The Creative Penn

Writing, self-publishing, book marketing, making a living with your writing

  • Write A Novel
  • Write Non-Fiction
  • Publishing
  • Marketing
  • Make a Living Writing
  • Author Mindset
  • Start Here!
  • Books
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Audio
  • Courses
  • Tools
  • About
    • Speaking
  • Contact

Social Networking and Web 2.0 sites for Writers and Authors

December 23, 2008 by Joanna Penn 15 Comments

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
Stumble
+1
Share
Email
Pocket
Buffer
Reddit

OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn

Social networking is all about connections and finding people who are interested in the same things you are.

As an author you want to network with other authors in order to find out tips, ideas and news that may affect you. You also want to network with people who are interested in the topic you write on, so you can market to them.

However, social networking is not about blowing your marketing horn. It is about being a real person, someone approachable who joins in conversations and has interesting things to say. If people are interested in what you are saying, they will read your profile and then you can connect. Once you have made a connection, people may buy from you because they like you and find your content interesting.

With this in mind, these are my top social networking and Web 2.0 sites for writers and authors. I have added links to my sites at each, so you can see examples but you can also connect with me if you want to.

Facebook.com A social utility that connects people, to keep up with friends, upload photos, share links and videos. This is one of the top 5 websites in the world and is great for seeing what people are up to. Use the “Share on Facebook toolbar” to easily post links to your other sites so people can see what you are up to. Connect with me on Facebook.

YouTube.com YouTube is a way to get your videos to the people who matter to you. Upload, tag and share your videos worldwide! I have only recently started using YouTube but am seeing the benefits, especially now I know how to use Microsoft MovieMaker. Post videos that related to your books, or book reviews, or anything that helps people get to know you. Subscribe to other people’s video channels. You can also use the easy HTML code to embed your videos in other webpages so very useful. Connect with me on YouTube

WordPress.com. If you don’t have a blog yet, consider having one to promote yourself and your book. You can get a free one up and running within minutes using easy software. Or you can use your own URL and build one using the easy videos at Become a Blogger. This site is built using these tools and videos with my own URL TheCreativePenn.com. Click here for the complete Roadmap to becoming a blogger. Having a blog enables me to post useful information, and you can connect by posting comments here. Subscribe to the RSS feed to make sure you are getting all the information.

Authors Den.com This site links authors and readers and enables you to create an Author bio with links to your books, articles, news and blog posts if you upgrade to a paid account. You can also review books and connect with friends. Connect with me on Authors Den.

GoodReads.com. This site revolves around book reviews and friends with similar interests. You can post information about yourself, what books you are reading including links to your own book if it is on Amazon. You can post your writing, quotes you like and videos from YouTube. Connect with me on GoodReads.

LibraryThing.com. You can post your profile here and also your bookshelf. You can then drilldown on the books to see who else is reading them. This helps you find people interested in the same books as you. If you are an author with a book that can be found online e.g. on Amazon, you can have an author page that links to your book. Connect with me on LibraryThing

Authonomy.com. This is a networking site that aims to promote your book to Harper Collins for publication. It is based on social networking – connect with other people so they read your book online and vote you up to the top spot. The top books get taken to Harper Collins for publication consideration. Connect with me on Authonomy.

Ning.com has a ton of networking sites that you can connect to other authors on. It is easy to set up a page so you can start a new one if you like. I recommend Book Marketing as this is John Kremer’s site that links to his book 1001 Ways to Market Your Books

Docstoc.com. This is a great site for posting your articles and other content for people to find and download. I formulate my articles into PDF documents with a resource box linking to my sites and then post them on here as free to syndicate with the website name. I find this has good Google rankings. Connect with me on Docstoc.com

Squidoo.com. You can post pages called “lenses” on Squidoo that enable you to have more incoming links to your site. You can also have Amazon book sales as well as YouTube videos embedded on the page, plus photos, text and even sell product. You can then connect with people who have similar lenses. I have 2 lenses so far, one for each book – “How to Enjoy Your Job” and “Living an Abundant Life”. It’s very easy to use, so if you don’t do anything else – just build a lens for starters.

LinkedIn.com. I primarily use LinkedIn for my consulting work (the day job!) but I also have a link to my blog and also Amazon.com booklink so it is refreshed regularly. This is a brilliant site as you can connect with people you see through other people’s connections, building your circle of influence quickly. Connect with me on LinkedIn.com

Twitter.com

After resisting because I couldn't see the point, I am now a huge Twitter fan! You can connect with like-minded people and share interesting sites, as well as promote your own material now and then. You can direct message with “famous” people who you might not approach in other ways. You can be part of an active community. It's brilliant! Follow me on Twitter and see how it goes – then start tweeting yourself. Here is a post on how to use it if you're new!

There are other sites of course – I haven’t joined them all yet! For example,

· MySpace.com

· Shelfari.com

· Authornation.com

· HubPages.com

· Flickr.com

There are also social networking news sites like Digg.com, brilliant site Stumbleupon, Reddit.com, Mixx.com

If this is all blowing your mind, and you wonder how you will keep up with all these sites, there is a solution. Ping.fm is a utility that lets you update all your social networks at the same time via mobile phone, email or plugin applications.

You can spend all your time on these sites, so be careful! But if you create a profile at all these sites, think how many incoming links you will have to your book or author website or blog. You can also choose a couple and focus on those. But make a start as these sites really do have a way of changing your perspective on social networking, as a way to connect as well as market yourself.

*************************************

Thank you for visiting The Creative Penn! For more top posts, try the Articles page.
Like this article? Subscribe to my RSS feed by email or in a RSS reader.

*************************************

Tweet
Share
Pin
Share
Stumble
+1
Share
Email
Pocket
Buffer
Reddit

Filed Under: Marketing and Promotion Tagged With: social networking

Comments

  1. Viroontara says

    December 23, 2008 at 9:33 am

    Informative & amusing; I have a lot of reading to do!

    Reply
  2. krishna says

    January 23, 2009 at 1:47 am

    Nice compilation. You can also add Ecademy.com another business networking site worth looking into your list

    Reply
  3. Beth Barany says

    January 25, 2009 at 9:20 pm

    Great list, Joanne. Yes, I suggest tackling this little by little too!

    Reply
  4. carmen says

    February 19, 2009 at 2:32 pm

    Geesh! I can’t keep up with just Twitter and Facebook. Now there are more? Aack! 🙂

    Reply
  5. John Kremer says

    March 15, 2009 at 11:04 pm

    A great list. Nice work. Thanks for linking to the Book Marketing Network at http://bookmarket.ning.com. It’s a great network.

    Reply
  6. Thandelike says

    March 16, 2009 at 2:46 am

    Great list Joanne! I would also add http://www.redroom.com which seems similar to Author’s Den yet it’s completely free: author pages, blog, photo gallery, media coverage and reviews.

    Anastasia

    Cultural Writer><Berkeley Expat

    Co-producer of Istanbul’s 1st Global Nomad Salon
    ++++++++++++++++
    Co-creator of
    TALES FROM THE EXPAT HAREM: Foreign Women in Modern Turkey

    Reply
  7. twimagic says

    October 17, 2011 at 3:36 am

    I would also add http://Twimagination.com, a Twitter application that allows you to share short writings such as fiction stories, poems, novels, fairy tales, fantasies, dreams or any other products of your imagination through Twitter.

    Reply
  8. Rachel says

    April 24, 2012 at 11:22 pm

    There’s also another social networking site for writers. It’s http://www.Pondrin.com
    It’s a place for authors to promote their publications, stories, poetry, lyrics, blogs etc. A place worth checking out.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Publishing 2.0 News Dec 24 2008 - The Creative Penn | The Creative Penn says:
    December 24, 2008 at 6:40 pm

    […] being a fiction writer. Determination and hard work are keys to success.  Authonomy is one of the social networking sites you should have a look at as a writer to connect with like minded people and potential customers.  […]

    Reply
  2. Top 10 New Years Resolutions for Writers - The Creative Penn | The Creative Penn says:
    January 1, 2009 at 1:05 am

    […] LibraryThing and Squidoo. There are also lots of smaller networking sites at ning.com. Here is a list of the main social networking sites.  […]

    Reply
  3. Publishing 2.0 News: Jan 18 2009 - by The Creative Penn | The Creative Penn says:
    January 17, 2009 at 9:27 pm

    […] Social networking for authors is an important form of book promotion. But there are so many! This post outlines which ones […]

    Reply
  4. BookBuzzr: Funky Widget To Share Your Book Details - by Joanna Penn | The Creative Penn says:
    June 6, 2009 at 12:10 am

    […] are so many social networking sites out there now, it is hard for an author to decide where to spend any […]

    Reply
  5. Overwhelmed Online? 3 Steps To Start Your Author Platform Building - by Joanna Penn | The Creative Penn says:
    August 14, 2009 at 12:42 am

    […] easy to meet people (much easier than Facebook), and I am a huge fan! You can also join one of the many other social networks that are available, but I have found Twitter the most useful for promoting this blog, myself and my […]

    Reply
  6. Writers Need Social Media... and Social Media Needs Writers - by Joanna Penn | The Creative Penn says:
    August 26, 2009 at 3:09 am

    […] Social networking and web 2.0 sites for authors […]

    Reply
  7. Overwhelmed Online? 3 Steps To Start Your Author Platform Building — Authors Marketing Circle says:
    December 19, 2010 at 8:56 am

    […] easy to meet people (much easier than Facebook), and I am a huge fan! You can also join one of the many other social networks that are available, but I have found Twitter the most useful for promoting this blog, myself and my […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Rachel Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Become a more successful author

Looking for something?

Subscribe to the blog by email, or connect with me on social media

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Get started right now with links to the best content below!

Need a professional editor?

Need a professional book cover design?

Inspiration and Information every Monday!

Need help with book marketing?

Want to make a living writing? Here are some ideas how you can

How to set up your own author website in under 30 mins

Useful Books on Writing, Publishing, Marketing and Making Money Writing

My J.F.Penn author blog, for fans of my thriller novels

Stronger together! I’m a proud member of The Alliance of Independent Authors

Topics

  • Author Entrepreneur
  • Creativity
  • Ebooks and Technology
  • Intellectual Property Rights
  • Marketing and Promotion
  • Publishing Options
  • Writing

Recent Posts

  • Audiobooks For Authors With Will Dages From Findaway Voices
  • 5 Tips To Spice Up Your Amazon Author Profile
  • Writing Tips: Digital Forensics for Screen Writers and Novelists
  • How To Be Successful In Writing Horror With Iain Rob Wright
  • Writing Tips: How To Turn A Thesis Into A Book That Sells
  • How To Take Your Creative Business To The Next Level With Tara McMullin
  • Book Marketing: Social Media Tips For Introvert Authors
  • Writing a Novel: Top 10 Editing Tips
  • Author Email List And Newsletter Tips With Tammi Labrecque
  • Writing Tips: Writing Beyond The 5 Senses
  • How To Be A Successful Company Of One With Paul Jarvis
  • How To Make Your Audiobook Work For You
  • The Importance of Having a (Well-Designed) Author Website
  • Voice Technologies For Authors With Bradley Metrock
  • 4 Tips For Authors in Public. How to Overcome Your Fear of Being Seen

Archives

Thanks for visiting The Creative Penn!

Most of the information on this site is free for you to read, watch or listen to, but The Creative Penn is also a business and my livelihood. So please expect hyperlinks to be affiliate links in many cases, when I receive a small percentage of sales if you wish to purchase. I only recommend tools, books and services that I either use or people I know personally. Integrity and authenticity continue to be of the highest importance to me. Read the privacy policy here. I hope you find the site useful! Thanks - Joanna

Connect with me on social media

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
© Copyright Joanna Penn. The Creative Penn Limited. All rights reserved.

Search The Creative Penn

Inspiration and Information every Monday in The Creative Penn podcast

Thanks for visiting The Creative Penn

Most of the information on this site is free for you to read, watch or listen to, but The Creative Penn is also a business and my livelihood. So please expect hyperlinks to be affiliate links in many cases, when I receive a small percentage of sales if you wish to purchase. I only recommend tools, books and services that I either use or people I know personally. Integrity and authenticity continue to be of the highest importance to me. Read the privacy policy here. Read the Cookie policy here. I hope you find the site useful! Thanks - Joanna

Copyright © 2019 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

I use cookies to ensure that I give you the best experience on this website. If you continue to use this site, I will assume that you are happy with this. Thank you. OkRead more