Do you think writers need more social media?

Published on May 3, 2019May 2, 2019 by Jean M. Cogdell2 Comments

Do you find social media apps confusing or even a bit frightening?

Like, for instance, Instagram? I do! I can barely keep up with Twitter and Facebook. Plus, I don’t have a clue about how to use Instagram effectively. AND, I’m terrible at self-promotion. Which leads to panic every time I try a new social media platform.

But, I recently learned a bit more about how to use Instagram without going nuts or running away in fear.

Using Instagram to Promote Your Book by Author Steve Boseley

Thanks go to Steve Boseley for this enlightening and encouraging article.

What I learned from Steve…

Instagram has a free business account.
Millions of people use Instagram daily. (500 – 800 M) Which far outpaces Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. Wow!
Make sure your Instagram name is easy to read and spell. Hmm…
Take advantage of the Bio link. With this, you can send readers to your landing page, website or newsletter.
With the free business account, you can link Instagram to your Facebook page. Using the phone app…
- Click on your pic at the bottom, next click on the three lines at the top right corner, select Settings at the bottom, next select account and “Switch to a Business account.”
Don’t hit readers over the head with a hard sell. Limit sales posts to 30% of all your posts.
Make your photos unique. Instagram allows you to edit them with a range of filters and effects. Make your pics unique. Post high-quality photos with engaging captions.
You can add multiple photos on one post and the reader can scroll through them.
Size does matter, Steve gives us info on the best.
Readers love behind the scenes photos. Let them see your workspace and process as a writer.
Check the Hashtags of other users and follow their lead. Steve gives a link on how to not suck at Hashtags. Be sure and check it out.
To promote your books, post relevant pics.
Post often and regularly. YIKES! Now I need to find the time.

Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland with watch — **Where does the time go?**

Want to know more about using Instagram?

Be sure and click on Steve’s link above, and read his entire article. Because I only hit the highlights, there is much more to know about the media.

PLEASE TAKE ANOTHER MINUTE AND LOOK ME UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY CLICKING ON THE LINKS BELOW.

AND STOP BY JEAN’S WRITING ANYTIME, I’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON.

Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Pinterest

PS!

Don’t forget your favorite Graduate!

Be vigilant, scammers are on the prowl

Published on January 7, 2019January 7, 2019 by Jean M. Cogdell27 Comments

And with this new year comes more vermin searching for an opening, no matter how small.

I’m referring to scammers, hackers and trolls.

The more gadgets we have, the more avenues and opportunities for a criminal to find you. Don’t fall for these frauds. From our email, smartphones, yes iPhones too, computers, tablets, blogs, websites, Amazon Echo, Google Home, or even smart TVs, we are all susceptible to these damn crooks. AND, of course, we are vulnerable on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and any of the many social media sites. Scammers are trolling for any insecurity or vulnerability in your life, online and real.

Once upon a time, long long ago, Apple products were immune. Or so we thought. But that is not the case, not now. So don’t let your guard down just because you have an Apple product. Scammers are everywhere phishing for your information.

No need to live in fear. Just be aware! Be smart!

Some things you can do to avoid becoming a victim of fraud.

Install good security and virus software.
Keep all software updated.
Do not click on an email that requests you verify account details.
Be careful about downloading free mobile apps. Know who and where it comes from.
Never click on an unsolicited email or alert that comes from a bank, institution or company. Go directly to their website instead.
On smartphones and tablets, watch out for text messages requesting you click on them.
Don’t recognize the phone number? Hang up or better yet don’t answer. If it’s important they can leave a message.
Be aware of phone number scamming. Fraudsters are now spoofing legit company phone numbers. Be careful, the person on the other line may not be a real Apple, ATT, Netflix, agent.
Remember if it sounds too good… well you know the rest.

Last but not least…

Think before you click. Just like crossing a street, take your time and look both ways. Let’s start the new year aware and in control.

Thanks to Terry Ambrose, Grace Sweeney and Kevin McAllister for these tips and their timely articles on the latest scams and fraudsters.

Below are links from these savvy writers to help you avoid falling prey to a scammer. Keep reading…

Scam Tip – Apple users beware of Apple phishing scam By Terry Ambrose

New year, new scams: what to watch out for in 2019 By GRACE SWEENEY

Outsmart the Scammers: How You Can Avoid Fraud By Kevin McAllister

Apple iPhone scam returns as new model nears By Terry Ambrose

PLEASE TAKE ANOTHER MINUTE AND LOOK ME UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY CLICKING ON THE LINKS BELOW.

AND STOP BY JEAN’S WRITING ANYTIME, I’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON.

Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Pinterest, Stumbleupon

Which is the best social media for a blogger?

Published on August 2, 2018August 1, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell27 Comments

Which social media do you use to promote your blog?

There are so many personalized reader/news websites, how do we choose? I can’t keep up with all of them. New ones, old ones, coming and going every day. It’s exhausting.

Flipboard, StumbleUpon/Mix, Medium, Feedly, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Linkedin, Reddit, Tumbler, Pocket, Pinterest or…

StumbleUpon. I loved this one until they changed. Every time I added my blog post to their website, I found other great writers. Now that they’ve migrated over to Mix, I’m not so sure. Changes aren’t always for the better. At 40 million users, I can’t help but wonder how many will make the transition.
Flipboard. Another one I like. But, I don’t use it as often as I probably should. I find the format a bit intimidating and that easy to use. With over 100 million users, maybe I need to stick with it.
Medium, ditto to Flipboard. Unless you have a paid subscription, reading the articles is limited.
Google Plus, I’m not sure how much traffic it generates. But with over 2.2 billion users, I hope to get a few.
Pinterest. I’ve just recently started linking more often and I’m pleased with the traffic. So, I’m going to try to continue with this one, after all, they boast over 2oo million users. I’ll see how it goes.
Facebook, meh. Lots of controversies, but lots of traffic go through this site. My results have been mixed with it. However, with over 2.2 billion users I’m not quitting.
Twitter. Now I’ve had good success with Twitter. Plus I enjoy reading and discovering new bloggers/writers.
Linkedin, I am signed up for this site, but not real active with it.
Tumbler It’s been so long since I looked at this one. I’m not sure how active this site is. With over 400 million users, maybe I need to look again.
Feedly, I’ve never used it. Looks good, but to share your blog through IFTTT requires the paid service. Still with over 14 million users, might be worth it.
Reddit, confusing. I’ve tried to use Reddit in the past but had little success. And of course, as with so many websites, they’ve changed theirs too. But with over 1.5 billion users…

This is just a drop in the bucket. There are even more feeds to connect our blogs. However, there are only so many hours in a day. I do want to grow my blog but can’t be everywhere all the time.

Now it’s your turn, help a girl out…

Which website do you link to your blog posts?

Which one gets the most referral from?

Do you have a favorite?

Want to read more about ways to generate traffic to your blog?

Go to the bottom and keep reading.

PLEASE TAKE ANOTHER MINUTE AND LOOK ME UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY CLICKING ON THE LINKS BELOW.

AND STOP BY JEAN’S WRITING ANYTIME, I’LL LEAVE A LIGHT ON.

Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Pinterest, Stumbleupon

What are the best news readers?

Feedly vs Flipboard By ABHISHEK MACWAN

How to Use Flipboard as a Traffic-Generating Machine by JANICE WALD

It’s Time for an RSS Revival By BRIAN BARRET

Goodbye, StumbleUpon, one of the last great ways to find good things online By Megan Farokhmanesh

StumbleUpon is closing down and moving to Mix – Here is your Mix getting started guide by Dexter Roona

How to prevent social media ignoring your images

Published on May 1, 2018May 1, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell11 Comments

Remember the devil is in the details.

Size and description do matter.

If the dimensions are under 250 x 250, some social media sites won’t pick it up off of your website. So don’t make them too small. And if you fail to add information about the image, search engines can’t determine what your image is about.

Google, Yahoo, Bing or any of the search engines can’t “read” the image itself, so ALT TEXT is important for ranking your images in the search results!

The image title can be helpful to the viewer as it could increase the understanding the image. It can also be beneficial to those who use screen-reading software such as those with vision impairments.

When a reader hovers over the image, the IMAGE TITLE pops up. This can be a great tool. You could put “Click for info” or “Click to buy.” Get the idea.

Here is a short video to help.