[Quiss]

So this morning I realized a series of tweets regarding full-body transplants and chocolate-covered coffee beans is showing up on my Amazon author page because I opted for that in Author Central. (I didn't think "replies" to someone's tweet were posted - good thing nothing rude was said  ).
Do you use that feature on your author page?

It seems that, unless we use a pseudonym, using social media is fraught with pitfalls. I am on Facebook, Twitter, and G+, mainly. And in all cases, I am very careful not to tread into hot subjects that might annoy my readers or attract trolls.

It's chafing a bit, like some self-imposed restriction on my own freedom of speech (to put it dramatically). While, clearly, the internet would be a better place if everyone thought twice before posting, sometimes you just have to pipe up about someone's proposed school curriculum revision just to get things off your chest.

How do you deal? Behave yourself? Avoid social media? Post whatever the heck you feel?

 

[Censored]

I have a personal Facebook user account, a separate Facebook page for my author persona, and a Twitter that's set to basically repost blog updates and stuff from the Facebook author page. I do link that Twitter account to Author Central, and have had no problems with it. That said, I'm pretty lackadaisical about social media in general; I usually don't have to restrain myself from posting stuff so much as force myself to do it. When I have something controversial or personal that's intended for friends and family, I use the personal Facebook account only. When I want to communicate to readers, I use the Facebook author page, my blog, or my newsletter.

I do occasionally post "controversial" opinion stuff under my author persona, but I do so very carefully, cognizant of who my readers are. It's worth mentioning that I think it's okay to offend some people as long as you don't offend your core audience. I'd rather offend some folks if it draws others even closer into my camp. For instance, I would think it would be okay to rail against the government occasionally if you write dystopian post-apocalyptic prepper stuff. Et cetera.

 

[Taking my troll a$$ outta here]

I have a personal page and an author page (well, I have a 2nd author page as of a few days ago for a new pen name, but same rules apply haha!). I pretty much say what I want on my personal page, even though a few of my fans have migrated over from my fan page to my personal page. I usually accept fans if they have mutual friends in common, or I have seen them around on my author page for awhile. Yeah, I curse, say stupid stuff, go on rants, and generally do what I want on my personal page. I am aware, however, that everything is likely to get out there, so I keep that in mind.

I tone it down a bit for my E.B. Brown fan page, but y'know, in the end I figure I can't pretend to be someone I am not. If someone friends me on my personal page & then wants to screenshot my posts and start trouble, well, eff it. I yam what I yam. I rant. I curse. I love hard. I hurt sometimes. Sometimes I apologize. Sometimes I don't. Love me, hate me, whatever. I seem to get an inbox full of hate mail even if I am feeling uncharacteristically loving and post something sweet, haha.

 

[Rick Gualtieri]

I have my twitter account linked to my Author Central page.  I may not always say the most politically correct things on it, but I think it helps more than it hurts in that it shows I'm actually a personality on Twitter and not just another spam-monkey. 

 

[Taking my troll a$$ outta here]

So this morning I realized a series of tweets regarding full-body transplants and chocolate-covered coffee beans is showing up on my Amazon author page because I opted for that in Author Central. (I didn't think "replies" to someone's tweet were posted - good thing nothing rude was said ).
Do you use that feature on your author page?

OMG, how do you turn that feature off?? I vaguely recall some notice asking me to trial some Facebook to Twitter sharing thing, and now I can't figure out how to stop it. Ugh. My author central looks like a mess right now haha

 

[cinisajoy]

EBB,
Then there are the friend/fans. 

 

[Patty Jansen]

I have both my blog and Twitter account linked to Author Central. I use my Twitter and Facebook accounts only as author and not in a personal way. I do tweet a lot of stuff that's not immediately related to writing, but nothing I wouldn't be happy to be public knowledge. Yes, I sometimes go into politics, but I figure that's part of my fiction as well, and it shows that I'm not a spam bot. I also sometimes swear on Twitter (yeah, I know, the hide of me), but there is also swearing in most of my books, so again that's representative.

 

[J.T. Williams]

I also sometimes swear on Twitter (yeah, I know, the hide of me), but there is also swearing in most of my books, so again that's representative.

As long as it's representative.

 

[♨]

I have not associated my Twitter account or my blog with my Amazon author account (runs off to check--whew, nope), but I probably should.  At least the Twitter account seeing as I infrequently update my blog and am reaching the point where I just really don't care to update it because this isn't 2008 anymore so why kid ourselves?  Anyway, I suspect that it would have very little impact considering that both my readers and my Twitter followers likely have very low expectations of what to expect from me and, as such, neither would view the nonsense that may pepper my books or tweets as anything out of the ordinary.

 

[Taking my troll a$$ outta here]

EBB,
Then there are the friend/fans.

KBfriend/friend/unique category