The July 26th Writing Show, “I Tweet, Therefore I Am: Building a Platform and Finding Your Voice,” explored the evolving world of networking and social media. The focus of the evening was how online platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr can elevate and support an author’s experience, sales, or readership.
The panel included Mark LaFountain, vice president of technical support for Tumblr; Doug Moran, leadership consultant and author of If You Will Lead; Christina Dick, community manager at The Martin Agency; and Ana Kamal, senior digital advocate and trainer at Create Digital. The moderator for the evening was Sara Lowery Anderson, online community coordinator at Southern States Cooperative.
The panelists discussed a variety of platforms and fielded audience questions, such as what is a social media platform? How can it assist an author? How do choose which one (or more) to use? How do you transition from traditional marketing and networking to the unexplored digital map?
Central to the evening was the question of what to put on a blog, Facebook fan page, or Twitter feed. Dick noted that social media platforms are a chance to be intimate with your followers. Moran shared his struggle to switch from traditional mediums like print and radio to social media, and admitted that he has come to like the dynamic nature of the latter.
The panelists emphasized the importance of appearing sincere, authentic, knowledgeable and passionate in online communication. LaFountain said, “It’s not about geography, it’s about shared passion.” They suggested experimenting with different platforms in order to discern which works best for you, and writing in a way that encourages readers to relate to you.
In response to a question about which aspects of social media the panelists found most useful or important, Dick said that it had opened new doors in her advertising career. LaFountain spoke to the amazing way Tumblr connects complete strangers, while Moran agreed that the connection is magical. For him, successful connections made through social media have enabled him step away from a corporate job and pursue his dream of writing and freelance consulting.
For Kamal, social media enables her to “say what I want to say, and mean it, and stand by it.” Online, her sense of confidence has grown. Something to keep in mind for aspiring authors who express themselves best with the written word.
— Melanie Carter, JRW Intern
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