Social Media Etiquette by Edie Melson

The social media universe has developed into a world with it’s own ways of interacting, and its own rules of social media etiquette. Stumbling around this brave new world is exciting, but it can also lead to some embarrassing moments. Today I’ll share some tips to help you acclimate to this new online society.

Facebook

When to LIKE , COMMENT or SHARE on Facebook: When you read a post on Facebook you have three options if you want to interact. 

The First is to LIKE the post. When you click on LIKE, Facebook will register your user name and the fact you liked it. This carries more weight with the Facebook EdgeRank Algorithm than just viewing the post, but not as much as commenting.

The second option is to COMMENT. This carries the most weight with Facebook and will give you the most engagement with others seeing the post. BUT, and this is an important consideration, it will also include you in all subsequent conversations. This means that if you get email notifications on Facebook, every time someone else comments on this post, you’ll get an email about it. If it’s a popular post, that can mean twenty or more emails in your inbox. So think carefully before you comment.

NOTE: You can opt out of a conversation (what Facebook calls post interaction). But if you choose to do that, everyone in the conversation will be notified that you opted out. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s always good to know.

The final option is to SHARE a post on Facebook. This takes a copy of the post and pastes it on your page. When Facebook pastes the post, it gives you the option of deleting the name of the person you got the post from. Doing so is bad form. Not quite as bad as plagiarism, but it is in the neighborhood.

·       So LIKE a post, when you want to let people know you agree or enjoyed it.

·       COMMENT if you don’t mind becoming part of the ongoing conversation.

·       SHARE a post, always giving credit to the original poster. 

When to Hide a post, Hide a person, or just UNFRIEND them: 

HIDING a post will make that particular update disappear from your timeline.

Hiding a person can keep that person’s updates from showing up on your timeline. This is a good option if you don’t want to offend someone.

NOTE: To do either of these, click on the gray arrow on the upper right of the specific post

UNFRIENDING someone basically says you don’t want to have any interaction with that person. Depending on how many friends you have, this may be noticeable, especially if you interact regularly at work or socially. 

NOTE: To do this, you’ll need to visit their FB page, hover over the FRIEND button and choose UNFRIEND from the drop-down menu that appears

·       So HIDE someone who’s annoying.

·       UNFRIEND someone you don’t mind alienating. 

http://www.libertynews.com/2013/07/ifieverseezimmerman-trends-on-twitter-as-violence-spews-into-the-streets/

Twitter

When to RETWEET and when to REPLY: There are two ways to answer someone on Twitter, RETWEET and REPLY. And there are specific times to use each one.

A RETWEET, is a repeat of the tweet sent. This is used when you want to share a tweet with your followers. For instance, if I saw a tweet about how to avoid getting embarrassed on Twitter, I’d retweet it to my followers so they could learn too. I also use it to share good news about others.

A REPLY, is an answer to a tweet that’s been sent. This is used if someone asks you a question on Twitter. It’s also used when someone else mentions you on Twitter. It’s a way of saying thank you. It’s considered a very bad instance of bragging to retweet a mention of yourself. For instance if someone tweeted about this post, I’d REPLY and say thank you.

·       So RETWEET if you see an update you want to pass on to your followers.

·       REPLY when someone mentions you or asks a question.

Social Media in General

When is it acceptable to HOG THE STREAM? The short answer is …NEVER! Hogging or Spamming the stream, means posting several social media updates in a row. This can be on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc. You can do this inadvertently by engaging the AUTOMATIC updates available on some ancillary programs like Tweetdeck, Hootsuite, or Buffer.

This option of automatic updates claims to identify when the largest amount of your followers are engaging on social media and update at that time. Unfortunately this can often result in multiple updates sent one right after another. This can leave you labeled as an irritation or even banned from certain networks. I recommend you avoid any automatic scheduling options to avoid this.

So schedule the times when you send out your social media updates and don’t post them one after another. Spread them out.

·       First, so you don’t irritate anyone by Hogging the Stream.

·       Second, so you reach people who are on at different times of the day. 

These are just a few of the worst blunders for social media. I’d like to know what social media faux pas you’ve seen and which ones irritate you the most.

Bio: Edie Melson is the author of four books, with two more due out January 2013. Her popular blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands of writers each month, and she’s the co-director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. Her bestselling ebook on social media has just been updated and re-released as Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers. She’s the Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy and the social media director for Southern Writers Magazine. She’s also the Senior Editor at Novel Rocket. You can connect with Edie through Twitter and Facebook.

What I Learned from Reading Your Facebook Updates...

After ACFW, I joined Facebook after multiple recommendations to do so. Thanks to Karen's wonderful post I have great ideas for how to use my time on media wisely. I've downloaded HootSuite and love it, although I haven't completely figured it out. 

Next I began following Edie Melson's fantastic blog, The Write Conversation. Every Monday, Edie has special features on Social Media and let me tell you she is a master on this subject. 

I will admit I am so media savvy (er, not so much) that I asked her how to use hashtags. 

In order to learn more, I have been observing others Facebook updates. I get anxious to read updates from certain authors, other times I find myself bored with reading the same old.

1) "Its all about me, baby. Me and my book. Which by the way, is only $5.00 on Amazon for the next 24 hours." 

Don't get me wrong. I have had occasion in the last several days to rejoice over a writer's first publication in an anthology, another who has their first agent, and an author who just signed a new three book contract. I'm  THRILLED to see these updates!!! 

And I get EVEN MORE EXCITED if I knew more about the author than just about their book. You don't have to share everything in your personal life, but I think forming some sort of connection makes me feel like I'm more than a vehicle to sell your book.

2) Talk about your writing, but not always. 

Tie it back to your writing, we want to know how you're doing. We get excited about other writer's ideas and we love to know that your heroine looks like the gal you just ran into at Wal-Mart. Others might not care about it, but as writers we get a strange excitement about others ideas.

Just don't make every post about your ideas.

3) Promote other authors writing more than you promote your own writing.

Edie Melson recently gave some great advice. She only allows one out of every 5 of her posts to be about her. Promote other's good news. Advertise your favorite blogs, just because. Renee Ann Smith, Jessica R. Patch and Cheryl Wyatt do a fantastic job of promoting others above themselves. 

4) Make us laugh.

I'll be honest, my favorite by far are posts that make me laugh. I always delight to see updates from Roseanna White because I love the wonderful and witty tone she adds to everything she writes. Pepper Basham and Janice Thompson also have fantastic updates that often make me smile. Like Pepper's recent update about writing Bible verses in Elvish.

5) Let us respond. Ask questions.

What are you cooking in your crockpot? Ask us what we're cooking. It might seem mundane, but it is refreshing to see posts that ask a question to the readers instead of just sharing about the author. 

And anything about your book is automatically more interesting if I can give feedback on it. Such as Pepper's recent question about her kiss scene.

6) What makes you tick? What is your heart cry? 

What are the reasons behind why you write what you write? Do you have a heart for women in crisis situations? Want to minister to cancer survivors? When something is your passion, your heartbeat comes out on the page and I feel that passion for your subject of interest, too.

For instance, Kathi Macias has been posting about a homeless man who is tied in to her recent release. My heart cries for him as he looks for his family.

7) Put up great photographs

A friend of mine puts up great pictures of God's creation. My brother regularly posts pictures of his dinner. This might not be very interesting, except he is a chef and so his plates are very artistically arranged. Laura Frantz posts great pictures of historical costumes. This is a great way to promote your book if you think carefully about your pictures.

Laura has found a great historical niche. I love historicals and love glimpsing at pictures of beautiful dresses, imagining what your heroine might wear. We WANT to see the first glimpse of your cover. Especially if you are holding it and eating a sandwich like a certain Writer's Alley debut author. 

8) You don't have to be our best friend, but let us into your world for a minute. 

Whatever is unique to you, whatever only you can share...that's what we want to hear about. 

Do you sculpt bonsai? Are you a Disney vacation planner? Have you planned weddings in real life as well as in your books? Do your heroines ride horses and you own some? We WANT to know more...

I love those that can teach me something new about something I'm interested in...

How about you? What types of updates do you love reading? Any tips you use in composing your updates?

Julia enjoys writing women's fiction whenever she can find a chair free of smushed peanut butter sandwiches and lego blocks. She is a wife and homeschooling mama of two littles. She also is a reviewer for Library Journal, Title Trakk and Christian Library Journal.

Free Self-Control: Download Here!

Top Apps to block internet distractions for writers

How many times do your mornings go like this?

You sit down to write just KNOWING it’s going to be a productive session. You crack your knuckles, stare at the screen, and think to yourself, I’ll just check my email first. After all, everyone needs a bit of a mental warm-up before diving in to the real work, and it’ll only take a minute.

So you check your email, tap out some overdue replies, watch the YouTube clip someone forwarded you, read the cool article on writing that’s landed in your RSS feed, follow the link at the bottom that leads you to another pertinent article, browse the comments section, and compose a quick tweet to share your findings. While you’re there you notice you have some new Twitter followers you need to follow-back. You work your way through the list, reading profiles and retweeting the best quotes you come across. Some of them are really good. Might as well update your Facebook status while you’re at it. The next thing you know you look up from browsing photos of your second-cousin’s friend’s daughter’s wedding on Facebook and realize three hours have passed.

Oops.

 

Haven’t you ever wished you could download some self-control at the click of a button? The good news is… you can. In this age of technology and distraction, many of us struggle with limiting the hold of the internet over our time. But technology itself might just be our saving grace.

Here’s a roundup of the best free apps I’ve found to help writers manage their time online. Click on the links to explore further.

1. Self Control (Mac only)

This is one I’ve been using for a while. Its genius is in its simplicity. If you’re sitting down to write for a 2-hour block and wish to remain focussed and productive that entire time, simply set your self-control timer for 2 hours. For that length of time, you will not be able to access any sites you’ve blacklisted – Facebook, email, Twitter, or any other time-suckers individual to you. I also blacklist some of my favorite writing blogs. Meanwhile, you can still access the rest of the web for research purposes – brilliant! Once started, the block cannot be undone until the timer runs out, even if you restart your computer.

2. Focus booster

This app is based on the popular “Pomodoro” technique which argues that the greatest productivity occurs by tackling tasks in 25-minute intervals, followed by a 5-minute break.

Focus booster will run a timer at intervals set by you, with a buzzer sounding at the end of a completed session. The color of the bar changes as your time lapses, giving you a constant unobtrusive nudge to stay productive.

3. Rescue Time

Many of us spend the majority of our time on the things that are least important to us. You may think you don’t have time to write, but have you ever wondered how much time you waste on the internet? This free app will track and analyse how you spend your time on the web, including on mobile apps, and rank your productivity accordingly. Knowledge is power! Find out how much spare time you REALLY have.

4. Stay Focused (Requires Google Chrome)

The next step, once you’ve discovered how much time you really are wasting online, is to restrict the time you spend on non-productive tasks. Let’s say you want to spend no more than 15 minutes on Facebook each day. With this app you can set a time limit, and once you’ve used up your allotted time, the sites you’ve selected will be blocked for the rest of the day.

You can also set this app to block time-waster sites at a specific time each day. Say you decide you want to write from 9-11am each morning, or 8-10pm each night. You can preset this app to block sites at those exact times. Genius!

5. Concentrate (Mac only)

Okay, so this one’s not free. I think it’s worth a mention anyway.

Concentrate costs $29, but is more customizable than any other app I’ve encountered in my research, and comes highly recommended. This app allows you to tailor a series of actions to run every time you wish to concentrate on a task. You can set your writing document to open, distracting sites to be blocked, your Skype and iChat status to be set as away, even your desktop picture to change – and much more – all at the click of a button.

So that’s it from me. Have you tried any of these apps? Any others you’d add to the list? If you decide to try one of these for the first time, let us know how you go. Wishing you productive and distraction-free writing!

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalpPhotos.net

Karen Schravemade lives in Australia. When she's not chasing after two small boys or gazing at her brand-new baby girl, she spends her spare minutes daydreaming about the intricate lives of characters who don't actually exist. Find her on her website, on Twitter or getting creative over at her mummy blog.