Hi there all. I hope you’ve had a chance to visit the Daily Dose of Gratitude blog this month and see what so many are thankful for. There has been a slight change in plan for my special contribution to this theme. My letter “Dear Stick” has been posted today instead of tomorrow. If you have a moment, please head over and take a look.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords
I’ll be writing about my adventures, from my point of view, while offering my opinion on whatever the current matter happens to be. I hope you will enjoy it, if for no other reason, because you’ll get to see just how crazy my mind and reactions can be sometimes.
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Social Media Marketing- Rafflecopter part 1
Social Media Marketing….AAHHH! 😮
I don’t hate social media marketing, but sometimes it really does suck the fun out of social media.
There may be more, but here’s what I think are some of the main social media marketing outlets and topics to consider.
Facebook |Twitter |Google+ |Youtube |Email |Blogs | Interviews | Reviews |Contests and Giveaways | Rafflecopter |Video and audio | Other: Pinterest, LinkedIn, GoodReads, etc…
Today I’d like to talk about the tool Rafflecopter. Many of us are familiar with this tool and some aren’t, but I’ve come to realize one thing about it…non-blog users are afraid of it!
Since most of the people who visit our sites and blogs daily are regular blog readers and users, this isn’t a big deal, but sometimes we have to consider those less net savvy than ourselves.
–Sometimes we need those people who don’t actually understand that a blog posts new material on a regular basis and just because they visited it a year ago doesn’t mean there isn’t something special for them to see now.
–Sometimes we need those people who only get online to watch Youtube videos and update their Facebook status.
– Sometimes we need those people who only visit sites ending in .com because they are leery of everything else.
People who don’t use social media every day, sometimes just don’t get it, but they are still part of our potential audience. When someone like this stumbles upon a great article offering a cool prize and a contest entry with this, Rafflecopter, thing that has 20+, 30+ and sometime 50+ options to choose from, they become discouraged and terrified.
Don’t jump to conclusions; I’m not downing that type of Rafflecopter usage. I’ll talk about that next week, but for now I’ll mention three alternative ways I’ve started to use and will try to use Rafflecopter to cut down on the intimidation factor.
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Rafflecopter is simply great for data collection and verification. Why try to run a contest or promotion and try to keep up with the entries yourself and then figure out a way to randomize your winner selection when Rafflecopter will do it for you.
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1-I’m currently running a promotion that was set up to inform people of my free downloads that will be available on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but I’m also offering a gift card giveaway. I am using my Rafflecopter (with only 5 simple criteria to choose) to simply track my data. While Rafflecopter is great for building up followers, that’s not my current objective, so I’ve left out a lot of possible entry criteria to make the process and use, easy and fun for possible participants.
2-Rafflecopter can be used to collect data in the use of a scavenger hunt. Again, I’d try to keep the choices to a minimum. A scavenger hunt with 10 to 20 options wouldn’t be too much and would give participants plenty to do.
3-Rafflecopter can also be used to collect data in the form of a questionnaire. Polls are great, but sometimes you’re looking for more information and aren’t sure how to go about asking for it, tracking it, and verifying who’s posting it…Well, that’s where Rafflecopter could come in.
I like to try to think outside the box whenever I can; sometimes I do a great job with it and sometimes I don’t. I think these alternative ways to use Rafflecopter are pretty good.
I’m no expert and am just here sharing my opinions; I ‘d love to know what you think.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords
City of Bones (Mortal Instruments, book1) by Cassandra Clare
I give this book a 4.
A book about the existence and intermingling of angles with human beings, why wouldn’t I like this?
This is the Nephilim genre at its YA best, as its heroine Clary encounters the world of Shadowhunters for the first time. Clary isn’t a social outcast just waiting for some adventure to enter her life. She’s a normal teen with normal issues, but soon learns that she’s so much more. A chance encounter at a nightclub opens her up to a whole other world that exists in the shadows.
After Clary’s chance encounter, all she wants to do is go home and forget what she saw and hopes that “they” forget seeing her. But that would be too easy. Chance encounters or not, the world of the Shadowhunters was destined to come knocking at her door, and her mother knew this all alone. The problem now is that her mother is missing and she has to depend on strangers to help her find answers.
I really liked this book. I must admit that I allowed myself to be too hyped before reading it and was thus left a little disappointed. I wanted more, but I guess that’s why it’s a series. It’s no secret that I struggle with the YA genre. I have enough problems of my own that make it difficult for me to relate to the struggles of the ever changing, growing, and maturing mind of teenagers, but this book was good.
I adored the lore of this story and the way it plays into the actions of the characters. I liked the mixture of mysticism and magic. There were times, however, when I felt there was too much going on. There were too many creatures and beings to keep up with, but I guess it all worked for the story in the end. This a definitely a good read for teens, but even adults with a passion for fantasy will enjoy this one.
*I was hoping for a little more spirituality to be infused with a story of this nature, but it is what it is.
This review has been posted to GoodReads.
If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords