In the past, if not understanding a social media platform was a sin, I’d have to go to confession over Facebook. I mostly opened a Facebook account to protect my online identity. I didn’t want someone with the same name and possibly objectionable opinions to be confused with me. It’s enough work building up name recognition as it is.
I think the biggest problem is that Facebook seems to do much the same things as a blog, only not as well, so I haven’t sunk much effort into it.
There are a few topics I can write about intelligently, but I’m hoping other, more experienced bloggers will weigh in.
I can tell you how to link to your WordPress blog, so that every time you post, your articles automatically show on Facebook. Just this one act has netted me as many referrals to my blog as Twitter, and I’ve invested considerably more effort into tweeting.
I can explain how to get Facebook to tweet your posts. Last time a social media consultant walked me through it, but it wasn’t that difficult.
There are real differences between a Facebook profile and a Facebook page, and I’ll explain those so you can use the correct choice, depending on what you’re trying to accomplish.
If you have any other ways you’ve used Facebook, please let me know in the comments section. I’d love to link to your posts, new or already posted. I’m getting quite a bit of volume from this little conference, far more than I’d think just from reading the likes and comments. There are plenty of people lurking. Let’s introduce them to your blogs, too. 🙂
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Avid writer and reader of Faerie tales and noblebright fantasy.
Cathleen Townsend 
Another platform unfamiliar to me, but I’m interested in what you have to say about FB supporting you as a writer.
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I can show you how to put it on automatic, so it will send some referrals to your blog. But I’ve never used it as actual social media. It always struck me as Blog Lite, so using it as your main hub seemed redundant.
I guess several years ago, Facebook posted all your entries on everyones’ page who friended you. That sounds pretty cool. But then they decided to make everyone pay for that, so that advantage went away.
I only started using Facebook after that, so I didn’t miss it. But some people who built huge networks on Facebook were livid.
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I have to think about whether I’m ready to accept another social responsibility. I need to spend less time on the computer, not more. Thank you for the offer – you are so kind and helpful.
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I think I find Facebook easier simply because I’m more familiar with it from personal use. Most people I know in person use Facebook more than Twitter, but I know this isn’t the case for everyone. There are more options for groups, pages, etc. Maybe it’s that it seems more intimate and connection oriented. (Forgive me, I’m thinking out loud more than anything here.) I haven’t used it that much for writing, in terms of seriously trying to build a social media presence, but when I HAVE, the reach has been far more substantial than with any other SM platform. In fact, last year I was working on a project with a partner and several of our posts were shared on FB. Up til that point we had put zero effort into setting up a FB page specifically for that project, but that reach alone made us sit up and realize that it was a platform we needed to prioritize over all the others. To put it into perspective, one post was liked maybe 10xs on the actual blog/site, but it was shared 500xs across FB simply because one person with a large following on FB shared it. Now, I think it also depends on what type of writing you do. We were working on photo-journaling and travel writing. I have zero experience with using actual author pages to share, say, fiction writing, though I do follow a few writers on FB. This was long, but hopefully some of it helped. I’m looking forward to your findings.
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That pretty much squares with my overall impressions of the platform. People who use it socially get the most benefit out of it.
I hadn’t thought about the fiction–nonfiction angle, but that’s a very telling point. All the groups I’ve noticed tend to be non-fiction oriented. My husband spends time with his fishing group, and there are lots of writers’ groups, but the ones I’ve stumbled across all tend to focus on specific aspects of craft or promotion.
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Oh, and I suppose I should clarify and share my FB handle. Viv Jennings. This is the is the pen name I use. I keep a separate one for personal use since I haven’t quite figured out how to seamlessly mesh my personal life and my professional life. I also have it set up so you have to send me a ‘friend request’ but I may change that eventually. You can set up a ‘page’ and then people can follow you rather than friending you. I’m still working out the kinks and don’t have a lot of time to spend on social media, but like you said, I want to establish some sort of presence. This comment is a testament to how confusing it all can be. The short: send a friend request to Viv Jennings. I’ll accept & friend and/or follow you back. 😊
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Okay, I sent a request and suggested another friend. 🙂
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Thanks! Got it but can’t see the suggestion. I’ll keep playing around & maybe it will show up. I’m glad we connected. I need a lot of nudging with social media, so thanks for inspiring me and for doing so much leg work. 😊
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It was my pleasure. Honestly, doing this thing has inspired me to find ways to improve my own presence, which has been worthwhile all on its own. But meeting new friends is always the best.
There can be a great deal of enjoyment in the social element of social media. I think it’s important for me to remember that. 🙂
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I just post a link to my blog on my personal Facebook page, because I have Facebook friends who are regular readers but don’t follow my blog. I do this with each new post, and have found that I usually get anywhere from 25 to 100 “shares” from that as well. I can’t say I understand it all, but I’m okay with how it works so far.
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Isn’t that great? Just a small act that nets you more traffic and visibility. That’s the sort of thing I’m really aiming for in this conference. Small things we can do to become more visible. 🙂
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Isn’t SM fun? I think Facebook may be the easiest, as people have already commented, because it has so many features. I have my personal Facebook account, strictly for family and friends. I created a page just for my blog and a page for my business consulting site. My blog posts directly to my Second Wind Leisure Perspectives page for all blogging stuff. If I share someone’s blog post, I mostly share to this page rather than tie up my personal timeline with bloggy stuff. WordPress makes it easy to set up a blog page (or any other kind of page you choose–author, business, fan, etc.). I will share this post to my blog page and try to tag you so you can see. Anyhoo, I’m enjoying your helpful posts, Cathleen!
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The social media consultant I mentioned earlier also wanted me to have a personal Facebook page and one as an author, but I don’t actually keep them that separate. Writing mostly IS my life, other than taking walks with my husband and dogs. And things like going to church and visiting family just don’t seem to be something I share online, except in passing. 🙂
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I’ve been on FB for a few years–dragged into it by a friend. I don’t often visit unless someone sends me a comment. All my WP posts go directly to FB.
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I do that, too. I was going to do on post on how to do that through WP admin because it’s been very useful. 🙂
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