“Like my Facebook page!”
“Follow me on Twitter!”
“Check out my Pinterest!”
“If you follow me on Twitter – like my Facebook page too!”
“Share this!”

How we’ve come to hate all this. Why?

• It feels like an order Generally, we respond poorly to demands, especially when we can’t see a ‘why’

• It’s impolite The message lacks ‘social nicety packaging’. What do I mean? Consider the following two approaches:

“Share this!”

“If you found this article interesting or useful, I’d love it if you’d share it with others. Thank you ”

Which one would be more likely to encourage you to ‘share’?

• No reason Why should I ‘like’ your page? How will I benefit? For example:

“If you love French food, you may wish to ‘like’ my Facebook page where I post all the great recipes I come across on my travels through France”

There is an etiquette involved in building a social media following. Many people observe it, many more do not.

And I am not above blame. On occasion, I have quickly put together an update designed to encourage more ‘likes’ for my page. On re-reading it later I’ve opted to hit the delete button as I found my own request a little too demanding or lacking in some way. Once, someone even got in touch to say “I don’t like being asked to visit your page” I was mortified.

There are a whole bunch of people out there who promise to achieve huge numbers of ‘likes’ for your page. I haven’t tried any of these – it doesn’t feel right for me. (Have you? Out of interest it would be great to hear your thoughts). And then there are the ‘like ladders’. Everyone lists their page and off you go ‘liking’ as many as you wish in the hope that folks will return the favour. It sounds like something to avoid like the plague but, in fact, I have joined in with a couple of these and although I will never interact with the huge majority of people again (I’d like to though – drop in and say ‘Hi!’) I have met some great people in this way and have even added them as friends to my personal Facebook profile. I continue to enjoy their input.

Why do I want you to ‘like’ my Facebook page?

I’m living on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Life is very different and less ‘full on’ than that in the UK. Some people may even find it boring. Whilst I relish the peace and tranquility, I also realised that for the first time in my life I’d have the gift of free time. Along with the outdoor life I’ll inevitably pursue, I needed another hobby. I choose writing. I started a blog and enjoyed that so much that my ambitions turned to writing for other blogs…then writing a few articles for magazines. Suddenly the idea of writing a book entered into the realms of possibility.

But I’ll have to work for it:

To increase their chances of being accepted for publication (both on and offline) today’s author requires a huge measure of passion, proactivity and a platform.

The first two “p’s” speak for themselves.

A platform can be likened to a stage – somewhere to be heard. In the online world it’s built of your contacts, connections and followers. It’s your ‘reach’. Although we constantly bemoan how times have changed, publishers have always favoured authors who can potentially market their own work; the only thing that has changed is the route to market. Nowadays this route is composed of blogs, email lists and social media presence. In fact, the publisher Simon and Schuster have an author portal on their website which encourages writers to start blogging and embrace social media to help promote their work.

This is why I continue to build my Facebook ‘likes’. Social proof, they call it. It’s like saying “Hey there Mr Editor – potentially, I have 200 or 500 or 1000 people (say) who may be interested in my proposed article, feature blogpost or book”. Maybe. I use the word ‘potentially’ as we’re all well aware that many of our acquired page likers will not have the faintest interest in our work. I think they’re termed ‘non engaged’. But as a persuasive tool when trying to have your work accepted, the potential is still there.

My Facebook page is Ladyhiker

I work hard to ensure that my page is an enjoyable place to visit.

I’ll be posting photographs, recipes and updates on Mediterranean living including costs, taxes, my outdoor escapades and frequent travels. Much humour too. If this is something that interests you, then you may consider ‘liking’ my page. (How did I do?! Ha!)

Incidentally, I won’t be selling from my page. My aim is not to seek payment for my efforts – I simply enjoy seeing my work online or in print – pure, unadulterated vanity!