VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Mike Harrison

Respond if you like (or, call a Constable).

I can't stand short-sighted thinking by those offering services to others. And this is not the only such experience with LinkedIn.

Just this morning I was accepted in a new group. I went to the group and began scrolling through the posts and immediately noticed a LOT of them were solicitations; a group member (and a LinkedIn LION) selling what appeared to be "exposure" for one thing or another. There was nothing indecent or obscene about the posts, but I know that other groups expressly forbid blatant selling or promotion.

Wondering if this particular group allowed it, or whether the group admins just hadn't seen these posts yet (yes, there are that many of them), I composed a message to one of the group admins; first thanking him or her for accepting me into the group and then asking about the numerous promotional posts.

Only after I had finished the message and clicked the SEND button did LinkedIn choose to tell me: "You must be a group member for at least four days before being able to send messages to other group members."

This message didn't appear when I first decided to message the group admin by clicking the little envelope icon on his profile. No, LinkedIn waited until after I had taken the time to compose the message.

Is it me, or is it indeed idiotic to give someone the ability and means to do something and, only after they've attempted it, telling them they can't do it?

The websites of GoDaddy and Amazon have also done things like this. To me, it shows there's not a lot of forward thinking (looking at things from the customer perspective) going on.

Wow.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

Bruce · Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 11:23 am Post subject:

I've found Linked In groups to be a total waste of time, especially as an experienced voice actor. Haven't you yet? You've expressed a number of times that you don't like Linked In. Why do you still spend time there?

B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

Mike Harrison · Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 2:17 pm Post subject:

You're right, Bruce.

I really don't spend much time there at all. I check in maybe twice or so each day, just to see what's going on, and there usually isn't anything going on, apart from newbie VOs wanting to connect or, more recently, people now posting political and other left-field memes. The groups have been largely disappointing to me. And, when I try to participate, like this example, it's even more so. I guess I just kept wanting to give it a little more time.

It's going on nine years, though, so I guess it's time to pull the plug.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

Bish · Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 2:48 pm Post subject:

Mike Harrison · Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 3:07 pm Post subject:

That's kinda how I'd been feeling about it too, Bish. But I kept thinking of how it came so highly recommended by those who claim to know marketing.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

Bish · Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 3:43 pm Post subject:

todd ellis · Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 3:45 pm Post subject:

i do great on linked in --- i find a LOT of business there.

not one damn bit of it in a VO group.
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"i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?

Lee Gordon · Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 6:09 pm Post subject:

As LinkedIn group "owner," I get really frustrated with the tools they provide to me. A lot of posts get flagged by "the LinkedIn System." I don't even know what that means. I end up clearing many of those because they appear to be flagged in error.

Other posts get flagged by group members. Huge thanks to Doug Turkel and Chris Mezzolesta, especially, for spotting things that don't belong. But when I try to click the links they've tagged, LinkedIn won't let me open them. I also can't move a post to a more appropriate section (i.e. from General Discussion to Jobs) unless somebody else has not only flagged he post, but specified where it belongs.

And there used to be a separate section for "Promotions" that made it possible to isolate the kinds of posts Mike was complaining about it their own area, away from the mainstream conversation, but, inexplicably, they took it away.
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Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

Bish · Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 6:19 pm Post subject:

Mike Harrison · Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 9:16 pm Post subject:

HeatherMasters · Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2016 9:50 pm Post subject:

Thanks for this post Mike. Networking is an aspect of this job which is extremely difficult for me, and doesn't naturally mesh with my mojo, but my business friend told me I HAVE to get on linkedin. I made a profile, but had no idea where to go from there, so just walked away. Your post has made me feel like maybe that's okay Smile

Can I hijack a sec and ask, Is meeting people at a conference (or some other gathering) still a viable form of networking? I would so very much rather meeting face to face and getting to know people. I keep holding out on the internet forms of networking, thinking I can at some point meet all of you lovely people out in the world someday. Is that a pipe dream? Is media networking a must?
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Heather

www.heathermastersvo.com

Bish · Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 12:08 am Post subject:

I can be scathing sometimes about the merits of Linkedin etc. However, as Todd said earlier... the non VO groups can be very useful. In short, go where your clients are, not your colleagues. Now, colleagues can be very helpful, but smaller venues (like here) are places to build relationships and trust. The VO conference circuit is becoming flooded with events... some worthwhile, and some (unfortunately) no so much. I am in a different position than most... I'm a niche talent in the US market, and building relationships with my US colleges has led to a number of referrals and some direct work... and apart from that, most of the people I have met or built relationships with are absolutely spiffy people! In short, nothing beats real life networking and relationship building. The on-line world can be useful, but don't waste your time marketing to fellow VOs, except in exceptional circumstances. Build relationships... the benefits of your "network" will follow as it grows organically.
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

Philip Banks · Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 12:47 am Post subject:

I was told this by a Sales Manager for a life insurance company.

Because of the high commission paid on the best value policy it was possible for a sales person to make a good living selling two policies per week. If he recruited 200 sales people two years later there would be 2 remaining, the rest crashed and burned. The company gave the sales people all the training they needed to help them succeed or at least make a living. 198 cashed and burned.

One man found himself too dumb to cope with any of the training or the slick sales skills but he needed to make a living. What did he do? He chose an area with lots of homes and knocked on doors.

Door opens

"Hi, I'm Tim Zwip from Ice Cold Life of Alaska. Would you like to buy some life insurance?"

As you can probably guess the majority said no but yer man just kept on knocking doors and every week, without fail, he sold at least two life insurance policies. At the time (early 1980's) his income from a job with no salary would've been around $55,000.

Now think of all the training, marketing skills, networking etc on which you have spent good money to say nothing of the time you have haemorrhaged and then look at the number above.

If you look at the £55,000 per year in 1982 and take into account inflation you (he) would be earning in 2016 $135,000 per year.

How's it going?

STOP FAFFING ABOUT!

todd ellis · Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 6:46 am Post subject:

i don't involve myself in linked in groups of any kind ... i seek out PEOPLE i'd like to do business with & who might benefit from the talking out loud i do in my basement. i treat those PEOPLE the same as i would if they opened a shop down the street.

there --- i've given away my secret. that'll be $6.23
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"i know philip banks": todd ellis
who's/on/1st?

Philip Banks · Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2016 7:03 am Post subject:

So you find people with whom you would like to do business and then ask them if they'd like to do business with you?

Trust you to make things unnecessarily complicated!

Couldn't you simply use a multi-platform CRM to integrate with your social media activities linked with an email autoresponder which posts across blogs via a Twitter fed newsletter?

THE FAFFCON WAY OF FINDING A CRICKET SUPPORTER