebook and Twitter are currently so popular among adults and teenagers. Standing around gabbing is frowned upon in many businesses to make way for productivity. Stay at home mothers can no longer justify daily coffee gabfests, so we've renamed them playdates. Our kids need to socialize, right? (Yes! And we grown-ups do too.)

American society tends to disdain leisure. This attitude has seeped into our social lives. The only way we can rationalize taking a much-needed daily break is to check our online social networks at short intervals.

Facebook and Twitter have millions of users. They're obviously filling a need, and they're doing it well. I love that I'm finally keeping in touch with my college roommate and my cousins who live far away. Sure, it's only a few words here or there, but those words keep me connected.

What does this have to do with balance?

The more involved I've become with various social networks, the more time it takes to keep up with them. Facebook and Twitter do not take up much of my time but following blogs does. I know many of you struggle with this issue too.

How can we maintain our social networks without sacrificing a good portion of our day?

When one aspect of life begins edging out others, I often feel twinges of guilt. When that happens, I stop and listen. It's the same as when I've been eating too many brownies and not enough apples. My conscience is doing its job--protecting me.

For me, it boils down to one thing. Priorities.

My number one priority for my writing career is to finish books.

Since it only takes me twenty minutes to check e-mails, read my blog's comments, update my Facebook status, and post on Twitter, I start my day off with those. But I lose track of time when I'm reading blogs, so I don't allow myself to read any until I've met my daily word count or revision goal. I have to get my writing done during the day, so it's important for me to use the time wisely. However, we're all different, with different schedules and different tastes, so don't take this as advice. Your approach will depend on your life.

I've gone loosey-goosey in the past and read blogs first. Guess what? I lost so much time, I could barely make half of my word count. I recognize that my personality gets caught up in blogs. It's hard for me to set limits. That's why I write first.

Also, when you follow many, many blogs, it's difficult to keep track of them all. Google Reader helps, but I've taken steps to manage my blog reading in a different way. My goal is to hit each of my faves at least once a week. Since I consistently follow over fifty blogs, I've bookmarked the sites and divided them up into days. I have a Monday folder, Tuesday folder, and so on. Sometimes I have more time and can read them more than once a week, but if not, at least the blog's author knows I still care. (And for the record, I usually skip book reviews. My to-be-read pile is a nightmare as it is!)

What are your strategies for managing the blogs you follow? Or do you have Facebook or Twitter addiction you've taken steps to manage? I'd love to hear your tips! Even with my current system, I struggle sometimes.

Have a fantastic weekend!

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