Anything Goes : A 7 Step Guide for Twitter For Those In Production by Marcelo Dietrich

I cannot stress enough the importance of utilizing social media in your production career. With the ability to reach out across the world, social media can no longer be ignored. I have established relationships, booked gigs & given gigs to people in other countries! I’ve established relationships that I would not have been able to if I had not utilized social media. In this multi-article topic, let’s first discuss Twitter. Twitter is, according to their Wikipedia page, “an online social networking service and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based messages of up to 140 characters, known as "tweets”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter Allow me to share what Twitter is for me. Twitter is a place where I can receive & share information regarding my interests. I hope that the people that “follow” me are interested in & will benefit from the information that I share or “tweet” about. I like to occasionally tweet about what I’m working on. Let’s set-up or look at your Twitter page in a step-by-step format. 1. Your name. This is you, your brand, who you are, your stage name, the name you want to see in the Play Bill, the opening credits. Use this name. This is crucial. Your Grandmothers name for you might not be a brilliant idea, but I’m sure she’s a sweet lady nonetheless. 2. Your “username”. This is the name that will be proceeded with the “@” symbol. Again, this is crucial. Try to utilize your entire “name” from above. There is a chance your “name” from above might not be possible as perhaps someone is already using that name. Perhaps you could use just your first or last name & your favorite number… 3. A profile picture of you. Show us who you are! Use 1 of your newly acquired headshots! This is crucial! It’s your “look”! We want to see who we are following & who is following us! I have to advise against using a pic from your wild Vegas weekend. 4. Bio. This is a description of who you are & what you do. Use this space wisely, creatively & effectively. Are you an Actor? Are you a writer? Are you a producer? Are you a DP? Are you an editor? Do you sell oranges by the Freeway? Tell us about you! Be sure to leave room for #5, a very crucial element! 5. Website. How do we contact you? How can we see your work? How should that big filmmaker contact you to work on her next film? Share your website! My favorite idea is to use your Stage 32 page! 6. Useful &/or entertaining tweets. Give us something! Tweet with a purpose. Would you want to read what you tweet? I promise you that nobody cares about what happened at the grocery, how often you work-out or what you found in your swimming pool – unless of course it is truly useful &/or entertaining! Yes, you should tweet about a gig you booked, or the premier of your film but, first and foremost, let us get to know you, so we’ll care! Don’t always just promote yourself. Who truly enjoys conversations with that overly-talkative person anyways? 7. Personality. Let us see you who are! Be fun, engaging, outgoing! Don’t be a downer! Would you want to have a conversation with that someone that is always just complaining? Again, this might be acceptable if it is truly useful &/or entertaining! The bottom line is this: your Twitter page is an extension of who you are & what you do. It is your gateway to more work & exposure. Use it wisely. I hope this article is of help to you. Let me know if you have any more tips! I hope you're well! Respectfully, Marcelo Dietrich https://Twitter.com/MarceloDietrich