An introduction to social media for writers

1. Whatever that may be?
Andrew Smith

2.  A Geek who is paid to
share lots of tech stuff
 Works at the Open
University as an
academic
 Currently author / co-
author of thirteen text
books
 Also author / co-author
of academic papers

3.  An operating system
(used on your Android
Phone)
 A case of bureaucratic
traction
 Motivation to ensure it
recruits students (above
target)

4.  Used different social media
tools to get message out
there
 Built up a „presence‟
 Went from unranked
◦ To Google Page 2
◦ Then Page 1
 I did get others to help (this
is valuable)

5.  Don‟t expect to be Stephen Fry
 Followers are useful
 Getting your page links out
there is more useful
 Bit.ly and other short URLs
 Google will find these
 Don‟t go mad with twitter
fever, its about timing and
content

6.  Have something to say
 Follow others
 Pre-tweet / re-tweet / reply
 Automate with Twuffer?
 Decision:
◦ Do you want it to be your private
ramblings?
◦ Do you wish it to be your
professional persona?
◦ Or both?

7.  Its not a case of what is better
 More, which is right (for you)
 Which may be both
◦ You as an individual
◦ You as a „Fan Page‟
◦ You as a „group page‟
◦ You as a „hang out‟
◦ Using events …
 Ability to link to RSS/Twitter

8.  Helps the narrative
 You the blogger
 Others blogging on you
 Linking to
Facebook/Twitter/Google+
(more soon)
 Can be on anything

9.  You can set it up to be your
website
◦ So www.you.com
 You can email entries
◦ Therefore you can send them from
your smart-phone-pad-email-
client thingy
 Frequency is important, blogs
with the frequency of a comet
don‟t do well

10.  This one is slightly more
challenging
 You have to be of note albeit in a
minor way
 Therefore it may be when you
have something published
 Keep to facts, not opinions
 Anything posted must be
verifiable
 Wikipedia

11.  RSS (really simple syndication)
◦ You may also discover terms like Atom
 You can feed twitter into Facebook or
Google+
 You can feed your blog into Twitter
 You can feed other RSS sources into Twitter
 You can use Paper.Li and link TwitterLists
 Confused yet?

12.  We are writers?
 But …
◦ Many respond to the spoken as well
as written word
◦ Poetry, prose and promotion
◦ Comedian Richard Herring is
currently releasing five minute shorts
◦ Stephen Fry, used Twitter/AudioBoo
as a parallel to QI series H
 Attempting to engage in a multi-
media world (but keep it simple)

13.  About you
 About your work
 Its not one channel, its all working in unison

14.  Blog about each other
 Co-Retweet
 Agree posts on each other facebook
walls
 Use „speakeasy‟ as an interesting
entity
 Agree collaboration

15.  Mumsnet ….
◦ How this was started was unconventional
◦ But look at the impact?
 There are no rules in this world, just
enthusiasm
 Cross-posting and forum postings
 The impression of presence is often
greater than presence itself

16.  Don‟t fall into the Johann Hari /
(some) MP‟s trap
 Keep it honest, ensure its fair
 Keep it as accurate as possible, if its
an opinion, say so
 You will endure critique, respond,
don‟t react

17.  Rather than searching the net, let the net
come to you
 Setting key phrases
◦ Title of your work, your name, your pseudonym
◦ Live or as a daily/weekly digest
 I use it to watch „me‟ „modules‟ and others

18.  “The codfish lays ten thousand eggs, The
homely hen lays one; The codfish never
cackles, To tell you when she's done; And so
we scorn the codfish, While the humble hen we
prize; Which only goes to show you, That it
pays to advertise”

19.  Blog : www.teraknor.co.uk
 Twitter : @teraknor
 WikiPedia : Andrew Smith Author Education
Professional
◦ I think I am on Page 4 of a Google search for Andrew
Smith … I do have competition
◦ LinkedIn is also very useful
◦ PR does help, but they are an effort