Poll: Do you use social networking sites for business purposes?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Feb 25, 2015

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you use social networking sites for business purposes?".

This poll was originally submitted by Lotte Bulckens. View the poll results »



 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
No Feb 25, 2015

And that includes ProZ

[Edited at 2015-02-25 08:25 GMT]


 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 03:28
Spanish to English
+ ...
No Feb 25, 2015

But I do have the odd look at different FB groups for translators. It seems there are weirdos everywhere, waiting to pounce and slag off others. Ho hum.

 
Elizabeth Tamblin
Elizabeth Tamblin  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:28
French to English
Not any more Feb 25, 2015

I closed my Facebook and LinkedIn accounts a couple of months ago - two irritants I can do without.

 
Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 03:28
Member (2006)
German to English
No Feb 25, 2015

And I cannot imagine that anyone would do so??

Dont have any social media accounts anyway


 
DianeGM
DianeGM  Identity Verified
Local time: 04:28
Member (2006)
Dutch to English
+ ...
Nope ... Feb 25, 2015

Pretty much the answer as I answered other similar polls concerning social networking and social media.
Social = social and business = business.


 
Oliver Lawrence
Oliver Lawrence  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 03:28
Italian to English
+ ...
Just wondering... Feb 25, 2015

...how long until we get the first comment typically along the lines of "I don't use Twitter because I'm not interested in hearing about what random people have had for breakfast."

Social networking sites have some business value if you know how to use them and how to prevent them becoming a time sink.


 
Triston Goodwin
Triston Goodwin  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 20:28
Spanish to English
+ ...
Yes! Feb 25, 2015

In fact, it has become my primary method for finding new (direct) clients. I have met some very interesting clients and I really enjoy working with them.

Like so many things, and as Oliver said, you get what you put in to it. Many of the translators here have been in the business for decades and already have a strong base of clients built up. For those of us that do not, social media is one of the best ways to cheaply get our names out there and start working. I personally focus al
... See more
In fact, it has become my primary method for finding new (direct) clients. I have met some very interesting clients and I really enjoy working with them.

Like so many things, and as Oliver said, you get what you put in to it. Many of the translators here have been in the business for decades and already have a strong base of clients built up. For those of us that do not, social media is one of the best ways to cheaply get our names out there and start working. I personally focus all of my attention on the video game localization market - which is great since all of my desired clients are already on these social networks.

There's a lot to be said about using these networks, so I guess it's time for another YouTube video!
Collapse


 
Balasubramaniam L.
Balasubramaniam L.  Identity Verified
India
Local time: 07:58
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
Other Feb 25, 2015

I may like to use them, but at present I haven't the faintest idea how they work.

 
Erzsébet Czopyk
Erzsébet Czopyk  Identity Verified
Hungary
Local time: 03:28
Member (2006)
Russian to Hungarian
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
a face of a human Feb 25, 2015

Besides the very simple website, I loved the idea of a Facebook page from the very beginning. Some of my regular clients sending messages, let me know where they are or just ask a question like "Hi Liza, he made me a proposal so we will meet each other soon - we need an interpreter for our wedding ceremony" etc. Some old clients let me to publish pictures and they were surprised when they got a nice message from the translation office for their birthdays, wedding aniversaries etc. Some patients ... See more
Besides the very simple website, I loved the idea of a Facebook page from the very beginning. Some of my regular clients sending messages, let me know where they are or just ask a question like "Hi Liza, he made me a proposal so we will meet each other soon - we need an interpreter for our wedding ceremony" etc. Some old clients let me to publish pictures and they were surprised when they got a nice message from the translation office for their birthdays, wedding aniversaries etc. Some patients received get well-messages to the hospital with the translation of their medical reports. We all humans and any sign of love towards completing our daily translation ordered is our human side, which sometimes can be as much important as our professionalism.
Maybe I am wrong but this is my way.
Collapse


 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 19:28
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other Feb 25, 2015

Oliver Lawrence wrote:
Social networking sites have some business value if you know how to use them and how to prevent them becoming a time sink.


Until recently my answer to this question was always a resounding "No," but recently I've tapped into a nest of translators and translation agencies on Twitter that seems to be pretty active. Twitter is more immediate and dynamic than LinkedIn. I've had a professional profile on LinkedIn for many years, but it hasn't generated business because I haven't been working it very much. I understand that it's my responsibility to make these resources work. I'm already using them to promote my memoir, "Finding My Invincible Summer."


 
Carlos A R de Souza
Carlos A R de Souza  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 23:28
English to Portuguese
+ ...
No. Feb 26, 2015

I don't. There's no guarantee using a social network will give you return for your time invested. As Oliver said, they can be useful if you prevent it to become a "time sink". However, this is the paradox of social media: for it to work, you need to be connected all the time, and this time could be much better spent investing on yourself. Plus, social networking can make you addicted.

 
Carlos A R de Souza
Carlos A R de Souza  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 23:28
English to Portuguese
+ ...
I forgot to add... Feb 26, 2015

The Internet is far more mutable than social media, so there's no guarantee that the time and effort you took to master it will work 6 (or even 3!) months from now. The media might not even be there anymore.

Just to illustrate what I mean: would you create a blog on Blogspot? Would you advertise on Myspace? Surely they were mainstream a while ago, but would you be 100%, positively sure they would attract the right public? In fact, will they attract the same public 6 months from now?


 
Daniel Penso
Daniel Penso
United States
Local time: 19:28
Member (2012)
Japanese to English
+ ...
Why not? Feb 26, 2015

Wherever you meet someone, even at a club, shouldn't be an issue.
The important thing is whether there is honesty, integrity and responsibility
in the relationship between the translator and the outsourcer/client.


 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Jared Tabor[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Poll: Do you use social networking sites for business purposes?






Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »
Trados Business Manager Lite
Create customer quotes and invoices from within Trados Studio

Trados Business Manager Lite helps to simplify and speed up some of the daily tasks, such as invoicing and reporting, associated with running your freelance translation business.

More info »