Back to Business: TWEET, TUMBLE, STUMBLE...

As a follow-up to my "vintage" social media post of last week, here are my reflections today.

Ahhhhhh, social media. The ultimate THING TO DO WHEN YOU WANT TO FEEL LIKE YOU
ARE GETTING SOMETHING DONE BUT DON'T WANT TO THINK TOO MUCH. Plus, it somehow makes you feel simultaneously lonelier and less lonely (or is that only me?).

@SWKEHOE

Is all this tweeting, facebooking, etc., useful to authors? Does it come "naturally" to anyone? Has anyone figured out how to do it without it being a ginormous time suck?
WHICH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM is best / most effective / most efficient?
WHAT ABOUT the new MYSPACE, INSTAGRAM, REDDIT?

Whether you like it or not, with Amazon's power in online book sales, the increasing use of e-books, competition from self-published books with low price points, and the fact that B&N (the barely hanging-on brick-and-mortar bookstore) is shelving a dwindling percentage of new hard copy releases, some level on online self-promotion is a must.

IN FACT, I THINK THAT MANY AUTHORS DO ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE SELF-PROMOTION. Can we weigh in on this? Do we think it's true?

Two years down the line from my adorable early social media post, I still have more questions than answers. Can't imagine that this is a good thing!