Clicking and Networking

FOR THE LOVE OF WRITING SERIES

It works like this. Do you want your post, article, story to just sit there and look pretty on a page? Or do you want some action? How is your blog doing? Social media platforms are designed for real networking. The only method to attract networking is to have an engaging post. A post surrounded by rules is not going to cut it.

If people see a post that has a large number of comments where people are sharing their stories and articles in the comments, getting likes and reciprocated shared stories and articles in return, guess what? To the people scanning the page for posts to read, that one is going to stand out as an exciting and engaging one. In fact more people are going to post on that one and actually read those stories.

The neat and tidy pages are attractive but there is sometimes little or no activity. See for yourself. There is no such thing as "piggy-backing" or "post-bombing" or "trolling" for that matter. If you Subscribed or Liked pages then those will be in your feed. Therefore you may comment as you choose and post. I have three main Facebook pages, a regular page, an author fan page and a "business" page. Across those I have approximately 11,000 people. I got all of those from making positive comments and being friendly. Then sending or mostly accepting invites.

This goes across all social networking. That is what those features and buttons are designed for.

The same for "self-promotion." If I see an article written by a hairdresser for example who has a book or blog on contemporary or modern haircut trends then I might want to know more about his or her work and where to find the person's shop. If I see an article on a recipe that sounds delicious I might want to know if this is a stay-at-home mom who loves cooking and is starting a blog or perhaps a professional chef who has a book out because each of those people will need support. If that is somewhere in their comment then bonus, it's easy to find. If people are scrolling they might not want to stop and check out the details of an individual timeline. That is what social networking is for. If you are checking out someone's profile that is not "profile stalking," unless it's an inappropriate person looking for a date maybe. Yet you will hear this from time to time. Of course, unless you are doing business on social networking sites then any personal information you would keep private.

I can't count how many "readers promoting books" pages there are where sharing a favourite or well-admired post about a book is considered spamming but members who started the group page are free to share books they recommend. Those are pages I quickly go off. Spam is an undesired repetitious post that you did not click like or subscribe to or an email that goes into your spam folder and got there from a website sharing your email address. Spam should not be confused with promoting or advertising. A link to a free story in a message is not spam, it's a gift. If you see an advertisement on your feed, that is an Ad that someone paid for. They won't get the inner workings of your computer if you click on it.

The only etiquette to social networking is to be kind and courteous. Shared opinions should be welcome. Disagreeing on something for the sake of discussion is also acceptable as long as it is done politely. The matter of taste for a particular post is individual. Humour for example, what some people find funny might not be shared by others.

The origins of social networking are people connecting. Once upon a time, people did this in person at in-person events. They would go to luncheons, dinners, meetings, promotional events, social get-togethers designed for that purpose. They would bring their business cards, books, brochures, etc and when they introduced themselves they told people what they and their work was about and handed out their information. Then followed up with an email or a phone call. Nowadays, the importance of this seems to be lost in the whole haze of internet networking.

I am not by any means an expert marketer and don't pretend to be. But to make people aware of what your product service is all you have to be is genuine. When I first started promoting my books on social networking years ago I had a website, a book link, a publishers website link and that's it. By meeting people on social networking and just having conversations with them in a short time, I had my first two international radio interviews out of Las Vegas, was interviewed to be included in someone else's book and introduced to a television opportunity. As well as two in-person book signings. All I did was say "hello, I like your work."

Three main groups of people using social networking fall into these categories. The family and friends only people, who only want to share updates about family activities, sports events, children's pictures, maybe a work success story they are proud of. Next are the business networkers. These are the small to mid-sized business owners. The home networking businesses where you will see a large percentage of mostly women, doing Lives, giving it their all, and promoting their goods from everything from make-up to food to clothing to housewares to jewelry. These are hard-working individuals whose businesses thrive on social media and it's their base of contacts. Now, some of these are relegated to "group pages," only because people think they are spamming the page. Then what happens? You have small to mid-sized business people marketing and promoting to each other and are less likely to get sales that way because it is not a targeted audience directed to what they are selling. When the reach should be right within your own page because people know you. Social networking is not marketing unless there is a specific audience for what you are selling. Then lastly, are the corporate businesses or celebrity pages where it is all advertising. They have already reached a level of success where they don't need any interaction on their page. The page Likes just to accentuate their success.

The decline of retail has made social networking for business even more important. Online shopping is always advantageous and social networking is a driving force. If you know anyone trying to sell anything on social networking do them a big favour and click Like, Subscribe or better yet, Share. It could be the difference whether they can pay their bills that month. It takes a millisecond and is not only great appreciated, it matters to make the world go around.