Sad 150th birthday for Rocky Mtn News – but hope

Today would have been the Rocky Mtn News' 150th birthday. Follow updates from some of the Rocky's journalists at http://www.indenvertimes.com

I received this letter today from InDenver Times, the courageous group of ex-Rocky Mountain News journalists who were attempting to keep local news balanced and vital in Colorado.  So, how do you envision the future of local news?  Are newspapers doomed and, if so, what will replace it?  Do you think broadcast news can fill the void?  Will they staff sufficient reporters to provide in-depth coverage of local government successes, needs, abuses, crises, etc., and how?

Dear Janet,

We are very grateful for your support and the encouragement we have received from every corner of this community.

As you know, today would have been the 150th Anniversary of the Rocky Mountain News.  It is also the deadline we set for a decision on moving forward with a paid subscription model.  Because we did not meet our goal of 50,000 subscribers, your credit card will not be charged (nor was it ever charged) on May 4th as initially intended.

However, we still have confidence in the future of online journalism and in our common vision.   While we did not meet our initial subscriber goal we made steady progress with all other metrics.  There is a long list of online media outlets that are working hard all over the country to create a new paradigm that will transform local journalism.

We are moving forward with the INDenverTimes.com website and will keep you posted on our progress and direction. To view this story on our web site, please click here.

Thank you again for your outpouring of support and encouragement.

Sincerely,
INDenverTimes
www.indenvertimes.com

How to Tweet safely – & avoid StalkDaily & Mikeyy

The Twitter-bird has been attacked - here's how you can protect yourself and make Twitter safer. (image courtesy of http://www.darkgovernment.com)

Because I’ve been writing so much about Twitter, I feel obligated to share a rather shadowy  aspect of Twitter that has recently surfaced.  It started from within my own family.  My sister joined Twitter last Saturday and, within two days, she had her PayPal account wiped out.  While she didn’t have concrete info that linked her loss to Twitter, she felt strongly enough about it to send an emergency email to family members, advising that she was not going to use Twitter any longer, and why.

I don’t think we should panic – the developers at Twitter have been working to rectify the problem – but this information may help you, so I’m passing it along.

Today, I found an article, “Twitter: Under Attack,” written by Michael Kassner, a systems administrator for an international corporation and an IT security consultant.  There are apparently two worms to look out for.  Mr. Kassner outlines how to you can use Twitter safely, and how you can help keep Twitter safe.  Should any worms have found their way onto your system, he also explains how to remove them.

Please read the rest of the article at http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/security/?p=1402

Here are Mr. Kassner’s suggestions:
How to remove the worms

“Even though the developers at Twitter have somewhat rectified the problem, there are still the infected profiles. So, I’ve looked around and found removal instructions for both the StalkDaily and Mikeyy variants of the worm on the Twittercism Web site:

1. In your browser, clear your cache and empty all of your cookies. (This can be found in your settings.)
2. Log out of TweetDeck or any external applications you are using.
3. Check the URL and location areas of your profile (in Settings/Account on Twitter.com) for evidence of any malicious scripts. It’ll be obvious – something you haven’t added to these areas yourself. If you find anything, remove it.
4. On Twitter.com, change your password.
5. Log back in.
6. Go back and delete any tweets sent by you recommending StalkDaily. This is important.
7. Report @stalkdaily in a tweet to Twitter’s @spam account as follows: @spam @stalkdaily.”

Has your Twitter experience been safe?  Do you have any recommendations to share with us about how we can Tweet safely?

What’s in it for me? Etiquette and marketing savvy provide the answer

"Look at me! Look at me!" - clip art courtesy of discoveryschool.com

In a discussion about what is an appropriate or inappropriate post on a networking site, someone posed this question: Is there a source somewhere that lists social networking etiquette?

We all have “friends,” don’t we, who are like the kid at the back of the classroom, raising her hand, waving it furiously. “I have something to say,” she says, all smiles. “And it’s all about ME.”

On Twitter, LinkedIn and similar sites, multiply that overly eager kid by ten thousand. “Buy my book!” “Hire me as your consultant!” “Buy my shoes!” “Buy my service!” “Look! Look! Look!”

They’re even in our writer’s groups. (Note: If you recently announced your latest book release, I’m not talking about you. I’m discussing those people who keep their hands up ALL THE TIME and don’t ever get off the topic of themselves.)

Social media marketing (SMM) is different from traditional advertising, but some of the same rules apply. Be it reading an ad, watching a commercial, or listening to a pitch on the radio, or reading blogs or Tweets or profiles, we’re still people, and we still ask ourselves that age-old question,”What’s in it for me?”

People need to be engaged, that’s the hot social marketing term. Grandma’s engaged when she signs onto Facebook and sees updated photos of her grandchildren and what they’re up to. But once we get past our immediate circle of family and friends, there needs to be more effort than simply, “I’m here. Look at me!”

“What’s in it for me?” It’s not that we’re mean-spirited or terribly selfish, but our hours are finite, and we can’t endlessly pay attention, just because. We have problems to solve. New ideas and information to learn. We’re searching for ways to thrive, ways to cope, ways to be entertained, educated, enlightened, inspired, helped.

When using Twitter, LinkedIn and other sites in your social media marketing efforts, it’s vital that you engage the people there. If your messages consist of “Look at me! Look at me! Look at me!” (in whatever form you’d imagine – look at my resume services, my shoes, my books, my blogs), your efforts will be transparent and ineffective. It’s all about engaging us. This is accomplished by offering useful information, earning the right to be looked upon as an expert in your field, or simply helping or entertaining people.

So until an SMM etiquette book is published, remember that age-old adage that all good advertising copywriters keep in mind: “What’s in it for those who read this?” Know the answer to that question, and your tweets, blogs and profiles will gain the attention they deserve.

The joy of getting published

Signing Pam's copy of my debut novel in Omaha

Thanks to Michelle Reynoso who asked, “How many people do you know who said I should write a book…”

Most of us have been inspired to write about our lives, our loves, our trials.  The world could learn much from each of us.  In the pursuit of reaching “The End,” however, a writer discovers that three or four hundred empty pages present a daunting challenge.  For those hale and committed enough to reach that finish line, the ordeal of getting published is yet another topic worthy of its own novel.

Thinking of all my friends who have accepted these challenges, I reflected on my own experience and came up with this insight to share today:

“Nothing but my wedding and the birth of my children surpassed the joy of holding my first published book in my hand.  Nothing but my wedding and the birth of my children surpassed the commitment in time, love and energy I devoted to holding my first published book in my hand.”

If you’ve reached “The End” and/or been published, was  it that big of an accomplishment to you?

Top Ten Tips for Twitter

Compliments of State of Washington’s CTED

I had to share this.  ColoradoBiz’s on-line editor, Mary Butler, created these tips.  I’ve been Tweeting for 57 days now, and these tips ring true.  Love #2. and 10.  If you use Twitter, do you have some tips you’d like to add?  Please share in comments.

1. Thou shall not be boring.

2. Thou shall not spam thy neighbor, nor his wife, nor his cattle, nor his cattle’s wife. I don’t think, therefore I spam.

3. Thou shall not curse, swear or use four-letter words.

4. Thou shall not have a bio that bears false witness or is void of your personal worth.

5. Thou shall not use the Twitter default avatar.

6. Thou shall not use the default Twitter background.

7. Thou shall not use long URLs without first converting them to Tiny URLs or Snurls.

8. Thou shall not tweet while driving (waiting at stoplights is fine).

9. Thou shall not indiscriminately block others.

10. Thou shall not use acronyms, SMS, abbreviations or anything not understandable to thy neighbor’s good looking but slightly technically challenged wife.

Rocky Mtn Fiction Writers Contest now Open for Entries

Winning the RMFW Colorado Gold Contest helped me catch the attention of an editor who visited the conference and led to my first book contract.

The 2009 Colorado Gold Writing Contest is now OPEN. Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ annual fiction writing contest is officially open for entries. This is a professionally managed contest with a large stable of experienced, published and multi-published judges.

It also happens to be the contest that led to my first published novel, so I’m thrilled to pass the information on to you. The contest accepts the first twenty pages of your fiction manuscript in the categories of mainstream, mystery, romance, action/thriller and spec fic (science fiction, fantasy, horror).

And new this year, the contest will accept electronic as well as hard-copy submissions, so it’s easier on the contest budget.

Deadline is June 1, 2009.

The Final Round Judges are: Mystery – Charlotte Cook, Editor, Komenar Publishing Speculative Fiction – John Helfers, Editor, 5 Star Publishing Mainstream – Jenny Rappaport, Agent, Rappaport Agency Romance – Becca Stumpf, Agent, Prospect Agency Action/Thriller — To Be Announced

For more information, rules, and an official entry form, go to rmfw.org and click on the Writing Contest link. Enter early, and good luck!

Or if you have other questions about the contest, the conference or RMFW in general, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll be happy to answer any questions.  I’ve been an active member of RMFW for over ten years.

How to tap Twitter’s strengths

Twitter - when the info pipe is spewing data at 500 gallons a second, one must avoid drowning.

Today let’s look at how some authors use Twitter, and what features they value.  I surveyed writers from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and asked them how they use this fast-growing medium.

RMFW’s “Twitter” stars – survey results
Note:  “Tweets” means # of messages sent per day.
Christine Duncan.
Tweeting: 6 months.  Tweets per day: 2-3.  Followers: 130.  Tool or Time-waster: Tool.
Kelley Pounds
Tweeting: 7 months.  Tweets per day: 2-3.  Followers: 358.  Tool or Time-waster: Tool.
Diana Rowe
Tweeting: 4 months.  Tweets per day: 1-2.  Followers: 150.  Tool or Time-waster: Tool
Karen Duvall
Tweeting:   2 months.  Tweets per day: 5-10     Followers: 80     Tool or Time-waster:

Kelley Pounds discussed branding in my survey and explained the need for a focus.  If you profile yourself as a writer and get followers interested in your name or genre and Tweet about that regularly, you’re building your audience based on that.  If you suddenly start Tweeting about things unrelated to what your followers expect, you begin to lose followers because you are undermining your brand. Kelley Twitters as kellscreations and Tweets about her art and jewelry.

Since Diana Rowe writes travel articles, she wants potential editors or PR people to find her. Diana likes the ease of a short, 140-character post – she calls it her “Star Ship Enterprise Captain’s Log” She finds tips from other well-traveled journalists.  “It fuels ideas for more articles,” she says.

Christine Duncan tweets to increase traffic for her two blogs.“It helps you connect not just to readers but to agents, publicists and small publishers, so it’s a worthy writing business tool,” she said.  “I’ve learned about blog book touring, other social networks and some publicity ops, all because I use Twitter.”

Karen Duvall has gathered many followers in a short time, no surprise since, in addition to writing fantastic novels, she’s adept at all things cyber, computer and social.  Karen focuses on editors and publishers, since four publishers are considering her agented novel, Knight’s Curse, now. She follows editor Colleen Lindsey, noting her comments about books, submissions and personal interests.  Commenting on Twitter’s time-wasting potential, Karen said, “It would be easy to abuse, but I haven’t had that problem. As for it being a tool, yes!  Heather Osborn of Tor announced last week she had a slot open in her schedule for paranormal romance and a bunch of Tweeting writers were able to send her their manuscripts.  (Osborn) received 35 and read 8 over the weekend.  Networking is important in this business.  You snooze, you lose.”

How to tap Twitter’s strengths

This is my Twitter avatar (photo ID) that accompanies each of my Tweets (messages). Be sure to submit a square photo, or the results can be less than desired.

Free info flows as easily as wine at an RMFW conference, but when the info pipe is spewing data at 500 gallons a second, one must avoid drowning.

Rather than accumulating many followers, I suggest you be selective.  Pick a handful of industry pros to follow, and after your feet are wet, add a few more.

Find RMFW Tweets from those members listed earlier and/or  Shannon Baker, Chris Goff or me – and see who they’re following. Borrow from their follow list at will.  I’ve been following Maria Schneider, a freelance writer and former editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, and consider her a good addition. Feel free to lift Maria’s name from my list.

Maria Schneider compiled a list of 25 Good Twitter Follows for Writers. Browse it at http://tinyurl.com/7swo3a and start following.

Include a photo.

This powerful feature helps your followers feel as if they know you.

Next:  More tips on how you can harness the power of this fast-growing medium.