2020 more than any other year showed the importance of social media in shaping our society, discourse, and path to the future. The social team here at EFA takes this role seriously and we are proud to be a key player in taking the EFA into the future. As we head into 2021, we wanted to introduce the EFA members who maintain our social media presence and share a little bit about where we are and what we want to accomplish in the year ahead.

On Twitter we have a team of members who volunteer to take turns each month writing posts and running our monthly online #EFAchat (which usually takes place on the last Friday of the month). This team is led by the very capable Sarah Cypher (@threepenny), a freelance editor specializing in fiction. Since going freelance in 2003, Sarah has edited New York Times bestsellers and has been the EFA Twitter team leader for over a year. Other tweeters are:

• Karen Brogno (@kayrbro), a freelance editor in Forest Hills, NY, with 18 years’ experience specializing in corporate and institutional editing as well as copywriting and media communications.
• Pam Eidson (@PamEidson), a freelancer based in Atlanta. Pam launched her editing business “E before I” in 2020 as she wrapped up three decades in public health at the state and national level.
• Indu Shanmugam Guzman (@Indu_Shanmugam), who holds a master’s degree in publishing from Portland State University and works with indie authors, publishers, entrepreneurs, and subject matter experts to develop their writing. She is also EFA’s Boston chapter coordinator and has been tweeting for us since 2019.
• Jessica Hatch (@JessicaNHatch), a professional freelance editor based in North Florida. Her clients have gone on to agents; book deals; the WSJ, USA Today, Amazon, and B&N bestseller lists; and to win national awards. She is new to our Twitter team.
• Rachel Skelton (@EditingSkeleton), an independent editor and proofreader in Missouri. She has been freelancing for three years and began tweeting for the EFA in 2020.

Follow them on Twitter to learn more about them, and of course, follow us too—we are @EFAFreelancers.

Our Instagram account (@efa_editors) is our newest social media venture; we are at the beginning of our journey. Our Instagram posts are created by Tara Kovach, currently a member at large on the EFA Board of Governors. Tara has been an editor and writer for close to two decades now, with a background in business communications (for companies large and small), advertising, and most recently e-commerce. Fun fact: Tara is also an amateur chocolatier!

We have a very robust presence on LinkedIn, which is really a hybrid of business networking and social media. Currently our LinkedIn page is handled by EFA staffer Vina Orden. You are surely familiar with Vina through her hard work in the office, but you may not know that Vina is also a writer, artist, and immigrants’ rights and social justice advocate. She was a writer and cast member of the 2019 production of Raised Pinay, and her nonfiction and poetry may be found in The Margins, the digital magazine of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, The Halo-Halo Review, and hyffeinated. She also is co-host of The Lift Up podcast, a monthly transatlantic conversation about books, writing, identity, and representation.

Facebook, with over 2.7 billion users, is second to none in terms of ability to reach potential members, clients, and colleagues. I—Ruth Mullen (@ramullen), the author of this article—provide the “face” to our Facebook page, writing the posts, answering the queries, and managing the account. Beyond that, I’ve recently taken on the newly created role of chair of the EFA’s social media committee. In this position, I hope to help develop an overall social media policy, establish “best practices,” and track and assess our effectiveness. It’s important that our social media efforts have a positive impact on the EFA’s image and growth and that we are reaching our audience with clear, consistent messages. We want to help our members stay in the know about everything we are doing, and strengthen our EFA community by making connections and sharing knowledge and humor.

As for you—yes, YOU—if you enjoy social media, consider becoming part of the team! We can use your video skills, writing talent, aptitude for marketing, and commitment to making our organization stronger and better. Reach out to socialmedia@the-efa.org.

Signing off, with a big thank-you to everyone that puts the social in social media!

Ruth Mullen
Chair, Social Media
EFA Board of Governors