Did Facebook kill the Christmas Card ?

Read an interesting article in the Metro paper whilst travelling to panto on the tube which suggests  we are all receiving and sending less Christmas cards  and instead putting a post on Facebook without the bother of choosing cards, writing them and then sending them and of course the saving on the cost of the cards and postage.  

The Christmas tree is up and the presents bought and wrapped and the parties are in full swing but what about the traditional Christmas cards? Are our mantel pieces bare?

I think it is rather sad. Whilst Facebook, email and Twitter are fine for quick catch ups I don’t think they compare to the handwritten genuine article. I think it is much more personal and nice to choose something original and personal for the ones you love. According to Cosmopolitan your choice of Christmas card can say a lot about you as a person!

I have sent out cards to all my close friends back in Yorkshire as I am in London doing panto for the festive season and I haven’t had one card back just messages on Facebook saying thanks for the card and a Merry Christmas to you too!

Does anyone else feel we need some Christmas card love even in this technical age ?   

When I was a kid it was always assumed if someone who normally sent a card didn’t , they were either dead, or in jail and if someone committed something bad you’d say they were being “struck off the Christmas card list!”. You even got cards from the local butcher and the milkman. We got so many cards by Christmas Eve there were strings around every wall of the living room!

On Christmas Day I know my Blackberry will be filled with Happy Christmas messages but I think there’s more to Christmas than that.

 Anyway I wish  all you fellow BAPPers  a wonderful and peaceful Christmas and if like me you feel the need for some Christmas Card love you can print this out and stick it to your mantel piece !!!

The Networked Professional

Reading through lots of blog postings, like everyone else I agree my main source of information and tool I use to access information is the internet. I use it to look information up for auditions, performances etc and for any research it is always my first port of call, to go to the web and google or You Tube to watch performances.

For example I had to research Lady GaGa’s “Bad Romance” for panto so I watched her over and over on You Tube.

I do use Wikipedia a lot as I find the definitions and basic information is in an easy to read and easy to understand format and then you can go onto other links to check out the information is reliable and backed up on other sites and read about a subject in more depth.

It is so easy to find anything you need just by a few clicks of the mouse and all the information is just at your fingertips and you can even access the information via your mobile phone or on a train or a bus -  wherever you are. I think it’s important to investigate people you are going to meet, people who it would be good to know and learn more about them by checking out there on line presence. I also research companies before an audition to get to know a little about who I am auditioning for and the reputation and work of the company. If you get to chat to a producer or casting agent it’s always handy to have a little background information as a head’s up. Shows you’ve done your homework!

The most important communication tool I use is email.  I have weekly alerts from dance agencies, Spotlight and Star Now and The Stage so I can apply for auditions and jobs. With a PIN number I just press apply and the agency automatically sends my CV and headshot.
I also email dance companies to ask to attend company classes when I can as they get to see you work as a dancer.

 I also network through face to face contact at auditions and at promotional events and after show networking, at professional classes and workshops. I think this is as important as on line networking – both are of equal importance to increasing my web of contacts and by sharing experiences with others we learn and develop. I agree with Ross about connecting with other dancers at auditions and see my blog – “Schmoozing the night away” – where I discussed the importance of face to face networking and “Do we reap what we sow?” which continues with the ideas around what motivates us to help each other.   

http://emilyrose91.blogspot.com/2010/12/schmoozing-night-away.html

http://emilyrose91.blogspot.com/2010/12/do-we-reap-what-we-sow-i-have-been.html

I use Facebook primarily as a social networking site to stay in touch with friends and family but I realise its potential to promote my professional self as well and that I can have a separate professional page and I am going to look to develop this in the future. Like Mark has joined the Peter Pan Facebook page to promote his pantomime so have I the “Snow White” Facebook page. It’s all about exposure and getting yourself known to a wider audience, a wider network. You never know who may look the page up after reading the reviews, seeing a promo or a flyer or after seeing the show and this inevitably could lead to an employment opportunity.

One of my blog entries on dance science was followed by Ava Barron who is a professional dance scientist and I contacted her via email with some questions about how she viewed the idea of critical reflection and it’s use for the well being of the dancer from a psychological point of view (still awaiting a reply) - but here is a link to her web page as an example of how you can really use the power of the web to promote your professional self and I think my ideal would be to have my own web page eventually.

http://www.dancescientist.co.uk/

I also use “flyers” to advertise dance workshops at local schools and dance/theatre companies as you tend to get work by “word of mouth” and personal recommendation. So I send them out to all the local groups  in my area and any groups that use me I ask them to put my advert in their show programmes. I also leave adverts at local theatres where they have flyers on their counters. Alana seems to have had a similar success advertising her singing lessons in a similar way. I think I need to add this to my professional Facebook page and the clips from my workshop on Wizard of Oz that I show reeled – it shows me at work as a choreographer.

I also use books and have several I use on a regular basis for my professional work and contacts.

 One is “Contacts” published by Spotlight which is an essential handbook for anyone working in the entertainment industry  - it has very useful info pages and lists of contacts for everything in the business – agents, show reels, photographers for stage , television, film and radio.

I also use the Dance Companies Handbook which is a directory of all the dance and ballet companies around the world. It gives you contacts and how and when they audition and whether you can join company classes.

“Dance Anatomy and Kinesiology” by Karen Clippinger is my bible along with “How to walk in high heels” by Camilla Morton  which is the essential girls handbook of etiquette for everything, it so funny. (I haven’t mowed the lawn in high heels yet though!)

Another is my “Diet for Dancers” an essential book to have at one’s side + “the students guide to cooking for one” and I wouldn’t be without Bobby Brown’s Make up Manual.

I think reading others’  blogs  and sharing ideas on networking helps me consider all the possibilities that I may not have thought of on my own or maybe not realised I was already doing and gives me an awareness of others’ perspectives and views. I think Alana brought to my attention the use of Wiki in one of her blogs and that is something I intend to do some follow up on later in the New Year when I maybe have more time to play and experiment.

I also thought Amanda’s mind maps showed how we network very well as many of the methods we use work hand in hand alongside each other and our networks grow as we make more contacts.

Ross’ little picture from  google  demonstrates the idea well too I think –the more people you  meet and connect with the more you can network and the more information is gathered and shared.

I think considering all the possibilities through the various concepts and theories has helped me decide what really matters and what actions I need to take to improve my professional networking.

Prior to the module I didn’t realise there was so much I could do to improve my professional “self” and I have so much to do to improve my networking to market myself. I have a long list of “things to do” to start on the road to getting a much better professional profile of myself. I need to revisit my CV, get some new photographs and a show reel , create a professional Facebook page and then eventually move to my own web page.


References:
The Networked Professional - A Course Reader forMiddlesex University 2010

How many sheep ?

Interesting article in the news today about whether we can trust the information we access on the internet.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11985896

Made me wonder with my thoughts this week on image being to the fore again  how we can trust the information that is the on the internet about anything or anybody  and how do we decide in our daily lives  whether what we research can be trusted or not. We all access the internet for information, increasingly relying on that information to be correct. But when we have found that information, how do we decide its relevance and trustiness.

With searches for celebrities, are we measuring popularity, or just attention?

Does this have any impact on our attempt to develop our on line profiles and our image as a marketable product? Can we really trust what we see in someone’s on line profile? We have the capacity to become who we want to be and hide behind our real self. What do others think? Would potential employers be able to decide whether to trust what we put about ourselves? Is it as in Darwin’s theory always to be “the survival of the fittest”? Hmmmm?

Do we reap what we sow?

I have been looking back over earlier blogs and through my journal as I prepare to write my essay and I came across some notes I had made to post a comment re motivation. This was when my PC had it’s virus and I must have overlooked this particular blog when I was back on line and I didn’t post it at the time.

It followed a comment Alan Durrant made on Ross’ blog about critical reflection and considering the theories of Cooperation and Affiliation, what motivates us to help others………….. so a bit late but an interesting concept so I thought I’d post it now!!

Nicholas Norman had commented that people help each other “to give back and repeat the cycle of someone who once gave to them!” I think this is very true but I think it goes much deeper beyond the concept that individuals don’t share knowledge and experience because they fear the competition from others and only help those less experienced than themselves. I think most of us instinctively have a desire to help others as it makes us feel good about ourselves.

I researched further and found an interesting article, “Born to be good? What motivates us to be good, bad or indifferent towards others?” by Celia Kitzinger, who investigates the psychology of morality.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JQP/is_289/ai_30027760/

Kitzinger says that, “most of us, most of the time act to benefit others, ie small kindnesses of everyday life like holding a door open, sharing food or expressing compassion for others in distress. Things that are so ordinary we take them for granted.”

We all see evidence all the time of people helping and caring for sick relatives or they give money to famine relief, Children in Need etc, or they do voluntary work for charities or hospitals. A lot of this can be as Norman says “to give back” because they have been personally touched by a certain event, ie; a loved one who was cared for by a particular organisation may in return raise money for that cause.

Psychologists describe this as being “pro-social” animals. “Why do people spend time, money and effort on others when they could keep it for themselves?” Kitzinger argues that self interest lies at the root of all socially “moral” behaviour and we are biologically driven to improve the survival of our genes instinctively,  ie by caring for our families, such as a mother bird will put her own life at risk for her chicks.

She argues that helping people who are not genetically related to us can also be in the best interests of our genes as it sets up the expectation that we will be helped in return. Normally altruism is reciprocal and we do things for someone expecting we will get something back.

An old saying my Grandma often used rings true of this concept and puts it into layman’s terms, “We reap what we sow”. I think often this is true if you are a person who is prepared to share and help others, you are soon known as that type of person and people will share things with you. If you are selfish and don’t share then people won’t share with you and in the end you will lose out, both socially and professionally.

It is the rewards that we get from helping others which serve our self interest, eg; the praise of onlookers, gratitude from the person being helped, the feeling we experience when we know we have done something good and the benefit of avoiding guilt and shame. It is our moral development from childhood that motivates our behaviour and gives us the ability to imagine ourselves in the place of another and to feel their emotions and this then triggers our behaviour. I don’t know if there is a scoreboard in the sky keeping track but I strongly believe in returning favours for people who have helped you!

In the context of our professional practice I think it is important to establish relationships with others who share similar interests and develop contacts where you can share information and experiences with each other. There will always be a natural rivalry and competitiveness amongst professionals but there is also the human instinct where we group together as comrades to help one another and an instinct to feel that we belong. I think the holding back of information is futile in the end as it is always available from another source and if someone does have a selfish attitude then they will soon not have many contacts socially or as  a professional. If you are a good “networker” you will give favours and receive them in return.  Most people feel guilty and indebted to return a favour and this clears the way for a whole new round of give and take -   as my Grandma puts it, “you have to reap to sow !!!”

Hmmmm.......... maybe men are from Mars and women from Venus but sometimes they do say some interesting things??!!

As I’m working on a pantomime with primarily men – there’s only me and another girl in the show – and we’re all sharing one dressing room -   you do have some very interesting conversations and find out all sorts of diverse, random and rather strange things and opinions. We also have a cross section of gay and straight men in the cast so it is a very varied opinion.

Yesterday afternoon, as I whipped out my Cosmopolitan magazine in between shows, all the guys rolled their eyes and groaned!! I chirped up ‘What on earth? You can’t go wrong with Cosmo, it teaches a girl everything she needs to know!’  Their response was somewhat surprising, instead of them flipping through to find a ‘hot’ girl they just said ‘yeh, it teaches you a wrong image of what you’re supposed to look like!’
Following this we had a group discussion on women....  about how models are all airbrushed and quoted by one guy ‘look like aliens  – they might as well computer animate models into adverts as it looks nothing like them in real life’.

They went on to discuss how magazines give out a false image to young girls and women, making us believe that the way models and celebrities look in photographs is the way we should look.

Funny, as I’m hoping to book a photo shoot in the New Year to get myself some new photographs to promote myself in the performance industry, I have been turning down pages in magazines of poses and styles I like that I may copy.... maybe that’s not such a good idea now?! I mean I can have myself airbrushed but will I be recognised if I was to walk into an audition??

Another ‘dressing room’ conversation we had was discussing me dying my hair, I get easily bored with my hair, my make-up, my style and I’m constantly changing my look  and coming up with new ways to re-invent myself! I quite fancy for Christmas and Winter time dying it a rich brown but have quite a reddish tint to it. I think it would be very daring and different – a lot of my friends think it will be great and that I should go for it! But chatting to the boys they told me that I could lose employment because I will not look like my headshot and my CV will be wrong! But surely I can change these to match my current image? They said that casting directors and choreographers etc will expect me to look exactly like my headshot and I’ll get a ‘no’ as soon as I walk in the room because I’m not like my headshot! So does that mean I have to always look like my headshot?? That I can never change anything about myself? I’m not allowed to experiment and create different looks..... isn’t this industry mainly about the way that you look? Lots of questions that I need to ask and I need to find out the answers. What do any of you think!? We were constantly told at college to change our image and develop a unique look. It was always the girls who had that type of magazine “look” that were chosen for things not because they were the best dancer or singer or actress but because of the way they looked. Certainly our commercial jazz tutor said in the commercial dance world it is always about look and image.

Celebrities are always changing their style, their hair and getting tattoos, piercings and no one seems to question them or is that because they have a celebrity status and it no longer matters? Personally I don’t want to be dictated to by a headshot and make myself look like that every time I go out for an audition but I don’t want to lose out at an audition either because I have different coloured hair to my headshot or do I have different headshots for different looks which would be expensive . When I go to auditions I have noticed that most people don’t look like their headshot anyway and some still manage to go through to the next round and get the job! So what is the answer to this question? Has anyone got any opinions on the matter?  I thought with the art of make up in the industry today you can reinvent yourself overnight anyway – you can be blonde today, brunette tomorrow and a red head by Friday.

I’m sat right now with one of my new housemates watching Live from Studio Five and they’re going around the streets of London asking women what they think to Cheryl Cole and Danni Minogue’s dress sense over the course of the X-Factor! They’re comparing their dresses throughout the shows – does it really matter? I mean they’re both very, very wealthy and can afford to buy beautiful dresses from top designers and have the best make-up artists and stylists work on them and airbrush any “blips” .... normal people can’t!

So the conclusion according to the guys in my dressing room is ......

·         Men like girls who look real! But what is “real”?

·         Men like girls who have ‘a bit of meat on them’/’something to grab’

·         Models are aliens and don’t look human

·         Girls never look like their photographs – in the flesh they look different!

I thought it was an interesting debate really and surprising to find out their opinions. It is a pressurised industry for girls especially as we are expected to be “glamorous” and there is a lot of pressure put upon us to be a certain size and have a certain look. 

Connectivism……………….

I have just read Mark’s blog on Connectivism which made me think again about this way of learning. I agree with Mark it is quite a confusing and difficult concept especially all the technical bit about nodes but I found the definition on Wikipedia the easiest to understand;

“Connectivism is based on the premise that knowledge exists in the world rather than in the head of an individual.”

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connectivism_(learning_theory)

“It is learning for the digital age as learning methods have changed as technology has affected how we live and how we communicate.”

Therefore my understanding of this theory is that it is knowing where to find information and to maintain connections to learn. In simple terms we are learning by plugging into existing networks – ie; e mail, communities, conversations, web search, email lists, reading blogs etc.  I think most of us have been learning through this method for a long time but just haven’t analysed the theory as “Connectivism”. As I have read many blogs of other students we all have identified that  we use the internet to find information, we communicate via email and network through social websites such as Facebook  and through these main methods we set up networks of contacts.

I think this method of learning puts a lot of responsibility on the individual student as you have to think independently for yourself and assimilate and retain the knowledge and skills but I think on the plus side you can learn a lot more from the interests and experiences shared with other students as the theories are applied to practical experiences which I think you remember more than facts presented to you as a transfer of information in a traditional lecture scenario. They are linked to people’s everyday experiences of “real life” and you can empathise with them more than mere theories.

David Cohen (1989) said, “Teaching is telling, knowledge is facts and learning is recall.”

Students teach and learn from each other by telling their stories – this may be a very simplistic personal view of connectivism but that’s how I’ve put it into context and translated it to understand it if this helps anyone else understand it.

 I think the down side is you can feel quite isolated as you are reliant on tutors and students conversing with you and giving feedback which I touched on in my “Crisis? What crisis?” blog.

http://emilyrose91.blogspot.com/2010/11/crisis-what-crisis-technology-is.html#comments

I think you can be left feeling uneasy about the outcomes when spontaneous discussion doesn’t happen and a little sceptical as to whether there is a real interest in your comments or are people responding in kind, ie: going through the motions to complete “tasks”?.


References:

The Networked Professional Course Reader - Middlesex University

Schmoozing the night away..........................

Well, after an exhilarating opening night in the West End, I'm very much on a high and last night was “buzzing”!! I really do enjoy it when you have such an energetic and enthusiastic audience it really gives you a feeling of excitement and a rush that you can't quite describe.... like in Kylie's song, 'Like a Drug!'
Throughout this week and next the cast have been invited to various venues to promote the show which also means opportunities for a lot of face to face networking to be done!
 I think it is very important to network offline! Whilst online networking is very valuable I think it should work hand in hand with networking off line, they are both equally important. It’s about exposure and getting your face known. I think there is no real substitute in cultivating new relationships especially the first contact. People remember you much easier when they have met you in person. Increased personal contacts also help to increase on line contacts and so your networks grow. If you meet someone face to face  you can add them to your on line networks, such as Facebook, and strengthen the relationship on line and some of these people may have the power to boost your career.

For example;  after last night’s sell out show I was talking to a professional photographer who specialises in headshots and fashion and boudoir style photography, the producer and another cast member  and they were discussing  all different ways to help me pursue my career, giving me lots of good advice and tips they have learned along the way and we had a discussion about corporate gigs.  The photographer mentioned that she knew quite a number of people who organise these type gigs and so she took my details and said she will email me with all her details and will keep in contact!!!

I think many people enjoy meeting you in person and if they have enjoyed your performance they will tell their friends and invite them to your next show. It establishes a good rapport and gives  a more favourable,  humane  impression of yourself.

As my mum always says, "you never know who you're going to bump into" so you should always look presentable and professional when you go out to events and performances!
I've learnt to always carry some CV's and headshots in my bag, just in case. I’ve not got round to business cards yet but these would work in theses types of situations.

Schmoozing seems to be the buzz word for offline networking. In fact some would say how well you network depends on how well you Schmooze and schmoozing isn’t necessarily about glad-handing or insincere sucking up or ego stroking , I think you can soon recognise that in anyone very quickly, but it is making casual, easygoing conversation with strangers and networking is the art of follow up and this can be a necessity  in advancing your career especially in the performing arts industry. 
No one wants to be known as a “greaser” and schmoozing if handled correctly can project your professionalism and etiquette and people will remember you more as a very personable individual. Being natural and being yourself lets people see who you are as a person and not just a glossy headshot looking at them from a screen.  

“Schmoozing is the grease that starts the wheels of networking” says Susan RoAne , author of “How to work a Room”. Social networking can be very effective and should be utilized when opportunities arise and good schmoozing opens the possibility of future contacts.
“It’s not what you know or who you know, but who knows you!” (Susan RoAne  -  “How to work a Room”)

I know some people find this quite difficult – I commented on Mark Iles blog as it is something he feels he struggles with but I think anyone  can improve and become more confident in face to face networking the more practiced they become.  I think sometimes you have to remember too that your new contact may feel just as nervous and uncomfortable as you do. Just because someone makes it look effortless doesn’t mean that’s how they feel inside.  I have always loved meeting people and chatting conversationally with people – I think you can find out so much more about people and the business  but I appreciate some are not comfortable and it can be a nerve wracking experience.

I go to Pineapple a lot at the moment to do classes to keep up with my technique, stamina and training and you never know who may just be in there walking around just watching. There are so many professional auditions at Pineapple and most of the studios have windows where others can easily watch classes!! One day someone of extreme importance who could offer employment opportunities could be watching you..!
I just believe that in this profession you have to be constantly aware of who is around you and who may be watching you, at all times.... and take advantage of any opportunity to promote and market yourself.

I remember reading a magazine article about Lily Cole and she was “discovered” just walking down the street, Daniel Radcliffe was sat in the cinema when he was approached and asked to audition for Harry Potter.

There's lots more promotions coming up in the next few weeks for the cast of Snow White so I will be making sure I look good and have a couple of CV's to hand. On the 20th of December we have a promo at a top West End club and is where most West End stars (actors, dancers, directors, agents etc) go after they've finished their Monday night show!! How exciting is that? I can't wait as I never know who I'm going to meet and I'm really hoping we get to meet some really exciting and interesting people.... and of course "schmooze the night away !!!"

References:

Course Reader - The Networked Professional - Middlesex University 2010

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/schmoozing

How to Work A Room - Susan RoAne .

http://markgraemeiles.blogspot.com/2010/11/changing-practice.html