Any author seriously thinks about whether or not s/he should have a social media presence and what they stand to gain or lose by joining the world of social media. Traditionally, people think of social media as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ and the like. However, it can also be extended to include blogs and forums where people interact, but for now let us ignore these infrequently used forms of interaction. From an author’s point of view, is social media a convenient waste of time or does it have actual benefits? Let us start by looking at the advantages of social media.

Making new friends

One of the most brilliant ways to connect with fellow writers is through social media. Local writing workshops can also serve the same purpose and at workshops you actually meet people fact to face. However, the convenience of social media is difficult to ignore. You don’t even have to leave your house or dress up for that matter. Social media can also be great if you want to improve relationships with people you already met physically. It can easily turn an acquaintance into a good friend.

Networking for the shy

There is no better way for shy people to meet others than via social media. The best thing about meeting people in a virtual world is that you are free to be yourself without the fear of being judged by others. Social media provides people with a level playing field and in the digital world it is difficult for people to act more superior than others. An author who is shy can start by networking with fellow authors and his audience via social media so that he can already be acquainted with them when he attends conferences and other events.

Building your author platform

An author must have a solid platform in order to easily promote his works. A social media presence can help you to increase your followers who make your platform stronger. If you ever have plans of getting published by traditional publishers, you should have worked on building a great platform. One of the ways you can do that is to become widely recognized on social media.

The drawbacks

Social media has some pretty epic disadvantages that authors should consider. These include:

It’s a distraction: Social media can be a great tool for you to meet and interact with your audience. However, it can also be a big distraction and can interfere when you want to get serious about writing your book.

It might become a bad habit: One of the things that you should do when you start to develop your social media presence is to have a plan. You should know exactly what time to get on social media, how much time to spend, and what you will be doing. Otherwise, you will frequently find yourself on Facebook without a clue about what you are doing there.

It might make you angry: Perhaps there is a friend on social media who is always yammering on about his political views which are totally contrary to yours. This and many other things in social media can spoil your mood and affect your productivity when you log out.