I didn’t even know there was such a thing, but once I found out I couldn’t resist. I had to try it, at least once. I looked myself up on Technorati and IceRocket. Search engines for blogs. Yep. You type in your book title or your name and up pops a list of what people are saying on their blogs about you and your books.
These are totally different from reviewers. These are your everyday, average people. The folks next door. They don’t have to be professional or politically correct. Don’t have to double-check their facts. Don’t have to do anything but write whatever they want to write, no holds barred.
So why would any author subject themselves to such a thing? I’ll tell you why. To appease good, old fashioned, unadulterated curiosity. Of the worst sort. Kinda like being in a public restroom stall and overhearing a conversation about yourself. The ol’ fly-on-the-wall syndrome. So I did it. Once. Okay … twice. The hope is, of course, that you’ll read glowing comments about your book.
Well, you get comments all right. In every kind of flavor. I thought I could handle most anything. Thought I had pretty thick skin. Until somebody took a shot at the accuracy of my historical facts. Facts that I could back up with umpteen-million footnotes. And, oh, was it ever so hard to keep from posting a correction–I mean–comment complete with references.
But I didn’t. I was a good girl. I simply scrolled down and read what the next person said. And the next. And the next. But I’ve decided to give it up. Really. Decided if I’m going to indulge myself, it’s going to be with cheesecake.
What about you ? Do you look yourself up? Come on girls, don’t leave me hangin’. ‘Fess up.
No related posts.
Are you kidding? I’m not even a published author yet, just an aspiring one, but I’ve been online a long, long time and post frequent comments on others’ blogs, so I have a Google Alert set up for anytime someone mentions my name or one of my blogs.
Vanity, thy name is mine. ;o)
And of course I’m now testing the new free Cocomments service (in beta) to track blog comments too! (That service is still pretty buggy, darn it; I haven’t been able to get it to work yet.
Cheers – Carolyn B.
Last time I googled myself, I found lots of strange things, including the fact I had died – twice.
No, wait, that’s wasn’t me.
Does it gauge something in terms of writing, have an extrinsic, applicable value, other than perfectly natural curiosity?
Bitch!
Must look now. *sigh*
Now you made me look too!!!
If anybody’s thinking about blogging, I strongly suggest against Wordpress. It’s great and all, but…
See, they have this ‘Blog Stats” tab on your Admin page, and it tells you how many unique visitors your site has each day.
I obsess about that page.
I search on my name/book titles periodically to see if there are new reviews so I can update my review quotes, see if my site comes up near the top (I want people to be able to find me, y’know) and to basically keep an eye out for “weirdness”. For instance, by checking my Amazon listings from time to time, I discovered that another author was credited on one of my books and sent in a correction. This is just a maintenance activity you gotta do in today’s world, I think.
Thank you, Charlene.
Update on my previous comment; the coComment thingie is now working (at least for this posting). I’ve got a feed for my comments on other people’s blogs to show up on one of my blogs. (This is a ridiculous circle, isn’t it? But I love playing with new codes for my blogs.) You can see how coComments works at the two links below:
My personal blog, see blue box in right column (scroll down a bit)
And via this link, if it’s visible:
http://www.cocomment.com/comments/cbahm
Cheers – Carolyn B.
Heck yeah, I Google myself (had never heard of those two search engines, though — Technorati says I don’t exist:roll:, and I’d already seen most of the IceRocket links). Why do I do this to myself? Curiosity, definitely — but then, isn’t that the hallmark of most writers? Isn’t that what sparks creativity?
In any case, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.:lol:
I’m also looking for hints that my book’s out in a new foreign edition (have to use Google or somesuch for that), since my publisher tells me nada. More than even those two reasons, however, I think most of us simply want to know if anyone’s actually reading our books. As a former stage performer (very former), I miss that immediate feedback. Applause is a wonderful thing, as any actor/singer/dancer/musician can tell you. Without it, it’s as if half the performance has gone missing. And reviews only partially count, since the reviewer usually HAS to read and comment on the book. Spontaneous, unsolicited reader reaction is a whole ‘nother animal. And with all those blogs out there, it’s now much easier for authors to get that — at least in theory.
Sure, I’ve run across a few less-than-complimentary comments here and there, but that goes with the territory. Expecting to find all raves is unrealistic. But better the occasional cringe (or snort of laughter) than not knowing at all.
I think.
I’m big on Technorati, so I look myself up perhaps two or three times a week to see who’s linking to my blog. I’m not fazed when someone hates my blog or my books. In fact, I recently offfered free copies of my new book to ANYBODY who would agree to blog about it during the month of February. Okay, a few members of my posse signed up, but the majority of the bloggers (at least 18 out of 27) are people I’ve never heard of, and several of them have said flatly that they do not read my genre but were “interested” in my book.
I will undoubtedly get some bad reviews. But while those tend to crush many authors, readers forget them almost immediately. The point of this experiment is to make people remember my name and to whip up curiosity about my new book. And since a bad review can accomplish both of those things just as well–sometimes even better–than a good one, I’m not afraid of what I might find the next time I check out Technorati.
I am faily new at blogging and my first book doesn’t come out until March 14 so there wasn’t much there – though a new friend had mentioned my sale! and that was all that came up – for now – I will have to keep checking – for sure
One of the biggest thrills for me in conjunction with the release of my last book was finding it mentioned in people’s blogs. At first it was mostly my friends and people who knew me, and it was nice to know my friends were supporting me.
But then I started seeing total strangers gushing about this book that kept them up all night, and it was the greatest validation. I printed a lot of those entries out, and I forwarded links to my editor so the publisher would know the kind of buzz that was spreading.
I’ve been able to create a kind of mental filter where I don’t remember the few negatives or criticisms but could quote from memory the good stuff. Oddly, the most critical post I saw was on the blog of someone I know in real life. It’s an anonymous blog, and I only found it by Googling my title, but there were enough details that I was able to figure out exactly who it was. That one wasn’t so much negative about my book as it was catty about some other people we both know and how she didn’t think much of their reading taste, so she wasn’t going to take their word for it that the book was any good. That’s the only thing I’ve found that’s bothered me much, and there it’s now just hard to be around this person, knowing what I know about what she says about the people around here, even while she’s being nice to them in person.
Otherwise, doing the occasional blog search has been like Christmas morning, full of fun surprises to unwrap. I have recently forced myself to back away from the Google so I can get actual work done. It can be mildly addictive.
Deeanne – let me just say I think you’re a very naughty girl for posting that link. Now I’ve googled and technoratied myself.
LOL, Jill! I say we should start a 12-step program that meets at The Cheesecake Factory: “Hi. My name is Deeanne Gist and I’ve Technoratied myself.”
See, I don’t get why everyone wants to Google themselves these days. It’s like eavesdropping on the popular girls while they’re saying how ugly you are- did you really need to know that information, and are you happier hearing about how fat your ass is?
Then again, I’m also vaguely annoyed that people only find themselves on one of my sites if I said anything bad about their book. *sigh* I try to keep mine unpopular, but stupid Google!
Deanne – you said the magic word – cheesecake. Even if there’s not a 12 Step Program there’s always a time to eat cheesecake!!!
I didn’t even know this existed, but now, of course, I have to look
Oh, that’s just WRONG! Why did you have to go and give me something else to obsess about?
Trista *who is currently bookmarking both sites, lol*
The historical accuracy thing is my pet peeve, too!!!! I DO occasionally take liberties for artistic reasons, and I occassionally mess up, but 95%+ of what you read has sources. Grrr.
I had to do this since you did, and my favorite one is this one:
http://dsch.cocolog-nifty.com/romance/2006/01/the_veil_of_nig.html
No, I have no CLUE what she says about me. *g* I just like it because it’s in Japanese.
Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m a Google-aholic.
I’ve found some really fabulous stuff out about my book, but also some not so fabulous stuff (hello Jennifer R! LOL). I’m trying to STOP LOOKING cold turkey… but it’s difficult. If you want the good you can’t avoid the bad. It’s just a fact.
Now I must go check Technorati.
Lydia, I’m quite fluent in Japanese and it says:
“What are you doing, you silly woman! Go out with Dee & Jill and get you a piece of cheesecake!! And bring along Alessia, Karmelia, Tina, Trista, Michelle …”
Ah, Deeanne… but googling has no calories like cheesecake does. And the anxiety it causes burns fat!
Repeat after me, Michelle:
“My name is Michelle Rowen and I’ve Technoratied myself.”
Let me guess… and then it says, “And then fly them all to Tahiti for a two-week resort trip!”
*ggg*
LOL! Deeanne, you made me laugh so hard. Now I need to look myself up too, and I’m not even published.
I’m one of Brenda Coulter’s posse, and I think her idea is good. Even a mention of her name on blogs–whether high or low traffic ones–will get her name out on the web and generate chatter.
Camy