Social Media Networking: Be an Active Participant with Relevant News, Articles, and Assistance

Social Media Networking: Be an Active Participant with Relevant News, Articles, and Assistance

By Donna M. McDine

I haven’t forgotten my promise from my last post to discuss LinkedIn, but like many things my inner thoughts have taken over and my conscious is beating the heck out of my mind to chat about the importance of personal participation in social media networking.

The success for any type of social media networking is active participation. Yes, technology allows us to become automated in just about every aspect of postings through cyberspace. The convenience of scheduling blog posts to Twitter, then to Facebook, then to LinkedIn is a great time save, but we must set a daily reminder to become engaged personally in our social networking.

I admit with a red face I’ve been guilty of allowing my automation take over and have become absent as a live person via my social networking. I have given myself the good old slap upside the head and no longer will I allow myself to become the absentee marketer.

As of late, I’ve downloaded the Twitter application (app) to my Droid phone, providing me the opportunity while waiting for my daughter to come out of basketball practice or religion to engage with fellow Tweeters. This is proven to be a successful way of engaging for me and have connected with current and new colleagues, potential clients in the children’s publishing industry, and for those seeking out assistance with their social media campaigns. Twitter works perfectly on the Droid phone because of the rolling screen of Tweets. Thanks Twitter, for keeping tweets to 140 characters!

Luckily my family gave me an iPad several years ago and I’ve downloaded the Facebook and Twitter apps to further engage with others. I personally like the Facebook app on the iPad since it’s a much larger screen than my Droid phone.

Mind you, I do try to keep my personal social interaction down to 30 minutes per day so I’m not spending the majority of my time away from my valuable writing, editing, Author PR Services time, and of course my family.

Key attributes in becoming an active social media networker:

Share relevant information to followers, friends, and colleagues (whatever the specific social media network calls them). If you are a children’s book author share… the latest publishing industry news you’ve read about, your latest magazine article publication or book release, children’s book fair events, children’s book conferences (such as SCBWI by region), your experience in conducting school visits, etc. The list is endless. Important to note, don’t make it all about you. Shout out the successes of your colleagues.

Engage in online chats through social media networks. For example, on Facebook search groups you are interested in joining… such as, teachers, librarians, parents, schools. Participation is imperative, so I strongly suggest you do not join more than 1-2 groups per social media network you are a member of.

Offer tips and assistance from your expert standpoint. When a particular topic is being discussed and you have experience in said topic, join in the conversation and engage. You will be pleased and amazed on how much people appreciate your feedback and they will remember that in the future. You will eventually be known as the go to person in your field of expertise, which often times leads to much more than you ever provided.

Don’t fall into the “it’s all about me attitude.” This is a sure fire way to turn people off. Don’t chat about your specific book or product unless the conversation specifically lends to it.

Once you join a group on most of the social media networks you are able to set an email option to be reminded of the latest discussions in the group so you remember to participate. You can also set a reminder through your To Do/Tasks option in your email. I utilize Outlook for my email and I’m constantly updating and checking off my To Do/Tasks list, which by the way gives me great satisfaction in checking off the latest item. Yep, I’m a list person and love to see the list of checked off tasks! I tell my girls all the time, if it’s not on my list it won’t get done.

Happy networking and remember don’t overload yourself!

BIO: Donna McDine is an award-winning children's author. Her stories, articles, and book reviews have been published in over 100 print and online publications. Her interest in American History resulted in writing and publishing The Golden Pathway. Donna has four more books under contract with Guardian Angel Publishing, Hockey Agony, Powder Monkey, A Sandy Grave, and Dee and Deb, Off They Go. She writes, moms and is the Editor-in-Chief for Guardian Angel Kids and owner of Author PR Services www.authorprservices.com from her home in the historical hamlet Tappan, NY. McDine is a member of the SCBWI. Visit www.donnamcdine.com. 

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Facebook Timeline Banner

My tip for July is short and sweet...

Want to spruce up your Facebook Timeline Banner? There is a FREE website where you can design your very own Facebook Timeline Banner - http://timelinecoverbanner.com  and it's quite simple. They have step-by-step instructions including templates and the option to upload your own photos.

Samples of Facebook Timeline Banners I've created:

Donna McDine, Award-winning children's author: https://www.facebook.com/DonnaMcDine#

Guardian Angel Kids Ezine: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Guardian-Angel-Kids-Ezine/163785080346247

Carol Fraser Hagen, Literacy Specialist: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003533171478

Be creative and have fun!

BIO:  Donna McDine is an award-winning children's author. Her stories, articles, and book reviews have been published in over 100 print and online publications. Her interest in American History resulted in writing and publishing The Golden Pathway. Donna has four more books under contract with Guardian Angel Publishing, Hockey Agony, Powder Monkey, A Sandy Grave, and Dee and Deb, Off They Go. She writes, moms and is the Editor-in-Chief for Guardian Angel Kids and owner of Author PR Services www.authorprservices.com from her home in the historical hamlet Tappan, NY. McDine is a member of the SCBWI. Visit www.donnamcdine.com. 

Office Organization Tips: How to Get and Stay Organized for Your Freelance Writing Career

HOW TO GET AND STAY ORGANIZED FOR

YOUR FREELANCE WRITING CAREER

by Donna M. McDine

 You’re in the process of taking a writer’s course and the abundance of information thrown your way is filed neatly in your brain. You wish you could say the same for your work space. While all your notes, research, writer’s books, etc., are valuable for your writing career it’s a miracle you can even find your desk under the sea of paper.  It’s imperative that you have the best filing system for your needs! 

1.                  Analyze and Purchase Supplies: First make a visit to your local office supply store and purchase hanging folders, manila folders and folder labels. If you don’t have a file cabinet now would be a good time to purchase one. You could purchase the good old standard metal filing cabinet or a file cabinet on wheels. The file cabinet on wheels would come in handy if you are limited on space and need to remove it from your work area when entertaining.

2.                  Identify Categories: Upon your return tackle the job of sorting your mounds (hope it’s not too deep) of paper into categories. File names:

ü  Agent Info

ü  Character Development

ü  Critique Groups Dialogue

ü  Editing

ü  Commas & Punctuation

ü  Grammar

ü  Point of View; Plotting & Outlining Your MS

ü  Scene & Story Structure, Sensory Details. 

The list is endless. Your filing system will grow over time. While reading articles on writing that you find helpful clip and file the article immediately. This makes for easy referral later.

3.                  Create Your Files: Place all your pertinent papers in the appropriate file. Each manila folder should be inserted into an individual hanging file in alphabetical order for easy retrieval and filing.

4.                  Desktop File: Jan Jasper, author of Take Back Your Time: How to Regain Control of Work, Information, and Technology (St. Martin’s Press) states: “Action files must always be within easy reach – ideally in a small desktop file holder that holds the file folders upright so the tabs are clearly visible. For added peace of mind, make a note in your calendar or scheduling software to remind you of important dates. This combats the “out-of-sight, out of mind” worry and lets you clear your desk without fearing you’ll forget something important”*

[*Conquer Desktop Clutter with Action Files © Jan Jasper; 2001-2007

About the Author: Jan Jasper has been training busy people to work smarter, not harder since 1988. She helps clients streamline work procedures, manage information overload, and use technology efficiently. Her specialty is helping people who've already worked with professional organizers and coaches and are still not able to get it all done. Jan is the author of Take Back Your Time: How to Regain Control of Work, Information, & Technology (St. Martin's Press). She recently completed a North American media tour as the national efficiency spokesperson for IKON Office Solutions, Inc. She has appeared on radio and TV all over North America and is quoted regularly in print. Jan is an adjunct professor at New York University.]

Suggested important files to maintain to keep in your line of sight on your desktop are:

ü  Writing – Follow-up

ü  Writing – Reading

ü  Writing – Research

ü  Writing – To Do

ü  Writing – Work-in Progress

Each file then contains an inventory sheet of what tasks need to be accomplished.  You know your files and needs best, please feel free to revamp the categories to suit your needs.

5.                  Follow-through: Lastly, it is important that you maintain your new filing system daily or at least weekly. This way you will not get piled under the dreaded mounds of paper.

By following these five tips on an ongoing basis your tidal wave of papers will surely cease to exist.

Bio: Donna McDine is an award-winning children's author. Her stories, articles, and book reviews have been published in over 100 print and online publications. Her interest in American History resulted in writing and publishing The Golden Pathway. Donna has four more books under contract with Guardian Angel Publishing, Hockey Agony, Powder Monkey, A Sandy Grave, and Dee and Deb, Off They Go. She writes, moms and is the Editor-in-Chief for Guardian Angel Kids and owner of Author PR Services www.authorprservices.com from her home in the historical hamlet Tappan, NY. McDine is a member of the SCBWI. Visit www.donnamcdine.com.

Engage in Social Networking the Twitter Way by Donna McDine

Engage in Social Networking the Twitter Way

By Donna McDine

To be an effective social networker/marketer setting up your profile is the first step, but it goes far beyond the setup. The saying from the Field of Dreams movie… “Build it and they will come” will not work in this instance. You must continually develop online relationships and share relevant information from your expertise. Like your website and blog, social networking is a constant work-in-progress. Don’t let your shoulders sag, engagement does not need to take you endless hours every day.

Today I will focus on….

How to strengthen your Twitter participation:

To be an effective member of the Twitter community you need to tweet on a consistent basis. Note tweets are limited to 140 characters including spaces and the URL you are directing the reader to. Your tweets can be just about anything. Such as, your latest book, your newsletter, book reviews, author interviews, and information you find interesting to the freelance writing career, etc. My rule of thumb is to tweet at least 4-5 times per day, Monday thru Friday. I give myself off the weekends for good behavior.

Use www.tinyurl.com to shorten the length of the URL you are providing in your tweet, so you save valuable characters for your message.

Don’t just tweet about yourself. Avoid the “it’s all about me attitude”, become a master communicator with tweeting a combination of your own tweets with those of colleagues.

Take out ten to fifteen minutes per day and visit Twitter and retweet (RT) posts of interest for those you are following. You’ll be amazed how appreciative tweeters are for RT. It is a terrific way to broaden the contact base for all those participating.

Scheduling Your Tweets Ahead of Time: Save valuable time and plan your tweets ahead of time (at least weekly). Create your tweets in Word and double check the character length by highlighting your tweet, clicking Review in the toolbar and to the right of Translate on the far left click the ABC/123 symbol. A pop-up screen will appear providing full statistics and make note of the Characters (with spaces) number. To set-up and schedule your tweets, I recommend www.dynamictweets.com. Once you register an account you will be able to schedule a one-time tweet or tweets you’d like to repeat throughout a specific timeframe. The template/site is simple to use. 

Tweeting Lingo and What It Means for Your Tweeting Experience:

# - hashtag – by searching for a keyword with the # (hashtag) before it will pull you up a list of the latest tweets regarding the topic. This is a great way to get in specific conversations and tweeter parties.

@ - symbol before username – by searching for a particular username the results provides their tweets and mentions by fellow tweeters.

Direct Messages – by clicking on the “head” image the pull down menu will appear. Click on direct messages, here you will find a listing of all messages sent to you by fellow tweeters.

For more lingo details visit: https://support.twitter.com/articles/166337-the-twitter-glossary

Remember, tackle your social networking campaign with baby steps every day for each step will develop into a quantum leap.

If you require further guidance or have additional questions, please free to contact me at donna@donnamcdine.com. As a PR Publicist I offer an array of services and FREE articles to help you FREE up your valuable writing time, visit www.authorprservices.com for details.

Thank you for joining me today, it’s been a pleasure.

Bio: I am an award-winning children's author, Honorable Mention in the 77th and two Honorable Mentions in the 78^th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competitions,  Literary Classics Silver Award & Seal of Approval Recipient Picture Book Early Reader, Global eBook Awards Finalist Children’s Picture Book Fiction, and Preditors & Editors Readers Poll 2010 Top Ten Children’s Books ~ The Golden Pathway.

I have three more books under contract with Guardian Angel Publishing, Hockey Agony, Powder Monkey, and A Sandy Grave. I write, moms and am the Editor-in-Chief for Guardian Angel Kids, Publicist for the Working Writer’s Club, and owner of Author PR Services from my home in the historical hamlet Tappan, NY.