Being Likeable

Have you ever read a cringe-causing rant or comment online? Have you ever vented publicly on your social media sites? Have you ever been the recipient of online rudeness?

It seems with the advent of immediacy in sharing thoughts, especially if it is anonymous, people sometimes act/react badly and maybe later regret their words. If you are striving to be a professional, being likeable on social media is a must.

Does being likeable mean that you can’t be honest and open about your thoughts and feelings? No. Does being likeable mean that you can’t disagree with someone else? No. Does being likeable mean that you have to be meek and passive? No.

According to Likeable Social Media by Dave Kerpen (read my review here), being likeable means that you are genuine with your customers. Think about that for a moment. You are who you are. You write what you write. Not everyone will like you or your writing.

Even best-selling authors are who they are and write what they write knowing they have a specific audience. Within that audience, there are some who will hate the next book. I love Patricia Cornwell’s “Kay Scarpetta Series”. When Ms. Cornwell went away from the “Scarpetta” books to Isle of Dogs, Southern Cross, and Hornet’s Nest, I had the same one-star reaction that most readers had. Ms. Cornwell is who she is, wrote what she wrote, and thankfully left those books behind.

Is it because she listened to her critics? Could be. Her audience is her most important asset, and if she’s paying attention to her customers, then yes, she responded appropriately.

Reading a terrible review hurts. How you respond matters. Fighting back doesn’t usually help, but trying to understand the person’s point of view, if it’s constructive, may. Unfortunately, few people are constructive in their online criticism. I think I fall into the camp of “ignore”, because it’s impossible to please everyone.

I can only be who I am, write what I write, accept whatever comments come my way, and be what I think is likeable. It may help me win readers or it may cause me to lose readers, but if I can sleep well at night, that’s good enough for me.

Platform

Social media has taken the concept of “platform” to a new level. As writers, we know we need to have one, but sometimes it’s hard to figure out what to do. After all, there’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Shelfari, Goodreads, Pinterest, YouTube, and several other sites that you can use to promote your work. You also need to have a website, and a blog doesn’t hurt either.

I’m sure you’ve heard before that publishing houses like writers who already have a platform and established followers. Does that mean you can’t get your book published without a platform? Absolutely not. But as Christina Katz points out in Get Known Before the Book Deal (read my review here), a platform takes a long time to develop, and it’s a good idea to work on your platform before you are published.

I’ve heard that publishers rarely put big money into book promotion for authors, and expect the author to do most of the legwork. That is why it’s so important for us to get busy, get ourselves out there, and get known. If you’re a non-techie like me, that spells instant trouble. And if you’re like me and have a life that involves work and family, that spells double the trouble.

My solution was to find help. I could not have done my fantastic author webpage on my own (www.JoanneHirase.com), nor could I have figured out how to make a Facebook author page (https://www.facebook.com/Author.Joanne.Hirase), or optimize my Twitter (www.Twitter.com/@JHiraseStacey), and LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/joannehirasestacey) accounts. Thanks to 2 Rivers Communication and Design, my name is out there. I haven’t delved into the other social media sites yet, but it may be in my future.

Yes, we need to put the time into self-promotion, but we also need to make room for writing. After all, if we don’t produce something, there is nothing to promote. Self-promotion can be difficult, but in this digital and fast-paced world, it is necessary.

If you don’t have the time, energy, or know-how to have a strong online presence, ask for help. There are several experts out there that you can hire, or who can give you the guidance you need. You don’t have to have a presence in every social media site, so target the ones you think will be most valuable for you. After all, you can always jump into another site later. Just start somewhere and see where it takes you.