What Social Media is Right for You?

Photo credit: ijclark on Flickr

For writers in 2016, social media has become a thing that is pretty much expected of authors. While I suppose it would be theoretically possible to launch a book without any social media presence whatsoever, the days where that was the norm are long gone. But with so many social media options out there, it can be a little overwhelming when you’re trying to decide what to use when and what not to bother with.

So since I do a lot of social media-ing, I figured I’d talk a little about each one I use and particularly how you might utilize them as writers.

• Twitter. So Twitter is what I started with and what I talk about most often, and I’ve written approximately a bajillion posts about it (here, here and here) so this will be a short entry. But basically, Twitter is where you go if you want to connect with other writers and publishing people (and you do, don’t you?). 


• Blogging. Blogging has served multiple purposes to me: it keeps me writing, it’s allowed me to connect with other writers by helping, which is really nice, and it’s forced me to analyze my writing process which has actually helped me learn more about my own process, which is an extra bonus. Also, my blog functions as my author website, which has proved to be pretty valuable so far. 


• tumblr. Tumblr is an interesting place. I cross-post nearly all of my blog posts there, so it’s given me extra exposure I wouldn’t have had otherwise, including several posts that have gone mini-viral and ended up with thousands more views than what I would’ve had just posting on Blogger. Tumblr also has some really incredible inspirational gems I’ve come across, and just really educational and helpful posts (I’ve learned so much from tumblr—you’d be amazed). Also, if you’d like to blog, but aren’t up for the commitment of having a static blog like Blogger and Wordpress, tumblr can serve as a great micro-blog with little commitment and a lot of versatility. 


• YouTube. YouTube really surprised me. I started my vlog channel a year and a half ago or so, simply because I thought it might be a fun and different way to connect. I figured there were probably some writers there, but I never imagined the outflow of positive response and support I’ve gotten there. It turns out there are a *lot* of writers on YouTube looking for writing-related channels, and I am so, so glad I took the vlogging plunge. If vlogging is something you might be open to, I super highly recommend it—the writer community there is shockingly lovely. 


• Pinterest. Pinterest I definitely haven’t utilized to it’s fullest potential—I mostly just use it to keep track of debuts, hair and clothing things I like, and also sekret inspiration boards that are helpful while I’m drafting. But if you’re a visual person, Pinterest can be a great source of inspiration and a creative way to get your writer gears turning. 


• Instagram. I haven’t mastered Instagram either, but it’s a fun way to share pictures and bookish love and get to know people in a way totally different from Twitter and blogging. I use it casually and it’s been a nice way to remind myself to pay attention to stuff around me because there might be something I could share. 


• Facebook. I’ll be honest, I rarely use Facebook at this point. I’ve only ever really utilized it to share my blog posts and like stuff from my writer friends—but I only use a fan page so I know there’s probably way more that could be done with an actual page. But eh, it’s just not really my thing, so I’ve kept it as a way to share news and posts and that’s about it. 

What social media sites do you use for writer-related things? Which are your favorite?

Twitter-sized bites: