Promoting your writing on social media

“Please read, enjoy, heart, tip. Thanks.”

I am so over this

I belong to 23 Facebook groups for Medium and Vocal writers. One of them (The Medium Writers and Vocal Creators Support Group) I started in April 2021. I am active on about half of the groups, even the one that actually copied the ‘About’ section of my group and started their own, because I guess imitation is its own form of a complement.

I’ve participated in fiction challenges, pet challenges, who I am challenges, poetry challenges, and learned how to write a sonnet. I’ve created fiction stories due to the leadership of the admins of the Facebook pages and the encouragement of the other writers, leading me to write more fiction that I would have without the time and diligence they put into their communities.

I’ve interacted with Medium and Vocal writers on Facebook, through texts, phone calls, Messenger, and Zoom calls. I’ve celebrated their achievements both as writers and in their non-writing real life. I’ve sent them encouraging comments, hearts, and tips. I’ve shared their go-fund-mes. And I’ve mourned with them when we lost one of the best and brightest of us, too.

I am telling you all of this to show that I am not a fly-by-night, just-dropping-in, casual Mediumite and Vocal-er.

Because I am in it all the way.

I learn from everyone, I respect all equally. I help the newbies and rejoice when they gain confidence and thrive. I struggle (and mostly succeed) to move past the slights and petty criticisms that occur wherever large groups congregate.

I said ‘mostly’ because there is a group of writers that set my teeth on edge. I sincerely hope it is not you, the reader. I think it probably is NOT you, the reader, because I am not sure these folks read anything they haven’t written themselves.

I am referring to the two distinct (yet surely related!) group: the Link-Bombers and the Instructors.

I. Just. Can’t. Even. I’m so over it.

Link-Bombers

Link-Bombers appear in many Facebook groups. They don’t add anything to the community, just post their link on a post someone else has made. No note, no comments. In fact, the link is usually about a subject totally unrelated to the OP (Original Post).

I’ve noticed that lately the titles are ‘Using ChatGPT AI and Fool Everyone While You Get Rich, or “10 Days to Financial Freedom!”, or “Choosing Clickbait Titles to Dupe the Masses”. Okay, I think I may have made up that last title, but you get the drift, right?

It may be that link-bombing actually get them reads, but it won’t work for me. I make it a point to ignore the content. If it is made on a thread in The The Medium Writers and Vocal Creators Support Group page I may post a note asking them to give feedback before sharing. I sometimes tell them that a repeat is grounds for being blocked from the group. However, mercifully, they go away eventually and drop those bombs someplace else.

Instructors

Instructors, though; they take it to the next level. The title of this article came directly from a post I saw today. “Please read, enjoy, heart (edit: or clap if it’s a Medium author!), tip. Thanks.”

This. This is actually ground for being blocked from the group and the surest way to guarantee that I won’t read whatever article you have posted. And I don’t care that you included ‘please’, it is just rude.

Don’t tell me what to do. Don’t tell me to read. Don’t tell me to enjoy (for goodness sake!). Don’t tell me to ‘heart’ or ‘Clap’ . Don’t order me to leave comments, highlights, or insights.

Don’t- and the utter gall to do it!- don’t tell me to tip you! Adding ‘thanks’ does not seem sincere to me, either. Not at all.

I have been in groups where people have been badgered about tipping, hearting, clapping and even sharing. In fact, I did block a founding member of Vocal from the group because he badgered members: “if you liked it why didn’t you share it on your Facebook page? I looked and it wasn’t there.” Dude, she never said she would share it. She did comment that she ‘liked it and (hearted) it’, but that wasn’t enough for you? There is no place in our informal community-family for boorishness such as this.

In conclusion

Medium, Vocal, and the Facebook communities that have appeared in order to share posts, gain reads, give and receive support, swap tips, and boost creativity are an amazing example of symbiosis; each benefits from the other and the writers are the better for them.

There is not room, however, in this semi-polite society for the tactics of the Link-Bombers and the Instructors. I am so over it.

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Freebie #4 You can read more of what I’ve written on Vocal here.

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