Happy Friday! Today is day 5 of the Armchair BEA, and the day of the Book Blogger Convention (BBC) happening in NYC. Today’s ABEA topic focuses on blogging. I am still considered a “new born” in the book blogging world so I’m not really in a position to give advice, but I’m going along and I’ll share what I’ve learned so far… I’m using one of the prompt questions from today’s ABEA “Blogging about Blogging” post. But first, there’s still time to enter my giveaway to win DIE FOR ME by Amy Plum or Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton! Contest ends May 29th 11:59 PM.
How do you utilize social networking in relation to your blog? What may be the pros and cons of doing so?
I utilize Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Goodreads (of course, if it counts as one), and Formspring with A Book and a Latte. To be honest I can’t give them all attention on a daily basis but they each bring something fun to the mix, and sometimes it’s easier to share things (videos, pictures, articles, etc.) on certain ones than others – depending on the source. Twitter has been fantastic for getting to know other book bloggers and authors, and building/nurturing those relationships. I swear, I’m addicted to Twitter now! I encourage all bloggers to get a twitter account and just dive right in! It’s so much fun and you have nothing to loose (except maybe your time once you become addicted) :). I think the key is to really interact, do more than just advertise your blog posts and giveaways.
I honestly believe social networking brings another dimension to your blog. Through them you can introduce peeps to your blog, and the relationship you build outside of it will hopefully keep them coming back. I think the people who get to know you on social networks are also more likely to start discussions in the post comments… which come on… that’s just awesomesauce! Unless of course technical issues cause your blog to make comments disappear *sad face*, which happened more than once to A Book and a Latte this week!
Pros: Connect with more people, build relationships, and share more types of information among the different social networks.
Cons: To get the most out of social networking for a blog, it needs to be public, in my opinion. If you choose to have a public profile that means EVERYTHING you post on it is there forever for anyone in the entire world to read. Just be aware, careful to not share too personal of details, and keep a level of professionalism. Sometimes keeping up with them all is overwhelming… but the longer I’m at this, the less I stress on staying on top of it all. I’m mainly on twitter… I share stuff through facebook and or tumblr depending on what it is and how easy it is to share it from the source. I have FUN with it :).
You can find A Book and a Latte here: Twitter; Facebook; Tumblr; Goodreads; and Formspring.
Do you utilize social networks? What are your pros and cons for them?