I'm sorry about missing last week's tips post, but sometimes I have to take my own advice. The lead up to the holidays got a bit more overwhelming than I was expecting, so I had to say no to something. But I'm back! And today's post was inspired by a chat I had with a minister at my church. My church is trying to get its social media presence established. Most of the conversation was similar to ones I've had with authors and as many bloggers are using Facebook to network as well, I thought I would share what I know about profiles, pages, and groups.
Profiles: A profile is the personal page that is created when you create an account on Facebook. This profile is about you as a person and you may use it to connect with old friends and classmates, keep family updated, or to network with people. I'm a big proponent of keeping personal stuff separate from your public image. I'm reluctant to "friend" authors, bloggers, or readers of Girl Who Reads. It has nothing to do with them really. I actually use my profile very little, but I like to keep it to friends and family. I do occasionally "friend" people I've interacted with online, but it usually after we have moved past the acquaintance phase. I do occasionally use my profile to network. My friends and family read, so I will share a post or two of relevance with them (usually a book I just have to tell everyone about or a giveaway/free book offer). I've encouraged my "friends" to "like" my fan page in order to get all the news about Girl Who Reads.
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| Facebook logo Español: Logotipo de Facebook Français : Logo de Facebook Tiếng Việt: Logo Facebook (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Pages: Also known as fan pages, they connect you to your fan base. If you really want to keep your personal and professional life separate you must have a page. It works much like your personal profile. You can add photos, post status updates, etc. A page is about talking TO your fans. When others write on your Page's wall, it is not easily visible to everyone. They also do not get notification when others post to your wall. A Page works well as a notice board for you to let your fans know what's happening. You can also ask questions to encourage discussion, but the conversation on a page is mostly between you and your fans.
Groups: Do you want you fans to interact and talk amongst themselves? Then you need a group. I have a page for my blog, but I have a group for GWR Publicity. Why? Because I want the bloggers and authors to be able to interact without me having to always be the intermediary. Also, bloggers can post in the group about events and things they have going on that might need other bloggers or authors. For authors, a group can work much like a fan club. An author doesn't want to be the president of their own fan club, with a group others can take charge, meet fans that might be local to them, and organize events on behalf of the author.
Whether you are a blogger or an author (or perhaps both), you need to get people talking about you (well, not necessarily you, but your book or blog) and a great way to make that happen is with Facebook. Assess what your needs are and what your goals are, then decide if 1 or all 3 Facebook options will help you achieve that goal.
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