I was heavily invested in my 13-year relationship with Facebook, engaging daily with 800+ friends far and wide. So I was shocked when they shut me down for a month and a half during the critical launch period for The Stain, repeatedly sending me to Facebook Jail for the same offense - posting a photo of the “scandalous” book cover. Sure it’s a sexy image; I get it. And yet, art is art, and I can’t imagine anything else that would fit this creative work so well.
The book cover is perfect. Mwah! I love it, and I cannot wait to work with Damaris Vazquez again.
Nevertheless, getting the boot from Facebook was a significant setback. So what’s a scrappy writer to do?
I made a videoblog series titled Facebook Jail Sessions, which gave me sorely needed presentation practice. I enjoyed this so much, I plan to interview people on topics relating to the book.
Then I developed more presence on other social media platforms - Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, MeWe, YouTube, and Pinterest. I actually passed 1000 followers on Twitter last night!
I moved the readers’ forum from Facebook to my website to avoid losing access.
And I am blogging here where I am uncensored, linking back to social media with original eye-catching memes that I love to create.
The Facebook obstacle actually made me more productive and reach for a wider audience. That lemon turned out to be pretty sweet. Whenever we can find fortune in misfortune, we win.
I feel more empowered than ever. Thank you for your support!
Image courtesy of the Canva pro media library.
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