Get Known Before the Book Deal

Intro to Social Networking: Blog Your Way to a Fresh Website and New Connections

By Meryl K. Evans

"I write a blog, also called weblog," I said.
 
"Huh?" Every friend would respond as if I spoke a foreign language.
 
These conversations took place somewhere between 2000 and 2002. Sometime after that, I didn't feel silly or awkward admitting I had a blog. The blog started out as a personal one as they all did at the time. Gradually, it morphed into a web design blog then finally settling to business, tech, and writing. Maybe it'll be something else in two years, or not. I like where I am today.
 
Blogging falls into the spectrum of social networking. In its earlier days, not so much. Blogs didn't have comments or plug-ins for connecting your website to a social network.
 
Is Blogging Still Relevant?
 
You can update your status in Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks. They also come with tools so you can write longer notes. So, does that mean writers don't need to bother with blogging? No. Blogging still has value. Here are six ways blogging can help you.
 
1. Keep website content fresh: Search engines love content receiving regular updates. Writers, specifically those working alone, tend to be the only ones updating their own websites. Blog a couple of times a week, and you have hot piping content.
 
2. Share valuable information: Bloggers who give away information that helps or educates others earn trust and authority. You buy from or hire those you know and trust, don't you?
 
3. Support marketing efforts: Blogging and social media activities all contribute to your marketing efforts. These help you get out there, mingle, and connect. Blogging is also a way to market your platform.
 
4. Build your platform: Whether or not you have a book coming, you need to start building your platform now. That's how you stand out from the line of writers knocking on agents and publishing houses' doors. If you come already packaged with a platform, name recognition, and expertise, the doors are more apt to crack open.
 
5. Host a party at your e-home: Though visiting and interacting on other people's blogs does you lots of good, it's helpful to have a blog you call home and link back to when you post elsewhere.
 
6. Practice writing: You have no constraints when it comes to your blog. You can make it whatever you want it to be. Unlike writing assignments and projects, you don't have to meet a word limit or a deadline (other than consistent updates).  And you can keep every word, phrase, and sentence you want without worrying about the editor's scissors.
 
Should You Blog?
 
In spite of the benefits of having a blog, it doesn't mean you must have one. If you can't commit to regular updates and parting with your wisdom, then blogging may not be an ideal tool for you.
 
Instead, you can take advantage of social networking tools by interacting with other sites and linking back to your website rather than a blog. Many best-selling authors don't have a blog or one that offers regular updates. Consider your goals and business plan when deciding if you should start a blog.
 
One thing is for sure, people will know what you're talking about when you say "Blog."
 
 
Meryl K. Evans is the author of Brilliant Outlook Pocketbook, co-author of Adapting to Web Standards: CSS and Ajax for Big Sites and contributor to many others. The long-time blogger and gamer has written and edited for a bunch of places online and off. A native Texan, she lives a heartbeat north of Dallas in Plano, Texas with her husband and three kiddos. Though born in silence, she tries to show that deaf people are just like everyone else. Follow Meryl on Twitter at @merylkevans.

Intro to Social Networking: Twitter Your Way to the Hearts and Minds of Publishers, Fans, and Agents

By Meryl K. Evans

Many writers flock to Twitter, a colossal virtual water cooler where you can tweet thoughts in 140 characters or less. Some find the microblogging website eases the loneliness that comes with the writerly life. Others find it hones their writing because of the short character count. Others rely on it as a vital marketing tool.
 
Does the thought of marketing paralyze you? Marketing on Twitter doesn't mean the hard sell, pushing to sell your books and writings. Instead, look to Twitter as an opportunity to build relationships with readers, publishers, writers, and others in the writing business or in your topic's industry.
 
Five Ways to Tweet
 
Thinking "relationship building" compels you to write meaningful tweets that others will value. You can do that by writing five types of tweets.
 
1. Share links: Don't just share links to insightful articles and blog entries, but also explain what's behind them, add your thoughts or say what makes them a great read. Limit linking to your own content. Once or twice a day is a good rule of thumb as long as it's not the only thing you tweet.
 
2. Retweet (RT): Retweet means repeating what someone else said and giving full credit. Here's an example beginning with the original tweet and following with a RT:
 
wendyburt Q7: Don't think your work is done when you finish writing. You have to promote yourself. You are your biggest fan. And Mom. #platformchat   
 
merylkevans RT @wendyburt  Q7 Don't think work is done when u finish writing. U have to promote yourself. U r your biggest fan. & Mom. #platformchat 
 
The RT has a few edits because copying an original tweet in full sometimes goes over the 140-character limit.
 
3. Reply to other tweets: Replying to another person's tweet turns it into a conversation. Someone asks a question. You answer. Someone posts a statement. You debate it (nicely) or share an opinion. Someone inspires you. You recommend others to follow that person and explain why.
 
4. Post original thoughts: Share what you're working on, give advice on how to do something, critique a book you read, ask questions, anything goes within reason.
 
5. Participate in a group chat: Get Known Groove's own Christina Katz (@thewritermama) moderates a chat known as #platformchat. The chat welcomes two guest authors who leverage their strengths and expertise to build a strong platform. Katz interviews the authors who share their experiences and then lets participants ask questions for the remainder of the chat.
 
People who focus on getting lots of followers rather than on content won't benefit from Twitter. High quality contacts and conversations take time to happen.  Twitter first timers: dig in and have fun.
 
Get over 50 writer uses for Twitter.

 

 
Meryl K. Evans is the author of Brilliant Outlook Pocketbook, co-author of Adapting to Web Standards: CSS and Ajax for Big Sites and contributor to many others. The long-time blogger and gamer has written and edited for a bunch of places online and off. A native Texan, she lives a heartbeat north of Dallas in Plano, Texas with her husband and three kiddos. Though born in silence, she tries to show that deaf people are just like everyone else. Follow Meryl on Twitter at @merylkevans.

Intro to Social Networking: More than an e-boob Tube

By Meryl K. Evans

YouTube may be social networking's red-headed step-child especially concerning writers. Video requires a different approach to communicating than blogging, Twittering and communicating on sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. Aside from YouTube, these sites rely on our words, our writing. The very things we do well.
 
Writerly Uses for YouTube
 
Every YouTube video comes with an information box on the right side containing information about the person who posted it, a summary (another opportunity to add a URL and contact information), category, and tags. Take care when adding tags. Some people view users adding too many tags as less credible than those who carefully select a handful of tags.
 
Promote your book: Cindy Ray, creator of The Stapler Caper, posted a video that explains how the children's book lets the child write the story and shows pictures of the scenes and characters. Her contact information appears at the end of the video, something all videos should have. While this video is more promotional than valuable to readers, it's a way for the author to present the book beyond a text-based summary. Think of it as a movie trailer for books like Argentum from Monica Valentinelli. "I've gotten more visibility out of my first trailer in one day than I had one week," she says.
 
Post presentations and classes: Do you hope to land more speaking and teaching opportunities? Record all of your presentations and you have an instant testimonial of your ability to present. Posting the video on YouTube rather than just your website allows others to discover you when searching YouTube. Poetics Arts Performance Project posts videos of featured poets from open mics. Mary McFarland teaches literature classes and posts videos to teach lessons such as iambic pentameter.
 
Reach a huge audience: According to Nielsen//Net Ratings in December 2008, YouTube is the #1 Internet entertainment site and #6 largest Internet destination. Furthermore, comScore Video Metrix reports that a third of people viewing online videos went to YouTube.
 
Promote expertise: Editor-in-Chief of K+BB Christina Trauthwein posts interviews and projects as a way to brand themselves, drive more traffic to the site, and position themselves as experts in the field.
 
Post client work: Sometimes people doubt the credibility of text-based testimonials on websites because it's easy to make them up. A video, on the other hand, is hard to fake. "I've used YouTube to post rough cuts of corporate videos for feedback from my clients and third party participants. It's an easy and quick way for everyone involved to review videos and move forward without the inconvenience of having teams spend time at a studio," says Carla Johnson.
 
See videos forwarded: YouTube makes it easy for people to add interesting YouTube videos to their websites with a simple copy and paste of code. Think about how you find out about good videos. E-mail? Twitter links? Facebook links? People help you by sharing their videos with their friends and colleagues.
 
A video doesn't have to include you saying something. It can be words, PowerPoint converted to video or a how-to based on your platform or expertise. If you want to convert a PowerPoint presentation that shares your expertise, convert to video AVI format using the free  E.M. PowerPoint Video Converter. This is just one application, plenty others can do the same.
 
 
Meryl K. Evans is the author of Brilliant Outlook Pocketbook, co-author of Adapting to Web Standards: CSS and Ajax for Big Sites and contributor to many others. The long-time blogger and gamer has written and edited for a bunch of places online and off. A native Texan, she lives a heartbeat north of Dallas in Plano, Texas with her husband and three kiddos. Though born in silence, she tries to show that deaf people are just like everyone else. Follow Meryl on Twitter at @merylkevans.

Intro to Social Networking: Becoming the LinkedIn Writer

By Meryl K. Evans

 

The frequent e-mails we receive from friends and colleagues urging us to connect with them on yet another network prove that social networking works. Currently,  LinkedIn has the distinction of being the go to network for businesses and professionals.
 
LinkedIn requires more steps than Facebook when you want to connect to others. Typically, you need to either enter the person's e-mail address or ask a mutual friend to introduce you.
 
To make the most out of LinkedIn, you need to go beyond "connecting" to people. Go there for Answers or become a groupie with its Groups.
 
Got Questions? Got Answers? Do Both!
 
For this article, I posted a question in both LinkedIn and Twitter asking writers how they've benefited from LinkedIn. I had more replies to this question in Twitter than LinkedIn. This doesn't mean LinkedIn doesn't work. It shows that relying on multiple social networking sites leads to more successes than just working with one. LinkedIn's  Answers may not have worked well this time, but LinkedIn has come through in the past.
 
Go beyond asking questions by looking for questions you can answer. Helping others grows your reputation and expertise. LinkedIn sorts Answers into categories so you look for questions in your areas of expertise. Whenever you post a question, LinkedIn lets you select the category for your question. It also allows you to share the question with selected connections. However, if you do this, you won't receive as many answers as you would if you post the question in public.
 
Hang out with Groups
 
You can start your own group or find groups by searching LinkedIn  Groups by keyword, category, and language. Using "writer" as a keyword yields 105 search results. LinkedIn provides a summary, the name of the group's owner, and the number belonging to the group so you can decide whether to join. LinkedIn also identifies groups you might like based on your profile.
 
Most group pages show recent discussions, news, posted jobs, list of members, and group settings. Before starting a new group, participate in a few to learn what works and what doesn't. Becoming familiar with Groups also helps you get the hang of LinkedIn's Group features and settings.
 
Find the Right Connections
 
Need an agent? Publisher? Editor? Virtual assistant? Your connection's connections may include people in these careers. Use "people search" to find the right people by keywords, industry, company, title, and more. The search results will show you how close your connections are to you. You have direct access to first-degree connections. For second-degree connections, you share a mutual connection. Contact that mutual connection for an introduction to the second-degree connection.
 
LinkedIn also includes a "recommendations" feature. You can ask colleagues, clients, and managers to endorse your work. You can also check the endorsements of others to see if you want to pursue an introduction.
 
Though LinkedIn has a few small barriers to connecting compared to other social networks, they're there to improve your connections. 

  

 

Meryl K. Evans is the author of Brilliant Outlook Pocketbook, co-author of Adapting to Web Standards: CSS and Ajax for Big Sites and contributor to many others. The long-time blogger and gamer has written and edited for a bunch of places online and off. A native Texan, she lives a heartbeat north of Dallas in Plano, Texas with her husband and three kiddos. Though born in silence, she tries to show that deaf people are just like everyone else. Follow Meryl on Twitter at @merylkevans.

Intro to Social Networking: Get Your Gameface on with Facebook

By Meryl K. Evans

Though Barbara Walters referred to Facebook as MyFace, hardly anyone confuses the social network with MySpace or any others. It's popular enough that some psychologists recognize people can become addicted to Facebook people can become addicted to Facebook .
 
Facebook began as a way to connect Harvard students. It later expanded to include other colleges and universities then high school students and now anyone over age 13 can join.
 
In its early days, you couldn't join the social network unless someone sent you an invitation. According to the company, those over the age of 35 now make up its fastest growing demographic.
 
Reach over 200 Million People
 
With over 200 million active users (this impressive number represents those who have logged into Facebook in the past 30 days not just anyone who has signed up), writers can access experts and publishers to land gigs, find opportunities and obtain memorable quotes.
 
While Facebook is one of a handful of top social networking sites, many say they see Facebook as a site for making personal connections rather than business connections. Nonetheless, plenty of freelancers and businesses include Facebook as part of their marketing toolbox.
 
Copywriter Mary Shaw  has landed client work through Facebook by staying in touch through private messages, letting people know she's available, writing on walls and leaving appropriate comments. "Many former colleagues from my old company are there and some have either gone on to other agencies or started their own ventures," she says.
 
Getting Known through Facebook
 
This newsletter's Christina Katz gained publicity for Get Known Before the Book Deal through a Facebook connection. She found a known publishing insider in Facebook and introduced herself. She attached her book's promo video without any "in your face" promotion. The result? He replied fast, asked for a copy of the book, requested to interview her for his blog and more. All this from one FB message.
 
Fan and Group pages are popular tools for businesses. Fan pages don't require approval, but Groups sometimes do depending on how the founder sets it up. Stephen King's fan page may have over 28,000 fans, but most writers won't gain fans on name alone. Instead, create a fan page for your platform or topic specialty. Add resources of value to your readers, link to the page in your signature and other websites and offer contests to attract new members.
 
Don't just promote your books or business. Think of these pages as a way to get in readers' minds and give them valuable information that will help gain their trust and view you as credible. Plus, it turns into another link in your networking web.
 
Reach Infinity and beyond with Social Networks
 
Think of social networking, blogging, websites and e-mail newsletters as a web of marketing tools that help you build and grow your relationships. People don't buy on first meeting. If something doesn't happen the first, second or third time you try in Facebook, don't give up. Grow your web and people will take notice.
 
 
Meryl K. Evans is the author of Brilliant Outlook Pocketbook, co-author of Adapting to Web Standards: CSS and Ajax for Big Sites and contributor to many others. The long-time blogger and gamer has written and edited for a bunch of places online and off. A native Texan, she lives a heartbeat north of Dallas in Plano, Texas with her husband and three kiddos. Though born in silence, she tries to show that deaf people are just like everyone else. Follow Meryl on Twitter at @merylkevans.