Will my BrightSign player be visible on the network like my computer if I'm using BrightAuthor:connected?

No. Networked BrightSign players don't use Windows file sharing. If your player is on the same network as the computer running BrightAuthor:connected, you can publish to the player directly using Local File Networking or publish from a web server folder using Simple File Networking. 

Your player will be visible under the Network tab in BrightAuthor:connected if you use BSN.cloud Networking to set up the player(s). To learn more about the BSN.cloud or to create an account visit here.