Facebook Fan Pages

Private User
Actor

Hi all,

Has anyone any experience they would like to share on using Facebook professionally? i.e. I want to create a Facebook Page to promote myself & avoid mixing with my personal account.

Any advice, tips, etc would be most welcome.

Thanks


  • 11 years ago
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I have done that recently, and for the same reasons.
It doesn't seem to be working though!
I was having the problem, that my friends, would post things with swear words in, and things which have happened on nights out etc, on my wall, where cast and crew from films I have been in, could see it!
I had to keep deleting their posts, and it was getting frustrating, as in person, me and my friends could have a laugh, but when it was posted on my Facebook, I would realise how unprofessional it was.
So, I made a page under my same name, I've shared it on my personal, private Facebook profile, and only a few of the people I have worked with have liked it.
Any new people I have been in contact with in the film industry have gone straight to adding me as a friend, rather than contacting me through my Facebook acting page. So, it's a bit awkward trying to tell them that I don't want to accept them as a friend, but I would rather them "like" my page, to contact me there.
That's just my experience with it.
I hope it goes well with you though! Best of luck!


  • 11 years ago
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User Deleted
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I made a fan page for the same reasons, although I am thinking of making lists to control what professional acquaintances see when they add me as a friend. That way I can avoid awkward rejections!


  • 11 years ago
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John Rayment
Actor

Doesn't Facebook have its own professional networking version, BranchOut?

I've never used it, so I've no idea if it's any good, but a couple of people I've worked with have sent link requests recently.


  • 11 years ago
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User Deleted
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It's a good way of advertising yourself professionally. Although I am a trained actor, I also paint and I use facebook to build up a fan base and gain commissions. If you use it well, it can be a really useful tool. Please do check out my page.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Victoria-Scott-Paintings/158212327591450

Break a leg!!

Victoria


  • 11 years ago
  • 4
Private User
This profile is private

Thanks for your feedback, it's much appreciated. Also thank you to Victoria for sending me an example, that was very helpful.

Does anyone have a Facebook Fan Page? If so, link me. It's good to see how others promote themselves & once my page is up and running I can 'like'

Thanks!


  • 11 years ago
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This one is mine, I'm not sure if I'm using it properly though, there is a lot to fiddle around with!
http://www.facebook.com/RorieStockton


  • 11 years ago
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User Deleted
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Also you can like people's pages from your own page, and their page appears on your page, like a badge. This is also a good way of getting other people's fans to browse your page and like.

By the looks of your ccp profile, you are doing really well boyo. Absolutely get it up and running!! xx


  • 11 years ago
  • 7

My honest opinion is its a bit cringeworthy, you just lots of people talking in the 3rd person and begging for likes. I think using your normal Facebook also makes it more personal and takes away the awkward professional distance - its positive to view professionals as friends!

The new Facebook timeline is really personalise-able (is that a real w


  • 11 years ago
  • 8

My honest opinion is its a bit cringeworthy, you just lots of people talking in the 3rd person and begging for likes. I think using your normal Facebook also makes it more personal and takes away the awkward professional distance - its positive to view professionals as friends!

The new Facebook timeline is really personalise-able (is that a real word?) so you can always delete or hide defamatory posts.


  • 11 years ago
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Forbes KB
Actor

It made my skin crawl when facebook admins in their ultimate wisdom changed the terminology from "professional profile" to "fan page"! I have had a professional profile on FB for many years where I publise screen shots and behind the scenes stuff of me on set doing my thing!

Not once have I ever asked, nor will I ever ask, anyone to like me or my page! Quite frankly I'd rather work hard towards gaining the professional respect of my peers above and below me in the food chain than look like a desperate wannabe that has to ask people to click "like"!

Doing the work breeds likes organically...Likes that actually mean something! A like you've had to ask for is worthless!


  • 11 years ago
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User Deleted
This profile has been archived

I agree, about not asking for likes (that's not actually what I did, I simply displayed the link) but I believe there is no harm in inviting fans to like your page. It means you can show them what you do - and if they like it - they will give you the support. It is a very hard industry that we are in and even harder for young graduates to build on a cv with the catch 22,so I think any kind of advertising is good. I currently have 218 likes on my page, I have never ASKED anyone to like it. But having a page, inpsires me and gives me the confidence to create more. Do it and invite people to make the choice.


  • 11 years ago
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Forbes KB
Actor

It's the whole concept of having fans when most of us on here are jobbing actors not stars that I object to! I've had countless people messaging me asking me to like their actor fan pages...before they've even set foot on a stage or set!

Invite people to view your page by all means but that's not what facebook is set up to do! The system asks you to like and I'll never promote any of my online profiles by begging for likes, like the number of likes you have has any bearing whatsoever in getting through the audition process!

Like me or loathe me! I honestly don't care! It's all about the work and the CV you build along the way!


  • 11 years ago
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When I did my tour of a one man play last year I created a separate page for publicity purposes under the name of the name of the play. I only asked for "likes" for the page because my understanding was that if there were 25 then that would make the page "searchable" independently of my own page and the FB details were included on posters/flyers. I used the page for news updates on rehearsals, venues and for posting "teasers" about the mystery to be revealed. So all in all certainly better than using your personal FB page.

I have also separated Twitter from Facebook so that any tweets will be acting related and my FB play page was linked to Twitter.

I agree that I would not like to have posts with swearing on a professional page. In fact, without wishing to sound prissy, I don't like all the swearing that goes on anyway. Why is it necessary. Yes, I can swear with the best of them but only in certain circumstances and I don't need to do so when writing.


  • 11 years ago
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Rob Talbot
Actor

Forbes mate - have to correct your previous post where you said "A like you've had to ask for is worthless!".

Actually, I think it's probably worse than useless - it can make you look desparate.

I'm a "fan" of nobody - never have been, never will be :o)


  • 11 years ago
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Private User
This profile is private

I get what you're saying Forbes. I've just found that more & more resources are now on Facebook, and I don't want to include all elements of my private life with business, I seeusing Facebook as another resource & promotional tool. I won't be begging for likes, I just see it as another place for people to keep up to date with what I'm doing.


  • 11 years ago
  • 15
Forbes KB
Actor

OK Rob! I stand corrected! :-D

I have no problems with professional profiles to promote a theatre or TV show or, indeed, an up and coming actor it's the whole concept of calling them "fan pages" that gets my goat!

If you ever ask me to "like" your page you're not gonna be impressed with my response so be warned! All the pages I have clicked like on on fb are people/organisations who's body of work I respect!

As I've said many times before on this and numerous other forums! Do the work and the likes/fans will grow organically! Do nothing other than manage a facebook fan page in order to make out your some sort of celebrity and you deserve nothing! You'll probably achieve it as well!


  • 11 years ago
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Forbes KB
Actor

We all need to utilise whatever marketting resources are available to us including facebook! Just wish facebook administrators would go back to professional profile as an alternative to personal profiles and get rid of the whole fan page concept!

On a side note! I also think it was a massive mistake by CCP admins to integrate CCP with facebook while removing the minimal integration with Spotlight! CCP is not a social networking tool! It's supposed to be a professional tool for us to use to promote ourselves as actors and Spotlight is, and always will be, a critical element of that!

I would suggest this is rethought out and a yes/no switch included so that members could activate or remove a link to their Spotlight profiles! I would suggest, 99.9% of us would have it set to active with in minutes!


  • 11 years ago
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User Deleted
This profile has been archived

It doesn't ASK you to like - it invites you to like. A completely different concept as it gives you the choice, without pressure. I like the fact that the word 'desperate' has been banded here, with regard to pages... I think the word desperate has been misplaced for 'eager' I have yet to attend a workshop audition where the room hasn't smelt of 'eager.' We all want attention, we all want the jobs which are, let's face it, few and far between. The way I see it is I've made money from setting up my page and doing just that, I have also gained more support because of it. Better this, than just painting in my studio all day, barely selling a painting then cutting off my ear like genius, Van Gogh. (Who I revere highly). Same goes for acting and you never know who might visit your page - it's all networking isn't it?
I think in such a tough industry where one can be constantly knocked down, and where you can lose belief in yourself daily, why should it be seen as 'desperate' to set up a little virtual space which is yours, where you can edit and create and where you can place your work and achievements (no matter how 'meagre' they may appear to those 'seasoned professionals')? Bit of a stepping stone for those fresh out of college too, who struggle with getting casting opportunities in the catch 22.


  • 11 years ago
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Forbes KB
Actor

Victoria, it's the whole concept of "fan page" that gets my goat and and "to invite" is exactly the same as "an ask" (or "aks" if you're from Hackney)!

I'm not knocking professional profiles, geez, I've got them all over the place including here! If you like any of them, that's all fine and dandy! If you don't that's fine with me too! Makes no difference whatsoever! My CV defines me as an actor and your portfolio as an artist defines you, not the number of anonymous likes you get on facebook!

That's all I'm saying!


  • 11 years ago
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User Deleted
This profile has been archived

'Fan' This is a word facebook have attached to pages for people wanting to advertise their work and skills. Agreed it is not the best word. Can't it just be called a professional page with likes? But this is simply a matter of vocabulary. Shall we write to Mr Zuckerberg and tell him his setup makes us all desperate? No. The most fundamental thing is getting yourself out there and supporting others whose work you admire, irrelevant of how many credits they have to their name, or whether they've invited you or not. Link away folks, I'll have a gander. xx


  • 11 years ago
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