 |
| ["-Puzzle I-" by spekulator] |
I feel like a tool when it comes to social networking. There, I said it. Honestly, if I weren’t a writer, I probably would never have opened a Twitter account. I think I was one of the last people I know to break down and join Facebook.
It’s not that I’m completely antisocial. I can be very sociable when the mood strikes. I just find it overwhelming. When I was a kid, I would come home from school and shut myself in my room for at least half an hour before going out to play with the other kids on my street. After a full day of constant social interaction, I needed that space to retreat to before facing the world again.
Now with the advent of online social networking, there are infinite ways to interact with all kinds of people that you will never meet face to face. What’s more, these platforms are available 24/7. As a writer, this is wonderful news. I can potentially reach more readers than ever before, and make connections with fellow writers.
As a person, this gives me a miniature panic attack every time I think about it. I know I need to make connections, and I have already gotten to know some great people I would never have met otherwise, but whenever I push myself to make each post on Twitter or my Facebook Page, I feel completely awkward and inept. Then I make my hasty retreat and try to work up the courage to do it again.
For some reason, I’m ok with blogging. I find the pace much more manageable, and I really feel like I get to know people better through the longer format. I enjoy visiting other blogs and reading valuable content in a leisurely fashion. When I open my Twitter account, I feel like I just walked into a huge party, where there are hundreds of people all talking at once in stream-of-consciousness mode. Do I try to pick out a thread of conversation I can contribute to, or do I add my own announcements to the noise?
I usually panic, post, and get the hell out of there. Then I try to figure out a better strategy for next time.
So now you know my deep, dark secret, and why you don’t see me posting on Twitter very often. (Yet.)
What social networking platforms do you find most effective for connecting with others? If you said Twitter, how do you manage your tweets? (For the record, I use Tweetdeck and lists, but it still makes my brain hurt.)
holla,nice post friend :)
ReplyDeleteI use Twitter, Blogger, and Facebook, and I find each of them to be effective for different reasons.
ReplyDeleteTwitter is great for throwing out random thoughts and for initially discovering new writers/fans. I'll probably never be great at Twitter, but I enjoy reading what my tweeps have to say, and I also enjoy putting links on there to my other social networks, such as Facebook, GoodReads, and Blogger.
Blogger is the one that's the most personal to me. I share stuff about not just the inner workings of a crazed writer's mind, but also about the inner workings of me as a person. Scary stuff, but I love the interactions with friends that my posts create.
Facebook is fun because when you post on there you typically get very quick responses (or none at all). I also love the way Facebook can sometimes take one of your posts and make it go viral, simply because people liked it so much.
I use others, but those are my main three!
Scott
I'm exactly the same as you, except one thing.
ReplyDeleteAfter coming home from school, I'd lock myself in my room until I had to wake up the next day and go to school again.
How's that for antisocial? :)
Great post, I'm sure there are many people out there that relate to what you're saying.
@Scott Niven
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback!
I really need to work on pumping up my Facebook Page... You do such a great job with yours! I'm definitely taking notes. ;)
@S.B. Poscente
ReplyDeleteLOL, thanks for making me feel better. :)
I've struggled to get into Facebook. I'm an introvert, too, and that carries over into the online world. I don't mind chatting a little bit (which is why I actually like Twitter), but I tire easily under the pressure to be interesting. :P Facebook always seems to have more potential for wasting time to me than Twitter. Forums are even worse.
ReplyDeleteNetworking is fine and good, but I believe the best way to sell books is to invest a lot of time in writing and get a lot of them out there where they can be found! :)
@Lindsay
ReplyDeleteI guess it's all about finding that balance. I definitely don't want to have networking take over all my writing time!
I totally agree with your comment about forums. Once you get sucked in, you can get lost for hours...
You and me both Jacquelyn! I'd of never created a Twitter account if not from the urge of most of my research. I had a personal FB page and went on created a FB Fan page.
ReplyDeleteTwitter to me is the most intimidating due to the sheer number of people it can theoretically touch. But like you, I do use a 3rd party software (Hootsuite) to better manage the incoming data. My Twitter philosophy is I will follow any writers but I only add a handful to my lists who I actually enjoy interacting with.
And perhaps that is the wrong way to go about it but Twitter right now is my connection to the writing/literary/publishing world so I'm all business on there.
I've used at least one social network tool for a long time. I avoided Twitter for a long time, though. I just didn't get it. Now, I'm addicted. It's the fastest way to meet new people. I can't tell if any of the networking sites I'm on result in more book sales, but I'm having a great time and meeting awesome people!
ReplyDelete@Sophie Li @Keira Lea
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it's not just me who gets intimidated by Twitter. :\
I do agree with you Keira, that it's the fastest way to meet new people. I haven't had anywhere near as much success with any other platform.
When I first created a Twitter account, I freaked out. But my friend walked me through it and now I love it. It's like a real time conversation with writers, without having to leave the house!
ReplyDelete@Julie Musil
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely a learning curve with Twitter. At first, I was stumped by all those 'number signs' everyone was using, LOL.
This was almost like me reading my own thoughts.
ReplyDelete"I feel like a tool when it comes to social networking. There, I said it. Honestly, if I weren’t a writer, I probably would never have opened a Twitter account. I think I was one of the last people I know to break down and join Facebook." That is (except for the "tool" part, what I say when chatting to people about the online social scene.
I was at a Toronto Book Fair this past weekend with my book and even though I did ok, the entire networking/sales thing is not really for me. I prefer sitting at home writing my next book or blogging.
Thanks for sharing this, it is nice to read and know others feel like I do. LOL!
@Mark Koning
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the Book Fair! That would be an uncomfortable situation for me too, but it's great that you pushed yourself.