I've established the need for social networking in my post, Social Networking for Writers. Now let's take a look at some of the ways to engage. Feel free to comment if you have others to suggest.
- Writers Group Memberships - The benefits of joining groups for writers are so numerous I could write a blog entry on this subject alone (and may do so at another time). Your writers group memberships will provide you actual living, breathing persons to believe in you and your writing. Other benefits include workshops, speakers, newsletters, forums, speakers bureaus, writing opportunities, book tables, retreats, group discounts on market guides, email loops, book clubs and resource links on websites. I recommend joining at least one local and one national writing group compatible with your area of writing. For me, that means I belong to Northwest Christian Writers and American Christian Fiction Writers.
- Critique Groups - Belonging to a critique group is one of the fastest ways to perfect your craft and grow as a writer. Critique groups range in size from large circles to two people who critique one-on-one. You will need to decide your preference. The larger the group, the more variety of feedback and the less individual attention. Critique groups vary in the way they run meetings and in the critique process itself. Many of them have members read aloud. Others work online and then meet to socialize, talk shop and learn. You can usually find a critique group through one of your memberships. Dive in! If one style of critique group isn't working for you, for any reason, you can always drop out and look for another that will.
- Forums - Many writing groups have forums where you can interact and share ideas with other writers. You can ask questions and get answers from people further down the road you're traveling. By the same token, you can provide help for others from your areas of expertise. Posting on forums helps alleviate a sense of isolation and provide you with contacts and opportunities.
- Book Clubs and Book Groups - The people who belong to book clubs and groups read. That would mean they buy books. As such, they should hold infinite appeal to you as a writer. Get out there and find the ones that correlate to your genre (fiction) or subject (non-fiction). After you do, get to know them. Introduce yourself. Take a (genuine) interest in them. Don't wait until you're ready to promote your book and then "drive by" and pitch your material, never to be heard from again. That's self-involved and just plain rude. It's about interaction. Shelfari is one online book group. There are others.
- Writers Conferences - Hands down, there is no better way to get yourself and your work in front of an interested agent or editor than at a writers conference (unless you're related to one or something). I would go so far as to say that taking this step is not really optional for a writer. When you attend a writers conference, you've already proven several things. You've shown you are committed to your writing enough to plunk down a chunk of change, travel to the conference, and prepare yourself and your writing for presentation. Agents and editors do notice. You should take advantage of the opportunity to pitch your work, if you and it are ready to undergo scrutiny. If not, content yourself with learning and making contacts. When you are ready to submit your work, you'll already have learned the ropes.
- Blogging/Visiting Other's Blogs and Websites - Blogging isn't for everyone. It takes a commitment of time and energy you might not want to invest, and that's fine. However, blogging does offer instant online access to all. You don't have to own a website domain, pay for web hosting, or even have much technical acuity to blog. All you need is passion and persistence. It takes a while to develop a following, and those deadlines keep rolling around. If you do decide to blog, don't be a loner. Go to other's blogs and websites and comment. It's all right to include your blog address below your signature. You never know who will visit your blog as a result. You can add other blogs to a blogroll you display on your blog, and often the owners of those blogs will return the favor. You can start a blog for free at Blogger and Wordpress.
- Facebook - You can keep in touch with many people at once through Facebook, which makes it an invaluable tool for writers. You can build your reader base by getting in touch with old friends and relatives, and acquaintances. You can network with other writers, editors and agents through Facebook too. When you are published and wildly famous, you can connect with your fans through a Facebook fan page. You might want to think about providing a separate facebook page under an assumed name for your friends and relatives to keep in touch with you. When your professional contacts escalate in number, you may find it difficult to keep up with your family members in the ever-flowing news stream. You also may prefer to keep friends and family separate for privacy reasons. Do this from the outset or you'll have difficulty shifting people later. A word of caution: Facebook can become a time suck if you let it.
- Twitter - People sometimes labor under misconceptions about Twitter. For instance, most people who "tweet" (post 140-character updates) are not describing what they had for dinner. As with Facebook, Twitter can be time-consuming or not. It's up to you. I don't think I've built a reader base on Twitter, but I have made some valuable contacts with other writers. You can follow the tweets of agents and publishing houses on Twitter. You can conduct valuable searches using Twitter. You can upload your twitter feed to your facebook page and blog(s) in a quick, simple step through your Twitter settings (or vice versa). I may return to the subject of Twitter for it's own blog post, there's so much to say about it.
- LinkedIn - I'm guilty here, because I've not put enough time into my LinkedIn account to guide you. Therefore, I'll direct you to the Linkedin blog, where I'll join you soon to learn more about using this valuable resource to my advantage.
