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Social Media and Authors

Blogging, social media, and online reputations. Sample topics: the writing community, developing our website, blogging issues, protecting our online reputation, interacting on social media, etc.

Goodbye, Feedburner! Hello, Ownership of Our Platform

Picture of Keys with text "Do You Own All the Pieces of Your Blog"

Months ago, I wrote about the death of Google Friend Connect (GFC). Many people who used the GFC social media and feed reading service couldn’t believe that Google would drop a service used by so many. When it died, people lost blog readers and newsletter subscribers. Rumors are swirling that Google […]

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October 2, 2012

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How Fake Reviews Hurt Everyone

Close up of fake fruit and text: "Reviews: Are They Real or Fake?"

I had the idea for this post over a month ago after seeing a Slate article about the “epidemic” of niceness in online book culture. Their point boiled down to whether all the friendliness on social media made people feel they couldn’t say bad things about books. I was going […]

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September 25, 2012

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The Inbox Explosion: How Do You Manage Yours?

Screen shot of email inbox

I fully admit that one of my weaknesses is an out-of-control email inbox. Between my accounts for writing and day job, I have an obscene number of unread emails. (As in, a hundred times the number depicted in this picture.) Granted, the vast majority of those unread emails are list […]

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September 20, 2012

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How Much Are We Responsible for our Guest Posters?

Hand with dollar bills and text: "Are Guest Posts Like Advertisements?"

Most of us who blog think having guest posts is a “good” thing. We bring in others outside our expertise. We expose our blog to their followers. We get to take a break in our blogging schedule. Heck, I’ve written about the benefits of guest posts. But there’s a hidden […]

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September 13, 2012

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Social Media: An Introvert’s Secret Weapon

Envelope stamped with "TOP SECRET"

Last week, I attended the Romance Writers of America (RWA) Annual Conference in Anaheim, California. My workshop was successful (*whew*), I had a fantastic experience, and I’m grateful to my family for pushing me through the pre-conference panic attack so I didn’t just hide under the bed. I know I’m not the […]

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July 31, 2012

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3 Reasons to Love the Writing Community

Stones piled in heart shape on a beach

I’ve had a lot to be thankful for lately.  My family and I got away for a fun vacation, my klutziness didn’t result in too many injuries out in the middle of nowhere, and I survived being without internet access for much of the time. *smile* I was also reminded—again—how awesome […]

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June 12, 2012

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You’ll Look Like a Spammer If…

Screen shot of spam subject lines

If you’ve had email for a while, you’re familiar with email spam.  Spammers often try to make their emails seem relevant, with fake warnings about our PayPal or eBay account, etc., but their messages have nothing to do with us (um, yeah, Viagra doesn’t apply to me).  We’re just an email address to […]

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May 22, 2012

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Goodbye, Google Friend Connect–Now What?

Image of Google Friend Connect badge widget

We’ve all seen the Google Friend Connect (GFC) widgets on websites and blogs we visit.  Some sites have asked us to join GFC to qualify for a contest or giveaway.  On our own blogs, we enjoy seeing the avatars of our readers (and the numbers of our “members” go up). […]

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February 28, 2012

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What Is the Goal of Ranting?

xkcd's Comic: Duty Calls: "Someone is WRONG on the internet."

*sigh*  It’s happened again.  An author has insulted other authors and a huge percentage of readers.  Why do people do this? Between social media, the interrelationships of the publishing industry, and the permanent nature of the internet, news of negativity travels far and wide.  Sure, we can’t spout unicorns and […]

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January 26, 2012

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What’s the Power of Your Network?

Antenna tower covered with 100 antennas of various shapes and sizes

Let me start by profusely thanking everyone who bravely participated in Pitch Your Shorts and everyone who helped spread the word about the pitch session.  I was out of town all last week for my grandmother’s funeral, and yet the pitch session was a great success because of all of […]

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January 17, 2012

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