My children were off all week for spring break. We had a lunch date with my sister yesterday.
My plan was to drive to uptown Charlotte, pick her up outside her building, and go off to a sub shop for a casual lunch.
The children and I were just about to hop in the car when I got a text. “How about,” my sister said, “if you park and come up in the building? We’ll visit for a little while and the kids can see my office. Then we can go for lunch.”
That sounded great, but the children and I looked really scruffy. I was wearing denim capris that had shrunk from staying in the dryer too long (oops) and a sweatshirt that had seen better days. My daughter had on an outfit that didn’t match and my teenage son looked like he’d just rolled out of bed. We looked all right for a sub shop with my sister (maybe), but not good for going into a skyscraper of a major bank and meeting my sister’s coworkers.
“Sure,” I texted. Then we all changed clothes before we headed out. :) We met some nice people on the 18th floor and looked like upstanding citizens.
I spend a good deal of time trying to make sure that I’m giving a good impression to readers, other writers, and people in the publishing industry when they encounter me online.
Making a bad impression in person isn’t good either, but at least those usually fade. If you mess up online, it lives online forever. It’s like the mistake that keeps on giving.
I know that, on Google, my website is the first thing that comes up. Which, actually, is bizarre because I’m sure my blog gets more traffic. My website (although it needs updating) tells people a little about me and my books and how to contact me or buy my books. That’s really its sole purpose. I keep it pretty basic. I think it’s important to have some sort of website to serve as a hub for our online identity.
Another important place to make a good impression is blogging. Again, I’ve got a way to contact me, something about me, and a little about my books. For me, blogging is my favorite way to interact online. Although I know some writers do tread into political discussions or other controversial areas….I’m just not going to go there. I’ve heard of a couple of writers who got negative feedback from different publishers for expressing some of their (strong) opinions. And again it’s the ‘making a good impression’ thing—I don’t want to turn off any readers, for sure. I wouldn’t assume that everyone shares my views on different subjects.
Online bookselling sites are other places where writers need to make a good impression. Actually, it’s good to create a non-impression there. We really don’t need to ever pipe up in the review section for our books. If we get a bad review, we get a bad review. Arguing with the reviewer really just looks unprofessional. There are times I’ve noticed, though, when readers have given a book a bad review because Amazon shipped it late, etc. In those cases, I’d just report the review to Amazon because it doesn’t have anything to do with the book. But I still wouldn’t defend my book online—I just don’t think the writer ever wins.
Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are tricky sometimes because it’s easy for words to be taken the wrong way. And I do recommend having a public Facebook identity and a private one. When my old friends from junior high want to friend me on my public page, I just gently suggest that they’d be more interested in my private one…and vice versa. Otherwise I’d end up being tagged in pictures from when I was 12 on my professional account. That would stress me out. :)
Looking back over this post, I’m realizing how cautious it sounds. I do interact a lot online every day—but I always read over what I’m saying before I hit ‘send.’ And with static sites (like my website), I try to make sure it’s just serving its purpose.
How do you work to make a good impression online?
I find that the lack of grammar and spelling skills is very off-setting. The informality of social networking is no excuse for the destruction of language. We communicate with words and should respect them, as well as the people we are attempting to communicate with. And I just ended a sentence with a preposition…
My motto is “Be brave, be fair, do good work.”
Be brave enough to be who you are, and fair enough to let others do the same, and in the end, it’s the work that matters.
That’s a great question! I do my best to never do or say anything I wouldn’t want my mother to read about. That rule generally makes me think before I hit send. :)
Elizabeth – Oh it is so important to be careful about the impression one gives! I cultivate my image as best I can by completely avoiding potentially offensive topics. I don’t get graphic and I don’t use profanity. I also work hard to be as balanced as I can, so that readers of all of my social networking “places” can hopefully enjoy what they read, whatever their views. I also do my best to use standard English when I write. I think people are put off when they get the impression that a blogger doesn’t care enough to write clearly. As you say, impressions are lasting, and building a brand as an author depends on making a good one.
You make a good point about how easy it is for words to be taken the wrong way online. We can interact so effortlessly, with the touch of a button, that sometimes we don’t give our words enough thought.
I try and treat others how I would want to be treated. On Twitter I smile at a funny tweet or reply to it. I try and support author’s books and blog posts as much as I can. And I try to be myself. It’s really hard to be anything but that in the long haul.
I just post a picture of my handsome self. Works every time.
What’s that? No?
Hm. Back to the drawing board, sigh …
LOL, good post. Hey Liz, it’s happening again … when I click on your name/icon from my blog, I go – and I swear the url is the same – http://mysterywritingismurder.blogpsot.com/ to that Bible study site!
Weird. Anyhowzit, have a Happy Easter weekend! :-)
Heather–I know what you mean! And now I’m doing it from the opposite direction…what wouldn’t I want my *children* to read?
Lucile–Good point. Especially with our static sites.
Camille–I like that motto. :)
Laura–You’ve made a great point there–being supportive of other writers is the golden rule.
Marvin–Okay, that’s just weird! It looks like my site’s been hijacked (which isn’t weird…that kind of thing happens), but by a religious site?! That makes no sense at all. If it were a *pharmaceutical* site, I could see it, but…
I’m with you. I don’t talk politics online (I’m not even a good discusser of politics in person.) You really do have to be aware that what you say stays.
Helen–Me either!
Margot–I think you do a good job with it, too!
mgudlewski–I think it’s probably the ease of it all that contributes to the problem.
I’m very cautious! Every day there’s a story about some celebrity mouthing off online, and I don’t want to be that person – ever.
I always stop and think before I reply to a comment or compose a post. I also try to keep the snark to those who know I’m just joking.
Basically, I think life is too short to waste time arguing or harboring ill feelings. There’s enough negative in the world. I don’t want to add to it.
Alex–I couldn’t agree with you more! And I think you’ve done a fantastic job with the way you’re viewed online.