Sociable

All right, I’m going to give you the rundown on some different social media sites that you’ve probably heard of but maybe not because I’m out of post ideas I’m always here to help.

Facebook

What it is: General social media hub where you can post pictures, messages, and easily communicate with others.

Pros: Everyone’s on it.

Cons: Everyone’s on it.

Why I’m (not) on it: All of my relatives have Facebook accounts. See my Thanksgrieving posts as for why that’s an issue.

Why it’s going to stick around: Again, everyone’s on it. It’s one of the easiest ways to message others. Remember when AIM used to be a thing? It’s like that, but better.

Twitter

What it is: Post whatever you’re thinking in 140 characters or less.

Pros: If someone checks their Twitter often, it’s very easy to communicate with them. Plus it’s made for prattling on about useless nonsense.

Cons: Half the people on it are spambots.

Why I’m on it: Besides the fact that I’m made of useless nonsense, I’m still in my twenties, so by law, I have to be on it.

Why it’s going to stick around: In an age where people stop reading after one paragraph, Twitter is king.

Reddit

What it is: If Facebook and Wikipedia had a baby, this would be it (basically, user generated stories are voted up and down by other users).

Pros: It’s a surprisingly powerful force to be reckoned with.

Cons: Like Wikipedia, the content is only as accurate as the uploader makes it, although it can be corrected by subsequent comments.

Why I’m (not) on it: While it’s mostly good, I’ve seen some rather offensive things on it.

Why it’s going to stick around: Like I said, it’s a powerful force, and people like being part of that.

Tumblr

What it is: A blogging platform teenagers still use because their parents aren’t on it.

Pros: You can post pictures, articles, videos, pretty much anything. It also prides itself on being a place for anyone “different”.

Cons: Say something bad about a fandom and the entire populace will turn on you.

Why I’m on it: It’s great for single serving blogs dedicated to a particular subject.

Why it’s going to stick around: Because there will always need to be an alternative to Facebook. Preferably one without our parents.

Goodreads

What it is: Facebook for books.

Pros: A lot of authors will hold giveaways exclusive to Goodreads.

Cons: People will one star your favorite book and refuse to explain why.

Why I’m (not) on it: I’m someone who will reread twenty books I’ve read before in between every new book. I wouldn’t post much.

Why it’s going to stick around: It’s the closest thing to having a book club some people will have.

Things Not to Have in your Twitter Profile

Another Twitter post because honestly, I just keep stumbling across some bizarre things. I don’t know how people do it on The Face Book, but on Twitter, the skill is being able to describe something in 140 characters, or 160 for your profiles. It can be a challenge, yes, but don’t trip into the following Profile Pitfalls:

1. Don’t have nothing but hashtags.

#writer #person #something else #a bunch of other things #all in one word #so what I’m doing here is a little misleading #but you get it

Somehow I have doubts about your writing ability if your profile only has one word hashtags. PS: same goes when you have nothing but nouns punctuated by commas.

2. Nothing but links to your book.

www.buybookone.com, www.buybooktwo.com, www.buybookthree.com, www.doitnow.com, www.seriouslyiknowwhereyoulive.com

It’s one thing to promote your books. It’s quite another when there is literally nothing about you. To me, this seems like a red flag that this person is going to do nothing but spam tweets with these same links in them, and sometimes I like to actually connect with people on Twitter.

3. Nothing but shortened links.

www.acoupleofletters.com (really www.younowhaveavirus.com)

I don’t like shortened links. You don’t know where they lead to and it’s like picking up some strange in a bar: it could be all right, but it could also infect you up the wazoo. I generally do not follow back people with shortened links. It’s another red flag that you’ll be spammed, and it’s probably not going to be something as innocuous as book promotions.

4. A quote from somebody else.

“Something really deep.” Misattributed author.

Generally, these tweeters also have nothing but quotes as their tweets, too. Back when I first started on Twitter and didn’t really get was going on, I followed a few of these people. I got nothing but spam DMs. Lesson learned.

5. Really creepy descriptions.

I like fairies, and unicorns, and skinning people alive, and wishing wells.

Okay, that’s exaggerating, but you get the idea. Someone once followed me with the description of both “14 year old” and “amateur psychoanalyst.” There’s just something off about that. How about this one: “I WILL ELIMINATE YOUR NEGATIVE ENERGIES!” It’s almost a threat.

Okay, so that’s all for today. Remember, if you’re on Twitter or might be someday, don’t be a spammer. Or a creep. Really, really don’t be a creep.

Repeating Repetition

One thing I’ve noticed over my over two years of blogging is that the same subjects tend to repeat themselves. Advice about writing mostly, dos and don’ts, methods of editing, plotting versus pantsing, etc. etc. Sometimes a particular subject appearing on several blogs in the space of a few weeks.

Is this a bad thing? No. This advice needs to be repeated, not only for those who have just started blogging but for everyone who needs to be reminded of all the minutiae of writing a publishable book. And so, in that vein…

Most Commonly Repeated Advice for Writers

1. Have a platform (Twitter, Pintrest, Blog, Tumblr)

Bonus rule to make things difficult: make it something your potential readers would want to read.

2. Write every day.

Bonus rule to make things difficult: except when it’s not every day. I’ve seen one or two of those.

3. Write what you know and what you’re passionate about.

Bonus rule to make things difficult: write what’s marketable.

4. Follow agents, visit writing forums, socialize with other writers.

Bonus rule to make things difficult: oh yeah. Did I mention you have to do all this while writing and editing your books?

And of course there are a million more like these, each contradicting the last. Is there a moral to the story? Uh…I don’t know. Maybe just go with what works? Do what you can and don’t kill yourself too much when you fail? Never give up?

Take what you will from this. And here’s a cat using a stuffed animal for a pillow:

Also, she has part of a curtain on there.

The Top Four…

Things you shouldn’t do on Twitter (but which I totally do anyway). Because…I don’t know. I like lists, I guess.

1. Talk about inconsequential things like being bored, seeing something not all that strange but that you think is interesting, cats.

            Why it’s wrong: No one really cares about seeing a guy sleeping on the bus or hearing about how much you hated some woman at the store who should not have been in the damn express lane with something like fifty items, seriously, what the hell.

            Why I do it anyway: Because sometimes the spider outside my window freaks me out and I want to share. And face it. You all love hearing about what the cats are up to.

2. Tweet about how you’re going to sleep.

            Why it’s wrong: Again, no one really cares. It’s social media. You can leave without announcing yourself.

            Why I do it anyway: Sometimes I’m in the middle of conversations and I want to make sure people know why I’m not responding. It’s not that the subject is closed. I just can’t keep my eyes open anymore.

3. Complain about people/minor annoyances.

            Why it’s wrong: No one likes persistent negativity.

            Why I do it anyway: One part need for commiseration one part hope that maybe someone in Twitterland has a way around it. Even I have my limits, though. But sometimes the political calls, advertisements and commercials get to be too much and if I don’t say anything my brains will burst out of my skull.

4. Self-promote.

            Why it’s wrong: The “social” part of social media means people want to interact with you, not read an advertisement aboutyou.

            Why I do it anyway: I don’t usually, since I don’t often have anything to promote, but there are occasions. I try to keep it within an acceptable ratio: for every one promotion, there’s at least four non-related tweets. They have to be spaced out, too. Just as long as people know I’m a person, not a spambot.

There. Well, I at least think I’m more accurate about Twitter than I am on what makes a popular post. Have a fun weekend!

A Momentary Lapse

Apologies are in order. I haven’t been as good a blogger friend as I should, and I neglected in visiting my friends. There’s no excuse for it and I’m sorry if I haven’t dropped by recently.

I get lazy sometimes and over the past few months, it’s been building. When I opened my reader, I’d think “Well, I’ll comment on the post tomorrow, or maybe wait until their next post.” It kept happening over and over until I finally realized that I wasn’t making any effort at all. I just kept saying “tomorrow.” It’s very intoxicating because really, tomorrow never comes.

Obviously, being in the middle of NaNoWriMo isn’t going to help me get back on track, but I’ll do better, I promise. Social networking is very important to writing—we have to connect with people. But I tend to forget that you have to continue connecting. It’s not a one-time thing. It requires effort, daily effort.

So baring death by NaNo-induced brain cramp, I’ll see you around.

It’s Saturday!

What website am I profiling today? Twitter. Yes, really.

It’s a great resource for writers. Of course, most of you already know that since you link to your accounts on your blog or I’ve found your blogs via your accounts. But there are some still unaware of the boon that is Twitter. I know. I can't believe it either.

First of all, it allows you to connect with other writers. In a way, it’s like an extension of your blog, which is usually a one-to-seven times a week thing. Your Twitter is short bursts of conversation where it’s easier to go back and forth. On your blog, that is usually restricted to comments or maybe email if you’ve linked those up. That type of exchange is great for some tasks—exchanging books, discussing an issue—but it’s not designed for instant communication. One could call a blog a speech with questions at the end; Twitter is more of a party where everyone gathers in groups to talk. And people there are friendly! If you need advice on a subject, you’re bound to find someone who knows about it.

Next is Tweetchat. On Twitter, one can use a hashtag (#) to signify a specific subject. For example, one popular one is #amwriting. Hashtags are also used as parts of chats (#YALitChat, #WriteChat, etc.), which are gatherings at specific times, usually monitored by a special host and with a specific subject (genres, publishing, marketing). This is my favorite part of Twitter, I admit. To see what chats there are, I suggest looking at Content Maven Meryl’s list, which is absolutely excellent (just note that the times listed are Central Standard Time; remember to adjust). When the chat you want to visit rolls around, visit Tweetchat.com and type in the hashtag. It will connect to your account and act as a kind of chat room that automatically adds the hashtag to your tweets, keeping you right in the middle of the conversation.  

Finally, there’s following. Many literary agents, agencies and publishers are also part of Twitter. You can follow them for inside information. I wouldn’t tweet book ideas at them—that will only serve to get you blocked—but paying attention to what they say can give you an edge. Maybe an agent will tweet they’re open to submissions on their website, even though it says they aren’t. Maybe a publisher will tell you what’s hot in the industry right now. The point is, it’s another learning tool, and a powerful one at that. Just be sure to block anyone who tweets at you to “Get paid to Write! Visit this Link!” They are dirty liars.