I would like to start by thanking all the wonderful authors and readers I have had a chance to meet online. I have never met a better, more supportive group of friends. Thanks for reposting my links, friending me, offering me advice, and generally being a really positive force in the process of being an author. Another thanks goes out to those on Twitter that take the time to tweet for me, rather than just retweeting. I’m starting to learn more about how to do that for you and plan to do more of it when I have the time.
My online friends have offered me incredible advice like “advertise less on FB and share more about yourself” to “keeping something you want retweeted at the top of your Twitter page.” Their support has inspired me to write this blog to offer my own advice.
First off and a pet peeve of mine, do not post your promotions on someone else’s Facebook wall. That’s what your wall is for. If you would like to post something on their wall other than, “thanks for the friendship,” then ask first. I find it incredibly rude and presumptuous when people do that and I quickly delete their posts.
Do not tag people into a picture that they are not in just so they will see your post or put out a mass direct message. These are gross misuses of what FB features are meant for and just ends up pissing off your friends. I was tagged in a post with several pictures of pot roast, (which looked incredibly unappetizing to me) and I don’t eat mammal. I can’t imagine what she hoped to accomplish by tagging me and about 100 other people. Many expressed their displeasure in comments.
Please consider not using your FB wall to express your dissatisfaction with life, family, friends, other authors or the publishing industry. This especially goes to other authors who are trying to create a following and a forum. I sometimes consider unfriending those who seem to be so negative all the time. I know everyone has bad days and I do as well. Just consider what you are putting out there and if you are inspiring people to want to read what you have to say.
On twitter, it’s great to be thanked for retweeting but even better for you to return the favor. Retweeting says thank you to me. Also, consider leaving what you’d like retweeted at the top of your page, as I mentioned above, so we don’t have to scan down several pages to find something to retweet for you. A huge thanks to all of you who do so. It really reduces the time I spend on social media.
Here are some other biggies: DO NOT spend money purchasing reviews, DO NOT beg people to buy your books and DO NOT assume because I write erotica, I want to talk about sex with you (FB is not a dating site). I have recently seen some advertisements for reviews for $9.95 and it made me cringe. Ask your close friends and family (only those who have actually read your books) if they will post a review for you but other than that, be honest and don’t buy false reviews. I have gotten DMs saying, “please, you must buy my books so I sell at least 100…”
Lastly and you might have seen this conversation on my FB page, it’s very bad etiquette (Thx FB friends for chiming in) to ask your readers and fans to post reviews for you. I think we should all let our stories rise or fall on their merit. Publicize and promote as much as you can, but do so honestly.
Well that’s all my suggestions. Do you have any social media etiquette to add? Please share your thoughts with us.
Warm hugs,
Blakely
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