There’s a lot of talk of how you, as a writer, can increase your web presence and somehow, as a direct result of that web presence, get connections that will help you get published. Well, this may, in a roundabout way, be somewhat true. But maybe not in the way that people expect.

I actually attended a panel on publicity and marketing about two weeks ago, courtesy of my university. What struck me most was what one of the panelists said about how advertising is changing. I’m paraphrasing here, but it was something along the lines of, “Today’s consumer wants to feel like they have a personal connection with whatever is being advertised.”

Generally speaking, what you, as an unpublished author, are advertising, is yourself. How can you advertise yourself in such a way that people will feel like they have a personal connection with you?

Just make friends.

This can seem really overwhelming at first, so I’ve broken down some key steps into easily digestible pieces.

Forums

Get an account on some forums. AbsoluteWrite is where I started, and it’s a fantastic resource for writers of all levels of experience. There are a variety of other writers’ forums out there. A quick search should give you a variety of options. I suggest that you spend a few minutes–maybe ten or twenty–browsing the website before you make an account. You want to make sure that the atmosphere and resources of the community (opportunities for critiques, beta readers, etc), line up with your expectations for what should essentially be an online writers’ group.

Blog

There are so many different blogging platforms out there that it can get a little overwhelming. Blogspot, WordPress, and LiveJournal seem to be the big ones, but there are more and more cropping up every day. A blog can function almost like a personal website, providing information about you and your work. I find that blogs are most effective when readers can get to know the person who’s blogging. Write about you – your work, your day, things that interest you, your writing.

Twitter

Twitter is a nice way of getting news about people and events that you’re interested in. If you want to get more followers, which is the only way to meet new people, I suggest taking part in lots of Twitter chats, using tons of hashtags, and getting a program like TweetDeck that will let you access your Twitter account away from the webpage (as the webpage really isn’t conducive to following conversations). I recommend Twitter as a last step for those of you who are just beginning, because it helps to start off with some internet buddies who will be willing to “follow” you. That way you look like less of a spammer, and you have people to tweet at.

Facebook

This seems to me to be either the first or last step. That is, either you have a Facebook already, or you’re not going to get a Facebook no matter what I say, no siree. Either way, I’m totally down. I got you. But for those of you who have no strong feelings on the matter, or who have a Facebook but haven’t used it for writing-related things, let me address this section to you.

The goal of all “networking” is to make connections. I want you to think about creating friendships. Friendships that you are happy to have in your “real life”, not just your internet life. Because you want to be a writer in “real life”, yes?

Facebook provides an opportunity for you to have a more personal connection with your internet writer compatriots. I’m FB friends with a lot of my internet writer friends. We wish each other happy birthday and talk on each other’s walls. I’ve even found that some of my friends live in my area, thanks to Facebook.

I’m not saying that everyone should run out and get a Facebook page, or that you need to start friending writers left and right. I’m saying that the quality of the friendships that you form when you’re “networking” should be somewhat similar to the ones that you already have on a site like Facebook – they should be “real life” friends who you talk to on the internet.

Finally: The thing is, today people are savvy about marketing. They know when you’re trying to sell yourself, and no one wants to feel like the only reason people are talking to them is because you want to “sell yourself.” If you start on your journey to increase your web presence with the object of making friends, on the other hand, you’ll create real relationships that won’t set off everyone’s marketing alarms.

So what should you do? Go out and talk. Talk to people. Post on forums. Blog. Use Twitter. Use Facebook. Or only do some of these things. Or do all of them but not in that order. I just want you to start talking to people who interest you about things that interest you. Talk about writing. Talk about anything. Just talk. And listen. And remember that networking and marketing sound difficult, but they can be fun, too.

Your Turn

What social networking have you explored? What works? What doesn’t? Tell us in the comments.