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Are you 'Spaced Out? "Smart Networking with MySpace" by Lisa Logan If you don’t have a MySpace page yet, chances are I know what you’re thinking. At least, I know what I was thinking whenever the word MySpace was uttered...until recently. Such thoughts teetered between mild sarcasm and downright ugliness, with a side order of skepticism tacked on. While I felt I had valid reasons for this response, curiosity won out when author after author signed on and extolled its virtues. Indeed, within a short time of joining I discovered what a perfect networking tool MySpace can be for anyone involved in the writing/publishing world. For those who aren’t clear on what MySpace is, it’s more than just a webpage. It’s a do-it-yourself online networking campaign like no other. Easy to set up and maintain, the interface includes an area for your bio and book information, a blog, event calendar, a friends network, and features that allow you to send bulletins or invitations to your entire network simultaneously. Where does this network come from, you ask? The beauty of MySpace is that you can grow a list of targeted traffic (MySpace calls this a "friends" list) with a small investment of time and effort. What’s more, most find this effort as much fun as it is rewarding. It’s possible to recruit hundreds of friends your first month, and I’ve seen many users with thousands in their network. For instance, author Sherrilyn Kenyon has over four thousand people on her list. Getting ‘Spaced Setting up a MySpace page is simple and free. Visit myspace.com to register for an account. Be as careful in choosing a username as you would be in selecting a domain name for a regular website, as this name will become part of your web address. People use book titles, pen names, real names, or some other writing-related moniker. If your name is taken (mine was), opt for a close variation. For instance, my MySpace URL is myspace.com/authorlisalogan. Once your account is set up, you can either dress it up or get right down to business. If you have time, inclination, and a bit of cut-and-paste computer skill, customize your "space" with one of the tens of thousands of free custom layouts available on the web. Google for MySpace layouts and you’ll see what I mean. If you’re truly web savvy or have a web designer on the bankroll, consider customizing your page to match your official website. Author Barry Eisler did this, and his MySpace looks great. Check out myspace.com/barryeisler. If you want to skip the bells and whistles, MySpace features a standard template layout that requires no web skills whatsoever, so you can get right into the process of putting information on your page. Step one is to upload an image for your MySpace avatar, and I highly recommend using your book cover rather than a photo. Why? Every time you post a message, blog comment, group post, or comment, this "avatar" is displayed with it. Your book cover will get lots of air time this way. Once you’ve got an avatar, it’s time to edit your profile. This is not like doing a quickie profile for a discussion group or other service; your entire page will be generated from this. Don’t skimp! While you may or may not opt to go into lengthy detail about your tastes in books, music, and television, do include the following in the "About Me" section: 1. Bio 2. Book Info–synopses, covers, trailers 3. Contests (or write these up in your blog) 4. Your "Official" web site address. This is very important! You want your MySpace page to help drive traffic there as well. In the calendar section, post any signings or events you have coming up. Finally, go into Manage Blogs and post your first blog, if you intend to use this feature–and I recommend that you do, even if you have blogs elsewhere. The more interactive content you offer on your MySpace page, the more people will want to visit it. Once your page is ready for prime time, don’t smile and walk away just yet. As with any other website, the Build It And They Will Come approach doesn’t work. To separate yourself from the new MySpacer who complains no one visits their page, you need to start building a Friends list. Making "Friends" MySpace allows you to network right within its own community. What’s more, it’s easy and fun. There are different ways to find traffic for your MySpace page, and even automatic programs that will do so for you. I don’t recommend these, however, as chances are you don’t just want numbers, you want targeted traffic. You’ll get more bang for your buck if you direct your efforts to people most likely to be interested in your books, right? If you look at your page you’ll see you’ve been started off with one friend already..."Tom." Tom is the founder of MySpace, and you can decide whether or not to keep him. He looks lonely sitting there by himself, so let’s give him some company. A good place to look for targeted "friends" is to check the pages of people with similar interests. Head over to myspace.com/authorlisalogan, and click the Add Me button to send me a request. I’ll add you as a friend. Next, browse my friends’ list. The bulk consists of readers, writers, book reviewers, and bookstores. Click on the pages of these folks and use their "Add Me" buttons to send more requests. You’re on your way! Another place to find friends is on the MySpace groups. In the MySpace menu click "Groups," then search for reading and writing groups to join. You don’t have to participate in these groups if you don’t want, but it’s a great way to increase your exposure. Either way, harvest more "friends" from the group membership lists. You can also do this with outside groups you belong to, as many now include MySpace URL’s in their signature tags. Or, send a message to your groups asking for fellow ‘Spacers to post their addresses. Before long, something amazing will happen. People will start sending requests to you. In fact, you may soon discover you no longer have to seek out friends. They’ll find you through other people’s lists, your comments, and from listing your address in signature tags, Email, etc. By the way, I’ve seen some controversy over whether adding authors to your list is effective marketing. Some argue that readers should be targeted, not writers. I feel that such arguments fail to take advantage of one of the benefits of MySpace. Now, writers themselves tend to be readers, and may just buy your book themselves. The bigger thing to consider, however, is that readers, bookstore owners, etc can and do seek out author MySpace pages. If a reader befriends an author on your list, your name is now accessible to them as well. They may soon be stopping by your page as a result. The more places you’re visible, the better. Making the Most of Your Space Once you’ve got an audience, do keep them coming back. Post comments on other’s blogs and profiles, and keep your blog and profile updated with news and items of interest. Post to the groups as well. Remember, every comment you make becomes free advertisement on someone’s MySpace page, which brings traffic to you. Utilize the bulletins feature to put your name in front of your network on a regular basis, too. (Do avoid the temptation to get carried away with this, however. Many abuse this and post a barrage of bulletins daily, which gets annoying.) Of course, every marketing angle has a downside, and MySpace is no exception. For one thing, because it is such an exceptional networking tool, MySpace has drawn every rock band and teenager under the sun. If you write YA or have a rocker protagonist, you can work this to advantage. Otherwise, you may want to go into your preferences and adjust your privacy settings to eliminate add requests from rock bands and the under-eighteen crowd. While there, you might also want to set your page up so that any comments on your blog and/or profile must be approved by you first. That can eliminate the occasional undesired spam and/or adult adverts that could be splashed on your page. Your return for this investment? More than you’ll get working on your regular website. Not only does my MySpace blog attract higher traffic, my own official website traffic increased the very first week. Signups for my official mailing list rose from an occasional add to as many as five daily requests. The first week I joined, one "friend" turned out to be a Borders employee who ordered copies of my book for her store. I’ve heard of authors selling dozens of books directly off MySpace, and still more indirectly by exposure. Few online promotional ventures are as fun and effective for a mere hour or two’s effort each week. Of course, some find it so entertaining that the hour or two becomes a daily habit, so you may want to find a balance that works for you without cutting into your writing time. So if you’re not "spaced out" yet, run on over and join the network! After all, who couldn’t use a few (hundred) more friends?
Lisa Logan © 2007 |
