Blogger: Rachel Kent
Everyone else is talking about the inauguration today, so that means I don’t have to. 🙂 I’d rather write about looking like a professional online.
When you start writing for publication, you are putting yourself in the position of needing to keep up appearances–especially online. If you are publishing magazine articles or books, readers might search for you online to see what your credentials are or to see if you have a blog or books to read, or anything else that might be of interest to them. If you are still unpublished, agents and editors might search for you to see what kind of presence you have. From what I’ve seen, the authors that really take getting published seriously have started to build an online presence. Having a website and a professional Internet presence isn’t a prerequisite for agent representation, but it does show an agent/editor that a writer is getting ready to be published.
Here are some tips to help you to build a professional presence online:
* A bad-looking website can do more harm than good. Find someone with some website building experience to help you to put it together. You don’t need to spend a lot right away, but taking your website beyond the pre-built template with advertisements on it can really help you to look professional.
*Reserve your name for your website domain name. If you can’t get your name, be sure to use something professional like the name of your ministry or business.
*Use the same domain name for your email address extension. Don’t try to get cute with your email address. iloveshoes @ yahoo.com isn’t the way to go. If you want to use a free email service like gmail or yahoo mail, put your name in the email address somehow.
*There’s a big difference between a “selfie” and a professional photo. A snapshot taken by a family member isn’t the best idea either. They end up looking like mug shots, and that’s not the look you should be going for. Pay for the professional picture and be sure to get the rights to the photo. It is expensive, but it is important.
Remember, these business expenses can be written off of your taxes. Talk to your accountant about the details.
*Be sure you are posting relevant things on Facebook and Twitter, and do try to keep it positive. If I see that a potential client is an online complainer, I am very unlikely to take that person on. I am sure you all have some Facebook friends who do the complaining thing! If you love online games, start a private Facebook page for your games and game friends. You shouldn’t be playing games on your professional pages.
*Always watch your language and think twice before you post anything.
What are some rules you follow to help keep your online presence professional?
Shirlee Abbott
I used a free WordPress blog before I built my website. I am a trial-and-error learner, and the error part doesn’t make for a professional look (not that I haven’t had to fix errors on my website–I’m still learning the hard way). I didn’t do anything to promote my early blog–a few close friends and family members read it, but truly, I did it for me. Might not work for everybody, but it was my toe-in-the-water internet presence.
Peggy Booher
Shirlee,
What you did then, I am doing now. A friend who is much more tech-literate than me set up a free blog for me. I didn’t do much with it for quite awhile. Now, with more free time, I am experimenting with it. I changed the name and the focus of it somewhat. I have to do things on the computer over and over again before the process sinks in, so the blog gives me the chance to practice the technical aspects without causing any damage.
*I don’t think anybody but me reads it, but that’s not the point. I’m trying to learn skills and to practice the discipline of posting consistently. I enjoy working on it.
Xochi E. Dixon
Peggy, I tried to find your blog so I could read one of your posts. Would you share the link here, please?
Please keep blogging, though. You never know who is reading your blog. I’ve had readers contact me or comment on a post saying they’ve been following me for years. I don’t even know how they found my blog. One lady lived in Finland! She thanked me for a blog post I shared about forgiveness.
We may never know who He’s ministering to as we continue offering Him our best, sharing from the heart, honoring Him with the words He gives us to write, and praying for our readers.
But sometimes, I know what I wrote was totally meant for me. Once in awhile, I’ll post something and will realize later that I needed the reminder. God is SO good!
I pray you will continue writing. I love your attitude and hope to read some of your work. Your voice matters, Sister. To God be the glory!
Carol Ashby
I write my own website pages and blog posts in Word where I can carefully check spelling and punctuation. Before I start the transfer into the website editor, I make sure the page or post is set to private. After the copy/paste into the website editor where I can add bold, italics, links, and images, I carefully proofread the post/page several times in the preview screen and click all links to make sure everything looks and acts correctly.
*It’s important to get it as correct as possible before setting to “public.” Even though errors on a blog post can be fixed for the website display, the email excerpt is sent from a WordPress site the moment I set it to “public” and hit update.
*A healthy dose of paranoia about double- and triple-checking everything pays off in a more professional result.
Shelli Littleton
I know what you mean. It hurts the heart to make a mistake. But … it helps the heart, somehow, to see the best of the best making human error, too.
Carol Ashby
So, Shelli, are you going to start making an occasional mistake to make me and others feel better, just like your suggesting? That’s so sweet of you!
Shelli Littleton
Ha ha! Carol … I made a mistake earlier this week in my posting here. I won’t tell you where!! But it was this week … I promise. I do all the time. Every week. I see it. I’m glad you haven’t noticed. 🙂 You are the cutest.
Xochi E. Dixon
Shelli, I have a confession. I will edit if I catch a mistake. I may not always catch them, but I will fix them if I become aware of errors. I was so happy when I discovered you can edit Facebook posts and comments. Thank You, Lord! Unfortunately, I haven’t figured out how to edit these posts when I’m using my phone to comment. Bummer.
Damon Gray
Xochi, you can edit a Facebook comment on your phone. Slide the comment into view and tap it once with your finger. A menu should pop up at the bottom that allows you to Reply, Edit, Copy, or even Delete it if you want to.
Kristen Joy Wilks
Good advice, Rachel. You have reminded me to update my website. I think I remember something that is now out of date. Thanks!
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser
Great thoughts, rachel. You’ve helped a lot of people this morning.
* First, a question about photos…what if a picture isn’t a good idea, for appearance or other reasons? The only professional picture I have does not look like me at all (intentionally), and these days I look a bit like Gimli trying to channel Hemingway. That’s why Sylvia The Big Pit Bull is the Face of my blog.
* To me, the most important signs of professionalism are content and consistency: Below I’ll mainly focus on blogs, but similar thoughts would apply to Twitter and FB.
– Content should showcase writing style and values in a way that’s not ambiguous. Nothing wrong with chatty personal pieces, but there shouldn’t be a wide swing of style that brings to mind The Guest Post From Pluto.
– Consistency is both the aforementioned consistency of voice, and consistency of schedule. Knowing where and when one can be found is important, and it’s frustrating to check a site and find that the last post was published three months ago. To my mind, consistency also calls for ‘no vacation breaks’, and some experts (can’t recall who) have advised that there are no breaks from social media, since its currency is, well, being current. Posts can be scheduled, so there’s really no excuse, and writing through the Christmas season doesn’t mean you don’t have a life. It means that your readers are PART of your life.
Kathy Cassel
There are some things that friends share that are funny but I don’t share them because of one thing or another that potential readers might be turned off by.
Jennifer Zarifeh Major
I stay out of politics, especially the politics of a country of which I am not, and never will be, a citizen.
A few of my friends and family are free with their opinion of US politics. Fine. But as I remind them, “that’s not your country”.
Do I like that Trudeau (do NOT mention his hair!!) in a visit to an English speaking town in Quebec, answered an English question entirely in French? No. But I have my own opinion on that. If anyone wants to know, I’ll PM you. But please, one only makes oneself look juvenile by publicly criticizing events over which one has no influence.
To top it all off, my dad and my kids, and my nieces and nephews, see my Facebook page. My parents read my blog. My SIL and family see my Instagram.
And NONE of them hold back on their opinion at family dinners.
*But , no selfie for the website?? Come on, I look so good in the photo of me in the bathroom mirror holding my phone.
Xochi E. Dixon
Great post, Rachel. I ask God to remind me that my business is ministry. As a representative for Christ, I avoid posting anything that would be unloving or that goes against His Word. Because my brand is an extension of the real me, my posts reflect my personality. By God’s grace, I focus on encouragement and lifting up God’s name with praise even if I’m sharing a cute dog video, tossing in a cat video for my cat-loving peeps, or sharing a whiny-baby-mini-melt-down prayer request when I’m struggling with chronic pain. I try to honor God with the words I write, so I pray as I scroll through my newsfeed and post. My mission is ministry, so I tend to stay focused on ministering to others and praising God when others minister to me.
I have quite a few young people on my personal Facebook page, due to my work with youth, so I am responsible for living as an example of integrity and kindness, reflecting Christ even through struggles. Those teens have radars that go off if adults are fake, so I ask God to help me remain authentic. Even when I blow it, my focus is to point to Jesus.
Like Jennifer, I steer clear of political rants, even though I do live in America. I remember that my attitude can push people away from God. I have lots of connections with people who I meet in my community and through travels, as well as family members and old friends who are not Christian. By God’s immeasurable grace and power, my posts have opened the door for conversations, prayer requests, and even people wanting to begin using their gifts for the Lord’s glory.
I ask my writing and prayer partner, Colleen, to check my posts and let me know if I need to edit ot delete. We pray for our social media and blog connections, as well as future readers. That helps us remain focused on our purpose, using writing and technology to share God’s truth and love to the ends of the earth.
I praise God for helping me do this, and for giving me accountability and grace when I fall short. He used social media to open the door for me to serve as a writer through the ministry of Our Daily Bread. An editor I’d met years ago had been staying connected with me through social media and invited me to interview because of what she experienced through my online presence, the good and the bad. Praise and glory to God!
Now, I remember I not only represent my Lord and my family, I represent a ministry that God used to minister to me years before I surrendered my life to Christ.
The stakes are higher when we remember our purpose is to honor and serve the Highest with every word we write, even in a random funny post.
My husband has a great approach. He says, “If you wouldn’t say it or share it with Jesus looking over one shoulder and your parents and grandparents looking over the other shoulder, don’t do it.”
Yes, he’s being funny because we know God sees everything. 🙂
I appreciate your wise counsel and affirmation, Rachel. Because sometimes doing the right thing makes you less popular. Your post encouraged me to persevere with God’s help. And it also helps to have connections with amazing friends like my sweet sister Jennifer.
P.S. Thydney mitheth you, thithter from another mithter.
P.S.2 I’m posting from my cell and am an extrovert going on year 5 of not driving, so this isolated sister apologizes for the long post. Grace appreciated. 🙂
Xochi E. Dixon
Whoa! That was way too long! Sorry, Rachel and Jennifer! Hugs!
Cara Putman
Great advice. I was basically telling my grad students the same thing this week. You have to be aware of that online presence.
Jennifer Saake
When I was a teen (long before the internet even existed!) I was challenged by the question that if I were arrested for being a Christian, was I leaving enough evidence to be readily convicted? I try to approach my “paper-less trail” of social media to be sure Jesus is my first priority. Perhaps I’m not a perfect marketeer, but this is my filter for whatever I post.