Cahootify is an online project portfolio and team forming platform for creative production, which includes the following, film, media and entertainment professionals.
On Cahootify you can sign up with Facebook/google + or alternatively you can just create a new account. Once you have signed up/signed in you can add tags in your profile this is also known as Folksonomy, i have written a blog on what folksonomy is, check it out here. These are the few tags which you can add e.g. Director, screenwriter, Actress, Actor, Behind the scenes, background artists etc. This will allow other users on Cahootify to find you. for example if they are searching for an actor they will search for an actor and all the actors will come up and so you will. So it is very important you add tags.
You yourself can get involved in other users projects, if a project catches your eyes you can see what roles are available and you can express your interest and they will get back to you.
HOW TO CREATE PROFFESIONAL ONLINE PRESENCE
There are many ways to create an online presence, firstly you need have a vision and purpose. You can not just start doing something for the fun of it, e.g. if you start a blog you can’t just post anything and everything, you need to have a structure, you need to know what you feel passionate about and have certain topics which you will discuss on the blog. This is same for film makers, because if you want to be known for professional, good work you can not use people who are not experienced in that field otherwise that will reflect on you and not them because you made the film and recruited everyone.
Anyway, It is very CRUCIAL you do not post anything which you do not want everyone to see, so for example you tweet an image out which is inappropriate, you will get backlash for this is you are looking for job or recruiting people to work with. It could Impact your professional online presence or even your career!!
That is the question – How do you want to be known?
Secondly it is important for you to be open about yourself, this does not mean share your deepest, darkest secret online (haha) it just means tell them a little bit about yourself, so for example on twitter in your bio explain who you are, what you do and why you do it,where you are based, just a little overview on who you are. Also have an image as your profile picture where you can tell its you. Lastly include any other links to sits such as, your website, blog etc.
Using Social Media to market yourself/work online.
There are many social media platforms where you can market your finished product, these include, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, WordPress etc. You can use twitter to share a link to your work so for example if you and your crew worked a video you can out this on YouTube where you will have a demographic range of people who will look at it and this link to your YouTube channel can be shared on to your twitter page. On Facebook you can create pages where you can gather audiences e.g. likes, following and you can use this page to market your finished product on.
But do not limit yourself to just links to pages, explore, think out of the box!! Create an animation related to your related product, use an image to promote your work, this way your audience will know what you have made, if you just share links they might not click on it so make sure you also share images, videos.
Marketing yourself online includes you linking all your pages/sites to Twitter but also on your pages and other sites you should link everything to it. This means if someone finds your blog they will also know you have twitter, Instagram, YouTube and then they will check those platforms out and so on. It is also important you always update your social networking sites especially your work related lets say Twitter as that’s mostly used for work related basis. Anyway share links, photo’s etc. keep your followers engaged and interact with them by commenting or retweeting their tweets.
How to use platforms to drive traffic to your Cahootify profile?
As Cahootify isn’t a very well-known platform, you will have to drive attention to your profile so your audience know what you do and what you have to offer them. You should link your profile link to you twitter, Facebook, Instagram or any other social networking sites you may have. This will promote your profile and maybe encourage other users who work in media to create a Cahootify profile. Also there will be so many other people out there on the web who are looking for people to recruit to make a project and if you link your profile on your social platforms they will be able to look at what work you do and can get in touch with you about it. You should also always update your social networking sites with your Cahootify portfolio e.g. if you want to start a new project it should be shared on your sites so everyone can know so even the Amateurs can have a shot at this project and gain skills.
Once users start to click on your profile they will want to create one for themselves and soon it will become popular because they will be talking about it to their friends/family and to their audience (Twitter, Facebook). This is also known as Word of mouth because people will be sharing this with other people and then they will share with someone else and it carries on, which results in everyone being aware of it.
Is Cahootify a social networking sites or online community?
In my opinion i think Cahootify is an online community the reason why i think this is because online communities allow the members to find and establish their own connections, whereas social networking sites recommend specific peer-to-peer connections. So on Cahootify you find other members who you want to work with and you connect with them.
(You can connect with anyone you want to if they appeal to you)
Secondly social networking sites have so many people who do not have anything in common whereas communities bring in a cohesive group. Yes you can see where this is going Cahootify only contains members who work in the same are, which is media – tv, photography, film, sound, graphic designer etc.
(Everyone has something in common/looking for the same thing)
Let me compare this with our day-to-day life basis to make it easier. We all have social networking life offline with people we talk to from different backgrounds, interests, habits etc. and you are open to talk to anyone even if they don’t share the same interests in you, this works the same way for Social networking sites.
In our lives we also have a community who we share the same interests with this can include, sports, shopping etc. Now you wouldn’t go shopping with someone if they didn’t like to, you would go with someone who likes shopping from your friends. This also works for Online communities you want to work with people who have same interests and experience in you field.
Easier?
Overall I think Cahootify is an Online Community, which i think you should really check out if you are into media and want to find other people who you can work with to create a new project or first project.
Watch a video which Cahootify uploaded on YouTube and subscribe to them.
Enjoy using Cahootify and good luck on your next project 🙂