A few weeks ago I posted a book review of a Christian Science Fiction book on my blogspot blog, woad writer. I didn’t think too much about it, I’ve been doing fairly consistent fiction book reviews and some practical writing articles. I liked that particular book, and so found the author/publisher’s Facebook page and followed them.
About two weeks after I published the review, the author shared the review on Facebook. Now, that seems good except for one little thing. The way he shared it was by cutting and pasting the entire review, word for word, and no link. Not only is that a copyright infringement, but it can damage the blog’s SEO since search engines are unlikely to differentiate which post happened first.
I also realize, however, that not everyone fully understands social media or how to use it effectively. So here are three tips on how to properly share on Facebook or Twitter.
Three Tips for Sharing on Social Media
- If you find an amazing post, someone writes a positive review, or you just want to share something, always link back to the original. The best way to share an article or link is to write a quick, two sentence, overview add the link and share. On Twitter, a three or four word description and the shortened link is best.
- Always give credit, if you share anything. Sharing a picture? Tag the profile you shared from. Not only will that show that you shared them, but their followers will be able to see that you shared and maybe follow you. Giving credit is a great way to build community.
- Use Google alerts and have an alert for your name, book titles, keywords, and anything that someone might use to reference back to you. This way if someone mentions you (like I reviewed the book) you will know immediately and be able to share if it is positive, comment, or make a note if it is negative. Knowing when someone mentions you is also a good social media strategy, since you are able to show that you are listening and active.
A lot of social media protocol is common sense, simply put, if you would not want someone to share your work in that manner, don’t share their work in that manner. Link back to a source article, and never copy and paste more than one paragraph. A paragraph will not harm the website’s ranking, but will show enough to encourage your followers to go and check out the article/website/blog.
Remember, if you share fairly with others and are consistent, they are likely to start sharing from you as well.
Back to You:
What social media fiasco’s have you seen? What misuse situations have you encountered? I would love to hear from you, leave a comment.
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