Internet Screenwriters Network
The Hollywood Screenwriters Network
Opening the Doors to Hollywood® - Hollywood Discovery Awards
[ What's New || Hollywood Conferences || HN Faculty/Hosts || Inner Circle ]
HollyNews || Movie Store || Main Index || Interactive || Crimewriting
Acting || Awards || Festival || Music || Producing || Screenwriting || Shopping

The Screenwriter in Cyberspace
By Charles Deemer

Column #4: Networking II - the Internet

Last month I defined "networking" as the opportunity for screenwriters in cyberspace to communicate with other screenwriters, often to their professional or educational advantage, and focused on networking opportunities on commercial online services.

This month I focus on networking opportunities on the Internet proper. In particular, I will look at networking opportunities in three "modes" of the Internet: mailing lists, newsgroups and chat lounges.

Mailing Lists

The most active networking arena on the Internet is the Screenwriters List, which was the focus of my second column. But there are other mailing lists of interest to screenwriters with specialized interests.

Ann Garretson has compiled a list of film-related mailing lists that, although somewhat dated, will give you an idea of the specialized opportunities for this kind of networking. The best strategy for finding mailing list opportunities related to your special interests is to utilize the many Internet searching tools, such as Yahoo and Lycos (see my first column).

Newsgroups

A mailing list dumps email into your mail box, providing a kind of "passive" networking (once you subscribe, the information and networking opportunities are brought to you). This can be overwhelming, especially with a list as active as the Screenwriters List.

Networking via a newsgroup puts you more in control: you are the active party who goes out and retrieves information and intiates networking opportunities. Much of the same kind of discussion occurs on both formats, and indeed many of the same people are active on both.

There are two newsgroups of special interest to screenwriters:

Chat Lounges

There are two kinds of "chat lounges": real-time lounges, which most of the commercial services have and which, on the Internet, is primarily represented by Internet Relay Chat, which is the focus of next month's column; and "bulletin board" lounges, which are question-and-answer areas where beginning writers can ask professional writers for advice and specific information.

No Internet site offers more of the latter than the Internet Screenwriters Network (which is where you are right now). Indeed, virtually every aspect of screenwriting has a "lounge" hosted by a professional in the industry, to take and answer questions from less experienced writers.

Carlos de Abreu, who manages the Network, is always adding networking opportunities. A list of lounges can be found at Virtually every question a beginning screenwriter might have can be directed, at least, to an appropriate area for professional reply. This is the kind of networking opportunity that makes the Internet the extraordinary entity that it is.

Next month I will look at an area of the Internet that is far from being utilized to its full potential, especially for screenwriters - Internet Relay Chat. Til next time . . .

--Charles Deemer

Listen to Charles Deemer's RealAudio Screenwriting Tips



Hollywood Shopping Network

Scour Hollywood for Movie memorabilia, books and more!

[Inner Circle || HollywoodInteractive.com || HollywoodNetwork || Hollydex.com || Shopping]

Originally appeared at the Hollywood Network.