Old Guys and Social Media are like sauerkraut and vanilla wafers. An unholy pairing at best and the thought of the two, together, is enough to give you the willies.

Social Media and Old Guys Give the Willies                  Courtesy of Jimmy Fallon Live

Let me back up a moment. People of a certain age (there now, that’s a bit softer than slapping the geezer label on my forehead) are drawn to social media for a number of reasons; to connect with people, to stalk watch from a distance of greater than 50 feet, all the activities of that narrow minded person who thought a restraining order would keep you away, to spew hate speech inform the entire world wide web of the one “true” political platform, or maintain a list of suitable candidates for replacement organs when yours begin to fail. Anything reason other than, “connect with people,” should send a signal to the NSA for appropriate intervention.

image by tar mr hyde via flickr creative commons

I joined social media, unwillingly, but finally got into the swing of things, but the fine line of getting information about a book release, or promotion out there is difficult to find. Too much ME, ME, ME and you’re a spammer, the lowest of the low on the Internet evolutionary chain. You tweet it out once, maybe twice and your message swept up like a cow in a tornado, never to be seen again.

I found something that provides a bit of resilience in the evaporative world of social media messages. It’s Pinterest…

What? Don’t give me that judgy-judgy look. The froo-froo place where would-be bridezillas post wedding dress photos? That Pinterest, where recipes and shoe pics and macaroni art projects go to live? Yep. That’s the place.

I know, you think I’ve lost my very last marble of sanity. While that may be true, (it is true, but that’s another story, for another time) Pinterest has something to offer that Twitter and Facebook ignore – your content doesn’t disappear into the ether the second you publish your post. Social media with longevity? Why is that important? If you are busy pandering your wares on the Internet, you want people to see them, don’t you? You need something more that a lucky bounce on someone’s timeline to make a difference. That difference may be the Pin.

Just Pin it
image by chantel pare via flickr creative commons

Pin your content, book covers, contests, blogs, on a relevant board and they stay visible. #MondayBlogs has a Pinterest Board where contributors Pin their most recent blogs. Novels By Indie Authors and Flash Fiction Groups serve as a central place for fresh, new content. I’ve set up a couple of story boards for novels I’m noodling with and content about the subject, character and setting get pinned to these boards for inspiration. It’s also a decent way for potential readers to buy-in to the story before it actually hit the presses.

I’m a relative newbie to Pinterest, but with my limited toying around, I can see the potential here for authors and writer-types. It’s a visual platform, so my suggestion is Pin your content with some spiffy graphics, which represent your brand and content. Then sit back and have fun with it. I’ve watched the click through coming from Pinterest and it’s not insignificant. And you don’t feel like you’re spamming anyone with your message.

I know it’s another social media platform and that comes with the potential for a huge time suck. But, in terms of return on your time investment, it is something to consider. So come join. You’re all invited to follow my Pinterest boards for what’s going on in my little world or crime fiction, corgis and whatever catches my eye.