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This week: Twitter, Blogging and Facebook, Oh My Edited by: Dawn Embers  
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An Elf (written) For Authors Newsletter
Building a platform, a way to show an author's presence and keep in contact with readers, is an important part of a writers life. With many options available online, one has to consider which social media venues are going to meet each person's specific needs without going overboard.
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While I have been on WDC for a long time (nine years now), there are other social sites and options for creating a platform as a writer that I have tried out, and a few more are available nowadays. One of my blogging buddies, someone I met through blogs, she had an interesting post last month where she discussed how some were leaving the long blog sites behind for other web sites with shorter content requirements. However, most of the ones who responded to the blog about the topic were all people who still loved and continued to keep up their blogs. Social media does represent its own challenges and while they can come in handy, in the end we must decide which method is one that we want to maintain over years in order to truly put a platform building use to the technology.
For the sake of this newsletter, I don't go into platforms and why writers need them, but I'll put it on the list for future options if people are interested in learning more on the concept itself.
There are a few different options to consider:
 Blogging (Blogger, Wordpress, Tumblr, etc)
 Facebook
 Twitter
 Pinterest
There are a few others and some more may come up in the near future, but let's focus on these top 4. I put several in one category because blogging itself is a big option, one that many have picked up in the last two years or so. What used to be "you must get your own web site as an author" has in part switched to some people just recommending a blog because it can work much like a personal site. They an either be free, which means they still have the website name attached like blogspot or wordpress before the dot com, or for a small fee, it can just be the blog name you pick out and dot com (among other options). Most of the sites also allow page creations, which can be whatever you want. I have a couple of blogs and each have an about me type section, the book review on in particular to discusser reading preferences since it's more than just me blogging, and I even have on my writing ones a page that shows my current works in progress and word count widgets. I started blogging several years ago and continue though I am sporadic at times with my posting. My advice for any blog is not to get too ambitious. It's okay to on occasion do special times where you post every day, but realistically that is a very hard schedule to follow. Like writing, you can get burned out and struggle to post then guilt sets in when you have left the feed empty for weeks. Consider a schedule and topic that works best for you, then be a little flexible. Take part in some blogfests and blog hops. And remember, like reviewing on WDC, don't expect comments but never post on anyone else's blog. Networking, no matter the system, takes time and effort.
Facebook is another well known site for networking. There are different writing groups, ways to create author pages and WDC even has a page there. It is far more of a social site and allows different types of posting that can range from how your day is going (like twitter) to random images that are shared over the Internet. It can be good for updating though you will want to be aware of who you have added on the page and what you write because almost anyone can have a facebook page and they can be monitored by employers and such. Honestly, I do have a page but I only use it for family and old high school/college acquaintances. If I want to know what my grandma is up to, then I check facebook (cause yes, my grandmother uses facebook and way more than I do for that matter). However, I keep it private from my other internet networking options because for me, it's a personal option and one I don't want intermixed, but that is a personal choice.
Twitter is a bit different because it's basically a lot of people writing random updates at a limited character count. I have had twitter for several years and used to use it often, but nowadays I almost never post. While their are a lot of jokes about posting daily life things that no one cares about on the site, there are some good uses for social networking as a writer on Twitter. It's good to keep up with certain industry companies and members. Many agents and editors have an account on the site, along with some publishers. Some will even host twitter chats where they will answer questions on a certain hashtag conversation, like #askagent is a good example of one. It is also a good place to on occasion advertise or do an update so people are aware how things are moving along, like if you made it through an edit or what not. That or you can talk about cats, always good topic on one of these sites. 
Finally, there are places like pinterest. Now, this isn't necessarily a writing focused one but we have many artists on the site as well, and it's a good source for them to consider. However, pinterest is also one that is good at connecting to different networks. Most of the ones I have pinned so far are craft, cleaning or cooking ideas and often the image won't have the information but it will link to a blog entry that explains the item in question. The image sites can be useful in that way, plus they can serve as a way to find inspiration for stories because of the visual creations available.
Each type of social network has merits and down sides. And many of them have ways to interconnect. Facebook can post an automatic update when you have a blog post go up on your personal blog. Pinterest can link to a blog page or site. There are a number of options available. However, it's easy to go overboard, then become so overwhelmed that it's hard to keep them going. You don't need them all, so check them out and find the ones that are going to work best for your needs and what you want to accomplish. Don't be afraid to set schedules and know that posts don't have to be several times a week all the time. Keeping up a social page does take time, but it doesn't have to take up all the time because while we want to have an available presence online, we also can't forget to save time for the actual writing.
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Here are some social network related poems, stories and articles to peruse. Also, WDC has its own pages on different social networking places, so make sure to check them out, like facebook: http://www.facebook.com/writingcom
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Which social networking site do you use? Why do you like it?
Last time I wrote for this newsletter, I discussed a made up thing that I called Tri-Balance, which was my way of trying to accomplish editing, writing and reading goals. I received some great comments and here are a few of them:
Comment by Joto-Kai 
Remember, life balance is a dynamic range. You need to keep the three things in range of one another, so that when needed, the straggler can catch up.
Another thought: Schedules, rather than goals, seem like the thing for this kind of balance.
- Thanks. Personally, schedules just aren't my thing. I like making goals each month because even if I don't achieve them, it's okay and my schedule can change at random, like when I get called in on my day off. While I liked the idea of schedules, so far they just haven't been what has worked for me.
Comment by brom21
My writing, reading and editing is unfortunately sporadic. For me editing is the hardest. It’s difficult to see where to change things just by my own merit. I need others to give suggestions. I recently started reading again after years of just writing. I began doing so after coming to terms that an author must read as well and it is a pleasure. As for my writing, I rarely lack things to write about. A lot of times it does however take a prompt to spark a story. Anyway, that is my habits in a nutshell. Oh, and good job with the newsletter!
- Glad I'm not the only one who can be sporadic. Thanks for the response.
Comment by Elfin Dragon-finally published
I like it when the newsletters really talk about things I'm having current problems with; even though I do know how to do them. Tri-balancing is important and I try to do it when I write by first writing at least 4-5 chapters at a time and then re-reading and editing as I go. It seems to work for me. I often find errors in the first chapters after I've re-read them 20 chapters ago. I think it's the fact I've put them aside for a time after the first few chapters before going back to them.
In regards to your challenges. I'm currently reading author - Cornelia Funke's "Inkspell". I'm hoping I can find the last book in the series "Inkdeath" before I'm done with this one. If not, I've got several other books to pick up. I call them my "Out & About" books. I take them to doctor appointments, or any other place I'm going to wait for a time. It gives me something to do and time away from computers and writing. I think we all need that at some point.
Setting aside time to write can sometimes be a little more challenging if we're working. I know lately it's been difficult for me but I plan to try a little harder, the same goes with the editing.
Elfin 
- It's good you found something that works for you. I try not to edit till I have finished a first draft of the entire story but some don't do well with that approach. Nice idea with the books when having appointments and such. I don't do anything but work and spend time home online, but I do try to read sometimes on lunch break. Keep on writing, editing and reading.
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For Authors: July 16, 2014 Issue [#6435]
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