Ask Harriete

SlideShare "Image File Names Improve SEO"

Today's post is about "Image File Names for Better SEO" (Search Engine Optimization). Effective file names are essential for artists and makers who want others to find their images on line. A few simple techniques can improve visibility for your work.  Here is an SlideShare presentation about naming files. 

The audio will automatically forward the images. Just click on the "PLAY" arrow at the bottom of the presentation.

Image File Names for Better Search Engine Optimization from Harriete Estel Berman

REVIEW for Image File Names:
 

Use Words
    (No numerical code from your camera or computer.)

Use Keywords that describe your image.

Use hypens -  betweeen words.

Avoid capital letters.

    _______________
Let me know what you think of this presentation or this format. Or tell me how to make this better.

Harriete Estel Berman

RELATED POSTS:

4 TIPS to Improve Search for Your Images

Know your digital image file extensions and how to use them?

Best sizes for images and what format?

How to "name" your digital image files for distribution.

Know your digital image file extensions and how to use them? - See more at: http://askharriete.typepad.com/ask_harriete/2009/06/do-you-know-and-understand-your-digital-image-file-extensions-.html#sthash.xzA9zh4P.dpuf

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4 TIPS to Improve Search for Your Images

Guide to Image Sizes for Social Media

Last week, I discovered a guide to images for social media titled: How to size images on social media: A cheat sheet. Usually it takes me multiple tries till I figure out what size image will  work...a huge waste of time. Next time, I will refer to this chart.

This cheat sheet is a super fantastic resource because it removes the trial and error in creating a fabulous background or header. An eye catching image is a great way to build visibility for your art or crafts creating a personal style across all platforms. For artists and makers this is absolutely essential!

Leave a comment, if you would like to share a social media TIP or TRICK.

Harriete Estel Berman

FIND ME ON:
Facebook • twitter • Flickr • Crafthaus • LinkedIN • AboutME • Pinterest • Google+

Trading Links and Lies = Poor Performance

"You link to me, I link to you."  I've seen such requests to trade links frequently and everywhere.

Fine, great way to make friends, but bad news for your web site.
This is serious.

The reality is that Google is getting smarter about search. They can now figure out which links are relevant to your site, and which are not. Consequently, and with increasing accuracy, those superficial links that were merely traded are becoming more like little "white lies" -- and search engines are becoming more like lie detector machines.

There are three concepts to affect links:

• Link Juice
• Measure of credibility
• Content

Link Juice
"Link Juice" is an SEO concept. Think of your website as a container of juice. Links to other sites from your website essentially leak "link juice." This is especially true if the links are not perceived as relevant to the information presented. Thus a random link not relevant to your website is not working FOR your site.  Instead it is working against your site by draining or leaking "link juice."

Measure of credibility
Links to your site that are NOT relevant, important, or generating traffic are considered weak or bogus by Google. In fact, links to your site that are weak, not relevant or without authority may even have a negative impact on your website.

Content
Links ideally should offer additional relevant content. Thus an article about fashionable hand knit scarves and current fashion trends that link to a knitter that makes fashionable hand knit scarves would be great. In this example, the content and link are relevant.

A link from your best friend who likes your work, but is otherwise unrelated, is not relevant content. A link like this may actually hurt your site as a weak leak and lacking authority. It could also hurt your best friend's site (because it is leaking their "link juice" as well).

In an age of information, search will become even more refined. Search will be more accurate. Search will discount superficial or fake links.

Lots of links to your site or from your site that are not relevant or content based information will not be considered credible. Trading links are like little white lies that just keep accumulating negative points.  Links should be about content and based on merit, not trading links.

RECOMMENDATION:

• Make sure your links are authentic and sincerely related to the content of your site.
• Seek high quality links from relevant sites with high traffic.
• Do NOT pay for links or trade links in the future.
• Remove all weak or irrelvant links.
  

Below is a video from Google about links. Note that the speaker makes a specific reference to what Google calls organic links. The term "organic" (in regards to search) means naturally fitting into the context, not artificial.

Links need to relate to the content.
Links that you buy or share are not organic.
They will not help your SEO.
P.S. Do not look at any information or YouTube videos about link building from before mid-2012 when Google Panda and Penquin algorithms changed search.

Harriete Estel Berman

Another video about links building.

RELATED POST:

Spam Comments Hurt Your Site

Crafting Better SE0 - Guide to SEO TOPICS on Metalsmith BenchTalk Whaley Studios

This post will be a summary of information and links to relevant posts discussed in the Jay Whaley interview on Blog Talk Radio "Crafting Better SEO."

Artist and makers can be the Webmaster of their own domain. There are many free tools AND easy fixes that can improve the visibility of your art or craft reaching a larger audience. Just knowing basic SEO (Search Engine Optimization) skills can make a difference in riding the long tail.

Understanding online tools is as important to the savvy artist as the paintbrush, scissors or saw. Improving web site performance and SEO increases the chance that your web site will be found by customers, collectors, curators, writer, stores or galleries.

The  information is organized by category or topic. Basic fix-its  and best practices are at the top.  More advanced skills are further down on the list. Just click on a link and start learning how to be a web master of your own domain.

Yes, this is too much work for one day...but try one post every other day, or one a week. Subscribe to ASK Harriete for more SEO information coming soon. Take small steps to the huge potential of the long tail.

SPAM
Did you know Spam Comments Hurt Your Site? Yes, this is true, for lots of reasons, but all you need to know is don't leave comments with spammy links. This post explains why.

COPYRIGHT DATE
Your next "fix" is to make sure your website copyright is up to date with New Day New Year 2013 Website Copyright. In addition to the legal protection copyright notice offers, no customer is going to feel comfortable buying from a site that looks like it hasn't been updated in years.

IMAGES
Images are the foundation of visibility for all artists and makers. This is true for your entire online presence including 2.0 social networking sites along with your website and blog. It is incredibly important to do everything possible to give your art or craft the visibility it deserves.

Images files should be written for better SEO. Learn the 4 TIPS to Improve Search for Your Images .

Simple, Sensible, Sensational, SEO Improvements

Search Engines Have No Vision - Play TAG, Your IT - Create Tags for better SEO from 2.0 sites

Search Engines Have No Vision - SEO for 2.0 sites.

Search Engines Have No Vision! So Help SEO "SEE" Your Images

Images on your web site, Are they lost or found?

EFFECTIVE URLs
A URL is the address for each page on the web. Learn how to create the best URL for each page. Avoid URLMistakes I Have MADE   by reading this post.

 

SITE PERFORMANCE
Did you realize that site performance affects your visibility in search results and customer satisfaction.  Google uses 200 or more criteria, but one of their most important is speed in downloading the page, images, and original content. Artists and makers do not have to be professional level webmasters to make huge improvements in the function of their website.

Your Site Performance Improves SEO

Does Your HOME Page Load Quickly?

Google Guidelines For the Best Your Site Can Be

 

REGISTER WITH WEBMASTER TOOLS
Verifying your website with Google Webmaster Tools is an important steps that everyone can do. These free tools reveal mistakes on your website that need to be fixed, and tons of information about keywords and links to your website.

Don't let all the information overwhelm you. Tackle one problem at a time. Learn about one skill set and apply it to your site....as you gain skill and familiarity.

Did You Register Your Web Site on Google Webmaster Tools?

Google Guidelines For the Best Your Site Can Be

PAGE TITLES 

SEO Success: Fix Those Duplicate Titles

Titles RULE - Title EVERY ONE of Your Website Pages Differently

 

META DESCRIPTIONS
The meta description is the information that shows up in the search results. It describes the information on each page. Create the meta description for better search results.
 REWRITE Short Meta Descriptions for SEO

Finding & Fixing Duplicate Meta Descriptions

 

SITEMAPS

Has Google found your site? Every page?

Create a Sitemap and Submit for Visibility

Create A Sitemap For Your Website Using a free 3rd Party Website

Artists: Submit Your Sitemap to Google

 

Subscribe to ASK Harriete to learn how to become the webmaster of your own domain. More information is coming in the next few weeks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Engage in the conversation.
Leave a comment.(Comments require approval so give me a few minutes to post it live.)

Artists, makers, jewelers, metalsmiths, crafts person or creators can benefit from increased visibility as search is refined and original content is more important.  Advances in search technology will also make images searchable in the future. All of these reasons and more make optimizing your images, blog and website more important than ever.

Harriete Estel Berman

P.S. At the end of the program I mentioned three additional resources.

ASK Harriete posts on Search Engine Optimization for Artists and Craftspeople

GOOGLE Webmaster Videos on YOUTUBE

Jill Whalen's HIGH RANKINGS NEWSLETTER

CRAFTING Better SEO - online interview

Stay tuned for "CRAFTING Better SEO for Artists, Makers and Metalsmiths"  -- Thursday (Jan. 31) at 3:00pm PST, this is one hour with Jay Whaley on Blog Talk Radio.

If you have been following the Search Engine Optimization for artists and crafts people series on ASK Harriete, this online interview will help get your website up to speed.

Scared to start SEO? Feeling overwhelmed, and out of touch? This information will get you started.

SEO  isn't that hard to do. We will start with basics and very easy skills to improve visibility for your work. Just knowing how to create file names for your images and website pages can make a huge difference.

Fundamental webmaster skills are well within your powers and can improve visibility for images, blogs or websites.

ASK QUESTIONS LIVE during the show in the chat room. My recommendation is to register with Facebook. It is much easier and more reliable as the Blog Talk Radio site can be temperamental. Don't' wait until the show....as you will miss the interview.

ASK QUESTIONS IN ADVANCE
EMAIL ME AT: harriete [at] sbcglobal.net

LISTEN to the RECORDED PODCAST later.

After the show there will be an ASK Harriete post with links to the topics we mentioned for follow up  & review.

Harriete Estel Berman

 

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Facebook Business v.s. Personal Page for Artists, Makers or Craft Business

Gothic Birdcage © 2012
Stainless steel, glass, copper
Artist: Joe Diemer    4' ht x 2' depth

Dear Harriete,

My art business on Facebook is named "J Diemer Artisanry", and it is a page off of my main Facebook account "Joe Diemer". When setting it up it seemed Facebook wanted businesses and interests to be on a page, not the main name, but I've since seen many other artists just use their name - which makes an easy connection for others to find your work when you comment etc.

I've now got 178 followers on the J Diemer Artisanry page so I don't want to rock the boat, but wonder if it would be better in the long run to consolidate the two identities. What's your opinion? Convoluted problem!
Take care,
Joe Diemer


Joe,
I struggle with the same question….but decided years ago to just use my name, Harriete Estel Berman as my Facebook presence. It has been impractical to clarify that the "artist Harriete Estel Berman" is different than the personal profile of Harriete Estel Berman.

Below are a few considerations that may factor into your decision.

 

PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Is your Facebook profile really private? Not in my opinion. Even if your "Privacy" setting is Friends, or Friends of Friends I don't consider this private. Private on the internet is an oxymoron, but these other privacy settings do offer an allusion to privacy, and thus your Facebook page is NOT searchable. 

An important proviso is that my Facebook profile setting is "public". That means everyone can see my Facebook page. It is also the only way that Google can crawl my Facebook profile page and fetch the links to my website, ASK Harriete or posted content.

A personal facebook address can be your name. A Facebook profile can also match, more or less, with all your other social networking profiles with a variation of the same name. For example, my facebook URL http://www.facebook.com/harriete.estel.berman
is similar to my other social network URLs on LinkedIN, Flickr, and Crafthaus creating consistency across 2.0. platfoms

All Facebook comments lead back to my Harriete Estel Berman Facebook profile.

A limit on friends. The downside with using my personal profile as professional is that there is supposed to be a limit on the number of friends....but, I will deal with that problem later (3,000 "friends" so far).

Can you effectively manage a Facebook business page? A Facbook business pages is essentially another site. It doesn't do much good to have a Facebook business page without activity and regular posting with original content just like a blog. I don't know about you, but I am on internet overload already.  There is no way to stretch beyond my website, blog and other social network.

Does a Facebook business profile offer the visibility you want for the effort? A great point of debate. As far as I can tell Facebook visibility only extends to Facebook, so investing time in other social platforms and SEO for your website are equally or perhaps more important.

The PROBLEM with closing a business page:
I don't know what you will do with all your followers if you close your business page. Practically speaking there is no way to consolidate your personal profile with the Facebook business pages other than just inviting your followers to be your friends.

ACTION PLAN:
If you are going to use your personal Facebook page as your public profile, CHANGE YOUR PRIVACY SETTING to PUBLIC and behave accordingly.

PERSONAL, PROFESSIONAL, PASSION
For me, there is no separation between personal and professional. Only a limited amount of my private life is on Facebook for this reason. This is mostly a reflection of my workaholic focus. My profession as an artist, is also my passion as a person.

YOUR DECISION.

Harriete Estel Berman

 

RELATED POSTS:

Names, Names, What's in a name?

What's in a Name? Is Your Artist Identity LOST or FOUND in a sea of names?

To be or not to be a FAN on Facebook? That is the question.

Any Tips for an Effective User Name?

Capricciole © 2012
stainless steel, glass, copper
Artist: Joe Diemer

A reader asks:
Do you have any tips for coming up with an effective Instagram user name? I don't know much about Instagram but feel that it may be a good business move. I make elegant household accoutrements such as birdcages in stainless steel wire.
 

 

 

 

 

Here are what seem (to me) to be my options:

• My name, "JoeDiemer", which is available.
• My clunky business name "JDiemerArtisanry", which is also my Facebook page name - continuity.
• A descriptor of what I do: "Handmade Birdcages", which is also my website name - again continuity. (Unfortunately I named my site back when I mostly made birdcages. Now I make many different things.)
• Or another descriptor such as "Wireworker".
  
  

So it boils down to:

1. My name
2. My business name
3. What I do

What's your opinion? Thanks for your excellent blog and artwork!
Take care,
Joe Diemer

 

Joe,
Thanks for your question.
My professional recommendation is the following priorities:

1. Consistency across all platforms (best as possible).
2. Using your name as your artist identity.

Consistency across all social networking, 2.0, and photo sharing is sometimes challenging depending on the number of characters allowed or the format. Just do the best you can.

Using your name as the artist identity will be the least likely to change over the years, building momentum across media and with different occasions like interviews, conference lectures, workshops, teaching positions, work included in books, magazines, or blog platforms.

Facebook and LinkedIn and many other social networks actually allow for a unique URL based on the person’s name.  If you have a common name try a middle name, middle initial or some kind of special moniker.

Having a URL that is consistent with your name is  a desirable option across all platforms. Creating a consistent identity across platforms is important. 

Using your name in the URL is also consistent with Google Webmaster Guidelines and SEO of the future.

2.0 specifics &  URL examples:

A dash between each word of your name is better than all one words, but this may not be possible on some social networks. Do not use a underscore between words as it is very often missed when a hot link is underlined.

As an illustration below is a list of a few of my social networks.  There is some variation depending on the limitations of each site, but you will see that I have created a reasonably consistent identity across platforms

Etsy http://www.harrieteestelberman.etsy.com

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/harriete.estel.berman

Aboutme http://about.m/HarrieteEstelBerman

Google + https://profiles.google.com/HarrieteEstelBerman/about

Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/harriete-estel-berman/

crafthaus http://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/HarrieteEstelBerman

LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/harrieteestelberman

My twitter profile name is not as good because they didn't allow a long URL.  http://www.twitter.com/harrietee . Sometimes I am forced to go with the harrietee version of my name. Very few people spell Harriete with an "e" on the end.

Harriete Estel Berman

P.S. If readers have another idea, please share your point of view. Is there something that isn't considered that you can add to the conversation?

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Avoid URL Mistakes I Have MADE

Creating, Connecting, Community

Facebook Business v.s. Personal Page for Artists, Makers or Craft Business

The Final Step for Rel=Author

Adding Rel="author" to your website or blog takes several steps and it is confusing....this is why I broke it up into several posts. It takes multiple steps to make rel="author" work, but the outcome is improved visibility and credibility as the author or artist for the content on your site. Go back to the previous posts if you missed a step.

We are at the final step Link your Google+ profile to the content you create.

You need to submit your email address to Google Webmaster.

For my web site it was easy. My email address matches my web site. (this is illustrated below.)
WEBSITE: http://www.harriete-estel-berman.info
E-MAIL:   bermaid [at] harriete-estel-berman.info

I just put my email in the box on this page and I was done verifying authorship (shown below.)

For my blog it was much more complicated since my email does not match my blog address. I clicked on the Google link that says: Use this method to link your content to your Google+ profile)

SCROLL DOWN PAST ALL THE ADVERTISEMENTS.
Look for the instructions shown below....or click on the picture for instructions.

Create a link to your Google+ profile from your webpage, like this:

  <a href="[profile_url]?rel=author">Google</a>

Replace [profile_url] with the your Google+ profile URL, like this:

  <a href="https://plus.google.com/106331966149937206693
   rel=author">Google</a>

That is one choice. I also added a link to my Google+ profile in the left column on my blog.

Another option is to add a link to my ABOUT page and/or at the bottom of every blog post. This was a suggestion from the Jill Whalen article and it worked.

I found that my search results for my name changed with a couple of days, it can take longer.
Harriete Estel Berman


Related articles

Are YOU the rel=AUTHOR of your Website?

GOOGLE + Profile is a Rel="author" MUST!

Artist Author on Your Website in Meta Tags

The First 3 Steps to ADDING Rel=Author to Your Sites

Did you watch the Google video in the previous post about rel="author"?

Next read the article by Jill Whalen.

The important nugget is that for every website or blog you need to add Re="Author". I am going to review the first 3 step all discussed in a previous posts.

STEP 1.
You must have a Google + profile. No getting around this. It is a must. Google is not going to give up trying to push it's own social network. It doesn't mean you have to be active on it all the time, but you have to have a Google + profile.

STEP 2.
UNDER YOUR Google + PROFILE  information:  Add all your web sites or blog  in the  Contributer section.

SUPER Important STEP 3.
Add the following code to your website or blog.

<a href=" http://your blog/about.html" rel="author">your name</a>

<a href="http:// http://www.yourwebsite.com/page.html rel="author"> your name </a>

Below are my examples:

Now every time I sign my blog I add my rel="author" code to the HTML of my post as my signature.

• The HTML code looks like this: <a href=" http://askharriete.typepad.com/about.html" rel="author">Harriete Estel Berman</a>
• The rel="author" signature looks like this: Harriete Estel Berman

My signature now links to the "about" page on my blog and tells Google search who I am. I used the "about.html" because my Typepad has an "about" page. (The link is in the left column below my profile picture. Maybe your blog has an "about" page or something similar?

           _______________________________

On my website....I linked to my resume* page....because that is where I put the link to my Google profile.  (*Just so you understand...I used my resume page on my website...because I don't have an "about" page on my website.)

• My resume URL is this:  http://www.harriete-estel-berman.info/resume/resume.html
• The code looks like this: <a href="http:// http://www.harriete-estel-berman.info/resume/resume.html" rel="author"> Harriete Estel Berman </a>
• The rel="author" signature on my resume page looks like this: Harriete Estel Berman

ADAPT THE CODE to your own circumstances, changing the URLs as appropriate.

There is one more step.
This is the next post.

Harriete Estel Berman

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GOOGLE + Profile is a Rel="author" MUST!

Are YOU the rel=AUTHOR of your Website?

Artist Author on Your Website in Meta Tags

Artist Author on Your Website in Meta Tags

 Jill Whalen, my website SEO guru wrote a post titled "6 Reasons Why You Need to Use Rel=Author on Your Content"

She says, "If you are not already using rel="author" (or don't even know what it is), you are doing a huge disservice to your website and all of your online marketing efforts. I heartily suggest reading this article ASAP, but more than that – implement it already!"

Jill Whalen offers helpful instructions in her article. 

I recommend reading both the Google Webmaster instructions supplemented with the Jill Whalen article.

COMBINED together it reduces the confusion. More tips are coming on ASK Harriete...but start by reading the information.

I managed to add rel="author" to my blog and website. You can to!

The rel="author" options reflects the future of the internet.  You can either jump on the train and gain momentum with search engine visibility or you can sit in your studio, quiet as a mouse.

Exercise your brain
with these new SEO skills.

Engage in the conversation.
Leave a comment. (Comments require approval so give me a few minutes to post it live.)

Harriete Estel Berman

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Avoid URL Mistakes I Have MADE

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GOOGLE + Profile is a Rel="author" MUST!

A Google + profile is a must for all artists and makers.
This has nothing to do with whether you want to participate in another social network. Google+ is a tool, just like any other in your studio.

Even if Google+ may never be the Facebook it wants to be, Google is making Google+ an internet networking obligation because (as mentioned in the previous post) Google is connecting your Google+ profile to search results.

Google is connecting search to your Google + profile with  Rel="author" HTML code.



If you want improved visibility for your website or blog in search results, put the rel="author" in the HTML for your website and blog.  I know that sounds challenging but it is within your skill set as a webmaster of your own domain.

The first step is creating a Google + profile (if you haven't done this already) and complete your profile information.

MOST IMPORTANT, under Contributor...  (scroll down to find Contributor in your Google + profile)....

ADD your website and blog under the Contributor heading as your first step to adding Rel="Author" for improved search results. Tomorrow's post will take you through the next steps.
Harriete Estel Berman

P.S. I also recommend adding all your other social networks in your profile.  (An example is shown below.)

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Are YOU the rel=AUTHOR of your Website?

Are YOU the rel=AUTHOR of your Website?

The internet of the future is about authenticity and original content. This is why Google wants to know if you are the real author of your website or blog.

This is written as rel="author" in the HTML code and is one of the new (beta) criteria that Google search is using for determining search results.
 
It could be seen as a way for Google to push its Google + social network (my Google+ profile is shown above).  Or it could an effort by Google to screen for spammy sites on the internet.

The impact:
Since Google controls a huge percentage  of search results....either you participate on the internet by their rules, or you risk poor placement in search results.

The positive side is being up to date on current and future trends in search can boost the visibility of your art or craft.

Google Webmaster Tools provides instructions to LINK your Google + profile to the content you create on your website or blog.

Watch this video from Google.

Absorb the information and consider what Google is trying to accomplish with this approach. Keep in mind that this is the future of the internet and should be a strategic part of your internet planning.  

The Google lady makes it sound so easy to verify the rel="author" of your content. It is not. I stumbled around for days...but ultimately have been successful in confirming rel= "author" status on my website and blog.

Below are the current search results for my name with the addition of rel="author" to my sites.

Note that my Google + profile automatically is shown on the right side of the search results.

 

 

 

Looking more closely at the search results (shown below) you see a small gray silhouette icon next to the entry.

The silhouette icon is next to search results for posts or entries with verified authorship. To add rel="author" to your sites you need to verify your site(s) with Google Webmaster Tools.

As stated in the video, verifying your website on Google Webmaster Tools does not impact search, but fixing mistakes on your website (that Google Webmaster Tools helps you find) will improve your website performance and improve your visibility in the future.

 

If you have not yet verified your web site or blog with Google Webmaster Tools this is highly recommended for improving performance and search. Did You Register Your Web Site on Google Webmaster Tools? will help you step by step. It is worth the effort. These internet skills build on one another. 

The next posts will help you link your Google + profile to the content you create.

Harriete Estel Berman

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Did You Want A Facebook Email? Change it Back!

Facebook just removed everyone's email address from their profile and replaced it with an @facebook.com email address without asking you.

If you are trying to create visibility and an identity for your web site by using your web site email address, this sneaky move by Facebook defeats your purpose. 

Fixing this is easy...but only if you know how. I must have starred at the pop up window for 10 minutes before I gave up....and looked for instructions online.

Here are quick step-by-step instructions to change your @facebook email BACK to your preferred email address.

1. Go to your Facebook Profile.

2. Click on the "Update Info" button .

 

3. SCROLL DOWN the page to the "Contact Info".

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Click on the Edit.

 

5. Click on the circle next to your Facebook email address and change its setting to "Hidden from Timeline".

6. Click on the circle next to your other email addresses and change their settings to "Shown On Timeline".

7. Scroll Down to the "Save Changes" button at the bottom of the Edit popup. Don't forget this step, or your changes will not be made!

Find me on Facebook! Be my friend on Facebook.

What Should Trunk Show Promotion Look Like?

The 2nd Annual Trunk Show is coming up at the SNAG Conference in Phoenix.  Lots of potential...

Every situation can be an opportunity and I always want to maximize the potential outcomes.   

But is a collective effort to "PUSH" an event appropriate?

I wonder what would happen if everyone in the Trunk Show promoted the event?

 What if the Trunk Show participants created their own whirlwind of visibility for the event and for each other?

What if we, everyone attending, posted an image of the Trunk Show poster on our Facebook pages or web sites? Click Here for the Trunk Show Banner.

What if we were all asked for an image of new work to create a new Trunk Show poster or online catalog?

What if the local television news came to cover the event? Headline; "World renown artists and makers coming to Phoenix" could be "big news", but only if the news station finds out.

Monopoly Electric Flower Pin © 2012
recycled tin cans, sterling silver,
Artist: Harriete Estel Berman
These flowers will be available at the
SNAG Trunk Show or online.

I don't think that the metal arts community suffers from too much success, but it looks like we aren't really good at making ourselves into "big news".

 

Harriete

There is Still Time & Space to Prepare for Success

Are you looking for direction on your  path to success?

Where do you want your work to go? What insights would you like to gain from my 30+ years of experience?  

Is your work consistent with your marketing? Are you images good enough to get you free publicity? Are your short term and long term goals an effective compass for success?

On April 28 & 29th, I will be teaching a professional development workshop at Revere Academy as part of their Masters
Symposium in San Francisco, CA.

Prepare for Success

April 28 - 29, 2012

 

Internet Option
If you can't travel to San Francisco, Revere Academy is offering on line participation at the amazing price of $79. It would be nice to see you in person, but if you need to stay at home while juggling the rest of your life, this is a way to listen in on your computer.

Webinar participants will be able to view the instructor and Powerpoint presentations in real time via their computer, as will as submit their own questions and images for review by the instructor, much like the students who attend the class in San Francisco. Because this is the first time Revere has offered a webinar class, the $79 is a special, one-time introductory price for the class.

Webinar participants are required to have a computer with a high-speed internet connection. To register for the webinar, call 415-391-4179.

Appropriate for all media, this two day intensive workshop with Harriete Estel Berman will provide tons of information to super charge your professional development and gain from my 30 years of experience.

Learn how to use the power of social networking, blogs, and web sites to develop visibility and get your work noticed. Other topics will include maintaining proper records for the IRS, managing inventory, how to update your resume, and evaluate and upgrade your photos.

We can cover anything you want.  Your questions can guide the topics to be covered. 


Here are some suggestions for topics:

Professional Development resources

Your 20 second commercial

Guidelines for a critique group

Identify your business model.

Establish Your Professional Goals
   Define Objective
   Define Success
   Are your objectives and definition of success            consistent?
   How do you expect to achieve your objectives?
   Define your market.

Pricing and fabrication methods.
   Pricing Structure
   Falcher Fusager’s Pricing Formula
   Guestimation
   Comparative Pricing
   Include your Overhead
   Cost of goods sold
   Pricing Concepts.

Inventory Record Form
   Inventory Records:  Documentation and Provenance
   Hallmark or sign your work

Digital Image Package
   Label examples
   Image description sheet
   All prints and digital files information.
   CONTACT SHEET SAMPLE

Resume vs. CV
   Resume categories
   CV
   BIO

Artist Statement Recommendations
   Artist Statement Tips
   Artist Statement with description
   Envelope for your package

PUBLICITY EXAMPLE
   PUBLICITY  IMAGE
   SELF PORTRAIT
   WORKING IN THE STUDIO
   PHOTOGRAPH EVENTS

Emails and social networking

Strategies for juried opportunities

Publicity and Marketing 100+ ideas
   Book recommendation
   Pitch letter
   Mailing List strategy
   Thank you
   STATIONARY

Wholesale/Retail
   Minimum order for wholesale
   Return Policy

Delivery of work in person
   Shipping – One of a kind work
   Unpacking & Display instructions
     To Display
     Packing and Shipping
     Maintenance Instructions
     Shipping
     CONDITION REPORT
     SIMPLE PACKING LIST 

Profit or Loss?
     What are your options?
     Do you act like a business?
     Expense record examples.
     3 rules to test deductibility
     Expertise?
     Time & Effort?
     Track record
     Record of sales
     Do you act like a business?  I.R.S.

COPYRIGHT & Fair use

www.you
        Website resources
        Web what you need to do and why
        Blogs - blogosphere
        Basic SEO to implement

Any Questions: Contact me directly
bermaid [at] harriete-estel-berman.info
(area code 650) - then 571-7726
http://www.harriete-estel-berman.info

Email Marketing Seppuku

Seppuku is a form of Japanese ritual suicide performed in front of spectators. I don't want to go into the gory details, but it is self induced and fatal. It is a apt metaphor for this recent email marketing attempt shown below. 

As my son would say, "fail."  The email was obviously sent out to a large number of people. There was no text in the email, no helpful subject line, no hello in the body, no "how do you do". My name was also spelled wrong. 

It was as rude as it gets. Even worse this email with no explanation had files and links attached:

•  5 html links
• 12 htm links
•  4 JPGs  (without titles)
•  7 MB of PDFs

What ever happened to a personal note? An introduction?

If it is spam, good riddance.  If it is someone's attempt to mass market, it is an example of social media marketing suicide.

 

I won't open it and would strongly recommend anyone else to not open such an email.

I wrote to the person asking why he sent such an "oblique" email message. Above was his reply with spelling errors and no further explanation.

Needless to say, the impression did not improve.

Harriete 

Commission Question and Publishing on Facebook

Hi Harriete:
I just delivered a large commission for a customer - my first commission through an art consulting firm. It was for a celebrity / well known TV personality. My portfolio is obviously my means of representing my work. However, I was told I could not publish on my website or Facebook, etc., any photos of this piece until they publish it first, either on the designer's website or they are working on getting the home featured in Architectural Digest or other magazine such as that. However this could take up to 6 months.

What are your thoughts on artists rights to publishing images of their own work, etc?

I realize that having my work possibly in a magazine is worthy as well, but if that doesn't happen, I have missed out on 6 months of potential exposure and possible similar work.

I have never been asked this before so I don't want to make a big deal out of it, but what do you think?

Is there anything I can add to my commission contracts in the future to protect myself on this issue in the future? I have attached some photos of a large piece I did a couple years ago that is similar in nature.
 
Debra Montgomery

Debra,
Did you have a commission contract? These issues (if they are important to you or important to the client) should have been specified in the contract.  Contracts help clarify expectations.  Clear communication with the client is most important.

They are asking you to hold off, which may lose some opportunities during this period, but they are offering some significant potential as well.  So it sounds more like a business decision.  If you really think that they can get your work in a major magazine (like Architectural Digest), I'd give them time. Your work will still be fresh to new eyes in 6 months.

Legally, if this request is not specified in the contract, you can do as you please.  However, if you publish now despite their requests, you might gain a reputation of being uncooperative.  On the other hand, if they unreasonably string you along for months and months (beyond six months), they would lose credibility and I would get back on track with your images on Facebook and elsewhere. 

In the meantime, can you make another piece to promote or blog about other aspects of this commission? Are you allowed to talk about working with this client? Or can you discuss ideas and the experience that you had with this type of high profile commission (not naming names of course.) Perhaps you would like to write about doing a celebrity commission and the pros and cons. Lots of people would love to hear from your experience. (I could publish some of this on ASK Harriete so other people can learn from your experience.)

In preparing for future commissions, it is close to impossible to anticipate everything.  Each commission will be different when we are working with new clients, new commissions and different circumstances. Each time we hope to learn a little more from the experience.

Even in the one of a kind exhibition world, the work may be finished for months, even 6 months in advance, before the exhibition opens and promotion for the show begins. Usually, the artists can talk about the work, but many times it is worth waiting.  When the exhibition opens, there is much more publicity coming from many different sources all creating momentum for the work in the exhibition, the exhibiting artists and attendance in the exhibition.

I think the speed of our daily lives and the Internet makes us think that promotion has to happen the second our work is finished. This is a misleading concept. You will have months to promote the work. If the work is really good, it may become your signature work included in books, magazines and blogs for years to come.

If any one else has an opinion about this topic, please leave a comment.

Harriete 

PS  Thanks for sharing.

"Weeping Virgin"  by Debra Montgomery 2009       3' x 4'  

Professional Development Information - Live, Online, and In Person

"Pencil in" professional development to boost your career with free information.  Two opportunites, the first, an ONLINE interview, and the second, a in-person discussion in SAN FRANCISCO.

ONLINE
Andy Cooperman, Harriete Estel Berman, and Brigitte Martin in conversation on Thursday, April 5th, at 3PM Pacific Time/ 6PM Eastern, on ‘Metalsmith BenchTalk on BlogTalkRadio’ with Jay Whaley.
Audience members can listen to the archived podcast.

San Francisco
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES: Questions and Commentary with Andy Cooperman and Harriete Estel Berman    
Monday, April 16, 2011 7-8:30p.m.
(More information below.)

The details:

ONLINE podcast with Cooperman,  Brigitte Martin and me, Harriete Estel Berman as we open the pandora's box of shipping problems and solutions. Originally broadcast on Thursday, April 5th we  discuss the upcoming shipping topic for the Professional Development Seminar that will be held during the SNAG Conference.

 

 

Last year's SNAG Professional Development Seminar program can be viewed online at any time. The original PPT slides with audio as presented at the 2010 Conference have had over 22,000 views! The program from 2010 has had nearly 10,000 views.! Find the podcasts and handouts with presentations on the SNAG web site or my web site.

 

Professional Practices in San Francisco
Professional Practices with Andy Cooperman and Harriete Estel Berman will include a short presentation by Andy and myself. Then we will jump right into questions and answers by asking each other a couple of tough questions about the "road to success".

This event occurred on Monday April 16th at Academy of Art University
sponsored by the Academy of Art and the San Francisco Metal Arts Guild. 

This program was videotaped and will be available as a video presentation online....so check back, and I will let you know how to find it.

Harriete

Skill Set Needed to Run, Run, Run a KICKstarter Project?

After trying a KICKSTARTER project ....I've realized that there are specific skills needed to run a KICKstarter project.

I found an article that I should have read before startingmy project. It is a great guide for anyone considering their own KICKstarter.  

7 Things to Consider BEFORE you Launch your Kickstarter Project. by Nathaniel Hansen.

Hansen says: "If you’re looking for kickstarter advice, ... this article should answer any questions you might have about how to run an effective campaign." 

Hansen says he has helped projects "...featured all over the web, from Wired to CNN, spurred along by social media engines like Twitter and Facebook and an army of fans. Two projects are in the Kickstarter top 20, one is in the top 5 (most donated), and one recently earned an 2010 Kickstarter award."He tells it like it is and I believe he is right. This article reveals that a great story is paramount, along with advocates & evangelists who will promote your project with an unceasing, unrelenting regularity to everyone you know with every possible vehicle asking for help through Facebook, Twitter, press releases, blogs, magazines, television, i.e. everything.

A KICKstarter campaign requires a HUGE INVESTMENT OF TIME, and a lot of great writing with AGGRESSIVE MARKETING. It helps a lot if your project is aligned with the KICKstarter audience (mostly young adults) who spend a lot of time online (such as gamers or zine fans). 

Your audience should be confortable with social media. Arriving on KICKstarter for the first time in shock  -- like my father, is not helpful.

It is very helpful, if you project is selling a product at retail for the cost of a contribution to Kickstarter.

It is very beneficial to have a project that appeals to the Kickstarter audience....generally young adults 20 and older.

I jumped into Kickstarter with a noble goal and naive optimism.  Noble goals alone don't go very far on KICKstarter. 

Harriete

Flickr is a Tool for KICKstarter.

KICKstarter is just like all the other social networking sites....each one has formatting tricks to learn. The HELP menu on KICKstarter is kind of confusing and not comprehensive.  It took me days to figure out how to add images to my "story". The secret was.....FLICKR.

In the "story" option for your KICKstarter project there is a place to insert an image, but it asks for a URL. The images are not uploaded to KICKstarter, the images must be hosted on another site. Flickr or Photobucket were listed as options.

Next problem, how to find the URL of a Flickr image. The URL must have a image file extension like JPG or PNG. Knowing how to find the URL for an image can be a handy skill. It works for Pinterest too.

BELOW are instruction to find the URL of an image.  

1. Pick an image on Flickr that you want to copy and paste into your story.

2.  CLICK on the Flickr image.

3. RIGHT CLICK on the image  pick a size of the image...  I suggest Medium or Large.



4. RIGHT CLICK again to see a menu.



5. Select the option View Image Info



6. A pop-up will offer the image URL with the JPG or PNG extension.

Highlighted above in green is the image URL.  http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6167/6164885784_cd79ab9b75_b.jpg

TIP: The instructions on KICKstarter say "Copy Image Location" but no such phrase or terms were used on Flickr, so it was really confusing.

Doing a KICKstarter project the first time is a real challenge.  There is so much to learn to create a successful project but it seems there are people that do repeat KICKstarter projects (one person I found had founded 72 projects)! 
Harriete Estel Berman

FACEBOOK Personal Profile goes Professional on KICKSTARTER

My experience using KICKSTARTER to finance a future video continues to be a revelation on many levels. The learning curve is demanding.

One KICKSTARTER requirement is that you MUST link to your Facebook personal profile, not your business page. Yes, indeed, your Facebook Personal Profile is now professional as well. 



This is what KICKSTARTER says:

"If you're a creator, it's a great way to let backers know a little bit more about you. It doesn't mean you have to accept random friend requests or make your entire profile public, but it's an easy way to show backers you're a real person. You can also adjust the privacy settings of your Facebook account to better control what new visitors see."

REALITY CHECK:
Your Facebook personal profile needs to be managed as if you were cautioning your teenage son or daughter about what to post on line. Everything seems to be moving to a level of transparency in the Internet community. Control of your privacy starts with what you post. And Facebook is never particularly private despite "privacy settings."

Recently, I heard that employers are asking for Facebook profile passwords. In other words, they want to "see all" about their prospective employees. While of course you could say "no", if you wanted a job in this tough economy, wouldn't you say "yes".

My decision long ago was  to keep my Facebook personal profile as a professional page. Everything posted on my Facebook is what I want everyone to see because privacy on the Internet is non-existent. 

Facebook is a great tool, please be my friend on Facebook. I look forward to meeting new people in this forum.

Harriete

Reevaluating Life - Get $h!+ Done

My March 2012 experiment with KICKstarter was a real awakening, a roller coaster ride on the learning curves of two new worlds -- entering an unfamiliar social networking domain of the internet's long tail, and the world of documentary video production.

Combined with the unfolding exhibition of Pick Up Your Pencils, Begin, these events and revelations have caught me up a whirlwind of thoughts and impressions.  After a 4+ year odyssey of fabrication, I am reflecting on a post from Chase Jarvis titled "Hit List: 13 Things Crucial For Your Success [In Any Field".  I recommend reading every word.

Chase's #1 tip is "Get Shit Done".

For four years, I felt like I was limping along on the pencils. I couldn't work on it every day.  Shows came up that needed new works to be made.  Making work to sell gets in the way. Life gets in the way.  But I'd force myself to work on it every chance I could.

And I would torture myself as well.  Making a sculpture 28 feet wide and 15 feet tall from pencils is ridiculous! How will it look? Will it hang as planned? Will it ever get done? A combination of the simplest of art media - a pencil, a little thoughtful engineering, and tedious hours of assembly.  But the vision of a hand crafted work to carry a message that the arts have a value and place in education AND that standardized testing has become overemphasized in education kept me going.

I naively started the KICKstarter project and already learned an enormous amount.  Each media and every social network has its own learning curve...so does KICKstarter. Reading the HELP menu doesn't adequately prepare you for what it takes to run a successful project on KICKstarter.

Before you start KICKstarter project be prepared with a lot of research, in advance. During the project, it requires a huge investment in developing momentum and visibility.

Harriete Estel Berman

PS.  I hired a video editor yesterday! More information about making a documentary video in another post. 

Posted Job Opening - What a Successful Response looks like!

Interviewing for a video editor position (for my video in progress) has been an eye opening experience. Looking at 20+ resumes in less than 24 hours from one job posting has given me real insight to a successful reply for an opportunity.

After an afternoon of interviewing editors for a "phase one" video and for my KICKSTARTER video, these are my observations for what a great reply looks like (perhaps for any opportunity).

1. Personalize the reply. Briefly make a case about why you want to work on the job, be in the show, or why this opportunity resonates with you.

2. Describe the job skills you have that fit the job.

3. Respond immediately. Don't wait. There may be so many other applicants for the opportunity that the requestor may stop looking.

4. If a phone number is included in the opportunity, phone immediately.

5. If the email is included, email immediately.

6. If the phone and email are included, do both. It shows you are really interested.

7. Include links to previous projects, artwork or other information that is relevant. An online presence including a web site is essential. Include multiple links if you want, but if you don't include this information right from the beginning your introduction seems incomplete.

8. Include your resume either in the email or as an attachment (even if they didn't ask for it).

9. Include your email address and phone number in the body or signature of the email. Yes, I know the email is at the top, but if a person is overwhelmed by the responses, it is very hard to keep track of everything. By including your email and phone number, it will be easy to contact you during the decision making process.

Harriete

P.S. This is a super amazing antique pencil I found. The top has an enamel clip that says," Use the Atherton Coaster Brake for Bicycles." Pencils have a lot to say.

The Amazing Search for an Editor

In the process of producing a video, I have to hire a lot of help.  A $5,000 grant from the Applied Materials Foundation through the Arts Council of Silicon Valley certainly helped to pay for superb talent to video tape and produce a video of the Pencil Symposium. To satisfy the grant requirements, this segment must be completed by April 30. Yikes.

So this morning I placed a job offering online with BAVC.   I had no idea what to expect. I wanted to find an editor who is willing to work within the budget and continue working with me later on a more in depth video to be funded by my KICKSTARTER PROJECT. If the KICKSTARTER doesn't reach its goal, I will need a Plan B.

WOW!  Within a couple of hours the response was overwhelming as a dozen people responded -- with some truly amazing candidates. The upside: lots of options for selecting an editor. The downside is more than seven hours spent on interviews and watching online videos.

Professional editors want to work on this project. Each of these editors had a commercial or corporate rate, but they are interested in working with artists on a creative project.
Even experienced editors will charge less to share in the video objectives supporting the messages in  Pick Up Your Pencils, Begin   and the KICKSTARTER PROJECT.  This is something to consider if you ever want to produce a video.

I am going to share an amazing video "Creating the Nebula". The video is on Wired web site. CLICK on the previous link and watch it. You won't believe this kinetic sculpture in the Hilton Anatole hotel lobby in Dallas, Texas.  Edited by Michael Lennon.  He edited this video (with two other editors) from 1,000 hours of footage. The video reveals the design and fabrication process.He is one of four top candidates.

Harriete

Wearing Rhinocerus Hide is the New Black

If you read the previous post on ASK Harriete, you know that I am working on making a video titled, Pencils Make a Point.

A KICKSTARTER project has been launched to raise the $10,000 needed to cover the video production expenses. I already have 10 hours of raw video footage, and only need 5 hours more, to prepare for the editing, color correction, custom music, and seemingly endless other technical details.

This KICKSTARTER project is very scary.  All or nothing is the structure on KICKSTARTER. If the funding goal is not reached no money changes hands and the pledges are never called.  I need some thick Rhino skin to withstand the tension.

25 days left to raise the money for video!  In the meantime, each day (if I can) I will share professional obstacles, issues, and observations about 1) producing a video and 2) working with KICKSTARTER.

Recommendation to All Artists and Makers:
KICKSTARTER is not for the thin skinned or faint of heart. Wearing rhinocerus hide is definitely the new black!

Harriete

What Will Happens Depends on You

My KICKSTARTER Project is LIVE and your help can make a difference!!!

Yes, your help can advocate for arts in education.

This KICKSTARTER project is perhaps the most uncertain thing that I have ever done, but crowd source funding is dependent on everyone helping a little to bring a big project to fruition. In this case, I am asking the arts community to support the making of a video.

The video Pencils Make a Point is about the impact of standardized testing on education and raises a voice for the arts in education.

Every contribution to this KICKSTARTER project will receive a reward. There are 11 different REWARDS for various levels from $10 to $2,500. Check all the rewards on my web site where each has a picture posted.

The goal is to raise $10,000 to cover the production of the 8-10 minute video. If everyone on "Crafthaus" and my Facebook friends each give $10 the goal will be achieved. That is what crowd sourcing is all about!!!!!!! So far I have recieved $480.

I also created more personal Rewards for larger contributions. Reward images and descriptions are on my web site. Descriptions of the rewards (without the images) are also on KICKSTARTER.

If the $10,000 goal is not achieved on KICKSTARTER, no one is charged for their contribution. I also don't get any of the money. Poof! The project disappears. There are 26 days to bring this project to the goal.

Please share with you friends and family. The success of this entire project depends on you.

During this 30 day campaign on KICKSTARTER, I will share the experience of making a documentary video, working with online sites, and tips you can use yourself in professional development for your own work.

All of the donations go to funding the expenses in producing a professional quality video such as camera operators, audio recording, video footage, editing, and music. Video is a very expensive medium usually costing $3,000 to $5,000 per minute. It is team effort. No wonder Hollywood budgets are so huge!.

If you are interested in more information about the four year project in creating the installation Pick Up Your Pencils, Begin, the documentation is available on my web site.
We're getting great support!!!!!!!!!.......

So far the project has had great success with a two page article in American Craft and a grant for $5,000 from Applied Materials Foundation for the Arts Council of Silicon Valley. (More information about this in another post.)

Please become part of the success with your donation.

For twelve years I have shared my "lessons learned through experience" in the Professional Guidelines, the Professional Development Seminar, and ASK Harriete. My goal is to help others succeed in their professional careers bringing their work to a larger audience.

Can I ask for your help to give a voice to arts in education?

Harriete

Art Documentaries Beyond Average, Be Inspired

I'm documenting a major new work using video . . . and hope to complete the making of a short video documentary during the coming year.  More on this later.

I am also taking a class on making Documentary Videos.  My mid-term exam is tomorrow. 

With full submersion into documentary video's I have watched quite a variety recently, and have gained new insight into the difficulty and demands of this medium.

Here are two suggestions for inspiring and insightful videos about the arts.

Pina
This film may still be at your local art house film theater as it was nominated for an Academy Award. See it on the big screen in 3D. Go to be inspired by one person's vision of artistic expression captured in an extraordinary dance documentary directed by Wim Wenders. If you love modern dance, you'll like it even more. Be prepared for seeing something you have never seen before far beyond average or predictable.     

Herb and Dorothy
This unassuming film proves you don't have to have big bucks to support the arts. A postal clerk and a librarian, devoted to the arts and to one another, acquire art from emerging artists before they become famous.  Piece by piece, year after year, they assemble a world-class contemporary art collection that overflows their small rent-controlled apartment.  Eventually, the collection outgrows their modest home, and they share their collection across America. They gave their collection away even though it was worth millions because the value of their art collection was not about money. They did not want to sell their soul.

Much to my surprise, the film was funded through KICKSTARTER.

Both of these films show that art can be about inspiration, insight, sincerity and soul.

Harriete

An Opinion about Pinterest - "What’s Yours Is Mine"?

Much discussion is going on about Pinterest. The opinions are widely mixed. While Pinterest is a delightfully engaging web site, I am very concerned about a number of surrounding issues. These include but are not limited to:

• The fine print on indemnity under Terms of Use regarding copyright and permission to post images;
• The apparent disregard by pinners in failing to include the artist's name, complete description, photo credit and most importantly, a link to the original source.
• Persistently closed eyes for "ownership" of the images, and more.

My practical advice is highlighted in beige (below). IF you want more background about the Pinterest controversy, keep reading.

I think everyone should discontinue posting on Pinterest for now, but do not delete your account. Advice from Tom McCarthy on Crafthaus is well reasoned. He says: "I made a mistake when I deleted my Pinterest account.  I will be rejoining.  Not to re-establish my boards, I still don't want to pin.  But having an account will allow me to correct any misinformation on pins of my work to a limited extent.  Without an account I can view the activity but not comment on it.  I'm not advocating hiding from the issue in my studio.  I just don't want to invest my time in their game.  Member complaints will probably also mean more to Pinterest than "outside agitators.""

Here is a brief summary of the issues with Pinterest.
With Pinterest, anyone can copy, pin, repin, anyone’s images without skill, without the title of the work nor artist's name, no description and sometimes without a link back to the original source. It is soooo easy.

While posting of images was possible before on other social networking sites, it was not the primary activity. The difference is that the "pinners" now have a highly visible place to put the "pinned" images on their PinBoard.

Pinners feel that their pinboards are an act of creativity or organization or identity for the pinner. The images are a reflection of their tastes. The pinner is now a “collector”. A collector of images, but a collector all the same. They can create an identity for themselves on line through other people’s creativity, design or artistic expression.

While most of the pinned images in the past were consumer items and recipes, the dynamic of posting images of photography, art and craft is growing quickly as artists and makers seek visibility and links to their web site or Etsy shop.

There is a discussion on Facebook Critical Craft Forum with over 59 comments. Read it and see what you think! It started with a link to a post by 2Roses on Crafthaus titled, Standing at the crossroads of 'What’s yours is mine'.

John Roses says:
Data – your data – is the currency of the 21st century. Billions of dollars are spent collecting it, and multi-billions are made selling it.  Who controls information about you, and who can profit from it is the new Wild West. This also has far reaching ramifications for artists and makers, specifically on the issue of control and right to compensation for the use of images of your work.

There has been a lot of talk about Pinterest of late. It is the newest shiny bauble on the social networking scene. Artists (some, anyway) love Pinterest because it seems to shower free attention on a lucky maker. We love free and we love attention. But nothing is really free and some of the more astute makers are already saying “Wait a minute… what’s that tucked down there in all that legal terms and conditions."
 

I recommend that you read the entire article.

Harriete continues with her concerns...

The Terms of Use on Pinterest are very confusing. Here is an artist/lawyers opinion about the legal conflicts. Kirsten Kowalski's 2nd post on DDK Portraits blog titled, My Date with Ben Silbermann - Follwing Up and Drying My Tears is a little more entertaining.

I am looking for practical solutions for artists and makers. Here are two issues that need to be addressed by Pinterest.

Above is an image of Pin Etiguette #2 and #3

Pin Etiquette #2 says:
"Credit Your Sources
Pins are the most useful when they have links back to the original source. If you notice that a pin is not sourced correctly, leave a comment so the original pinner can update the source. Finding the original source is always preferable to a secondary source such as Google Image Search or a blog entry."

Right now the Pinterest Pinboards are sloppy at best. It is objectionable that many images are not linked back to the original source, but go to an empty Google search page.

Pin Etiquette #3 says:
"Avoid Self Promotion
Pinterest is designed to curate and share things you love. If there is a photo or project you’re proud of, pin away! However, try not to use Pinterest purely as a tool for self-promotion."

The reality is that the makers of art or craft or photos own the images.  So either I break the law through copyright infringement when I post other people's art or craft (read the Pinterest Copyright & Terms of Use), or I need to ask permission for every image posted (recommended), or I break the Pinterest code of etiquette and only post my own work. 

Etiquette only amounts to standards or protocol established by your community. Manners and etiquette are established and generally followed, or the person is ostracized by the community.

Pinterest should find a way to enforce compliance through their website or rewrite their Copyright Terms of Use (in plain English) so every user understands the implication of their actions.

Have you pinned other artists or makers without complete information?
Did you ask if you could pin their work?
Did you take the image from the original source or a Google search?

Are you part of the problem or the solution to better practices on Pinterest?

 

Dupin Harriete

How about this for a pin?

Pinterest Hot Topics & Copyright Infringement

One of the problems with Pinterest is that people look around the Internet to find images for posting on their pinboards. This "pick up and post" images is not unique to Pinterest.  There are plenty of blogs that look for images to post with content. Beware!  Here is a Legal Lesson Learned: Copywriter Pays $4,000 for $10 Photo.

Think about the ramifications .... lots to discuss and consider though the unique aspect of this article was that the photo was officially copyrighted. Not everyone is applying for a copyright on every image. (While everyone has copyright for their work, you can't take your case to court without a registered copyright.)

I find the concern about posting images that you don't own as a serious issue.

Here is another article from the Business Insider: A Lawyer Who Is Also A Photographer Just Deleted All Her Pinterest Boards Out Of Fear.

On the one hand, asking permission for posting images is a good idea, but, on the other hand, it is a real pain. Imagine the time needed to find the email of each artist, compose an email to ask permission before posting, and waiting for a response.

What should I do? At fist Pinterest seemed like fun. That was a week ago when I experimented for the day. Since last Friday, I am seriously reconsidering the whole premise.

BELOW IS ONE SEGMENT OF THE FINE PRINT ON Pinterest:
You acknowledge and agree that you are solely responsible for all Member Content that you make available through the Site, Application and Services. Accordingly, you represent and warrant that: (i) you either are the sole and exclusive owner of all Member Content that you make available through the Site, Application and Services or you have all rights, licenses, consents and releases that are necessary to grant to Cold Brew Labs the rights in such Member Content, as contemplated under these Terms; and (ii) neither the Member Content nor your posting, uploading, publication, submission or transmittal of the Member Content or Cold Brew Labs’ use of the Member Content (or any portion thereof) on, through or by means of the Site, Application and the Services will infringe, misappropriate or violate a third party’s patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, moral rights or other proprietary or intellectual property rights, or rights of publicity or privacy, or result in the violation of any applicable law or regulation.

The relevant issue here is that I AM NOT the sole and exclusive owner of images I "pick up and post". I can not guarantee that  the images I post will not "infringe, misappropriate or violate a third party’s patent, copyright,..".

The other day, I removed images that I had posted on Pinterest. Why? I realized that I didn't own the images and hadn't asked permission from the photographer. With some effort, I found the photographer and his response was that I needed permission from Getty Images. My next step was removing the images. 

I don't have any answers right now, but I do think this is the moment to "pause, and reconsider" all future actions regarding Pinterest.

Harriete

IP/Internet Lawyer Opinion About Pinterest Policy

One of the concerns of Pinterest users (beyond a host of other issues like image attribution, and links to original sources) is the fine print under Terms of Use on the Pinterest site.

Riley Noehren, an IP/Internet lawyer and maker, has allowed me to repeat his insight into the fine print of Pinterest, the baffling mumbo jumbo that is hard to decipher or understand.

Below is the opinion of Rily Noehren:
"I'm a Etsy member and an IP/Internet lawyer.  Part of my job is to draft website terms for my clients, and this is a pretty standard provision.  It is necessary for Pinterest to have this license in order to be able to run its website.  You will find similar provisions in the terms
of any website where the user can upload content.  For example, Facebook's terms include the following:

"For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, like photos and videos (IP content), you specifically give us the following permission, subject to your privacy and application settings: you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook (IP License). This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account unless your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it."

"There are a few key limitations to what Pinterest is doing:
1. It is just a license, not an assignment of rights.  You keep the rights to your photos, etc.  Pinterest just has a right to use them in a limited context.
2. The license only extends to things related to the website.
3. The license only covers the content you upload, such as your photos, not the crafts themselves.
4. The license only extends to Pinterest, not other Pinterest users for use off the website.

If you noticed that Facebook's license ends when you delete your account, but Pinterest's is irrevocable, that is because the whole idea of Pinterest is for others to repost your photos.  Again, this is really necessary in order to make Pinterest work.  However, it doesn't hurt to remember before you upload anything that it will be there forever."

"It is important to remember that even if a website is "free," there is still a cost for using it--namely, your agreement to be bound by the terms and privacy policy.  I think if most Etsians were to weigh the costs and risks associated with Pinterest, the balance would still favor using Pinterest because it is an excellent, low or no-cost marketing tool. However, each person needs to make that decision for themselves based on the type of work they do."

Riley Noehren
IP/Internet lawyer

Harriete says:
I agree that it is very difficult to understand the fine print Terms of Use. On every site the terms are written by lawyers paid by the internet site provider to protect the site, not the artists using the site. Ultimately, each person has to decide what is the balance between risk and benefit.

Pinterest Search Results Do Reveal Problems AND Revelations

The last two posts were about Pinterest.

Pinterest - Quick Tips to Become a "Pinner"

Pinterest The Huge Concern

The concern all round by artist and makers is proper attribution of their work.  By attribution I mean name of the artist and possibly a link to their web site.To investigate this problem, I searched for my work on Pinterest.

I found my work on Pinterest under searches for "Harriete Estel Berman" and "harriete-estel-berman". Not all images had my name in the description. Most of the images don't even have any description, let alone a full and accurate description. Very few included links to my web site. A lot of the images were from blogs, photo sharing sites such as Flickr, or on line interviews  but most did not link back to my web site or this blog, ASK Harriete.

The impact: visibility for my work, but not necessarily traffic for my web site or blog.

While this doesn't make me happy, I am not sure how it hurts me or my work. It isn't as good as it could be, but there are many other things that could be worse. And there are some serious issues yet to be addressed.

A BIG CONCERN PUBLICLY discussed is the source of the images.

Investigating and experimenting, I have made a discovery. If you keep clicking on a Pinterest image it goes back to its original source, maybe.

 

 

• The first Click goes to the person who last pinned the image.
• Next CLICK goes to where ever the person found the image.
• So the source of the image can be discovered after all! 
  
  

OOPS...the unfortunate aspect is that this doesn't work all the time. Sometimes clicking on an image goes back to an empty Google search box with no original source. So I would like to recommend that if you find an image on Google Image Search, try to find an original source for the image. 

Taking the image directly off Google, makes Clicking back to the original source for the image impossible. Or or at least that is what I think is happening since it goes back to a blank Google page with no information, and no links or resources.

another problem:
If people download your image, then upload the pinned image from their computer, there is no source for the image.

What about screen capture an image? Then create an image on their computer to upload. There is no source for that either!

I think an important issue is how we, the arts community will offer a better description and acknowledgement for the images,  with possible photo credit and additional information. We can't complain about others unless we take responsibility for ourselves.

Are you carefully posting  images as a resource for others with complete information?

Are you carefully posting your own work with a complete description including your own name?  That was a real shocker when I realized that including my name in the description was necessary because  people might repin the work. Thus my images could be traveling far from my own pin boards.

Harriete

Stay tuned. I have more information about Pinterest and options.

Pinterest The Huge Concern

Interest in Pinterest is explosive. I heard it is the first social network to reach 10 million visitors a month. There is a lot of analysis of this dynamic new site, For artists and makers there is a huge opportunity to share your work. Lots of possibilities, but I'll skip to the big issue for artists and makers.

The huge concern is appropriate attribution. The concern is that images of art or craft may travel around, pinned and repinned without proper attribution to the artist/maker. Addressing this concern there are rumors, suggestions, proposals that artists and makers might decide to watermark their images.

I do not like Watermarks in photos. 
As a result, I am not going to watermark my photos and ruin the image because of others' irresponsible behavior.That is my opinion at the moment...but on the other hand, can't we all join together, work together, post together protecting each other with appropriate attribution?

Here is where everyone, yes, EVERYONE needs to take responsibility for posting images with complete descriptions.

Please, please, please, can we all make Pinterest the best it can be. Honor the creativity behind the images with complete information.

• Add the artist's name to the description (including your own name).
• Add a link to the original (artist's) web site, if possible. 
• Add links for your source.
• Add photo credit, if possible.  
• Add an accurate (even if short) description.

Harriete

Tomorrow's post... more Pinterest introspection.

Pinterest - Quick Tips to Become a "Pinner"

Learning about Pinterest is always a revelation as they continue to modify their policies and Pin Etiquette.

After some hours of experimentation, I can share several tips to help you become a "Pinner" and take advantage of some of the unique features of Pinterest that are different from other social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

The great realization is that Pinterest is a natural website for artists and makers since it is image based.  Artist/makers can post images of anything and everything we love.  It could be like a sketchbook of inspiration or function for self promotion. I do however have several reservations and concerns which will be discussed here.

 

Top priority is to always always, always include a link to the original source for the image.

Credit Your Sources
Pins are most useful when they have links back to the original source. If you discover a pin that is not sourced correctly, leave a comment so that the original pinner can update the source. Finding the original source is always preferable to a secondary source such as Google Image Search or a blog entry.

Include as much information as available about the image in the text box with your original pin. This is your only chance to include the appropriate information including the artist's name, description, and photo credit with the image.

COMMENTS DO NOT TRAVEL WITH THE IMAGE: An unfortunate aspect is that your comment does not travel with the image if it is repinned. Thus efforts to include additional information about the image or a link to the original source (in the comment) will only be on that particular page. No where else. Test this yourself. Comments do not travel with the image.

PIN ETHICALLY AND LEGALLY
My recommendation is to never pin an image that is not already posted on the internet. In other words, I do not scan a photographic image from a book or magazine for the purpose of pinning an image. I figure that if the artist wanted the image online they would have alrealy put it on the web, and I do not have permission ethically or legally to scan the image from a publication. 

I also do not pin from an artist's web site, but only from commercial sites or design blogs where it can be presumed that the artist/maker/designer is prepared to have their image travel on the internet to unpredictable locations on Pinterest. Why else would they have posted images of their work on such high traffic locations?

Do NOT repin an image if there is no original source (link) for the image. This is just continuing to repeat a poor quality pin.

Do NOT repin images if the information is incomplete, or inaccurate.

Follow the Pinterest precept BE Nice. It seems to be the only Pin Etiquette that remains consistent despite the whims of fashion.

You can combine your Pinterest with Facebook and Twitter. You can decide to automatically post your Pin on Facebook or Twitter as shown below.

This is a "Settings".
    HOVER on your NAME.
    A drop down menu appears.
       CLICK on settings.
       SCROLL DOWN
       CLICK ON THE BUTTONs to make your selection.

  

 

THE PRICE BANNER PROBLEM. 

A Dollar sign with numbers in the text box automatically puts a banner across the top left corner (shown above).  I think it looks tacky. The banner goes across your image and puts the price as a prominent feature. Does everything have to be about price?

Including a price in the description text is an option. Use words such as "Retail Price". This is shown below.
 

Descriptions are limited to 500 words. So keep that in mind. 

You don't need to follow a person, but you can FOLLOW one of their Boards. Just CLICK on the FOLLOW BUTTON (as shown below). You can also UNFOLLOW any time.

Find me on Pinterest. I look forward to seeing your pins.

Harriete Estel Berman

The best web site or blog evaluation!

After looking for ways to evaluate my website, I've  discovered a wonderful tool - SiteBeam. They have a free test. I recommend you give it a try.

All you have to do is sign up, submit your URL, and wait a few minutes. The free test allows up to five URL submissions.

I tried the test for my web site and blog, ASK Harriete, . . .  and then learned the harsh reality - my web site needs work.



What distinguished this web site testing service is that it does not present a simplistic single numberical value indicating the overall effectiveness of your site.  Instead, SiteBeam measures many factors with a score.

The free test offers information on multiple categories:

• broken links
• content keywords
• headings
• printability
• twitter
• W3C compliance
• social interest
• stylesheets
• broken files
• incoming links
• spelling
• poplularity
• url format
• link states
• freshness
• search engine results
• facebook
• readability
• analytics
• alternative text
• speed
• visual interest
• image usage
• links
• search ranking

The free test examined my main directory pages, not the complete web site (I have a lot of pages), but it offered enough information that I have weeks of work to do to improve my web site. I also ran my blog ASK Harriete through the free test. 

While I am a rank amateur in web design and SEO (Search Engine Optimization), this test raised my awareness for many SEO evaluation standards. I didn't know that links from social networks, spelling, titles, headers, or image ALT text (descriptions of your images) had such important impact in evaluating my site. (Since this was a free test, many results were withheld.)  Still, I have lots of information to work with in the next weeks.

TEST YOUR WEB SITE or Blog.

UPDATE 2013: This post was created in Janurary 2012. Since then I have learned about free tools provided with Google Webmaster Tools in my 2012-2013 series on improving SEO. Find all ASK Harriete posts on Search Engine Optimization for artists and crafts people with this link.

Harriete Estel Berman

Related articles

Did You Register Your Web Site on Google Webmaster Tools?

Create A Sitemap For Your Website Using a free 3rd Party Website

Artists: Submit Your Sitemap to Google

Become A Webmaster of Your Own Domain

Your Site Performance Improves SEO

Avoid URL Mistakes I Have MADE

Links to information mentioned on Jay Whaley Blog Talk Radio with Harriete Estel Berman

I'm live with Jay Whaley Blog Talk Radio on Thursday, January 5, 2012. The first interview of the New Year starts at 3:00pm. California time (the center of the universe or the edge of a rift, depends on how you look at it.)

Below are links to information that were mentioned on the radio show. A one stop resource for our conversation.

If we mentioned anything that isn't listed here, let me know.

Normally, I don't show a link in the text,  but it is listed here so you can copy the text easily and share it with a friend.

Let me know if you need anything else.
What's on your mind?

Harriete

“Pencils Make a Point” in American Craft  Magazine is a two page centerfold featuring the very personal and political side of craft. Harriete Estel Berman worked for four years collecting pencils from all over the United States and internationally as a  commentary about the impact of standardized testing on education. The bell curve curtain is 15’ ht and 28’ wide.
Read this informative article from the December/January 2012 issue of American Craft on line: http://www.americancraftmag.org/article.php?id=12761

Do you wonder "How This Article in American Craft Came to Be" featured in American Craft magazine?   Lots more is happening including the beginning of a new video about this work, tune in to find out more.http://askharriete.typepad.com/ask_harriete/2011/12/how-the-article-in-american-craft-came-to-be.html

                        *****

Are you interested in learning about the assembly of this bell curve of pencils? There is an extended page on my web site with images of the fabrication from the last four years showing.  http://www.harriete-estel-berman.info/sculpt/pencilPage.html

                

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Are you interested in the design and fabrication of Harriete Estel Berman’s work in tin cans. She recently finished new work for a show at the Contemporary Jewish Museum that opens in February.  Along the way, she created a Flickr album so you can view, step by step how Harriete designed this Seder Plate from concept through every step in the fabrication. http://www.flickr.com/photos/harriete-estel-berman/sets/72157627467970893/
View the finished work on her web site at: http://www.harriete-estel-berman.info/juda/TuBishvatSeder.html

                          *****

Harriete Estel Berman is teaching
Prepare for Success
April 28-29, 2012
http://www.revereacademy.com/s/masters-symposium/prepare-for-success-with-harriete-estel-berman.html

This class is part of the Revere Academy Master’s Symposium series. If your interested there will also be a Skype level participation  for the first time ever at Revere.

 

                          *****

Forging Communities

 

 

 

 

The essence of success by Sienna Patti
http://askharriete.typepad.com/ask_harriete/2011/11/the-essence-of-success-by-sienna-patti.html

The Difference Between a Goal and a Wish by Brigitte Martin.http://askharriete.typepad.com/ask_harriete/2011/11/-the-difference-between-a-goal-and-a-wish.html

 

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Did you know that the SNAG 2011 
Professional Development Seminar is available on line? Recorded during the Houston SNAG Conference you can watch and listen to all six segments on the SNAG Professional Development Seminar page. http://www.snagmetalsmith.org/.docs/pg/10571
Or
http://www.harriete-estel-berman.info/profguidelines/ProfDevSeminar.html

         
NICHE MARKETING and PHOTOGRAPHY IN FLUX were the themes.
This informative programming is available online at no charge courtesy of the NEA, MJSA and SNAG.

Issues include:

• How to develop new markets for your work.
• Ideas for marketing your work and visibility for your blog.
• The importance of photography in marketing.
• Are new standards emerging for photographic images?
• Are the images representing your work well crafted and compelling?
• What makes a good cover photo?
• What camera features should I look for before I buy?
• What are the ethics of Photoshopping images of my work?
• Who owns the rights to the photograph?
• What kind of "master image" should my photographer provide?

Additional discussion of all topics continues on ASK Harriete:
http://askharriete.typepad.com/ask_harriete/professional_development_seminar/

Here are the links to individual topics:.
Niche Marketing link
http://www.snagmetalsmith.org/.docs/pg/10571#Niche%20Marketing

Digital Images File Extensions
http://www.snagmetalsmith.org/.docs/pg/10571#Digital%20Images

Photography in Flux – Three photographers
http://www.snagmetalsmith.org/.docs/pg/10571#Photography

Digital Photography Handouts
http://www.harriete-estel-berman.info/profguidelines/PDS2011DigitalPhotographyHandout.pdf

Photography in Flux – Editor’s Perspective
http://www.snagmetalsmith.org/.docs/pg/10571#Photography2

How to Build a Better Drop Shadow
http://www.snagmetalsmith.org/.docs/pg/10571#PhotoShop

Questions and Answers about Niche Marketing and Photography in Flux
http://www.snagmetalsmith.org/.docs/pg/10571#2011QA

 

Professional Development Seminar 2010

Not Just Another Pricing Lecture
http://www.snagmetalsmith.org/.docs/pg/10571#Pricing

Panic over Google+ Learn and Sync with Facebook and Twitter.

Have you noticed that Google+ is coming up at the top of the GOOGLE search results?

Really? Yes, really.  I just began to realize it last week. The Google+ at the top of search results for my name is completely disproportionate to the infrequent activity on my Google+ account (which I hardly ever use). 

Well now I have a explanation from Ariane in the comments on this post (below). The
skewed search result only happens when you search for yourself when you're logged into Google. This is very good to know! Now I wonder what happens when people do a search and they are logged into Google+?

Either way, this has forced me to take action. My Google+ profile has to be better if people might click there before my web site....YIKES!!!!!!!!

So this is what I recommend to get a handle on this new social networking platform.

Use the 7 day free trial on Lynda.com to learn all the features of your Google + profile including how to sync Google+ to Facebook and Twitter. Lynda.com has a 30 minute Google+ tutorial that was amazingly helpful for understanding the features of Google+.

Lynda.com also has training about:

• Flickr,
• Social Media Marketing with Facebook and Twitter
• Facebook Essential Training
• Up and Running with Photoshop Elements 10
• Creating an HTML Email Newsletter
• WordPress 3 Essential Training
• Effective Email Marketing Strategies

So if you feel a bit like a dinosaur and wonder how you will ever catch up to the social media platforms, Lynda.com has quick and easy tutorial video clips.  Keep in mind that each one of these social media platforms links to your web site which is important to attract "link juice" to your web site and improve SEO. Evaluation of your web site even includes how many times your web site is "mentioned" and Like-ed on social media platforms.(More on this aspect soon.)

Harriete

Let me know if you want me to explain more about how to link your Google+ to Facebook and Twitter. Otherwise, find me on Facebook.

Guess what! There are several ways that we can talk about art business development for artists and makers.

UPCOMING on JANUARY 5th.
Please join me in conversation, questions and answers on Jay Whaley Blog Talk radio. If you "register" you can participate in the live chat room. Or phone up and ask Harriete your questions.  Thursday, January 5, 2012 at 3:00pm (Pacific time). This interview can respond directly to your questions and is relevant to artists and makers working in all media.

http://whaleystudios.com
http://www.twitter.com/whaleystudios

APRIL 28-29
JOIN ME IN A SMALL GROUP SETTING FOR A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
Prepare for Success: A two day course for Developing Your Business Skills can be designed to meet your needs.

Submit your questions in advance and the workshop can be directed by your interests.

Bring images of your work. Let's look at your web site.

Is your work consistent with your professional goals?

Recommended Resources for SEO and Website Information

To keep current, I follow several newsletters and blogs to learn more about SEO and Internet issues.

How else can I learn the secrets to traveling on the Internet at light speed in my studio? These resources (listed below) are a great way to build your Internet marketing and business savvy. No one has to read them all, just pick and choose depending on your time and energy, or save the link for a later date.

Go ahead, sign up for their newsletters, none of them costs a penny. Most of these are recommended by Jill Whalen, my number one guru for SEO.

High Rankings Advisor Search Marketing Newsletter
High Rankings Advisor has a free newsletter. The information is easy to understand and implement.

Search Engine Land
Search Engine Land has a variety of authors, I recommend Jill Whalen. There is also has a super post called: The Best Damn Web Marketing Checklist, Period! A quick tutorial worth reading. 

Outspoken Media 

Link Spiel       Link Marketing tips and talk from Debra Mastaler

Wolf-Howl    -  Michael Gray Graywolf's SEO Blog is interesting but more advanced information.

SEObook (This is advanced information so skip it if you are new to SEO and web.)

 Cre8pc.com       

For those of you wondering...."How will I ever implement social networking, web site updates, and blog?" And, "Why would I ever do any of this?" I'd Rather Be in the Studio, by Alyson Stanfield (affiliate link) will offer solutions.

... or take a two day intensive workshop with me, hosted at Revere Academy.  

Submit your questions in advance, and the workshop agenda can be directed by your interests!

Bring images of your work.

Let's look at your body of work and web site. Is the work consistent with your professional goals?

There is also SKYPE enrollment option at reduced price. More information soon.

Let's talk!

Harriete

This is one page from a book "And There was Light" constructed from post consumer spice tins and tin cans.

View all the pages individually on my web site  and the complete book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finding The Orange Lifeboat - Will Your Images Be Lost at Sea? by Brigitte Martin

Today's post about tagging your images is by Brigitte Martin, curator, book author and administrator of Crafthaus.  Martin begins by taking us on a rescue mission to stress the importance of tagging your images on the Internet.  Will your images be lost on the Internet? Are they drowning in an ocean of information?

Note: The opinions expressed by the author, Brigitte Marin, in this post are hers and hers alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ASKHarriete or Harriete Estel Berman. No endorsement or refutation is implied.
                  **************

Imagine you are a military helicopter pilot charged with a rescue mission in the choppy seas off of Wales. (Prince William of England generously offered to be our model for this edifying story. Thanks, Will.)

Someone fell off a fishing boat and is now missing at sea. Prince Willilam must find this person within minutes. (If he does this right, he can keep gallivanting around England a bit longer with the new wife. If he fails, he’ll need to return to London and sit in the rain for 3 dreadfully long parades with grandma.)

So Will decides he doesn’t enjoy parades all that much after all, waves bye-bye to Kate and takes off to find the lost sailor.

And this is what he sees: Water.

A great big sea of water. Lots of it and then some more. The minutes are ticking by and he just can’t find the person he needs to save.

Then finally, after 29 minutes, Will sees something. A bright orange spot in the wide open sea! Brilliant. The sailor can now be rescued by our hero!




Will goes home and tells his grandmother that she’ll have to ask someone else to sit through the parades.

 

The End. Well, almost....
Now, what on earth is the point of this story?

Imagine: Instead of royal Will on a rescue mission, there’s a charming, good looking and very smart editor/curator out there (theoretically speaking, it’s no one we would know personally) who absolutely urgently needs to find a photo of one of your pieces on the Internet for a groundbreaking story she wants to write about you and your work! But the photo our editor is looking for is - literally - lost at sea.

Oh no! Why, you ask? Well, because YOU FORGOT TO TAG YOUR IMAGES. That’s why!

See, the thing is, the Internet is kind of like the huge, blue ocean. Without tags on your photo, the image is just LOST AT SEA, it is invisible.

I found this image of a hand  on Crafthaus. It has no tags. This image is lost. No one can find it. In a minute it will be drowned.

However, with tags on your photos, your tags become the orange lifeboat, the one thing the editor can now see against the blue waters. That’s how it works!

So, will you start tagging your images now? You can easily tag images on crafthaus, flickr, and other image sharing sites.

Start with the photos you have uploaded already and continue tagging as you go along.

Suggested tags are:

• your name
• title of piece
• material
• what object it is (ring, necklace, vase, etc.)
• location
• descriptions or keywords that would help someone find your work
• name of website

If you tag your photos, others can find them. It’s that easy. You are doing this for yourself!

Your charming, good looking and very smart editor thanks you sincerely.

Brigitte Martin

Ring by Aline Battengay

Appropriate tags for this photo might be:
Aline Battengay (artist name), ring, hand, doll, jewelry, found object, plastic,

 

 

 

 

 

POSTS on ASK Harriete about Image Tags.

Search Engines Have No Vision - Play TAG, Your IT - Create Tags for better SEO from 2.0 sites

SUPER SIZE Your VISIBILITY with TAGS

Mail without an address? Titles, tags and descriptions for Search Engine Optimization.

Images on your web site, Are they lost or found?

The difference between a goal and a wish?

"I just want to clearly state what a goal for success actually is, because I think there’s a big problem people have with understanding: I think there’s a difference between a goal and a wish."*

Powerful words from Brigitte Martin, a speaker with the "success panel" during Forging Communities Symposium.

Brigitte Martin's frank lecture about success was inspiring.  I'd like to share a nugget here on ASK Harriete. Brigitte Martin is an organizer, mentor and leader of Crafthaus. During her 10-minute PowerPoint presentation Brigitte asked us: "What’s the meaning of success?"

She continued....
A common problem people have is understanding that there is a difference between a “goal” and a “wish.”

Let’s look at some of the answers artists give when asked what “success“ means to them, or in other words what they want from their lives. Most of them will tell you that they want:

• to be happier,
• to have a better job,
• to have more money,
• to have less worries,
• to loose a few pounds,
• to be as successful as so and so - generally speaking.

Please note that all these are general wishes that many people have. But if you look at them closely, you will see that these are NOT goals which would help you to be successful.

So what then is a goal?

Quite simply put:
A goal means “to have specific strategies and MEASURABLE objectives.”

Now I know, this sounds so uninspired, so boring, so accountant-like, so not artistic. But bear with me for a minute and let me make clear what measurable goals are and you will see how they can apply to your work and lead to a certain measure of success.
In the business world the saying goes: “If you can’t measure it, you don’t know what you have.”

There are four things everyone can measure:

• quantity
• quality
• cost (on or off budget)
• timeliness/ deadline

To give you a very simple example, setting a clear and measurable goal for success would be:
“By December 31st, I will have photographed all of my artwork that I created this year.”

Not only is this a very practical and useful goal (after all we know from the most recent Professional Development Seminar**  that having good photography is absolutely essential) but by putting yourself under a deadline you create a measurable goal (in this case “timeliness/deadline”).

Obviously, all kinds of goals can be created regarding quantity, quality, cost and deadline. When Dec. 31 rolls around and you look at your photos you will realize that you have indeed photographed everything. You then know that you have achieved this particular goal of yours, and the beauty of this one is that it will continue to help you being successful because you now have these images at the ready and can send them out to promote yourself at any time.

Here are some other examples of practical goals that everyone can set.  Look at your work as if you were actually running it as a “business.”

Create deadlines for yourself to do the following:

• get serious about bookkeeping, record keeping,
• get serious about your time management (don’t hang out on the internet all day),
• get serious about your photography,
• get serious about your marketing efforts (print and online),
• get serious about your gallery relationships,
• get very serious about the quality of your artwork.

Goal setting works wonderfully as a measure of success because it helps you stay focused in your daily life.

Setting a goal will lead you and direct you toward the place you want to end up.

Write your goals down and keep them handy at your desk or workplace where you can see them every day as a constant reminder.

 ____________________________________________

Thank you to Brigitte Martin for sharing sage words of advice.
*Phrase taken from the impressive Tumblr notes by Tara Brannigan about the "What is Success?" panel here.

Brigitte knows what she is talking about. Prior to starting Crafthaus she ran two galleries. If you haven't visited Crafthaus, this is a social network for artists and makers in all media. There are online exhibitions, public discussions, blogs and portfolios of artwork on each profile. All images are approved or disallowed by Brigitte's discerning eye to keep quality high.  Join Crafthaus to participate with this community.


Photographer: Nerds behind the Lens, Pittsburgh, PA

**The Professional Development Seminar is organized each year by Harriete Estel Berman, Andy Cooperman, and Brigitte Martin for the annual SNAG Conference. This is open to the public for a $40 fee payable at the door. This year the PDS will be held in Phoenix, AZ on May 26, 2012.

Notes: The first four images were taken directly from Brigitte Martin's PowerPoint courtesy of Brigitte Martin.

The Measure of Success measuring cup was my image.

 

What’s the meaning of success?

A common problem people have is understanding that there is a difference between a “goal” and a “wish.” Let’s look at some of the answers artists give when asked what “success“ means to them, or in other words what they want from their lives. Most of them will tell you that they want:

to be happier,

to have a better job,

to have more money,

to have less worries,

to loose a few pounds,

to be as successful as so and so - generally speaking.

Please note that all these are general wishes that many people have. But if you look at them closely, you will see that these are NOT goals which help you to be successful. So what then is a goal? Quite simply put:

A goal means “to have specific strategies and MEASURABLE objectives.”

 

Now I know, this sounds so uninspired, so boring, so accountant-like, so not artistic. But   bear with me for a minute and let me make clear what measurable goals are and you will see how they can apply to your work and lead to a certain measure of success.

In the business world the saying goes: “If you can’t measure it, you don’t know what you have.” There are 4 things everyone can measure:

-   quantity

-   quality

-   cost (on or off budget)

-   timeliness/ deadline

To give you a very simple example, setting yourself a clear and measurable goal for success would be:

“By December 31st, I will have photographed all of my artwork that I created this year.”

Not only is this a very practical and useful goal (after all we know from the most recent PDS that having good photography is absolutely essential) but by putting yourself under a deadline you create a measurable goal (in this case “timeliness/deadline”). --Obviously, all kind of goals can be created regarding quantity, quality, cost and deadline.

When Dec. 31 rolls around and you look at your photos you will realize that you have indeed photographed everything. You then know that you have achieved this particular goal of yours, and the beauty of this one is that it will continue to help you being successful because you now have these images at the ready and can send them out to promote yourself at any time.

Here are some other examples of practical goals that everyone can set:

Look at your work as if you were actually running it as a “business.” Create deadlines for yourself to do the following:

get serious about book keeping, record keeping,

get serious about your time management (don’t hang out on the internet all day),

get serious about your photography,

get serious about your marketing efforts (print and online),

get serious about your gallery relationships,

get very serious about the quality of your artwork.

 

Goal setting works wonderfully as a measure of success because it helps you stay focused in your daily life. Setting a goal will lead you and direct you toward the place you want to end up. Write your goals down and keep them handy at your desk or workplace where you can see them every day as a constant reminder.

NICHE MARKETING - 3 Presentations Offer Great Information

The Professional Development Seminar from the 2011 SNAG Conference was recorded and is available for listening and viewing!

Now you can see the same presentations and hear what our niche marketing experts had to say.  I enjoyed the real time events but learned even more when I was editing the audio....and I think you will too! Here are a few highlights, (then scroll down for the SlideShare presentation with audio).

Alexander Girard mid-20th century
dolls sold to adults were a stylistic
influence on Hilary Pfeiffer new line
of wedding toppers.
Photo from H.Pfeifer PowerPoint.

Our first speaker, Hilary Pfiefer, describes her "Bunny with a Tool Belt" line that keeps her going in this tough economy.

Hilary explains that her  childhood interests evolved into her wedding cake toppers sold on Etsy (left photos). She says these are among the few things that people keep and display in their homes after the wedding. Every one of her wedding cake toppers delights...check out success by looking at Bunny with a ToolBelt!

 

Next up, the Professional Development Seminar continues with emiko oye.  Watch the SlideShare and take notes. No matter what your medium or style, emiko offers solid information that translates to success from gallery exhibitions to Etsy.

 emiko's TOP five tips
for Getting Your Business Out There!

1. Professional Quality Photography
This is THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP for getting exposure for your business. First impressions are everything so why not wow people's socks off from the get go!

2.Take Risks Don't Get STUCK: Balance
Even though you may sell a ton of one design in one style, don't get stuck just putting all your focus on making the same thing over and over. 

Balance: I'm a staunch believer in making important exhibition pieces (right images) as well as production, ready-to-wear. The exhibition work definitely helps sell the production work and gives broader exposure.

3. Take Note & Be Accessible
Pay attention to how people respond to your work, feedback helps define your niche market. Be Accessible: means have a web presence. As I've said in my lecture, "If you aren't online, you don't exist". Get involved in social media with Facebook, Twitter, and  Crafthaus.

  All jewelry (above right) by emiko oye
  from repuprosed LEGOS
  The Tire Earrings are included in new
  Lark book 21st Century Jewelry

4. Be Ready Set Go!
When opportunity strikes, you must be ready with line sheets, images, bios, and artist statements. Flickr and your web site are great for being ready for the press.

5. Get Involved.
While we love to hole ourselves up in the studio and make to our hearts content, it's important to get involved in your community, local, & national arts organizations.

emiko is posting a more detailed information  about each tip on her blog this week.

 

Our third Niche Marketing speaker, Deb Stoner, has a multi prong approach to support herself which includes teaching workshops in  eyeglass fabrication, custom designing and fabrication for Donna Karan, along with her jewelry & photography. She keeps it fresh by being open to opportunity. Read the Handout Deb created for the PDS about Niche Marketing.  Download DebStoner_Final

 

                      *******

Niche Marketing from SNAG PDS 2011

View another webinar from Harriete Estel Berman

The Professional Development Seminar was organized by Andy Cooperman, Brigitte Martin and myself, Harriete Estel Berman. We had a strong program brimming with information and over 500 attendees but the Internet offers the opportunity to share this programming with a much larger audience.

Please feel empowered to share this SlideShare or post on ASK Harriete with your fellow artists and makers (with  proper attribution, of course).  If you want the HTML code to paste this NICHE MARKETING SlideShare into your own blog, web site or organization newsletter, just write to me at:  bermaid [at] harriete-estel-berman [dot]info. It is super easy to do.

Our sponsors include the NEA, National Endowment for the Arts, MJSA, and SNAG.  Stay tuned for more SlideShare presentations with audio from our PDS programming.

Promoting YOUR Art or Craft with SlideShare - Adding Audio!

 
I am TERRIBLE about reading instructions.
I usually just jump right in, then sink or swim.  

The point is that there are many ways to learn.  What ever works for you, one way or another, it isn't difficult to learn how to create really great SlideShare presentations with audio.

 Below is a presentation (found on SlideShare) with Step by Step instructions of what we have been covering on ASK Harriete in the three previous posts.

Creating presentations using SlideShare and Audacity (the free audio editing software).

View another webinar from Sarah Rainey.

Here is what works for me.  Audacity is rather self-explanatory so I never read any instructions....or listened to any presentations, but perhaps it would be advisable.  Take advantage of the free software download to make your audio recording.

My first step when adding audio is to write a script. While it is not necessary to read every word exactly, a script improves your recording significantly and eliminates a lot of editing. A script saves time!

Next, modify the PowerPoint (on your computer) to fit your script. I play my audio recording while I watch my PowerPoint. Testing on your computer saves time.

Are you ready?

  Quality images

  Great Recording

  Interesting content 

 

Final steps are 1, 2, 3:

1. Upload your PowerPoint to SlideShare
2. Upload your audio MP3 file to SlideShare
3. Synchronize the advancement of images with the audio. This is very easy to do.

SlideShare is a great site for creating professional quality presentations about your art or craft.

For example, I recommended that my daughter upload her portfolio and talk about her design objectives as a SlideShare presentation. What an easy way to have an online link for your resume as a new graduate on a job hunt.

 It's summer! Are you ready to jump in to new ways to share your work with a larger audience? 

Harriete

Just in case....here is a review for final steps to create your own audio recording.

FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS found here for a podcast tutorial.
Download the audio software. You are almost ready.

The final download is Lame MP3 Encoder. This information is further down on the same page.  See the image below.

AFTER you download both Audacity and LAME MP3 Encoder, you are ready to start recording with your headset/microphone.

It takes some trial and error to become proficient. The image above is what the Audacity editing software looks like on my computer. As you record, you will see the recording as the squiggly blue line.

With a little practice you start identifying what words look like.  I am editing the Professional Development Seminar recording from the Seattle SNAG Conference.

It is interesting that you can start to see "uhmmmmmsss", "Ahhhhsss", and "annnnddddssss". They are called "audible pauses" and your recording will sound a lot better by editing out audible pauses, stutters, and external noises (like a cough).

KISS ("keep it simple stupid") Presentations to Promote Your Art and Craft

A great SlideShare about your art or craft starts with a great PowerPoint!

Creating great PowerPoints
                                             and not Bad PowerPoints

View more presentations from lutroo

PLAN IN ADVANCE to make your PowerPoint presentation amazing!

WHY are you making a presentation!  (Who is the intended audience and what message do you wish to convey?)

THINK BIG!

Do you want to share your work?

ARE YOU SHARING INSIGHT?

Do you want INVITATIONS for workshops or lectures?

Considering that people may be watching  your presentation on a variety of monitors.... some the size of a playing card, keep your text and graphics simple.....hence KISS "keep it simple stupid".

 

Visuals In Power Point

View more presentations from Fortify Services

Find PowerPoint or Keynote on your computer, open it!~

Start...

 
The next post on ASK Harriete is about adding audio to your SlideShare.

Harriete

If you don't know how to use PowerPoint, a final tutorial is below. It's a little dry, but it offers a good beginning. One more hint: if you are planning to UPLOAD your presentation to SlideShare, do not add animations or fancy slide transitions....they don't work on SlideShare.  

PowerPoint Tutorial Presentation - Tips & Tricks

View more presentations from Niezette -

* K-I-S-S is an expression often used in engineering and science to remind practitioners to avoid excessive complexity.  It derives from a principle known as Occam's Razor.     

Promoting YOUR art or craft with SlideShare - Take Your First Step

SlideShare is a great way to promote your art or craft.  The free online service provides easily accessible usage information such as the number of views on each of your SlideShare presentations.  You can allow viewers to download your presentation or opt out.

I'd say you have nothing to lose, and much to gain! It is a great way to create a short lecture about your work, or insight into your special technique.

Below this example SlideShare presentation is information about the costs involved and links to get the free software.

Obverse Obsession

View another webinar from Harriete Estel Berman

COST:
SlideShare is a FREE site for the basic service and this has worked quite well for me to experiment and build my skills with this new marketing tool. There is also a fee based SlideShare if you want more information on traffic analytics.

Almost everyone’s computer comes with Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple Keynote. It is pretty easy to get started. All you need are great images for your digital presentation and you are on your way.

Do all your slide/image/text preparation in PhotoShop/PowerPoint/Keynote. You can not edit your SlideShare presentation once it is uploaded.  If you find any mistakes after uploading, you will need to fix the mistakes in your presentation and upload a new corrected presentation (replacing the old presentation). 

 
By browsing other peoples' presentations on SlideShare you will see that some create very effective presentations without audio! I did this for my first presentation. Create your presentation on your computer and upload it to SlideShare. Add text to your images or slides instead of audio. It is that simple!

Be patient with the uploading. Depending on the size it can take a while.

ADDING AUDIO:
This is pretty easy to do. You really don’t need a lot of technical skills, just the risk taking guts to experiment and learn from mistakes along the way. Your only cost will be a microphone and head set (if you don’t own one already.)

Purchase a microphone/head set combination at your local electronics store which costs about $50. (I did not buy the most expensive microphone/head set, but selected a basic option which has worked out really well.)

SOFTWARE for adding Audio:
To get started with your audio software first visit a site called “How to Podcast”. This will give you a step-by-step guide on how to podcast without breaking the bank. This is the home of the free podcast tutorial that will take your podcast from concept to launch -- and for minimal cost (brought to you by, Jason Van Orden, author of “Promoting Your Podcast”).



The focus of this site is how to create a podcast, but essentially a podcast is just a MP3 file. You need an MP3 file to upload to SlideShare and synchronize with your slides. This site has all the information you need, but if you ever get stuck (it is sometimes really frustrating to learn a new technology on your own), just type your question into Google. This is how I find answers to my questions.

Audio Editing Software (Audacity) and Lame MP3 Encoder are both available online for free. There are free tutorials online too so you don’t need to spend any money on editing software.  The one I use is called Audacity. There is no need to buy expensive audio editing software when you are first starting out.

There are multiple pages of information, and even video tutorials to watch. While I don’t know how to use most of the options in the Audacity editing software, I can still create very acceptable quality podcasts and audio MP3 files.

Go to Audacity to get started.

That's it for today.
Next week, I will help you get started with a few more tips.

You have your assignment.
Get ready for the next tutorial.

Harriete

Below is a presentation I made about the Professional Guidelines as another example.

Professional Guidelines Introduction

View another webinar from Harriete Estel Berman

Promoting YOUR art or craft at ZERO COST with Professional Results

One of my favorite online tools for visibility is SlideShare.

What is SlideShare? SlideShare is a FREE site where you can upload PowerPoint Presentations.  You can add MP3 files to your presentation to have audio along with your visual presentation. SlideShare also works with Keynote. 

My primary purpose was to create more visibility for my artwork and to provide additional content links for my website.  The SlideShare presentations can easily be embeded on social networking sites, your own web site, or blog posts. Here is just one sample of a SlideShare presentation (below).

California Dream Teapot

View another webinar from Harriete Estel Berman

An extra benefit is that many (and perhaps even
most) of the people watching my SlideShare presentations are discovering my work from
SlideShare itself or some other social networking
site. 

Here is a link to my page of SlideShare PowerPoint presentations. Go ahead and explore the SlideShare site.  You’ll see that SlideShare presentations cover a really wide spectrum of topics using a variety of approaches. There are some fantastic presentations that don't even use audio at all! How easy can it get!

A SlideShare Profile page is very easy to create and personalize. It is very similar to creating a Profile on any other social networking site.

Tags for your presentations are just like any other social networking sites, but they offer a great visual.

 

I just uploaded a new SlideShare tutorial about How to Build a Better Drop Shadow by Christopher Conrad from the SNAG Professional Development Seminar 2011.

While working on more SlideShare presentations from the 2011 SNAG Professional Development Seminar, it reminded me of how effective this can be for your own work.

Stay tuned for upcoming posts from ASK Harriete and step by step tips for your own SlideSHare.

In the meantime, here are some dazzling statistics!

The SlideShare from the 2010 SNAG Professional Development Seminar at the Houston SNAG Conference has exceeded 5,800 views!   

The “Not Just Another Pricing Lecture" PowerPoint presentation was uploaded to SlideShare initially. Then an audio recording was edited, uploaded and synchronized to the PowerPoint so that people can view and hear the exact same program as the Conference attendees!

Subscribe to ASK Harriete or check in regularly so you don't miss one post in this series. Learn to make your own SlideShare presentation without spending one penny.  

Harriete

HANDOUTS from the Professional Development Seminar include tons of information

Survey results from the Professional Development Seminar attendees indicates interest in topics that have been covered in past years. This reminded me of the information and HANDOUTS already available.

Below are links to all the handouts from the
SNAG Professional Development Seminar starting with the oldest at the top. 

COMMISSIONS from PDS 2007
                    
ARTISTS OPENING GALLERIES from PDS 2008

WEB 2.0 TECHNOLOGY PDS 2008

NEW MARKETING TRENDS PDS 2008

SUBMITTING WORK to GALLERIES and RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTS - A four part series.

Galleries: Are They Right for You?
by Don Friedlich

Introducing Your Work to a Gallery
by Harriete Estel Berman

The Nuts & Bolts of the Gallery.Artist Relationship
by Andy Cooperman

Galleries: Issues to Consider After Your Work Has Been Accepted  by Andy Cooperman

The Art of Selling and Pricing Your Work PDS 2010

NICHE MARKETING AND PHOTOGRAPHY PDS 2011




Digital File Extension Tip Sheet PDS 2011 (above)

Monitor Madness - Going Nuts in a Nut Shell

Recently I spent hours and hours trying to figure out if my computer monitor was giving me an accurate color image.  I am going nuts!!!.

This is the problem in a nut shell.  Every single computer and computer monitor show images differently.  I am not kidding!!!!!!!! and it is driving me NUTS! 

I want the mages of my art and craft to be presented accurately with the right colors, brightness, contrast and saturation. Doesn't everybody?

Professional Guidelines Brochure© 2010
Get your free brochure by contacting the
SNAG office.
Graphic Design: Emiko Oye

Reality -- Your audience will be looking at your artwork through a different filter than yours.  Their particular combination of computer and monitor will likely show your images somewhat differently.

I've also found that most calibration web sites focus on matching your monitor to the printed image coming from your printer. The tutorials assume you want to print your images.  I rarely print my images. Most of my audience will be viewing my images on their desktop monitors, laptops, tablets, or phone.

More problems .....
If it is so easy for anyone's computer and monitor to be set slightly "off" when color correcting images of art and craft, then the images posted to websites may be off as well.

Books and Magazines
Photo Credit: Emiko Oye

What about when you submit images to a book, exhibition, show or magazine? How do you know that you created the best quality images on your computer? How will your images look on the jurors' monitor? No wonder book publishers insist that artists DO NOT Photoshop their images!!!!!

At this point the only absolute answer is to buy high priced equipment beyond most of our budgets.  In the meantime, you should check to see if your monitor is giving you a full range of whites, blacks and appropriately saturated colors.

I found a few web sites that help to evaluate monitors.  You may be able to fine tune some adjustments.  At a minimum, these evaluations will alert you that your monitor may not be showing all there is to see.  In addition, it seems that the computer graphics card and the type of monitor have a lot to do with how your images look.

Test your computer by looking at this sample PDF from monitorsetup.com. It has a very easy to evaluate gray scale from black to white.  Try to adjust your monitor to give you the best appearance.  [Don't use the picture here on ASK Harriete, go to the site.]

Ready for a slightly finer evaluation? Try going to Imaging-Resource.com. They have two charts, one in a white scale image and one in black (below.)

Here is another site with detailed instructions for adjusting your computer and monitor.

This whole issue started because I thought my monitor was getting dim....monitors do age you know. How could I create great images if my monitor isn't correct? If I create images that look great only on my monitor, and don't look the same on other people's computers, what then?!!!!

Well guess what!!!!!?  BAD NEWS, there is no normal. I have discovered that every monitor is different. I mean really different!!!!!!!

Here is the rest of the story.  To replace my old monitor, my husband bought a new LED wide monitor....we were so excited. He purchased the monitor with the most adjustment buttons so I could fine tune the image. The LED's are brighter and save a lot of energy.  The wide monitor would allow me to have lots of windows open, and we could even download a movie to view on the larger screen.

BAD NEWS! The factory settings on the monitor are all artificially intense. The "scenic" mode and "theater" mode both super saturate the colors. The other options were only slightly better. With hours invested in fine tuning the adjustments, it got better but remained unsatisfactory. Something was very wrong with the colors. The white and black scales shown above were not showing the appropriate gradations.

After hours of adjusting and experimenting we hook up my old monitor to his laptop. Well his laptop and the old monitor together work quite well, even better than on my computer, but each presented a slightly different image. It became obvious that each combination of computer and monitor produced a different image. 

To end this story, we put the monitor back in the box and I returned it.

This should not be the end of the story for you.   Using the evaluation websites above, adjust your monitor as well as you can and create the best images you can.  Then check your images or web site on other computers, mobile phones, and tablet devices.  At least you will be aware of any undesirable shifts and perhaps go back and adjust accordingly.

Harriete

Next week?
Coverage of CraftFORWARD on ASK Harriete.

Computer image came from Flickr portfolio of MR-Hands.

Search Engines Have No Vision - Play TAG, Your IT - Create Tags for better SEO from 2.0 sites

TAGS can be confusing when it comes to 2.0 social networking sites. 

Most 2.0 sites allow tags for images (such as Flickr, Crafthaus, and marketing sites like Etsy and Custommade.com).  Some are less accommodating (see The Facebook Exception below). 

 

 

Do your own test. Go to your favorite site, use the search box, and type in words that describe your work. If YOUR images don't come back as results, no one else can find your images either. 

Some 2.0 sites allow only a fixed number of possible tags.

Custommade.com, for example, allows five tags per category.

Etsy allows 14 tags total.

Flickr and Crafthaus seem to allow a huge number, but I recommend that you prioritize your tags by using the most important tags first. Then keep going with variations and options.

What should be your priority tags?  Begin by thinking about how people are likely to search for work like yours.  What are the most important words your friends would use to describe your work? This may likely be redundant to your title and description, but that is good!  In the logic of search engines, redundant words add to their credibility.

For example, both the title of the work and my name are in every text box available. 

 Yes,  in the title text box, again in any description text box, and yet again in any tags text box -- for each and every image.  For every image use your most important words. For your work it may be a business name, medium or subject that is your "signature."

Tags for this Flower pin look like this (box below): 

 Pretend you are a gallery owner looking for a particular kind of work.  Go to any of these 2.0 sites and pose some queries to look for YOUR work. What comes back in the results? Can you find your own work?

Try several variations or combinations of words.

Strategy is everything for tags. Consider mixing up your tags, "tin" on some images, and "tins" on others, Harriete and Harriet, green, eco, recycled, ec0-friendly, post consumer.  People don't know exactly what to look for, so give them as many paths to find your images as possible.

The Facebook Exception
Facebook unfortunately uses the phrase "tag this photo" but tagging images on Facebook is simply identifying your friends on Facebook photos. It is not about SEO for you images. Therefore, we are not talking about Facebook in this discussion of images.

Harriete

Next week?
Coverage of CraftFORWARD on ASK Harriete.

P.S. The top image titled, "Tag Your It" was found at SodaHead

Search Engines Have No Vision - SEO for 2.0 sites.

In the previous post we discussed how search engines can not see your images. In this post, we move on to the titles and descriptions for 2.0 sites.

Search engines only read text.  To a search engine, images alone are just blank space.  But images can have text titles and descriptions that enable search engines to match your images with queries. If you want your images to be found, they need titles and descriptions.

TEST THIS RIGHT NOW. OPEN A NEW WINDOW and do an image search for your art or craft. What do you see?

It is very difficult to get images posted on 2.0 social networking sites to show up in a search for images. If you don't add titles and/or descriptions for your images, they will NOT be found.  Don't miss every opportunity for search engines to "see" your images.
 

Title your images with your name (or business name). 

After you upload the file, change the file name to the title of your work AND your name. (Etsy now adds the maker's name automatically.) Every title should be different, otherwise search engines think every image is the same.

I have discovered that search engines find my work posted on 2.0 social networking sites only if I put my name in the title.  In other words, titles should include the name of item/object/artwork/painting AND the name of the artist and maker.

Yes, title your images on 2.0 sites should include your name (like in the box below.)


Including your name in every image title may seem repetitive, egotistical, or unnecessary, but search engines need to connect you (the artist or maker) with every image.  Images posted in your albums, sets or collections are NOT automatically linked to your name.

(Facebook doesn't allow you to title your images, so include your name in the description. See below)

In the description, include your name (or business name).  Then add other information that describes the work, such as materials, techniques, style, color, or type of item (i.e. painting, bowl, purse).

The Internet is not the place to think that your work should "speak for itself."   Search engines can not see your images.

If you want people to find your images, you must add text descriptions.

Here is a sample description (below) for this Kisses Flower Pin.

 
Testing, testing, testing....
do a GOOGLE Search for your images.
Study the results

On all 2.0 sites, add text for the titles and descriptions whenever and however possible.

Harriete

The next post topic is a discussion of TAGS for images on 2.0 sites.
Next week?
Coverage of CraftFORWARD on ASK Harriete.

What's in a Name? Is Your Artist Identity LOST or FOUND in a sea of names?

Harriete,

Should I have a business name?  I’m stumbling and struggling on how to come up with a name.

Signed,
A reader in search for a name!

While this question is a condensed version of questions from readers, it represents a fairly frequent issue. It also highlights concerns that are relevant to the Niche Marketing theme for the upcoming Professional Development Seminar  at the Seattle SNAG Conference.

PDS speakers include:

Hilary Pfeiffer who uses her own name for her serious work, but calls her wedding toppers business "Bunny with a Tool Belt".

emiko oye refers to her jewelry line as Reware (though I noticed that the web site name is actually "reware style.")

Deb Stoner has always chosen to do her work under her own name as her artist identity.

What I want to ask all our speakers and readers of ASK Harriete:

"Why did you choose to operate under a fictitious business name rather than your own name as an artist or maker?"

"How did you pick this particular business name?"

My primary concern with a business name is the difficulty that most people have developing even one artistic identity, let alone two. In most cases I believe it splits awareness you have built and confuses potential customers or your online network.

It would seem to be a lot more focused to keep one name for your web site, email, Facebook, LinkedIN, Flickr, all 2.0 social networking and on-line marketing . One name, or a variant of your name, constantly reinforces one singular identity. Repeated consistently at every site helps the one identity to gain recognition.

There are many examples of companies in all industries who are well known under an individual name such as Jack Lenor Larsen, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Vera Wang (right) and Thomas Kinkade.

To add further emphasis to the idea of one name, it is considered a strong marketing advantage to have a singular identity to represent a brand. Examples include Aunt Jemima, Mr. Clean, Dear Abby to Papa John's, or personal testimonials that create intimacy with a brand such as Keira Knightley in advertising for Channel.

Artist's already have a name to associate with a product. Why would we dilute this asset by creating a company name?

Here are some practical suggestions about names that may enhance the effectiveness of an identity.

• Is the spelling of the name unique in some way?

• Would your middle name or maiden name create a more unique name?

For example, my mother made up her own spelling for Harriete when I was born. At this point, it works really well to differentiate my Harriete from all more common spellings of Harriet, or Harriette. Look up Harriete on a Google search with an "e" at the end. Tell me what happens.

Think about your identity name carefully.  If you are making up your own business name, make it memorable. It seems to me that "Bunny With a Tool Belt" is wacky enough to be memoralble. That is good marketing. On the other hand, on her postcard (above right) Hilary Pfeifer did not put her name anywhere on the card. "Bunny with a Tool Belt" is the business identity.

I admit to being confused by this approach. All the name recognition gained for either your business or your own name doesn't really benefit the other...unless you market them together.

PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR YOUR BUSINESS NAME should avoid using a term in your business name that has many other associations. Ironically, "reware" (used by emiko oye for her web site and business identity) has many other search results (shown to the left) from reware clothing, to a reware business for solar bags, solar backpacks, computer parts,  and software. Starting out with a business name with many other search associations just makes it harder to stand out as a singular identity in any niche market for your business. (Try typing in Reware in an image search to see what happens.) 

If there is a list of competitors with the same or similar business names, it is hard to get a top search engine ranking for your business.

 

So in summary, I'd suggest working with your own name and making it distinctive and memorable.

What is your solution to this deliemma and why? I'd like to hear what the readers of ASK Harriete have to say to add insight to this issue. What are the search results for your name, business name and web site? Are you Lost or Found?

Harriete.

Future posts will be about Tag lines and improving SEO for your images and web site with easy suggestions.

Discovering Your Niche Markets for Increasing Web Site Visibility.

The Professional Development Seminar is sponsoring an hour of discussion about Niche Marketing.  Questions for our speakers include the following:

• How to discover a Niche Market?
• Should you use your name or a business name?
• Should you have a tag line?

These three issues are interrelated and applicable to all artist and makers. The topic is enormous! Everyone has a niche audience (or even several niche markets), we just have to figure out who they are and how to tap into the potential.

In a series of posts, ASK Harriete will tackle these issues and how they impact web site visibility for artists and makers. This series will include tips for Search Engine Optimization (simple and easy to understand) without technical talk offering ideas that you can readily implement to bring more visibility to your web site.

This post is devoted to Discovering Your Niche Markets for increasing web site visibility.

Driving traffic to our web sites is not a passive activity.  It isn't effective to simply put up your web site and wait for traffic.  "If I post it, they will come" is a Hollywood dream.

Driving traffic to your web site takes some effort to find niche markets.  This is the creative part but, we need to raise our consciousness to see the opportunities. It all revolves around, What will interest other people?

Don't just look at the art and craft world for interested viewers. The identifiable art/craft world is small and rarefied.  However, if you think about all your activities and topics, I bet you will find multiple niche markets for your work.  Somewhere out there in the Long Tail of the Internet, there are people who don't know your work and how amazingly relevant it is to their interests.

Here is a recent example of discovering a niche market and then driving traffic to my website that actually prompted this post.

I am in the final phase of a four year project constructing a gigantic bell curve entirely out of pencils -- quite literally, thousands of real pencils. The work is a commentary about the impact of standardized testing on education.

A few weeks ago, a curious looking pencil caught my eye and I happened to do a quick Internet search.  To my amazement, I learned that it is a "collectible" pencil.  What a surprise?  It never occurred to me that one pencil may be worth $30 to $45!

Then I realized another of my pencils was printed with a pencil collector's name, address and the American Pencil Collector Society.  Now looking further online, I learned that there are blogs about pencils and pencil collectors! Who would have thought that this pencil niche existed!!!!!!  This is the Long Tail in the shape of a long skinny pencil!

My first Internet search discovered pencils.com.  They normally feature a pencil artist every Monday. They said, "Although you're not drawing art with these pencils, you are creating art right out of pencils!" This resulted in a feature post on their website about my artwork titled, "Pick Up Your Pencils, Begin."

If you read their short post about my pencil sculpture, you will see more niche marketing.  Pencils.com used the blog post about the featured artist (me)  to bring more visibility to two of their "niche markets" - collectible pencils and an link to selling pencils for taking standardized tests!  

While the artist feature post on Pencils.com about Pick Up Your Pencils, Begin  may or may not result in a purchase of my work or an exhibition opportunity, you never know. Maybe someone will invite me to exhibit my pencil bell curve at their pencil convention. Now that my awareness of pencil associations is raised, I looked online. There are pencil conventions all over. Imagine that? More untapped niche markets.

In addition, the blog post on pencils.com is driving a bit of extra traffic to my web site. The more traffic to my web site, the higher my ranking. The higher the ranking the more people will see my art work about pencils....

The web has a Long Tail, and I am going to ride that long tail where ever it goes.

How can you make The Long Tail work for you?  Can you think of a material, color, design, subject, or any other aspect that is unique to your work? Try doing a search. The blossoming of so many blogs and web sites about the most arcane of topics means that they are looking for entertaining ideas for their readers.  Your work may become the subject of an upcoming post! 

Seriously, time to put your thinking cap on. Have you considered the many possibilities to find your Niche? Are you ready to ride the Long Tail? You might find new customers, clients, collectors or exhibitions for your work that you never expected.  

Harriete Estel Berman

Stay tuned for more ideas and discussion for niche marketing, business names and tag lines. Pro and cons please get ready to weigh in with your opinion.

The Long Tail is an affiliate link and definitely recommended reading for learning how closely connected the internet and niche markets really are for you work.