A year ago, I hated—and I mean hated—anything social media. I’m a traditional writer, and blogs destroyed my field: journalism.
Right?
Well, only partially. In a few weeks, my story, “Death of a Dream,” will premier on the new Anthem Exposition, and you can read how I turned from hater to believer.
But until then, here’s the summary of what I learned: If you want to make it as a writer today, you need to combine your traditional values with the new strategies of social media and virtual networking.
Otherwise, kiss your hopeful writing career good-bye.
To help you get started (or further develop your current skills), below are my top 5 posts from the past year to help you develop your online presence—as a writer.
1. Three Social Marketing Lessons from a Bananagram
2. No Experts in Social Media (but …)
3. Five Killer Twitter Tips: Expand Your Network Power!
4. How Can Hootsuite Help Busy Writers (or anyone else)?
5. The 3 Questions EVERY Blogger Must Ask Themselves
Social media isn’t all that complicated. It’s more about learning how to connect the dots. Once it clicks, it’s easy!
Here’s my suggestion:
Bookmark this page, and over the next couple of weeks, come back and read through each post. One at a time, of course. But I think you’ll find, each one brings you another step closer to connecting those dots.
MY QUESTION TO YOU: What’s your question about social media, and how it relates to your work as a writer? Post your question to the comments, and I’ll do my best to answer (either now, or in a future post)!
Shari Lopatin 
First off, I look forward to reading your Anthem piece. I like their teaser: “Shari Lopatin (forthcoming, on losing a career and finding a calling)” Obviously my own journalism background has me curious to learn your story more fully, but I also enjoy your writing, so I will stay tuned.
LikeLike
Thanks Patrick! Means a lot. 🙂 I’m looking forward to it coming out as well.
LikeLike
I’m proud to say I’ve read all those posts. You did help turn my into a Twitter user. I didn’t use it much, but after you gave me a few lessons, I learned how much power that tool really has. Thanks!
LikeLike
I’m so glad I was able to help, Leah! You’ve turned into quite the “Tweeter” now. 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for lumping these together so I can find them again. Excellent idea!
LikeLike
You bet V.V.! Good to see you back! 🙂
LikeLike
This is helpful and engaging, Shari. Thanks, also, for the link to the Anthem. I think, as with most endeavors, remaining patient is what matters. This is so true with building a reputation and reader-base on social media/blogs. Will everyone make it big? No. Will most people make a dent? Here’s hoping.
Renee
http://quietanthem.blogspot.com/
LikeLike
Thanks Renee! And you’re quite welcome, linking to the Expo. 🙂 I think you hit the nail on the head, with patience. To build an online presence (especially for free), patience is the greatest factor.
LikeLike