Sometimes I wonder which should come first - Facebook, Blogs or Egroups. They all seem important to me, yet I can't spend as much time on each of them as I'd like. With a full time day job, a husband and dog to come home to, plus a work in progress that's inching ever so slowly along, it's a struggle to divvy up the free moments.
Many people I've met in person, plus online friends and/or potential readers send comments or messages to me on Facebook, a place I love to visit. The possibilities for making friends, learning and sharing seem endless. I resisted for a while, but gave in to Farmville, because its cute, plus it's another way to connect on the Internet. I have to admit I'm not the best farmer there, with my crops withering often, and a fictitious dog I somehow got there which ran away because I forgot to feed it every day. I must assure you the same thing doesn't happen to my real dog, Rascal. She gets plenty of food and treats from me, actually more than she should have, because she has me twisted around her little paws.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand -.
Blogs are great and I love them. I wish I could read and comment on all the blogs of all the friends - the ones I've met online and in person, but it's impossible. I try to visit the group blogs I belong to first to support my fellow members, then branch out to a few others, but it's usually a hit or miss process.
I also love the egroups to which I belong. I've never met many of the other members face to face, yet they've shared so much with me I feel I know them quite well. I like knowing what's going on in their lives and sharing what' happening in mine. It would be a great loss to lose my connection with them.
So, I love Facebook, Blogs and Egroups, but some days I can't get to them all, though I wish I could. Sometimes it's a matter of whatever catches my eye that gets first choice. What about you? How do you divvy up your time?
I'm trying to figure it out myself, add Twitter to that and I'm on brain info overload sometimes.
ReplyDeleteAlex
Breakfast Every Hour
LOL At the moment, none of them are getting much time. Deviant Art and Blogger probably see me the most.
ReplyDeleteI usually check my regular blogs first, then if I have time I'll head over to see what's happening on any of my loops. I do have a Facebook page, but I rarely check it. (I really need to get better at that...it's a great place to get the word out and connect.)
ReplyDeleteTwitter has taken a backseat for now. And I put 10 minute time timits on FB, although these will change once I start the promotion and sales in a couple weeks.
ReplyDeleteStephen Tremp
I've been neglecting Twitter a lot lately except for announcements when I have special blogs or during Academy Awards and shows like that. I just don't have the time.
ReplyDeleteYou're asking the %64,000 question, Morgan. I would say Facebook gets my attention first, then email and blogs. I don't have any regular blogs, but I try to visit as many as I can every day.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm also trying to get into the habit of paying my writing self first. That means putting the WIP first every day, then using whatever time/energy is leftover for blogs, FB et al. It's so easy to get sucked into the social media vortex and never come out.
Sorry you're little Farmville dog ran away. I have a My Farm on FB but can't remember the last time I visited.
It does get to be a bit overwhelming, I think. So much in so little time. I have 7 email boxes. One gets the bulk of the mail and I tend to delete based on the subject line when it comes to email from several different group lists I'm on.
ReplyDeleteYou've raised a major issue. I do FB, and I think it makes a difference.I'm updating my website. When a new book is published I send postcards or emails to the several thousand people who've asked to be on my mailing list.I answer fan mail.I speak to groups.I estimate I spend 30% of my time doing marketing-related work. I don't have a blog, but do guest blogs. I don't see myself spend a month of writing time doing a blog tour.A lot of blogs seem to be writers talking to other writers. I don't tweet. I'm not on every social networking site out there. I want time to write. Research & planning eats up another 30% of my time, so that only leaves 30% of my time to actually write, plus 10% to breathe.I've decided the line has to be drawn. I'll market more - conferences, appearances, etc - in the months after a book is out. But I'm a writer. I need to get more books out the door, not more tweets or blogs. That's where I am today.
ReplyDeleteGood blog, Morgan. This is something I've been wondering a lot about myself, because some days I feel like I don't have enough time to do any writing, let alone anything else...And my only day job is part-time for my father-in-law at an office where I'm allowed to write and social-network when I'm not doing paperwork or dispatching.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna keep an eye on this and see what other people have to say.
My verification code was "imuts", which I read at first as "I'm nuts"...which describes how I feel sometimes trying to juggle writing and promoting. LOL
Hi Morgan!
ReplyDeleteI was aware of the time-suck before I began, so I limited my online presence. I blog 2-3 hours a day, sometimes more. (I'm lucky I can do it from work.) I did open a Twitter account, although I only visit it a couple times a day. And I'm with the same Yahoo Group as you - mostly I just listen.
I divide my time on the blog, then facebook because that's how the leads to my website generate. I don't like twitter that much. It's a pity there aren't many followers on my blog. It could be the erotic nature of it.
ReplyDeleteMy Darcy Mutates…
I blog almost every day, then I use ping.fm to announce my blog posts at 8 social networks I have tied into my ping.fm account. Just found out that Vox is going away, which stinks, because my Google Alerts pick it up every time.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes wander onto Facebook directly, but I try not to because it's so easy to lose time there.
Cheryl
I blog weekly on books for The Huffington Post and work on that across the week, editing bit each day before I post.
ReplyDeleteAs for FB, Goodreads, Twitter, etc, I try to spend no more than 15 minutes on all that in the morning over coffee as a kind of prelude to the day after or while I'm reading the news.
Notice "try." :-)
+The blog poses a good question: The amount of time on the Internet/promoting/blogging and handling life and writing. I'm still getting the handle on it. Try to hit two or three blogs a day and make a comment. Limit Facebook to a few minutes. E-mail, all by itself, can take up hours it seems. Sure takes away from writing, being with friends and family (personally, eyeballing, not texting) and taking care of and enjoying furry friends, who rarely text or post online.
ReplyDeletePat H.
Email takes precedence, then Twitter, then Facebook. While I love my Facebook friends most of the time I don't have to time participate in the fun things they send me!It's all I can do to maybe post a tiny update on myself and answer one or two posts. I've always said I prefer Twitter since it forces you to be concise and has the speed to communicate quickly. Even then I mostly RT with replies or comments. The only time I really do my own updates, is after 9 p.m., LOL!!
ReplyDelete