I never intentionally set out to be a social media “guru,” though now looking back it seems an inevitable choice. Why? Not only do I love helping people but I also have an insatiable appetite for cracking codes and patterns…then using that information to predict trends.

Seriously. Yes, I am a nerd.

But this skill has come in handy and has allowed me to be at the leading edge of the evolution of the Digital Age. By examining vast amounts of data, I can see patterns emerge almost with a life all their own. The best way to describe it?

Remember those Magic Eye images that were so popular in malls in the 90s? They just looked like a jumble of dots or colors or random images but if viewed in a certain way, made a larger three-dimensional image? Some people could see the image easily and some (like my husband) to this day claim it was all a hoax designed to sell overpriced wall art.

But this is a lot of what I do when it comes to social media, to analyzing what is going to be the next vector. What sites are gaining traction and which might be flagging or even dying. I ponder all the points and they come together into a larger “whole.”

That was why, when writing my book Rise of the Machines—Human Authors of the Digital Age, I chose to focus on human patterns rather than technological ones. Humans are far more constant and techniques I teach in my book will work no matter what changes the Digital Age throws our way. Why? Because my approach is based on people not technology.

This said, there is a new trend that is piquing my interest and I think it’s going to make a radical shift in social media that might even have the power to topple the mightiest of all. Looking at all the random dots? The larger emerging Facebook picture is not pretty.

But before I go there, I want to warn you ahead of time that this post was longer than usual. Problem was, I felt if I spaced this out over separate days that my assertions might lose critical integrity. Thus, to make viewing easier, I have broken it up in the body so you can choose whether to read all at once or space it out.

Thank you!

Act One—The Life Evolution of the Digital Age

The Digital Age as we know it was, in a way, an unplanned pregnancy. The original Web 1.0 collapsed with the fall of the dot.coms and then *POOF* this new idea of how the Internet would work came to be. In the 90s (Web 1.0), web sites were the firm domain of professionals who knew how to write code.

Most regular people (as in those without a programming skills) were not on-line. Those who were on-line used the web in a passive way. We weren’t actively a part of the web. We simply consumed what was given to us.

No one really ever imagined an Internet fueled by user-generated content (Web 2.0) as opposed to controlled corporate content (Web 1.0). What do I mean? Well, a good example of this is the notion of the “Super Model.”

In the 90s, the fashion industry and corporations chose who would get the title Super Model. Many of us grew up in the age of the Cindy Crawfords and Naomi Campbells. They graced every magazine cover.

Every cover.

Like ALL of them.

These days? Who graces the cover of a magazine is far more democratic. Popularity with the people is the highest priority which is why we are seeing so many of the new fashion “icons” rising from places like Instagram. But who would have imagined in 1993 that regular ordinary people would be determining who would be on the front of Cosmopolitan and Vogue, as opposed to some big shot fashion photographer with an “eye” for the next big thing?

And of course it would be the next big thing because, really what choice did we have?

Back to Baby

If we go with this idea of Web 2.0 being an unplanned baby, then we see some patterns emerge. In the beginning a baby is really cute…but can’t exactly do a lot. That was the beginning of the Internet (as we know it). Didn’t do a lot, but it was sooooo adorable and had such potential!

Dial up? Baby learned to crawl. Awww look a the cute message boards.

Cable Internet. Learned to walk, climb and get into everything. We can shop? And not have to wear pants?

The early days of social media (in my opinion) were like the gilded years of childhood. It’s like watching Spawn play. He doesn’t care what color a kid’s skin is, if the kid has expensive shoes, or what hairstyle said kid has. All kids are, as he calls them, “My new best friend.”

We were that way in the beginning of sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter which all emerged at roughly the same juncture in time.

You have a MySpace page? OMG! Me too! Lets be best friends!

Tweet me!

Granted it wasn’t all kisses and unicorns but compared to these days? Those were halcyon times for sure.

Now? I think the Digital Age is in all-out-want-to-stab-it-in-the face-adolescence.

Act Two—Invasion of the Mean Girls

I know all of this is very unscientific, but there is something to the saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” I think when social media was new, regular people minded their manners better. We were caught up in the newness of it all. Then? It wasn’t as new. Then it was part of everyday life.

We got comfortable. Too comfortable. Things people would never say or do in person? Became fine on-line. More folks began burping and farting and scratching themselves in blithe ignorance to the damage it was doing to the overall social experience.

Social media is social. I have said this until I am blue in the face. When we forget that fundamental element, we invite disaster.

Case in point. I was speaking on a panel at Thrillerfest a few years ago and an author was livid with me that I criticized the use of automation.

I replied, “But I’m not on social media to talk to a robot. I can call AT&T if I want that.”

I explained that the problem with automation was it inevitably bred more. That eventually it would wreck Twitter because no one wanted to just sit around for a bunch of automated link spam.

Now, is Twitter useless and gone? No. But for socializing? Pretty much. It’s harder and harder to find real people because the relentless surge of automation has crowded them out.

I gave another prediction years ago. I cautioned users from posting too much on inflammatory topics like sex, politics and religion. If we think of social media as social, this makes sense. Who wants to go to a cocktail party to be yelled at and attacked?

What? No takers?

I postulated that, like automation would inevitably breed more automation, more toxicity would breed further toxicity.

I cautioned that if people failed to employ the same kind of self-restraint used in person, that eventually even mega-giants like Facebook would be abandoned and left the sole domain of bullies and trolls much like Twitter has been left to bots.

Why? To be blunt, there would be too many jerks pissing on the party.

It takes no genius to surmise that regular people would eventually not tolerate non-stop venom. Even Psychology Today wrote a recent article about how the presence of even one mean employee (not even a bully but merely rude) can drag down the entire workplace. What is true at work is true on-line.

Back to my metaphor.

Teenagers

In humans, this is a critical and difficult stage of transformation that is key for determining not only a future adult identity but the core elements of character. What kind of adult will the teen become?

On one hand teenagers can be dreamy and filled with hope. Wild with abandon and creativity.

But on the other?

They can also be selfish, cruel, unrestrained, reckless, and…drama queens. Everything is a big deal. Of course what happens is that when everything is important, then nothing is.

In earlier days of Facebook we would hit critical junctures where emotions would be more heightened than normal (I.e election years). In the social media tween years? Wasn’t too bad. Was at least manageable.

Now, with the Digital Age being in full on adolescence? It is freaking moody and volatile and plain damn MEAN. It’s selfish and emotionally out of control.

Full steam ahead and no one is sidetracking me from my drama du jour!!!

Drama, Drama and YES…More Drama

Everything has become a big deal and so many of the people I follow have morphed into pseudo-journalists overnight. Here’s the thing, if I wanted to be hysterical, I’d stream CNN. But I don’t want to be hysterical. I want to talk and laugh and…socialize.

Facebook used to have shorter and fewer cycles of distress. There would be some big disaster/event/decision/election and everyone would be in a tizzy for a few days. But then? FB would return to a relatively bucolic normal.

These days? The cycles have become so brief they are now overlapping and blurring into a singular rage-filled constant. It seems everyone is upset about everything and to make matters worse? Too many folks insist on talking about whatever is bothering them non-freaking-stop.

And God help anyone who disagrees.

I’m wondering if people are becoming meaner or if the mean ones are the only ones remaining on Facebook.

Not everyone mind you, but a far larger proportion than I’ve ever witnessed. What’s worse is the offenders are also becoming far more aggressive and oblivious to any semblance of civility and decorum.

For instance, I never post about politics or anything else inflammatory. If you scroll any news feed on any of my social sites, you are going to laugh. I love making people smile. If you follow me, you are not going to need a bottle of Tums at the ready for what I post on my wall.

But the other day a friend of mine who resides on the opposite side of the political spectrum was pulling my digital pigtails and I baited. We were all poking fun at one another and having fun.

*enters troll*

This guy set his sites on me and no matter how politely I tried to get him to lighten up, he was hell bent on proving how smart he was by going for my jugular. Eventually? I had to leave the conversation and block the person.

So y’all know…

I was never ON Facebook to defend myself non-stop from ruthless and brutal attack. I don’t think anyone is…and that is what will be Facebook’s undoing.

The Unfollowed

Recently I have found myself doing something I thought I would never do but have been forced to in order to maintain some semblance of sanity. I’ve started unfollowing people (many of them other writers). Not unfriending. I don’t believe in that.

I also don’t believe living in an ideological echo chamber is healthy and have all kinds of friends. I’ve never blocked content I might disagree with…until recently.

But it had less to do with the type of content and more to do with the sheer VOLUME.

Sort of like automation. Automate a few links on Twitter? Meh. No biggie. Automate everything everywhere?

*runs away screaming*

These writers—The Unfollowed—have mutated from friends into geysers of hysteria, hate, ranting, or general pissed-offedness. And I think that’s sad. The same writer who’s spending time on social media might one day announce a book that I would have seen and maybe even bought…had they not pushed me to the point of unfollowing anything they posted.

There are even some well known authors I used to read and buy their books…but now I no longer like them. Deep down I resent how they’ve selfishly beaten me over the head with their opinions. Frankly, there are too many nice and considerate authors to buy from instead.

What makes this all the more interesting is that we humans are by nature social creatures. It’s in our DNA. We don’t socialize we go crazy or die or go crazy then die.

Whatever. Y’all get the point.

We have also come to accept that much of that socialization will be done digitally. I think Facebook was bullet-proof so long as there was no other alternative. But now?

I bring you…The Pokemon GO.

Act Three—Can Pokemon Go Kill Facebook?

The Internet (and the following social component) has evolved dramatically since babyhood, from chatrooms to increasingly advanced social sites. And though many new trends have come along, none in my estimation have ever had the power to dent Facebook…until Pokemon Go.

Pokemon Go is basically geocaching but way “funner.” It’s made what used to be a relatively nerdy activity “mainstream” just like Web 2.0 did to Web 1.0.

So are we witnessing the genesis of Web 3.0? Worth pondering .

And yes I get that this gaming experience is new and there are problems (I.e. accidents/players being a nuisance) but I really don’t care because Pokemon Go is only the beginning, a sign of what will surely be ahead.

Pokemon Go is doing what no other social media site can do. It’s getting people out of the house to socialize.

Players enjoy the fun and the mental challenge of a scavenger hunt and their social needs are once again being met in person (likely where the other humans are far less likely to suddenly start ranting in their face about Monsanto).

Why I think Pokemon Go will change everything is because I follow the money. The problem with monetizing any social site is that people there to mingle, not to shop. Advertising is either invisible or annoying and pure social media sites have had always had a challenge monetizing (even Facebook).

But Pokemon Go doesn’t have that disadvantage.

Pokemon Go makes money off people buying stuff to play the game. Where there IS money is in merchants joining in and promoting the experience.

Businesses have a vested interest in customers getting out of the house and coming to THEM…which means if this catches on the way I think it will? Facebook will be hemorrhaging advertisers.

Seriously. I already see it happening.

Tuesday, I took my son rollerskating because I was fed up with Facebook and played hooky. Guess what I saw? The skating rink was advertising that skating was a good way to get their “egg to hatch” (referencing Pokemon Go).

According to my hair stylist (who blushed and confessed that she’d abandoned social media and taken up Pokemon Go) the eggs hatch depending on the player’s overall level of physical activity. I can say that my stylist looked remarkably trimmer, tanner and…happier.

I think Pokemon Go is going to be a major blow to the social aspect of Facebook.

Now, Facebook (at least from what I can see) will remain relevant and important…just in a very different way.

We will still post pictures, keep up with family and scan headlines…we just won’t stick around. Fewer and fewer people are going to choose to socialize there, especially once developers start releasing better iterations and even new variations of games like Pokemon.

For instance? They get a D&D GO and you may never hear from me again, .

But back to my obsession with patterns. This evolution of the Digital Age toward social games of augmented reality makes a lot of sense. Pokemon GO fills a lot of needs that Facebook either can’t or won’t.

Pokemon Go gets people out of the house.

That is NOT what Facebook wants. FB wants us to be glued to the screen non-stop and doesn’t care if we are isolated, lonely, angry and have grown an extra ass from Cheetos and stress.

Pokemon Go gives us more exercise.

We need to get the heck out of the house and we need to remember how to talk to another actual human being and have some manners when doing it.

Pokemon Go brings people closer.

It is bringing families closer. Instead of Dad scrolling FB and Mom immersed in Pinterest and Junior off on Snap Chat? Isolated, not engaging. They can go for a walk together and hunt virtual critters. Grandma can engage with the grandkids. Couples can do something together.

Pokemon Go is good for businesses.

Pokemon Go is an answer to what a lot of businesses have needed, what they have struggled with. How do we get customers to come to US? Anyone in sales knows that getting people in the door is the hardest part. That roller rink? That was genius. I could see this at golf courses or gyms or malls. Get people walking out in the world and playing together.

What if bookstores began integrating with some of these games? Bringing in people who might catch a critter, then cool off browsing some books?

Again. Food for thought.

About to Get Real

When we put all these factors together? I see a major paradigm shift ahead. What this means for writers or branding? I’m not entirely sure. I need more data, though I DO have some seriously exciting ideas (I.e. people walking to audiobooks or author podcasts to unlock levels).

But even if I am wrong about Pokemon, I am right about one thing. If people don’t stop the hysteria and grow the hell UP, help social media get past the teenage drama and onto adulthood? People won’t stick around. They will uncouple from the crazy train.

What are your thoughts? I have not yet played Pokemon Go, but for anyone who has? What are your thoughts? I’ve heard a lot of good things…namely from people suddenly missing from FB. Do you think FB has gotten out of control with the emo stuff? Are you sick and tired of its eye-rolling and temper tantrums? Are you ready for the Digital Age to just grow the hell up and get a job? Do you think we can save Facebook’s social side? I am unsure.

I LOVE hearing from you!

To prove it and show my love, for the month of JULY, everyone who leaves a comment I will put your name in a hat. If you comment and link back to my blog on your blog, you get your name in the hat twice. What do you win? The unvarnished truth from yours truly. I will pick a winner once a month and it will be a critique of the first 20 pages of your novel, or your query letter, or your synopsis (5 pages or less).

Check out NEW classes below! 

Upcoming Classes

All W.A.N.A. classes are on-line and all you need is an internet connection. Recordings are included in the class price.

We are doing ANOTHER round of Battle of the First Pages!!! August 5th

The first time we did this we had some tech issues doing this new format and we’ve since worked those out, but for now I am still keeping the price low ($25) until we get this streamlined to my tastes.

LIMITED SEATS. This is an open workshop where each person will submit his or her first page of the manuscript for critique. I will read the page aloud and “gong” where I would have stopped reading and explain why. This is an interactive workshop designed to see what works or what doesn’t. Are you ready to test your page in the fire?

Hooking the Reader—Your First Five Pages August 12th

The first five pages are the most essential part of the novel, your single most powerful selling tool. It’s how you will hook agents, editors and readers. This class will cover the most common blunders and also teach you how to hook hard and hook early. This class is 90 minutes long, 60 minutes of instruction and 30 minutes for Q&A.

Your First Five Pages Gold Level

This includes the webinar and a detailed critique your first five pages.

Your First Five Pages Platinum Level

This includes the webinar and a detailed critique of your first twenty pages.

Bullies & Baddies—Understanding the Antagonist August 19th

All fiction must have a core antagonist. The antagonist is the reason for the story problem, but the term “antagonist” can be highly confusing. Without a proper grasp of how to use antagonists, the plot can become a wandering nightmare for the author and the reader.

This class will help you understand how to create solid story problems (even those writing literary fiction) and then give you the skills to layer conflict internally and externally.

Bullies & Baddies—Understanding the Antagonist Gold

This is a personal workshop to make sure you have a clear story problem. And, if you don’t? I’ll help you create one and tell the story you want to tell. This is done by phone/virtual classroom and by appointment. Expect to block off at least a couple hours.

For those who need help building a platform and keeping it SIMPLE, pick up a copy of my latest social media/branding book Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World on AMAZON, iBooks, or Nook. 

The post Is Facebook Dying? What's Killing It? appeared first on Kristen Lamb.

This GORGEOUS image via Flickr Creative Commons, courtesy of Aimannesse Photography

I will confess, being a writer is THE best job in the world. But, I’d be lying if I didn’t ALSO admit it can feel like we’ve been strapped to Hell’s Tilt-A-Whirl.  As writers of the Digital Age we have a much higher chance at success than any writer in history, but we also have more work than any writer in history.

And, to make matters worse, spouses, bills, kiddos with snotty noses, dust bunnies and car troubles don’t go away the day we decide to become professional writers.

In fact, Spawn used more toilet paper than a crew of high school football players rolling the house of a rival team’s quarterback. And he flooded the bathroom. And I still have to clean the mess, but the liquor stores aren’t open yet.

So yeah, that is the glamourous job of an author.

ANYWAY….

RDD Can Make Us Nuts

RDD is what I like to call Reality Deficit Disorder. Like the flu, this disease seems to explode January of every year, normally brought on by New Year’s Resolutions.

We vow to be 18% body fat, debt-free, have an immaculate house, build a perfect social platform with a bazillion fans, and win the Pulitzer…all by March. We seem to collectively go crazy and forget that we can only do so much.

Many writers experience RDD when it comes to social media. We sign up for Facebook, and build an author page, and link to LinkedIn, and pin on Pinterest until our pinners are dull from wear. We weep over Instagram and mortify our teenagers by trying to tackle Tumblr.

Vowing to do everything, eventually we do nothing. We become paralyzed in the face of all we’ve committed to do.

Time to Get Real

Thus, the first step to preventing being overwhelmed is to be realistic in our goals and expectations. If we’ve already blown that, the trick to pulling ourselves out of the tail-spin is to sit down, rework our priorities, and commit to being more realistic.

Goals are written on paper not stone.

Successful people don’t just make a list of goals ONCE. The list of goals is always a living document in need of modification, reordering, or even being scrapped altogether.

Persistence is a wonderful trait. Persistence is noble. But persistence can look a lot like stupid.

If our GOAL is to summit Mt. Everest and we are trudging up Mt. Shasta? Helloooo? Helps to be on the correct MOUNTAIN.

For instance, my life DRASTICALLY changed when I decided to unschool Spawn. Instead of having six hours a day, five days a week where it was QUIET because he was in preschool? I have him here ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.

Thus, I’ve had to rework my routine and sharpen my focus. In between lessons, I let him play X-Box. BUT, it is not uncommon for me to be writing and have to stop and yell:

“Conserve your ammo! Single-fire or burst fire! Those aren’t Hollywood guns! They actually run out of ammo and spraying like a ganbanger creates too much muzzle-walk….”

Okay, where was I? *stares at computer”

Time to Face the Music

I tend to be a person of my word…to a fault. If I promise to do something I will half-kill myself to get it done if need be. But sometimes this is just plain DUMB. I’ve learned that most people will understand if we have to back out of something we’ve promised to do, but we MUST be honest with them and vow to make it right.

Look, Sally. I know I promised to blog every day for a year to raise money for all the starving children in Africa, but I am out of my depth. I overestimated what I can do given the demands of my schedule. I apologize. I was so caught up in wanting to help you, I didn’t think. Please forgive me. Is there anything I can do that might be a smaller job? Can I help you find other bloggers to fill my spot who do have time to blog every day for all the starving children in Africa?

Many times people will be forgiving (probably because they’ve oopsed a time or two themselves). If we just face the problem and offer to be a solution, more often than not, other people will be reasonable.

Whey they aren’t reasonable is when we just don’t show up, disappear or dump a mess in their laps without any offer of help to remedy the problem.

And, as a warning. Don’t do this stuff too often. Professionals always need to take time to think before they agree to doing things. I still struggle with this and I REALLY goofed a few times during those months with Shingles, so as I have one finger pointed at you guys, I have three pointing back at me.

Likely, this will be a lesson we continually learn and relearn throughout all our lives (especially Helpful Hannah personalities like mine :D). But we DO have to be careful or others won’t want to work with us because we are, essentially, flakes.

No one expects us to be perfect, but they do expect us to be honest and kind. We can do that. Yes, it is scary. It’s tough facing when we’ve erred, but making mistakes is just part of the game and how we learn.

We will learn more from our mistakes/failures than we ever will our successes.

Time to Face the True Causes of Our Angst

Making too many commitments and then (mistakenly) believing we can’t change is one of the major causes of feeling overwhelmed. It’s okay to be flexible.

Fortune Cookie Moment: The stiff oak breaks in the strong wind, but the reed that bends endures.

Remember, the commitment you made to yourself, that list of goals? It can be redone. The commitments to others? Those can be changed too, IF we are brave enough to admit we goofed, or maybe life just CHANGED (Hey, I didn’t PLAN on being in an ER three times from Shingles) and then we must be courageous enough to make things right.

Go around the leaf.

~Pixar’s “A Bug’s Life”

Have you made a list of goals that is nothing short of ridiculous? How did you come to your senses? Did you feel guilty having to rework your list? Do you struggle with being over committed? Do you struggle telling people “no”?

I love hearing from you!

To prove it and show my love, for the month of JANUARY, everyone who leaves a comment I will put your name in a hat. If you comment and link back to my blog on your blog, you get your name in the hat twice. What do you win? The unvarnished truth from yours truly. I will pick a winner once a month and it will be a critique of the first 20 pages of your novel, or your query letter, or your synopsis (5 pages or less).

For those who need help building a platform and keeping it SIMPLE, pick up a copy of my latest social media/branding book Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World on AMAZON, iBooks, or Nook. 

The post Writing, The Glamorous Life & Finding Balance in the Madness of Branding appeared first on Kristen Lamb.

In The Digital Age, we seem to find a lot of extremes. Either articles or blogs ranting how social media doesn’t sell books, it’s too hard, there are too many rules, whiiiiiiinnnnne. These folks might write books, maybe even great books, but I suppose they think readers will find them using telepathy. 

Or, there are those who worship the Oracle of Automation and the Lord of Algorithms. Instead of writing MORE BOOKS, they tweet, FB, Instagram, buy flare, do blog tours, futz with the website, the cover, the algorithms…and then can later be witnessed crying in a corner with a pan of brownies and a half-finished bottle of rum.

Thus, I am here to bring some balance to The Force.

Social Media Was NEVER About Selling Books Directly—Who KNEW?

Image via Flikr Creative Commons courtesy of Zoetnet.

I’ve been saying this for about ten years, because the idea of using social circles for sales is NOT new. About ten years ago, I recognized that social media would soon be a vital tool for writers to be able to create a brand and a platform before the book was even finished. This would shift the power away from sole control of Big Publishing and give writers more freedom. But, I knew social media could not be used for direct sales successfully.

How?

When I was in college, every multi-level-marketing company in the known world tried to recruit me. I delivered papers and worked nights most of my college career. Needless to say, I was always on the lookout for a more flexible job that didn’t require lugging fifty pounds of paper up and down three flights of apartment stairs at four in the morning.

I’d answer Want Ads in the paper thinking I was being interviewed for a good-paying job where I could make my own hours. Inevitably it would be some MLM company selling water filters, diet pills, vitamins, prepaid legal services, or soap.

And if I sat through the presentation, they fed me. This meant I sat through most of them.

What always creeped me out was how these types of companies did business. First, “target” family and friends to buy said product (and hopefully either sign them up to sell with you or at least “spread the word” and give business referrals). Hmmmm. Sound familiar?

The business model wasn’t really about meeting people, connecting and actually liking them just because they were good people. There was an endgame…SELL STUFF (or manipulate others into helping you sell stuff).

Ick.

Hey, you go to the gym anyway. Strike up a conversation. Say nice things, then give the sucker friend target a FREE SAMPLE. People who work out need vitamins. That isn’t ookey AT ALL!

Hmmm, looks legit.

The Battle of the Experts

I recall being part of a panel in NYC at Thrillerfest and the other experts were all excited about applications that could tweet for authors “saving time” or even certain tools that could measure what days and times Twitter was most active and when people would be most likely to see our tweets. All I could think was:

1) Are these people tweeting or ovulating?

2) If everyone uses this same tool, then all they will do is crowd the feed and no one will see anything. Left long enough, these “Golden Hours” will shift so people can avoid the barrage of ME, ME, ME! MY BOOK!

The panel’s moderator (ironically) worked for the CIA and was tickled silly that there were all kinds of algorithms that could “predict human behaviors.” Of course, I made myself WAY popular when I said, “The only way to accurately predict human behavior is if we all have a chip in our heads and someone else has a joystick.”

Yes, I can be blunt. My mom is from New York. I blame it on her.

My assertion was that, if this was true, and we could accurately predict human behavior, then we wouldn’t be worrying about crime, war or terrorism and that these algorithms were a mirage that gave a false sense of us “being in control” of the uncontrollable.

Also, how would she still have a job at the CIA?

Oooh, But We Can MEASURE…um, NO

In the 90s and early 21st century most people weren’t on-line. Computers were still cost-prohibitive and Internet service was mind-bendingly slow (dial-up?) and expensive. Social media was in its infancy and only early adopters trusted buying on-line.

Companies could launch ads and measure click-throughs. How long did a visitor stay on a web site’s page? Did the visitor click the ad on the page? Did that ad then translate into a sale? Companies still do this. I’m pretty sure authors can do this, but why would we want to?

Meet Spiffy the Algorithm Hamster. He is DEAD.

Unlike Sephora, Gap or Walmart, most of us are a one-person operation. We don’t have a team of interns to do this stuff. We also don’t have a multi-million dollar corporate budget.

What IF an ad doesn’t work? How many of us have time and extra money to launch a new ad?

Also, there are SO many variables beyond our control. I’ve seen this with blogging. A holiday, time of year (kids getting out of school), a major world news event (like Paris being attacked by terrorist cells) can all affect traffic and click-throughs. To try and study our stats and juke them for advantage is a lot of time better used elsewhere (like writing more books).

Might I suggest one of these…

Relationships are Key

Social media is social, meaning it’s about relationships. This means, 1) it will take time to build and 2) it cannot be outsourced 3) it cannot be automated.

Can you imagine trying to maintain relationships this way in the real world? Give your husband a call-in number:

For the location of clean socks, press 1. For a word of encouragement, press 2. For the item I need you to pick up from the store, press 3. For the real reason I haven’t talked to you since yesterday, please stay on the line and an operator will be with you shortly.

Your estimated call wait time is three days.

HINT: Anniversary.

Social media and author brands will sell books, just not directly and not in ways that can be measured looking at clicks and stats. Social media is essentially word-of-mouth which has been selling stuff books for centuries and no one can measure it. 

The Bottom Line

Since I don’t have all the articles and blogs griping about social media, I am limited here. But I imagine that, aside from telling writers social media was a waste of time that doesn’t sell books, I assume not one of these complainers offered up some panacea replace social media.

See, it is a hell of a lot easier to complain than to offer a solution. Griping takes ZERO brainpower.

So, if social media doesn’t sell books, then what does? Ads don’t. Never have. Promotions (without an extant and vested platform) are time-consuming, expensive and have a dismal ROI (Return on Investment).

Also, if social media is so grossly ineffective, what explanation do we have for the MASSIVE power shift from BIG NYC publishing to indie and self-published authors now 1) making a reasonable second income 2) making a decent enough living to finally write full-time 3) nontraditional authors taking up an increasing portion of major bestseller lists like the New York Times and USA Today and 4) the major inflation of fiction writers now making six and seven figures?

All the ones I know of (and there are MANY) use social media to some extent. All of these authors would never have gained visibility, traction or sales without social media.How can we explain these trends without including social media as a variable?

Notice I said social media as a variable. There is NO magic formula. Hard work, more books, good books and generating word of mouth (in part with a brand and on-line platform) is fundamental. Social media has been mistakenly touted as a formula to wealth and riches, but it isn’t. Neither is buying real estate using a proven program from an infomercial.

The Future

Bookstores are closing. Barnes & Noble is evaporating. Indie stores are making a comeback, but they have limited space (and need to unless they want to go bankrupt like the megastores that tried to KILL them). THIS is the future of book sales. THIS is in the cosmetics section of my grocery store. Insert a debit card and get a sample before you buy…

Why buy a WHOLE tube of lipstick when you can get a sample. Also, um LOSS prevention?

Oh, and these are popping up…

Check your bank balance then BUY A BOOK!

For those who want a paper copy to hold…and get NACHOS!

These kiosks sound familiar. Reminds me of one of my posts from over three years ago. I wrote a lot of other blogs that said basically the same stuff, posts that are even older. But I’ve written over 800 blogs and I’m lazy and have to get back to writing books. And I am not alone in seeing this trend. I’m no great genius. Other people saw this coming.

Um, clearly since I can’t claim I invented any of these machines. Ok, I could, but I try to restrict lying to my fiction.

But, if THESE kiosks are down the pipeline, how can we reasonably come to the conclusion that social media is a total waste of time?

Relying totally on social media is a waste of time, but I’ve been saying that for years. As authors, we are wise to think in terms of our careers. Think like a business, as in short-term and long-term. Platforms and careers need a wide base, deep roots, a community of support, time and a heck of a lot of sweat equity.

Also, there are effective ways to do social media and ways that make others want to stab us in the face (which was why I wrote Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World).W.A.N.A. ways WORK. They’re responsible for selling millions of books. But they take time.

ROM has a simple step-by-step plan. Heck, don’t buy my book. Browse my blogs for free. I only care about your success.

The Future IS Bright for Writers

The future for authors is wonderful, but there is no Social Media Shake Weight. Sorry. I was bummed, too. But here’s the thing. The same articles/blogs that will discourage writers from social media because it doesn’t sell books aren’t also demanding we halt all book signings.

Book signings are fun, they are social, and they’ve historically been a way to connect authors to an audience in a personal way.

Until social media they were the only way. 

But book signings were NEVER meant as a sole means to sell books. In fact, it was really never even the purpose of a signing. Rather it was connection with the author as a person.

Even if a writer has a line out the door, the most even a mega-author might sell is a thousand books. Let’s be generous. FIVE thousand books. A drop in the bucket if you’re Dan Brown. Is selling 5,000 books relevant when an author sells millions? When an author has to board a plane, stay in a hotel, sit in one spot signing for hours or even come up with a speech? And travel city to city to city for a month or more instead of writing?

Food for thought .

We live in a wonderful time to be a writer. Yes, it’s work, but there are a lot of reasons why this job isn’t for everyone. Success in anything is about staying power, passion, and effective action (solid social media, building relationships, and writing MORE books and GOOD books).

What are your thoughts? Are too many authors banking too much on social media? Do you feel social media has been sold to writers as a get-rich-quick-scheme? Do you see other authors approaching social media in a way you know is going to burn them out? Do you know of any nontraditional authors who sold zillions of books yet didn’t use social media at all? What did they do?

…ALIENS.

I LOVE hearing from you!

To prove it and show my love, for the month of JANUARY, everyone who leaves a comment I will put your name in a hat. If you comment and link back to my blog on your blog, you get your name in the hat twice. What do you win? The unvarnished truth from yours truly. I will pick a winner once a month and it will be a critique of the first 20 pages of your novel, or your query letter, or your synopsis (5 pages or less).

For those who need help building a platform and keeping it SIMPLE, pick up a copy of my latest social media/branding book Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World on AMAZON, iBooks, or Nook. 

The post Marketing, Social Media & Book Signings—Why NONE of These Directly Impact Book Sales appeared first on Kristen Lamb.

Last time we took a satirical look at Twitter with 8 Ways to Make People on Twitter Want to STAB US IN THE FACE.  Here’s the deal, we are in sort of a New Gold Rush with this Digital Age publishing paradigm. That means “experts” are everywhere. But, just because someone claims to be an expert doesn’t mean their advice is worth more than the Vista Print cards their title is printed on.

This means it is incumbent on US to do our homework. Hey, yes, I am an expert, but to stay at the top of my game? I love learning new things.

Yet, here’s the deal. If someone is charging you to teach you how to blog, yet their blog has NO comments or single digit comments or they aren’t following their own advice (blogging when they feel like it)? Probably not the best expert to hand cash to.

And, just my POV, but I think anyone with social media services to SELL (outsourcing) is not in the business of empowering an author. Social media is HIGHLY personal these days. People don’t want to talk to a bot or something an assistant wrote. They want to talk to US and outsourcing just pisses them off.

And if Anne Rice can do her own Facebook posts? So can we.

Today we are going to talk a little bit about how to use Twitter. Why? Because I have some really unique methods to help you guys build massive social platforms (meaningful platforms) with far less work.

What the Heck is that # THINGY and What Does it DO?

To be effective at Twitter and discovering and cultivating readers we have to understand the hashtag and how it works. If we don’t know how to properly use a tool, we can easily become a tool, if ya dig ;). Too many writers mistakenly believe they need to be on social media eight hours a day to build an effective platform.

Um, that would be a no.

My tips involve the hashtag conversations, but if you don’t know what a hashtag is or what it does, the tips will make no sense. Feel free to scroll down if you happen to be hashtag savvy.

For the rest of you, you might find yourself asking, What the heck is that # thingy I see all the time?

Here’s the deal. If you bought and read my latest best-selling social media book, Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World, then you downloaded TweetDeck or HootSuite at the first available opportunity. Wait, what? You didn’t?

Okay…we’ll wait. *whistles, checks watch*

Kidding! But, seriously. Download TweetDeck (or a similar application. Yes, HootSuite is fine and plays better with Apple). Trust me. It will make life simpler.

What is a #? That little # symbol is going to help you build a worldwide following. I know. That’s partly how I did it.

So what is it? Well, when you first join Twitter, you are all alone…save for the celebrities that Twitter gives you, but it isn’t like you and Lady Gaga are going to chit chat (though Kim Kardashian might be available). This basically means you are going to have to make some friends or Twitter is gonna be a seriously lonely and confusing place.

Hashtags will help you meet people who love to talk about the same things you do. When you place a # with a keyword at the end of your tweet, Twitter slots your tweet into a conversation shared by people all over the world bound by topic.

Some popular writer hashtags are:

#writegoal (place daily writing goals and keep each other accountable), #amwriting, #pubtip, #indie, #amediting, #nanowrimo, and the one hashtag to rule them all is, of course, #MyWANA.

Thus, when I tweet about my blog, it might look like this:

@KristenLambTX Want to know how to use Twitter to help build your platform? (shortened link goes here) #MyWANA #nanowrimo #pubtip

My Tweet now will not just go out to my specific followers, it will be seen by the THOUSANDS of people all over the world who might be participating in those three popular hashtag conversations.

Why I recommend you download TweetDeck is that you can slot each hastag into its own column and then follow the people and conversations. When it comes to social media, we must interact and be vested in others, or we risk being perceived as fake and selfish.

The hashtag is to help us meet and converse with others effectively. It is not a new way to spam our fellow tweeps.

Thus, to help you guys out, today we are going to talk about three Twitter Tool Tactics, but then I will follow each Tool Tactic with a Tweep Tactic. I never criticize unless I can offer a solution.

Without further ado…be a tweep, NOT a tool.

TOOL Tactic #1

Using an auto-tweet system with hashtags.

BAD idea. This can get you banned to Twitter Limbo.

I’m utterly, completely, totally against authors using auto-tweets anyway. If our face and name are our Twitter identity, then our tweets need to be us tweeting IN PERSON.

These days, even large companies can’t get away with auto-tweets. Granted, no one expects to have a conversation with @BestBuy. They will, however, expect conversation from us.

And don’t even TRY to cheat. People are smart and will smell an automatically generated message a mile away…and then promptly ignore you, report you or unfollow you.

At the very least, they will think you are a big fat phony, and, in an age of people looking for authenticity, that is bad. It won’t win any friends, so I recommend just avoiding anything automatically generated.

We really don’t need a Thank you for following me. Check out my awesome blog (link) sent to our direct messages. It’s not personal. It’s spam….and it seriously pisses us off.

It really is better for you to tweet less, but it be genuinely you, than it is to assign a machine to pump out your message. Millions are gravitating to social media to escape spam. Bring these tactics into their sacred space and the penalty can be steep.

And “experts” and writers argued with me over this for YEARS and then THIS happened. Check out this post regarding Twitter and The Boston Marathon Bombing. Many writers (and celebrities) did major damage to their brands because of automation. In a world that can shift in a microsecond? It will cost more time to repair the damage than any automation might “save” us.

But, okay, you feel you must auto-tweet. Don’t say I didn’t try to talk you out of it. Do NOT include a hashtag. It is very likely you could clog up a whole column with your spam…um, tweets.

Maybe you didn’t mean to, but since you weren’t present, you didn’t get to see the mess your auto-tweets were creating (think Mickey Mouse and the brooms). Then people get angry and they report you and Twitter bans you from using the most powerful tool you have to connect with people worldwide.

You could accidentally gum up all three hastag conversations like this:

@KristenLambTX Want to know how to use Twitter to help build your platform? (link goes here) #writegoal #nanowrimo #pubtip

@KristenLambTX Want to know how to use Twitter to help build your platform? (link goes here) #writegoal #nanowrimo #pubtip

@KristenLambTX Want to know how to use Twitter to help build your platform? (link goes here) #writegoal #nanowrimo #pubtip

@Kristen LambTX Want to know how to use Twitter to help build your platform? (link goes here) #writegoal #nanowrimo #pubtip

@KristenLambTX Want to know how to use Twitter to help build your platform? (link goes here) #writegoal #nanowrimo #pubtip

Now, I might have meant well, but folks on Twitter use these hashtag conversations to interact with a broader pool of people. If they see my tweet over and over and over and it is taking up the whole column, do you think it inspires them to like me?

Or hunt me down with torches and pitchforks?

Also, the reason that I recommend TweetDeck (HootSuite) is that you can see if your tweets are gumming up a column. I scan the #MyWANA column to make sure I don’t already have a tweet talking about my blog in that column. If I do, I use another hashtag #amwriting or just wait to tweet about my blog.

When I was new, I only tweeted 3 times a day to self-promote my blog. Morning, afternoon, evening to catch different Twitter crowds.

Once you hit a certain critical mass, others will spread your content for you. Until then, feel free to tell us you have a post. Just don’t get crazy…

TWEEP Tactic #1

Be a Genuine Peep

Moi with the AWESOME Chuck Wendig…

To rule the Twitterverse, we don’t need to be interesting just interested. Focus on others and relax. That book will sell better if we are forging relationships than it will if we are camped on top of a kitschy promo campaign that’s as appealing as getting a handful of flyers under our windshield wipers. We can even make some really amazing friends.

Forget traditional marketing. It’s DEAD and OUTDATED. It’s like strutting around the Digital World in a mullet and a Where’s the Beef t-shirt. Might get attention? But not the right kind of attention.

TOOL Tactic #2

Nonstop self-promotion.

Yes, we know you have a book to sell…really. Using Twitter as a free and easy way to spam people is annoying and grossly ineffective. It is also traditional marketing, which doesn’t sell books. Never has and here is why. The best way to sell a lot of books is to write an excellent book. Then go write some more.

TWEEP Tactic #2

Be COOL

Again…be cool. Just talk to people. Socialize. Let others genuinely promote you. It’s more authentic anyway. And not the “Let’s Team Up and I Sell Your Books and You Sell Mine.” We actually have an IQ higher than a sea sponge. I NEVER recommend a book I haven’t read and that I do not OWN.

If we are promoting a work we LOVE, people feel our passion. Passion is what ignites a fandom. Manipulation just ticks people off. Shocking, right?

TOOL Tactic #3

Not changing the hashtags when we RT (retweet).

We all need to pay attention to this tip. All of us, at one time or another forget to delete or change the hashtags at the end of an awesome tweet we long to share. Ah, but we can unintentionally gum up an entire column with the same information and that is bad juju.

Why this can be really bad is this can kill a hashtag. People will start ignoring the # or close the column or not use the # because it is always backed up with redundancy. Only you can prevent Column Constipation.

NO ONE wants to see the same tweet 20 freaking times. Social media is a community so we should use good manners.

TWEEP Tactic #3

Now that you know what hashtags are, add them or change them when you RT for others.

I might see a writer who has an outstanding blog…but she didn’t add any hashtags. So, when I RT, I stick in a couple. Try not to do more than one or two. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, it just (to me) feels less “spammy.”

But, what if one of your peeps has a GREAT blog and they did use hashtags? If you RT and leave the same hashtags, then you risk gumming up a column with the same link. So change them.

@KristenLambTX Want to know how to use Twitter to help build your platform? (link goes here) #indie

RT @KristenLambTX Want to know how to use Twitter to help you build your platform? (link goes here) #fiction #writer

Now my message will go into two totally different columns. This helps more writers SEE my blog and I don’t risk clogging up the conversation. People who follow the # conversations will really appreciate that. Also, it makes it where I don’t have to add 8 hashtags to the end. I know my tweeps will help me out.

At the end of the day, Be a Tweep, Not a Tool and success will surely be yours. Thought? Comments? Recipes for world domination using a cupcake maker and trained hamsters? Share!

I LOVE hearing from you!

To prove it and show my love, for the month of JANUARY, everyone who leaves a comment I will put your name in a hat. If you comment and link back to my blog on your blog, you get your name in the hat twice. What do you win? The unvarnished truth from yours truly. I will pick a winner once a month and it will be a critique of the first 20 pages of your novel, or your query letter, or your synopsis (5 pages or less).

For those who need help building a platform and keeping it SIMPLE, pick up a copy of my latest social media/branding book Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World on AMAZON, iBooks, or Nook. 

The post Be a Peep NOT a Pain–How to Use Twitter Effectively appeared first on Kristen Lamb.