By:
Anne R. Allen
When
I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the
importance of commenting on blogs to raise your social media profile,
I forgot to say one essential thing—probably because I figured it's something
your mom told you—but for those who've forgotten, here it is…
If
you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it.
That's true even in a thread where a lot of people are being snarky and you're simply going along with the crowd. I've done it myself and ended up hurting good people's feelings. Remember when you're online, you're "in public" and anybody can see what you've written.
If
you're planning to publish traditionally, the reason to follow mom's rule is
simple. Editors
and agents will Google you (often before they decide to read your
pages) and if they find a bunch of nasty Tweets, forum flames, and bullying
blog comments, your career is going nowhere.
Why do they Google you before reading your writing sample? The same reason any prospective employer Googles you. Most people prefer to work with level-headed, rational human beings who are not prone to drunk-posting, dissing their co-workers, or dancing naked with tighty-whiteys on their heads. Just the way it is.
Remember, "free speech" means you have a right to say what you want in public (not necessarily on private property) but it does NOT shield you from the consequences of what you say.
Even
if you self-publish, or are planning to—establishing a reputation for being
nasty, closed-minded, or self-centered can still damage your career. The indies
who do best are the ones who respect fans, guest blog, do joint promotions, and
generally play well with others.
It's
fine to disagree and/or add new information to a discussion—in fact, that's a
great way to raise your profile—but do it like a grown-up, civilized human, not
an entitled adolescent with a vocabulary limited to barnyard words.
The
tech world was invented by young, rule-breaking types, mostly males. So an
early Internet culture evolved that tended to be adversarial, snarky, and
intolerant of newbies—more like posturing teenagers than adults doing business.
But
the publishing world is the opposite. It's a business that has always been
powered by the gentlemanly art of the schmooze.
Making
people angry may drive people to your blog, and you may hear that "troll
posts" and creating controversy is a way to get traffic. But it's probably
not the kind of traffic you want, even if you self-publish.
Remember
everything you do or say online is public. That includes your snarky @tweets to
your BFF (DM instead) and those party photos your idiot friend took at the
Mardi Gras party and posted to FB (ask him politely to take down that
tighty-whitey photo, or "untag" you.)
So
here are ten tips for online behavior for people planning a writing career.
(Unless your life goal is to be a professional extremist ranter—then ignore
everything here. Being a person people love to hate can make you rich and
famous—if you want that kind of fame.)
But
for the rest of us, here are 10 basic rules: (This is not meant as dogma. My
Moses impersonation is done with tongue firmly in cheek):
.
. .
Read the full article HERE!
~*~
If
you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they
are again:
- The Book Signing Checklist! Stuff to Do Before Your Book Signing http://ow.ly/vNRY9
- hree Tactics to Stop Letting Inspiration Rule You http://ow.ly/vL7t9
- Anne R. Allen's Blog: The 10 Commandments of Social Media Etiquette for Writers http://ow.ly/vL8nV
- Confidence http://ow.ly/vL8w0 Daily Writing Tips
- The Complete Guide to Query Letters | Jane Friedman http://ow.ly/vL8Np
- 5 Reasons Reporters Make Good Writers… Most of the Time http://ow.ly/vL9ms
- Why Writing Your Story Could Be the Most Important Thing You Ever Do | Goins, Writer http://ow.ly/vL9q4
- Inflections in English http://ow.ly/vL9Ge Daily Writing Tips
- Want to Learn to Write? Study Painting. http://ow.ly/vL9Ps
- Case Study: Heroes and Villains and Readers Who Can’t Tell the Difference http://ow.ly/vL9UT @Storyfix
- Seriously Write: Turning Your Life Conflicts into Your Story Conflicts by Katy Lee http://ow.ly/vLa6f
- What is a Marketing Plan & How Do I Make One? - Melanie Duncan http://ow.ly/vLaAd
- When Trolls Attack! | Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors http://ow.ly/vLaGl
- Link Building Tips That Actually Work | SiteProNews http://ow.ly/vLaTo
- Jeff Bezos to Amazon Payments Team: Move Faster | The Passive Voice | http://ow.ly/vLbbG
- How to Create Successful Facebook News Feed Ads | Social Media Examiner http://ow.ly/vLblI
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