Posted in Writing

To FaceBook or Not to FaceBook

Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes

I had a FaceBook page years ago but deleted it.  Due to all of the security breaches and other negative aspects of FaceBook, I’ve never opened another account.

I’m toying with the idea of having an “Author’s Page”.  I’m sure the exposure couldn’t hurt.  Connecting with other writers, publishers, etc., would also be a plus.

Also, there is Twitter to think about.  I do have an account there but rarely use it.

Instagram is another that I’ve Never used.

So how much media exposure does one need?

How much, as a Writer, do you think FaceBook and other social media sites impact your writing?  Do you find negatives associated with your writing for having this kind of exposure?  I’d Love to get your feedback on this!!   

Image by Simon Steinberger from Pixabay

Author:

Penny Wilson is an international writer who writes in several genres. She has written articles for WOW Women on Writing. Her poetry has been published in online journals, such as Ariel Chart, Spill Words Press and the Poppy Road Review. Penny is a member of the Austin Poetry Society. Her poetry has been featured in the publication America's Emerging Poets 2018 & 2019 by Z Publishing and Poets Quarterly and Dual Coast Magazine published by Prolific Press. Most recently, you can find her poetry in an anthology by WordCrafter Press called Poetry Treasures. Penny is an advocate for Mental Health Awareness and has the page "Mental Health Help" on her blog. She writes about the struggles of mental illnesses and Depression. She is passionate about spreading awareness for Suicide Prevention and Domestic Abuse. She expresses her passion through her writings of poetry and life experiences. You can find more of her writings on her blog at https://pennywilsonwrites.com/

19 thoughts on “To FaceBook or Not to FaceBook”

  1. I use Facebook and have a Twitter account though I rarely go on that. My thinking is that if you are plugging something like your writing, the more media outlets you have, the better. Even if they prove to be useless.

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  2. I have FB but don’t really use it much in regards to writing, however I am a member of a few book groups which will help (one day) when I publish my own books as they allow free publicity. I’m not really a user of Twitter, however I find that a lot of my WP posts get tweeted a lot by other people, so I guess that’s a good thing. Basically, because I don’t have anything to offer yet (as in, not published), I haven’t hit the social media thing hard, but when I do finally have my WIP ‘out there’, I think i’ll hit FB and Twitter more.

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  3. I always thought any and all social media contact would be good, but Twitter was a huge waste of time. Thousands of ads was not what I was looking for. Facebook has gone pretty much the same way. I have posts on my site that I never heard of and if I scroll down through them I get a nasty message from Facebook that I am misusing their site by going too fast. Quora is all business, nothing personal at all. I do have around 10,000 views on one post, but it never made it to 1,000 comments. I was truly surprised by how popular that post was then one person made a comment that what I wrote was a story for my novel. I guess she was jealous or never lived life. I have had my life threatened 3 times, survived a flood and a tornado, and accepted Christ as my Savior. After her comment the post immediately died.
    Back to the main topic – I dropped Twitter and delete most of the questions asked on Quora. I plan to continue with my WordPress blog since I enjoy it. I like Facebook in spite of its flaws, mainly because I get to talk with my friends. I used to keep in touch with friends via emails, but that rarely happens any more. When my next book comes out I plan to do some limited publicity via email.
    In Greenwood we have other places to promote our books. Granted it’s not a much as what you can get online, but it helps. The library does several book signings a year for the local writers. Some of the shops, churches, and restaurants let authors put books in their businesses and do book signings.

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  4. I have a Facebook Author page and post links to all my blogs and anything new on my website and of course news of new books – though I haven’t published any new books for a while… I find Worpress the most interactive thing I do. I can’t get on with Twitter. Facebook pages can be visited easily by anybody and it doesn’t do any harm to have one as far as I can see.
    https://www.facebook.com/Beachwriter

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  5. I signed up for Twitter when it first hit the scene, but only to grab my original names, which over the past 25+ years so many grab up before I can get to the new site – My first post was “tweeting is for birds.” LOL I never felt connected there, just a rush of scrolling nonsense (for me, no one else of course). I then did the same with Instagram – someone already took my decades old original name, made a variant of it, tried it for a while, wasn’t really feeling the let’s show the world a picture of everything I do instead of enjoying what it is I see or do (or expressing it in a more creative way). I’ve been on Facebook since it the public had access to it and used it a LOT for a decade. However, over the past year, what used to be a site of “networking and connecting” has now become nothing more than “social media.” I’m not interested in “media” … and the depth of near all of my friends, some dear – some I just know a bit, on Facebook (not in real life) has literally come down to posting meme after meme after meme. If not a meme, a picture after a picture, if not a picture, rolling posts of missing children and animals. I’ve tried very hard to keep my depth of connection there, but it became very apparent over the past year + that on one’s interested in reading anything of length, substance, too personal, creative or unfunny – they want fast and easy. It turned me off in the sense that most of my friends are long distance, including life-long friends and if I can no longer use FB as a means to connect to their actual world, but just read memes or see pictures, or just hear the fluff in their world and not all else that we all deal with in life, what’s the purpose? And, if no one’s interested in anything I post about my real life, but will like and react to a funny meme in large numbers – AND, with the addition to the “reaction” buttons, not only have people gone from depth and real life sharing (networking & connecting), changing over to a one meme here, one meme there, here a meme, there a meme, everywhere a meme meme (or recipe, or picture, or the dreaded news posts) … now all they do is react, they’ve actually become too lazy (not their fault, technology is doing it to the masses) to even comment, everyone just reacts. It’s what actually brought me back to WordPress (that and Natalie, she would want me to create again and I do so enjoy the back and forth of comments, ideas, thoughts, adventures, talent and so much more of what I see, follow and enjoy in the lives of others here, not to mention that I get to post in depth, though in my own creative way … I am actually telling stories, and to me, that’s not only a creative outlet, but a connection to people, not “media.”

    The one positive thing I can say about FB, and it is the only one thing, would be the groups. The groups are overflowing with like-minded interests and/or life challenges and much more. In the groups you’ll find far more genuine connection, commenting, back and forth and shared interests —- or circumstances. Aside from the groups, it’s become a far cry from a place of connecting, sharing, depth and sharing. I’m not quite sure exactly what year, or how long it’s been, since social networking changed names to social media … but for me, and only me, of course everyone has their own opinion as well as experience … I don’t enjoy social media at all. As soon as they took the networking out of it, all 3 platforms changed and became very shallow (the majority, not all), full of fluff only and a complete disconnect.

    And that my dear Penny is a very big wall of text, long-winded response from me on the matter hehe. Bad fingers …. bad fingers Kimberly! LOL

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      1. It’s worse when I talk lol. My sweet father used to call me “mouth” as a child, but through a few medical messes, it’s actually been labeled now and we’re working on it. In speech, those who know me know to say “Kimberly breathe” or “Kimberly you haven’t punctuated in a few minutes” or “Kimberly stop.” And believe you me Penny, it usually makes me feel better than them lol. In type it’s more difficult, I type well over 130 w.p.m, so I can get my thoughts or conversation out faster than I speak hehe. Long Winded Kimba – kind of like the song lyric “Long and winding road” … but with less melody hehe. ❤ It's me, so it's okay, and I thank you, thank you, thank you, for handling it with much kindness and little mention of it other than laughter. ((((hugs)))). You're welcome by the way – I told you exactly how I feel about all of those platforms lol.

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  6. Social media is a tough call. It’s necessary but it’s a time suck. I love Twitter which I find quick and easy to use. I try to remember to use my Instagram account but am often neglectful.

    Facebook is a platform I never liked, but I did build up an author page and ran ads with every new release (with mixed results). Then FB changed their ad rules and locked me out of my ad manager for a supposed violation (despite the fact I had run the same type ad multiple times in the past). At that point I said good riddance and deleted my account. Many people do well there. I just never liked the platform from day one and they gave me a reason to leave. That was last fall, and I haven’t missed it a bit.

    I do think you need to be visible on some form of social media in addition to your blog. Find 1 or 2 that work for you and run with them. Good luck, Penny!

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  7. I hope your book is coming along well, Penny. I use my FB author pages (I have two) all the time and interact a great deal with other authors and some readers on FB. I love Instagram because I can pop in and look at pictures in between over the course of my busy day and Twitter is a must for writers. I have two twitter accounts too.

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