
On Tuesday this week, when RITA Nominated romantic suspense author Colleen Thompson was here, we got a pretty good discussion going about her books and "child in jeopardy" themes. Then a commenter popped in with the equivalent of a total non sequitur: He plugged his own book (which was not a romantic suspense or a child in jeopardy story) in the comments instead of engaging in dialogue with the rest of us.
When someone leaves a pithy remark, I click on their profile. If they have a website or blog, I click over to see what they've got going on. I never click the profile of a "blog pirate." (My friend Nina asked if I made that up and I have to say I'm not sure. I don't remember reading it elsewhere. You?)
Now, to be fair, this person may be new to cyberspace. They may be feeling a little desperate to get their message out and aren't quite sure how to go about it. I freely admit I've done some doofy things online because I didn't know any better. I confess that I put out a lot of "bulletins" on MySpace when I wish I had time to do personal notes.
As far as I know, there is no cyber-equivalent to Miss Manners. So I'd really like some feedback from YOU! Do you have a petpeeve about cyber-ettiquette or lack thereof? What would you like to tell authors about how we approach you online? Is there a better way for an author to connect with his/her readers? What kind of posts do you like to read most on an author's site?
PS. I'm still at Royal Reviews. Please leave a comment over there to be entered in my daily drawing!