What I've Learned from Facebook

Last year, the word was that The Daily Show was replacing traditional news outlets for its audience.  Now, it seems that people are turning to, of all places, Facebook.  I guess people feel too busy to read newspapers (yes, these still exist) -- and I can well understand the aversion to  the shouting matches that call themselves cable news.  I am not surprised that people opt for a replacement (or relief)-- and I've been known to search on Twitter to see what I missed in the hundredth TV debate.    

But I wonder.  What kind of news, exactly, are users getting?  So, I explored my "news feed" to see what's happening in the world. What have I learned This Week on Facebook?  

So, what exactly do I see?

1.  Dogs are cute, and lots of people love their dogs.  They post pictures of their dogs eating, running, but most of all sleeping.  They show pictures of dogs waiting to be fed.  Their friends agree that the dog is very cute, and sometimes they post pictures of their own doggies who are also cute.


2. Cats are cute, and lots of people love their cats.  They post pictures of their cats in repose, usually sleeping.  Their friends agree that the cat is very cute, and sometimes post pictures of their own feline or just any old cat video.

3.  Babies are cute, and lots of people love their babies.  They post pictures of babies, often sleeping.  Their friends agree that the baby is very cute.

4. Coffee is good, and lots of people love drinking coffee.  They post pictures of large coffee mugs, daily, and some even show pictures of cats and dogs with coffee.  They post slogans about how awful it is to face the morning without coffee.

5. The President and the First Lady are cute, especially when they are hugging kids or joking on late night talk shows, like The Daily Show.  Oh, and they love to see the First Lady dance.

If I turn from my "feed" to what's trending on Facebook, I see that in Pennsylvania, a retired state trooper has shot a toll collector. Whew, glad I didn't miss that one.  Also, some actor whom I've never heard of has endorsed Donald Trump.

Well, that's all the news that's fit to post.  

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More thoughts on Amazon Reviews

I continue to hear about independent authors who are worried or upset about Amazon's new policy (or perhaps not so new policy) of deleting reviews that it considers suspect.  I've already given my suggestions for a new review system, but until we do have a new system, I'd like to persuade fellow authors to follow some best practices about online reviews:

1.  Don't limit reviews to colleagues.  Review major authors of both literary and/or commercial fiction.  It seems suspect when all you do is boost those whom you know.  It is also ungenerous to the larger readership community.  A good side-effect of this is:  when you do publish, your potential readers can easily obtain a sense of what you like, and by extension, the kind of writer you aspire to be.

2.  Write short reviews.  Amazon has a 20 word limit, and I think 20-50 words is adequate is give potential readers a sense of why you like (or dislike) a book.  Writing more is not helpful to either readers or authors-- and writing multiple paragraphs suggests a vested interest.

3. Promote your review.  This is an easy way to help fellow authors.  After you've written a review, post in on Facebook and Twitter and your blog, if you have one.  Let your friends know that you've written a review.

4. Say who (women, kids, literary types) will appreciate the book you're reviewing.  Nothing helps a fellow author more than connecting with their ideal readers.  If it's a perfect gift book, say so.  If it's great for teachers or students, say so-- and if it reminds you of other, more famous, writers, definitely say so!

5. Never refer to authors by their first name only.  Unless you're writing a creative non-fiction piece or an interview, using first names is suspect.    I personally ignore any review in which a reviewer appears to know the author.

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