Moderating the MFRW Facebook Group: So What’s the Big Deal About Spam? #MFRWorg

"Spam? I don't think so...."

As I’ve alluded to in my first two posts about screening and contacting potential members, one of the things I consider within the purview of my responsibilities as an MFRW Facebook group moderator is preventing spam profiles from becoming group members. In addition to moderating the request/join process, we also choose our group settings according to the general seeking of balance between allowing the group to be accessible to the public and potential members and disallowing illegitimate members access to it.

In creating or moderating a Facebook group, one of the first things one selects is the group type. On any group page (whether you’re a member of it or not), there is a tab toward the upper right corner that says “Create Group.” After choosing a name and having the opportunity to invite particular people to join, a group creator also needs to choose whether the group is “Open,” “Closed,” or “Secret.”

MFRW is an “Open” group, which means the public may see the group members and the posts made in the group. This is because promotion is a big part of the MFRW Facebook group, so of course we want people to be able to find it easily and see the content in it, since most of said content is intended to reach potential readers. (A “Closed” group allows the public to find the group and see who is in it but not view the posts on the group page, and a “Secret” group hides the members and the content from the public and is not accessible via a search.)

In addition to this setting, the “Membership Approval” setting is one to which moderators may want to pay attention. (If you moderate a group, the place to edit these settings is found by clicking on the little wheel-like icon at the top right of the page and choosing “Edit Group Settings.”) The two choices here basically indicate that 1) any members can invite and approve other members or 2) moderators must approve any invited members. MFRW is set to the second option. With this setting, members can still invite others to join the group, but the request then goes to the queue to be moderated like any other request.

Facebook additionally has an option to “block” someone who is requesting to join. The “Block” button appears alongside all member requests in addition to the “Add” and “Ignore” buttons. I have only used this feature about half a dozen times, but I have found it helpful in cases of accounts I’ve already determined to be spam sending multiple requests even after I’ve rejected them. Moderators may unblock blocked members at any time by clicking on the "Members" tab in the horizontal menu bar along the top of the group page, clicking the arrow next to the default “All Members” option next to the search box, and choosing “Blocked” from the drop-down menu. The list of blocked members will appear, and a “Remove Ban” link will be next to each name.

So, at this point in these posts, you may be wondering what difference it really makes if a spammer does manage to infiltrate the secure fortress of the MFRW Facebook group? (That is a joke, of course…very little on Facebook is secure, and one should always practice due diligence there in general!) The risks this poses range from mildly inconvenient to more pressingly relevant to one’s professional online persona. They include the following:

1) Well…spam ;)
Right, so obviously one of the things a spam profile tends to do is post spammy links on group pages. Spammers sometimes receive financial compensation for each instance such a link appears, so the spammer’s goal is to place these links in as many places as many time as possible. In general, these links are likely to advertise “make-money-quickly” schemes, easy-to-“win” products, or simply any variety of items for sale. Were this to happen on a moderated group page like MFRW’s, it would likely be spotted and subsequently fixed with a deletion of the post(s) in question and removal of the profile that posted it/them. This falls into the mildly inconvenient category.

2) Credibility Questions
However, were I to be away from my computer for several hours (which seems to happen absurdly infrequently), a spammer could do a fair number on the group page while I wasn’t looking. I’ve personally tended to feel this would affect the group’s credibility were a new or potential member (or current members, for that matter) to visit the group and see a bunch of obvious spam links bombarding the page.

3) Malicious Third-Party Applications
Furthermore, some spam efforts have more widespread consequences. In phishing schemes, for example, while the actual post from the spam account doesn’t affect the group members or page (this is the case in general with all posts), if someone were to click on the link in question and enter, for example, her/his/their Facebook password or other sensitive information, that data would then be in the possession of an entity with potentially malicious aims. In general, incidentally, Facebook users should be quite careful to only enter their password on what they’re sure is the actual Facebook site (type the address into the address bar yourself) and not offer this information on a landing page from a link on which they have clicked.

These are the main reasons I and MFRW work to keep spam accounts from gaining membership to the MFRW Facebook group. While links and promotion are welcome in the Facebook group, we want to do all we can to make sure those links are legitimate, safe, and fulfill MFRW’s purpose of connecting the hard work of our members with the readers who will love it. :)


Emerald
Emerald is an erotic fiction author whose short stories have been featured in anthologies published by Cleis Press, Mischief, and Logical-Lust. She serves as an assistant newsletter editor and Facebook group moderator for Marketing for Romance Writers (MFRW), and she selects and posts the monthly inspirational quote on the MFRW Marketing Blog. Find out more about her at her website, The Green Light District.

Author Promo Basics: Using Twitter #authortips #MFRWorg

An Avatar Can Establish Brand  

This post is part of a series of basic promotional tip sheets for authors. Today's topic is using Twitter. Why join Twitter? The site can increase awareness of your author brand, and help you sell books. It's also a great way to meet new readers and have fun at the same time.

CREATING AN ACCOUNT

If you don't have a Twitter account, here's how to make one. If you have one, skip to the next section. Begin by going to Twitter.com

• Use your author name as your user name. You are branding yourself as an author -- this is not the time to use cutesy nicknames. If your author name is taken, add underscores if needed. (kayelleallen / kayelle_allen / _kayelleallen / kayelleallen_ would all work)
• Location doesn't have to be where you really are. Everywhere I have a profile, mine says "At the keyboard."
• Upload a good photo for your avatar. Size must be at least 48x48 pixels (px). You can use the same one from your other social media sites.
• Write a short bio. This is your chance to practice succinct writing. You have 160 characters. Include who you are and what you write about. Humor is a good thing. Here's what I wrote.
  Founded MarketingforRomanceWriters.org Owns TheAuthorsSecret.com Author SciFi Romance, Gay Romance, Contemporary Romance, Non-Fiction. Blog Empress.
• You can include links in the bio (see mine above)
• Put a link to your website or blog in the website section. People who look at your profile are already interested. Let them find you. You are on Twitter to increase branding awareness and sell books, so make sure everything you do enables that.
• Do not choose "Protect My Updates" as this will block readers from finding out what you're sharing. You can't tell anyone about your books if no one can see what you post.
• Likewise, do not sign up for "verification services" either. Do not make your readers jump through hoops to follow you. You need a lot of followers if you're going to be successful, so don't do anything that prevents people from following you.
• Don't say "I don't auto follow" or "I follow back." Tell us WHY we should follow you, not how you use the program.

WHO TO FOLLOW

• Follower -- someone who follows you
• Following - what you do when you follow others

How many followers do you need? Since you don't have to read or answer every tweet, don't worry about having too many followers. There is no such thing.

You can view the followers of other authors. If you are new and don't know whom to follow, find authors who write within your genre and see who follows them. See whom they follow. Follow these people yourself. You can also follow their lists of people. You'll see lists if you look at who another person is following.

To follow: click the person's name. A small dialog box will pop up that shows you more about them. Click the "Follow" button. That's all there is to it.

This is a good place to mention "follow ratio." This is how many you follow vs. how many follow you. When you begin, you will be following more people than follow you. As you gain followers, the ratio will even out. It's good to have a balance of followers to following. A celebrity or business on Twitter will generally have far more followers than they are following. That's to be expected. But if you look at a person's following and see they have only a handful of followers while they are following a large number, look out. This can be the sign of a spammer. Sadly, they are everywhere, even on Twitter.

Follow other authors. All of them have readers. Some have more than others. If you share their tweets and they share yours, both your readers are going to see the messages. Mutual promotion is a way to get your posts out there where people can see them.

Bonus Tip

Click the gear symbol next to a person's name, and then click "Add to or remove from lists." A larger box will pop up. This is where you can create a list that helps you organize followers. Why would you do that? Other programs outside of Twitter can use those lists to help you curate your information (i.e., Paper.li, RebelMouse), and your followers can also follow your lists. You can become a source of good information. In today's info-centric society, this is a good thing. It's easier to do it now when you're starting than to go back and do it later. In our lesson on Paper.li you'll learn how to use these lists. Trust me -- it takes seconds and it's worth doing.

TWITTER TERMS

Mention - this is using a person's Twitter handle (their name, i.e., @kayelleallen) When added to a tweet, this mention triggers an alert the other person can find. This is a great way to share news with someone. Tip: don't start a tweet with a mention if you want it to be seen by the public. If it's at the front, the tweet can only be seen by the mentioned person and your mutual friends. How to get around that? Put a period directly in front of the name (.@kayelleallen) or put it in another part of the text.

Tweep - what your fellow Twitter friends are called. Yes, it's goofy. Learn to deal with this. It's not likely to go away. It's part of the fun of Twitter.

Hashtag - this is taken from the # symbol (pound / number). On Twitter, using this symbol creates a search term that can be used to show other items labeled the same way. (#MFRWorg) If you see this on Twitter, clicking it will bring up all posts with that hashtag. How do you find good hashtags? See what your friends and other authors are using. You can also look them up on Twubs. http://twubs.com/p/hashtag-directory

Try these:

#MFRWorg

#amwriting

#authortips

#amediting

#authors

#writing

HAVING FUN

#SciFi  #SciFiChat

Use a hashtag to search for what you love to do. Do you #crossstitch, #quilt, or like to #workoncars? Do you love #Loki or #Thor from the Marvel Avengers universe? Maybe it's the boys from #TheVampireDiaries (also #TVD). Whatever your fandom, you can find it on Twitter. Begin following a few hashtags you enjoy. To take part, post a tweet with the same hashtag. Others will see it. To search on a hashtag in a tweet, click on it. There are hashtag chats on Twitter. To learn more about those, follow https://twitter.com/ChatSalad and you'll find a schedule. I attend #ScifiChat every Friday from 2-4pm Eastern. This week, I'm being interviewed. I've never done an interview where my answers had to be this short. Should be a fun challenge.

PROFESSIONAL ATTITUDE

As an author, you are a public figure. You are in view of everyone. Remember that and keep all your communications professional at all times. Social media is never the place to have a meltdown. It will go viral in a heartbeat and it's hard to recover. It's never wrong to be kind.

MORE QUESTIONS?

This post isn't meant to be a treatise on the subject of Twitter. It's an introduction. If you have a specific question, post it in the comments and I'll do my best to answer it for you.

Twitter is a great way to have fun as an author, gain readers, and tell people about your books. Don't be afraid to give it a try.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kayelle Allen is a multi-published, award-winning Science Fiction Romance author of unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion. She is the founder of Marketing for Romance Writers.

Homeworld http://kayelleallen.com
Unstoppable Heroes Blog http://kayelleallen.com/blog
Twitter http://twitter.com/kayelleallen
Marketing for Romance Writers http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarketingForRomanceWriters/ 

The Author's Secret https://theauthorssecret.com

#WWoW Wacky, Motivating Websites for #Authors

RePOSTED with permission from the Writer's Words of Wisdom blog.

Have you ever been in the writing dumps? Don't lie! We all have. Well, here are some motivating websites for writers that are fun, wacky and helpful. Check them out...

Written Kitten - www.writtenkitten.net
Positive reinforcement for writers through KITTENS! For every designated amount of words written, you get a new kitten image. I have to say, it's quite humorous!

750words.com
A way to turn your writing into a game. You get points for writing 750 words daily and even more for writing consecutive days. Compare points with others, get badges and motivate other writers.

Rescue Time - www.rescuetime.com

Keeps track of your time spent on the computer. Helps you become more productive. Alerts you when you spend a certain amount of time on an activity, blocks distracting websites, etc.

Edit Minion - www.editminion.com

A robotic copy editor which checks weak words, "said," passive voice, cliches and more.

Word Hippo - www.wordhippo.com  One place to stop for help with synonyms, antonyms, and such. I like it because it goes beyond a normal thesaurus. It helps with name meanings, words ending with certain letters, 4-letter words, 5-letter words, tranlations, rhymes. You name it! 

Omniwriter - www.omniwriter.com

Conquer the intimidation of the white screen! Keep focused and relaxed while writing by downloading this program. Creates a relaxing atmosphere for writing with backgrounds and zen-like music.

Unstuck - http://107.22.217.125/index.htm

Have a writing challenge? Go to unstuck to help you make a decision. Say goodbye to writer's block!

Go try some out! Have Fun! :) Melinda

Reading romance has always been at the top of Melinda Dozier’s favorite past times. After hectic days of teaching English to middle school students, Melinda finds time to write and read in the evenings. She lives in Guatemala, Central America with her husband, three boys and German Shepard. She enjoys being the queen of her household and dreams of being pampered fully by her boys once they are grown. Melinda loves reality t.v., traveling, blogging and playing Words With Friends. 

Melinda is a contributing author of the Writer's Words of Wisdom #WWoW! Blog. She's also a contemporary romance author for Crimson Romance and Swoon Romance. You can find more information at www.melindadozier.com.

One Author's Experience with @Pinterest

I’m not the most knowledgeable when it comes to social media but I will try my darnedest. This month I’m going to talk about Pinterest as a novice. I have found it to be a lot of fun. I don’t let it take up too much of my time and I do try to use it to my advantage.

First know that Pinterest can suck you in. My husband has joined and the man spends hours looking at pictures and re-pinning them. As an author, most of us don’t have time for that, but I limit my time by only collecting things I feel represents me as a writer.

When you first start with Pinterest they automatically set you up with generic boards. You can use them or rename them, then create more as you develop your page. I chose the latter as I worked on my page because most of the ones they gave me didn’t work for what I wanted to pin.

Boards: I have a lot of them. Some have nothing to do with writing and a few are a stretch but they work and do bring followers. I recommend setting up one for your releases. I have my covers there with a link to a place where anyone can buy them. I also have one for my blogs. Each time I post a blog I pin a writing related picture and give my followers the link. I also have a board called writing tools. Pins on writing, grammar, anything I feel helps a writer. I have one for my characters, images of what they might look like, ideas for clothing in the future. I have one on wolves because I have a shape-shifter in my series. I have a fantasy one because I feel that falls into my realm of writing. I have one for the cosmos because I write SF/Futuristic Erotic Romance. The rest are just fun, recipes, cat and dog pictures – that kind of thing. These boards still work because it brings in followers who will see my posts on my books and blogs.

Pins: The more people you follow the more pins show up on your feed. The pins there are images you can re-pin to your board that will go across the feeds of anyone following you. There are so many things you can use these pins for. If you find pins from someone you can also follow those pins to their board and then see all the other pins they have. Looking around will also allow you to see how other authors have their boards set up. It might give you some great ideas.

I know writers who have a board for clothing and shoes their characters might wear. Locations where their stories take place. Pets their characters might have. Jobs they might hold. There is a lot you can do with Pinterest. All you really need is a good imagination and what author doesn’t have that?

See you next month!
Barb:)

Writing for Barbara Donlon Bradley started innocently enough, like most she kept diaries, journals, and wrote an occasional letter but she also had a vivid imagination and wrote scenes and short stories adding characters to her favorite shows and comic books. As time went on she found the passion for writing to be a strong drive for her. Humor is also very strong in her life. No matter how hard she tries to write something deep and dark, it will never happen. That humor bleeds into her writing. Since she can’t beat it she has learned to use it to her advantage. Now she lives in Tidewater Virginia with two cats, one mother in law, her husband and teenage son.

#MFRWorg Monthly Quote - Feburary 2014

“But if they all tell you it is bad and you still think in your soul that what you wrote was good—if you find that you still believe what you wrote and feel it and it is true to you, then you must stand by it. And it might help to think of Beethoven who was stone deaf, and people said he made all those discords in his music because he could not hear correctly. But Beethoven knew that he intended those discords. He stood by them against the whole world.”
-Brenda Ueland



Emerald
Emerald is an erotic fiction author whose short stories have been featured in anthologies published by Cleis Press, Mischief, and Logical-Lust. She serves as an assistant newsletter editor and Facebook group moderator for Marketing for Romance Writers (MFRW), and she selects and posts the monthly inspirational quote on the MFRW Marketing Blog. Find out more about her at her website, The Green Light District.