Task 3A

'Networking' is a highly important part of professional life, especially in the arts industry. There is a strong sense of 'Its not what you know it's who you know'. I have been fortunate enough to meet great people in this industry who have gave me  excellent connections and in some cases gave me opportunities for future work.

Firstly when reading task 3A, I immediately thought of web 2:0 and therefore found it hard to differentiate between task 1:B and 3:A. After reading reader 3 and looking through BAPP blogs I began to understand the definition of networking and the different tools and methods used to engage in networking.

What are the current and different ways (tools) that you have, or do, engage your professional network?

Facebook

Facebook is one of the main tools I use for networking. When meeting somebody new in the industry, I add them on Facebook. Myself and many other performers I know, live a very busy lifestyle and are often too busy to meet up and network the good old fashioned way (face to face); Facebook is easily accessible through portable devices such as mobile phones and tablets and therefore allows us to network 'on the go'.  The majority of affiliates I have met throughout my training and professional life live all over the globe and many are constantly travelling the world or even spend years out at sea performing on cruise ships. Without Facebook it would be very difficult to network regularly. As I discussed in task 1B the facebook group 'The hustle' is a place to network and meet new people involved in all aspects of stage and screen.
 I have recently changed the 'privacy settings' on my Facebook account which now allow me to view statuses and pictures, in which I have been tagged in, before they appear on my timeline, This enables me too distinguish between posts I deem appropriate for professionals to view and posts I would prefer to keep personal for social uses only. 

Other online networking tools I regularly use include:

• Casting call pro 
• Email 
• Skype 
• Blogging
• Flickr

I use Twitter and Instagram often for social uses to catch up with friends and post pictures of my personal life. I do not think these social media sites would benefit my professional network as much as Facebook and other web 2:0 sites as I would rather keep my professional and personal life separate and would find it hard to balance the two on these sites. If an employer asked to see pictures of my work I would link them to my Flickr account or send photographs via email. I very rarely use twitter to network professionally, for example, I sometimes 'retweet' work related posts or positive reviews of shows involving myself and will occasionally be tagged  in 'tweets' by my fellow cast members are company managers however I would not contact an employer via twitter as I believe it is too informal. 

Networking tools offline:

• Auditions - Meeting new people at auditions and also networking with people who are regularly in the same auditions as myself. It is also a great way to make your self known to directors, casting directors and producers etc who maybe on the audition panel as  although you may not have recieved the job you initially auditioned for, it may lead to other opportunities
• Staff meetings- I have recently became a teacher and i find networking with other teachers in meetings  is a great way to learn new teaching techniques, share ideas and reflect on classes.
• Meeting up with friends from the industry- It is always good to meet up with friends who share the same passions as I do. Together we can chat about different theatre productions, companies, job opportunities and share valuable knowledge. I am very lucky to have friends I can trust and confide in. It is always important to keep private information about companies or fellow actors private as its a very small world and bad mouthing people may lead to loss of jobs and loosing important contacts. 

What are the established (and different) ways that others use their networks, especially if they are more established or experienced practitioners that you admire?

Youtube Channel
Many established and more experienced practitioners have youtube channels. They upload videos of their work for the public to view and comment on. Youtube channels can be linked to emails to send to potential employers and also added to casting site profiles such as 'casting call pro'. I have a youtube channel, however I do not have a sufficient amount of footage of me performing to upload. This is something i will work on to build my professional network.  I do however network with potential employers by uploading video auditions. 

Linkedin
Another professional networking tool I have never used is Linkedin. I have came across this network in the past and had dismissed it; however after reading many BAPP blogs and speaking to fellow BAPP student in our last online session, I have decided to look into it and build a profile as it will broaden me networks and could be very beneficial to my career. 

Many also use Facebook as I do, however they create their own professional page or even go as far as creating their own website with forums and news pages etc. Due these tools being web 2:0. People within their network can communicate via comments.


My ideal Network

I have  created a spider diagram of my ideal network. As you can see it is extremely vast and involves people who are related to the arts and teaching and could assist my professional development in numerous different ways. I would ideally be able to network with these professionals quickly and easily through the use of web 2:0 sites and other networking tools.  I understand that some professionals in my ideal network may not be able to help me directly, however they will more than likely have a large network themselves and will often provide me with contacts which will be more beneficial to me providing I also help them out in some way. 

When you reflect upon current networks, can you think about the motives of others to be in the network and what values and purpose they have in mind?

• Gather useful information
• Seek opportunities
• Seek employment
• Gain new contacts

What realistic things could you do to work towards developing your ideal network?

I will continue to network with professionals I have worked with past and present and will also stay in contact with professionals I will meet in future auditions and jobs. I will also try the following techniques to expand my network and also create a Linkedin account as I mentioned above .

Equity meetings
A friend of mine whom I recently met whilst touring regularly attends equity meetings. This is in my opinion an excellent way of networking and discussing important and interesting issues with fellow performers.

Classes/workshops
Another very beneficial way of networking is attending class and workshops. I have recently been considering joining acting classes to further my skills and didn't consider it to be a way of networking until reading Sian Turners blog. Meeting new casting directors and actors may open doors to new opportunities and will also enhance my work by learning from others and reflecting.