Facebook page before you have an audience?

I find my Facebook page clunky and not very useful. I post news updates to it, and that's it. The setup doesn't lend itself to much more than that (especially now, with the weird new layout). For some readers, it might be nice to have a place that's only news updates, and it doesn't take me long to update it when I have news... but more people follow my blog and Twitter account.

I don't see any reason to rush into it when you don't have any news.

I created a Facebook page for my site the same day I created the site. It took a week or so before I "announced" it on my normal Facebook page, but when I did I got a fair amount of traffic just from friends and family.

Look at it like this: Facebook is a network, you have friends and your friends have friends. They know different people than you do and if they like your posts it reaches a whole new audience. My sites page has one like and the other day I wrote a post with that person in mind and she liked it and got me a few more views because of it.

In the past few weeks, since starting my site and trying this writing thing for real, I've learned a thing or two. Every time we put word to paper we put ourselves out there for the world to see and judge. Friends and family are the softest critics but the most difficult to expose ourselves to, but every avenue is a possibility.

I also use Google+. I have yet to set up a Twitter, but it will be here soon. Every avenue is worth exploring if it only takes your time.

Good luck and write like your life depended on it!

I probably shouldn't be replying to this post because my situation is a bit different, but hey, that doesn't really stop me from adding my two cents!

My general answer: I think it doesn't hurt you to start early. If you're on Facebook anyway at least twice a week, creating your own page isn't much of a hassle. Personally, I don't follow blogs or Twitter and prefer to have news updates of my favorite books/authors on Facebook. So there's at least one person out there you wouldn't have a chance to get interactive with without your own Facebook page.

Now, as I understand your previous comment, you plan on having a Facebook page anyway, right? Your only question being if you should already start it now? I wasn't so sure because you said it isn't as interactive as Twitter or blogs.

My opinion? Facebook is a great tool to reach a lot of people who don't know about you yet. They might get curious when one of your Facebook friends/fans comments on or likes one of your posts. It might be even easier than with Twitter or blogs. Also, as soon as you have created your own Facebook page, Facebook insights tells you exactly how many people you've reached. (both who actually clicked or were otherwise involved with one of your posts and those who saw your page in one of their Facebook friends' updates.)

I'm not a real writer yet, consequently I don't have an official author's page (with my real name), but only one with my nickname I use in the online writing community where I share my stories. I decided to put up a Facebook page because some people asked for it and it is easier for me to stay in touch with them on Facebook. (And that's exactly why I said that I probably am the wrong person to reply to this.)

Anyway. I think it's a great tool and according to the statistics I constantly reach more than 1,500 people who see a story about my page published in one of their friends' news feed. And although most of them will probably just ignore it, I know of at least two persons who came across me/my story that way and started reading it.

In a nutshell: you've got nothing to lose. Give it a go. Best of luck with it!

I think I'll wait until I'm actually published (or concretely on my way to publication) to create a FB page. I'd just feel awkward about it beforehand, and since I have my blog set up so that all my blog posts get sent to my FB newsfeed, I think my friends and family have easy access to what I'm doing/writing about at any given time. Just my personal choice, though.