social media – Page 4 – Jean's Writing

Don’t let this suck the life from your story

Published on October 10, 2016October 10, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell9 Comments

Blogging that is!

You may notice that today’s blog is a bit late this morning. I’ve been busy. Writing, working or putting together my new picture book and playing. In other words living to become inspired.

It was after reading The Pitfalls of Blogging – What You Need To Know About Being a Better Blogger BY JANICE WALD, that I decided to relax for a few days.

I’ve discovered, when I allow myself to do this, I enjoy blogging more and hopefully am less apt to bore all of my readers.

Let’s face it; no one wants to read a million blogs on outlines. I mean, outlines by themselves are boring. And Lord knows the internet has enough hyperbole about politics no one needs another blog post on that subject. Oops, off topic. Sorry.

Now where was I? Oh yeah.

Blogging pitfalls.

Janice lists eight things we need to know to become better bloggers. I added two more to her list. Here is my take on the article.

Don’t let your blogging interfere with your creative process. Give yourself permission to recharge and listen to your muse.
Don’t get too personal, share too much, or go on like your Aunt Matilda about her gallbladder surgery. Remember once write a post; it is in cyberspace forever.
Avoid other people’s drama. Do you want to be right or read? See #2.
Don’t bore people to death. Try to make even outlining interesting, I know that’s a bit of a challenge but do try. Also, refer to #2.
Go easy with the ads. Don’t know about you but I hate commercials. Love my DVR because I can fast forward through those little devils.
Avoid a cluttered blog, if possible.
Don’t use your blog to vent, even if you don’t name names someone will figure out who is who. Nothing is ever private on the web. See #2.
Fresh content? Nothing is new under the sun, however, the way you present it can be unique. So try.
Everybody, well almost everybody loves pictures and videos. Remember to give credit where credit is due. And of course, make sure it’s okay to use the image.
Last but not least, don’t let blogging suck the joy out of writing. Have fun with your blog and with your readers.

Click on the above link to read the entire article and let me know what you think.

Do you have any tips to help me be a better blogger?

How to do you keep your blog fresh?

I’d love to hear from you! Click the “write me” tab or contact me on Twitter @jeancogdell,Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on, and I’m waiting.

Please remember to share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

Do you need to un-spam some of your friends?

Published on September 28, 2016September 26, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell7 Comments

Holy moly! I had no idea this could even happen! Did you?

But after reading a post on HUGH’S VIEWS AND NEWS, I opened my comments section and lo and behold there were 18 in the spam section. And guess what? Some were not spam! Some were comments from legit followers yet they were being dumped into my spam folder.

Y’all, I’m sorry! But this will now be part of my blog housekeeping.

Hugh explains in detail how to fix your comments if you are the victim of the filter gods at WordPress. But I think it’s also important that bloggers check spam folders for our legit readers.

Here is my little video for your viewing pleasure. But you must click on Hugh’s link below and read more in-depth about this problem.

What To Do If All Your Comments Are Ending Up In The WordPress Spam Folder Source: HUGH’S VIEWS AND NEWS

So what do y’all think? Have you checked the spam comments lately?

Have you found this to be a problem?

Please remember to share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

How to sell your book with a target audience

Published on May 4, 2016May 3, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell16 Comments

On this subject, I’m totally clueless.

There I said it. They say the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. Well, I don’t know about you, but this is a problem for me.

I’ve never been good at the sell!

One thing I’ve learned through this process. Targeting an audience begins with the title of your book. This is something I didn’t realize until now.

I’ve now discovered the audience for my upcoming book is preschoolers. That means my target audience is their parents or grandparents. Right? Because preschoolers can’t order books on Amazon at least not without a little help.

So, what’s next? I can’t lurk in the parking lot at Tiny Tot’s Preschool as parents drop off their kids. That might get me a lot of publicity but not exactly the type I need.

Step 1- my target audience:

Moms, Dads, and Grandparents
Little girls with big imaginations
Ages 1-5

Step 2 – where they hang out:

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Online publications
Local Libary

Now what?

Y’all have any suggestions?

Talk to me, the lights on and comments are now open.

Keep reading great links at the bottom of the page!

You can find me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdelland Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

Do You Waste Time Marketing Your Book To The Wrong Readers? by ALEX HEMUS

5 Tips on How to Identify Your Target Audience by Joanna Penn

How To Target an Audience (And Avoid Book Launch Flop) by Kimberley Grabas

Do you know how to Vlog?

Published on April 29, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell21 Comments

Continuing on with the A-Z Challenge:

V=Vlogging

I’ve always prided myself on having an open mind. Always ready to learn something new. But for the love of all that is holy! I just don’t know if my brain can hold much more.

Our family used to have a running joke, don’t ask Mom – she doesn’t remember. To which I would respond, “I remember the important stuff. Unimportant stuff, I delete from my mind to make room for new stuff. A person only has so much gray matter.”

Okay, enough ranting. Deep breath and back to the subject at hand.

Vlogging? What the hell is Vlogging?

I’m still struggling with Instagram and Facebook.

And don’t get me started on learning about formatting a book for IngramSpark and CreateSpace. Geeze, bleed area. Picky, picky. Understanding the terms and applying them are two different things.

Now a writer should know how to produce an infomercial about writing or what people are saying about writing or about books or….

A Vlog is, a short, entertaining commercial, that doesn’t look like a commercial. Click to tweet.

It’s all about subtle product placement.

What do you do on a Vlog for 1 to 3 minutes? Anything you want.

Talk, dance, read, go about your day, or write as if no one was watching. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you don’t bore people to death.

In this instant, YouTube generation, they will click on to the next video before you can shout, “Wait.”

Yes, this year, I made room in my ever shrinking brain for something new called a Vlog.

Here’s what I learned.

Vlogs are located on Youtube.
Make your Vlog easy to find. Link it to your blog.
A Vlog should last 1 – 3 minutes.
You and your books are the product in a Vlog.
A Vlog, above all else, must be entertaining.
It is another media to introduce you to your readers.
Like a blog, you must update your Vlogs and post consistently.
Make it fun. If you don’t enjoy watching your video, no one else will.
Last but not least, I learned I’m not ready for Vlogging.

Have you jumped onto the Vlogging social media train?

Do you think Vlogging is a good platform for writers?

Talk to me, the lights on and comments are now open.

You can find me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdelland Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.