Policies
After being involved in social media for a while, trying to keep up with blogs, Twitter accounts, and all the rest, I finally decided I needed to bring some order to my chaotic online existence. If I follow a thousand blogs, it’s going to be hard to keep up with them all. Some will get neglected, and I’ll become a meaningless tally in someone’s follower stats–like the person who’s on the church membership role but never goes to church. So I formulated some informal policies for how I conduct myself online, particularly with regard to which blogs I subscribe to, which Twitter accounts I follow, and who I befriend on Goodreads.
(You will notice I say nothing of Facebook. I have a Facebook account but I don’t use it, except for the occasional visit when someone posts something there I need to see. My status on Facebook is, essentially, “see my blog.”)
Blogging
There has to be something about you or your blog to make me want to subscribe. Either I know you, and have a personal interest in what you write, or I enjoy your writing and take pleasure in reading your blog. I’m not going to subscribe just because you subscribe to my blog. If I subscribe to your blog, I’m committing to checking in with you from time to time. Frequency depends on various factors. More on that in a moment. But if I’m making that commitment, I think that gives me the right to be discerning about which blogs I follow.
I have organized the blogs I follow into groups. There are those I will check on every day. Then there are those I check on less frequently. And then there are those I’ll swing by perhaps once a month if I have time. Which group a blog ends up in depends on various factors. Things that will influence how often I visit include: how often the blogger posts articles, how much I enjoy reading that blogger, and whether the blogger responds to comments. I have to say, I don’t enjoy spending 10-15 minutes of my time commenting on a blog and not get at least a “Thanks for your comment” from the writer. I understand if you’re getting 50+ comments each time, it can be tough. But I like to see some interaction now and again.
Similarly, I don’t automatically follow back on Twitter. If I know you, or I like the things you say, or I subscribed to your blog, or I’ve really enjoyed a book you wrote, I’ll follow you. Again, it’s about building relationships, not simply accumulating an impressive number of followers. If you want to follow me, I’m @colin_d_smith.
Goodreads
Come one come all. No policies. I’ll be anyone’s Goodreads friend! You can find me here!
Do you have any policies for social media? Do you think I’m being too strict, or not strict enough?
No, I agree with your policy on subscription. I actually had a comment recently where the person found my blog purely through the fact that I love The Lost Boys. In the comment they had asked if I could look at their blog, comment, and follow. They hadn’t followed me, weren’t even responding to my post, and obviously hadn’t looked around the rest of my blog, commenting on anything else. I took a look but never commented or followed. I just thought that was really rude. I like to look up new followers and check out their blog but it depends on how active they are and if I’m interested in their blog which will make me follow. I don’t want loads on my list. There needs to be a reason I follow. I don’t sign up to blogs at the drop of a hat. I think I’ve followed one new blog in this A-Z challenge because I’ve been genuinely interested in their posts.
I can be held back quite a lot with replying or commenting on other blogs, I’ll admit that. But I try and make that time whenever possible to catch up. It’s blog etiquette to acknowledge..
I always visit the blogs of people who comment, but I’m not going to make any promises about following. It makes no sense to me at all to subscribe to a blog you never follow. Even from a marketing point of view, what good is that? If you advertise your new book to 10,000 “subscribers,” but only 100 of those *actually* follow you, you’re not advertising your book to 10,000 people, but to 100. It would be misleading to tell a publisher you can promote your work to 10,000 people when only 100 of those “subscribers” are going to see your ads. Some people might not care–as long as the book gets published. I’m not one of those people. 🙂
In terms of “visits,” if I know you reply to comments, I’m more likely to check back on your blog. And if I’m not following you, if I’m checking back to see what you said to my comment, there’s a good chance I’ll stick around and see what else you’ve written. And I might end up following. As I said, I understand that if you regularly get 50+ comments to articles, you’re not going to have the time to respond to every one. But if you at least make the effort–especially to respond to first-time commenters, or maybe reply to the comments you found particularly interesting, helpful, or funny, that tells me that you’re reading the comments and like to interact with your audience.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for your comments and the time you take to visit this blog, Robin. I know not every article is riveting and comment-worthy, but it encourages me to know there are a few of you out there that keep coming back anyway. 🙂
Hah! I could have written this post! Though I don’t use Twitter of Goodreads. I even have a useless FB account that I never update.
I follow blogs that seem to be saying something of interest. I will also be influenced by the interaction in the comments. And I despise comments that are nothing more than “Hello, please follow me!”
Thanks–it’s nice to know I’m not alone! 🙂 I don’t mind if someone comments with a “Hello! Just stopped by from A-to-Z” or something like that. Clearly I would prefer some interaction with the topic, but I’m with you–don’t comment just to ask me to follow your blog. If you comment, I’ll check out your blog… which I’m doing right now, Botanist! 🙂
I think your policy is a great idea. I’m just finding my way around the world of blogging, trying to find time to fit it all in while working and looking after children. I realised I was getting stressed out about not reading everything I wanted to read so I gave myself some space and now, while I’m doing the A to Z challenge (thrown in at the deep end or what?!) I put aside some time on a sunday evening to catch up on everything I’ve missed through the week. Hopefully when the challenge has finished and I blog less often, I’ll find a way of doing it that works.
If you’re going to be true to your family and true to your blog friends, you have to find a way to balance everything. Blogging less often, but blogging well helps. By blogging less often, you allow more time for other things. By blogging well, you make sure what you write is worth you readers’ time. Designating a few hours a week to “blogging time” is a good idea.
Great post! I agree 100%! I’m the same with all of my online activities. I’ve become increasingly bad on Twitter simply because I have my writing account, my personal account and my work account I’m all trying to keep up with but everyone that I communicate with and talk with on blogs, twitter etc i consider my ‘online friends’. I like to know what’s going on with them and how their writing etc is going. That’s why I’m the same, I don’t follow hundreds of blogs or twitter accounts, but those I do follow I like to develop relationships with them 🙂
I can see how people get sucked into social media and end up spending half their lives there. I could do that so easily, so I try not to be quick to judge. For those of us who are trying to develop our writing skills, and be with family, and work full time, as hard as it is, we have to be disciplined and wise with our time. Limiting the scope of our online activity helps, I think.