Because I'm new to fiction and marketing, I've spent a lot of time over the past few months studying ways to gain and interact with potential readers. Many of the marketing books out there promote using social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to do so because of its ostensibly wide reach. 

My gut feeling? Meh. 

Of course I'm on Facebook. I have a personal account and a professional one. The former is the best way I have to keep up with my far-flung family and friends. The latter is simply one way for me to reach potential readers, but its not something I really keep up with. I tried Twitter, found that I didn't really like it, and deleted my author account. (I still have a personal account, but seldom even check it.) 

I'm also taking the Write. Publish. Repeat. approach to reader interaction, whose authors advocate building an "author platform" around media under your more direct control (i.e. your website and blog) as opposed to those controlled by others (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.). With the recent changes to Facebook, where "organic" reach is being gradually phased out, that seems like a wise idea.

I was reminded of this today when I read "So, Facebook" on Smart Bitches, Trashy Books by SB Sarah. Sarah was speaking specifically about the loss of interaction between authors and their readers, but I think the salient point here is that by reducing the number of posts in a user's feed, Facebook is becoming less useful to people like me, who use it primarily to stay in touch with people they love. Most people don't realize that they're no longer getting feeds from all of their friends, and when they do, there's bound to be a mass migration away from Facebook to a platform that allows people to see every post made by their friends, regardless of whether or not it's popular. At that point, Facebook will no longer be a useful platform for anyone because so few people will be there. (Think MySpace, if you're looking for an apt example.)

I'd much rather have a more permanent way to stay in touch with people. For me, blogging fits that bill perfectly. Since my time is really limited, I decided to focus my efforts here rather than on social media sites I don't particularly like, regardless of their [current] efficacy. Over the past few years, I've watched social media sites come and go, one rising in popularity as another one wanes. I could spend a lot of time trying to keep up with that or I can be a productive author. Between the two, I'd rather write.

Sorry, Facebook.