If so many SF Authors have blogs, why aren’t they using Twitter?

I like to think that science fiction authors are particularly savvy when it comes to promoting their own material. Not just because science fiction is a notoriously difficult genre to compete in (and in my opinion a market that is shrinking) most are usually early adopters of technology as well. However, one question still eludes me, “If so many SF authors have blogs, why aren’t they using Twitter?”

I signed up for Twitter more than a year ago for an online magazine course I was taking, and frankly didn’t see the point, since none of my friends were using it and I found it difficult to use. However, for authors who already have a media platform and/or fanbase beneath them taking the ten minutes to connect thousands of people is quite the worthwhile investment.

Twitter was founded in 2006. The program allows people to type short messages of no more than 140 characters (or “Tweets”) in order to communicate with their entire network. The applications was largely created for people who primarily communicate via cell phones, Blackberries, Iphones, or other small mobile devices. People can be ‘followed’ (where people join you’re network/profile) or ‘following’ (where you join other people’s network). Similarly, short messages and links can be instantly transferred to an network of followers without having to visit your blog.

Joining Twitter is easy (not to mention free!) but knowing what you’re doing is an entirely different issue altogether. Here are a few helpful tips to expand your network.

1) Tweet This

Tweet This allows you to place a twitter icon at the end of each blog post, allowing people who find your post interesting to instantly share it on their network as they would any other bookmarking/sharing icon.

2) Twitter Tools

Allows you to customize your personal Twitter account with your blog/website. Unlike ‘Tweet This’, this plugin is extremely customizable and easy to use. It gives me peace of mind to know that any new blog post instantly creates a link to my Twitter account that drives traffic to my site.

3) Widgets

I personally do not use this, not because I find it frustrating but because my blog’s code is very restrictive.  A Twitter widget allows a Twitter to appear in the sidebar of your blog. Trust me guys, this is extremely useful.

4) Twitter Fox

To combat the Twitter widget dilemma I use TwitterFox, a conviniently disguised add-on for Firefox that places a little T-icon at the bottom right of my browser. From there it can be further expanded and new tweets can be added, new tweets can be received, and links/message can be seen quickly and convinently. A must have.

Indeed Twitter is here to stay. Experts say the application is estimated at $250 million. It provides a great way to keep in touch with your fans but also provides a different metric for measuring your fanbase.