I have always been a pen-and-paper kind of guy when it comes to my poetry
and occasional prose. However, it would be very naïve to think that the
Internet has not had a profound impact on writing. Additionally, it would be
foolish for any writer to discredit the Internet as a valuable resource for
development and success.
That's right: Resistance is futile.
For those of us looking for feedback and exposure for our writing, we have
something to benefit from using the Internet. In this article, I will focus on
the basics behind the two most important Internet tools out there for writers:
Blogging and Social Networking. Since there are so many other valuable uses for
the Internet, I will be focusing on topics such as self-publishing in future
articles.
Blogging
Blogging has been around for a little while now. Blogging allows you to
create your own web space in which you can post writing and thoughts to anyone
else online. Some of the well-known blog websites around are Blogger, Tumblr,
and WordPress, although many others exist. The reason blogging is so valuable
to writers is that you can both solicit feedback on your writing as well as
gain a following simply by becoming an active part of the blogging community.
My suggested simple approach to blogging is to:
1. Join a blog site (Blogger.com, Tumblr.com, WordPress.com, etc.).
2. Design your blog. This just means filling out whatever information you want
anyone who visits your blog to see as well as selecting a visual template that
suits you.
3. Interact with other bloggers! Find other blogs that interest you and make
meaningful comments.
4. Upload your own writing or thoughts to your blog and solicit feedback from
others. Thank those who follow you and those who comment on your posts.
Once you get the hang of blogging, you will start figuring out how blogging
works for you. That being said, the one piece of advice I can give from many,
many years of blogging is that you should always be genuine. It is more than
obvious when someone involved in a discussion is simply trying to promote his
or her own work. Being genuine is essential to maintaining credibility.
Social Networking
Social networking is a little newer than blogging. Most people will agree
that there are two giants in social networking: Facebook and Twitter.
Started only seven years ago, Facebook has amassed over 500 million users.
Facebook allows you to interact with friends, family, and other Facebook users.
It also offers quite a lot of potential exposure for your writing! It allows
you to post updates on current writings, blog posts, and any other thoughts you
wish to share. Other people can "Like" your Facebook page and you can
amass quite a following.
My suggested simple approach to setting up a Facebook page is to:
1. Sign up for Facebook under the Artist, Band, or Public Figure Category.
As opposed to a regular Facebook account, this will allow other users to
"Like" your page.
2. Upload a picture of yourself, include a short description, and link to any
other websites you have (hopefully a blog!).
3. Post useful and entertaining links as well as updates about your own
writings. I suggest posting an update somewhere between once a day and once a
week. More than once a day will overload your subscribers, however you don't
want to post so infrequently that they forget about you.
4. Link to your Facebook page from your blog and any other websites you have.
5. Interact! Along the same vein as blogging, find Facebook pages of other
users and comments. Again, be genuine and do not constantly self-promote.
You will also want to sign up for a Twitter account. Twitter allows you to
interact with others in short (140 character-or-less) messages. This character
limitation can be surprisingly entertaining, and often leads to enjoyable
quips, quotes, and advice.