I've made a few changes to my blogging behaviour in the last year. Aside from being more social and attending literature-related events, I have had two guest bloggers on Book Bites (hopefully with more to follow!) and I have also started accounts associated with my blog around the web, and closed others. I've also started writing in my spare time and attending a writing group a few times a month. I am also now attending three book club meetings a month, although I suspect I will have to scale this back because of my health. I have also had an article published in the Australian Romance Readers Association newsletter, and will be guest reviewing for two other blogs in the near future.
I can’t say that I am being mercenary about getting my “brand” out there on the internet, but I am thinking more seriously about networking. I smirk at myself when I talk about this, because I know I am not “hot stuff” in the book blogging world. I see some of my friend’s blogs and look at my own and I know it is nothing really special in the grand scheme of things. It isn’t an amazing review site, it isn’t on the cutting edge of news, or syndicating memes around the internet. But you know what? I love my blog. I wish I had more reviews up, more in depth content, but despite that, I just love Book Bites. I love that I have a place to blather on about one of the two leading passions in my life, I love that I have a platform to network with other like-minded people around the world!
Book Bites is about two years old now. I can’t tell you the exact date (I deleted the original blog and imported posts) but I started dedicating a blog to books in early 2009. Before that they had pride of place on my personal blog (they were taking over!). So, with about two years of dedicated blogging under my belt, a dead forum (I should go back and mine World Of Words for reviews I may have written LOL) and just over 14,000 tweets (of which maybe 75% pertain to books or nerd culture), I have started a Facebook fan page. You are not obligated to “like” it. I started it because I wanted to nab the vanity url of Book Bites before someone else did. “Brand building”, don’t you know! So “like” it or don’t, it is your choice. I won’t be mentioning it again, although, if you look carefully at the clutter to the right, you will see there is now a Facebook “like” button for Book Bites (I really do need to overhaul my side bar – it is looking a little messy). As well as another way to syndicate Book Bites’ RSS feeds, I will be adding relevant links that I find interesting or think are important. I will be sharing links to photos when I upload them (did you know I uploaded photos of Sir Terry Pratchett I took to Flickr?), or links to friend’s photos if they are relevant to me or events I attended. I put all these things on twitter, but I know I am a prolific tweeter, and the important things to my blog followers may be missed in the stampede. I may sync my Goodreads, but I am not sure if I can do that yet. You can add me on Goodreads if you wish to follow what books I am reading. I rarely talk about all my books on Book Bites, so you only see a select sample.
Do you have a Facebook fan page for your blog? How do you use it? What do you use it for? I would love to hear of any ways you use it that I haven’t already mentioned!
If you want to connect with my Book Bites presence around the web you can find me at the following sites:
- Flickr
- Goodreads
- The Book Bites Daily
- I also have a tumblr that is meant to be about interior design but seems to be overrun with bookshelf p0rn. You are welcome to follow it too: The Lady Lair
- A list of tweeps in the Australian book industry (readers, writers, bloggers, publishers, editors, etc.)
- A list of tweeps in the international book industry (readers, writers, bloggers, publishers, editors, etc.)
Just in case you missed it (which you couldn't if you follow me on twitter!), I have a guide to buying ebooks in Australia. It is aimed at Aussies new to the world of ereaders (such as myself at the time) but it also includes a large listing of sites you can legally obtain ebooks as an Australian - either freebies, loans or purchases. If you are an Australian ebook reader, can you please check the list to see if I have missed any that you use? I am trying to keep it updated and aim for it to be a comprehensive list. You can find the guide {here}.
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