Social Butterfly

I just have a few comments (strictly my opinion) about social media.

Do you have a Facebook page? Is it an author page? I follow several authors on Facebook. The best ones are those that let me know about their books, as well as enlighten me about something that may pertain to writing or a particular genre or topic. I (again this is just my personal opinion) think that personal topics are best left to personal pages. I’m not the author’s friend (and if I am I will be their personal Facebook friend) so I don’t think I should be involved in personal stuff. That doesn’t mean an author can’t talk about how they are motivated, their muses, their writing process, etc. But it does mean I don’t want to read about their trip to the grocery store or their cat’s hair balls.

And, if you want people to follow your blog AND your Facebook page, you need to make them different. Different content or at least added content on one or the other.

Social media takes time to make each platform unique. Not everyone can do all platforms. Nor should they try. Oh, and please don’t post on Facebook a bajillion times a day. Save it for your friends. Not your (potential) readers.

Twitter just complicates things. In order to get any traction with Twitter, you have to be prepared to post…a lot…at different times of the day and night.

And if the only thing I ever see from someone on any platform is them promoting their own book, I’m quickly disinterested. Life is so beautiful and filled with so many interesting stories and events. Plenty to talk about on Twitter besides your own book.

By the way, the extreme examples I have seen are not any of my blogging friends. But in case you are looking at spreading your wings into social media, these are the opinions of one person.

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WHY?????

We all have friends like this I’m sure. They seem joined at the hip to their spouse. They have ONE Facebook account, joint email accounts. Really??? Age doesn’t seem to matter either. I know couples in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s that do this.

I’m never sure which one is having a birthday on Facebook so I don’t comment. Not even sure which one is commenting or liking something. I kinda figure it is the woman on Pinterest, just because that is typically a girl thing.

I’ve never been one to “check in” at home. In fact when I’m traveling I call when I get to my destination and then he sees me when I get home. Okay, I may be at the other end of the extremes. And that may be yet another reason I’ve been divorced as many times as I have (three for those who are keeping track). But I have one friend who will call her husband a couple of times during an afternoon shopping trip. Not to ask if he needs anything…but just to check in.

I have another friend who doesn’t have her own email account. She does have her own Facebook though…more on that in a minute. Anyway, it isn’t that I’m emailing anything particularly private. It’s just the principle of it. Okay, so her Facebook. I’m pretty sure her husband looks at it and comments sometimes. And I KNOW it is him playing Words with Friends and not her.

Love has nothing to do with this. I’m convinced it is either a control issue or thinking a spouse isn’t smart enough to stand alone.

I go back to my original question…WHY???? Just because you are married doesn’t mean you have given up or lost your own identity.

Email accounts are free and so easy to set up. In fact, I’m encouraging one friend to set up a gmail or yahoo account just for her. She’s 50 years old for crying out loud. I hope I’m not being too rebellious or helping her be too rebellious. But really.

I just don’t understand. But, of course, I have all those divorces and these women do not. I also think I’m probably happier.