Why I Created A WhatsApp Channel For My Stories.

I use WhatsApp to keep in touch with certain friends and family, and although I am cautious of fakes on there,

I find it a useful place to share and organise my stories.

It's easy to use. Just create a channel, name it, and post your links. People don't comment on your channel there, but they can follow and see your links, which has the potential to get more eyes on your work.

You can share your link so that anyone you chose can follow your channel.

I would never have thought of using this service in the past as a place to share my work. I'm usually wary of sites like these, because they can attract fake users.

It is early days yet, so I don't have a large amount of followers, but I continue trying to build it up, by posting as often as I can, and by sharing my link with anyone who might be interested.

Whilst we do have a big problem with fakes and scammers out there, as writers and creators we need places where we can share our work, and try to get eyes on it.

I'd find this more difficult if social media did not exist. We get paid when our work is read, so sharing is a good way to get it seen, and for that we need to find different ways to get eyes on our work.

Your name can be kept private if you name your channel, and WhatsApp has built in icons.

Mine is as below:

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb8dB1t8KMqeJ3hT0H03

I added my author profile from Vocal in my link, because that is one way I can prove that my work is mine.

I will be using this profile to share other stories, including my books as an attempt to get my writing seen.

With WhatsApp, you do need to let people know you have a channel, because if you have never had one before, people will not notice you. It's also important to understand that unless you already have contacts who know that you write, then to build a following, you will need to share your link to the page.

Some people will ask

"Why use WhatsApp? It's full of scammers."

I have alot of experience in dealing with scammers.

In well meaning humorous terms I follow Yungblud on social media as I am a really big fan, ironically, I get bombarded with imposters and scammers trying to fake being Yungblud all the time, alongside many other impersonators and scammers that try to be other celebrities and people I know.

I follow a rule:

If in doubt, check it out.

Even if that means reporting it to the police and asking them to try identifying them.

If they can't be identified, then assume its a scam.

This is a rule that not many will agree with, but sometimes when you are unsure, it is better to stay safe than be sorry. Yes, you might have a fall out with someone who turns out to be real, but your safety should always be your priority.

The thing is, imposters and scammers are everywhere, and more and more people are becoming afraid to use social media to promote their work and their businesses.

However, in our creative industry, sharing our work is how we get it read, and get paid.

If we stop using services such as social media to promote our work, we will struggle to get reads, and I think getting those reads is important, otherwise why are you writing here?

You will come across scammers and imposters, even offline. The trick is to get brave enough to ask them awkward questions, check them out, and don't be afraid to do it, even if you face backlash, and,

Don't let those people put you off from sharing your work. You put the work in, and you deserve it to be seen.