Social Media Platforms to Explore
Wikipedia states Web 2.0 is a term which describes the trend in the use of World Wide Web
technology and web design that aims to enhance creativity, information sharing, and, most
notably, collaboration among users. These concepts have led to the development and evolution
of web-based communities and hosted services, such as social-networking sites, wikis, blogs,
and folksonomies. For more information, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0
Another term for you …
Social media is an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology,
social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction,
and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and
"building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories, and
understandings.
Let’s Explore … Blogging
Blogging is social media. You set essentially set-up a blog as a hub (a central point) to draw an
audience to read and discuss a particular topic or topics.
What is a blog?
Watch this video by The CommonCraft Show.
http://tywebbin.com/2007/11/what-is-a-blog/
Popular platforms: blogger.com, wordpress.com or
wordpress.org (self-hosted), typepad.com (pay)
Many authors will use blogs to help other writers by
posting about their personal publishing journey.
Visit www.stacyhawkinsadams.com to view how
her blog was seamlessly included in the site’s
design.
If you have a certain niche or topic that you write about in your books, you can use this a jump
off point for creating a blog. A good example of this is Linda Leigh Hargrove and her blog where
2
she talks about racial reconciliation. This is a topic also found in her Christian Fiction books, The
Making of Isaac Hunt and Loving Cee Cee Johnson can be found at http://www.llhargrove.com/
(self-hosted wordpress).
Okay, so suppose you are not published yet. IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TOO MARKET! I would still
encourage you to set-up a blog as starters. Two author friends that I know developed a
“following” online BEFORE they were published.
Camy Tang (blogger.com)
Read Camy’s publication testimony at http://camys-loft.blogspot.com/2006/03/i-got-
contract.html. She also gives back to other writers, with an excellent blog for writers called
Story Sensei.
Claudia Mair Burney (blogger.com)
Claudia’s, Ragamuffin Diva blog has a rare, but beautiful story of being discovered through her
blog.
SO, IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TOO MARKET or at least get your name out there as you network
and learn more about the industry.
How to Keep Readers Coming Back
• Do keep in mind if you decide to blog, post content regularly at least 2-4 times a week.
• People do get busy, so even if they have your blog bookmarked, they might not always
remember to visit. That’s where RSS Feeds and feed aggregators, like Google Reader
and Bloglines can help. I could go into more details about how you use RSS feeds to
keep people updated, but that could take a whole other seminar.
• Keep in mind if you don’t want to put together a newsletter, you can use services like
3
Feedblitz.com or Feedburner.com to send your blog posts out to people via email.
Remember email is still the major form of online communication for most adults.
Let’s Explore … Micro-blogging
Popular platforms: twitter.com, plurk.com
By you may have heard about the phenomenon Twitter. Don’t knock it until you try it. I think I
had a twitter account for months before I decided to really check it out. Most people that I
know, once you get started, it’s a whole lot of fun – and easy!
Twitter is like blogging, but it's different. Microblogging is a concise way of posting
information in a few characters. So, if you’re not interested in creating a full-blown blog, but
you want to jump into using social media, you might like Twitter.
Other microblogging platforms that compete with (or tried to) are Pownce and Plurk account.
Pownce went out of business end of 2008. There are microblogging platforms like Yammer
created especially for businesses. Twitter officially went mainstream. Mainstream means that
it's no longer a tool for just the "geeks" or business minded folks looking to network heavily.
You are allowed to send or tweet 140 characters. This seems strange, but as a writer you are
encouraged to write tight and this is the perfect platform to put that skill to work. You can
almost thinking of it like pitching or like the elevator conversation, because you want to say
something meaningful to encourage people to follow you in as few words as possible.
4
Twitter is the best when it comes to networking. You can follow other people and if people like
what you are saying, they will follow you. Sounds a bit like stalking I know, but really just try it.
You can control who follows you, by blocking unwanted persons.
If an author has posted an excerpt for their upcoming book release to their Website, you can
draw traffic to your site by posting a twitter announcement.
Let’s Explore … Social Networking
Popular platforms: facebook.com, goodreads.com, shelfari.com
Update: I took out myspace. Since I wrote this, I believe Facebook and social networks
especially for readers work best for authors. I believe Google+ is one to watch and check out. At
the time of this update, it was still invitation-only.
Watch this video by The CommonCraft Show. What is Social Networking?
http://tywebbin.com/2007/06/what-is-social-networking/
There are so many social networks these days. You really have to check them out for yourself to
see what you really like and are comfortable joining. The KEY is to find one you enjoy,
participate and network. I recommend choosing at least 3 social networks to participate on a
regular basis. In this guide we will explore the top two, Facebook and MySpace, and a few other
bookworm hubs.
Facebook.com
Facebook is now the largest social network. I can see why? It’s by far the easiest one to set-up a
profile and connect. It only takes one person requesting to be your friend and then you are
connecting with who they have connected with and vice versa.
This is a basic break-down on how to use Facebook in your marketing plans:
Facebook Profile Page
Most authors I see, use their own individual page as the main spot for fans to see their activity.
If you only stick with using your individual profile, you are limited on the number of people you
can send a message to. You also have to keep in mind whatever you post on your wall is visible
to people who you may not want as much knowledge about your life as you would like.
5
I am connected to family and friends, but I decided to use my profile page mainly for
professional networking and book promotion. Every once in awhile, I will post something
outside of that realm, but it’s pretty obvious I’m all about literary projects.
If you are an author who prefers to keep your profile page more for family and friends you
actually know, then you definitely want to go the fan or group page route.
Facebook Group Page
Since I started coordinating blog tours or virtual book tours for authors this year, I have tried
all types of social media campaigns. I chose the Facebook Group route for most of them, mainly
because as a bookworm and a writer, I felt authors would want a sense of community with a
reader’s group. I do like the inclusion of traditional type forums on the group pages for
discussion. If the author doesn’t manage their group, you will want to think about including a
moderator or virtual assistant to help keep the group active.
I found out there is a limitation to the number of messages (limited to 5000) you can send to a
group. This may not be a problem for authors unless you are really big-time already.
I would like to see if Facebook will redesign the group pages in the future. There is a lack of
intimacy you expect for a group, but the functionality is there.
Facebook Fan Page
As a business I set-up a Facebook
Fan page for the blog tours. With
the recent redesign, I really love
how the interface for the fan page
resembles the individual profile
page. With each blog tour, I switch
out the graphics to bring focus to
the author being promoted that
particular week.
By importing the blog tour rss
feed, all the day to day activity for the blog tours are included on the fan page wall. In a lot of
ways, the fan page can be set-up to run with relative ease without a lot of manual interaction.
Recently, now that I’m an author, I also chose to set-up a fan page (Author Tyora Moody). I’ve
been known online as a graphic designer and entrepreneur for years, so the fan page helps me
pick-up on Facebook friends who are interested in my upcoming novel, When Rain Falls.
6
Social Networks for Book Lovers
Social networks authors would benefit from joining are:
• shelfari.com
• goodreads.com
These sites are great for meeting bookworms and other authors. You can find a great support
system willing to help you promote your book – using that word of mouth art form that has
been around for years and years.
Let’s Explore … Video-Based Social Media
Popular platforms: youtube.com, vimeo.com
You might think of Youtube.com as a place where people post silly videos. If you have the time
and the skill (or you can budget for this) create a book trailer.
The cool thing about most video sites, you can take the embed code for your video and add it to
your Website. So you don’t necessarily have to draw traffic to Youtube, but you can still bring
readers or future readers to your Website.
Post your video on as many places as possible that would attract readers. This is a part of viral
marketing. Sounds gross, but here is a definition.
Viral marketing and viral advertising refer to marketing techniques that use pre-existing
social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing
objectives (such as product sales) through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to
the spread of pathological and computer viruses. It can be word-of-mouth delivered or
enhanced by the network effects of the Internet. Viral promotions may take the form of
video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames, ebooks, brandable software, images,
or even text messages. The basic form of viral marketing is not infinitely sustainable.
If you want to experiment with making a movie trailer, here are Websites
• http://animoto.com/
• http://www.onetruemedia.com/
7
Let’s Explore … Audio-Based Social Media
Popular platforms: blogtalkRadio.com
You don’t necessarily have to start your own
podcast or radio show, but if your platform
calls for it, go for it! There are sources out
there for you to get started. All you need is an
account, and an assigned phone number. Like
the videos, these sites provide embed codes so
your audio files can be included on your site.
You definitely want to consider being a guest
on someone’s show as a part of your
promotional tour.
Let’s Explore … Document Sharing Social Media
Popular platforms: docstoc.com, scribd.com, slideshare.net
People like FREE stuff. Anytime you can provide a free resource that’s a promotion opportunity.
Use these sites to upload excerpts, discussion questions for book clubs or articles.
Now do you really have to try all of these social media platforms?
No, but you should explore different types to find out what works for you. Remember I said,
you should choose at least 3 social networks for regular participation (be sure Facebook is one
of them). Stay active in your favorite community whether it’s around your personal blog or on a
social networking site. The key to social media or Web 2.0, it should compliment your Website,
where your main online presence is located.
Promotion should be more than posting announcements or PR releases. This is the time to get
out there to meet your readers and let them meet you. Social media allows you to connect to
people you might never meet in person. When a person has an experience with you, hopefully
a good one AND then enjoy reading your books, you’ve created an INFLUENCER.
Someone who will tell others about your book.
Now that’s marketing you can use!
8
Your Online Presence. Go for it!
Choose a social media platform that you have not tried yet.
Here are a few below that I covered in this workshop.
1. Set up a blog. Free accounts are available at Blogger.com and WordPress.com. Set-up a
schedule that works for you. Plan to blog for a month, maybe once or twice a week.
Think about a topic you are passionate about and dive in.
2. Set up a Twitter account. Start following people. Feel free to follow me at -
www.twitter.com/tyoramoody
3. Setup up a Facebook page .
4. Create a book trailer. Post to Youtube.com. It doesn't have to be a published book.
5. If you want to jump into your own radio show, sign up for www.Blogtalkradio.com.
9
About the Author
Tyora Moody is an author, graphic designer, and entrepreneur.
Her debut novel, When Rain Falls, will be released March 2012
(Urban Christian / Kensington). This is the first book in the Victory
Gospel series.
Tyora writes romantic suspense and cozy mysteries. She is a
member of Sisters in Crime and American Christian Fiction Writers.
She owns and operates Tywebbin Creations LLC, a design and
marketing company. Her company’s niche is assisting authors with
branding and developing an online presence.
Follow Tyora Moody online at: Follow Tywebbin Creations online at:
www.TyoraMoody.com http://www.TywebbinCreations.com
www.facebook.com/AuthorTyoraMoody www.facebook.com/Tywebbin
twitter.com/tyoramoody twitter.com/tywebbin
10
ow or on television. You can at least write
articles for print or online publications.
Websites to check out: flourishleadership.com, toniaspeaks.com
Audience
You need to know your audience.
CamillePeay.com. Camille’s YA book, Brittani, is
marketed to young adult females. So, when we talked
about her Website, she wanted something not too cute,
but would appeal to a young girl.
When you are talking to a web designer or if you are
searching for a template, think about your audience. Do you want something that attracts a
younger audience? If you write suspense, shouldn’t you think about darker colors versus pastels
(even if you really like pastels)?
Plan for the future.
KellyStarlingLyons.com. Children's book author, Kelly Starling Lyons, has mainly written
children's books, but when it came time to put together a Website, she wanted to make sure it
would appeal to young adults as well since she’s planning to write for a YA audience.
If you are going to write for more than one type of audience, you may have to think about
branding yourself two different ways. Several authors, who write adult books, have separate
Websites for their YA books.
Example: Victoria Christopher Murray
http://www.victoriachristophermurray.com, http://www.thedivinedivas.com
Feel free to request a FREE quote for a Website or a customized blog at Tywebbin Creations.
10
Online Marketing Tips for Authors Tyora Moody
Social Media Platforms to Explore
Wikipedia states Web 2.0 is a term which describes the trend in the use of World Wide Web
technology and web design that aims to enhance creativity, information sharing, and, most
notably, collaboration among users. These concepts have led to the development and evolution
of web-based communities and hosted services, such as social-networking sites, wikis, blogs,
and folksonomies. For more information, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0
Another term for you …
Social media is an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology,
social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction,
and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and
"building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories, and
understandings.
Let’s Explore … Blogging
Blogging is social media. You set essentially set-up a blog as a hub (a central point) to draw an
audience to read and discuss a particular topic or topics.
What is a blog?
Watch this video by The CommonCraft Show.
http://tywebbin.com/2007/11/what-is-a-blog/
Popular platforms: blogger.com, wordpress.com or
wordpress.org (self-hosted), typepad.com (pay)
Many authors will use blogs to help other writers by
posting about their personal publishing journey.
Visit www.stacyhawkinsadams.com to view how
her blog was seamlessly included in the site’s
design.
If you have a certain niche or topic that you write about in your books, you can use this a jump
off point for creating a blog. A good example of this is Linda Leigh Hargrove and her blog where
she talks about racial reconciliation. This is a topic also found in her Christian Fiction books, The
11
Online Marketing Tips for Authors Tyora Moody
Making of Isaac Hunt and Loving Cee Cee Johnson can be found at http://www.llhargrove.com/
(self-hosted wordpress).
Okay, so suppose you are not published yet. IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TOO MARKET! I would still
encourage you to set-up a blog as starters. Two author friends that I know developed a
“following” online BEFORE they were published.
Camy Tang (blogger.com)
Read Camy’s publication testimony at http://camys-loft.blogspot.com/2006/03/i-got-
contract.html. She also gives back to other writers, with an excellent blog for writers called
Story Sensei.
Claudia Mair Burney (blogger.com)
Claudia’s, Ragamuffin Diva blog has a rare, but beautiful story of being discovered through her
blog.
SO, IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TOO MARKET or at least get your name out there as you network
and learn more about the industry.
How to Keep Readers Coming Back
• Do keep in mind if you decide to blog, post content regularly at least 2-4 times a week.
• People do get busy, so even if they have your blog bookmarked, they might not always
remember to visit. That’s where RSS Feeds and feed aggregators, like Google Reader
and Bloglines can help. I could go into more details about how you use RSS feeds to
keep people updated, but that could take a whole other seminar.
• Keep in mind if you don’t want to put together a newsletter, you can use services like
Feedblitz.com or Feedburner.com to send your blog posts out to people via email.
12
Online Marketing Tips for Authors Tyora Moody
Remember email is still the major form of online communication for most adults.
Let’s Explore … Micro-blogging
Popular platforms: twitter.com, plurk.com
By you may have heard about the phenomenon Twitter. Don’t knock it until you try it. I think I
had a twitter account for months before I decided to really check it out. Most people that I
know, once you get started, it’s a whole lot of fun – and easy!
Twitter is like blogging, but it's different. Microblogging is a concise way of posting
information in a few characters. So, if you’re not interested in creating a full-blown blog, but
you want to jump into using social media, you might like Twitter.
Other microblogging platforms that compete with (or tried to) are Pownce and Plurk account.
Pownce went out of business end of 2008. There are microblogging platforms like Yammer
created especially for businesses. Twitter officially went mainstream. Mainstream means that
it's no longer a tool for just the "geeks" or business minded folks looking to network heavily.
You are allowed to send or tweet 140 characters. This seems strange, but as a writer you are
encouraged to write tight and this is the perfect platform to put that skill to work. You can
almost thinking of it like pitching or like the elevator conversation, because you want to say
something meaningful to encourage people to follow you in as few words as possible.
Twitter is the best when it comes to networking. You can follow other people and if people like
13
Online Marketing Tips for Authors Tyora Moody
what you are saying, they will follow you. Sounds a bit like stalking I know, but really just try it.
You can control who follows you, by blocking unwanted persons.
If an author has posted an excerpt for their upcoming book release to their Website, you can
draw traffic to your site by posting a twitter announcement.
Let’s Explore … Social Networking
Popular platforms: facebook.com, goodreads.com, shelfari.com
Update: I took out myspace. Since I wrote this, I believe Facebook and social networks
especially for readers work best for authors. I believe Google+ is one to watch and check out. At
the time of this update, it was still invitation-only.
Watch this video by The CommonCraft Show. What is Social Networking?
http://tywebbin.com/2007/06/what-is-social-networking/
There are so many social networks these days. You really have to check them out for yourself to
see what you really like and are comfortable joining. The KEY is to find one you enjoy,
participate and network. I recommend choosing at least 3 social networks to participate on a
regular basis. In this guide we will explore the top two, Facebook and MySpace, and a few other
bookworm hubs.
Facebook.com
Facebook is now the largest social network. I can see why? It’s by far the easiest one to set-up a
profile and connect. It only takes one person requesting to be your friend and then you are
connecting with who they have connected with and vice versa.
This is a basic break-down on how to use Facebook in your marketing plans:
Facebook Profile Page
Most authors I see, use their own individual page as the main spot for fans to see their activity.
If you only stick with using your individual profile, you are limited on the number of people you
can send a message to. You also have to keep in mind whatever you post on your wall is visible
to people who you may not want as much knowledge about your life as you would like.
14
Online Marketing Tips for Authors Tyora Moody
I am connected to family and friends, but I decided to use my profile page mainly for
professional networking and book promotion. Every once in awhile, I will post something
outside of that realm, but it’s pretty obvious I’m all about literary projects.
If you are an author who prefers to keep your profile page more for family and friends you
actually know, then you definitely want to go the fan or group page route.
Facebook Group Page
Since I started coordinating blog tours or virtual book tours for authors this year, I have tried
all types of social media campaigns. I chose the Facebook Group route for most of them, mainly
because as a bookworm and a writer, I felt authors would want a sense of community with a
reader’s group. I do like the inclusion of traditional type forums on the group pages for
discussion. If the author doesn’t manage their group, you will want to think about including a
moderator or virtual assistant to help keep the group active.
I found out there is a limitation to the number of messages (limited to 5000) you can send to a
group. This may not be a problem for authors unless you are really big-time already.
I would like to see if Facebook will redesign the group pages in the future. There is a lack of
intimacy you expect for a group, but the functionality is there.
Facebook Fan Page
As a business I set-up a Facebook
Fan page for the blog tours. With
the recent redesign, I really love
how the interface for the fan page
resembles the individual profile
page. With each blog tour, I switch
out the graphics to bring focus to
the author being promoted that
particular week.
By importing the blog tour rss
feed, all the day to day activity for the blog tours are included on the fan page wall. In a lot of
ways, the fan page can be set-up to run with relative ease without a lot of manual interaction.
Recently, now that I’m an author, I also chose to set-up a fan page (Author Tyora Moody). I’ve
been known online as a graphic designer and entrepreneur for years, so the fan page helps me
pick-up on Facebook friends who are interested in my upcoming novel, When Rain Falls.
15
Online Marketing Tips for Authors Tyora Moody
Social Networks for Book Lovers
Social networks authors would benefit from joining are:
• shelfari.com
• goodreads.com
These sites are great for meeting bookworms and other authors. You can find a great support
system willing to help you promote your book – using that word of mouth art form that has
been around for years and years.
Let’s Explore … Video-Based Social Media
Popular platforms: youtube.com, vimeo.com
You might think of Youtube.com as a place where people post silly videos. If you have the time
and the skill (or you can budget for this) create a book trailer.
The cool thing about most video sites, you can take the embed code for your video and add it to
your Website. So you don’t necessarily have to draw traffic to Youtube, but you can still bring
readers or future readers to your Website.
Post your video on as many places as possible that would attract readers. This is a part of viral
marketing. Sounds gross, but here is a definition.
Viral marketing and viral advertising refer to marketing techniques that use pre-existing
social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing
objectives (such as product sales) through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to
the spread of pathological and computer viruses. It can be word-of-mouth delivered or
enhanced by the network effects of the Internet. Viral promotions may take the form of
video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames, ebooks, brandable software, images,
or even text messages. The basic form of viral marketing is not infinitely sustainable.
If you want to experiment with making a movie trailer, here are Websites
• http://animoto.com/
• http://www.onetruemedia.com/
16
Online Marketing Tips for Authors Tyora Moody
Let’s Explore … Audio-Based Social Media
Popular platforms: blogtalkRadio.com
You don’t necessarily have to start your own
podcast or radio show, but if your platform
calls for it, go for it! There are sources out
there for you to get started. All you need is an
account, and an assigned phone number. Like
the videos, these sites provide embed codes so
your audio files can be included on your site.
You definitely want to consider being a guest
on someone’s show as a part of your
promotional tour.
Let’s Explore … Document Sharing Social Media
Popular platforms: docstoc.com, scribd.com, slideshare.net
People like FREE stuff. Anytime you can provide a free resource that’s a promotion opportunity.
Use these sites to upload excerpts, discussion questions for book clubs or articles.
Now do you really have to try all of these social media platforms?
No, but you should explore different types to find out what works for you. Remember I said,
you should choose at least 3 social networks for regular participation (be sure Facebook is one
of them). Stay active in your favorite community whether it’s around your personal blog or on a
social networking site. The key to social media or Web 2.0, it should compliment your Website,
where your main online presence is located.
Promotion should be more than posting announcements or PR releases. This is the time to get
out there to meet your readers and let them meet you. Social media allows you to connect to
people you might never meet in person. When a person has an experience with you, hopefully
a good one AND then enjoy reading your books, you’ve created an INFLUENCER.
Someone who will tell others about your book.
Now that’s marketing you can use!
17
Online Marketing Tips for Authors Tyora Moody
Your Online Presence. Go for it!
Choose a social media platform that you have not tried yet.
Here are a few below that I covered in this workshop.
1. Set up a blog. Free accounts are available at Blogger.com and WordPress.com. Set-up a
schedule that works for you. Plan to blog for a month, maybe once or twice a week.
Think about a topic you are passionate about and dive in.
2. Set up a Twitter account. Start following people. Feel free to follow me at -
www.twitter.com/tyoramoody
3. Setup up a Facebook page .
4. Create a book trailer. Post to Youtube.com. It doesn't have to be a published book.
5. If you want to jump into your own radio show, sign up for www.Blogtalkradio.com.
18
Online Marketing Tips for Authors Tyora Moody
About the Author
Tyora Moody is an author, graphic designer, and entrepreneur.
Her debut novel, When Rain Falls, will be released March 2012
(Urban Christian / Kensington). This is the first book in the Victory
Gospel series.
Tyora writes romantic suspense and cozy mysteries. She is a
member of Sisters in Crime and American Christian Fiction Writers.
She owns and operates Tywebbin Creations LLC, a design and
marketing company. Her company’s niche is assisting authors with
branding and developing an online presence.
Follow Tyora Moody online at: Follow Tywebbin Creations online at:
www.TyoraMoody.com http://www.TywebbinCreations.com
www.facebook.com/AuthorTyoraMoody www.facebook.com/Tywebbin
twitter.com/tyoramoody twitter.com/tywebbin
19