Social media is one of the most revolutionary inventions of the 21st century. For better or worse, it affects our relationships with each other, our relationships with businesses and brands, and even how governments operate.

Naturally, researchers have studied social media and its impact over the years. But perhaps, none more so than marketing and public relations specialists, who use social media to boost visibility and sales for their clients.

Along the way, one of the biggest secrets social media gurus have tried to unravel is the absolute best time to post on social media for maximum reach and engagement.  Here are some of the findings “social media scientists” have made so far.

Remember that your audience, location, and business type will affect whether or not these hold true for your brand. Make the necessary adjustments with those differences in mind.

Facebook

There is conflicting information about the best time…

A text-only version of this article appeared in my GoodReads blog on March 25, 2011.  The lessons still apply today — despite changes to Facebook’s algorithms and Operation eBook Drop coming to an end.

If I had a subtitle, it would be: Or, Some Things I Learned Along the Way

The other day, I dropped someone from my personal Facebook page. She’s a professional author whom I knew casually from another website, and she sent me a friend request — which I accepted.

Given the way that authors tend to network, I’m sure you’re wondering why I dropped her.

One hundred percent of her posts were billboarding about where to buy her books, sent via Tweetdeck. I started to feel as though the only reason she’d invited me to be her Facebook friend was so that she would make a sale!

There are lots of ways to rock on Facebook…

By Emma Taggart on My Modern Met site:

Graphic artist and history buff Frédéric Duriez digitally colorizes vintage black and white photographs, breathing new life into their subjects. Duriez started colorizing war images three years ago, and today his work ranges from old mug-shots to actors and actresses, and most recently, ghost-like portraits from the Victorian era.

The incredible images depict glum-looking children, extravagantly dressed; a sullen young couple, adorned in frilly clothing; a pair of young women, their hair perfectly pinned back; and earnest men, posing proudly. Duriez explains he chose the images because he “was attracted by the beauty of the clothes and especially the dresses of this period.” He adds, “I was fascinated by these portraits without expression because all the looks are frozen in time.”

From monochrome hues, Duriez uses the open-source software GIMP to transform the portraits, presenting brightly colored clothing, blushed cheeks, and in…

By Joan Stewart  on The Book Designer site:

Image from: Bigstock

Some people collect antique china. Others keep a stash of comic books from their childhood.

I collect author resources boxes.

Why? Because the ones most authors write are more potent than Ambien. And every time I see one that makes me smile, I grab a screenshot for safekeeping.

A resource box is the super-short bio, usually 50 to 100 words, at the end of articles and guest blog you’ve written. Sometimes they include a link to a website. Sometimes they’re only one sentence. That means you must make the best use of every character in a tiny amount of real estate.

Why so short? Because if you’re writing a guest blog post or an article for a magazine, the blogger and magazine editor each have their own “rules” on how short it must be. If you’re not sure, ask!

One of my most popular posts turned out to be about Image Copyright Do’s and Don’ts. I thought I’d follow it up with a slideshow I share in one of my classes on that topic. Images can make a post but they can also break you if done wrong! I’ll embed the slideshow but I’ll also go through it to explain each slide. I hope this clarifies some of the issues that aren’t at all obvious when using images:

by Erica Verrillo  on Publishing… and Other Forms of Insanity:

Random House

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