ARE YOU IMPRESSED WITH MY IMPRESSIONS?

To define LinkedIn impressions, they are the number of times your post, video, update, or article appears on someone's LinkedIn feed. An impression is counted when your content is displayed or seen by a user on their LinkedIn page, whether they engaged with it or not. It is important to note that impressions can be counted multiple times for the same user.

I have written before of my befuddlement in regards to how LinkedIn may actually work, in the next couple of days, as I have done more recently, I will be reposting an article I wrote 5 years ago regarding my confusion over the platform (“Is Linked in the endless void connection collection receptacle?”) ? However since starting this Newsletter/Thought Experiment I am still here, engaging and giving it a serious go, it seems I am picking up ‘IMPRESSIONS’, cool right?? I have no clue.

More recently the repost of ‘You can’t shoot that…It’s not on your reel’? garnered over 1000 impressions…OK I have to stop here for a second: while I write this I have to laugh at the absurdity of this whole experiment and yet I also understand it’s purpose… I think… It is weird that we are still in this phase of ‘influencer-culture’, which to me has always had that ‘ick’ factor. A term I associate more with Ron Jeremy than Michael Jordan. To clarify, one is an amazing charismatic Basketball player, who inspired millions of humans, the other is not, yet they are both popular. I want it to be clear, that my goal remains, 1. not be an influencer 2.? Share that I am an entrepreneur (I made a new tool for filmmakers and I am seeking investors) 3. I am a multi-hyphenated filmmaker ( Cinematographer, Director and Screenwriter - who seeks collaborative jobs and financing for films I’ve written) and yes I can do that…yes it's on my reel.

I am creative and doggone it! People like me… No wait, this is not Stuart Smalley hour!? To reiterate even just to myself I am doing what I can to expand my universe of professional connections, this is what freelancers, entrepreneurs and filmmakers have to do.? Hopefully the attention is earned through respect of the work and accomplishments, but also through the willingness to communicate, share the journey while manifest new opportunities.? Gosh that sounds so trite. Should I rewrite it to sound more like a John Wayne?? I’m here to kick ass! Nope, that has no context.? I’m here… well I’m here because I have to be.? That’s the truth. I mean do any of us really enjoy this process? Posting online to try and connect with people we’d like to work with but don’t know.? What we all want is to just continue doing what we love, what we are good at, meet new collaborators along the way and keep the opportunities flowing. However since this is the new paradigm, we all have to play along.? If nothing else this is making me a better writer, actually a better editor and the catharsis of maybe inspiring another human, just maybe, give me that please…is kinda cool.

So I was saying somewhere in the text, heck it’s in the title of this piece. “IMPRESSIONS”? Last night I was looking over the analytics of this Newsletter, my first post garnered 3 ‘impressions’, with each week the number has increased exponentially, the latest repost landed over 1000 impressions in less than 3 days.? Now I guess this is cool or good, I still have no idea, but at least something besides the number of posts is increasing.? I shared the ‘impression’ stats with my partner, which kinda felt like, ‘hey look at my gold star’ which again made me laugh at the absurdity. The reality is, I just don’t know.? Sure I have more impressions, but is that a Linked In algorithm designed to keep their site populated?? Was it the picture I added to the piece that caught viewers eyes? Does it matter?? I keep asking myself these same questions.? Yet there is a handful of people I have the utmost respect for that say it does.? Again if nothing else I’m expressing myself and perhaps the 6 people who read this will have a moment of simpatico, yes I had to look that up, I think it applies. ?

In closing, even I am asking, Yes and….? ?

And now it’s back to seeking gigs as a Cinematographer, Camera Operator and Director.? Pursuing my screenwriting aspirations and acquiring funding for the filmmaking tool…just being an entrepreneur.