By Kathryn
Blogging eats up time when you get into it. Adding forums, visiting other blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other social media can leave you staring at the computer until the wee hours of the night. Balance must become a factor for you to successfully maneuver through the web of connections online. But there are some social media tools that can help you build up the following on your blog.
Twitter – this is a newer social media tool that lets you send messages to others in under 140 characters. One of the keys to using twitter is to follow people that are posting things of interest to you. You also want to spend a few minutes of each Twitter day replying to others and retweeting their posts.
Facebook – many consider this a more adult version of Myspace, but I find that I get just as many game invites and “gifts” so I’m not sure that is completely true. I ignore all of these aspects of Facebook and focus on making connections and sharing links.
LinkedIn – is the professional site that allows you to join groups with similar interests to your own. I have not yet mastered this particular media but have used it to make a few connections that might otherwise have been missed.
Forums – there are literally hundreds of forums out there that you can participate in. I actually got my online career started writing for some of them (but that’s another story for another day). Google or do a search for things that you are interested in and you will discover some of them. Jump in and participate. Two that I love are forum.athorityblogger.com and christianwriters.com because of the interaction and the relationships I have made.
Blogs – visiting other blogs and making comments on those blogs or even guest posting on them can add to your own visitor numbers and especially your authority level. When you find a blog that you like and that goes along with what you are doing then offer to do a guest blog. The worst that they can say is no – or maybe that’s “yes, please do one a week.”
Building your blog and setting up your online writing to make money all comes down to numbers. Those numbers are built through relationships. You have to make time to reach out and get to know the others on the internet. Social media can help you make those connections.
You can connect with me on twitter at http://twitter.com/Kathrynclang or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/Kathrynclang?ref=name.
One more tip – social media can get out of control fast. I have recently started using tweetdeck. It is a free, downloadable program that will let you monitor your accounts without having to constantly step in, refresh or stop what you should be doing. It integrates Facebook and Twitter and sends me a popup when someone posts.
Let’s get connected. Where can other Alabama Bloggers find you in the social media world?
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