Social Networking and Authors' Sites - Any recommendations?

[Julie Lomoe]

Our upstate New York Sisters in Crime chapter, Mavens of Mayhem, is meeting this Saturday. I promised to present something about blogs and social networking sites, about which many of the members are still phobic, and I'm looking for feedback and recommendations from this group.

Crimespace is my favorite, and I'm currently familiarizing myself with Facebook. I also belong to several lists, including Murder Must Advertise, Dorothy L, and blogbooktours, but I rarely check them - too much to do, too little time.

Do others find these sites worthwhile, and if so, which ones? Or do they just eat up your time with little or no return value? Additionally, I'm wondering about the value of Facebook as compared with MySpace. It seems getting involved with both would be too time consuming. And what about authors' group blog sites? Do they work, and how do you direct readers to them? Are you just talking amongst yourselves?

Thanks, I look forward to your feedback!

[Bob]

Great post. There are a lot more marketing tools out there on the web.

I agree with your "hate airplanes". Back in the early 80's I flew 200 flights in one year. I grimace everytime someone mentions flying and I have found a wonderful world in backwoods america travelling by car to remote destinations at a leisurely pace. Schedule book signings in small town independant bookstores and make a vaction out of the tour as you cross the country. You will arrive home with hundreds of new ideas for future novels. That only applies if you have the time and means of course.

Smiles
Bob