5 Social Media Tips For Freelancers

By Joe Wallace

It’s funny how history repeats itself. Ten years ago, freelancers and business owners were wondering if they should start websites to promote the business. It wasn’t quite mandatory yet back then. Today people have the same issues with social media. “Should I get more involved with Twitter and Facebook?”

That question is like, soooo last century.

Of COURSE you should be. But for the right reasons and with the right strategies.

Gang of Four founder and social web contrarian Dave Allen is fond of saying that simply having a Facebook and Twitter account does not equal having a digital strategy, and I have to agree. So many people DO believe that, though–that using social media IS the strategy as opposed to simply having another tool in the box to use.

The first place I start when telling people how to use Twitter and Facebook? Make a plan and decide what you want to DO with these tools. It’s not enough to post things and hope people pay attention.

Once you have a strategy and know what you want to accomplish with your social media accounts, then you are ready to really take advantage of the following advice:

1. Don’t be content to post an endless stream of quotations and self-promotion. People want to know YOU’RE there.
2. Opinions vary, but I’m of the mind that posting links in every post isn’t the best way to use social media. Sometimes we all fall into a rut here–myself included, but refer to #1. People want to know YOU are there…not just your agenda.
3. Following the right people is an art–don’t just populate your friends and following lists for the sake of the numbers like we ALL did when we first got our Twitter and Facebook accounts. Be selective. Target your audience and go after THEM.
4. Don’t ignore your DM, inbox, and other tw0-way communication tools associated with your social media account. Sometimes you learn a lot about how NOT to use the social web by weeding out the spam and useless messages you’re going to get.
5. It’s very tempting for freelancers to lean in favor of potential clients or colleagues when friending and following. Don’t be so self-conscious about your friends and follows–add the people who are relevant to what you’re doing on the web and let the chips fall where they may.

Social Media For Writers

This post is sponsored by FiledBy – where authors can claim their free website and build their online marketing platform

by Catherine L. Tully

I stumbled across a real gem of a site in Social Media for Writers and thought I’d share it with you today. It was great to see something specifically devoted to writers out there, and this site has a little something for everyone…

If you are a rank beginner when it comes to social media sites, the author (Donna Talarico) provides a good overview of two of the best out there–Twitter and Facebook. More advanced users will appreciate things such as information about promoting your blog on Twitter or information on how to use Twitter lists.

One of the most refreshing things about this site is the easy tone that Talarico uses. She communicates good information without talking down to writers, but it isn’t so basic that you’ll be bored. Take a few minutes to check this site out and see what you can learn about making social media work for you.

And if you haven’t already joined us on Twitter or Facebook, please drop by and sign on. We should all be connected!

This post was sponsored by FiledBy – where authors can claim their free website and build their online marketing platform

Social Media ist das Opium des Volkes

by Mike O’Mary

Okay, so maybe Karl Marx was talking about religion instead of social media when he tagged an institution as “the opiate of the people.” But if Karl were alive today, I don’t think he’d argue with calling social media an opiate. Speaking for myself, I swore off television years ago only to end up spending those newfound hours in front of the computer every day. Sucked in again!

How much time do you spend on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, Classmates, YouTube, Flickr, Google Buzz, Bebo, Flixster, MyLife, etc., etc.? And I’m not even talking about the time you spend checking your e-mail accounts, blogs, bank/brokerage accounts, shopping, travel, and all that other “essential” stuff. Talk about a huge time suck.

To be clear, social media is pretty amazing. You have hundreds — sometimes thousands — of personal and business connections at your fingertips. This simply was not possible ten years ago. Old college friends were just that…old college friends. Maybe you saw them at your 10th or 20th or 50th reunion. Now you can see them every day. Perhaps all you learn is that they spend oodles of time fertilizing eggplant in FarmVille. But hey, you’ll have something to talk about at the next reunion, right? (”Hey, Greg…how’d that degree in library science turn out? Oh. Sorry. Nice eggplant farm though.”)

I started to say that social media is pretty amazing. And that it has its place. It’s helped me spread the word about my new book publishing business faster and cheaper and to a broader audience than I could have done with traditional PR or marketing. And I’ve made some new friends along the way. It’s been great. But I really did get sucked in. Here’s what happened: I was spending LOTS of time each day trying to keep up with all of my social media accounts, and then staying up very late at night doing all the other things that are traditionally associated with book publishing. That had to stop. My job is editing and publishing. My job is not social media gadfly — no matter how entertaining, compelling or (dare I say it) ADDICTING social media might be.

Here is a longer version of the famous Karl Marx quote. Again, I have substituted “social media” for “religion”:
[Social media] is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.

It’s your life. Don’t live it all virtually.

Mike O’Mary is founding dreamer of Dream of Things, an independent book publisher currently accepting creative nonfiction stories for anthologies on 15 topics.

Using Social Media

by Catherine L. Tully

How do you use social media? I’m getting into it pretty heavy and I’m really enjoying what it does for me. Joe and I use Twitter and Facebook for this site (come join us if you haven’t already!), and I use LinkedIn as well. The learning curve on all of them is a little to deal with on the front end, but they are fairly user-friendly overall. It can get a little complicated when you try and use some of the more advanced features, but all writers can benefit from having an account set up.

If you haven’t yet jumped on the social media bandwagon, try it. Set up a Twitter account and tweet. Create a Facebook page for your business. Take the time to walk through the LinkedIn profile and get that out there. It’s worth the effort–trust me!

Social Media For Writers Blog

by Catherine L. Tully

Well, well…look what I found today! A blog that is dedicated to social media for writers! It looks fairly new, but has some info on Twitter and Facebook thus far, and it says that LinkedIn is coming soon…

What I’ve seen so far–I like. Keep an eye on this one–it could really be a great resource.

Join Us On Facebook!

Did you know that Freelance-Zone.com is the #1 “Freelance” blog (in English) on Facebook? We are also in the top ten blogs for “Advice”. Don’t be left behind…join us and be a part of our online community!

Why join our Facebook page? One word…networking. We are growing fast and you can meet people on our FB page that you may not find here on our blog. Join us today–we’d love to have you! (And while you’re at it–hook up with us on Twitter too…these days you can’t afford to ignore social media!)

Twitter Problems?

by Catherine L. Tully

If you have had problems getting your tweet fix today you are not alone. Apparantly Twitter has been hit by a “denial of service” attack, and the popular social networking site has had issues because of it. Early reports suggest that Facebook may have had problems as well. The latest is here on CNN, but more is sure to follow. Just thought you might like to know what is up! I was trying to get on and had no luck, so I looked into it and found I wasn’t the only one!

Privacy On Facebook

by Catherine L. Tully

I heard some information from a fellow writer, Cynthia Clampitt that I thought I would pass along for Freelance-Zone readers…

She said that FB is allowing third party advertisers to use photos that you post on the social networking site. I didn’t research this to see if it was true because you should really be protecting your privacy anyway. Do you know what your privacy settings are on FB? Can everyone see what you post? Careful…I’ve warned before about how this can work against you as a freelance writer. If you don’t want to mix your professional and personal life, take the following steps to protect your photos from other people using them without your permission:

• Go to settings
• Go to privacy
• Go to newsfeeds & wall
• Got to Facebook ads
• Select no one
• Save

Many thanks to Cynthia for bringing this to light!

Public VS. Private

The web is great, isn’t it? But…how much information do you have out there that could potentially hurt you as a writer? Does your Facebook account have pictures of you really drunk at some party? Do you have a personal blog that talks about your political views? As a freelance writer, you simply have to think about these things–because they can wind up doing you damage.

Don’t underestimate the power of a Google search. Don’t think potential employers won’t check you out online before hiring you for a gig. I know someone who hires people for a large company…and the first thing she does is go to the Facebook pages of applicants to read the wall posts. It’s really easy for someone to check you out on the web these days. Here are some things to keep in mind that could help sheild your personal life from the peering eyes of work-related searches:

• Set your accounts to private. Facebook has a feature where people can’t access your page unless you say they are on the list. This is a good idea overall, but great for making sure editors don’t peep into your home life.
• Get approval first. On Twitter, you can go into your settings and see to it that you have to approve someone before they can follow you.
• Watch personal posts on forums and blogs. Assume that everything on the web with your name attached to it can be found–and read. Think about what you are putting out there and make sure that you are comfortable with everyone seeing it.
• Google yourself periodically. This can help you see what others would be seeing if they are searching your name. If you find anything objectionable, see if you can fix it.

Subjects to avoid posting on? The usual faves, such as politics, religion, family business and personal problems. But don’t forget to pass on posting about editors that you don’t care for or publications that you have had issues with. That can come back to haunt you. Using a little caution when it comes to your online activities can be a really smart move.

Writers: If You Want Work–Be Visible

I can’t even begin to tell you the number of times that somebody found me one way or another and then offered me a job. I can tell you that it pays off to invest some of your time and effort into marketing yourself as a writer. If you are visible, you will get work. The question is…how visible are you? Here are some smart ways to extend your reach and let people know you are out there:

• Have a website. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate creature. Mine is fairly simple, but has enough for people to get an idea of what I have done and what I can do.
• Start a blog. If you want to write on the web, a blog is great practice. I had never done one before Freelance-Zone and now that I have the hang of it, I really enjoy it. Just make sure you are aware that anyone can read what you put on there. Keep it professional.
• Stay in touch. Yes, I send holiday cards. I e-mail editors and let them know what I’m up to–or just touch base and say hello from time to time. Staying on their radar means they won’t forget about you when work comes through. Plus, it’s nice.
• Add a bio. Whenever possible, see if you can add a one-line bio to articles that you write. Include an e-mail or website where people can get in touch with you.
• Use a signature block. I have said this before and I’ll say it again….the signature block is your best friend. All e-mail correspondence should have one. I have gotten a lot of additional work through this. It should at the very least include your full name, a telephone number and your website and e-mail address.
• Use social media. Not on Twitter? Today is a good day to set up the account. Do you have a Facebook account? If not, perhaps it is time. Social media can really get your name out there and it is FREE. Take advantage!

FreelanceSwitch.com Says “LinkedIn Rules”

A great post on FreelanceSwitch is a reminder that while not all social media networks are as easy to use as Twitter, the same rules apply. On Twitter and Facebook it’s easy for freelancers to get chatty, make new friends and do that much-needed networking. But more complex platforms like LinkedIn are just as important–as is respecting the power of being social and active.

I use LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, Twitter, and Facebook to stay in touch with both friends, fellow freelancers, and clients. Of the four, StumbleUpon and LinkedIn are the most time consuming. StumbleUpon has high value for driving traffic back to a blog or resume site, but LinkedIn is wonderful for developing contacts you might need later on. I find the four together add up to much more than the sum of their parts.

But the key is using each of them in the ways they were intended–to be social, an active member of each community. It is NOT easy to maintain, but I find the results are well worth the effort.

Bottom line for me personally? I try not to sign up for new social media where I can’t actually PARTICIPATE. I’d rather use a smaller number of social networks well than sign up for a bunch of them and use them all poorly.

Tweet Tweet Twitter

Do you use twitter? If not, it might be worth looking into. I resisted at first, but have found that in some ways it is better for networking than facebook. (Although I must admit to liking facebook more.) On twitter you can find professionals that you might not normally have access to and link up with them. Plus, you can get the word out to a large number of people about what you are up to in your writing career.

That said, be nice too. It is considered “polite” to mix self-promotion with helpful advice, quotes and other fun stuff. And if someone follows you, it is always a good idea to thank them for it. Personally, I have my privacy settings on so that I have to accept someone who wants to follow me, but do what you are comfortable with.

The learning curve on twitter is a bit more steep than facebook in my opinion, but there is a help page that really does the job. Start there for the skinny on things such as finding people, following and direct messages. You don’t have to dive in and start tweeting away, but not having this social marketing site in your toolbag means you are one step behind as a writer. It’s worth a shot.

(And look me up! I’m catherinetully on twitter. Tell me you are a FZ reader so I know who you are…)

Tunes vs. No Tunes

OK–so what is your take on this topic? Do you listen to music when you write–or does it distract you? I’ve had music on the brain lately, so I was hoping people might ring in and let me know what works or doesn’t work for them….

I can’t listen to music with words when I am writing an article. I want to listen to the lyrics and enjoy the song. That said, I can listen to soft classical music in the background if it isn’t too rousing–but then–what’s the point? I listen to music when I am writing fiction (shh, I don’t talk about that much) or when I am e-mailing friends or on Facebook. Then it is a great inspiration, but when I’m working, the tunes stay off.

How about you?

Join Us On Facebook!

Freelance-Zone is now on Facebook! Come join us and meet some of the people you see posting here….

I Found It On Facebook

Behold our new series, I Found It On Facebook. I wanted to start this after learning that somebody actually purchased a Snuggie, but instead I decided to do the more responsible thing and try (at least in THIS post, anyway) to point to freelance resources.

I joined the Facebook Freelance Writers group, then promptly forgot I had until today. I had an old DEVO CD on the player, and by the time the goofiest track on the disc came round, it dawned on me that I’d joined this group and haven’t so much as posted a hello.

Then I realized I’ve become a bit of a FB addict, and since that’s the case why not make this time-waster activity into something that might actually be fun to write about here? So begins our newest feature. I Found It On Facebook won’t always be directly relevant to freelance writing, blogging, or earning a living by working at home, but every good freelancer knows the Internet timewaster is a tried and true way to stay sane under heavy deadlines. I’m headed back to FB right now…if you haven’t joined, why not head over and open an account? It’s a great way to network with your fellow freelancers and it’s good coffee break fun.