Chances are if you’re taking the time to read this blog, you’re probably familiar with social networking in one form or another.
Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Pinterest, millions of us share our lives online and use social media sites to keep in touch with friends and family, build our careers, find interesting and inspiring articles, keep up to date with the news and follow our favourite celebrities and brands.
Social media and blogging go hand-in-hand and most blogs have a social presence of some kind.
The most famous social media website and one of the most widely used throughout the world, with over 800 million active users. I resisted joining Facebook for a long time and have actually only had my own profile for about a year. As a typical Sagittarius, I hate doing things just because other people do them and I enjoy my privacy. But working in marketing means that I use social media a lot as part of my job, so I did eventually decide I would benefit from having a personal profile. At the moment I don’t have a brand profile as Ten Penny Dreams, but I might consider it once my novel comes out, if I think it’s worth developing.
My favourite social network, Twitter is amazing for discovering new and inspiring things. It was through a random tweet that I discovered Route Publishing’s Young Yorkshire Author competition, in which my novel was shortlisted last year. There is a massive community of writers on Twitter, so it’s a great place to find articles and tips on honing your skills, support and opportunities, or even to connect with other writers and people who work in the publishing industry. As e-publishing becomes more popular, so do the number of Twitter profiles created to promote and review self-published novels.
Follow me @AmyWritesStuff
Designed as a professional network, LinkedIn is primarily used for connecting with colleagues and people who work in your industry. It can also be a useful tool for promoting a business or service.
Originally, a photo app for the iPhone, Instagram has become a specialist social network for people to create and share striking and funky photographs. I find Instagram incredibly addictive, not to mention a fabulous way of transforming a mundane photograph into something special, just by adding a couple of vintage effect filters. Plus there are so many beautiful images out there to discover.
Follow me @tenpennydreams
The next social network on my radar is Google+ where I’m considering setting up a Ten Penny Dreams profile. But with new social sites appearing all the time, often increasingly in niche markets, there’s something to capture everyone’s interest, and the benefits of using such websites can be huge.