Publishing has always been a business, and writers are expected to build brands, which consists not only of the books they write, but also of their social media and online presence. Our non-writing activities have always been a part of this whole marketing thing, and how we handle that message is just part of the game. However, the internet has added a "now" component to the marketing equation that wasn't there before, and disaster is waiting to happen.
Anyone who is a regular reader of this blog (and my personal blog) will know that I'm a big fan of protecting oneself on the internet, protecting one's physical and cyber security, as well as one's reputation. But there could be aspects with what you are doing that could be a massive turnoff... and you don't even know it.
I'm talking about the overall message behind what it is that you're posting. I'm talking about your profile as a whole: the bio, the photos, and the individual messages. I'm talking about the public face that you present to the world.
And it all boils down to two things: politics and religion. They are both incredibly sensitive topics, but they also have their fingers wrapped around almost everything that we do.
Let me explain further.
First, I must apologize for the length of this post, but it is a topic that I'm passionate about: protecting your reputation on the internet.
Mob psychology rules the internet.
Whatever the issue is at hand, everyone has an opinion on it, even if that opinion is, "Whatever... Don't care." Some people are all excited about sharing their opinions with the world, and this trait is admirable. We should be able to express our opinions and thoughts in a public forum, but it doesn't take much to spark the fires of the lynch mob.
The real problem with the way social media works is that mob psychology rules the internet. If the mob thinks that what you have said is inappropriate, there is no back pedaling and taking those comments back. The damage is done. Your reputation is now food for the wolves.
It doesn't matter if the mob is completely wrong on the topic. It doesn't matter if you are the expert in the field with all the facts and figures behind you. All that matters is that you have an opinion that differs from what the lynch mob thinks. And that lynch mob can actually be quite small—just incredibly vocal.
If you search through the internet, you'll find countless number of topics that have sparked the fires, AND you can find example after example of a comment going viral and damaging a person's reputation.
Case in point: Roseanne Barr and her supposedly sarcastic tweet that led to the cancellation of her new show in late 2018.
But there are underlying currents on social media that can drag an unsuspecting writer under, and they never resurface. There are certain threads and certain movements that have sprouted up over the years that public figures have chosen to get behind and support. Some have been great, and some of them... well...
Remember that it is mob psychology that rules the internet. It doesn't matter if you are right or wrong. If the mob believes it should be one way, then anything that you do or say is only fuel for those fires and will likely come back and bite you in the ass—especially if your comments or actions go against the masses.
This leads to my statements about how interwoven politics and religion have become in everything that we do, and how it's a dangerous ground for any writer. (And this is where I, myself, need to be incredibly careful—in case the mob wants to attack me.)
Does your platform really revolve around politics or religion—and you don't even know it?
I'm NOT a political person. I actually despise politics. In fact, I go out of my way to avoid politics, particularly on the internet. And I'm private about my spirituality and religious practices. There are certain things that some people just don't need to know.
On the internet, I'm hyper-aware of any statement that might be seen as political or religious in nature. Considering I avoid politics like the plague in person, I'm going to avoid politics in online life too. Any religious comments that I might have tend to be secular in nature—if I include religious comments at all.
I do this, so I can stay under the radar of any mob out there that might come after me. Yet, even I've fallen prey to the mob—more than once—and all I was trying to do was be the voice of reason. (I won't go into details in this post, but if you want the full assorted stories, you can read about them, including my heated emotions, here and here.)
Ironically, offline and in person, I'm highly opinionated and not afraid to have those nasty debatable conversations. But noticed I said offline and in person. That is the vital part of this situation.
When you are talking to people in person, you can take clues from body language, giving you the opportunity to defend yourself when things get a little out of control. The conversation might become a little heated, but you are often in the position where you can back pedal a bit and rephrase your argument in a way that gets heard.
However, on social media, on the internet, once it's out there, you can NEVER take it back. To make matters worse, there is absolutely no way of knowing for certain what will send the mob into full-attack mode. Because of the super-charged politically correct environment that we live in today, almost anything can be taken as being political or religious: two incredibly dangerous topics on social media.
Who else can recall the teenage girl who was publicly attacked for wearing a Chinese-style dress to her prom?
"Fighting Spirit" by Andrei Kope. This is the commissioned artwork that cause so much problem for my writing buddy, because representatives from PETA decided this was cruelty to animals and complained to Twitter.
Or it could be something as innocent as a commissioned piece of art of a bald eagle soaring through the sky holding the American flag in its talons. And no, this is not a joke. A writing buddy had her Twitter account suspended because someone thought the commissioned artwork was a form of cruelty to animals rather than the patriotic symbol that it was. Thankfully, she managed to get that one overturned, because it almost took her away from social media altogether. Some people... *I really wish there was a rolling eyes emoji.*
It's about understanding the crowd.
It's about understanding your audience.
I mentioned that commissioned artwork for a reason, and it wasn't just to make a point about how even the innocent can send the mob after you. I mentioned it, because when posting things on your public feeds, you need to think about the type of reader you're trying to attract.
My writing buddy, the one with the bald eagle artwork, is deliberately trying to attract military and patriotic readers. She writes military thrillers, and those who come from military backgrounds or who are patriotic themselves would most likely enjoy her stories. Besides, I swear that woman bleeds Red, White, and Blue.
Would I put something like that on my personal feed? Hell no! But that is NOT the type of reader that I'm trying to attract.
I tend share things about science and technology—the good, the bad, the dangerous and the hilarious. I share tidbits about the things I'm learning about forensics and other research that find my stories. I even share the odd picture that I find funny, even if they are a little sadistic.
I'm a parent who is frustrated with her young adult children, but I also understand the importance of teaching them how to be safe on the internet.
And of course, I share what I can about developmental editing.
It's about trying to attract the right kind of reader to build my audience.
Steps you can take to attract the right audience to your feeds.
1) Identify your target audience.
The first step in any of this is to identify your target audience, and get specific! It's all well and good to say that you write fantasy, but what kind of fantasy? What kind of romance, if that's what you're writing? There is a whole spectrum out there.
Exactly who is your reader? Describe them.
If your reader is exactly like you, then what type of person are you? If your readers are children who are like your own children, then describe your children!
For me, the ideal reader for my personal writing is going to be happy to rough and tumble it in the mud, but will occasionally like getting cleaned up. They will not be afraid of the blood and guts (even if they do faint at the sight of blood), and they will be a bit of a science geek. They will also know that life doesn't always work out exactly how you intended.
Guess what, people: I just described myself.
2) Craft your bios to highlight the parts of yourself that your target audience can relate to.
Almost every single iteration of my personal bio out there highlights the fact that I enjoy being outdoors with my family and that I'm into science. This is part of the makeup of my target audience, so why would I hide that from the world?
If you write Christian fiction, then wouldn't it be a good idea to actually highlight the fact that you're Christian? Or maybe, I'm just overthinking this.
3) Share things on your feeds that your target audience would actually like.
It seems almost obvious, but if your target audience is going to prefer reading your cleverly crafted murder mysteries, why are you sharing those posts about the latest Jane Austen retelling that's been released?
4) Pick your battles.
This one is really about protecting your platform and reputation, but at the same time, keeping your target audience in mind.
There is always some hot topic on the news. Don't comment on everything that gets you hot under the collar. There are some things that would be better if you just kept it to yourself and your offline life. However, if something topical blends right into your platform and your target audience would enjoy it, then go for it.
For me, that will be anything that I encounter about internet security. With all the security issues that Facebook has faced over the years, I've gotten more that just a little vocal, constantly reminding people to examine their security settings and to assess their posting behavior. Come on, I wrote a book on the topic. Even this post is connected to that topic.
Do you see where I'm going with this?
5) Be true to yourself.
Being on social media, you are playing a part, but you also need to be somewhat true to who you are in real life.
If you despise a situation, then don't go online saying it's okay—because it's not! If you're a sarcastic fool who is often cracking jokes, then let the humor fly! And if punctuation and grammar are your thing, then go for it... Just don't take offence if I happen to disagree with you on something.
6) Don't be afraid of the trolls, because they will get their comeuppance.
The people who get you and your work will actually rally around you. They will help provide that wall against the trolls.
That said, never let your support network attack someone on your behalf, because word of that particular behavior will spread and come back to bite you in the ass.
But when you are feeling particularly low, your support network will help you pick yourself up again.
Hell, if you need to, reach out to me via Mastodon, Facebook or through this blog, and I'll send you that virtual hug that you so desperately need. For that matter, you could contact me on Instagram, though I don't tend to respond to DM requests there for a variety of reasons, too lengthy to go into now.
As long as you are smart about what you are posting, keeping your target audience in mind, social media and online activities can be a lot of fun, and highly rewarding. The opportunities to succeed are endless—as long as you learn how to play the social media game.