The latest changes to the news feed on Facebook brought an issue to mind. As a writer, I’m well aware that much of the promotion of my books will fall to me, even if I have a publishing house backing me. However, I still believe in etiquette.
Now, the FB problem was quickly taken care of, since most people were considerate enough to un-check all the boxes so we wouldn’t have to see every minute detail of their FB activity. And bless you all for that, by the way. I still often encounter other authors who I feel, quite frankly, abuse my friendship. I write this blog as a “tip,” because using social networking sites for promotion and advertising is fine and expected, if it’s done correctly.
I find that most FB users are very courteous, but I’ve still had to drop a friend or two due to the clutter in my inbox. I don’t expect to get daily messages from someone unless I’ve signed up for updates via a group or a fan page. I actually cringe about sending too many updates to people who have signed up on my fan page. I don’t want them to feel used and abused.
On Myspace, I’ve had people send me MULTIPLE comments for approval that had huge amounts of text describing their book, or even an HTML picture with flashy colors and headers. Once is okay, if it’s brief. Expecting a person to post 7 paragraphs of text to their comment page, or sending them some sort of ad/comment every day is downright annoying.
Guess what? They got dropped, too.
Again, we all expect announcements and updates, and other typical methods to promote a book, interview, etc. We encourage our fellow authors and applaud their success. It’s just a good idea to keep in mind that there is a line, and it’s nicer not to cross it.
Besides, it can backfire, leaving you with fewer friends by the time it’s all said and done. And if you can’t communicate with them, they’re never going to here about your book.
I enjoy and appreciate the friends I have and want to continue to be a welcome part of our little online community.
With love and murder,
Suza