Social Networks and ME!

I think social networks can be extremely helpful especially for writers. I like Facebook actually more than Twitter. Twitter makes me feel silly sometimes. I mean I like other people's tweets, but rarely my own. I feel foolish saying things like 'I'm going to sleep now, beddy byes' or quoting something that sounds as if it's come out of a fortune cookie.

I'll tell you what I don't like, particularly about Twitter. I hate when someone starts to follow me, I usually follow them back unless they tweet every five minutes about something they are pushing--too spammy.

What I positively detest is getting a direct message which says: CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE. DON'T MISS MY BLOG THIS WEEK, IT'S ABOUT WRITERS!

Well hello! I'm a writer too, a very hard working one and, please give me the courtesy of not hard selling yourself. I'll get there, on my own time in my own way. I love to re-tweet things too. Just Mr. and Mrs. Followers, please don't come on like gangbusters.

Facebook I love, it's a great diversion. I have made friends there that I genuinely like. I have a profile and an official author page. The author page permits me to promote my writing. I never like sending a message out to a zillion people to get them to buy something I've written, too hard sell for my taste. I like people to join my page on their own and to read my blog posts if it interests them.

Privacy issues got way out of hand when Ning was free. A lot of spammers used it for their purposes. Personally, I would gladly shoot to kill any and all spammers from 'why doncha see me on web cam' to 'buy canadian meds!' 'To my name is Gunga Bunga and I have been reading your profile. I think we can be great friends...'

I always think the next breath would be 'my father works in the bank of Whatta Lotta Noiyve' but he had a heart attack and cannot withdraw the 900 billion dollars he saved--so could you, (yada yada)...!

Privacy issues can be issues! You can make your profile private but when you're like me, trying to interest the entire planet in your novel, you don't and will run into annoying people.

So that's it really, yes I do think social networks work. I think though we should be discerning about them, exerting caution as in all things.

Social Networking or Stalking

This week I’m inspired by Brian Hodge's post, Scaling the Rat Hole over at the Storytellers Unplugged blog. Go read it if you like, but please come back.

Like Brian, I kept a record of what I wrote, even competed against myself to write more words than the previous day. I changed my motto to, “Networking? Who has time for that?” I was way too busy writing.

Side note. This partially explains why I dropped off the face of the earth for nearly two years. Prior to finally deciding to hit the fiction writing full and hard, I ran a local in-person networking group, specifically to help nonprofits, and became a business and social networking guru of sorts. I was one of the first Facebook users, but I used it to post events, considering my preference has always been networking face to face. Not an easy thing to do when your audience is all across the world though.

When I decided to venture into writing a Twitter novel and entered the Textnovel contest last year, I had to make time for social networking, again. And so, the little "distraction" (as Brian so appropriately calls them) began interfering with my writing, again. My daily totals went down drastically. I realized yesterday, while waiting for my car at the dealership with no WiFi, that Mr. Hodge provides the best solution...unplug the router.

In my opinion, social networking is out of control. For example, imagine my dismay when I opened my Gmail yesterday morning and found Buzz, yet another distraction to discuss with the world what you're up to. Don't tell anyone I posted a few messages. I had to try it out.

How different is social networking from stalking, really? Think about how Facebook works. You spy on people, I mean read through personal status, for just the right victims, I mean friend. Then you make your move, the attack, I mean commenting or following their lead. There are also the members you don't know, who request your friendship. If you let them in, nine times out of ten, they take the next step and send you countless requests to join groups and fan clubs, along with messages to attend their events. Yes, I'm guilty of it too. Oops, forgot the harassment via instant message. We've all had to deal with it, yet we keep going back for more. It's like cold calling for the 21st century, with an actual audience.

My #1 stalking method has been Twitter. Why? It's quick. Well kinda. And, you can reach more people, theoretically, through search terms and replies. In addition, I love the Ning social networks, where it's easier to communicate with members, but not much different than the groups over at Yahoo, MSN & Google. Yawn! I also blog on and off, but you have to use all the other social networking tools to get people to read your blog.

Argh! There's no getting away from it if you're trying to promote yourself. It's part of the job. So if you wanna network with me, I suggest you check out the links in the right column of my blog. Adding the links here could take the rest of my morning.

Wading Into The Deep End

Social networking is one of those fads that has taken over our culture at lightning speed. And as it should: what a great way to keep in touch with everyone you know at the click of a button or two. Yet the faster technology moves, the harder it is for me to keep up.

My most social network to date is the online chapter of the Guppies, which stands for the “great unpublished” and is a branch of the mystery writers’ organization, Sisters in Crime. Despite the name, many of its members are published and a good portion well on their way. As a member, I subscribe to a yahoo group and receive a digest of emails on any number of topics that come to my email account a few times a day. While I’m not as active a participant as I probably should be, I learn something new from reading through the other emails just about every day. I’ve also met and become virtual writing pals with other mystery writers, who help me offline with line edits, manuscript swaps, brainstorming sessions, and pep talks.

As for other networks, I’m pretty limited. I’m not linked in, I don’t tweet, and I only opened my personal Facebook account a little over a year ago to find out what all the hype was about. In the first weeks, you couldn’t pry me off it. (My kids told our friends that I worked for Facebook, which they really believed.) In less than two months though, I was just about over it.

It was wonderful reconnecting with people and seeing how great old friends were doing after all these years, but beyond that, I didn’t really need to know what they had for breakfast or how their morning commute was on a day-to-day basis. And I had little news of my own to share with  the world. Prior to December, I was happy to have a chance to peruse the news feed once or twice a month.

Unless of course, I have news of my own. Like I have lately, and then the social network and all its various attributes takes on an entirely new significance.

When it came time to publicize Wicked Writers, I was glad to have all these connections. The day I updated my Facebook status and notified my Guppy friends about my first blog post, our site had over 200 hits. And since we launched just over six weeks ago, we’ve had more than 3,500 hits. That’s quite a bit of traffic for five writers trying to generate some buzz. We’re thrilled, of course, with our success and hope to keep the energy going. I’ve also had some folks—both long-lost friends, other writers, and some potential fans—who’ve reached out to me personally, making the excitement about my book and my writing life feel more like a reality than it had earlier as well as making me work harder than ever.

I may be a long way from publishing my book, it’s hard to tell with that decision not entirely within my control, but as I wait, my perspective on social networking keeps evolving. I’m learning more about all the exciting resources for booklovers, such as goodreads.com, for example. But I have a long way to go.

Any blogs, online book review sites, or other places on the web you can share with us? I would love to hear your recommendations.

Starlene Stringer: Personifying social networking

This week's topic asks us the merits of social networking. Today, I have the honor of presenting an interview I did with a good friend of mine -- Starlene Stringer.

This woman personifies social networking.

I first met her when I was a reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, at a meeting of Dallas/Fort Worth Association of Black Communicators (now called DFW Association of Black Journalists, the local chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists) back in the day when social networking was done face-to-face (the 1990's in case you were wondering). We didn't have Facebook, MySpace, Twitter or LinkedIn. Just a telephone and a monthly meeting.

In case you're not familiar with Ms. Stringer, she is the morning show co-host and News & Public Affairs Director at 94.9-FM KLTY, host of the weekly talk show "DFW Perspectives with Starlene" and host of the syndicated TV talk show Even Greater with Reinhard Bonnke. Add in being a news anchor, producer, director, actress and model, she's a certified fitness instructor for both Bally and 24 Hour Fitness. She's also a motivational speaker who has authored two inspirational books -- Speak Through Me: Diary of a Military Brat and I Am Her...and It's Actually Okay!



Phew!

It's the last line that I managed to interview her about (see above images). This might be encouraging to the readers who want to be published and have gotten short shrift from the publishing houses.

Believe it or not, even someone with Starlene's credentials had a tough time getting published. So, naturally, she did what any one of us wouldn't dream of doing -- she started her own publishing company (Epiphany Productions & Publications). Yeah, I know. Kind of hard to work for the Man when you are the Man or Woman, but, as Starlene will show, it's working. Both of her books are bestsellers (Diary of a Military Brat is an Essence Magazine national bestseller, #5 July 2003).

Greg: What made you decide to publish your writing  yourself?

Starlene: With my first publication, timeliness was critical. I didn't have time to wait for acceptance and approval, etc. I had shared some of my poems on-air and people wanted copies. So they need to be available, right away. The other reasons I chose to create my own publishing company was so that I could have the freedom to write whatever I choose and not have someone try to change my words.

Greg: What was required for you to do this?

Starlene: I had to do lots of research. I consulted Black book store owners, attended publishing classes and read online articles. I established a LLC, got copyrights and barcodes, selected a graphic artist, chose a printing company, etc.

Greg: What would you say was the hardest part of self-publishing and why?

Starlene: The hardest part is you have to do it all. It's very time consuming and it takes away from the time you could spend being creative and writing more.

Greg: Do you publish other writers?

Starlene: No. I don't print the work of others right now. I've had a lot of people ask me to, but I don't have the time.

Greg: Would you say it was all worth it? And why?

Starlene: Yes. It was worth it. I accomplished what I set out to do and that was to share what I had to say with others.

Greg: Again, thanks for all of your help and assistance. By the way, when is your next book coming out?

Starlene: Later this year.

Fortunately for those of us who desire to follow her and not wait for the next book, she's on all the social networks -- look up "Starlene" on FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Of course, you can always check out her personal website www.starlenestringer.com.

And,  you know, I just realized that she said she read some of her poems on-air and people called in, demanding copies.

Now, that's social networking.

Facebook, My Platform of Choice

Social networking is the controversial topic this week. Why controversial? Well, some people think it's a great idea for business and others think it's a colossal waste of time. I believe that almost everything connected to the Internet is an invaluable tool, one in which learning to use it properly could set you apart from your competition in achieving success.

When I launched my business page on Facebook last spring, I did so with no preconceived notions of what was considered right or wrong. I filed my applications with Romance Writers of America and Sisters in Crime a few weeks earlier using my pen name. I'd been exchanging crits with strangers for a few weeks and posting my work on Writing.com for over a month.

I'd received a ton of mixed responses to my present-tense style and thought, "Why not ask readers what they think?" After all, how else would I know if what I was writing would appeal to anyone? It was the best thing I ever did, and yet a decision most fellow writers told me was wrong and a mistake —except for a rare few who listened, watched and tried it.

They said publishers wouldn't care how many "friends" I had. Wouldn't care how popular I was, and wouldn't like that I posted so much of my work online for public consumption. They said Facebook, Twitter, blogging—all of it was a waste of valuable writing time.

I ask you this: how many times have you read a book jacket to be disappointed that the story didn't measure up? Or read an excerpt only to realize the author chose the best possible passage to post and the rest of the book didn't appeal to you?

It's happened to me and I've spent more money on books I've never finished than I care to admit. And you can bet your sweet-patootie I didn't spend money on that author again. Why not post a good chunk of your story and see what readers thought? If they liked the fifteen to twenty percent you posted for free, why wouldn't they care for the rest of your work? If you give part away, they'll gladly buy the rest when it becomes available.

Think about it like buying a car. Wouldn't you take it for a test drive? Or would you read the sticker only and say, "sure, I'll buy that! Where do I sign?" Think of your sample chapters as that test drive.

I chose Facebook because I could put an age restriction on my page to block out the underage kiddies, post my chapters on the Notes tab where comments could go underneath for feedback, and make connections with REAL people who will become my reader base once I can get that magical and ever-elusive publishing contract.

A business page on Facebook is not like in Field of Dreams: "build it and they will come." You need to work it, big time. I gave myself a budget for a set period of time—some days it was $2 and some days it was $10—and advertised on Facebook. Think about what the average author spends on hiring someone to build a web site ($350 to $1,500), professionally edit their work ($5-$10 per page), make a book trailer ($250 to $2,000), and then promote themselves ($100 to $1,000) prior to their book being released. Did you think the publisher pays for that stuff? Maybe they will if you're a proven author but not if you're a newbie like me.

I've been in sales for over fifteen years, and most of those early years I was scraping to get by. The old adage is very true: "to make money you must spend money."

I spent money from my two-year budget on Facebook ads to attract readers to my page, but they stayed and became fans because they like my work. Not because they're my friends. I've met some incredible people online, a few terrific dreamers like myself, and received invaluable advice that helped in shaping my story. I have always known the direction the book would go, but my readers helped me make it just that much better, so that it would appeal to them even more.

Will it help to get my book published? Time will tell. Tune in here to see.

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