March 12, 2013

Should I Say I Do to Social Bookmarking? WABC, Day 12

Welcome to Day 12 of the Winter Author Blog Challenge (WABC).

Today's prompt...

social bookmarksA social bookmarking site is a “centralized online service” that gives its users the ability to add, annotate, edit, and share links to web documents. Bookmarking, also known as “tagging” is a significant feature of social bookmarking systems, enabling users to organize their bookmarks in flexible ways and develop shared vocabularies known as folksonomies. Popular social bookmarking sites include Delicious, StumbleUpon, Reddit, and Digg.

If you’re not using a social bookmarking site, you’re missing out on a key aspect of social media: referrals by the users. Is social bookmarking something you should consider incorporating into your online book marketing strategy? Give us links to your profiles, if you have them.

Here's what I've found about most social media. At first, it's all excitement and butterflies. Then, comes the hard part... the work. It's like going from the romance of first dates to being married with three kids. I just don't have the time and energy to put into all of it. And, quite frankly, I think it's worse to just jump in and out haphazardly.

At the end of the day, it seems the best marketing strategies are those that an author is willing to devote a lot of time to. I'm most effective when I get to really know a site and what it can do for my book.

I wish there were more hours in the day to spend scouring all these sites, making a list of pros and cons, and then choosing the sites that best fit my needs. Unfortunately, those hours don't exist.

However, I'm more than willing to hear a case made for joining these bookmarking sites. Looking forward to seeing what the other participants have to say!

Any advice on social bookmarking? Or should I say, bookmarketing sites?

6 comments:

Stephsco said...

Well, Reddit is pretty cool, but that is its own culture via their forums. I don't think that's what you're referring to though; this is more like using a bookmarking site to market yourself? Or just using it to sort links you want to keep and share with others? I mean, if you're online a lot, those are useful. It depends what you intend on using social media for. I dont' think anyone should feel pressured to use social media just because it exists. It's like creating a Facebook page, Linked IN, Goodreads, Google Plus, getting it all set up and then never using it.

Toni Nelson said...

I've found it easy to keep up with the different social media sites by having a plugin that takes my posts and then posts them on the different sites for me. Saves so much time!

Merlene Fawdry said...

This appears to be the theme of today's posts - and there I'd thought it was just me :-)

Ashley said...

I only cope now because I have everything linked, still only just keepin my head above the social media water level!!!

Jo Michaels said...

I plan to fork over some wisdom on all this tomorrow :) Catching up on comments. Been busy doing something else... haha! WRITE ON!

Tia Bach said...

Stephanie -- I'll have to look into Reddit. So wish there were more hours in a day.

I really want social media as a way to 1) connect with other writers 2) let readers know about my book(s).

Toni -- I really need to get some kind of IT degree in my spare time. :-)

Merlene -- Isn't it nice to know you are not alone?

Ashley -- Some days I drown, other days I swim like a dolphin. Just wishing for some consistency.

Jo -- Looking forward to your wisdom... on SO many levels!