• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Nathan Bransford | Writing, Book Editing, Publishing

Helping authors achieve their dreams

  • Blog
  • Writing Advice
  • Publishing Advice
  • About
  • Take a Class
  • Get Editing

The Top 5 Social Media Blunders You Shouldn’t Make

April 24, 2012 by Nathan Bransford 51 Comments

Social media is as much art as science, but there are some mistakes you just shouldn’t make. Here are five.

5. Don’t link your Facebook and Twitter accounts 

Render unto Facebook that which is Facebook and render unto Twitter that which is Twitter. A good tweet is different than a good Facebook post, and vice versa. When you link your accounts and send tweets to Facebook, your Facebook friends will know you can’t be bothered to post and won’t interact with your posts.

4. Don’t spam your followers

Kanye West can go on long stream of consciousness Twitter benders without losing followers. You cannot.

3. Don’t include links in Facebook and Google+ captions

When you paste a link into a Facebook or Google+ status update you’ll see a preview of what the link will look like when you post it. After you see that preview, delete the long link. You don’t need it anymore. Write clean captions without the https://www.blahblahblah.com gibberish.

2. Don’t be a jerk. 

A flashy argument is a great way to get some attention, but it never works in the long run. The same goes for rants, excessive snark, and bitter complaints about entities who have wronged you. People might tune in for the fireworks, but then they’ll tune you out.

1. Don’t misuse Twitter’s @Reply

Every time someone starts a tweet with an @reply and doesn’t understand that not everyone in their feed is going to see it, it makes a puppy cry.

Don’t make a puppy cry. Understand the @Reply. Please. Puppies everywhere will thank you.

Filed Under: Social Media Tagged With: Social Media

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jonas says

    September 25, 2012 at 1:20 am

    I actually have seen my Facebook interactions grow with it being linked from my Twitter. I prefer to use Twitter, and my family all uses Facebook (as well as lots of my friends), so this just shares my thoughts and happenings with them. I have asked, and they don't see it as a lack of attention, but rather being considerate of their social media preferences, while using mine.

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

About Nathan

Hi, I’m Nathan. I’m the author of How to Write a Novel and the Jacob Wonderbar series, which was published by Penguin. I used to be a literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. and I’m dedicated to helping authors achieve their dreams. Let me help you with your book!

My blog has everything you need to know to write, edit, and publish a book. Can’t find what you need or want personalized help? Reach out.

Learn more about me

Need Editing?

I'm available for consultations, edits, query critiques, brainstorming, and more.
Learn more!

My Books

How to Write A Novel
Cover of How to Publish a Book by Nathan Bransford
Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapo
Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe
Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp

Forums

Need help with your query? Want to talk books? Check out the Nathan Bransford Forums
Footer Logo
Nathan Bransford

Helping authors achieve their dreams

  • Editing Services
  • My Books
  • About Me
  • Blog Directory
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
Twitter Logo Facebook Logo Instagram Logo
As an Amazon and Bookshop Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon and Bookshop links are usually affiliate links.