Circuitmart recently ran an article about research that was just done on Social Networking. It focused on Twitter, and Facebook… not so much blogging, but the principles are similar. If you’d like to see the article, you can click on the link below, but I’ll summarize for you.
http://www.circuitmart.com/mart/49609.shtml (There is a 30 second commercial, followed by the 1 minute video presentation, or you can click “read more” to read the full article instead.)
What I found interesting is that they interviewed someone with 200 Facebook friends, and they asked them how many are really friends. The answer was only 30.
I thought about my own personal Facebook account. I actually know everyone I’ve friended. Yeah, to be honest, many of them are people I went to high school with, who I barely even knew back then, but I DO KNOW THEM.
(By the way, don’t try to “friend” Jennifer M Eaton
on Facebook… that’s not me. Nope, I’m not a blonde.) You can find me under Jennifer M Eaton – Author. If you see Castillia’s fire in the profile picture, or an eye with the reflection of fire in it… that one’s me. (Wow, that eye looks creepy when it’s not cropped into a square. EEEK!
Anyway, I was thinking about how this relates to blogging. This is my professional area. Here, I have a lot of followers, but I’ve actually never met most of you.
Is that weird? Well, no… it’s not. That’s what social networking is all about.
Finding people who are seriously into writing is hard for most of us. I’m in a local writer’s group, but the people I’ve learned the most from are the people I interact with everyday on the internet. (I do get a lot out of small group writing workshops, though)
Through my connections on the internet, I find out about contests, seminars, training classes, resources, and I can get great advice anytime I need it, just by posting and asking for help. When I didn’t have my own blog, I jumped onto Nathan Brandsford’s… and that site is always there for me to get additional advice from a broader spectrum of writers.
Social networking has helped me tremendously. My novel wouldn’t be what it is today without it. I have “friends” all over the world to help me out. (The guy doing the art for my WEB Site is in Hungary… and he’s read my novel. How weird awesome is that?)
Used to its full potential, networking is a great tool. I don’t care if I haven’t met you. If you are here, you are my friend. Friends help each other out.
Friends cheer each other on.
Now, stop reading this insanely long post.
Get up off your butt and finish your novel. 
The world is waiting to read you!
Related articles
- Are Writers Doomed To Be Isolated And Lonely? (nfaa.wordpress.com)
Jennifer M Eaton 
The real reason that Facebum is popular can be explained here: ->
I like your blog by the way.
Bill
For some reason, I am worried about facebook. I set up a profile yesterday and just got my first friend request but it just doesn’t feel right. Blogging feels right and the support here is great. After reading this I’m thinking maybe Facebook can wait.
i’m not the biggest fan of facebook, but man i’ve made a lot of connections through twitter. the kidlit community especially is such a great resource online…
You are hilarious and my new favorite best blogging friend. Okay, they are all my new favorite best blogging friends, but I thought I’d throw that out there anyway. Seriously, though, I adore all my online friends. I’ve made connections here that will last my entire life, which is more than I can say for some of my FB friends from high school. Dude, I don’t remember you, get over it. Eeesh, High School was a loooong time ago, please don’t make me relive it.
Blogging is my guilty pleasure at the end of a long day of writing/editing. It’s fun, short, and published. That is way more than I can say about my beast of a novel.
I like hanging out here, I’ll have to stop by more often!
Welcome aboard, Tameri! Great to meet you!
I love blogging and interacting with people from all over the world on Twitter especially; it’s a great way to make contacts and learn from your peers.
I am admittedly still a little Twitter-challenged. There is just so much scrolling by my little mind can’t seem to grasp it all.
Thank you for this very helpful advice.
I agree. Even though I wouldn’t recognize my blogging friends if I passed them on the street, I feel like I know them through comments we make to each other and reading their posts on similar topics I’m interested in. I love it! It is very helpful as a writer to have writing friends. Sometimes it’s so helpful its hurtful though (like when I’d rather read other people’s sites than work on my own writing). Thanks for ending with telling me what I SHOULD do. I’ll go write now…maybe.
You go, Girl. Don’t worry about that criticism. Hopefully, they are just trying to be helpful (and not using your real name if it’s something bad)
I promise not to talk about you (too much)
🙂
Good advice.
Jennifer, the eye is very spooky … that being said … thanks for this post. I love blogging, Facebook is how I keep up with my kids and grandkids and steal pictures my son “forgets” to send granny, and twitter … well let’s just say that I have yet to master, or feel at home on twitter.
Now, if you will excuse me … I have some real work to do 🙂
Go Go Go! Go attack that novel girl! Wahoo!
I couldn’t do without my online writer support group. 🙂
The lovely and talented Brinda Berry being SHORT AND SWEET because SOMEONE is planning her latest novel’s release.
Hmmmmmm. I’m jealous girl. (In a good way) 🙂
Best of luck, my friend!
Good post Jennifer and I totally agree. I’ve got about 500 friends on facebook but 200 are people I play games with and about 150 are people I went to school with…that I haven’t seen in 30 years! I actually feel that Twitter and Blogging (and I just made a profile in Linkedin as well) do more for you career-wise than facebook does. I can’t even get my “friends” to buy one of my books or answer short polls.
Ha! I invited my “real” friends on Facebook to look at my “Author” page on Facebook and NONE OF THEM CAME. I find that so funny.
I would never push my work, though. Don’t want to be the Amway salesman.
Me either but it’s almost like writers are the only ones who appreciate writers. I can’t even get my husband to read my stories. I try not to let it get to me but sometimes it pisses me off.
Ha! You are the first person I’ve “talked” to who has the same problem I do. We’ve actually fought about it when I asked him to read something. I just don’t even ask anymore. Unless there is a kid with a wand, or Darth Vader, he’s just not interested. He said he will read it if I get published. “Hello… won’t need any advice then!”
He does support me as far as giving me time, though. I got to give him that.
Me too, but I think of it more as “humoring me”. he might read it if it ever sells well and I make decent money. When I sold a story to a compilation, I was thrilled and so was he, until I told him it paid $50…”that’s it?” was his response. I swear, he’s the worst bubble buster I know.
I agree. The people I’ve “met” online, either through Twitter or through various blogs, are no less real than those I meet in face-to-face life. And they bring with them such a wealth of information, it’s wonderful!
Yes, especailly for writing opportunities that I just can’t find time to keep up on.
Fantastic post – well said! AMEN to that! I feel the EXACT same way.
Glad we are friends girl – you rock! 🙂
If it weren’t for the internet, I’d not have found my critique partners. One is in Florida, the other in Britain, I’m in Canada! I’m critiquing for both of them over in other windows. My WIP sits in another. When I get stuck, I jump between the WIPs and the internet. Hmmm, maybe I should shut something down.
Ha! You sound like a cyber-junkie. That’s great with the other countries, though. I am in the USA, and I have a beta in England. We get confused by cultural differences once in a while, but we iron it out after a little on-line chat.
I did not access my email yesterday, Jennifer. Pause for collective *gasp*.
Mine woke the dogs when I got up this morning. Four-thirty a.m. and I bolt awake thinking “OMG! I did not check email yesterday!” WHAT is wrong with this picture?
What was right with the picture yesterday was my inner need to write on my MG. It had nothing to do with goals or deadlines. It was an emotive need to write. And, that’s what I find in the writer’s on-line community.
Others who don’t exchange “those” looks when I say something like that. They may still think I’m a looney-tune, but writers “get” that there is a tune that goes with my looney. Heck, I don’t know how I found you, but I’m glad I did. Your posts are a treat.
I like that, Gloria! I wouldn’t give you a “look” for saying you had an emotive need to write, I would be very happy for you and a little jealous. My emotional connection with writing seems to have shut down. I should probably write about it.
Oh my gosh, Lynnette, I swear your avatar just moved.
Ugh, I must be more tired than I thought.
People who don’t write will never understand. I wish my husband wrote. It would make thngs so much easier. Oh, well. At least he’s hot.
🙂
working on mine. It is done just needs proofing and editing …and tweaking.
Write Write Write to you drop. Get get em! You can do it!
thanks Jennifer. If you look on my blog and see “Beneath the Bramble Bush” at the top where the tabs are..there is like four chapters of my book. Is based on a true story. I taught the murderer’s son. yikes.