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SOCIAL MEDIA
Be Careful With Internet Networking:
Some Tips From Creepy Experience ...

By Caryn Clark
Voice Actor

People have found me (and booked me for voice overs) by Googling my name, then watching videos on my YouTube channel, and listening to spots on my web site.

I also try to develop relationships through social networking sites like Facebook (two pages) and LinkedIn. I actually don't know that I specifically do that to garner business, but it's great to get to know like-minded people.

I like learning about people and their experiences. And I feel like if people get to know me as a person, creating that relationship is better than just handing them a business card while giving them a 30-second elevator speech to hit them up for business. I'd rather have a relationship.

BUT BEWARE ...

That said, there are precautions one should take in social media.

You can, without realizing it, reveal a lot of personal information that you probably don't want people to know.

Here are some things I find helpful ...

FRIENDS LISTS

On Facebook, I have several different lists of friends.

My "Private" list contains close friends or people I know. I post the mostly personal status updates and pictures to my "Private" list.

My other lists include:
  • voiceover,
  • people separated by organizations I'm involved with, and
  • a general friends list.
I make sure the general posts are generic, and post very little to the "public" work-related lists.

NO 'FRIENDS OF FRIENDS'

And I do NOT allow "Friends of Friends" to view my posts. I've done some research on that option, and I believe it to be more "open" than even a "Public" view, because things you post then show up on your "Friends of Friends" feeds.

It exponentially increases your exposure. And, when I did have "Friends of Friends" for a short time, I received some pretty creepy emails from men.

MORE TIPS FROM EXPERIENCE ...

  • If I check in somewhere, it's usually to my smaller, "Private" list. It's internet etiquette to ask those you're with if they'd like to be checked in.
  • I have to approve all tags for photos, etc.
  • I make sure anything I link to doesn't include personal information that I don't want people to know, such as my AGE ... (haha... just kidding) or my address (not kidding).
  • While I DO accept Friend Requests of people I don't know (because there are lots of voice over people I don't know!!), they are put on the general "Friends" list and they see the very generic posts.
  • If someone local in my area sends me a Friend Request, and I don't know them, I send them a message asking how we know each other. If I don't know them in some way, I simply apologize and explain that I don't friend people I don't know.
EXTREME CAUTION? NOT REALLY

All of this might sound extreme, but I've had some experiences that have taught me first-hand, one can really never be too cautious on the World Wide Web. We certainly can use it to our advantage for relationships and marketing, but please, be careful.
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ABOUT CARYN
A professional female voice over talent with an ISDN studio, Caryn's hip and cool voice is heard worldwide and on U.S. television networks such as VH-1, Disney, Nickelodeon, as well as in radio and other multimedia.She is a versatile actress, with a user-friendly voice that can reach the life cycle of people: from kids who love their colorful fun toys, to narrating e-learning to teach those kiddos about science and math, to a Mom driving a mini-van full of kids to school, or out on a Friday night, martini in hand, flirting with her husband.


Email: caryn@carynclark.com
Web: www.carynclark.com


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Comments (1)
Kurt Feldner
1/26/2013 at 9:07 AM
Good stuff - thanks for sharing!
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