I like to think that my loyal readers have become a little more technology friendly over the months from reading this column. Computers, the Internet, and technological advances aren’t something to be intimidated by, but are tools you can utilize for your life as a singer.
However, there are still plenty of pitfalls that even a Tech-Savvy Singer can fall into. Nigerian banking scams and viruses aside (which apply to all Internet users, not just singers), here are the top Internet faux pas that you should avoid, whether for reasons of PR, etiquette, or morals.
1. Don’t get into fights on a forum.
The majority of our readers will at some point have accessed an Internet forum for singers, such as the New Forum for Classical Singers (www.nfcs.net), BravuraVox (www.bravuravox.com), or our own Classical Singer forums (www.classicalsinger.com). Maybe you’ve posted a question or just done a search on a company or agent. Perhaps you’ve even become a regular, engaging frequently in discussions with other members while you’re supposed to be doing something “productive.” (Though, if you ask me, there are few things more productive than networking.)
The drawback, however, is that the more comfortable you become in your online community of “forum-ites,” the easier it is to forget that everything you write is visible for the entire world to see. If you behave unprofessionally, even if you’re rewarded with approval from your social circle, your unkind words will be visible to industry people for years to come.
If someone is inciting you or your friends to verbal blows, they are probably doing it for one of two reasons: they are a “troll” looking to stir up trouble for their own amusement (in which case, they are best left ignored), or they have worded something in a way that comes off as offensive, usually unintentionally. Remember that the skill to sculpt a phrase, especially one expressing disagreement, without slighting fragile singer egos, is rare. Take the high road.
2. Don’t add people’s e-mail addresses to your mailing list without their permission.
Ask anyone that you’ve met if you can add their e-mail address to your gig announcement mailing list, and they will practically always say yes (especially if they have a list of their own and want you to return the favor). However, if you don’t ask them, there’s a good chance they’ll be irritated. Everyone seems to have a mailing list these days, and it can get overwhelming. Not to mention, you’d technically be spamming them, which is illegal.
Adding people you don’t know, whose e-mail addresses you might have lifted from another person’s list or from a website, is outright illegal and is a social no-no met with as much scorn as not tipping your waitress or kicking puppies.
Leave a link on your website and a sign-up sheet at your solo performances for strangers to join. Other than that, you’ll have to stick to people you know—who have given you permission.
3. Don’t get on a blogger’s bad side.
People are Googling you. As a blogger, I have been conducting an experiment of sorts for some time. I mention colleagues’ full names (only in a positive light, of course!), and I regularly check my “stats” to see what links people have followed to get to my blog—and, more importantly, what search terms they have used. Virtually every name I have ever mentioned has come up as a search term that led someone to my blog, mostly more than once.
Blogs are often among the top search results for any text you might look for. That gives bloggers a lot of power over your name. Leave them nice comments, reach out to them, and make sure they like you.
4. Don’t use MySpace as your professional website.
MySpace remains a widely used tool for musicians. It’s a great way to share your demo recordings, stay in touch with colleagues, and get discovered by classical music lovers worldwide. However, the layout of a MySpace page, covered with “comments” by “friends” and with customizable pages that can be slow to load and hard to read, make them appear very unprofessional. Listing a MySpace page as your website screams “amateur.”
It is a good thing to have, and an easy place to host your mp3s if you don’t have another—but don’t call it your website.
5. Don’t create a “tricked-out” MySpace page.
Related: If you do use your MySpace page for professional reasons (if you link to it from your website, or direct people to it to hear your demos), keep it clean and simple. Avoid eye-boggling or large-image backgrounds, don’t include any animated images, and consider denying comments including HTML.
If you want to personalize your page, stick to a color scheme that suits you and include photos and videos only in the designated areas.
6. Don’t start a Facebook profile for your ensemble or company.
As discussed in my column about Facebook (May 2009), there is a firm difference between a Facebook profile and a Facebook page (commonly referred to as a “fan page”). Profiles are for people—ideally, real-life friends and family. Pages are for opera companies, venues, ensembles, products, and even your “professional” self that you want to advertise.
If you try to make your product into a profile, the Facebook staff will eventually delete it—but not until you’ve annoyed friends and strangers by asking them to befriend someone or something that’s not their friend, just so you can promote yourself. Keep your personal life and friends on your profile, and your advertising on your “fan page.”
7. Don’t make your Facebook profile public.
Related: Keep your private life private. People are extremely nosy. Avoid the headache of constantly monitoring all your photos, comments, wall posts, and discussions with friends for what should and shouldn’t be broadcast outside your inner circle by setting all your privacy settings to “Only friends.” You don’t want to create a bad impression on a potential employer or collaborator.
8. Don’t advertise yourself over a new social networking tool without familiarizing yourself with it first.
So you’ve heard that everyone who’s anyone is on Facebook/Twitter/LiveJournal, and it’s an invaluable marketing tool, and you better jump in there and get your piece of the pie. Every hot new thing is filled with people trying to sell you something—and most of them, at least in the beginning, are doing it utterly wrong. Each social networking site is different, but the problem is the same: people and companies jumping in and trying to get what they want out of it without taking the time to personally experience the site and find out what’s really going on.
On Facebook, it’s the difference between a personal profile and a fan page. On Twitter, it’s a matter of users wanting to hear the actual thoughts and lives of the celebrity or the person behind the scenes. On LiveJournal, it’s the need for a blog to be useful or entertaining, and hopefully both. Singers who jump into the fray—trying to advertise themselves to strangers through a Facebook personal profile, tweeting nothing but concert announcements, and blogging their press releases—are not going to make any friends.
Take a little time to explore the new medium quietly. See what other people are doing, listen to what everyone is saying, set up your account, and work on it over a period of time before announcing it.
9. Don’t download music illegally.
The astronomical fines slapped on a few random people who have participated in illegal file sharing has made a sensation in the media, but has not likely been a big deterrent for most users, who feel confident that they will never be caught. And they are probably right. If you decide to hop onto LimeWire to download that new aria you’re working on, no one will ever know.
The question here is a moral one. If you believe that stealing is wrong, don’t steal music. You are a musician. If you know anyone in the music industry, you know that it’s not just a matter of the lead singer getting his $0.08—the record company that believed in him enough to invest in him, the CD store owner or online distributor who carries his music, and the extra session musicians brought in for the recording all need to get their shares.
If you don’t want to pick up the whole album, buy a song for $0.99 on iTunes and be able to sleep at night.
10. Don’t “lurk” excessively on a forum.
Here’s another bad habit that no one will ever find out about: reading an online forum without posting anything. This is known as “lurking,” and it is harmless enough. If you very occasionally sift through forum posts to find some information or to just see what people are talking about, it’s no big deal. But if you regularly refer to a forum for information and read the forum often enough that you know who the major players are, bu
t don’t add anything of value, you’re being a leech.
If you’re going to take from a forum, give back to it. If someone asks a question in your area of expertise, answer it. If you have an informative story, share it. It can take a lot of courage to post for the first time, but there was a first time for all the people whose posts you’ve been reading, too.
Finally, the most important thing not to do on the Internet is to neglect the great tools that are out there. And to fall for any Nigerian bank scams.
