Read, Clapped, And Other Lies

Summary

The article discusses the challenges and frustrations of promoting writing on Facebook, particularly within writing groups, where authors often encounter unsolicited link sharing, spam, and a focus on metrics over content quality.

Abstract

The author of the article expresses discontent with the practice of dropping unsolicited links in Facebook writing groups, a tactic used to increase readership without genuine engagement. Despite efforts to curb this behavior by describing the content of the links being shared, the problem persists. The article highlights the ineffectiveness of reciprocal reading agreements and the obsession with metrics such as claps, reads, and comments, which can lead to disputes within the community. The author emphasizes the importance of creating meaningful relationships and quality content rather than fixating on numbers. It is suggested that a great piece of writing will naturally attract readers, and that genuine engagement and support among writers and readers are more valuable than superficial interactions.

Opinions

Unsolicited link sharing is a form of spam that undermines genuine engagement in Facebook writing groups.
The author believes that reciprocal reading agreements are often not honored and that the focus should be on content quality rather than the number of reads or claps.
There is skepticism about the authenticity of engagement metrics, such as claps, as they can be easily manipulated.
The author values building genuine relationships with other writers and readers, which can lead to more fulfilling and productive interactions.
The article suggests that writers should focus on crafting compelling content instead of obsessing over analytics, as quality writing will naturally attract an audience.
The author acknowledges that some individuals prefer to read content on writing platforms without contributing by commenting or clapping.
The

The perils of being in a Facebook writing group

Photo Credit: cottonbro

If you’ve ever promoted your writing on Facebook, you’ve likely had someone drop an unsolicited link in the comments of your post. Most of these ‘link droppers’ won’t read the post they’ve commented on and are only attempting to gain readership through spam. I’ve stopped asking for links since I opt to describe the link I’m posting instead, but I still receive unsolicited links. I usually hide these links, as I didn’t ask for them, nor do I wish to promote them.

I assume most group members don’t comment/engage with these spammers either, but I’ve witnessed a few fights breaking out over reads. I’ve even seen authors waste their time making posts about how rude it is to post an unsolicited link. I get it, we’re all here to make money, but no one owes you a read, clap, highlight, or comment. These posts bother me more than the spammers do. Honestly, whenever I see someone commenting about this or posting something like ‘read first and then drop your link’, I scroll past without even considering clicking on the post.

Before you write me off as a link dropper myself, I have two reasons for this behavior. The first and simplest reason is that someone accused me of not reading their writing because I didn’t leave them enough claps (I left 20, they wanted 50). The second reason is that through this woman’s accusations I realized she didn’t care about creating quality content, she only cared about the number of eyes on her work and the money it brought to her pockets. I decided from that point on that most of the people with this clause in their post only cared about reads/money and I moved on. They might decline to read my work, even if I have read theirs and engaged (this has happened to me). Just because someone claims they’ll read yours after you read theirs doesn’t mean they will. I’ve also had someone leave a comment after only reading my title, which is worse than fake claps.

Claps can be faked since the user can click on the story and press the clap button and then navigate away. I’ve viewed my stats many times, and to my knowledge, there is no way to tell who reads your writing unless they leave thoughtful comments. Some authors have claimed you can tell who reads your writing by viewing the time spent reading after each clap. I’m not sure if this is true, because I don’t (and won’t) pay that much attention to my stats.

The reason I joined the Facebook group was to share my writing, but I knew I had to build relationships along the way. I’ve followed several writers since joining, and the same group of people always shows up in my comments. I always try to return any engagement that I receive, but I would like to think that I’ve built relationships with these people. It also helps that they write stories I’m interested in, so I’m compelled to read them. Sometimes I even read stories and don’t engage at all, which I know is frowned upon since we should let the author know we enjoyed their writing. When I don’t comment, it’s because I either have nothing to add that the author didn’t already say, or it’s on a topic that I rarely read/write in.

As a writer, write compelling content people want to read while also building relationships with other readers and writers. You must give, sometimes more than you receive, to get eyes on your work. If you’re obsessed with checking your reads, you’re robbing yourself of time that you could spend writing something beautiful and compelling. A great article will bring in views on its own.

It may come as a shock to some, but some people linger on writing sites to read instead of writing themselves. Some of these people even do things like pay for memberships to read as much as they want. My stats tell me that hundreds of people read my work daily, but not all those who read my writing comment or clap.

People will leave you solicited links, no matter what your description says. The only thing you can do about it is to hide their comments or block them, but you shouldn’t let them ruin your day. Instead, you can craft your next great piece of writing or connecting with like-minded writers/readers.

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