Today’s post is brought to us courtesy of author and blogger Jacqueline Gum. Image courtesy FreeDigitalPhotos.net
dil·i·gence – noun \ˈdi-lə-jən(t)s\
- persevering application : assiduity
- the attention and care legally expected or required of a person (as a party to a contract)
We likely all learned the meaning of diligence early in childhood. Whether it applied to homework or feeding the family pet, it was a persevering application. But I think, in the case of maintaining our social media, the second definition, sans the legally expected, pertains as well. Personally, I do have a contract with myself to get my words read. Probably like you, I’ve wished on a star, and very diligently I might add, that my book/my blog/my website would find its way to the right computer screen and Viola… it goes viral and I’m getting ten thousand hits a day. But alas I’ve come to realize, there is no magic.
That leaves us back where we started, with diligence.
Our hostess, Ms. Stauch, social media guru, through this blog, has provided all the information needed in terms of discovering your groups on LinkedIn and Facebook. She has guided you to websites that pertain to your topic, or speak to your demographic whether it’s fiction or non-fiction. But don’t be a bomb thrower and expect results. You can’t go to a group and post your blog and assume it will get read. Be a contributor first. Read a blog or go to a website that interests you and leave a comment. Get involved.
If you choose topics that interest you, chances are that person will be interested in your words as well. Connect with like-minded people, like-minded writing. Step outside the box and find a topic you’ve always wanted to know more about. I was surprised to find how much I enjoy the blogs I’ve chosen and look forward to the posts. After all, writers love to read, right? Read what you want. It’s not necessary to invest an endless amount of time.
But the key is to do it every day. You can’t expect to show up to a daily scheduled meeting only when you feel like it and be a part of the team, and have your opinion valued. That reeks of “I’m above it all.”
If you don’t feed the dog every day, he’s gonna die. So don’t die out there. Feed your social media every day.
No magic, just plain old diligence.
Jacqueline Gum is the author of Confessions of a Corporate Slut and is now shopping her second novel, The Accuser’s Burden, which has been short-listed as a finalist in the 2012 Faulkner Wisdom Creative Writing competition in the Novel category. Her witty and insightful blog, Where’s the Justice, focuses on social injustice. Visit her at www.jacquelinegum.com
An outstanding share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a co-worker who has been conducting a little homework on this. And he actually ordered me dinner because I stumbled upon it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending the time to talk about this matter here on your web site.
Great blog. And Jacquie you are so right on! It does takes time out of our busy days to read blogs and leave a comment. But I’ve learned, it’s time well spent.
Best,
Pattie
Thanks for the post Jacquelin. I really need to invest some more consistent time in social media. Like Jane stated the key is to find the right channels to participate in so your time is invested wisely.
Diligence is key to success I heartily agree. Keeping up, putting yourself out there, posting comments, and being engaged seems paramount to social marketing success. However, what about all those constant posts, pesty redundancy, and all those trashed e-mails. Facebook can be invasive and time wasting. Twitter doesn’t like a post-hog. So I suggest discernment, along with diligence. Quality posts, rich in thought and research will reap a more valued audience. It seems to me the difficulty lies in how much consistency is just the right amount.
Thanks Jane and you’re absolutely right. It’s actually incumbent on us writers to put decent stuff into cyberspace and that includes quality blogs and posts! And frankly, we still want to see writers WRITING… So once you’ve set your social media parameters and goals (which spaces and how often) and which areas you may be pitching weekly for articles, etc., then it’s definitely a task of an hour a day upkeep.
I do see some folks go down the rabbit hole with this stuff, spending 6 hours a day for a month and quickly burning out… It’s the slow, controlled burn that gets the job done. True, you may need a bit of extra time answering folks comments some days, or may really WANT to blow off a Sunday on Pinterest, but better to leave each day while you’re still enjoying it… rather like leaving off writing in the middle of a paragraph so you can easily jump back into work the next day! Continued success to you…
Participation- I the key to communication. I enjoyed meeting others and we pass on great wealth of information to each other. Kudos to your blog! Give yourself a Hug-A-Bug hug!