Catherine Vines asks:
I have a supply of blog posting ideas (thank you very much), a blog design mostly finished, a Facebook page (without art) and no Twitter. What should come first? It's all too much and I just want to paint!
I see two options.
1. Start with Facebook
When you want to get your art up online fast and inexpensively, enhance your Facebook official page with lots of images of your art (20-25 images). This isn't your personal profile on Facebook, but a public page that can be accessed by everyone and is indexed by search engines.
Facebook is free and easy to publish on, but the downside is that you can't control the way Facebook looks or behaves.
biz basics
Or . . .
2. Start with Your Blog
To build an online presence that you control, get that blog going. Your blog will be your home base. It's where you show your art to the world as you would like for it to be seen.
Blogs take longer to establish than Facebook, but they offer you more flexibility.
If you need some time and space to get your blog up to snuff, consider the Blog Triage class, which begins April 13 and is limited to just 30 people.
Save Twitter for later, but consider snagging a Twitter name as a placeholder. Twitter will come in handy when you have a place (or places) to send people.
9 thoughts on “Starting an Online Presence for Your Art”
Like Catherine I’ve just started blogging. I had Twitter, and I’ve just started the Facebook page. I connected Facebook, and Twitter with Twitter feed, and looped it all together for readers with Wibiya. I used ‘Blogger’ because I consider it the easiest and most versatile. It’s tough. I’d also recommend Flickr, and Twitpic to get your message out. All the best Catherine. Great website Alyson.
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It can seem somewhat overwhelming at first but once you start it’s easy to fall into a routine and even find shortcuts like Robert noted above by linking a few of your accounts together.
I found the best part of all is that you gain exposure quickly and you’ll be surprised at the people you meet along the way, clients and even fellow artists who will share ideas with you and provide some help even!
Above everything I would say go with the blog to start off with because it will benefit you as an artists too, by expressing your views and in terms of support. From there when you move on to add face book and twitter, you’ll already have content!
All the best 🙂
I started my blog a few months ago on wordpress. There was a learning curve though now I have several pages with different types of content. I enjoy posting about friends exhibitions in the New Orleans art scene as well as showing my in process and new work. I post once a week or so. I have my blog hooked up to facebook, and a link on my website. I try to keep the style clean, fresh and colorful to make it appealing. http://christines29.wordpress.com/ Thanks to Allyson for her many great helpful tips. I have been reading my new pdf of IRBITS. Great stuf!
If you are based in the UK there is a government initiative called Get British Business online, which enables people to get a free website. It is pretty limited without paying for some additions, but it’s a great platform to get you started if you think that paying for an all singing all dancing website will be too expensive.
http://www.gbbo.co.uk/
Admittedly getting a digital presence is a really confusing environment, there are so many things to think about. But don’t forget the offline stuff… Carry business cards with with you including your Facebook page address and website so that people you meet at private views can check out your stuff later. The interaction with people in real life shouldn’t be forgotten!
I don’t yet have a Twitter feed, but I know that it’s something I need to think about. Just got to take the plunge…
I’d be lost now without my “online presence”. I did not know what I would blog about when I started but now it is a weekly thing for me to do and I enjoy it. I’m getting better at it as I go along. My facebook “fan page” has been very helpful also. Two people recently said they would be going to an exhibit in Denver where I will be showing my work. Really, the online world has changed my life and opened up a whole world to me. Its pretty amazing.
i love my blog and think it’s an awesome place to show what i’m up to in creating my work. my blog posts feed into my facebook fan page…but honestly i really don’t know how to engage people more there or really what to do with it. and i don’t twitter cuz i just don’t have the time, as i’m also on flickr and etsy.
ohhhhh…forgot to add this…Alyson, do you have any advice about the fanpage…how to engage more people to interact on it? Thanks!!
Hi Alyson. These are basic but important steps to bring your art into the world. Ensuring photos that really highlight your art is so important too.