Article Writer For Hire
  • Article Writer For Hire
  • Intent-sive Nature
    • Our Books
  • Writing, Web, Business, & Tech
    • Writing Tips Journal
    • Brand Shamans Brand Healing Journal
    • Write W.A.V.E. Media Thought Leadership & Tech Blog
    • The Bibliophile's Library Journal - Books, Reviews, News, & Info
    • Penning Your World - A Creative Writing Journal
    • The One-and-Only Internet Money Making Guide!
    • Monsters Within Us - An Otherworldly Journal of Monstrous Incantations
    • Be a Writer!
    • FREE Guest Post Submissions!
  • Services
    • Author & Book Marketing Services
    • Social Media & Branding
    • Content Writing & Editing
    • Premium Bulk SEO Articles & Blog Posts
    • Advertising & Guest Posts
    • Ready-Made Content
    • FREE Virtual Assistant (VA) Consultation
    • Custom Jewelry-Making
    • Healing Readings & Talismans
  • Society & Causes
    • Causes We Support
    • Speak Up!; A Homelessness & Social Justice Journal
    • Animal Advocacy >
      • Animal Advocacy & Healthy Pet Parenting Journal
      • Positive Pet Parenting Journal
      • Raising Pet Positive Kids
      • Super Mom...Kind Of
      • Pawsitively Adventurous Pets
      • Purrely Pawsitive and Barkably Amazng Pet Training Tips
      • Dog Praising
      • Spirit of the Wild - Lands and Animals
      • Sounds of Nature
    • Motivational Friends Inspirational Journal
    • Straight Up LGBTQ Journal
    • Colorful Expressions
    • Inner Healing & Spirituality Journal
  • About Us & Contact
    • About Us & Contact Us
    • Lyn Lomasi
    • Become an Affiliate!
  • Family & Home
    • Kymani's Travels - Family Travel Journal
    • The Nova Skye Story - Family Journal
    • Upstream Parenting Journal
    • Life & Home Journal
    • Momtrepreneur Moments - A Business Mom's Journal
    • Successful Relationships; A Heart-Focused Journal
    • Better Plumbing Blog
  • News & Travel
    • RV'ing Successfully - A Family Roadschooling & Travel Journal
    • Hometown Love - A Local Journal
    • News Articles
    • Sports Break Journal
  • Education
    • Free Learning Education Journal
    • Heart 'N Mind Homeschool Journal
    • Free Homeschool Worksheets
  • Health & Beauty
    • Whole Body Health, Healing, & Medicine Journal
    • Good Eats for the Soul - Vegan Diet, Recipes, & Food Journal
    • Fash Diva - A Clothing, Shoes, & Fashion Journal
    • Naturally Simple - A Self-Care & Beauty Journal
    • Senior Living
    • Disabilities Blog
    • Green Living Articles
  • Fun & Games
    • Gaming Successfully
    • Luna Starlight Comics
    • Crafting Successfully Arts & Crafts Journal
    • Culture Carnival; A Festival, Tradition, & Holiday Journal
    • Mouthy Momtrepreneur - A Feisty Business Mom's Journal
    • Clowning Around - A Family Clown & Carnival Journal
    • Music Articles
    • Entertainment Articles
    • Humor Treasure Trove; A Funny Comedy Journal
  • Partners
    • Content Revival
    • Better Plumbing - Commercial Residential Plumbers - Denver, CO
    • Authors, Large and Small (ALAS)
    • Stephanie Nolan - Helping People Work-from-Home Daily!
    • Odds and Ends of a Wondering Mind
    • Paranormal Messages

Facebook Promotion Etiquette for Web Writers

3/14/2015

0 Comments

 
by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff
Picture
Image by theglobalpanorama via Flickr.com
It's no secret that Facebook is a great place to spread the word about your business. For freelance writers, part of that generally involves sharing links to our writing. But is there a right and wrong way to do this? As with any other type of promotion, there should be etiquette involved. To present your work in the best light, you should know the difference between promotion and spamming.

Post more than just links. The number one mistake I see people making on Facebook is not having any engagement with people. They seem to just drop links and not converse with others. You don't have to be on there all day. But at least interact if you're going to drop links. Most likely, people are not going to click the links anyway if it's obvious that is the only reason you are there. If dropping links is all you're interested in, Facebook and other social networks are not the place for that. The whole point of Facebook is to socialize.

Do not tag people in link posts, unless the link is related to them. Facebook tagging etiquette is important. When you tag someone in a Facebook post, it appears on their profile, as well as in their news feed. It also appears in the news feeds of their friends. Absolutely do not tag people unless a post is related directly to them or they've asked you to. Tagging people in all of your links is considered spam and will get you a fast ticket off Facebook. It may also cost you some friends. Is tagging your link really worth losing friends and your Facebook account? When people tag me in their articles or other promotional links, it makes me not want to click the link or share it with others. I generally will remove the tag. In special circumstances, it may not bother me, such as if a friend is obviously having fun or just wants me to see a specific article. But habitual link taggers are spammers in my book and will not receive any clicks from me.

Use a fan page. If you know you are going to be writing often, the best thing you can do is set up a Facebook fan page. There are many reasons why. But one reason is to limit exposing family and friends to every single link to all of your work. Some may appreciate it. But not everyone does. By setting up a fan page, those who want to receive all your links can follow your fan page by 'liking' it. This doesn't mean you shouldn't post any links on your profile. But if you publish often, it's just common courtesy not to post all your links on your profile. Some may consider frequent linking to be spam.

Hide links from friends that aren't interested. Do you have friends who don't want to see every link? Create a custom list and hide your link posts from those people as you post them. To do this, simply select the lock button in the status comment section when you place a link there. Choose custom from the menu. Then, type the name of the list in the field where it asks who to hide the post from. Then, hit send. It sounds complicated. But it's actually very quick when you are doing it and it keeps your friends happy. I no longer do this, as most of my friends are writers and want to see all of my posts. However, it is very useful for people you want to keep on your list that don’t want to see those posts.

Don't post links on fan pages or in groups without permission and relevancy. When I log onto Facebook and check my personal fan page, the last thing I want to see is links to irrelevant websites. On the other hand, I love checking my niche Facebook pages and groups and seeing links posted in those places that are relevant to the topic. Be mindful of where you should promote your links and where you shouldn't. Not taking heed of this could cause a loss of readers instead of drawing new ones. Relevancy attracts readers while spam alienates them.
0 Comments

Why Writers Should Have a Facebook Fan Page

1/28/2015

0 Comments

 
by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff
Picture
Image © Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved
Are you a writer looking for a wider audience? Have you tried Facebook? I'm not talking about accepting friend requests from multitudes of people - unless that's your thing. Try creating a Facebook fan page. This is a public place where followers can go to get your updates without you having to give out too much information. From personal experience, I believe all writers should have a Facebook fan page.

What is a Facebook Fan Page?


A Facebook fan page is a page on the Facebook site dedicated to a media professional, celebrity icon, or other business entity. Facebook has built-in options to choose from, including "Writer". For an example of what a fan page for a writer may look like, check out mine: Lyn Lomasi; Web Content Specialist & Writer's Advocate. The Facebook fan page looks and works similar to a profile page. However, there is no need to accept friend requests, as people can only "like" your fan page.

How Can I Get a Facebook Fan Page?

Anyone with a Facebook account can create a fan page for themselves or their business. It's free and easy to set up. Just like many features on a facebook profile, page features are labeled and fairly easy to figure out. On Facebook, when you are signed in, navigate to Facebook Pages. Once you get on that page, click "create page". You may be asked to allow the application or agree to some terms. Facebook gives the instructions after that point. If you still can't figure it out, find a techie writer friend like me to ask for help. Feel free to ask me on my fan page, in fact.

Why Do I Need a Facebook Fan Page?

There are many reasons that a Facebook fan page is a good idea for writers. Whether you write fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or prose, benefits apply. This is also true whether you are an online writer or produce content solely for print publication.

- - Cornering Promotion - Some don't like the idea of promoting their links to their Facebook friends. On the other hand, some friends don't like it either. A Facebook fan page can help you corner that promotion to a location for those who do want to view it. You may find that many of your friends will "like" your page to keep up with it.

- - Limiting Your Facebook Friend List - Do you like to keep your Facebook friend list low or limit it to just personal friends and family? By creating a Facebook fan page, you can do this more effectively. You don't have to turn away clients who want to interact, but you don't have to friend them either.

- - Creating an Online Presence - Many use Facebook fan pages as a means to help create an online presence. It's a public page. Therefore, it will most likely be crawled and indexed by search engines. If your Facebook profile is private, your promotion there is only limited to people you already know. You can reach a wider audience with a public fan page.

As you can see, there are many reasons why a writer should have a Facebook fan page. The networking and business opportunities alone are reason enough to jump in and try it out. It also can be quite fun interacting, just like on your Facebook profile. But be sure to keep your Facebook fan page fresh.


Don't have your Facebook fan page yet? Can you give me a good reason why? If not, go make one!


*I originally published a version of this via Yahoo Contributor Network
0 Comments

Writer Promotion: Keep Your Facebook Fan Page Fresh

10/5/2014

2 Comments

 
PictureImage: Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved
by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

One method of writer promotion is to maintain a Facebook fan page. But in order to take full advantage of having a Facebook fan page, you need to keep it updated. A freshly updated Facebook fan page keeps people coming back for more. This should be done in a variety of ways to attract more people and keep them interested.

Update your status often and keep it varied.
Keeping your status on your Facebook fan page fresh keeps people interested. Let your fans know what you are doing at the moment. Post milestones, pitfalls, and goals. You can also post things that don't have to do with writing, but aren't so personal that they turn people away. Don't post the same thing all the time. For instance, we all know you are writing if you're a writer. Don't post "I'm writing" every single day. Post it sometimes, but not every time you write.

Share links to your work. If someone is following your writer fan page, they want to see your writing. Post it. Whenever you have a free second, share links to various things you have published on the web. This can be anything from blog posts to news articles to book links. Whatever you write, share it with your Facebook fans. That's what they want. You can also throw in work from fellow writers occasionally to mix it up and help them out.

Offer writing advice. Post random writing tips on your writer fan page. Although some of your followers may be random people that like your work, other writers might also follow you for inspiration. Let them know how you got there and possibly help them too with some tips when you can. Writing tips may even look good to potential clients.

Share news related to the writing field. Since writers often follow other writers, share news relevant to the field. It helps keeps you as well as your fans and fellow writers in the know. Plus, it can be interesting to share something other than your own work. Staying up to date can help you improve your writing. It's always good to learn something new and share it with others.

Auto-share blog posts and other article RSS feeds. Auto-sharing your work via RSS is an easy way to keep readers up to date, while still being able to focus on producing fresh content. The auto-posts will alert people to new posts and you can focus on your writing and on other updates.

*I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network


2 Comments

8 Musts on a Freelance Writer's Website

8/5/2014

3 Comments

 
Picture
by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

When freelancing for a living, a business website to refer clients to is a must. This is a simple and professional way to let clients know what services and expertise you can provide. But what information is essential to share? As one who has been freelancing for years, here are 8 things I feel are absolute musts on a freelance web writer's website.

Bio
A bio describing some of your experiences, interests, and areas of expertise should be included in a prominent area. This lets potential clients know exactly what you are all about. You want them to know this because it helps them decide if you may be what they are looking for. Would you rather hire a construction contractor who was upfront with their skills and experience or one who simply stated he was a contractor with no additional information? Freelance writing is no different.

Experience
Experience is touched on briefly above, but you may be wondering what to include. Experience can refer to degrees and it also can refer to work or research that you've done. For instance, are there special clients or media agencies you have worked for? Do you have a degree that contributes to what you produce as a freelance writer? How many years have you been freelancing? These are just some of the things you can discuss on your website.

Writing Samples
Potential clients will need to see what type of work you are capable of. It also is a good way to show your professionalism and skills to more people. You can still email samples to potential clients, but it will be much easier for both of you (and provide a wider reach) if you make these easily available on your website. Some may choose to display these as files that can be downloaded. Others may choose to link to work they've done around the web for various clients and content sites like Associated Content.

Contact Form
A contact form is an easy way for potential clients, as well as readers, to communicate with you. These are easy to set up and can be customized to fit your purpose. These forms will forward directly to your email address. It makes contacting a simple and quick process for those who visit your website. They also can help to cut down on spam requests, as many can be customized to track IP addresses, ask for a captcha code, and other preventative measures.

Blog
This is where you can engage and interact with your audience. It's where you can talk about different aspects of the writing business, give writing tips, and also give updates on your business ventures. Don't be afraid to add some fun things in every now and then. Who you went out with last night and what you did may not be a good topic for a blog on your business website, but adding an appropriate personal touch is good. It helps followers and potential clients connect with you.

RSS and Email Subscriptions
Freelance web writers should always have a way for their audience to stay updated on their work. RSS feeds and email subscriptions can be extremely helpful here. Some content sites that freelancers may write for already have RSS feeds available to the writer. These can be placed in widgets that allow readers to view or subscribe to the content via email or feed readers. Each time a piece of content is published to the feed, those who are subscribed will be updated. Making this available on your website can be helpful in building a following.

Social Media Connections
If you are using social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc) to increase your online presence or to make connections in the writing world, place those links on your business website. This will help people connect with you around the web and can be useful in creating a following. Not everyone is comfortable with every form of communication. Social media helps create a variety of ways to connect with your readership.

Interaction
Every freelance web writer should have some form of interaction on their website. RSS, blogs, and social media links are a few ways people can interact with you and the site. You may also want to have an advice page where readers can use a simple contact form to put in suggestions or ask advice that you can answer in upcoming articles. A forum is also a good source of interaction, but only create one if you have time to keep up with it. The main point is to have some way that readers can interact with you and/or your website. This will keep people coming back.


RELATED:
Web Writing Tips: Why You Need a Website
Why All Web Writers Need a Website
Why All Web Writers Need an Online Resume Page


*I originally published a version of this via Yahoo Contributor Network



3 Comments

I'm Minimizing Certain Facebook & Twitter Mobile Notifications

12/16/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Most who know me will know that I spend a considerable amount of time utilizing social media. I still will. It’s essential to the work I do and is a significant method for keeping in touch with those I care about. However, starting tonight, I’ve decided to go about it in a different way. I’m minimizing my mobile notifications for Facebook and Twitter – specifically, the SMS (text) ones… and yes, I can feel the shock coursing through the veins of anyone who knows me personally, as they read that statement.

SMS is Outdated and Unnecessary
Why the heck am I getting both text alerts and push notifications for the same exact things on Facebook? I receive several types of push notifications. Two of those include email and Facebook – and I get Facebook alerts in my email too. This means I am getting three notifications for the same updates (email, Facebook app, and SMS). Why? This is a bit excessive. At first, it was a precaution to be sure I don’t miss anything important. However, there hasn’t yet been a time when any of those methods has failed. Besides, with push notifications coming directly from the Facebook app, SMS is actually quite outdated, not to mention unnecessary. Why would I choose text alerts when the push notifications get me directly to the update in the Facebook app? The text notification leads to the mobile web version of Facebook, which is not how I prefer to access Facebook. I prefer the app because the features are better and it loads faster.

Text Alerts Are Annoying
My poor loved ones have to hear the constant annoyance that is my text alert going off literally every second sometimes. This is ridiculous and I’m putting an end to it. In fact, it’s even starting to annoy me and I’m the one who set it up that way. Yes, some of the notifications are important – some. But as I mentioned above, I’m already getting them via my mobile device in other ways. So the SMS is really just an unnecessary annoyance and distraction. Text messages that happen all the time are not cool and neither are those that wake people up in the middle of the night, unless they are an emergency. I don’t need to receive a text message every time a friend or business updates their status on Facebook or tweets on Twitter. I check those that matter via apps or my laptop anyhow. Seeing them more than once is annoying and takes time away from more important things.

My Family Deserves More Attention
I am a mother first before anything and these notifications can be a distraction. I’m not the type to ignore my kids. But glancing at my phone less is something they’ll likely appreciate. The same could be said for my lover, friends, and other family. I’m sure everyone in my life wouldbe very happy if there were fewer reasons for me to glance at my phone during fun activities. I still get things done and if you ask any of them, they’ll tell you I’m very loving and attentive. However, it’s just the principle of the matter.

I’m Hoping for More Productivity
I added so many notifications to increase productivity. Those who know me will also know that I am extremely productive. They’ll probably also be shocked if I can increase that and wonder how I can do that with fewer notifications. If you remember what I said above, you’ll remember that I am getting the same notifications more than once. Therefore, this should actually save me some time. If I’m being honest, I actually don’t look at every notification. However, I do sometimes look at the same ones in more than one place. So taking these away will end that possibility.

My Cell Phone Battery Dies Too Quickly

More notifications equal less battery juice. The whole point of a cell phone is having it available for use at any time. That becomes less possible if I am on the go and for some reason am unable to charge my phone for a lengthy time period. My cell phone battery often dies quickly because I have so many notifications coming in every direction. Cutting off most of the SMS alerts will help remedy a great deal of that issue. Twitter and Facebook notifications come to my phone so often that if I stop receiving text alerts for even five minutes, I know that my phone is having issues and I need to restart it. It’s cool to have that indicator, but at the same time, that’s just too much. In addition to reasons stated above, I need my cell phone to keep its juice.

Certain SMS and Mobile Alerts Are Staying

Because some people do rely on me for emergency situations, certain alerts will still come to me via SMS. However, most will not. For instance, Twitter DMs will stay for people I follow back because those people rarely DM me unless it’s important and about work. I need those SMS notifications, as I do not receive push notifications for anything Twitter-related. But Twitter notifications for specific people and companies will likely go away. I really don’t need to know every time every entity I follow posts to Twitter. But I do need to know when someone needs assistance.

In short, I’m cutting off many of my mobile notifications for family, life, and business purposes. Therefore, if you notice me slowing down on responding to less important things, that could be part of it. I love all of my friends on both sites. But there’s a point where too much is just…well, too much.

**Photo Credit: Lyn Lomasi

I originally published this on BUBBLEWS (no longer published there)

0 Comments

Why You're Seeing Less of Me on Facebook

12/9/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Because of my career choices (and because it became quite fun), I found myself spending tons of time on Facebook daily. Although I have the application on my phone AND receive text and email notifications, I would always have at least one tab open in FireFox with something from Facebook. But lately that has changed and here’s why.

I’m busier with other aspects of my career. I offer a good portion of support surrounding my work via Facebook. There is also much more to it than Facebook support. Once I answer what is necessary there, I simply have to go away to get other things done, such as answering emails, writing articles, writing reports, publishing, editing, and so much more. Sometimes that means I can’t answer my friends right away. But I will always answer eventually.

I’m spending more time with family. Summer break is over and my younger kids are back in school (the older ones are in homeschool). That means that when I pick them up from school in the afternoon, once I’m finished with my work, they want my attention. They haven’t seen me all day. Therefore, they want and deserve my attention. I love my family and friends on Facebook too and I do my best to keep up with everyone. But as any parent knows, the kids must come first. I’m a single mommy as well, which adds to their need for me to be there.

I’m doing more things that keep me away from Facebook. Blogging is one of the things I like to do that keeps me away from Facebook. You may get an indicator that I’m online and think I’m available to talk. But really, I’m probably in another tab on FireFox posting to my blogs. Or maybe I locked the computer screen instead of turning it off and I’m actually gone walking the dogs on the trail. I’m a busy person, both in work and play. While I do have Facebook installed on my phone, it isn’t always appropriate to check it, depending on what I’m doing. For instance, if I’m cuddling up to someone I love while watching a scary or suspenseful movie, I’m sorry, but I’m not checking Facebook. My phone is probably on silent in the other room with the screen locked and I probably won’t see it for a while.

I’ve organized my notifications to prioritize work and family. Another thing I’ve done on Facebook is create lists, as well as organize my notifications in various ways. This means, I look at things related to work and family first. Then, I answer other things, based on time, as well as urgency. Sometimes I even miss things because I get thousands of notifications daily. Also, if you message me and I’m not your friend on Facebook, your messages are likely not going to show up in my regular inbox. They’ll probably be in my “Other’ inbox, which I don’t check as often because honestly, sometimes I forget about it. I have strict filtering activated on Facebook, due to spam issues.

I just don’t have the time. I know that many of my Facebook friends are used to me responding as soon as they send messages, tag me, or leave a post on my wall. But the thing is, it has gotten to a point where there are just so many that I can no longer do that every time and still have time for everything else going on in my life. There was a point where I couldn’t stand to leave anything unanswered longer than a couple minutes. Now, it can sometimes take a couple days or more for me to reply to a message. There are just so many of them and so many other things going on in my life that I just don’t have the time anymore to spend so much time on Facebook.

Nowadays, aside from career-related support and tasks and conversing with my closest family and friends, I haven’t been doing much on Facebook. Although, I usually do come in at random times and meme-bomb my wall. I’ll look in my favorite lists I’ve created from various pages rather than the regular newsfeed and I’ll post a bunch of memes in a row and then leave. Hey, I can’t help it! They’re funny! Facebook is supposed to be fun!

**Photo Credit: Lyn Lomasi

I originally published this elsewhere (no longer published there)

0 Comments

Facebook Photo Bashing Needs to Stop

11/4/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

Every day as I am browsing Facebook, I see at least one photo posted where it is the intent for people to comment and bash the person who is the subject. I see this most common with either very slender women or very large women. Why? Facebook photo bashing needs to stop. Now.

For those of you doing said bashing, who made you the authority on how someone else should look? Perhaps they have a health issue causing them to gain or lose weight. Perhaps there is nothing wrong at all and you're just rude and judgmental. Maybe it is something else altogether.

People come in all shapes and sizes and all of them are awesome. Being different is what makes us each unique. And we are all beautiful for our own reasons.

“But look how tight her clothes are for her size.” “She looks like a skeleton.”

Again, do you know how she got there? Furthermore, even if you do, it's her body not yours. Only she can decide what to do with it. “But I have to look at it.” Umm, no you don't. If you really don't like it that much, then look away. But don't make her problem – if she even has one – worse by posting her photo online and ridiculing her.

Ever looked at the figures on cyberbullicide – suicide as a reaction to being bullied online? Could you really live with yourself if that happened to someone because you wanted to have some “fun” commenting on a photo online? Really? If care for your fellow man/woman doesn't stop you from leaving those nasty comments, perhaps the knowledge that cyberbullying is a crime will. That's right folks, it can land you in jail or worse, depending on the effects of the bullying on the victim. Look that up too while you're at it.

I propose a challenge to anyone considering leaving a not-so-flattering comment on one of these photos. Find something nice to say instead. I guarantee you that will feel a whole lot better than the alternative.

Photo Credit: Lyn Lomasi

I originally published this elsewhere (no longer published there)

0 Comments

Please Don't Tell Me What to Post on Facebook

10/28/2013

1 Comment

 
Picture
by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

I've been using Facebook for several years now. I don't know if people are getting ruder or I just never noticed or experienced it before. But lately, it seems that people are getting extremely pushy about everything under the sun. Don't get me wrong, I spout my causes there too. But sometimes it isn't what you do, but how you do it. Or maybe I'm just being picky again. You tell me.

Have you ever had a friend complain about something you posted on your Facebook wall? I'm not talking about posts which would be against the law – and in some cases, the posts are not even controversial, as far as I know. I'm merely talking about the everyday things in which you're interested. By complaining, I don't mean disagreeing, which is normal and fine. I've actually had people demanding in private messages, emails, and even directly on posts that I don't post certain things, like animals needing to be rescued or reputable scientific information. And I'm not even posting anything graphic. This is happening with normal pictures of sheltered animals and other normal, everyday things.

From shelter animals to scientific information and everything in between, people are actually attempting to dictate what I post on my own Facebook wall. I can surely understand people disagreeing with me – and I don't expect everyone to agree with what I post. In fact, I love a good discussion because it's how we all learn things. I post what I do because it's me, not because I want it to be you or I want you to believe what I do. I also post it because maybe someone else out there relates to me and it helps them feel they are not so alone in this world.

To me, my Facebook wall is like my home. In my home, I feel comfortable to freely be me and this is what I do on my Facebook wall as well. If you don't like what I do in my home, then why stay? We can hang out elsewhere or not at all. I am not forcing anyone to come into my home – or in this case, to look at my Facebook posts. No one should feel unwelcome in their own home and lately, it seems that certain people would like to make me feel this way on my own Facebook wall. Sorry to tell you, but that game doesn't work on me. Feel free to hide my feed or unfriend me if I'm really all that annoying. But please don't tell me what I can and cannot post, especially since the same is respected for you from my end.

I've already moved on from the effects of those who have done this and continue to post what interests me. However, I hope that if anyone else is getting the same, this post will help them not feel so alone – and possibly motivate them to speak up about it too. Bullying or attempting to control others in any form is not okay.

Has anyone ever asked you not to post certain things on your own Facebook wall?

Photo Credit: Lyn Lomasi

I originally published this on BUBBLEWS (no longer published there)


1 Comment

Why I Sometimes Share Conflicting Topics on Social Media

7/18/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

If you browsed my Facebook wall (or other social media sites I am a member of) and hadn't before (or were not made aware of what I do), you might quickly become confused. Why? I often share work written by my friends as well as what I create myself. This means some topics might conflict with my personal viewpoints and other things posted -- and that's okay. However, it is confusing to some people and I receive questions about it often.

Here's the deal. Freelance writers often get paid based on page views. Therefore, I frequently share to help them out once I have read a piece. Sometimes I agree with the points made in my friends' articles and sometimes I don't. I don't always share based on topic because I can disagree with a topic and still feel the article has value. Even if someone doesn't agree with me, they have a right to speak their mind as well. Unless it's harmful to others, opinion doesn't affect my choice to share the link to someone's work on various social networks.

My strategy for reading when my friends do the same is to click what I'm interested in and ignore the rest. It's silly to send a message to someone asking them not to post certain things. Yes, I have had that happen: (http://www.articlewriterforhire.com/1/post/2013/10/please-dont-tell-me-what-to-post-on-facebook.html). I realize I do share lots of stuff on social sites. Please ignore what you aren't interested in and only share what you are. After all, sharing should be organic, not forced.

What's your sharing strategy? Do you use opinion as one of the deciding factors in sharing content on social media?

Photo Credit/Copyright: Lyn Lomasi

I originally published this on BUBBLEWS (no longer published there)

0 Comments

Are Your App Notifications Taking Over Your Life? Knowing When to Slim Down

7/13/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

The other day while I was enjoying time with a friend, my phone apps were notifying me with alerts so much that I put the phone on silent and plugged it in another room and just checked it now and then. I’m not sure why I never noticed until that moment just how ridiculous my notifications had become.

In order to enjoy my time with my friend without hearing and checking on that nonsense, I had to take action by doing what I did with the phone. But why did I have to in the first place? Why did I let it get that bad to begin with?

Here’s the thing. I’m a workaholic. I’m also a mom – a single mom whose boyfriend lives in another country. That combination used to mean that I didn’t really get out that much unless it involved my kids, my pets, work, or errands. Therefore, it has been ideal for me to get notifications and alerts related to work and other interests because well, it’s not like anyone would notice except me and it helps me keep up with certain things.

But guess what I discovered the other day (as well as on a few other occasions where I ignored the notifications as well)? Everyone survived when I only answered the important notifications. No one died. No one threw a fit. Hell, I don’t think anyone even noticed, honestly.

Hmm… yup I did some thinking.

Do I really need to get notified every time one of my friends checks in somewhere I’m probably not going and really don’t need to know they went (unless I’m a stalker, which I’m not)? If my friends want me to come somewhere, they’ll invite me, not just check into an app expecting me to come.

Do I really need to know every single time my local news station tweets an update? Really? Every time? I don’t even watch the news or most other television, for that matter. So why am I having news and other similar notifications from the twitter application coming to me in text form all day every day?

Do I really need to know about every event, sale, or promotion at every store or mall I shop at? I have plenty of children who are willing to spend that money so I probably have none left for those things anyway. Plus, I loathe shopping. So why the heck am I getting sale notifications?

Those are just a few of the many things I decided no longer need to come to my phone.

Today, I uninstalled several apps from my phone and the only thing I noticed was that it was much quieter and my battery lasted much longer. From now on, only the most important notifications (such as work-related items) will be coming to my phone.

Are your app notifications taking over the life you could be living instead?

Photo Credit: Lyn Lomasi
(Photo is free to use for both commercial and non-commercial purposes with credit to Lyn Lomasi as the photographer and a link back to this page as the source)

0 Comments

Why Your Facebook Recommends Don't Show On Your Timeline and How to Change That

6/18/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

You get all excited to share your latest piece from Bubblews or other sites and you hit that recommend button. But while some people can see it in your activity, unless you do it a certain way it will never hit the newsfeed of many of your friends, nor will it post to your wall. Why?

If you've hit that recommend button only to see the recommend is not posting to your wall, you're doing it wrong if you wanted it there. The solution is actually a simple one. You might even smack yourself for not thinking of it after I tell you.

The recommend button is meant for telling people how you feel about a particular topic. When you hit that button, a box pops up for sharing to your Facebook account. If you just hit the button to post to your wall without leaving a comment, the recommendation goes into your activity. But it will not post to your wall.

That's right. In order to get it to post to your wall (thus be seen by more of your friends), you need to leave a comment with it. As long as there is text placed in that box before hitting the button to post it, the recommend will then post to your wall and be seen in more newsfeeds.

Yup, that's truly all there was to it. That's the huge secret. Test it out. You're welcome.

What are some of your Facebook sharing secrets? Let us know in the comment section.

Photo Credit/Copyright: Lyn Lomasi

I originally published this on BUBBLEWS (no longer published there)

0 Comments

Facebook Tagging Etiquette: What NOT to do

5/8/2013

1 Comment

 
Picture
by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

You're making the usual Facebook rounds and noticed you've been tagged in several posts. Excitedly, you click on each notification one by one only to find out that none of the posts have anything to do with you and a few are what you'd consider spam. This is a common problem as more people are using Facebook. It doesn't mean your friends are out to get you. Most likely, they are just having fun and may not realize they could be annoying you with their posts. Maybe you're the one annoying people and you don't even realize it.

Don't tag people every time you write an article. Yes, your friends may enjoy your work. If so, they are probably subscribed to you. If they haven't read it (or have but are not subscribed), it's not good form to tag them in your article posts, unless they ask you to. Asking is not the same thing as not getting a negative response when you tag them. They may simply be attempting politeness by not asking you to stop. Tolerating something is not the same thing as being in agreement with it.

Don't tag people in all your status updates. Yes, I know there are people you want to inform about your breakfast and plans for the day. However, doing this every day can become repetitive and annoying to some people. Status tagging should only be done when your update is actually relevant to the person you are tagging. For instance, if I tag Jane every time I update my status, Jane might be upset with me and will maybe remove me as a friend. But if I tag Jane to let her know I'm on my way to the restaurant we are meeting at for lunch, she'll be thrilled to hear that.

Don't tag people in pictures they are not involved in. This is one of my biggest peeves on Facebook. If someone is not in a photo or otherwise involved with it, why would they want to be tagged? Friends can see what's posted in your news feed and on your wall (unless you have blocked access). So there really is no need to tag everyone on your list each time you upload a picture. Even if you're gorgeous, this is still bad form. Tagging someone in a photo they are in or photographed is fine, as is tagging a company and/or its employees in a photo that involves that company. However, tagging all of those people in a photo of you with your latest outfit is not.

Don't tag people in advertisements. Now, this one is a very huge pet peeve of mine. People often tag me in ads for their books or other products. It's fine if I have given someone permission -- as part of a social media package (those cost money and involve more than that) or out of friendship. But if someone hasn't given you permission to advertise on their wall, it's bad netiquette to tag them in your ads. Even if you don't consider something an ad, if you're mentioning your product, you shouldn't tag people who haven't given the okay.

Don't tag people who remove your tags. If someone is removing tags every time you post them, there's a good chance they don't want to be tagged. Sometimes people remove them to keep certain pictures or posts out of their feed or photo features and may not actually be offended by the tag. But in most instances, if you keep seeing tags for a certain person disappear, don't tag that person again unless you have permission and something is directly related to them.

It takes time to see what posts you've been tagged in. It also takes time to remove unwanted tags. Be courteous of your friends and keep the tagging relevant.

**Photo Credit: Lyn Lomasi

**I originally published a version of this on Write W.A.V.E. Media


1 Comment

Facebook vs Search Engines: Rethinking Priorities

7/31/2012

2 Comments

 
by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff
Picture
Photo: PublicDomainPictures.net
There was one point in time where I would have recommended to absolutely focus mostly on search engine rankings in terms of traffic. However, that may be coming to a close soon. By the way, that doesn't mean you shouldn't still strive to rank well. But you may discover (like I did) that more recently Facebook is now the highest referrer of incoming traffic.

Where is your traffic coming from?

Up until recently, without a doubt, one of the larger search engines had always been my biggest referrer. Another large search engine was always close behind. Most people found me organically through search. Facebook was bobbing back and forth between second and fourth place among search engines and content sites. But this past month, I noticed a huge change. The major search engine fell a couple slots as the main referrer, my traffic grew overall, and Facebook became the main referrer. Did I fall in rankings? No. Upon further research, I discovered I was still getting generally the same amount of traffic from the major search engines and in some cases more. However, I was getting much more from Facebook than ever before.

Focus on your strong points


Take a look at your data to see where the bulk of your traffic is coming from. Is it Facebook or is it a search engine? You may be as surprised as I was at the answer. Wherever your strength lies, that is where the most focus should be. However, don't completely abandon the other traffic sources because you never know when things will change again. Since Facebook looks to be a very strong point for me right now, I will focus more on that aspect of my promotion. In digging deeper, it appears that the traffic is coming from my niche pages on Facebook as well as my personal profile and other people's profiles. Will I change what I am doing on Facebook? No. Whatever I am already doing is working. So the only change I should make is to be more consistent with it. Simply put, I need more focus.

What if Facebook is your weak point?

Once you have discovered and utilized your strong points, set aside a little time for the weaker ones. You don't have to be on Facebook all day to use it to your advantage. Create a few niche pages that fit your writing style. Link them to relevant pages on your site or blog. You can set up RSS feeds to automatically post to your facebook pages and profile. That way, you can focus on answering questions and posting other interesting things for your audience. This helps to make the most of the small amounts of time you may have to spend on this. This was my strategy in the beginning and apparently it has paid off. Never underestimate what a few minutes per day can do over time.

Has your Facebook traffic grown recently? Share your tips in the comments section.

2 Comments

Web Writing Tips: Fan and Follower No-Nos

7/15/2012

0 Comments

 
by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff
You're looking at your fan and follower lists and you want them to grow. But there are certain things you just shouldn't do to achieve that. Because many web writers get paid an incentive when people read their articles, every view counts. However, did you know that the majority of views actually won't come from your fans and followers? In most cases, the majority of views come from people finding your work in search. It's still great to have fans and followers because it means you know what your readers want. It's also a fun way to connect with your readers and the writing community. But there are some fan and follower no-nos that every web writer should be aware of.

Don't expect someone to be your fan just because you are theirs. This is something web writers come across often. If you become someone's fan or follower on content sites with a community aspect, they often reciprocate, but not always. Don;t be offended when the don't. They may just be too busy to read other people's work. You may also write on a topic they are not into. There are plenty of reasons someone may not want to follow your work, even if you follow theirs. There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, this is how it should go. A reader who is interested in your work more than in your reciprocal following is more valuable.

Don't personally advertise your work to people who already follow you. I see this issue come up often. Person A subscribes to person B. Person B is excited to have a new follower. So each time Person B publishes, he excitedly tells Person A to go check out his work. The problem? Person A is subscribed. He receives the notice in his inbox already. He doesn't want to be asked to read it twice. After dealing with this a few more times, Person A unsubscribes and starts ignoring messages from Person B. There's nothing wrong with being excited about your work. But don't force it onto people. If someone has subscribed to your work, they're interested and will probably read it. But don't eliminate that interest by overdoing it on the reading invitations.

Don't assume that because there is no comment, a person didn't read your work. Once you make a certain amount of connections, there may not be enough time in a day to do all that you want. Some people, like me, save time by leaving little to no comments on the work they read. Not getting a comment should not have you sending messages asking people if they've read your work. If they want to read it they will and they may or may not leave a comment when they do. If you ask your fans and followers if they've read your work, this can seem like pestering and cause them to unfan you or unsubscribe to your work.

Don't ask "Can you be my fan?" This can actually cause people to turn away. If someone reads your work and they like it, they will become your fan. But asking someone to be your fan is considered bad netiquette. I have a great following, when it comes to my work. Do you think I got there by asking people to add me? Not at all. I don't ask people to become my fan. If they want to, that's great. But I'm not going to pressure people into clicking that fan or follow button. There are many reasons may not be able to fan or follow me and maybe they don't enjoy my work. That's perfectly fine with me. I'd rather have fans and followers who actually want to be there.

More from Lyn:

Web Writing Tips: Marketing No-Nos

How Much Money Can I Make Writing for Yahoo! Contributor Network? 

Web Writing Tips: Getting Started

0 Comments

    RSS Feed

    WRITING TIPS JOURNAL

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    FREE REPORT!!!!

    Picture

    FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS

    Stephanie Laursen-Nolan
    Crystal S. Kauffman
    Jeanne Frost

    OWNER

    Lyn Lomasi
    Picture
    Lyn Lomasi is founder and owner of the Brand Shamans Content Community. Services include ordained soul therapy and healing ministry, business success coaching, business success services, handcrafted healing jewelry, ethereal and anointing oils, altar and spiritual supplies and services, handcrafted healing beauty products, and more!

    Lyn is your brand healing, soul healing, marketing & content superhero to the rescue! While rescuing civilians from boring business practices and energy vampires, this awesomely crazy family conquers evil and creates change.

    They live among tigers, dragons, mermaids, unicorns, and other fantastic energies, teaching others to claim their own power and do the same.

    By supporting us, you support a dedicated parent, healer,  and minority small business that donates to several causes. Profits from our all-inclusive store, Intent-sive Nature support these causes and our beautiful family!

    HIRE OR SHOP WITH LYN  |  CONTACT LYN

    Highly Recommended

    Picture
    Picture
    Sign up for a free account to publish your free website using this special link and we both earn $10!
    Need help creating your website? Create your site at Weebly.com!
    Hootsuite: Social Relationship Platform

    Archives

    July 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    May 2018
    January 2018
    October 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    February 2017
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    April 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    July 2011
    April 2011
    March 2010
    January 2009

    Categories

    All
    Advice For Writers
    Alice In Wonderland
    Applications
    Apps
    Art
    Articles
    Article Theft
    Article Writers
    Article Writing
    Associated Content
    Audience
    Authenticity
    Author Profile
    Authors
    Back Up Work
    Bad
    Be You
    Blogging
    Blogging For Business
    Blog Posts
    Blog Writing
    Book Reviews
    Branding
    Bubblews
    Business
    Careers
    #caturday
    ChatAbout
    Clean Web Copy
    Clients
    Coding
    Commenting
    Comments
    Communication
    Community
    Community Management
    Community Managers
    Computer Issues
    Concentration
    Confusion
    Connections
    Consistency
    Content
    Content Creation
    Content-theft
    Content Writing
    Contract Writing
    Copyright
    Copyright Laws
    Creative
    Creativity
    Demands
    Dialogue
    Dialogue Writing
    Digital Millenium Copyright Act
    Disorganized
    DIY Tech
    DMCA
    Dreams
    Earning
    Easy
    Editing
    Editors
    Effort
    Email
    Empower
    Empowering
    Errors
    Etiquette
    Evergreen Content
    Exercise
    Expectations
    Expertise
    Facebook
    Facebook Fan Page
    Failures
    Family
    Fans
    Feedback
    Fiction Writing
    Focus
    Followers
    Formatting
    Forums
    Freelance Writing
    Free Photos
    Friends
    Fun
    Gaming The System
    Get Paid
    Get Paid To Sites
    Goal Lists
    Goals
    Google
    Grammar
    Grammar Fuck-ups
    Guidelines
    Habits
    Headlines
    Helping Others
    Html
    Html Link
    Html Template
    Humanity
    Hyperlink
    Ickiness
    Icky
    Ideas
    Image Use
    Information
    Inspiration
    Intent
    Interaction
    Interesting
    Internet Errors
    Jobs
    +K
    Keep It 100
    Klout
    Klout.com
    Klout Tips
    Language
    Leaders
    Learning
    Lists
    Lyn Lomasi
    Make Money
    Marketing
    Mentors
    Mistakes
    Mobile Applications
    Money
    Motivation
    Multiple Computers
    Multitasking
    Music
    Negative Feedback
    Negativity
    Netiquette
    Networking
    Newsletters
    Notifications
    Objective
    Obligation
    Obtaining Clients
    Online Profile
    Online Resume
    Online Writing
    Organization
    Outlines
    Parenting
    Passion
    Passwords
    Pay Attention
    Paying It Forward
    Pay It Forward
    Pen Names
    Pinterest
    Plans
    Positive Feedback
    Positivity
    Potential
    Productivity
    Promotion
    Proofreaders
    Proofreading
    Pseudonyms
    Publishing
    Punctuation
    Purpose
    Quick Web Writing Tips
    Quotations
    Rabbit Hole
    R.A. Rowell
    Reader Response
    Readers
    Reciprocal +K
    Reciprocal Views
    Reciprocation
    Rejection
    Reprints
    Research
    Resume
    Reviews
    Richard Rowell
    Risk Taking
    Scamming
    Scams
    Schedules
    Scheduling
    Search Engine Rankings
    Seo
    Simple
    Simplicity
    Singing
    Social
    Social Distancing
    Social Media
    Social Media Tips
    Social Networking Tips
    Spam
    Speed
    Spelling
    Stacey Carroll
    Submissions
    Success
    Summer
    System Errors
    Target Audience
    Team Building
    Teamwork
    Technical Support
    Templates
    Time
    Timing
    Titles
    Titling
    Traffic
    Trust
    Truth
    Twitter
    Typos
    Unique
    Unorganized
    Value
    Variance
    Web Applications
    Web Profile
    Website
    Web Writing
    Web Writing Tips
    Windows 8
    Words
    Word Usage
    Workaholics
    Workaholism
    Work At Home
    Work Fast
    Work Online
    Worth
    Write Fast
    Write More
    Write Online
    Writer Profile
    Writer Promotion
    Writers
    Writer's Block
    Writer Website
    Write W.A.V.E. Media
    Writing
    Writing Advice
    Writing Buddy
    Writing Clients
    Writing Gigs
    Writing Ideas
    Writing Myths
    Writing Peers
    Writing Sites
    Writing Success
    Writing Tips
    Yahoo
    Yahoo Contributor Network
    Yahoo! Contributor Network
    YCN

COMPANY & SUPPORT

About Us & Contact
Brand Healing Journal
Become an Affiliate!
Disclosure, TOU, Disclaimer, & Privacy Policy
Become A Writer!

ALL SITES

Brand Shamans
Life Successfully
Intentsive Nature
Write W.A.V.E. Media
Pawsitive Parenting

Guest Post Writers

Daily Cashouts
GoSteady.me
Article Writer For Hire
Lyn Lomasi
Heart 'N Mind Homeschool    
Pre-K Yoga
Kids Chakra

Legit Cash Now
Souls Within
Better Plumbing (Partner Site)

© 2005 - 2020 Article Writer for Hire by Brand Shamans Content Community
Photos used under Creative Commons from daniel_iversen, quinn.anya, Tambako the Jaguar, tranchristopher5, hitsnooze, Mads Boedker, mortsan, simbiosc, One Way Stock, Cory M. Grenier