Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The Social Network

Or maybe I should say networks.

They exist in all forms, shapes and sizes...each promising to be bigger and better than the next, the solution to every communication and connection dilemma you could ever dream up.

Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Google+.

And to date, how many have I joined?

Exactly ONE. And this is it.

To all of you who have an account on each of the above (and others), AND manage to keep them up to date, I have such total and complete respect for you. You guys are super ninjas. I know how hard it is. I struggle with just the one!

But I do plan on joining Twitter soon, and possibly Google+ because it just looks so darn cool.

And of course, as writers (or any other artist or business person), they help us to build our platforms, which is what we're supposed to be doing from the get-go. Meeting the right people, growing an audience, spreading the word, promoting what we do...

But in truth... they do connect people...the ones travelling the same path, the ones searching for answers or support, the ones who just want to share. They do bring us closer together. They do offer new means of communication. And they do allow us in to keep in touch in an age and world where lives can get too hectic to have a nice long chat over the backyard fence to find out how "so and so" is doing today.

How many of these social platforms have you joined? Did I miss any crucial ones? And how do you manage it all!?

26 comments:

prerna pickett said...

I only blog a few times a week, I'm rarely on FB anymore, and on Tumblr all you have to do is reblog other posts that you like, so it's easy to keep up. Blogger is my main focus at the moment because of the great networking you can do with other authors, and because I enjoy reading their (and your) journeys into the publishing world. I have learned a lot. It's also nice to know I'm not alone in this adventure, that there are people out there who know what it's like to experience all those ups and downs.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Blogging is my primary and the one I enjoy the most. I'm also on Twitter and Goodreads. And Google+ - haven't done much with it, but everybody wants to be my friend...

Carol Riggs said...

I do blogging as well as Twitter, and my agent "made" me do Facebook so I can eventually have an author page. I didn't think I'd like Twitter, but I actually do! I've met other writers there, and even found a new critique partner!

Oh, I also belong to Goodreads but mostly only go there when I finish a book and post a review of it. I don't plan on joining Google+ or Tumblr though.

Jenny S. Morris said...

I do Facebook with just family and friends. I just joined Twitter, and I like it because I can see what everbody is doing on a day to day bases. I haven't let it become a time suck (yet) and I'm pretty good and not caring how many people follow me.

MTeacress said...

I've never been called a ninja. Cool. I'm on Twitter and Blogger (with my pen name). Blogger, Facebook and Google + with my closer family and friends. I blog in spurts - writing 4-6 posts at once, then I can take a break. The others, I check in for a few minutes every day or two, and say a few quick things. It can be time consuming if you let it, and I have before, but I like it better when I simply drop in to share one or two thoughts. :)

Jolene Perry said...

I'm on Fbook, but I'm not ON facebook.

Twitter I USE and ABUSE. I follow my bloggy friends on there, and it's now the number one place I jump to friends' blogs on.
You MUST join us . . .

@jolenebperry

Once you figure it out, you'll love it. I LIVE for my lists. I stalked agents until I got one (found her on twitter) and now I'm stalking the editors who have me MS. My good friends are there, and my bloggy people are on there, and it's all just very happy and good :D

Christine Rains said...

I've found that blogging is the best network. I have account on Facebook and Google+, but neither have made a difference. I was briefly on Twitter, but it was too annoying. If this blog is your only one, you choose wisely.

Joanne said...

I only blog, though I'm thinking I'll start tweeting one of these days. So many people just love Twitter.

Anonymous said...

Blogger is indeed a lot to keep up with. Same as you, I give props to anyone who can keep up with more than that! Twitter is starting to seem like one big party, and I can't help but feel like it's time to join. Good luck with Twitter and Google Plus. :)

Miranda Hardy said...

I'm a member of all except tmblr. It's not easy to keep up, so I don't use them all too often.

Jennie Bennett said...

I'm on all of them (plus LinkedIn plus pintrest plus...) but the only one I would say is essential is twitter. Just my opinion :)

Jon Paul said...

FB and Blogger are my two primary ones. I recently joined Twitter, but haven't started using it regularly yet. It's a bit like a 24-7 cocktail party, which has it's good and less good points.

And yeah, keeping up with all of them is a challenge. But it sure is fun!

Krispy said...

Oh goodness, I'm on all of them! I don't think I completely realized that until you listed them all out like that. Haha.

I use each one for different things though. FB was just starting up when I started college and everyone was getting one; so I used it mostly to connect with friends and classmates. I was doing all my personal blogging on LJ then.

I use Blogger for writerly blogging and connecting. Twitter is a mix of writer and non-writer friends - all chatting it up, and Tumblr is mostly for the pretty, pretty pictures. It's kinda like an easy Inspiration scrapbook for me. Then, there's Google+, which I have but barely use. I'm not sure what I should do with it really...

Southpaw said...

As of today - 2! i just opened at twitter account. I don't know how people do it, but I thought I'd add just one more and test the waters.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Blogging, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and goodreads. I spend most of my time visiting blogs, though.

Anonymous said...

Hi. I happened upon your blog and instantly took a liking to it because of the simplicity and the focused blog posts.

I also have a blog and I am on twitter too. I completely agree that folks who are on all those social networks know how to manage things really well.

As writers I think having a blog and a twitter account can really help. For me that works really well. Anything more would surely land me in a soup.

I see your WIP status is more than complete. Good luck with your publishing!

T. Powell Coltrin said...

Blogger and FB. I plan on joining Google+.

Theresa Milstein said...

I'm on Facebook most. I also have a Google+ account, but people comment there less. I have a Linked In account, but never go on it. I also use Goodreads.

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