| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Have you ever found any (new) clients on Facebook? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you ever found any (new) clients on Facebook?".
This poll was originally submitted by Thayenga. View the poll results »
| | | | | I don't find clients - clients find me | Nov 6, 2011 |
I am not searching clients either - clients are searching service providers. Social Media Marketing gives me the tools that clients find me. This is a big difference.
Everybody being tired of searching clients should actually attend one/or more of the Proz Webinars on Social Media Marketing, where this topic/difference will be explained.
To answer your question - Yes, clients did find me because of my activities on Facebook
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 13:47
Spanish to English
+ ...
ROFL
No seriously, I have one facebook account which I used to sign up to a translator's forum site for queries, similar to kudoz, but mainly among Spanish-English translators, and I sometimes look in there. It never occurred to me that this might be a possible way for people in translation to network and perhaps meet new contacts since my own motivation mas mere idle curiosity.
I'll have to check the na... See more ROFL
No seriously, I have one facebook account which I used to sign up to a translator's forum site for queries, similar to kudoz, but mainly among Spanish-English translators, and I sometimes look in there. It never occurred to me that this might be a possible way for people in translation to network and perhaps meet new contacts since my own motivation mas mere idle curiosity.
I'll have to check the name of the site, as I don't recall it offhand...
[Edited at 2011-11-06 09:39 GMT]
I think it's called Spanish Translator ORG : Spanish Translator
[email protected]
Anyone can check out the site, who's in it and what members post. —
You can also post to groups via email.
[Edited at 2011-11-06 09:45 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Neither on LinkedIn | Nov 6, 2011 |
I guess this 'social media' stuff is not for translators' marketing.
When I looked, 3.5% of responding Prozians had found new clients on Facebook. No clue on how significant these FB clients were.
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Michael Harris 
Germany
Local time: 13:47
Member (2006)
German to English
no way. I find that this is just for private use and I nevr have had one and will never have an account with them. Don´t those people who have an account at Facebook even check what happens with their details?
Facebook is only there for marketing purposes
| | | | Angus Stewart
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:47
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
| No, its not an appropriate forum | Nov 6, 2011 |
Michael Harris wrote:
...this is just for private use...
I have never found new clients on facebook and would not consider this an appropriate forum on which to do so. As Michael said facebook is for private use and I like to keep a clear boundary between my private and professional lives.
My attitude might be different if I were marketing my services directly to the general public, but since I am in the business to business sector, facebook simply isn't relevant to my marketing strategy.
| | | | Rebecca Garber
Local time: 07:47
Member (2005)
German to English
+ ...
A friend asked if I was interested in doing editing work for a friend of his.
I consider this to be the euqivalent of getting an email from a friend. It's not social networking, it's simply the same type of personal recommendation that existed before facebook, and even before the internet.
I have no interest in 'friending' any of my clients on facebook. That's a space for my private and social life, not for my professional life.
| | | | Interlangue (X)
Angola
Local time: 13:47
English to French
+ ...
I happen to have some very goods friends among my clients. They are the ones who convinced me to open a FB account. But our "posts" there have nothing to do with business.
As a rule, I do not accept people whom I have not met IRL among my "friends", except for some "family members" (like the husbands and wives of my cousins' children).
[Modifié le 2011-11-06 15:21 GMT]
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If I were employer I would not look for translator on Facebook or any other site of this sort. I would rather look for translator on proz.com or multitran.ru. Moreover, I think advertising professional service on Facebook represents unprofessional behavior.
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 07:47
English to Spanish
+ ...
| Why should FB be even considered? | Nov 6, 2011 |
Angus Stewart wrote: Michael Harris wrote:
...this is just for private use... I have never found new clients on facebook and would not consider this an appropriate forum on which to do so. As Michael said facebook is for private use and I like to keep a clear boundary between my private and professional lives. My attitude might be different if I were marketing my services directly to the general public, but since I am in the business to business sector, facebook simply isn't relevant to my marketing strategy.
I agree with Angus here, that Facebook is not an appropriate forum for B2B relationships. I use LinkedIn, and I have found some new clients there. Sometimes, they find you, like a software company that wrote to me to express their interest in my services after they had read my postings in the different discussion groups I belong to.
I also agree with many of my colleagues here: I like to keep my private life separate from my professional life. It's only common sense. I have entertained, however, the thought of creating a FB page for my conference photos, videos, etc., but I don't have the time.
| | | | Patricia Charnet
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:47
Member (2009)
English to French
friends of friends - personal recommendations sometimes - I must admit I don't particularly distinct between FB and other social networks - the more I'm known the more likely I can have referrals - sometimes people refer some work sometimes that way
at the moment if I want to put someone personal, I'll post it onto Google+ - like a journal, and nobody's connected!
I'm careful anyway with FB because it can land you in trouble very quickly
| | | | Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 13:47
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
| The reason behind this poll | Nov 6, 2011 |
Social networks are a way to become known to the cyber societies, and more than once did I read that translators claim to have found clients on Fb.
To find out if Fb is indeed suitable for this, despite the legal disputes surrounding it, I suggested this poll.
Personally, I am neither on Fb nor do I even consider joining the site since it is an easy way to get into trouble and/or have allegedly deleted content suddenly resurface in cyber space. ... See more Social networks are a way to become known to the cyber societies, and more than once did I read that translators claim to have found clients on Fb.
To find out if Fb is indeed suitable for this, despite the legal disputes surrounding it, I suggested this poll.
Personally, I am neither on Fb nor do I even consider joining the site since it is an easy way to get into trouble and/or have allegedly deleted content suddenly resurface in cyber space. ▲ Collapse
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| mostly they find me | Nov 6, 2011 |
I've gotten some contacts and joined translator groups on Facebook. A few of my client agencies and colleagues have facebook pages and I LIKE them or contact them that way sometimes.
I did find one client through one of those translator groups. However, I discovered she was a crook and scam artist who had also duped other translators into doing work, pocketing the money and disappearing. It was about 300 EU and i was never paid.
I was also FB friends with a couple of ... See more I've gotten some contacts and joined translator groups on Facebook. A few of my client agencies and colleagues have facebook pages and I LIKE them or contact them that way sometimes.
I did find one client through one of those translator groups. However, I discovered she was a crook and scam artist who had also duped other translators into doing work, pocketing the money and disappearing. It was about 300 EU and i was never paid.
I was also FB friends with a couple of translators. One, I defriended because he kept making all kinds of sexual remarks and sending me sexy pictures. Another I defriended because she kept sending me all kinds useless of new age junk.
Translator Groups on facebook are ok but I've found it's not the most fertile place for business, more a social thing. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Dave Bindon
Greece
Local time: 14:47
Greek to English
In memoriam
I got one referral via FB. However it was a Bulgarian friend asking me to transcribe English DVDs into Greek for an Italian friend of his (who is married to a Greek and lives in Athens, and who understands little English). He couldn't get his head round the fact that I only translate into English.
Not only did he not 'get' my reasons for not translating into my L2, but he also suggested that I could translate into 'Greeklish' (Greek written semi-phonetically in the Latin alphabet, ... See more I got one referral via FB. However it was a Bulgarian friend asking me to transcribe English DVDs into Greek for an Italian friend of his (who is married to a Greek and lives in Athens, and who understands little English). He couldn't get his head round the fact that I only translate into English.
Not only did he not 'get' my reasons for not translating into my L2, but he also suggested that I could translate into 'Greeklish' (Greek written semi-phonetically in the Latin alphabet, using English pronunciation 'rules') since the Italian friend could speak OK Greek but wasn't good at reading it!
The job was about 20 instructional DVDs (plus a manual) about a specialist construction technique... ▲ Collapse
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Mario Chavez wrote:
I agree with Angus here, that Facebook is not an appropriate forum for B2B relationships. I use LinkedIn, and I have found some new clients there. Sometimes, they find you, like a software company that wrote to me to express their interest in my services after they had read my postings in the different discussion groups I belong to.
I also agree with many of my colleagues here: I like to keep my private life separate from my professional life. It's only common sense. I have entertained, however, the thought of creating a FB page for my conference photos, videos, etc., but I don't have the time.
I just want to point out that while Facebook proper is not B2B or B2 anything, Facebook Pages is a very appropriate platform for B2C. So the question itself is not entirely inappropriate; in fact it is quite appropriate.
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