Social Networking

We've had quite a few discussions lately in my writer's group about the benefit of social networking. On one hand, we have to explain what it is to the older ladies. On the other hand, the youngsters totally get it.

I ended up on Facebook before the maddening crowd. I had a buddy in IT who used to send me links to every new social networking site he found. He joined them all, looking for a perfect fit. Even now, he uses all kinds of mobile applications to update Facebook, Twitter and others. He likes the cutting edge technology.

Me, not so much.

I understand technology. I would open the sites and bang around, trying it out, but then I'd ask myself, "would I really use this?" and bail out. I think I frustrated him.

When Facebook finally took off, everyone had a page. I take that back. Every grown up had a page. MySpace was for teens, and Facebook was the answer for adults. Mine was relatively unused, but out there from my test run.

Then I started getting messages. People who I knew back in high school, or two or three moves ago were tracking me down. It was kind of cool. My high school set up an alumni page and shared info on meetings and social gatherings. I don't go to any, but it's nice to know that if I'm in town, I'll know where everyone is sharing a frosty adult beverage.

I use Facebook. I put pictures out there to share with friends. I post cool articles that I find. I share interesting posts that friends of mine shared with me. I don't feel at all guilty about using this public forum.

But when I was asked if I would use it to market a book, I had to stop and think. First, when you get a high number of followers on Facebook, they kind of kick you off. The big advertisers were the first ones to really figure this out. I don't know how many hits it takes, but at a certain point, Facebook wants you to get your own server, thank you very much.

That said, would an author ever hit that many followers in Facebook land? I don't know. But I think you'd have to do social networking sites AND a website to really protect your brand and hustle your wares. I think a social networking site is a good place to drum up excitement. It's kind of like hollering through a bullhorn across a crowded park. People are going to hear you and some of those people might even be interested in what you're saying.

Social networking sites allow a safe way for authors (and celebrities) to engage their fans without having their lives intruded upon. Someone could stalk you online, but it's pretty easy to block the creeps and no one has to know where you live.

For authors, who often work in their homes alone, it allows a way to engage their fans on a recreational or professional level. A NYT best selling author posted yesterday asking her fans to share their feelings about riding motorcycles. She was writing a heroine who loved a Harley and she wanted to know what it was about riding a motorcycle that excited people. She got all kinds of comments from women who had motorcycles in their garages. I'm sure all the folks in that discussion will rush to the bookstore to get that book--how could they not? They might be quoted in it. They might find their words and ideas reprised by the heroine.

I think that social networking is a great way to build traction. I think it's a wonderful format to engage fans and give them little peeks into your work in progress. It allows people to 'know' you a little. Your sense of humor, what interests you. It allows you to drive traffic to your website.

Your website needs to be the commercial portal through which the industry sees that you're a serious business person. You need to link to all your books, so you can provide the consumer with an avenue to buy your books. You need to list series in order that they should be read, and all your books in order that you wrote them. You need to have a robust biography and some professional photos. Above all else, you need to pimp your books. Sell 'em baby.

Social networking is fine, it's just not the end all for marketing. It can help, it's an adequate channel, but you still need a web presence that will be found by searches. But that's just my opinion.

--Sandee Wagner