There's a challenge in our modern life that's been building since the moment the internet was created. How do we keep our private lives--things we don't want to share with the world at large--from bleeding into the public world? Some people go the route of not creating a virtual identity at all, but for writers, that's not a choice.
It's been drilled into my head for the last two years that in order to promote my book, I need to be accessible online. I need to blog, I need to be on Twitter, I need...
But sometimes, we have to draw a line in the sand. Even an author needs a place where she can be a person, where she can just be herself, not accountable to the general reading public.
For me, Facebook is that place online. My Twitter account is public, my Facebook account is private. On Twitter, I'll follow pretty much anyone if they interest me. On Facebook, I'm far, far more selective.
This makes Facebook the one place I talk about work, or ramble about Doctor Who, or share my plans for the weekend. Some of that bleeds into Twitter, but only selective things. Very little of it bleeds onto my blog, which I try to keep mostly professional.
So you understand why I've struggled the last few months with the idea of creating a Facebook page for me as an author. Even though it would be completely separate from my personal account, it would still be business intruding in my home life, and that was a line I wasn't sure I wanted to cross.
I finally decided to do it. After all, I'm launching a new website next month (Have I mentioned that? keep an eye out for awesome giveaways!), and that's just a good time to get everything out of the way. Do it all at once, like ripping off a Band-aid.
That little analogy should tell you how I felt about the idea. Finally, Saturday night I realized that I just couldn't do it. It would be so easy to accidentally muddy the waters between the private account and the public page. Post something from the wrong account or... Who knows? I would just rather not go there.
This is me, drawing the line.
I think that's fine. I kind of do the same thing, although not professionally, I keep twitter for my author and reading friends. That's not to say I don't have those friends on fb. I just don't like to bombard my fb friends with book advertisement because a lot of them aren't interested. I will admit I've put a lot more of my blog posts on fb lately, but I don't always feel comfortable with that. So, what is worth, I agree with you! Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a problem with that :o) We all need to keep space for ourself - if fb is your place, then who are we, the public, to expect you to give that up? You've got a twitter and a blog and a website -- if the public needs to reach you, they totally can. It's not as if you're wholly reclusive... Brava :o)
ReplyDeleteI completely understand where you are coming from. When I decided to change up my blog from a personal rambling to something a little more productive, I decided to keep most of the personal content out of it.
ReplyDeleteBut I did want to start a facebook presence outside my personal one, so I decided to experiment with the Camas Movie Club. I'm finding it very easy to navigate between posting on my personal site and posting on the movie page. I haven't had any cross contamination at all, because when I'm on the movie site, it automatically has me posting as the movie club admin. But when I move back to my Home site, I'm me again.
Good luck with the website launch!
Great post! Facebook has two of my business accounts, but I don't use my personal page at all. I've wondered about doing an author page.
ReplyDeleteYou raise interesting and very fair points. Privacy is (or at least should be) valued and there needs to be a space for it, however you divide up the social media/accessibility variables.
I follow Elizabeth Flock on Facebook and her posts are infrequent, but relevant to writing or reading. She makes it seem winsome and easy.
However, I agree with Rebecca's point, if someone wants to find you as an author, your blog is here and there's Twitter. That's reasonalbe access.
A great post on an important topic. I approach Twitter and Facebook just as you do. On my blog I share about myself, but to the extent it is useful to readers. Phillip Lopate, a big promoter of writers sharing themselves via personal essay, said the key is to give the reader something true, honest and even raw about yourself. You win that reader's loyalty and trust. But note that you haven't given everything about yourself, and you've chosen what to share. That's my approach to social media.
ReplyDeletePatrick
From a "consumer" perspective, I appreciate it when someone keeps personal and professional separate. I follow a number of writers on Twitter and enjoy what they have to say about writing....but some of them are about to get the boot due to an excessive amount of tweets about their favorite sports teams, their children, what's on TV etc. I don't know whether they feel compelled to tweet this information to make a personal connection w/their followers or if they think it's a good idea. I have two twitter accounts, one that is more "professional" and one that I use to tweet w/friends and comments on random thoughts. Maybe the rule should be "would you talk about this in the office?"
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Nancy. Very thought provoking.
I love the conversation this has generated. I suspected I wasn't the only author trying to find this balance, but all I ever hear is how we need to be available everywhere. I'm glad to know I'm not alone in this.
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone. For me, I decided not to get on Twitter, it's just too overwhelming for me right now. I have a personal private Facebook profile and one for me as an author. But there are days that it feels like too much of a chore to keep them separate.
ReplyDeleteAt times it feels a little like having toddlers in the house again and not being able to have a few private moments to yourself. I think the balance is difficult to find.