Thread: Facebook for performance troupes?

Is it worthwhile to make Facebook pages for my performing troupes in addition to the one I have for the studio and for myself?

I'm thinking if nothing else it would be fun for the students to have... not sure it would serve much real purpose beyond that, though, and could be a PITA to keep up with and one more thing I'm expected to do for everyone (we have three performance troupes).

What are your experiences?

i have a page for both my troupes, and a closed group for my student group (for posting video's). i find them usefull for advertising and communication purposes

If the groups would like to have a page, maybe you could delegate the task of posting upcoming events to them. There's usually a group of people who like to know what's in the works so that maybe they can catch a show, and a facebook page is a good place to post that info. Also, it's a good place for group members to share pictures and such.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

I'm thinking if nothing else it would be fun for the students to have... not sure it would serve much real purpose beyond that, though, and could be a PITA to keep up with and one more thing I'm expected to do for everyone (we have three performance troupes).

I would do it ONLY if there was a troupe member willing to post the events, post photos & videos, etc. on a regular basis. Someone you could authorize as a co-administrator of the page. I'd put my expectations in writing (post each upcoming performance at least 2 weeks before the event, post at least 5 new photos per month, post at least 1 new video every 3 months, or whatever), and I'd reserve the right to delete the page if the administrator fails to meet these guidelines and if no one else is willing to take it over.

A page that never has anything new posted would make your troupe look bad. It would make it look as though they don't really care about their public image. So don't do it unless you're committed to either keeping it up to date yourself or delegating the task and enforcing that they do it.

We use a closed group page for our troupe. We post videos of our choreos, some notes and info about our monthly Stitch & B**ch. Its a good tool for communicating among troupe members but I can definitely see where it would be a pain to keep up and post frequently for public viewing. However, it seems like so many performers has a FB presence these days and you'd be the odd man out if you don't have one.

Yes, I have a closed group for my pro troupe and its wonderful, but I'm not sure having a public group is going to be worth the headache.

Maybe for the pro troupe, I can use it to market, friend event organizers, etc.

I don't market the student troupes though. The main benefit there is, I guess, the status or prestige of being able to link themselves as a member, share photos, tell friends/families about their next performance, etc. Those intangibles can have a lot of value...

My experiences with student volunteers haven't been so good, overall. I find the potential for damaging my relationship with a valued student is greater than the amount of work I save. I wind up (re)doing all the work while a student takes all the credit, and sometimes I even have to tiptoe around their ego to get it done. Delegating/supervising is not my forte apparently.

The student troupe I'm in has a facebook page, and I'm an admin. I try to post at least once a week, and I'll share information about local classes and events. I think it's a good way for our group to be connected and see what's going on around our community.

It's essentially a free webpage that comes up high in searches - what's not to like? But I agree, you need a coadmin whose job it is to keep the page fresh and updated regularly.

To me - the question is... is this a FB page to publicly promote the student troupe (needing updates and such), or a private group for troupe interactions, class updates, etc?
Two very different things...

I agree, they're definitely two different things!

I already have a private facebook group for my pro troupe. The student troupe has less going on and doesn't need one, talking at our weekly rehearsals is enough.

I went ahead and put out a public page for the two more active groups. We'll see if it gets to be a pain in the butt -- if not I'l make one for the third as well.

Thanks for the advice!