In Which I Join LibraryThing and Shelfari, And My Head Explodes From Social Networking

[dr_pretentious]

My publisher's promotional guide is going to be very useful. When I have uninterrupted computer time but not enough free brain cells for writing, I work my way through the more mechanical of its suggestions. I don't need the full range of my abilities to create a username and password for yet another social networking site.

What I'm going to do with all these social networking sites once I've caught them is another question entirely. Fortunately, there's some lead time before the book comes out, so I have a chance to find my footing.

Are any of you on LibraryThing and/or Shelfari? Any suggestions for how to make the best use of them? For that matter, I've had an account on GoodReads for a couple of years, and haven't used it since about the second week I had it. With all these apparently obligatory forms of promotion, I must be the one using them. I absolutely cannot afford for a dozen or so networks to be using me.

The more strategic of the promo guide's suggestions will require more full engagement of my brain. Those will have to wait until the manuscript is delivered. Soon, soon! The manuscript is so close to done now. I will try not to think about how long it's taken me to get this far, or how much faster I could write before the kids were born, or any of that counterproductive stuff. Full speed ahead!

Comments

[aberdeen.livejournal.com]

I'm on LibraryThing, but, gosh, I haven't logged in for a couple years. I really liked it. I should start using it, again.

I was doing really good job of using it to figure out what I had, and where it was, and what I needed. And then I sort of stopped.

I haven't heard of Shelfari, before... I'll go peek atit.

[showingup.livejournal.com]

My understanding, from friends who use social networking professionally, is that it's better to stick to one or two platforms you really like and which do you good service than to spread yourself across lots; it's the "go deeper, don't spread thinner" idea that meaningful engagement with others just can't be done across too many platforms, and that having meaningful engagement in a couple of places wins more enthusiasm and loyalty.

I know you're on the tweeties (I am turning into Craig Ferguson...). So is my friend Erica Friedman (@Yuricon - she tweets... well, a lot). She's a specialist in manga and "social optimisation" - using networks really effectively for your business. She's clever, honest, and an ADF Druid: http://socialoptimized.blogspot.co.uk and http://www.yuricon.com Her public email address is anilesbocon01@hotmail.com If you want to discuss how to use social networking, tell her T and I sent you :)

[csecooney.livejournal.com]

I, also, have a Goodreads account I never use. Shelfari? LibraryThing? I haven't even HEARD of those! Go you!

[castalusoria.livejournal.com]

I'm on GoodReads, as a user, not as an author. I mostly use it to track what I've read, and to keep track of books I'd like to read, and primarily use the iPhone App to log things. (Handy when in the library, saying, "What book to get next?" when standing, overwhelmed, in front of shelves.)

[aberdeen.livejournal.com]

I should note - I do not use LibraryThing as a social networking thing, though I don't mind some of the social aspects of it.
I had an account for my personal library, and an account for the books in my classroom library, and my purpose was to keep track of things. I never did finish either collection, though maybe this summer I'll have time, since I plan to re-do my home library, and I'll be moving classrooms again.

[amushink.livejournal.com]

All I have to say is good for you that you are using social networking correctly. Would you be so kind as to inform my other author friend that Facebook announcements of every book signing he does and relentlessly flogging his wares on Facebook is inappropriate?

[citabria]

I subscribed to LibraryThing when I moved and absolutely love it! I'd wanted a catalogue of the books I own for quite some time, and LibraryThing is a pretty easy cataloging system to learn and to use.

My biggest piece of advice is, if you think you might have even more than 500 books to catalogue, is invest the $15 to get the CueCat barcode scanner. Seriously. While it's possible to enter all the ISBNs by hand, I can tell you that it becomes monotonous incredibly quickly -- incredibly quickly. I have 2047 books catalogued and have a backlog of new/inherited books to add but haven't, in part, because I just can't face sitting down and typing in more ISBNs.

I know nothing of Shelfari.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

The social aspects of it are mostly mysterious to me at this point. Entering books seems the place to start. The prospect of getting more books recommended to me, even by an awesomely clever search algorithm, is kind of daunting. I'm awash in books as it is.

I'm thinking of using these sites as occasions for purging my library of stuff that doesn't need to live with me anymore. There are lots of books I'm glad I read once that I don't anticipate ever referring to again. If a book's not worth the bother of scanning the barcode, it can go to the public library donation bin.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

The depth-not-breadth approach made sense to me, too, and it was what my former publisher recommended. On the other hand, my new publisher is way more successful than my old one was, and is paying its people a lot more regularly. As much as I'm not crazy about the time sink of even more social networking, I'm going to allow for the possibility that their publicity person knows her stuff.

Thanks for the contact. I don't yet know what questions to ask, but when I have enough clue to know what I don't know, I'll track her down.

I'm not so much on the tweeties as tangentially, second-handedly forwarding stuff to the tweeties. Once I got Livejournal to forward links to my blog posts there automatically, I almost completely stopped using Twitter.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

That sounds useful. I've been emailing myself notes toward a syllabus of classics in my genre that I really ought already to have read. So far, my progress on that syllabus has been totally haphazard. Which would be fine if I were just reading for pleasure, but for someone who's working hard to go pro, it's problematic.

Come to think of it, it's probably useful for designing syllabi in general. I should ask my grad school friends who are still teaching in classrooms.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

I do try not to be obnoxious. Glad it's working.

On the other hand, I haven't had a lot of wares to flog, and I've never had a signing to announce. I may yet become insufferable, given the opportunity. If that day comes, I'm relying on you to tell me.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

I just downloaded an app to my Droid that says it will scan bar codes and enter book data into LibraryThing for me. If that doesn't work, $15 seems like a totally reasonable investment in organization. And I can totally see how LibraryThing could be a good preparation for moving. Every time I've moved my books, even when it was just across the hall to another room, long-term library chaos has ensued.

[citabria]

Right -- we're now at the point when phones can do that stuff! (I'm a little behind the times.) Cool!

One of the other things I did while cataloging was put most of my books in numbered boxes, each with a separate list of the authors inside (never fear, I occasionally give them food and water) and room for more of those authors' books. While I started getting sloppy about keeping things updated about a year ago, I still feel like I'm capable of catching up.