Are you a socialite?

/ thinkingthroughourfingers

One of the essential parts of modern day writing is building a platform.  This can be daunting and exciting at the same time.  I have been actively building my presence and want to share a few things I’ve learned.

1. This takes work.  If you think it’s just going to be a few minutes a day thing, you are not going to have the internet presence you want.  My other blog is almost a year old and I have over 300 followers.  That didn’t happen by accident but by me looking for like minded people, visiting with them at their space and making them feel welcome at mine.

2. Don’t try all the things at once.  If you launch into a facebook page, twitter account and new blog all at the same time, it’s like working out really hard three days in a row.  By day four, you are ready to quit, exhausted, frustrated and in a world of hurt.  Pick one area, work on that a bit.  When that is established, try another.

3. YOUR NAME IS YOUR BRAND. That needs to be the title of the blog, as close as possible to your twitter handle, the title at the top of your facebook page.  I’m lucky to have a name that I think I’m the only one, but it is working for me.  Example?  At the writing workshop we attended a few weeks ago, I was recognized by several people because my first and last name are on EVERYTHING. And your picture better be with your name.

4. Maintain the balance (funny because this is the 3rd blog I was scheduled to post at today…).  Writing takes time.  Platform building takes time.  You need to decide right now if you want to be a blogger or a writer.  You can be both, you should be both, but it’s really easy to only be one.  Balance is tricky and I still haven’t figured it out completely, but it is something I work for every day.

Are there social media sites you like more than others?  What do you like about some and dislike about them or others?  Please feel free to share with us where we can find you!

6 thoughts on “Are you a socialite?”

  1. I've been pondering this for a couple of weeks. I know making connections is important, but it's not my thing. I like meeting people for the sake of it, and even though it is perfectly legitimate to make a friend that could be a good connection later, I never want it to seem like I might be doing so just for the connection. So I've avoided it.

    I guess I'll break down this week and get a Twitter account. Tasha, want to be my first Twitter friend?

    And, you'll notice, I'll add my last name to my blog “handle”. I'm just such a first-name person. But, you have to admit, “Sterrantino” is a pretty rockin' name.

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  2. I love blogging….when I make the time for it. And Facebook is a great way to keep up with all the writing friends I meet at the workshops I go to. Twitter? Hmmmm, I haven't quite gotten roped into that one as much. I check it every now and then, but it just seems like a Major Time Suck.

    And then there's Pinterest. For me this isn't so much a social media as it is a Great Heaping Stinking Mass of Time-Wasting Fun.

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  3. I have been on Facebook for years and years and generally like that community and the feedback/discussions that can occur on there. I don't generally add anyone as a friend unless I know them or have interacted with them one-on-one (sometimes in a chat or on a blog). Random people who want to connect with me on FB can “like” my book's page.
    Got a Twitter account this summer and initially hated it, but have grown to like it — I've “met” a lot of people with similar interests and some very nice connections. But I don't actually know most of those people on Twitter. Less useful for discussions, more useful for announcements (e.g., giveaways), but I have participated in some chats that have been very beneficial (e.g., YAWritersAAT, etc.)
    And Pinterest. I dabbled in it at the end of the summer but haven't trusted myself to get back on there very much. Because of what Erin said. 🙂

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  5. I'm having a hard time keeping up with blogs these days, but I do love blogging and meeting people that way. I am on Twitter but it's hard to keep up with stuff because it's going all the time. I find Facebook the easiest to maintain right now.

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  6. I love blogging and commenting on other blogs so I'm a definite socialite in the blogosphere. I don't do any other social media websites so the blogosphere is my go-to place to talk up a storm with fellow writers 🙂

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