These days, it's banged into writers that
they need to get stuck into social networking, but it can be a minefield. And it can kill your writing.
Here are the things I've learnt -
The Good
The internet makes the world seem a smaller
place. You get to meet people you might not otherwise meet (in the cyber world
at least). It's a great place to meet other writers.
Through social networking, I've discovered
markets (and competitions) for writers that I wouldn't have otherwise known
about. Not just in the UK Australia
As long as you set time limits, you don't
need to spend hours on social networking. Twitter for instance can take no time
at all and you can tweet when you're waiting at a bus stop.
You can join forces with another writer to write a book.
You can join forces with another writer to write a book.
The Bad
Most people you meet on Facebook and
Twitter are lovely, but there are some disturbed people out there. You may find
yourself being cyber stalked.
Social networking eats into your writing
time, big time. Sometimes you just have to pull the plug on your computer.
Having a presence on Facebook, Twitter and
other sites can help you raise your profile, but I'm not sure it helps sell
books. A blog - in my opinion and a website - is far more effective.
Sites talk big about all the precautions they take to stop bullying and harrassment, but often they are useless when you are targetted.
There are some seriously weird people online. Old men posting comments on sites aimed at kids. If that's not a paedophile alert I don't know what is. People paid by companies to post comments, who often don't even hide the fact.
Bullying A Parent's Guide is now out in Kindle in the USA and in the UK. Priced at £3.99.
Sites talk big about all the precautions they take to stop bullying and harrassment, but often they are useless when you are targetted.
The downright ugly
There are trolls, or as I like to call them
trawls because they trawl sites, especially Facebook and they deliberately set
out to upset people.
For example, if you post something about racism they'll post a racist comment or say that black people are too overly sensitive about being called the n word. Note - this is a real example.
For example, if you post something about racism they'll post a racist comment or say that black people are too overly sensitive about being called the n word. Note - this is a real example.
There are some seriously weird people online. Old men posting comments on sites aimed at kids. If that's not a paedophile alert I don't know what is. People paid by companies to post comments, who often don't even hide the fact.
Bullying A Parent's Guide is now out in Kindle in the USA and in the UK. Priced at £3.99.
This is all so true. So far I haven't been cyber-stalked but I have been through the rest that you wrote about.
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