Techie Writer Reviews - 5 Reasons This #Author Still Has a Facebook Page

For the past six months, my Facebook feed has been rife with status updates along the lines of "F!@K U Facebook. It's over. I'm deleting my page!" To everyone who has made those two clicks: I know how you feel. As you can extrapolate from this screenshot, I was on the verge of doing the exact same thing.

So why do I still have an author page?

From an emotional standpoint, my sense of betrayal isn't quite as acute as that of many others. I jumped on the social media bandwagon a little late, so there has never been a time when my Page was viewed by anybody. The majority of clicks leading to my website were either direct, from search engines, or through Twitter. Heck, I've gotten more clicks from Google Plus.

My author page on Facebook has always felt like an abusive relationship. I never had a honeymoon period. I never saw benefits. When I didn't beg, plead, and cajole friends to share my posts, my reach never entered the double digits. The more Likes I got, the fewer people saw my status updates. The one time I tried to "Boost" something, Facebook rejected it on account of their "no more than 20% text" rule (p.s. book covers tend to skirt that line...). After they rejected my ad, they charged $5 to my credit card anyway.

In short, my reaction to the failed Facebook page experiment is ennui, not disappointment. I'm tired of the game, but I'm not angry. As long as it's free to have, the darn thing is here to stay. Here are 5 techie reasons why.

1. I hate dead links

For as long as I've been an author, I've included a link to my Facebook page on all promotional materials. There are close to a hundred guest blogs out there linking to my FB page (as well as my website, Twitter handle, and all that jazz). Add to it signatures on emails and forums posts, and I've got a lot of links. The moment I lose the page, those links die. As a user, I loathe clicking on something that leads to a dead end. For the sake of any readers I may inconvenience, I chose not to hit delete.

2. One link-back is better than none

Every time I write a blog post, Square Space automatically pushes it to my Facebook page and Twitter feed (and if anyone on the development team is reading this–Google Plus? Soon? Pretty please?). I'm not an SEO guru, but I figure one link-back is better than none. If this is not the case, please don't disillusion me. It'll destroy my belief in humanity.

3. Most Loopholes are temporary

I created my author page at around the same time Facebook started slashing organic reach. This means I got to watch the interesting development of small businesses using their profiles as pages (my gym, for example). It made sense. If one is announcing an unplanned closure or class cancellation, one would want all clients to receive the notice, not 1.25% of them (I divided my average 10 reach by 800 likes).

Trust me, after observing the complete uselessness of my page for close to a year, I was mighty tempted to jump on the profile bandwagon. However, it's a matter of time before FB cracks down on this practice. How else can they incentivize people to boost posts? Judging by the number of sudden name changes on my feed, the purge has already begun. I write under a pseudonym, so changing my profile to "Tara Quan" risks an account deletion. I don't agree with Facebook's policy on pen names, but it's their playground, and they make the rules.

4. Facebook's search feature

In Italy, most businesses can't be bothered to create websites. Many restaurants, stores, and clubs have a single online presence–their Facebook profile (yes, they're using the loophole). When I'm looking for something in Rome, my first stop is the search bar on Facebook, not Google. If I'm doing this, there is a possibility a few readers are too. The least I can do is have a page for them to land on. Who knows? One of them might eventually click on the link to my website, and renew my faith in social media.

5. Platforms evolve

Because paying to boost posts on a regular basis isn't in my budget, my Facebook page is close to useless. I update it less than I do all other venues. I no longer create content specifically geared to satisfy the company's warped algorithms. At this point in my writing journey, going out of my way to use my page is a waste of time.

That said, who knows what the future could bring? The powers-that-be at Facebook could realize it's alienating the majority of its content creators, and perhaps a useful feature will emerge to make the page worthwhile once more. On the flip side, I might make enough money off my writing to consider paid advertising one day. Given, for purely emotional reasons, Facebook isn't the most likely venue to benefit from this hypothetical windfall.

There you have it–the 5 reasons I didn't hit the "Remove Page" button today.

(P.S. If, by some miracle, you stumbled upon this blog post via my Facebook page, can you leave a comment letting me know?) 

#NewRelease - The Complete Underground Series by Jessica E. Subject (@jsubject), A @DecadentPub #SciFiRom #BoxSet

It's always a pleasure to welcome a fellow Science Fiction Romance Brigade member to strut their stuff. Productivity queen that she is, Jessica E. Subject has a lot of titles to strut (I have suspicious she's either an alien, or an evolved computer in disguise). With the release of the Underground Series box set, she can show off 3 at a time. Here's a look at this awesome deal by Decadent Publishing. 

Never Gonna Let You Go, Never Gonna Desert You, & Never Gonna Say Goodbye

Decadent | ARe | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo
Amazon US | UK | Canada | Germany 
Add it to your GoodReads TBR list! 

The Complete Underground Series

by Jessica E. Subject

In the future…

The corporation Planet Core holds all of the power. They place restrictions on the lives of those living within their boundaries, including who they can love. And there is no escape.

Deception runs deep…

The rebel group, calling themselves The Underground, is disputing the corporation’s leadership. With the desire for freedom, they will fight.

And betrayal can come from anyone…

Will the rebels defeat Planet Core, or end up fighting for their lives?

---

Warning

The following excerpt contains hot sexual content, along with the potential for four-letter words starting with F and C). Please only continue if you are over the age of consent in your country.
(P.S. it is from an M/M Romance)

“Tonight went well.” Will Garrison slumped onto a chair and stared across the empty cavern. All the inhabitants of the Underground safe houses had already returned to their rooms. Other members of the rebellion to the main headquarters under the city. The festive party had provided a temporary reprieve from what was to come. 

Tim Harris stood behind him. “Yes, I’d say the evening was a success. The weddings reminded people what we’re fighting for.” He dug his thumbs into Will’s tense back muscles.

He groaned. “God, that feels good.” For the first time in days, he had a minute to sit and rest his aching body. This quiet moment with his lover offered an occasion to fulfill other needs as well. He wished he had more time with Tim, more instances to satisfy his desires, complete his soul. Only a few knew the extent of their relationship, but Tim wasn’t around enough for people to catch them in each other’s arms. After tomorrow, Will planned to tell the world how much he loved Tim.

“You need to relax.” Tim kissed the top of his head. “The leader of the rebellion needs to be in top form.”

“You’re just as much a part of this as I am.” Everything would go down the next day. All of their plans would be put into action at dawn, he and Tim each leading a different team. And by sundown, they’d make sure Benson Malock paid for all the lives he’d ruined and ended. Planet Core would no longer be under his control.

“I still wish you would take a larger group with you, especially Jacobs and Edwards. They just returned from Airondelle, traveled through the portals.”

He sighed, not wanting to have the argument again. They’d made their plans, instructed everyone where to go and what to do. “I know, but I need to keep my party small. You’re supposed to be the distraction so we can sneak in the back door. The more people you have, the better.”

“I only hoped….” Tim tensed behind him, suddenly still.

Will twisted around, grasping his hands. “Don’t worry about tomorrow. Everything will happen exactly as we’ve planned. In the evening, we’ll be celebrating again. Our victory.” He wrapped his arms around Tim, kissing his hard lips. A moan escaped, hunger rushing through his veins.

“But let’s forget about that for tonight.” He needed to be reminded of his purpose for fighting, too. Freedom. Freedom for the people, and freedom to love whomever he wanted.

Tim stroked the front of his pants. He hardened under his touch, aching with need. Bulge pressing against an open palm, Will craved the warm physique of his lover. So much time had passed since they’d last been intimate. Even with Tim’s return from Airondelle as their medic three days earlier, they’d had no time alone, due to their hasty preparations to attack Planet Core. His intense longing left him vulnerable, thinking unclearly. He needed a release to purge his mind, regain focus. And by the hard lines on his lover’s face, so did Tim.

Gripping the edges of the cotton material, he pulled the medic’s tunic over his head and untied the rope holding his pants up, releasing his thick sex. A deep grunt echoed through the room. He ran his hands down Tim’s strong arms, across the hardened planes of his chest. A figure any man would be jealous of, and one he never wanted to stop touching. “God, I’ve missed you.”

Pressing against his lush mouth, he sucked in his bottom lip. Tim’s erection pushed on his own. Sweet heavens. He longed to spin him around, shove him against the wall, and fuck him until he burst. Instead, he dropped to his knees and gripped his lover’s cock, running his thumb along the slick slit.

Tim quivered under his touch. “And I’ve missed you, too.” He leaned back, thrusting his stiff dick toward him.

Teasing his swollen head with his tongue, Will tasted his lover’s salty fluid. A flavor he could never get enough of. And after they took down Planet Core the next day, he could have his fill whenever he wanted. He wouldn’t have to hide his love for another man.

Gripping his lover’s velvety flesh, he swallowed him whole.

ABOUT JESSICA E. SUBJECT

Jessica E. Subject is the author of contemporary and science fiction romance, ranging from sweet to erotic. In her stories, you could meet clones, or a sexy alien or two. You may even be transported to another planet for a romantic rendezvous. 

When Jessica isn't reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk with her giant, hairy dog her family adopted from the local animal shelter.

Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com and on twitter @jsubject

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#NewRelease and #Giveaway - The Dance of the Firefly by Kathy Bosman (@KathleenLBosman ), A @DecadentPub #Romance

The lovely Kathy Bosman returns with a brand new romance set in an exotic locale. Part of Decadent Publishing's Ubuntu: Escape to Africa line, this story features a ballet teacher and a single dad, along with his precocious daughter. Let's find out more!

Decadent | Amazon | B&N | Smashwords | Kobo| iTunes | Google Play

The Dance of the Firefly

by Kathy Bosman

Mix together a beautiful ballerina and ballet teacher, a sexy single dad, and a precocious-yet-sweet daughter, and emotions run high. Add racial and cultural differences, work contracts coming to an end, and hurts and memories from the past and sparks fly.

Rowena loves to dance but has ended up teaching ballet instead. When she helps out Cameron’s difficult daughter, a bond develops between the two dancers. Cameron makes Rowena uncomfortable because he stirs up new, unwanted feelings which make no sense when he intends to leave Zambia soon when his contract ends.

Cameron can’t resist sanguine live-wire Rowena who makes his daughter smile for the first time in years. But can he risk his heart again when memories of his late wife come back to haunt him? And Rowena has a lot more at stake in giving her all.

Excerpt

Cameron slipped out the door before Rowena spotted him watching her. His heart rate betrayed his surprise. He’d never seen anything so beautiful. Samantha used to dance beautifully, but not with so much feeling. His late wife’s ballet had been a perfect craft. Each step melded into the next neatly and graciously, without anything out of line. He felt like he could almost see the imaginary lines on the stage when she danced. The perfect spaces she kept on.

Not this woman. Her dancing was rough, raw, and deep. In those few moments of watching Rowena through the high studio window from the dark outside, his whole soul had been shaken to the core. It was as if she’d touched something deep inside of him.

Since Samantha died, the only human being who mattered was Jamey. Few people understood what it was like to lose a spouse after six years of marriage and eight years together. It was like losing a leg or an arm. Everything you did was crippled. Every moment of every day, you remembered your loss and felt less capable of achieving your goals.

So how could he be so fascinated with another woman? He climbed into his Land Rover and took a potholed road to Kalundu to pick up Jamey. The familiar jarring of the huge gashes in the tar forced him to drive slowly. In some places, the surface of the road consisted of more dirt than tar. Boredom lulled him into a dream world.

Flashes of the teacher’s dance came back to him. Why couldn’t he stop thinking of it? Why did he suddenly long to take the woman in his arms and kiss her thoroughly? Her pertinence had attracted him. The raw energy she displayed had drawn him. The young woman’s unusual appearance had fascinated him. He’d been mesmerized by her fake blonde streaks against dark, straightened locks pulled into a tight ponytail, clear green eyes, and caramel skin. The unusual coloring and bone structure, with her high cheekbones and pointy chin, were softened by the smoothest-looking skin he’d even seen and rounded cheeks.

Saturday was going to be interesting. Not like he would pursue anything. He wasn’t ready for a romantic relationship. But browsing was free. Experiencing a person from a distance should be safe. Pity he couldn’t spy on the class. He had the means to, but would his conscience let him? A small smile tugged at his mouth. He could watch her before and after the lesson. In his mind’s eye, Samantha peered at him from the stage, her body poised in an elevated step, questioning him with her gaze, her gentle smile warming his heart. Yeah, it wasn’t time yet. Would his memories ever let him think of anyone other than his late wife? 

About Kathy Bosman

Kathy loves reading and writing even more. She homeschools her three kids, so in between unsuccessfully explaining the difference between subject and predicate or how to divide fractions, she enters an imaginary world of troubled and passionate characters whose stories take over the page. Kathy lives in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa, where the summers are hot, the winters cool, and bugs thrive. Her first published novel, Wedding Gown Girl, came out in 2012 with Astraea Press. She belongs to the Romance Writers of South Africa Group (ROSA) which has been her greatest support and inspiration the last few years.

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