Just one month ago, I would not have written this post. Because I needed a fourth social networking time suck like I needed another stray cat to show up at my door. (We have already adopted two.) But then Guy Kawasaki sent me a copy of his new digital book, What the Plus! Google+ for…
You have a blog, or comment on blogs, or hang around on Facebook and Twitter for a reason. Usually, it is because you want to get noticed. So you can sell your book, or get customers, or find business leads, or whatever your goal is for being on social media. I have written before about…
Whether you are a writer by profession or not, one thing is true. We are all authors now. Every time we get on Facebook or LinkedIn or Google+ or Twitter, we are publishing something. You might have heard the rumor that Twitter is dumbing us down, making us like teenagers who text on their cell…
The other day, I unfollowed someone on Twitter. At first glance, we appeared to have lots in common. He’s a writer, I’m a writer. I thought I could learn some new things from him. But then election season hit. It isn’t that I don’t like hearing opposing views. I have several friends on Twitter with…
Many of you who hang around here are published authors. Some of you are writers with a book in the works—or on your to-do list. And even if you don’t have plans to write a book, you probably know writers in your family or social networking circles. You know me. I’m not one to get…
“Who is Justin Bieber, anyway?” (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) Bieber is an overrated, overpaid (disclaimer: editorial opinion) 15-year-old singer adored by millions of pre-pubescent girls. Last February, he (or his handlers) decided to chop off his signature, sideswept hair. Who on the planet cares, you say? Well, at least one person does. His name is Jay…
Facebook rolled out their new features last week—timeline, social graph and more—and users had a lot to say.(Isn’t it interesting that fans of Facebook and people addicted to controlled substances are both called users?) Whether you are a Facebook evangelist, a skeptic or you are in a schizophrenic love-hate relationship (that’s me), you likely have…
Twitter chats are a great tool for promoting your products and services, getting real time feedback from customers and increasing blog traffic and SEO results. This week—on the blog, on Twitter and through email—we’ve been talking about whether Twitter chats can be hard for introverts. You were split on the issue. Some of you who…
I saw a graphic of a bumper sticker on someone’s Facebook update yesterday. “Sorry Twitter. I’m just not that into you,” it said. But 190 million registered Twitter users might disagree. Like Facebook, Twitter has a diverse group of users, from people who just want to stay in touch with friends to businesses who expect a…
When a post moves off your blog’s home page—no matter how spectacular it was—it stops getting visitors.
What if it happened to be a post you were particularly proud of? But maybe all your readers were on vacation the week it came out. Or you wrote it just one month after you started blogging, so only three people read it.
I’m sitting on a plane right now, headed for Las Vegas and BlogWorld 2010. (Watch for my next post. I’ll be sharing some good stuff from there.) For now, this is the next installment in the reports of my Great Facebook Experiment. About a month ago, I posted my 90-day Facebook goals. First of all,…
It’s been raining steady here in Puget Sound for the last 24 hours. Mushy wet drops. Pacific Northwest slug weather. It makes all the lush green that surrounds us throughout the year, but we pay for it. My next stop—just three days away—is the 90-degreee, dry desert heat of Las Vegas. From damp moss to…
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