(A Social Media Policy Sing-A-Long)

There are worse things I could do than post a meme or two,
even though click-bait is trashy and no good.
I suppose you might click through, but there are worse things I could do.

I could boost my ‘likes’ with pay,
abuse the hashtags of the day.
Write saucy posts on my website,
stoke the fires and start a fight,
instigate and act the shrew…
That’s a thing I’d never do.

I write to share and entertain—
provoke some thought, avoid disdain.
Partake, participate, engage
on my Facebook wall or page;
favorite, retweet, and follow, too…

I could rant how it’s not fair
how big business doesn’t care.
I don’t pay, and I won’t buy,
but I’ll inform, and I can try
to help writers and authors through
(perhaps you’ll buy a book or two).
That’s all I’m really here to do.

There’s a lot of talk out there about new social media policies. The landscape is ever-changing, and we’re all trying to keep up with how to best engage with our audiences without engaging in spammy, troll-y, desperate tactics. All I’m trying to do is put genuine content out there for edification and entertainment of everyone with whom my message resonates.

To sum up:

• I don’t pay to boost Facebook posts, and I will not use sponsored tweets. All that does is stoke the click farms. Lame. All of my content is either my own, or its source is clearly labeled.
• If we engage with one another—whether it be here, Goodreads, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, or LinkedIn—I will seek to connect (friend, follow, etc.). Per your own level of privacy comfort, feel free to accept my invitation or let it go. You can follow or friend; it’s your choice. I’d really appreciate it if you don’t block or report my requests as spam, though. Negative interactions like that really screw with my ability to reach the people who have opted-in to receive my posts.

For however little you can trust in this world, be assured that your personal information is safe in my care. It will never be abused by me. To be perfectly honest, I’m not quite sure how I’d even go about commoditizing it. Even if I had the time to learn how, I have no aspirations to pursue such a sordid sideline. Anyone who does so on my behalf does not speak for me. Do me a solid: let me know if my name’s being bandied about in any unseemly way, wont you?

Support the proper function of social media, and don’t just be a bystander.