VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[Philip Banks]

A journalist roaming around a park in central London unwittingly became part of TV out take history. He and his camera crew stop by a young man catching some rays.

"Excuse me, do you know what global warming means?" asked the journalist.

"I should hope so" replied the young man with a grin "I'm a Particle Physicist!"

DUH!

The reason for sharing the above is that most people in our business have latched on to Social Media as the next "Easy way to riches". It is possible for VO people to use it to their professional benefit by testing and applying their (equivalent) knowledge of being a Particle Physicist. Thinking or knowing something has happened and linking it with an anecdote or an ill informed anecdote is not the same as being the knowledgeable user of the medium.

Possibility - Anything is possible but not necessarily Probable.
Probable - Probability is calculable.
Chance - Chance has no memory so just because something one simply can not explain worked out well for one person does not mean it will happen again. Try playing the winning numbers from last week's lottery.

What remains is our knowledge, the outcome we want and our ability to test in the same way we would conduct an experiment to turn cheese into gold by adding a liquidised CPA from Baltimore to the cheddar and heating slowly until Thursday.

In my previous life I used to rip companies apart mathematically to discover why the shares were selling for $n. I could prove the price was too high, too low or like the Porridge eaten by Goldilocks "just right". From that point I was able to make an informed investment decision on behalf of the investment funds I used to manage.

It is possible to do the above with business related social media marketing but it will significantly change the way you do things, how you interact and with whom.

The key is being able to meaningfully influence the outcome. People in Harrisburg, New York, LA, on a KLM 747 at 39,000ft have seen me do it. That was just a fun thing but there was a reason I did it. Get that and an extra several dollar a month could be yours and possibly a massive yacht.

My father once said "I never gamble because I would only place a bet if I knew I was going to win and knowing I'm going to win takes the fun out it"

[Deirdre]

[Philip Banks]

M&S Food, Elgin, Saturday. Matty is comparing puddings for Sunday lunch.

"We've had this before haven't we?" she then picks up another "this looks yummy and it's £2.50 whereas the other is £4.50."

I look at the options. She rolls her eyes. Shopping continues. Everything bagged and ready to go. Pass the time of day with the young man at the check-out. Pay for goods and head for the car.

"Ok, I'll pay half. How much was it?"

People in the car park looked on in wonder at an elderly blonde midget woman cackling like a Shakespearean Witch.

"Alex, JWT, Wonka Bar" I replied with head held high.

[Bruce]

I'm reminded of something I read eight years ago from someone whose thoughts I sometimes admire, me.

[HeatherMasters]

This thread has me mesmorized. I have been struggling with these issues. When I read Philip's original post, I loved it, because I have a natural dislike of most technology in general. I grew up daydreaming of being Amish...seriously. So Philip's anti social media rant jives with me and I think, "Ha, see, I've had it right all along!" and then I read the insightful comments, and I'm back where I started. Here, I suppose is my quandary. On the one hand, my hippie minded self feels that to succumb to the societal demands of "the man" by indulging in social media would mean giving up who I am, becoming someone I have never wanted to be. Okay I know that sounds hokey, but really, at root, I am a hermitish nature loving granola backpacker girl, and though I do recognize I am a bit of a freak, I like who I am. Perhaps accordingly in line with who I am, I am not as ambitious as I could be. I love my job, and am content just to make a living at it. So if I have to sacrifice "what could be" if I only incorporated social media, to be who I am, I'm okay with that. -----Now we switch to the other half of my brain. I wonder if all of my balking against social media is just at root, because I don't want to learn new things. I don't want to change. Will I eventually be pushed completely out of a job because of my unwillingness to humble myself and change with the times? Which side of my brain has it right? Am I a free spirited flower child, or just a sour faced wrinkled old curmudgeon?
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Heather

www.heathermastersvo.com

[DougVox]

Heather, have no fear...

Being active on Social Media ≠ Career Success.

And those who tell you it does likely sell their services as Social Media Experts (whatever that means).
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Doug Turkel (tur-KELL)
Voiceover UNnouncer®
UNnouncer.com

[richvoice]

[Philip Banks]

NEVER ever read something I didn't write, say something I didn't say, believe something just because the crowd follows such beliefs.

Voice Over people waste the bulk of their time worrying about what they are missing just because someone else claims that what they are doing REALLY works.

I AM an Amish Voiceoverist - Join me, und come out from among them and be ye separate.

Doing what I do has not made me rich but I am fairly solvent.

[Bish]

I'm treading lightly for fear of hitting one of the board's taboos (and I apologize for any office caused as I paint with a very broad brush)... but I find most proponents of social media as an invaluable tool for business success apply the same fervor as some who would call themselves "religious". Viz: it works because I believe it works and it's the path I have chosen to follow. I can provide no proof, but I have an unshakable belief in the truth of its being. No counter arguments will be effective, and in fact, they will only strengthen my own belief.

... add to that the fact that social media has its own version of evangelical preachers (the self-proclamed gurus) who make boat-loads of cash by preaching the word to those seeking answers or looking to bolster their own belief... and the parallels are complete.

However, I'm torn between that and the belief that people say it's good for business simply to justify their own addiction to it... and the countless wasted hours spent posting and fretting about friend counts, likes & follows.

There are, no doubt, many stories that start "someone contacted me via Facebook/Twitter" and I'm sure in some cases that contact would not have happened were it not for social media... but for the most part, an annual SM habit of 500 hours or more (about 90mins per day) netting a $1K gig is only a $2 per hour return on investment. A $7K job will just about bring you up to minimum wage.

Unfortunately, most VOs don't do cost/benefit analysis exercises.

This is only my opinion and as such is worth exactly what you paid for it and completely ignorable.
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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.

[todd ellis]

[Bruce]

[DenaliDave]

You know...*rubs chin*

Despite how everyone scrambles about social media with bizarre fervor, actually TALKING to people still works

It really isn't that hard to just take a few minutes and make yourself seen/heard. Even if you aren't doing anything more than posting a photo of your dog/cat (which I do on occasion) -- it *humanizes* you a bit. It makes you feel more "real" to people who DO spend most of their day with their face glued to the "black mirror" (BBC show reference lol)

And in any case -- to the point about "selling out" ... there's a line from a movie, "SLC Punk" that I think fits...

"I didn't sell out, I bought in..."
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"The wise ones fashioned speech with their thought, sifting it as grain is sifted through a sieve." - Buddha
www.alaskamic.com

[Lee Gordon]

Yesterday, somebody tweeted that Philip had left Twitter. This is why I don't spend much time with Twitter.
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Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

[Darren Altman]

Hello!! *waves* remember me? Darren. From London. Jewish. Voiceover!!

This is a really interesting one as I have a love/hate relationship with social media, particularly Facebook. I try to hold it down as much as possible and over the last few months, choose to respond to peoples questions and advice seeking via DM as opposed to posting on forums now. The sentiment is still appreciated.

Recently, there seem to be a lot of people who wind me up by the way in which they conduct themselves and I find it hard to let go - clearly that's my problem, not theres. After boozy Saturday nights, I've been known to let loose on Facebook and find myself waking up on Sunday mornings with a pounding head, thinking "oh sh!t no! Why did you post that Darren, you d1ck?!"

This year, with one thing and another has been huge in terms of my career and exposure and I've been sharing my journey with friends and colleagues on FB. But the "self promotion and sharing good news" vs "bragging" is also a tricky one for me even though I know that it's just a question of judging the tone and (to quote Bob Souer) not coming across as being a dick!! People tell me that I get the balance right, but I still worry how I'm being perceived.

Peter's right, people will always tell you that what works for them is the right way to proceed, so if they have got work from Twitter or FB, then they will testify that it's the right way to go about building a career. But conversely, I know of hugely successful musicians who are at the absolute peak of their game that have never done social media at all and yet are recording and touring the world with the biggest names in music. Why? because their reputations speak for themselves.

Personally, I believe that in our game it's good to have a presence. Producers and clients know what I'm up to, what I can deliver and see my posts on social media and I do think that's advantageous. However I think that we have to strike a balance with sharing stuff that we're genuinely proud of while maintaining a dignified and humble tone.

Finally, engaging and conversing is a must. It baffles me when I see peoples Twitter feeds and it's post after post without acknowledging anyone else. It's like having a one-sided conversation and is simply rude. It's all about being respectful of your audience and balance. IMHO.
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https://www.darrenaltman.com/
http://twitter.com/darrenaltman

[paulstefano]

Hello, Darren! We haven't had the pleasure, as I'm kind of new to the board, and you have been busy! Congrats on all the recent accolades, you deserve it. Welcome back to the VO-BB. Hope to continue great conversations.
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http://www.paulstefano.com