Coffee House Commentary « Videomaker Forums

EarlC
Moderator

So, in reading about Videomaker's Coffee House forum I noted that it was for stuff "other" than video. And, judging by the number of video related posts in the Coffee House, others have the same problem I do - talking about anything else BUT video. I'm gonna try, even though it may be a bit indirectly related to the video business, if not video itself. I have hit on this a bit in other posts, but wanting to go the Coffee House route and get some intensive debate or commentary going here...

Social networks: Who on Videomaker Forums uses them, and for what purpose. Are you simply developing a web history of cute blather, one-liners, zingers and jokes; or are you telling people on Twitter and Facebook, Digg, Mixx, MySpace (is that even active anymore) and all the others how cute your cat is, how ugly your baby is, or how raunchy your food was, or...

I crack off something here and there but primarily I am trying to use Twitter and Facebook specifically for the following: Drive traffic to my blog, then use my blog to drive traffic to my web site(s). This is most certainly a work-in-progress for now as my blog is pretty straightforward information only, with no video yet, and little, if any, graphics; and the link to one or another of my web sites in most of the headlines takes you to a web site that is soon, I hope, to be totally revamped, more centralized and specific, organized and pleasing to look at. I will also be re-working all our sample clips that range from weddings to pretty much every event you can think of. And, I have a number of special interest, promotional, commercial and business clips that need to be represented.

However, even though much of what i am presently showing is a hodgepodge and not as organized as I'd like, I still think there is value in driving traffic to my blog, and from my blog to my web sites.

This is the direction I hope to take sooner, rather than later. I will also be utilizing these social sites to generate traffic and, hopefully, support for a couple of other special programs I hope to launch in the not-to-distant future.

Anybody else doing something specific with Twitter, Facebook, or others you'd like to introduce to Coffee House forum readers?

Posted 7 months ago # Login to Send PM
TDedmonSBP
Member

I have a love hate relationship with networking sites, I have had Facebook since the days when you had to have a collegiate email to join (which was better), and I was the 8th person at my school. I have seen it go through all the changes, and so I use it a lot for my personal interractions. I have been on myspace slightly longer, but recently delted the account because I never used it and just didn't care about it. I did end up re-opening an account with my professional email as another web portal to drive traffic to my website. It's the same way with twitter for me, I only use it for professional postings as a way to try and connect with my audience.

I think social networking sites can be beneficial in the professional marketplace, but I would prefer to see websites like DVProfessionals and these forums, come into their own as for creating a network specifically for our brand of people.

Posted 7 months ago # Login to Send PM
Cville
Member

I have been using a site called Linked In. It is a type of professional networking site. For me it is a way to keep up with a lot of people that I used to work with. I usually check it every couple of days to see what is happening with some of those people.

Posted 7 months ago # Login to Send PM
Aspyrider
Member

I use FaceBook & Twitter, Facebook mostly for friends and family. Twitter I will use for business but I decided when I started that I didn't want it to be just business links and comments.

I have a RSS feed on my blog for Twitter so readers can read my tweets. I try to inject some personality into it too with comments about whatever I'm doing and if I find a good link I tweet about it.

When I first started using Twitter I followed several business twitters and found them boring. Yes the links were sometimes useful but I felt no need to explore them further. They didn't 'drive' me to know the person or their business/site any more.

Those who tweet too much got axed too. Some sending a tweet every 5 minutes. But the ones who let their personality loose in the twitters and do also talk about video and things I'm interested in are fasinating. Plus the talking back & forth can be interesting too. I guess it's a bit like voyerism. Like reading someone elses text messages.

If I get a feeling from a followers tweets that they are having fun and doing business then I get interested. Constant commercials or just one liners to 'visit this' or 'come here' come across to me too much like spam and ads and I rarely go.

I'm more interested in who you are, what you are doing and how it's working out for you than one text spot after the other. But thats me.

I try to do the same. I 'chat' back & forth with others but also send links and liners about something I've discovered that may help others. Rather than trying to drive people to me, I let them follow if they want to. Plus they get to know me in the process.

As far as Facebook, I don't see it much as a business place. I joined the SIV group there and though it has members rarely do they actually post or talk. It quickly got regailed to the fun stuff only and family connections.

I run a social network on NING for the Movie Edit Pro users and that is very succesful. I run contests, have a tech forum and chat room. It is a place for fun and video related stuff.

I use Twitter daily, sometimes a lot and sometimes rarely but I try to keep a presence on it. Feel free to follow me if you like: http://twitter.com/AspyRider

This of course is just my opinion and how I've approached the social network places. My partner at Phoenixclips and I often use Paltalk to talk to each other while we work and that works out well too. Being able to voice chat and not have to type it is a good thing.

Twitter is fun and informative. I'm sure I'll keep using it. ;-)

J

Posted 7 months ago # Login to Send PM
composite1
Moderator

I must be a mutant. Despite my being a serious technophile, I realy dislike those sites like Myspace, Facebook and Twitter. I've got a couple of Myspace pages, and a blog gathering 'cyber dust' because I just don't get the same give and take interaction I get in forums or from (heaven forbid) face to face. That and I don't care to give up to the second reports of what I'm doing, watching or whatever like on Twitter. Nor do I care to read anyone's tweets unless they are buried under a collapsed structure and it's the only way to keep tabs on their wellbeing. Maybe, I'm old-fashioned or just suffering from info overload. Between trying to keep up with all of the info on the news with the talking heads, 2 or 3 layers of the 'crawl' jetting past and 'micro flash' ads jumping at the same time to get our attention, I'm just waiting for people's heads to start popping.

Posted 7 months ago # Login to Send PM
birdcat
Moderator

I got my MySpace account pretty much to see what my kids were doing. Facebook came later and I do use it to keep in touch with old friends (replaced ClassMates) and family.

I've used LinkedIn for a couple of years now and think it's great but it really is a professionals only kinda place (I have used it to mostly as a portalto my professional qualifications and recommendations).

As with all internet tools (incluing YouTube, Twitter, Webshots, etc...), they are what you make of them.

Posted 7 months ago # Login to Send PM
Coreece
Member

I guess there is this site called Mylife.com.

I got an invite from one of my potential clients...then I got another invite when I didn't respond....then I got a third "last chance" invite....

I finally contacted the guy and said I recieved your invite but still have yet to open the account, what's up?

He told me that they went though his address book and emailed all his contacts the invite without his permission....I would've been pissed!

How embarrassing and unprofessional....especially if your business contacts have negative feelings about such sites.

Posted 7 months ago # Login to Send PM
jedichickhas1
Member

I use Myspace, Twitter, and Facebook - their everchanging and I agree with some prior posts that it's more to keep in touch with those I hardly see than for actual networking.

Posted 6 months ago # Login to Send PM
oc6088
Member

I use facebook and Linked in. Most of my business is transferring old movie reels to DVD so I will put a link to my website with something along the line of, "Hey ran across this great clip of President Ford visiting our hometown, La Crosse, WI in 1976..click here to view it" Not really sure if it is working or not :)

It kind of seems that this sites are turning into spam sessions. Mostly just ads for businesses. They say it's the way to go..I don't know.

Posted 1 month ago # Login to Send PM