Tag Archives: blogging

How to be Annoying on Social Media in Five Easy Steps

Posted in Writings about Writing by

I read a lot of blog posts and articles about how to properly utilize social media to share and promote your content. Since I’m a big user of social media myself (this fabulous blog, my Facebook, my Twitter, etc.), I thought I’d make a contribution to the how-to’s of social media etiquette – with a little twist.

So in no particular order, here are five sure-fire ways to annoy your followers and alienate your readership. If you’re tired of the decent or even excellent success you’ve been having with your social media, then try these tips to make everything worse.

  1. Write in ALL CAPS. All capital text is the type-written form of shouting, and shouting for no good reason drives people away by the hundreds. Why save all caps for only URGENT STUFF when you can confuse and irritate your fans by making EVERYTHING SEEM URGENT?
  2. Post at least once a minute. Posting every fifteen seconds is even more obnoxious, so try that. If your tweets are constantly in your followers’ newsfeed, or your emails filling up their inboxes, they’ll never forget your name – even if they now hate you.
  3. Send direct messages only. Direct or private messages on social media, especially to people you don’t personally know, is what all the best spammers do. No communication gets ignored faster than a DM (direct message) from a stranger on Twitter or YouTube.
  4. Never respond to comments or tweets. This lets all your fans know that you’re much too busy doing important stuff or other sorts of marketing to bother chatting with them in an informal manner.
  5. Never share other people’s content. You’re on social media to promote your product or service, right? Sharing posts from other profiles or websites lets your followers know that you value others’ content and enjoy learning from everybody. Make sure you let everyone know what a self-centered egotist you are by making all your social media posts all about you.

So there you have it – five simple ways to become that person that nobody likes on Facebook or Twitter.

Just remember that if you actually want to gain fans and make positive connections, do the opposite of these and you’ll be soaring high with your social media!

Looking Back, Looking Forwards

Posted in Travel Writings, Writings about Writing by

Like so many others at this time of year, I find myself musing on the past and dreaming of the future. I thought I’d share a few reflections of 2013, and what I’d like to see myself accomplishing this coming year.

Highlights of 2013:

-I got to see one of my favorite singers, Eivør, live in concert. Definitely a dream come true – especially since the concert was not only here in the US (unusual for her touring schedule), but a mere two hours from my house.

-I made my first official submission and got my first official rejection. I submitted a short story to a fantasy anthology, and it was rejected. I was very excited about this, because even if I decide to self-publish my novels rather than trying for agents or publishers, I wanted to get some submission experience under my belt.

-I took a trip to Iceland. It was my first trip to that country, and also my first solo traveling experience. I loved the city, the country, and the culture, and I know that I grew a lot from the experience of being all alone in a foreign country.

-I wrote several guest posts for other blogs. It’s exciting to see my writing featured on other websites besides my own blog, and hopefully I’ve added value to the readers of those blogs.

Goals for 2014:

-I want to go back to Iceland – specifically for the Iceland Writers Retreat. Networking with other writers in the land of the Nordic Sagas would be more than awesome.

-I want to finish the first book of my fantasy trilogy. My original goal was to have the second round of rewrites and edits done by the end of 2013. That did not happen. So 2014 will be the year to finish the edits, get it off to my beta readers, and at least begin the publication process.

-I want to get something published. Whether it’s the fantasy novel, a short story, or even getting paid to write a blog post, I want to have a published piece of work to my name before the end of this year.

-I want to read more. Writers need to be readers; and while I of course love reading, I didn’t do much of it this past year. I had a rather short to-read list for 2013, and I didn’t get through very many of them. You can track my reading habits on Goodreads, if you like – and I want to post more books on my profile this year than last.

Now I’d love to hear your thoughts! Did you have any goals accomplished or dreams realized in 2013? What do you have planned for 2014?

What Do You Want?

Posted in Writings about Writing by

With this year drawing to a close, I’ve been reflecting about what I’ve done with my blog thus far, and where I’d like to go in the future. And I want your feedback! I have a good number of subscribers and followers of my blog, as well as daily hits from web searches, so I must be writing at least a few interesting things. But I’d like to provide (or keep providing) content that you want to read.

So, if you could, please take a minute and give me your thoughts! You can answer these questions, or make other suggestions, too! Comment here, on Facebook, Twitter, or email.

  • What have been some of your favorite posts? Why?
  • What would you like to see more of in future posts? Music reviews? Writing how-to’s? Travel? Nordic stuff? Something else?
  • I’m thinking about doing some giveaways next year. Until I have published books that I can then discount or give away as prizes for contests or raffles, what are some things you’d like to see as gifts or prizes? And for that matter, what sort of raffle or contest would be fun?
  • What’s your favorite way to follow me or get new posts? Do you subscribe to my blog with your WordPress reader or email? Do you follow me on Facebook or Twitter? Or did you stumble across this post from a link or a Google search?
  • And finally, do you have any questions for me? I do my best to answer quickly, whether it’s here or on social media. Let me know what you’re thinking and where we can all go together for another year of blogging!

My First Anniversary!

Posted in Writings about Writing by

So tomorrow, June 20th, marks exactly one year since my first blog entry. Okay, technically it was my second blog entry, but my actual first post was just a test to make sure I’d set up everything right on WordPress.

Anyway, in this post I’d like to celebrate that I survived a year of blogging. And I’d like to share some of the things that I’ve learned over this past year:

1. Blogging is lots of fun

It’s been fun coming up with new things to write about every week, reading comments from readers, posting my little Gravatar link all over the interwebs so that more people will see my blog.

2. Blogging is lots of work

See #1. As fun as blogging is, it’s also been surprisingly hard to post something creative once a week. As someone who loves to write, this ought to be easy, but it isn’t always. Especially since I try to publish my posts on a regular schedule, so I always have my self-imposed deadline breathing down my neck.

3. Blogging is a great way to meet new people

I’ve met so many cool bloggers. Since I started blogging, I’ve also been reading more blogs, and engaging in conversations via the comments fields—sometimes even moving to email or Facebook for deeper conversations. Yes, I do believe you can have meaningful friendships online.

4. Blogging stretches my creativity

See #2 about how much work it is keeping up with regular postings. Right now, I’m feeling very accomplished because I have several more weeks’ worth of blog entries already written, and more ideas in the pipe. But many times I find myself staring at the computer, thinking that if I don’t post something this week then some reader I don’t know will suddenly hate me. Surely a creative writer can come up with something creative to write? Sometimes it’s a stretch.

5. Blogging gives me a confidence boost

Despite the stresses of #2 and #4, I’m happy about my first year of blogging. I know I’m not famous (yet), nor am I being paid for blogging (yet), but it makes me smile when I see how many people subscribe to my blog via email or follow me on WordPress. And I’ve posted at least one entry a week for an entire year. Creative gems or not, that’s still a lot of writing.

So here’s my self-congratulatory pat on the back. And many thanks to everyone who does follow me (here, or on Facebook or Twitter). I hope you’ll read and share my writing for another year! 🙂