Sidebar

Optimizing X

Twitter, Twitter Stream, offsite connections, visual elements, Twitter followers, Optimizing Twitter, Professionalism, Demystifying Twitter, metrics, verbal elements, Amazoncart debuts, Optimizing Twitter, Professionalism, metrics, verbal elements, Bruins denounce Twitter hate, Twitter bigots, lost dogs, using Twitter to track, Shift in Twitter Trends

Optimizing X

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on September 10, 2026

Time to Start Optimizing X

Now that you are on it, it is time to start optimizing Twitter AKA X. And please keep in mind: a lot of what I am talking about where will work perfectly well on Bluesky and many other platforms. But Bluesky in particular.

After all, the same people made them both.

Using Lists for Optimizing X

What are lists on X?

You may have noticed people who have a rather different follower to following ratio than you do. What do I mean by that?

For instance, say you follow 100 people. And 1000 people follow you. The ratio of follower to following is 100:1000, or 1:10. This is fantastic.

Celebrities often have ratios that look like this, or even better, where they might be following 100 accounts but there are 100,000 people following them. Or more!

Newbies often end up at the other end of the spectrum, with 1000 people they are following and 100 are following them, for 10:1. If you want to just read for the most part, this is perfectly fine, except it tends to not mark you as a thought leader.

Celebs and Optimizing X

Now, most people do not sit down and calculate ratios. But they do glance at profiles.

Someone like soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, might be following some 200 people but he is followed by over 100,000,000. Hence people will really notice if he starts following them.

Does he (or any other celebrity, major or minor) have a sparse news feed? Probably not. Because he might be using lists.

Go to the profile of someone you want to follow but, instead of hitting follow, tap or click the more icon (the three dots), and select Add/remove from Lists.

Your lists will show up, and you can add someone to several at a time, or make a new list. You can even decide whether you want your list to be public.

Go to your own profile (e. g. click on your profile rather than your settings) and you will see whose lists you are on.

Why use a list rather than follow? You can still see that person’s tweets in your feed, but your ratio will not change. Furthermore, a public list tells everyone what you are interested in. How about lists for indie authors, agents, or publishers?

You can also follow lists made by other people. Maybe someone will find yours to be definitive and will follow it.

Who to Follow

Well, who should you follow on X?

Sometimes you want to publicly follow someone, rather than add them to a list. So long as you keep these people special, then this is perfectly great. I have tended to keep friends as open follows and anyone more business-related on lists. But you may prefer otherwise.

Follow fellow indie writers (this is a community, after all), or publishers, or agents. Consider who can help you, and who you can help, and follow accordingly.

How to #Hashtag

What is a hashtag, and how do you make one that is not lame?

A hashtag is a means of searching on X. Hashtag something as, say, #amwriting, and click on that, and it leads to a slice of X of everyone who used that hashtag. But beware hashtags do not look good if you use a ton of them.

Do not just indiscriminately hashtag! Also, keep them short.

#ILovePuppiesAndDolphinsAndUnicorns is probably not going to be something used by anyone else, or at least not that frequently. But #ILovePuppies is pretty popular.

Experiment by searching before you hashtag. Beware, your innocent-looking hashtag might already be coopted for an unexpected usage. Just do a search on #NeverForget or #IStayedBecause and you will know what I mean.

Does X Still Matter Enough That You Should Still Want to be Optimizing it?

Hard to say. But only you know your audience or readers. According to Sprout Social, the ratio of male-female X users is something like 2:1. The generation that dominates is Gen Z. So, keep in mind: Gen Z people are born between 1997 and 2012.

Are they the ideal market for your book? It depends. For a generational cohort where a good half or so of them are right around in the wheelhouse where it feels like everyone they know is getting married, having kids, or both, then a book for children could be ideal.

Or maybe books with young main characters out to change the world or destroy it would work better. Hard to say. Just because X is mainly male does not mean they never buy for children.

But some of them might want to continue publicly demonstrating how cool they are. Leaning into that with your marketing might work better.

Takeaways for Optimizing Twitter AKA X

Consider your peers. Who do you love to follow and read? In contrast, who seems like they are not trying too hard? Of course, if you want to start optimizing X, you should copy what the former does, versus the latter.

Want More About X AKA Twitter?

If my experiences with X resonate with you, then please be sure to check out my other blog posts about X.

While it has changed considerably over time, a lot of these tips will still work. And often they will work with other social media platforms as well.

Almost Everything But the Tweet

• Starting a Twitter Stream
† Demystifying Twitter/X
• Twitter, Social Media and Professionalism

† Conquering X/Twitter (verbal elements)
• Conquering Twitter/X (visual elements)
† Twitter/X (metrics and timing)
• X/Twitter (offsite connections)

And, if you are a fellow writer, you may also want to check out:
† PitMad on Twitter/X

X, Social Media and Professionalism

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on September 8, 2026

What is the Connection Between X, Social Media and Professionalism?

Professionalism? This post riffs on Be careful who you hire to manage your business’ Twitter account, a post on Social Media Today. Since the original post is from 2011, it’s not 100% relevant anymore. But I still think the ideas are of value.

And yes, we all know it was once called Twitter so that explains my URL and their title and URL as well.

In addition, in the original article, the author talks about, essentially, how to tell whether a particular feed is being handled professionally, or not. Hence following are their “5 Points to consider before hiring a service to manage your Twitter account.”

Professionalism: Check Their X Stream

1. First of all, before you even look at the different tools for measuring an X user’s level of influence (which can be misleading and in some cases manipulated) you firstly need to check the individual’s own X stream.

† What type of language do they use? – agreed. Because branding involves, among other things, speaking the language of your customers.

Are you a hip hop record label? A travel agency catering to retirees? A diamond jeweler? All of these businesses have different customer demographics.

Hence there is no “one size fits all” here. However, this does not mean people cannot adapt to communicate properly with everyone they do business with. After all, you need not hire a child to market to children.

But any Social Media Specialist needs to get the message across so that the target readership is receptive.

Lazy Messaging

• Do they spam their own followers by sending lazy messages? For example: #FF @Xuser1 @Xuser2 etc. Still, I am not so sure I call this spamming. I think, at times, it can useful to do this. At least, a little bit?

But overdoing it (and you will instantly know it is overkill if tweets (I still call them tweets. Don’t you?) like this, or quickie retweets, dominate the stream) is definitely not a good way to do business.

† How do they use their own account? Is it professional or sloppy? Do they send messages late into the night and have no professional boundaries? Do they over mix professional with personal messages? – agreed.

And with useful tools such as HootSuite, you can schedule messaging. A manager never needs to be up late and working in that manner.

There is no excuse for late night messaging, and no need for it. But if a stream is meant to engage internationally, it might be a good idea to split it up into more than one account, so that one stream is for North America and another for Asia.

Messaging

• Are their own messages all over the place so you are not able to pick up a clear message? – this is a good point, and not just when it comes to X. A clear message is key – for a robotics company where I worked, the message centered around sales.

Messages promoted education and/or robots. NASA, for example, was only mentioned in the context of robotics, not in the context of space launches. There is a lot of information out there.

Consider it to be a bit like a garden. Usually it needs weeding and thinning, as opposed to fertilizing.

† Furthermore, do they acknowledge where they take their material from or just duplicate what they see their competitors do? – ah, this is big. It is why I still list the original source for this article. And it is a big part of how the internet works, or at least is supposed to.

You post a blog entry. A competitor sees it. If they riff on it and post it and give you a link back, then that is good for you. And you thank them and do the same in reverse and yeah, they are still a competitor. But you have common ground and in some areas you can cooperate.

This is still true in the age of AI, I might add.

Or they don’t acknowledge you. And everybody digs their heels in and the world becomes a slightly more miserable place. Hey, you make the call, but I prefer cooperation pretty much every time, myself.

Too Much Self-Promotion?

• Do their messages make any sense to you or are they just full of self promotion? Do they hold no real value other than grooming their own ego? – true, but I think sometimes this can come from social media marketing folk not being properly trained.

If the marketing manager is unsure of how much promotion should be mixed in with information, the marketer might be similarly confused.

† How much negativity comes across in their stream? – not everything is or should be positive, but I do get this. The idea is, well, are you promoting to people who want to buy your company’s organic brownie mix? Or do you just sound petulant and whiny?

However, you can sometimes be too perky. But I think if there are errors in this area, they should probably fall on the side of more, rather than less, perk.

Professionalism: Which Business Accounts Do They Manage?

2. Ask for the name of one of the business accounts they manage, and go through this with a fine tooth comb. Keep an active eye on the account and monitor how they manage the business’ online profile.

• How many messages are there and what type do they send? – it is a quantity and a quality game on X. You need to get across some seven or more views before people start to consider buying.

And consider X’s international, 24/7 appeal – people may be checking your messaging out at 4 AM your time.

This, by the way, goes against an earlier statement about the marketer not adding content into the wee hours. No, they should no – but unfortunately, sometimes, that is when the readers are online.

After all, if you are making content for people playing World of Warcraft, they may be on at 4 AM. As for quality, that goes along with the above statements as well – are the messages worthwhile, or are they dull self-promotion?

Engagement

† How do they engage with the client’s audience? – some of this is in the form of retweeting. Retweeting and replying have a place, as it is a give and take type of engagement. Is there professionalism behind the engagement?

• And how is the call-to-action placed and worded? – this is fairly self-explanatory. There is a difference between what looks like a hard sell, and what has more of a friendly “Hey, check this out” vibe.

Does the marketer know the difference? And is the difference readily apparent in messaging?

† In addition, do the articles relate to the client’s industry and audience? – this harkens back to my NASA example above. Content is necessary, of course, but irrelevant content is worse than no content at all.

Because it is better that the marketer pump out less content if it is not relevant, yes?

Any SEO or AI SEO will tell most companies that they have too much content, rather than not enough. So, cut out the fluff, already!

• Do they add any value? – the $64,000 question! Can you tell without having access to measurement tools?

Professionalism: References

3. Ask for a number of references and call them. This, of course, is excellent advice any time you are hiring.

† How has the business level of influence grown? For sure if they cannot achieve this for themselves, then they cannot do it for the client. – try objective measurements if you can get them, like Google rankings, bounce rate, etc.

• What have been the benefits? – only your industry will have the specifics for this. Increased sales may or may not be the actual benefit.

After all, sometimes social media is used for damage control. If that can happen more efficiently and inexpensively – that might be the benefit.

† What difference has it made to your online brand? – again, this is a specific question.

• How good is the level of communication? – hard to say what this means without context. After all, the car dealer and the online cancer support group will have different needs in this area.

† What results has the business seen? – again, objective measurements are best, whatever you can get.

Professionalism: Metrics

4. Ask what X measuring tools they use to provide their clients with monthly reports. Do they use anything else to measure how things are working (or not)?

• While there are some good free tools around, they do not come close to paid analytical tools for managing X and other social media accounts. – agreed, but sometimes that is how things go, particularly if the person you are considering has worked for startups or nonprofits.

†Ask what recommendations they have made to the client that have enabled the business to grow based on the findings. – these should be in whatever reports the person under consideration provides.

Professionalism: Time

5. Finally, ask how much time they intend to spend on your account over the week.

• How will this time be managed with all their other projects? – this is a good question for any sort of a freelance or offsite working relationship.

† What elements of account management does this breakdown in to? – again, this is not confined to social media. Rather, it is a good question for any potential employee who will be working remotely, or not exclusively with you.

• How will they keep you informed and up to date with relevant messages and conversations? – reports? Emails? Something on Slack or Teams? What is manageable and relevant?

Professionalism: My Own Ideas

And now a few of my own when it comes to professionalism.

† What do the messages look like? Are they interesting? Relevant? Grammatically correct within the character limit? Or are they just slight variations on a theme?

• Do all provided links work, or do they go to dead ends? And do the links have any sort of measurement behind them, even simple click metrics? Do they lead to generic pages, or to any custom landing pages for X users? Can you get metrics and attribution from them?

† What is the follow/follower ratio? Does the person follow everyone, or are they, at least seemingly, a bit choosy in this area? We all know that junk follower accounts exist – does the prospective hiree even follow those or seem to use auto-follow?

More Ideas on Professionalism and X

• So how often does the person send a message? Daily? Monthly? A monthly X stream is barely this side of useful. Messages need not come every five seconds. But it is a fluid, evolving medium and needs more attention than that.

† How do they handle the controversial things that Musk gets up to? Even a community solely devoted to politics might want to sit out at least some of those shenanigans.

And finally, and this is a question for the person (and you may not get an accurate answer, by the way), does the person under consideration actually like what he or she is doing?

Do they have a passion for it? Or is it, like, Time to make the doughnuts?

I am not saying that we can (or should) always love what we do. But plenty of people love doing this. Why not hire someone who does?

Finally, you can get a passionate Social Media person, to handle your Twitter stream, do your blogging, manage your online community, promote your Facebook page and more. And they will do it with professionalism and aplomb.

We really do exist.

Want More About Twitter AKA X?

If my experiences with X resonate with you, then please be sure to check out my other blog posts about this still misunderstood microblogging platform.

While it has a newish name, and has changed considerably, a lot of these tips will still work. And they will often work with other social media platforms as well.

Almost Everything But the Tweet

• Starting a Twitter Stream
† Demystifying Twitter/X
• Verbal Elements on X
† Visual Elements on X
• Optimizing Twitter/x
† Metrics and Timing on X
• Offsite Connections from X

And, if you’re a fellow writer, you may want to check out:
† PitMad on Twitter/X

Social Networking/Social Media Tips

Social Media, Social Media Writing, Social Media Writing Part, Social Media Writing Part 3, Best Lengths, Hesitation Generation, screen name, Happy Holidays, Relentless Pace, Cyber Infidelity, Podcasting, Neurotic Writers, Social Media Balance, Social Media Perfection, Losing Control, Social Media Tips, Employee Passwords, Look Like Online, social media, Social Media Platforms, Promoting Writing, Social Media Marketer, EditMe Webinar, Demand for Social Media Jobs, Stumbleupon surpasses, Less Conversation, Snapchat Settles with FTC, Quickly Boost Results, Hope and Hype, Auto-Service Economy, Sharing Less, Social Media background check, formatted posts, Four Important Social Media Stats, Cheat Sheets, Social Media Seduction, social back, Social media background check, Collaboration rocks, Wikileaks knocks, Editme Webinar, Cyber Legacy, Campaign 2012, Demographics, ways to improve, Time-saving tips, They Used to Call me Robot Girl

Social Networking/Social Media Tips

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on September 1, 2026

Social Networking/Social Media Tips

Social media tips? Yes, please! A while back, Grassroots Giving Group published some great social networking tips. I agreed with their ideas but would like to expand upon them a bit.

And they were essentially exploring when Facebook and Twitter (X) are useful. Here are some of their ideas.

Social Media Ideas

Here are a few quickie ideas.

Announcements

Never just announce upcoming or new things but also add links in order to drive traffic. Agreed! However, I would add a targeted landing page. Below is an example:

If you have people coming in from Facebook, why not create a new landing page to personally welcome them (e. g. Welcome to our Facebook Friends!). The best part about that is that, since it is a separate page, Google Analytics will track the clicks separately.

You have a fighting chance of getting good metrics, so you will know whether your announcement of the opening of a new branch of the Widget Factory played better on Facebook or on X.

Sending shortened website addresses on X – use an URL shortener. Of course! But why not use one (such as from HootSuite) where you can get some click metrics?

Using both a personalized landing page and a URL with click metrics can give you an even clearer idea of how traffic flows.

Oh, and they do not tell you why you should shorten an URL on X (even if the URL fits). But I will. It is to make it easier for people to retweet.

Social Media Tips on Planning

Here are some tips for better planning.

Planning in Advance

There is nothing new here. You should keep up with things and plan in advance. Absolutely. And that means, when you are hot and creative, write, write, write!

Keep drafts and ideas going, and also think about how you can expand on your own blog entries or those by others (such as this blog entry).

Get yourself a stable of other blogs and blog writers, news sources, etc. Who inspires you? Who interests you? But never repeat or steal, of course. Rather, expand and comment. These are perfectly legitimate ways to update your blog.

This Day in History

Commemorate occasions in your company! There must be something you have done that is good blog fodder. Of course, not every day is memorable, but it is another way to keep the pipeline going.

If July 12th is an important day in your organization, make sure that the July 12th blog post and Tweets are ready to rock and roll, and they are updated to the correct year.

Heck, in HootSuite (for example), you can schedule messaging. Why not schedule your content for July 12th (or whatever your special day just so happens to be) and be done with them?

Quotes

They said, “Quotes!”

Quote Collection

I like this idea, and I think it can be used for a lot of purposes. This is not only quotes about your specific organization or its work, but even more generalized quotations.

Surely there is something from Shakespeare (“My kingdom for a horse!”) or the Bible that could work for you in some capacity or another. It can be another jumping off point for creativity.

Ask Your Audience Questions

I think this is more useful if you have a somewhat large and actively commenting readership. While a rhetorical question is lovely, I think it is just better if you can get at least a little feedback. Otherwise, it feels like you are just shouting out to the wilderness.

Staff Introductions

This is another great idea. While your site might already have staff biographies, that is another way to get the readership acquainted with who is making the product.

Notes From Your Day

I do not know about this one. Your day, maybe. Mine? I guess this is, in part, centered around the event reviews I used to do back in the day. But otherwise, my days in the past were spent, well, here, blogging. And now I spend them at work. All of which may or may not be thrilling to others.

But I can see where my peers could have some very interesting days.

Social Media Tips: Takeaways

So there you have it. Some pretty amazing social media tips for getting and keeping things going. And, while the post was not, specifically, about blogging, it rings very true for that very specific – and sometimes challenging and elusive – task.

Oh, and you may also want to learn what the best lengths are for social media posts.

Finally, many, many thanks to the Grassroots Giving Group.

For more information, see the December 16, 2010 edition of Grassroots Giving Group.com blog.

Want More About Social Media and Tips on How to Best Use It?

If my experiences with non-platform-specific social media resonate with you, then please be sure to check out my other articles about navigating our social media obsessed world.

The Zen of Social Media Marketing by Shama Hyder Kabani, a Book Review

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on August 11, 2026

A Look at The Zen of Social Media Marketing by Shama Hyder Kabani

The Zen of Social Media Marketing by Shama Hyder Kabani is a fascinating little work on how to get ahead with online social media marketing.

Shama Hyder Kabani’s prose style is engaging and direct. Furthermore, if you go to her own website, the way she writes represents an obvious reflection of the way she really speaks. Major points for authenticity.

Three Main Sites

Shama says that the three main social media areas/sites you should focus on are LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Forget most others.

However, this part has changed and is out of date, for I would argue to swap out Instagram or even Snapchat (depends on demographics) for LinkedIn. That is, unless your audience is mainly business people.

Or maybe TikTok.

In addition, your should present your company (and, by extension, yourself) on all three with a kind of what I like to call professional intimacy.

That might sound like an oxymoron. However, the idea is, be genuine and sincere but also hang back in terms of too much sharing and togetherness.

Your customers want to know about your company and your product, to be sure, but a little personalization works (and, in fact, can help to build trust). But too much personalization does not work.

Your prospects and customers really do not wish to hear that you are going in to have a root canal.

ACT

So Shama’s three points come under the ACT acronym:

• Attract – bring the prospects and customers in with good, lively (and up to date) content
† Convert – turn your prospects into customers (and this may take several visits by them before this happens) and
• Transform – turn successes into magnetic forces of attraction

Attraction is your brand, your outcomes, your differentiators. And Social Media marketing is extremely good for this. Clarity of communications is key.

However, Social Media remains a less optimal tool for converting strangers (prospects) into clients (paying customers).

However, it is good for converting strangers into information consumers, which can often be a major step in moving them along the path from prospect to client.

Transformation

Transformation involves social proof. That is, we are more inclined to do something if we see others doing it.

Therefore, you have to do a good job, and use your success in order to attract more successes. That is, ask your clients if you can retell their success stories.

Make it easy to buy and pick your tactics (means of marketing) last – you need to get the essentials (such as theory) in place first.

Strategy is the big picture. Tactics are the when, the where and the how.

Blogging is also key. The idea behind blogging is three things:

† Educate – use your blog to add value by giving away good information.
• Market – make it attractive to buy and
† Sell – make it possible to buy.

Shama Hyder Kabadi is Walking the Walk

The book is a brisk read. Of particular interest are the testimonials in the back. As you go along, you realize that Shama practices what she preaches on every page of the book. And, it worked, am I right?

Because if she got you to buy her book and check out her website, then she has already converted you to a client. And all she needs to do is sell you her services and she hits 100% of her target.

Finally, the most amazing thing is, even after you realize how much you are being marketed to, you just do not seem to mind so much any more.

Speaking of which…

Set this site as a preferred source

Rating

5/5

Book Review – Likeable Social Media by Dave Kerpen

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on August 6, 2026

Let’s Review Likeable Social Media by Dave Kerpen

Dave Kerpen has a rather interesting book here. This book is thoroughly likeable, if you will.

Likeable Social Media

This book was required reading, as a part of my Community Management class at Quinnipiac University.

And it made for an excellent read.

For Kerpen, a lot of social media success comes from listening to, and then surprising and delighting customers and potential customers. Are your posts what they are interested in? If you received this post, would you bother clicking on it?

Case in point for surprise and delight

In May of 2015, my husband, parents, and I went to a Mexican restaurant in my parents’ town. We had eaten there before, but not so much that they knew our names or our usual orders or the like.

My husband and I did not visit my parents too often. And he visited them even less than I did. To the restaurant, even if my parents were repeat customers, my husband and I surely did not look like repeats.

There was a short wait until we got our food. Without prompting, we received a little appetizer, which mainly consisted of little breaded and fried mashed potatoes, configured a bit like sticks. There were three bits of sauce in different colors.

The potatoes and sauce, most likely, were leftover odds and ends. It may have taken the chef all of ten minutes to make the dish. I did not see anyone else getting the appetizer. We thanked the server. The appetizer tasted good.

They served us our food, and you would think that would be the end of it. But it was not. We did not order dessert. Yet we received a plate of flan and four spoons anyway. No one asked us. We just got the flan (it tasted really good). We were not charged for either little extra.

These twin activities impressed us, so much so that I have even linked back to the restaurant. Win-win!

Surprise and delight your customers. Or, as I would like to say, where’s the flan?

Being Likeable

By no coincidence, Kerpen named his company Likeable Media. From its positive name to its obvious association with Facebook, the book and the company are all about creating positive and meaningful experiences for customers and potential customers.

Kerpen begins with listening and with careful, accurate, and specific targeting. For example, not all women in their 50s or 60s and beyond have the same interests. He strongly urges marketers to dig deeper.

He also encourages them to have empathy for their customers. Is a post interesting? Would it be welcome to the customer base?

The first fans should be preexisting customers, with perks for the really rabid fans. Another skill to master: engaging in a true dialog.

This means not just accepting praise, but also effectively and expeditiously responding to complaints. It also means owning up to your mistakes when you make them.

Honesty

Kerpen advocates authenticity, honesty and transparency in dealings, and promoting an exchange by asking questions, which goes right back to listening. From listening, comes the surprise and delight.

Did the restaurant hear us complaining about slower than normal service? Possibly. The appetizer and the flan certainly helped to quell those complaints and win us over.

Because he is talking about social media (and not restaurant service), Kerpen’s flan moment does not just cover coupons and offers. It is also the sharing of stories as social capital.

Some of this includes stories of the company (e. g. how a product was invented that spawned an industry). But it also encompasses the stories of the customers themselves.

Imagine being a soft drink company and asking customers who drank your soft drink during their first date to share their love stories? Attach this promotion to Valentines’ Day and maybe even ask a couple about their future plans…

Finally, rather than hard selling, Kerpen exhorts marketers to simply make it easy to buy. Good products and services will always have customers. Generally, you do not need to massage demand. But you do need to make it easier for customers to open their wallets.

A terrific, breezy read, well worth your time.

Set this site as a preferred source

Rating for the Book and for Dave Kerpen Himself

5/5 stars

Social Media Marketing by Liana Evans, A Book Review

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on August 4, 2026

A Look at Social Media Marketing by Liana Evans

Social Media Marketing by Liana Evans was a book that I might have read a little too late in the semester. In all fairness, I read this book toward the end of my first social media class at Quinnipiac (ICM 522).

Hence it felt like I already knew a lot of what she had written, but that was likely more a function of timing than anything else.

Sorry, Li.

Been There, Done That

So the Liana Evans book is interesting. However, I had just read a ton of other works about very similar work, strategies, and ideas. Therefore, it ended up being maybe one book too many. Plus it ended up an optional read, anyway.

Furthermore, other works seemed to have said it better. So these days, books just do not get published fast enough to take proper advantage of trends and new insights. Hence blogs, in general (although not always!) end up more current and relevant.

What Was the Best Thing I Learned from Liana Evans and Her Book?

Possibly the best takeaway I got from the book was when Evans talked about online communities, particularly in Chapter 33 – You Get What You Give. So on page 255, she writes –
• You need to invest your resources, such as …
† Time to research where the conversation is
• Time and resources to develop a strategy
† and Time and staff resources to engage community members
• Time to listen to what they are saying, in the communities
† Time and resources to measure successes and failures
• Giving valuable content
† It is similar to a bank account
• Don’t bribe the community

And ~

† Rewards come in all fashions
• Research who your audience is
† Give your audience something valuable and/or exclusive
• Don’t expect you’ll know everything
† Listen to what your audience says
• Admit when you are wrong
† Thank your community

Finally, much like we have been telling people for years on Able2know – listen before you speak!

Rating

Review: 4/5 stars.

Want More Book Reviews?

If my experiences with book reviews for social media resonate with you, then check out my other book review blog posts.

Check Out Book Reviews on Social Media, SEO, Analytics, Design, and Strategy

• Avinash Kaushik’s Web Analytics 2.0, a Book Review
† The Cluetrain Manifesto: 10th Anniversary Edition, a Book Review
• Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson, a Book Review
† Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, An Updated Book Review
• Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk
† Likeable Social Media by Dave Kerpen
• The New Rules of Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott, A Book Review
† The Numerati by Stephen Baker, a Book Review
• Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, a Book Review
† The Zen of Social Media Marketing by Shama Hyder Kabani, a Book Review

Set this site as a preferred source

Facebook versus Forums

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on July 2, 2026

What hath Facebook wrought? – It’s a Facebook versus forums smackdown!

It is Time to Pit Facebook Versus Forums

Facebook, as anyone not living on a desert island knows, is a juggernaut of massive proportions. According to Oberlo, Facebook has over three billion users, and about 61% of global social media users—and these numbers are only climbing.

When it comes to parent company Meta (they also own Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, …), there are nearly four billion monthly active users.

Almost 54% of Facebook users identify as female. And, surprise surprise for anyone who thought it was just a platform for the (ahem) older set: nearly 62% of Facebook users are under the age of 45.

In 2026, that means people born in 1981 and later, AKA Gen X and later generations.

In contrast, according to Worldometers, 1.477 billion people live in India, and 1.413 billion live in China. Vietnam has a bit over 102 million in population. Laos has about 8 million.

Hence, Facebook usage is the entire population of India + the entire population of China + the entire populations of Vietnam and Laos. If these numbers do not blow you away, then check your pulse.

It is the 800 pound gorilla of the internet. And it is rapidly changing our interpersonal interactions, both on and offline. So, one of those areas is in the area of internet forums.

Facebook Versus Forums Sites Like Able2know

Facebook hits all forum sites and not just A2K. For years, I have been seeing drop off on a lot of different sites. It does not seem to matter whether they are large, generalized places like Able2know, or small niche sites devoted to something like Star Trek.

In addition, I hear about this same kind of drop off in other areas. Facebook has its fingers in a lot of pies, and it is only trying to get into more and more of them.

The truth is, Facebook has taken over certain niches which forums or smaller sites have tried to claim.

Such as class reunions. Why go to a separate website and register (or even pay!) when your buddies are all or nearly all on FB anyway? Why not just make a group devoted to the reunion and divvy up the labor?

Using Facebook to market your crowdfunding (it could be to bring an invention to market or pay for your dog’s eye surgery or help out a friend who lost everything in a house fire) is a no-brainer.

Looking for a bone marrow donor? Sure, go through the proper channels and the registry. But why not boost the signal by posting it on Facebook?

Everybody get in the Pool

So there are two generalized kinds of interactions (there are more, of course, but hear me out, okay?). One concerns the shallow end of things. You trade information about weather and generalized health inquiries. It’s political sound bites and the zippy pop song.

And much of what I have outlined above, like looking for a bone marrow donor, is mostly going to be the quick, shallow end of things. You are a yes or a no. You send a care react and maybe you repost. But you are not elbows deep in it. You are only pinkies deep, if that.

The other side of things is deeper. Because here is the in-depth political discussion where you really get to the heart of the issues. It is the detailed information on a health condition or even how to make a soufflé or plant an herb garden. It is the symphony.

And online, just like offline, it is a far rarer bird.

For you need time to develop that kind of trust. Furthermore, truly, you have to devote some time in order to have such a conversation in the first place.

In our bone marrow example, you can often find communities of like-minded individuals on Facebook. A small, private group may be able to help with more than a signal boost and expressing their concern. But that is a small bit of the vast sea that is Facebook.

Swimming with Facebook

Facebook fulfills the shallow end of online interactions extremely well. It is very, very easy to catch up on a superficial level with high school classmates or the like. A Star Wars groups, for example, might ask basic questions like “Who was the best villain?”

George Takei has mastered these kinds of interactions (although, in all fairness, he also writes occasional longer notes). Because these constitute the quick hits that people can like and share, all in the space of less than a quarter of a minute.

It works very well for mass quantities of information. And, in a way, this is why Reels and TikTok are so massive. They are quick hits.

Facebook versus Forums – Where Facebook Wins

Topics about a favorite song go better on Facebook than on forums as they are a quick hit and posting YouTube videos is simple. It is colorful and, just as importantly, it is pretty easy to pick and choose when it comes to interactions there, despite changes in privacy settings.

Other basic interactions (remember a/s/l?) are seamless or do not need to happen at all. Partly this happens due to the Facebook real names policy. Also, more people tend to use their real photograph and their real (generalized) location and age than not.

But there are also always going to be people who are going to check. Or they are just plain being nosy. For some, it may even be a poorly-conceived cover for transphobia. E. g. are you really female?

Facebook versus Forums – Where Forums Can Still Win

But what Facebook does not do so well is the deeper end of interactions (the extensive political discussions, etc.). Also, it often does not do them well for a larger group of people or over a significant period of time or for a longer or wider discussion.

And apart from a small group of people fighting the same medical battle (on their own behalf, or a loved one’s), there are not a lot of occasions for the long-term, deeper talk.

As a result, just about all of the deep discussions go unsaid. Topics about elections outside the United States (particularly if Americans participate in said topics) are handled poorly, if at all.

When it comes to the deeper end of the interactions pool, Facebook is just not a good place for that at all. Another consideration: even now, a lot of people still find that Facebook moves too quickly for them.

Swimming with Forums

For the deep end, it makes sense to collect into forums. You need to get to the heart of the matter. And that takes time, a luxury that Facebook often does not afford, as it scrolls by in a blur.

Instead of mass quantities, forums can fulfill a very different niche by instead concentrating on quality interactions. Forums offer, even for people who use their real names and are fairly transparent about their interactions, a chance to use a persona.

This is because Facebook far too closely parallels to our real lives. There is just so much posturing you can do about being a famous rock star when your high school cronies are also there, and they remember holding your head when you had your first beer.

Again, the best way that Facebook even attempts to emulate this is in groups. But if you are using the same login, you will be found out. You get no chance to put on a persona hat, even for a moment. The jig is immediately and irrevocably up.

The Endless Online Christmas Brag Letter

And Facebook, while it can be a refuge for people to truly show they care for each other (in particular, in the groups, or using notes or chat), is more often a place where people instead get a chance to preen and show off.

Like something? Then hit like! Don’t like it? Then either scroll past it or click to hide it, or even report it as spam or as being threatening.

Hell, you can even @ a tag group to comment on it.

And apart from the latter two actions, the person posting the image, anecdote, status, etc. is none the wiser when it comes to your reaction, particularly if there are a lot of reactions.

If you have a million reactions on a post, and 150,000 of them are anger reactions, how do you know your old college roommate was one of those people? Unless you have the patience and the hyperfixation to check, you are never going to know.

But with the forums, even if you do not use your real name, your opinions are still out there, for all to see, whether it is about global warming or the Designated Hitter rule.

Facebook versus Forums: the Future

My crystal ball says Facebook is only going to get larger and more complicated. And advertising and other ways of keeping forums open is only going to get harder.

Unless Facebook finds a way to take a deep dive into topics – and make it easier for people to find their way back after a day or two – then I fear a form of interaction may eventually be lost forever.

That is, unless Zoom calls and the like can rise to such a challenge. In and among the fluff and Zoom bombing and other annoyances and weirdness, perhaps that is the way to go. Because I fear that traditional forums are going to bite the dust before 2030, if not sooner.

Although Substack will most likely continue to rise, and will probably replace most forums, even though it is a different type of interaction.

There is room for both types of interactions. Facebook versus forums does not have to pick a winner. The internet is a mighty big tent. But economics and sheer numbers might award a prize anyway.

Good luck!

Set this site as a preferred source

Want More About Facebook?

If my experiences with Facebook resonate with you, then please be sure to check out my other blog posts about the largest social network on the planet, by far.

… And Facebook for All

• Creating a Facebook page
† Working with a Facebook Page
• … Your Profile Page

† Offsite Sharing
• All Your Account Settings
† All the Rest of It

Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson, a Book Review

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on June 23, 2026

Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson

Kristina Halvorson has really got something here.

Content Strategy for the Web is a short, snappy read that combines information about Content Strategy as a discipline with tips and tricks for throwing a lasso around your own company or site’s content.

Kristina Halvorson is essentially the doyenne of Content Strategy. Her main idea:

You probably need less content and not more.

Figure out which content you have and archive whatever is not working for you, e. g. fulfilling some sort of purpose. Good purposes include building trust and expertise, answering customer questions and facilitating sales.

Not such good purposes are things like get some content out there because we’re naked without it! Another not so great purpose is content on the site because the CEO wrote it but it is not very good and/or it is off-topic. Ouch.

Archive that Stuff!

For whatever currently published content that does not fulfill a good purpose, either archive it or get rid of it entirely. It does not help you, and it may very well harm your company.

With a website, this means unpublishing some posts and pages (on WordPress, just make them drafts), and creating redirects.

Get Organized, Says Kristina Halvorson

Get someone in charge of content. Not surprisingly, a Content Strategist comes to mind but definitely get someone to steer the ship.

Listen to the customers and the company regarding content. The company may be sending out content that is confusing to the users. The users may be asking for something that cannot quite work.

It may or may not be in the company’s best interests to fix either problem, but at least you will know what the issue is.

And start asking why content exists out there in the first place.

This process begins with a content audit. That is, know what you have out there. Then talk to the users. And, once you finish these processes, you can start to think of a strategy.

Yes, it is really that much time before actually creating any content. Why? Because doing the ramp-up now will save a lot of headaches later. Think it’s a bear to audit and check every single piece of content on your site now?

How are you going to feel about it next year, when there are, what, 100 to 300 more pieces of content to go through?

I bet it would thrill just about anyone to only have as much content to deal with as you have right now, at this very moment. So start swinging that lasso now. It is time to audit.

And Now, How Does it All Shake Out?

I have to say, I can see where Ms. Halvorson is coming from. However, there was also a large chunk of the book devoted to, essentially, justifying the Content Strategist’s existence.

And perhaps this was necessary with what at the time was a new discipline. I don’t know. But it does make for an edge of defiance, e. g. this discipline is good enough!

It is. So don’t worry.

And, in 2026, content strategists are more respected and in demand than ever. But AI is becoming a bit of a threat. But we shall see…

Rating

Review: 4/5 stars. I still think this is a decent book although it may be becoming dated by now.

Set this site as a preferred source

Want More Book Reviews?

If my experiences with book reviews for social media resonate with you, then please be sure to check out my other book review blog posts.

Check Out Book Reviews on Social Media, SEO, Analytics, Design, and Strategy — Halvorson is not the Only One Out There!

† The Cluetrain Manifesto: 10th Anniversary Edition, a Book Review
• Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, An Updated Book Review
† Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk
• Likeable Social Media by Dave Kerpen
† The New Rules of Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott, A Book Review

• The Numerati by Stephen Baker, a Book Review
† Social Media Marketing by Liana Evans, A Book Review
• Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, a Book Review
† White Space is not your Enemy by Kim Golombisky and Rebecca Hagen, a Book Review
• The Zen of Social Media Marketing by Shama Hyder Kabani, a Book Review

Avinash Kaushik’s Web Analytics 2.0, a Book Review

Published by Janet Gershen-Siegel on June 18, 2026

Avinash Kaushik’s Web Analytics 2.0 – Yeah, I am a Fan

Web analytics matter!

We Go Way Back

First of all, the first book about this general topic that truly caught my eye and made a huge impression on me was Avinash Kaushik’s Web Analytics 2.0: The Art of Online Accountability and Science of Customer Centricity.

As a (hopefully) former data person, I can relate to the idea of needing web analytics. E. g., the measurements of how your website does. Why do you want to measure with web analytics? Why, you need to see whether your message is actually going anywhere.

For e-commerce sites, the ultimate test is, naturally, whether you are getting sales. But it can be hard to tell, particularly in a complex organization, whether the website drives sales or offline marketing efforts do. Or both, or neither, for that matter.

And even measuring orders via these channels may not tell the entire story, as customers may see offline advertising and then come online to buy, or they may do the reverse and buy in-store after researching a product online.

Or they could just be coming online to think about it and compare and mull it over and could convert to a paying customer days or weeks or months later. Or never.

What if You are Not in e-Commerce?

And what about sites (such as my own) where nothing is (currently) offered for sale? My ultimate customer becomes, of course, someone to hire me, either permanently or temporarily.

And this would mean as a consultant or a partner or a founder or a director or whatever, but that might be months away. What happens in the meantime?

I might be able to dope some of that out with SEO and seeing where I am in search engine rankings, but just because people can find my site does not mean they are going to convert into hiring me or are even in a position to do so.

My mother (I miss her) could find my site and read it, but she was not going to hire me at any time. Unless I wanted to come and clean the gutters or something.

How do you or I know what is happening?

Enter Web Analytics

It is, admittedly, still an imperfect science. But Mr. Kaushik breaks it down and describes the reports that you need to understand just what is happening with your site. He talks about what is essentially a Trinity strategy: experience, behavior and outcomes.

User Experience

It is not enough to just track sales (outcomes). It is also about user experience and behavior. This is much like in the offline world, if you think about it.

Going to a restaurant is an experience and many of them are packaged as such. But it is a far different experience going to a McDonald’s or a Chik-Fil-A versus a Bertucci’s.

And that experience differs from going to Legal Seafood’s which in turn is different from Blue Ginger (celebrity chef Ming Tsai’s restaurant).

You can intake the same amount of calories. You might even be able to get in the same quality and types of nutrition. And you might enjoy a Big Mac as much as you enjoy one of Chef Tsai’s specialties. Aside from price, what are the differences?

These are Web Analytics for What Sort of User Experience?

When you go to a McDonald’s, a part of the price is wrapped up in the experience. For chain entities in particular, it is about sameness and predictability. If you find yourself in rural Oshkosh and have never been there before, you see the golden arches and you realize what to expect.

For Bertucci’s, even though it costs more and there is table service, there is still a similar vibe. You go there because you can depend upon it to be a certain way.

And Blue Ginger is also dependable in the sense that it is very upscale so you know you are going to be treated a certain way and it will look a particular way and presumably the food will taste in a way that reflects that kind of investment, both by you and by Mr. Tsai and his team.

Enhanced User Experience

Mr. Kaushik shows how understanding analytics can help you to enhance user experience. And this, ultimately, drives user behavior. While conversions (sales) are the ultimate in user behaviors, he does not forget about other valid behaviors.

Hence for the e-commerce site, product research is a valid and valuable behavior. So is printing a map to a brick and mortar store. Or comparing prices.

And for a non-e-commerce venture (again, I will use myself as an example), valid user (reader) behaviors are things like reading my writings and getting to know me.

I put myself out there in order to be known, because that is a piece of the hiring puzzle (why are there interviews — it is not to know about skills, which should already be obvious. It is to see if there is a personality and a culture fit).

Plus it enhances networking. Know me, think I am worthwhile (at least, I hope you do) and you might think of a place where the company might need me, or someone I should meet. And I do the same, in turn, for you. And cosmic karma gets us both into better places.

Back to the Book and More Web Analytics

But I digress. Time to get back to the book.

The book has a lively, engaging style. It is long but I sailed through it. And Mr. Kaushik (who is very gracious and seems to be very approachable, by the way) is clearly having fun and loves what he does. It is a refreshing joy to read a book where the author is constantly delighted.

Read his book. Learn about analytics. Make the web a better place.

May your bounce rate be low, and your conversion rate high!

Rating

5/5

Want More Book Reviews?

If my experiences with book reviews for social media and writing resonate with you, then please be sure to check out my other book review blog posts.

Check Out Book Reviews on Social Media, SEO, Analytics, Design, and Strategy

† The Cluetrain Manifesto: 10th Anniversary Edition, a Book Review
• Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson, a Book Review
† Groundswell by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, An Updated Book Review
• Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook by Gary Vaynerchuk
† Likeable Social Media by Dave Kerpen

• The New Rules of Marketing & PR by David Meerman Scott, A Book Review
† The Numerati by Stephen Baker, a Book Review
• Social Media Marketing by Liana Evans, A Book Review
† Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, a Book Review
• White Space is not your Enemy by Kim Golombisky and Rebecca Hagen, a Book Review

Set this site as a preferred source