Ildiko Santana wrote:
I fully agree with the colleagues who oppose this form of self-marketing. As the name suggests, *social* networks can be useful when one is so inclined to 'socialize' (mind you, strictly virtually... I'd rather interact with people face-to-face). For conducting *professional* networking, business, self-marketing, etc. there are a few professional networking sites (like LinkedIn, although I have never received a single request for quote through those; I do receive requests for help from other freelancers who need advice how to promote their services), then there is ProZ, of course, and various professional organizations for translators. I think it's also worth looking at the number of existing and/or potential clients representing themselves on Facebook. So far, out of my approximately 30 clients I have come across ONE who is on Facebook. Although they use their page to increase their exposure, they do not conduct business through Facebook. Perhaps another research idea would be to see how many agencies use Facebook to find their language service providers. My guess is that the number will be close to zero...
Thank you, Ildiko, for speaking my mind. I, too, prefer to socialize with people face-to-face. There are several professional sites for translators to network, ProZ.com being one of them (my favorite )
The other point is that agencies prefer the professional sites in their search for suitable and qualified translators.