Southern Writers Magazine Southern Writers_JAN-FEB_2019_without_Bleed (2) fi | Page 6

MEDIA
A New Year and Time to
Remember Your Social
Media Why
by Edie Melson
T
o say there were a lot of changes in social media
platforms in 2018 is the grossest of understatements.
First Facebook completely shifted the focus away from
anything except personal interactions and engagement. Then
Twitter cut off the ability to send the same tweet through
multiple accounts (goodbye Thunderclap). Finally, there was the
huge headache known as GDPR and the need to be insanely
transparent with how and why websites collect information.
Truthfully though, as much as I abhor change, many of
these shifts have ended up being a good thing.
The Facebook focus on real conversation has led me into
deeper discussions online and stronger connections with my
readers.
Twitter’s changes have reduced the clutter and fake
accounts and again it’s led to more authentic engagement.
GDPR makes it easier for me to unsubscribe from
unwanted email and cut down on the email I get without
signing up for something.
But the one thing 2018 has taught us is the need to
remember WHY we’re doing this crazy thing called social
media. Because when we remember the why, we can hang
tough when the how, when and where change.
When we forget the why—the foundational reason we’re
doing this, we can experience:
• Frustration
• Burnout
• Exhaustion
As we get started in this new year, a lot of people I know are
peeking around corners and waiting for another giant shift.
We’re all weary of these changes and the fight to just stay
afloat in the ocean of social media. But take heart, when we
build from a strong foundation, the shifting world won’t
leave drowning.
So, what is the “why” of social media? That answer may be
slightly different for all of us, but there are some foundational
reasons that are most universal.
The Whys of Social Media
1. 
We want to sell more books. Let’s be honest here. Many
of us do social media because it raises our visibility and
that eventually translates into more books sold.
6    Southern Writers
2. 
We want to have a positive impact on the world.
This is a direct result of #1 and it is at once that
difficult and that simple. We write to share truth,
encourage others, follow God—and all of it to make
the world a better place.
3. 
We want to connect with others. Even those of us
who are introverts still have the call to connection. We
were designed for relationships. In our world today,
part of that means social media.
So that leads us to the revelation that the ultimate why is
WHO.
For social media to work, we must remember that every
connection—every number—is a real person. Some of those
who interact with us are looking for entertainment, some
for hope, some don’t know what they’re looking for, but here
they are, crossing our paths.
Our whys are found in two relationships:
1. In God. The ultimate WHO. Those of us who follow
God feel He’s called us to write as part of that journey.
For us, He is always the first Who—the audience of
One who will imbue our words with power and reach.
2. In those who read our words. The second who is all
the individuals we’ve been entrusted with. It’s an honor
and a responsibility that people follow us, and we need
to prove loyal to that trust. Some of them are readers
because they buy our books. Others will only see our
words in a social media post. But we can enrich lives
with our words—no matter where they’re written.
Social media will continue to change and evolve. The
things we become comfortable doing will be replaced with
something unfamiliar. But through it all, the people whose
lives we touch are our constant. When we keep this focus in
mind, we’ll always be ahead of the game. n
Edie Melson is the author of the bestseller
Connections: Social Media and Networking
Techniques for Writers. She’s the co-director of the
Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference,
Social Media Mentor at My Book Therapy, and the
Senior Editor for Novel Rocket. Visit Edie on her
blog, Twitter, and Facebook.