How about LinkedIn?

Instead, or also?

Also, at least. LinkedIn seems to be the network my old contacts are on. They may also have facebook, but when I contact someone, they ask if I'm on linkedin. I'm not on facebook myself, so I don't know much about that.

Will definitely do LinkedIn, then.

Also, I should add that if I do a Facebook page for him, it won't be ignored - I'll monitor and do whatever should be done (or get him to do), if people, um... write on his wall? or something? heh.

Do em all.

With Facebook try to find groups he can join with networking opportunities.

Linkednin baby, it's the only place to be. He can befriend me and find ad-people by the truckloads through my network (which includes a bunch of commercial producers and so on). To be fair I only know one ad person in greece but hey it's a start, right? :) http://www.linkedin.com/in/dabitch

oh, and I say that it's the only place after watching my man spend a lot of time on Facebook since practically all of Denmark is there, and not one lead has come from it. It does help him keep track of where all his collegues are though, and he has nice chats with his nieces and so on, but the social there is very social. It has helped in the way that people spotting him on facebook have found his linkedin, and maybe that helps in the long run. Leads are coming from the usual more businessy networks - mailinglists and professional groups, none are found on facebook. I don't think it hurts to do them all if you have time for it - I have chosen not to waste my time on facebook.

Facebook will email you if somebody writes on your wall or sends you a facebook mail or whatever. So you don't even need to be particularly vigilant about montioring it.

It's been a great networking tool for me, but I'm a science fiction writer and poet, so, different world.

I go on daily to see my friends' status updates, which let me know something of what they're up to (and are frequently funny). I might spend half an hour there. But if I ignore, it emails me when somebody contacts me. I block all of the applications people invite me to use (which can be fun but take up too much time for me).

Another vote for LinkedIn. Facebook is more of a social thing than a business one, thus a dangerous vortex of time suck.

Do it all. I use FB and Twitter now for personal life, but also to promote my nonprofit. Twitter is surprisingly amazing for networking because the userbase is still really small, but mostly active and information-houndish. On FB, I have my personal profile, but I have also gotten into the habits of creating groups and pages willy-nilly for events and projects. And it's really something - people sign on, and then they can get your updates, and all-in-all it's pretty basic marketing - it's a [free] way to keep you and your activities top-of-mind and tightly looped in.

As for LinkedIn, I just started using it because of my job search, and because a lot of people in my field have recently leapt at it and I didn't want to get behind. My observation with LinkedIn is this - you shouldn't do it half-assed. It takes some time, but it makes a huge difference in the impression you give on it whether you have a complete profile. It should have a pic, the full resume detail that you want to put out there, and recommendations - these demonstrate how good your network already is. I haven't had anything specific happen because of LinkedIn, but I'm starting to be really aware that it's got a role to play in the search for work and a professional peer group. It's helpful because I'd rather have one than not have one, and am mindful that having a LinkedIn profile says a few things about me and how I'm interested in staying in touch with my profession. It's also incredibly handy to say to someone you randomly met "I'm on LinkedIn, connect with me there," whereby they will not only connect to you but also be able to see you resume and be suitably impressed.

So yes, do them all - I think all these applications are basic enough that together, they form kind of a comprehensive promotion portfolio. It's fun to use them for social reasons, but if you're in a field or run groups that involve touching base with larger communities, they're indispensible as marketing tools. Even if what you're marketing is yourself.

Making this work:

On FaceBook: post a status update at least every couple of days. Could be "I'm working on [whatever]" or "Recorded a great [whatever]" or "Listening to [whatever]". Just giving people an idea of forward motion and perhaps Icanhaz or tinyurl links to other content they might want to see or listen to. Just make sure you contribute something every couple of days, because people who don't put something in the mix kind of drop off the radar. I think particularly in creative fields it's important to be seen as someone around whom something interesting is always happening.

When I started my job search I also updated my FB status with a tinyurl link to my LinkedIn and asked people to check it out. You can do the same on Twitter.

If you have a project coming up that others will be involved in, or a release or premiere show or film screening or anything, create a page for it. Describe it, provide links, and then put a link to the page in your status update. before you know it people will sign on to the page.

If you have a company name - like a production company name - make a "Group" for it. Invite everyone you know to join the group. When they join, you can send them invites to specific events - launches, openings, shows, releases. It's really easy to personally message everyone in your group.

Using these techniques this year we doubled attendance at an annual event over last year, when we just used email and postering.

On LinkedIn, USE THE RECOMMENDATIONS. It can feel icky to nakedly ask someone to recommend you, but do it. There's an authenticity to it that is irresistible, and people will say the nicest things about you that you'd never have the guts to write about yourself.

At the bottom of your work emails, list all your social media links - FB, LinkedIn, Twitter, Flickr, whatever...so you're easy to find across platforms.

Geez I had no idea I'd gotten so much awareness of this...I should work up a presentation.

fantastic tips! Some of this will be tricky... the vast majority of the work has been with local productions, and of course, it's going to be the exception rather than the rule for Greek industry professionals to be networking using these tools, so I don't want him to look like he doesn't have any contacts/recommendations. Maybe we can get some more people to do it...

I just discovered that he has an IMDB page. :) This needs to be updated and filled in... I hope we don't have to pay something silly to do that. I guess what shows up there is just from the productions that have put themselves on IMDB.

oh... ha ha! I see he's also credited as an actor there. But really he's had bit roles in a whole pile of films. He's been a policeman and a pimp... and his greatest role - peeing guy. He stops his car alongside the road and starts unzipping to take a whiz, and discovers a body. A brilliant and nuanced performance.

a year for an IMDB resume with no images is a cheap way to get his resume on there which he should do since he already has credits listed there. Hell, I did it when I was a little tipsy and I don't work in film that way much at all - check out the actress whose voice you heard in a short film you've never seen. ;)

but "peeing guy" beats that role. That's a good one. haha!

I've got an IMDB page, too.

taz: Y'all need to talk to my friend Erica Friedman, aka Yuricon because she's created a new career for herself by teaching people how to socially network and make FB, LinkedIn, etc. really work for them.

hee! Dabs, for months afterward we were making urinator/terminator jokes.

Well, anyway, the good thing is that he has great social and professional capital here, and he's done a lot of nice things for a lot of people... not for $Profit, but just because he's a nice person, and he has a big list of studios, producers and directors who are going to call him first whenever they have a project on. Shoring that up with facebook, linkedin, imdb, etc. can't hurt.

Dabitch, once we set up the linkedin, we'll take advantage of your kind offer of befriending! It will embiggen us!

Cast a wide net and do them all.