When you make the decision to step into the writing world, it is wise to make some safe and smart decisions when using social media. Some prefer to share everything publicly on a personal page. Others might prefer keeping their private life separate from their professional one. If you plan on sharing your writing with the rest of the world, then I suggest the latter.

On Facebook, I cannot tell you how many friend requests I get from fellow writers on my personal page because of posting my poetry in other community pages. Though I really adore my writing family, some of these people are total strangers and I would rather not give them access to my personal life. I share some very intimate moments with my family and friends, and I’d rather not let people I am unfamiliar with browse through all my posts and photos. The world is full of horrible people who can easily manipulate their way into your life for the wrong reasons, and I would rather not take that chance.

Social media sites have made it very easy to create professional pages for an author, even letting you use a pseudonym if you want to remain anonymous or get creative. I created two pages of my own on FB; one to share my poetry and another to share poetry from other writers.

My Twitter, Instagram, and Google+ pages are strictly for anything poetry related and links to my blog articles.

Here are some other Creative Talents Unleashed authors who have use social media to promote their work. Explore their sites to get ideas on how to maintain a professional page.

Adam Brown – Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamlevonbrown

Billy Charles Root – Tumblr: http://wcroot75.tumblr.com/

Christopher Allen Breidinger – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PoetChristopher

Damon E. Johnson – Twitter:  https://twitter.com/damonej28

Don Beukes –Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/thesalamanderchronicles

Demitri Tyler – Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Author_Tyler

Lindsey F. Rhodes – Twitter:  https://twitter.com/LFRII76

Nolan P. Holloway Jr. – Twitter:  https://twitter.com/nolanpholloway

Raja Williams – Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/RajasInsight

 Markus Fleischmann – Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ACompendiumofMusings

There are also many sites like www.blogger.com and www.wordpress.com to create your own blog page at no cost. With the resources we have today, it is much easier for a writer to share his/her work. But be aware of sharing photos and the work of others on a blog, because the rules are a bit different.

Ref: https://theraven6825.wordpress.com/2015/09/06/blog-etiquette-poetry-pictures/

Some writers also tend to worry about sharing on such a vast scale. In the United States, any written work is protected under copyright laws, but it wouldn’t hurt to put a disclaimer on your page or with your writing to make it clear.

Read more about copyright here: http://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/faqs/copyright-protection/

It can be a little frightening when you get involved in the world of writing. There are people out there who will blatantly steal another artist’s work and post it as their own. Sometimes there is not much you can do if it occurs in another country or the person has concealed their identity. Don’t be discouraged though – just make sure you protect yourself and your work as best as you can.

Written by: Donna J. Sanders

Donna is a freelance writer and blogger in West Palm Beach, FL. She is the author of Ataraxia – a poetry collection about the struggles we face, the state of the world and how to see beauty in the simplest things.

Find out more about her here:

https://theraven6825.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/DonnaJSanders6825

http://www.ctupublishinggroup.com/donna-j.-sanders.html

http://www.facebook.com/Creativetalentsunleashed

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Photo Credit: © Donna J. Sanders

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