I know how it is: your readers started fading from Facebook all through 2022, disgusted by invasive advertising and slimy tactics that spy on your every move. They are also fed up by those bizarre, arbitrary algorithms that send you to Facebook jail for posting a picture of your cat, but do nothing to stop the Russian propaganda in your feed.
Speaking of propaganda — nobody knows how much of your information and content will be used by the Chinese government if you post on TikTok, and recently the US has banned government workers from using it. Soon there may be a country-wide ban on the app. Even if there’s not, publishing guru Jane Friedman predicts TikTok will fade from the publishing world this year. (See the Hot Sheet, January 4th, subscription required.)
And now book people are leaving Twitter in droves, as the once-essential venue self-destructs.
These defectors leave messages saying they’ve gone to Mastodon, Post, Counter-Social, HiveSocial, Spoutible, BookWyrm, Friendica, Mobilizon, Pixelfed, Amino, Cohost, Gettr, Plurk, Discord, WT.Social, and, at least for now, TikTok.
So what are we supposed to do? Join every one of these pieces of fragmenting social media?
I suppose you could try.
Or give up the Internet altogether — where most books are sold — and hawk mimeographed copies of your work on street corners?
Too pathetic.
But there’s an alternative: start a blog. Or revive that one you’ve been neglecting. If you’re still on Twitter, like me, if only to watch the train wreck, do tell people your blog address. Twitter has banned links to all those new fragmenting social media sites, but not WordPress or other blogging platforms. If you’re still on Facebook and/or Instagram, post your new blog address there, too.
Here are some other reasons to start an author blog this year:
Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog 
WordPress and Youtube, those are the only two social media platforms I can be bothered with. One is for words, the other is for graphics, gaming and how-to’s. Who has time for more anyway?
Great post. 🙂
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It always seems like the minute I figure out a social media system, it changes or becomes obsolete or worse! I keep blogging, posting links, and trying to stay in the public eye. It keeps getting harder and harder to stay on top of new technologies. Thanks for the post and the encouragement to keep at it. Hugs, C
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Reblogged this on Jeanne Owens, author.
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It’s worrying isn’t it. Especially for those of us who have been blogging for years, mixing it up a little, but working to present ourselves and our work in the best way, but still only getting the half-dozen regular and loyal followers commenting.
But I still think it’s the best way for new people to find me. Just where to let those people know where I am? I think my best wheeze last year was hawking it on street corners – no I mean, at well-organised craft fairs in the larger towns near me.
I did join tiktok to look for booktok. Gave up.
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I have been going over the same questions since the days ago beginning of my blog. Thank you for making me giggle. I am using my blog as a way to reconnect with the world, to survive recovery from addiction. I just want you to know, your writing was helpful to me today, and I wouldn’t have come across it without you putting it right here, at this time. Thank you for that, hope to see more of your work.
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Glad you found Anne’s article useful and enjoyable, Rei 😃
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Reblogged this on Kim's Musings.
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