self promotion: I wanna talk about me

How many times can I work in a reference to Toby Keith's big hit, "I wanna talk about me"? Funny song and a great reminder straight from Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People - everyone wants to get a word in edge-wise. It also raises the question of self-promotion with people you know.

So when promoting your activities - particularly with friends - particularly in the social media age we live in - how much is too much? not enough? orjust right?

Be aware you will always get one of three responses:

• Anything you say to promote yourself will be too much with some.
• Others sincerely want to know what you're doing. 
• Still more aren't going to notice anything you say anyway - so who cares?

Of course some argue the issue on moral grounds, pointing out that humility is a God ordained virtue and boasting is sinful. The counterpoint is that followers of God should be bold and believe in what they are doing; they ask the question, if you don't believe in yourself and what you're doing, who else should and will?

There is obviously no single answer. You can already read my mind on the topic. My typical response: the answer is yes and no, more and less.

Better go with your own comfort level, but know you can't control your intended responses no matter how careful or capricious you are. My simple counsel - as much a reminder to myself as a word to anyone else - is:

1. keep a spirit of humility and sense of humor - your project is not the center of the universe or a matter of life and death for others - even if your cause is life and death.
2. do not overdo it lest you become a nuisance - the rule of thumb for Facebook and other high relationship networks is three times a week; Twitter unlimited.
3. same as general conversation, make sure you listen as much as you speak - do you know what others are up to?
4. if you are on social media, at least in part, to promote something you are doing, be sure to return the favor to others.
5. keep it "soft sell" as most people don't like to be pushed.

what to do when you've been knocked down

the golden rule of twitter - and back rubs

Twitter numbers are huge and still growing. As of 2012 there were 500 million users, doing 350 million daily tweets, and conducting 1.3 billion searches. We're halfway through 2013 and I'm sure the numbers have moved upwards dramatically.

Whether you are on Twitter to entertain, network or sell something, how in the world do you gain followers and then get them to read and share your tweets?

If you follow someone on Twitter and they don't follow you back, you are a fan. If they follow you and you don't follow back, you have a fan.

For most people the "fan" model doesn't really work.

Most of the 500 million of us on Twitter aren't going to command a huge fan base based on setting up an account with our name or a clever penname and posting some tweets - and once you follow 2,000 people, you have to have at least half that many followers to follow more.

So most of us need to follow the Golden Rule of Twitter.

It just so happens that the Golden Rule of Twitter is very much like the Golden Rule that Jesus spoke of in the Bible: Do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31, NIV).

If you want follows, mentions, and retweets - yes, by all means, make your account and tweets as good as possible - but the more certain route is to follow, mention, and retweet others yourself.

People appreciate fair play and will respond in kind. Sometimes it's nothing more than quid pro quo - but why shouldn't a social network be based to some degree on mutual back rubs?

Mark Gilroy's novels are available in paper and ink, as an audio book, and as an e-book. Check out reviews or purchase now.

10 ways google can help you as a writer

I'm not getting paid by Google to write this and I use a variety of production tools besides Google - some more helpful than the Google counterpart. But just familiarizing yourself with the array of Google products can add productivity to your work as a writer. Here are a few obvious and not so obvious ways that Google can increase your productivity and quality as an author.

1. Docs. Upload and share working document with peer review groups, co-writers, editors, publishers, and anyone else you are asking to make your writing better. Google Docs will soon become Google Drive with more space and features.

2. Calendar. The obvious use of Calendar is time management - and I also use it to sync my appointments between devices - but I also found it incredibly helpful to create a calendar while writing a novel to keep track of days, weeks, and months for the events in my storyline.

3. Maps. Want to add authenticity to the addresses, streets, cities, and other places in your writing - Maps even has pictures of the landmarks at street level.

4. Blogger. An easy way to set up an author website with simple push-button publishing. I've used it for years and recommend it - though I know many authors like WordPress better.

5. Youtube. Set up a channel to serve as home for your video blogs to promote your book. I use Youtube as the source for my vlogs on this website.

6. Translate. Want to add some phrases in another language to your book? Translate is an unbelievably easy and valuable tool to use. Now includes 50 languages.

7. Web Search. I never felt the need to switch to Microsoft's Bling. Maybe it's better but I find that hard to believe. No one has helped more people find the information they are looking for faster and more accurately than Google Search. You have an entire library at your fingertips.

8. Groups. Create mailing lists and discussion groups to promote your writing or interact with like minded creators. This feature might be falling behind and fading fast - but I predict they replace it with something rivals the leading apps in the near future.

9. Specialized Search. Did you know that Google has tools to help you examine search trends - content of blogs - content of scholarly papers - and more? They do.

10. Analytics. Keep track of what and how people follow your v/blog. And as a bonus "code" - if you have a huge online following, you don't want to be without Google Ads to generate income from page views. It takes an enormous amount of page views to add up - but better to set it up early in your online writing career.

You can use iGoogle as your homepage and set up your Google apps - and other apps - just the way you want to see them as on online dashboard.

Google has a great array of products that can help you focus on what your best at, maximizing the value you deliver. And whether your prefer other tools over one or more Google apps, their suite will at least alert you as to what is available to make your work easier and more focused.

Mark Gilroy's debut novel, Cuts Like a Knife, is in the market and is available in print and ink, as an e-book, and as an audio book. Check out reviews or purchase now. On October 23, 2012, the second Kristen Conner novel, Every Breath You Take, releases.

do you have to be a reader if you want to be a writer?

still haven't found what I'm looking for