ArtSites Updates
I'm probably dating myself when I say these "vintage" cigarette machines bring back quite a few teenage memories! ;-)
However, some creative artists have decided to repurpose these automats into Art-O-Mats!
These friendly machines now sell art, packed neatly into small boxes about the size of a pack of smokes.
Pretty neat-O! :-)
There are currently about a hundred of these retro gadgets in various locations across America.
And, each vending machine dispenses art to encourage the consumption of art in an innovative form!
It all started out with an artist named Clark Whittington, who decided to install a recently-banned cigarette machine to sell his black & white photographs mounted on small blocks for $1.00 each.
And, behold, the first Art-o-mat® was born! :-)
Of course, these repurposed vintage machines are works of art themselves!
But here are some examples of the art you can also expect to find inside them today …
Very cool idea! :-)
Any chance you'll join the movement?! ;-)
Last week, I wrote an article about Finding the Link (a.k.a URL) for Your Image Pages.
Relating to last week's post, we received a recent question from Deirdre Hofer asking us how we create our links / URLs and whether they can be changed.
Here's a short summary of how your image page links get created.
For each image (and web page that an image is on), there needs to be a unique name with some special rules.
In other words, the part of your link, following your domain name, is known in the industry as a "slug".
When you upload an image for the first time using our Multiple Images Upload Option, we automatically use the title of the file from your computer, i.e. the filename, to create the slug.
We remove punctuation, convert everything to lower case and replace spaces with underscores.
(You should note that if the filename is the original one created by a camera, it probably won't be very useful ;-)
That said, many of our artists name their files based on the work's name.
So, this automated approach can be a very effective way to upload a lot of images.
If you are uploading each image separately, you have the option to set the "Title" of the image and we will then use the entered Title for the "slug".
However, if you leave the Title blank, we automatically create "image_1" as the slug.
If "image_1" is already being used, "_2" will be tried with the number increasing until it finds a unique slug / number.
This is how you end up with numbered page names such as "image_1", "image_2", "image_3", etc.
And now to the question that follows, "Can I Change the Slug?"
Unfortunately, we don't have an easy way to change the slug once an image has been uploaded.
We have debated allowing this but it has two big problems.
Firstly, the parameters for a "slug" are very specific and it's quite easy to unintentionally create an "invalid" slug.
Secondly, once created, changing a slug can have a lot of ramifications that are beyond our control.
It really is best to get the slug right to begin with.
So, our suggestions are to either enter the appropriate Title, if you use the "Upload 1 New Image" option.
Or, rename your files to match the slugs you want, if you use "Upload Multiple Images".
If you really need to change an existing slug, we can do it behind the scenes.
But, it is a very tedious process and will likely break / affect external links to your page, etc.
I do hope that gives you an overview of how your image page links are created and what you can do to create the best "slug"!
And, if you have any follow-up questions or comments, please just let us know!
Recently, we were contacted by an artist who's external hard drive had failed.
Unfortunately, she had lost ALL of her artwork photos and other documents - UGH!
Sadly, Geoff and I get a variation of this email several times a year! :-(
So, I thought it might be good to discuss some General Backup Strategies for Your Artwork (and other files :-)
Firstly, let me say that we do regular backups of all your files on your website.
That said, your original files are not easily accessible (for your own protection) directly from your website.
So, if you do have an issue, we can create a zip file with all your original files and we'll then tell you where to download it.
But do keep in mind that our system only contains the files you've uploaded to your website.
Any other files or documents that only existed on your computer, hard drive or even an external hard drive may still be lost.
Which highlights another point, many external drives, CDs, DVDs, and other "discs" do not last forever!
In fact, the "average" expected lifetime of a CD or DVD with files is 2-5 years. And, for blank CDs or DVDs, it's 5-10 years.
The reason for these ranges is because there are several factors that affect a disc's life expectancy, such as:
- Type (CD-R, CD-RW, DVD±R, DVD±RW, etc.)
- Manufacturing quality
- Condition of the disc before recording
- Quality of the disc recording
- Handling and maintenance
- Environmental conditions
For a more detailed discussion, here's a nice FAQ about Optical Storage Media: Storing Temporary Records on CDs and DVDs.
And, if we look at external hard drives, you'll find similar ranges.
You may have noticed that many manufacturers set their warranty periods for 3 years (or less! ;-)
Beyond that time period, the failure rates go up significantly and it's simply not financially feasible to warranty them.
Common "wisdom" is that most hard drives (both external and internal ones) become "iffy" after 5 years. And, again, a lot has to do with the way the drives are run.
(Here's a nice commentary on the lifespan of hard drives.)
Now that you understand the risks of WHAT you use to backup your files, you probably want to hear some suggestions and solutions.
So, here are our thoughts on How to Best Backup Your Artwork Files and Other Documents.
Peter Krogh, a well known photographer has developed an approach for backing up images that everyone should use. It's called the 3-2-1 Rule which states that you should have 3 copies of each file, they should be on two (2) different media types and one (1) copy should be off-site.
Based on this rule, here are two specific solutions:
Cloud and External Drive
- Cloud-based backup services
- Here is a comparison of the most popular serivces.
- They tend to cost about $60/year per computer. Some have multi-computer plans that reduces the cost per computer if you have several computers in your household.
- These services install some software on your computer that will automatically backup your files shortly after they are created, modified or copied onto the computer, generally within about 15 minutes.
- They send your files to a secure location somewhere on the internet. This give you your off-site requirement but does make people uneasy about someone else potentially having access to your files. There are remedies for this but these require some additional technical skills.
- Buy an external USB hard drive
- Remember to plug it in and copy your important files onto it.
- Don't delete them from your hard drive. If you do that, one of your copies goes away.
- One (1) copy on your computer, one (1) copy on an external drive and one (1) copy "in the cloud"
- Ideally, you should keep all important documents on the computer being backed up. It is considerably more difficult to keep to the 3-2-1 Rule if you try to move files off of your computer to another device.
- Use at least 2 external drives
- Keep one of those external drives in a safe off-site location, e.g. a friend or family member's house or a safety deposit box.
- Swap the off-site external drive with one of the on-site external drives relatively frequently. Once a week would be good, once a month would be about the longest that we would suggest.
- Frequently do a complete copy of your files from your computer to each of your on-site external drives. Ask yourself this question "would I be upset if I lost all of the files on my computer that have not yet been copied to an external drive". If you say yes, then you should do that copy. I would suggest at least weekly.
- To keep to the 2 different media types, I would suggest that one of your external drives be memory based; that is a USB flash drive or SSD drive. SSD drives or USB flash drives are not affected by shock or strong magnetic fields. Both of these things can harm normal hard drives. If your computer uses an SSD drive, two normal external hard drives are sufficient.
The downside of a Cloud and External Drive backup is that it is more expensive than the Multiple External Drive approach, at least over time. The external hard drives/USB flash drive will cost around $100 each, depending on how much storage they provide. A cloud backup costs about $60/year. External drives will likely need to be replaced within 4 years so the cost would be somewhere between $50 and $80 per year in ether case.
And, if you are already backing up to an external hard drive, add either another external drive or cloud backup and you'll be just about foolproof!
As always, if you have any more questions, please feel free to contact us!
Here's to keeping your files safe and backed up! :-)
Over the past few weeks, I've received a few emails from artists who did not know how to send me a link to their images on their website.
So, today, I thought I would show you where you can find the link (a.k.a. URL) for any of your online image pages.
The most important "concept" you need to understand is where your "Address Bar" is in your web browser.
Since each web browser looks slightly different, I thought I'd show you several screenshots of the same web page in Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
All of the images below are for: www.janeexample.artsites.ca/image/new_works/crowd
(you may want to click on the above link to see which of the following images most closely matches the web browser you're using on your computer.)
(click to enlarge)
Chrome
(click to enlarge)
Firefox
(click to enlarge)
Safari
(click to enlarge)
Now, that you know where your Address Bar is, here's how you get the link to the page:
- Click inside your Address Bar
- Highlight the ENTIRE web page address, e.g. www.janeexample.artsites.ca/image/new_works/crowd
(You can do this easily by simultaneously pressing Ctrl and A (PC) or Command and A (Mac) on your keyboard) - Copy the highlighted text
(Again, the keyboard shortcut is Ctrl and C (PC) or Command and C (Mac) ) - Now, you can Paste your link in an email, in your social networks, etc.
(The keyboard shortcut for Paste is Ctrl and V (PC) or Command and V (Mac) )
Congratulations, it's that simple!
So, now whenever someone asks for a link to an image on your website, send them directly to the appropriate page!
Happy sharing! :-D
Over the past weeks, I've written Part 1 and Part 2 in my series on Best Practices and Tips on How to Negotiate with Art Galleries.
Today, I'll finish up with some tips on creative ways to work together.
Ultimately, you need to make sure that your goals and the goals of the gallery are the same.
And, quite honestly, your common goal should be to sell as much artwork as possible! ;-)
So, when you're negotiating, think about ways to motivate and provide incentives for the gallery to sell more of your art.
One idea I've heard used is to increase the gallery's commission as more art is sold.
In essence, if the gallery can make more money from subsequent sales, they may be more likely to continue to put the effort into additional sales.
While this does reduce your cut, in the long-run, it can sell more of your artwork and get more collectors aware of you!
In general, I strongly recommend that you closely match your efforts and inventory with the sales performance of any gallery.
When structured well, a partnership with a gallery can be a wonderful experience!
That said, it IS up to you to make sure you are covering your bases! :-)
If you have any questions or experiences you'd like to share, I'd love to hear them!
Thanks again and happy negotiating! ;-)
Surprise! There's a new "art scam"! :-(
And, as usual, we wanted to alert you to the latest one that has come to our attention over the past week.
The subject of the email appears to be "Order Inquiry" and it's from a Rebecca Shawn, although the email used is "priscilliamorgan1@gmail.com".
Without going into great detail, we just wanted to let you know that you should ignore or delete any such messages.
This is not a valid inquiry.
Once again, if you receive any other suspicious inquiries, please feel free to let us know!
And, thanks again to all of you who brought this to our attention! :-)
We really appreciate you working with us to keep the ArtSites community updated and informed!
And, just in case you'd like to read more information on other Art Scams and how to spot them, here are a few of our earlier posts:
Last week, I wrote about Some Initial Best Practices & Tips for Negotiating with Art Galleries.
This week, I'd like to continue discussing a few other "issues" that our artists have encountered.
One artists mentioned that after providing a gallery with several initial pieces and the gallery not being able to sell those pieces, they asked her to provide them with more "newer" pieces.
Unfortunately, she did not have many pieces in the style, medium that they wanted and they insisted that she paint some more.
Given that the gallery, initially, didn't do a great job selling your first few pieces, I would be quite hesitant to provide them with more artwork, especially since creating new pieces incurs more costs for you!
So, to make sure this doesn't come up, do try to negotiate how many pieces you will provide.
And, IF the gallery does a great of selling your artwork, you can definitely be open to providing more.
But, in essence, you want to tie your "supply" to their performance.
Another practice that we're seeing, primarily in the online world, is websites asking you to share YOUR customer/collector/fellow artists' contact information.
If these websites can truly help YOU, they should have their own lists.
And, if they don't, they should be willing to seek out the necessary relationships to grow their own lists.
For us, this is a fundamental violation of your customers/collectors/fellow artists' privacy.
Remember that your contacts have NOT agreed to this other service and their contact information should be safe with you.
Geoff and I feel strongly that people's email addresses should only be used for the purposes they initially signed up for.
And, in fact, this is how spam often happens because email address are "shared" or "sold" without the email address owners knowing about it.
So, before you think about passing along your contacts' information, keep in mind how you would feel if someone gave your contact information to a company or service without your permission.
(Speaking of contact lists, do be sure to check our Flashback Friday Post on How to Update & Manage Your ArtSites Mailing List below.)
I'll continue this discussion next week with a few more thoughts on some "creative" negotiation options, e.g. increasing commissions based on performance, etc.
If you have any questions or experiences you'd like to share, please let me know so I can include them in my future articles!
Thanks again and happy negotiating! ;-)
(Part 1)
A few weeks ago, I was on a panel at the "Work of Art" Conference organized by the Arts Council of Surrey.
I was asked what are "appropriate" commission fees when negotiating with Art Galleries.
Unfortunately, one artist had had a "very bad experience"! :-(
So, I thought I'd create a series of articles that highlight some "negotiation" tips, techniques and considerations! ;-)
Most galleries will take a 50%-commission on any artwork they sell.
The reason this percentage is so high is because it should cover the gallery's costs and afford the gallery some profit.
However, some gallery owners are asking for high commissions AND requiring artists to pay expenses UPFRONT!
For me, this is a HUGE red flag!
If you pay upfront, the gallery is getting money before even proving themselves.
You want the gallery to have an incentive to SELL your work, NOT collect fees with the "promise" of future sales.
In essence, you want the gallery to have the same financial incentives as you!
I.e., when a piece is sold, you BOTH get paid! :-)
Now, sometimes galleries will say that they'll take a lower commission and ask for money upfront to balance the financial equation.
As I said above, this reduces their incentive to SELL your artwork.
Once again, I'd be cautious of galleries focused on getting money upfront.
Quite honestly, you are better served with "pay for performance" contracts.
If a gallery really thinks they can sell your artwork, they should not be afraid to have a commission-based agreement based on their performance.
And, while I'm talking about performance .... ;-)
I'd also recommend including ongoing performance milestones for longer contracts.
The reason for this is that many galleries will do a great job selling your artwork when they FIRST sign you.
BUT, are they still ACTIVELY promoting and selling your art 6 months later?!
You may want to have clauses that allow you to change representation if they don't maintain certain levels of sales.
This gives you flexibility if you find a gallery is "slacking off" ;-)
Remember, you don't want to lose momentum because your gallery changes its "artist focus".
Those are a few of my initial thoughts ...
I'll continue this discussion next week with more pointers, e.g. increasing commissions, sharing customer lists, and negotiating how much artwork you'll supply.
If you have any questions or experiences, please send them to me so that I can include them in my future articles!
Here's to being a well-prepared art gallery negotiator! ;-)
(And, speaking of galleries, you may also want to check out our previous article, 5 Tips to Consider When Dealing with International Art Galleries.)
A few weeks ago, we wrote an article about Watermarks and Protecting Your Images.
Geoff and I received several emails from you thanking us for explaining our policy and what we were doing.
However, Geoff got thinking again and decided that it WOULD be possible to offer another option to our artists ...
Our basic assertion then, as it is now, is that such pirating of images is not a loss of revenue because whoever does this probably would not have paid for your artwork.
BUT, it is important that whatever we do to "protect" your images does not detract from the experience for those visitors who just want to view and evaluate your artwork.
As we've said before, we currently do a number of things to help with this issue, including reducing the size and quality of images just enough to only be useful for the specific needs of your website.
That said, we have added a NEW feature (disabled by default) that removes the menu visitors would normally get when they right click on an image.
Generally, on the right-click menu is an option to save the image, i.e. download it, to the visitor's computer.
By enabling this feature, your visitors will no longer be able to use the right-click menu to copy or save images for their own use.
This is by no means a foolproof mechanism to COMPLETELY prevent pirating of images.
But, it is much more difficult to access your online images.
So, this effectively prevents "casual" pirating of images.
You can enable this feature (which disables the menu)by doing the following:
- Go to the Advanced page in your Administration Panel
- Scroll down to the Images section.
- In that section there is a check box with the prompt "Disable web browser right click menu on images (copy protect image)".
(click to enlarge) - Click the check box
(see red arrow above). - Scroll to the top or bottom of the page and click the "Update Advanced Settings" button to save your changes!
- Your images will now be more protected.
Once again, we ARE listening to you and trying to make ArtSites a secure and easy platform to use ;-)
If you have any issues with this latest feature or have any other questions, simply let us know!
Thanks again for all your feedback and for working with us on a suitable solution!
Now, go forth and protect your images! ;-)
We have heard from many of our artists that they would like to better protect the images of their artwork from being "pirated" or copied off of their website. This is actually a complex subject that we covered quite some time ago in the article Protecting Artistic Works on the Web.
Our basic assertion then, as it is now, is that such pirating of images is not a loss of revenue so it is important that whatever we do to "protect" your images does not detract from the experience for those visitors who just want to view and evaluate your artwork. We currently do a number of things to help with this issue, including reducing the size and quality of images just enough to only be useful for the specific needs of the website.
That said, we have added a NEW feature (disabled by default) that removes the menu visitors would normally get when they right click on an image. Generally, on the right-click menu is an option to save the image, i.e. download it, to the visitor's computer. By enabling this feature, your visitors will no longer be able to use the right-click menu to copy or save images for their own use.
This is by no means a foolproof mechanism to prevent pirating of images. But, it is much more difficult to access your online images. So, this effectively prevents "casual" pirating of images.
You can enable this feature (which disables the menu) by doing the following:
- Go to the Advanced page in your Administration Panel
- Scroll down to the Images section.
- In that section there is a check box with the prompt "Disable web browser right click menu on images (copy protect image)".
- Click the check box.
- Scroll to the top or bottom of the page and click the "Update Advanced Settings" button to save your changes!
- Your images will now be more protected.
Please let us know if you have any issues with this or have any questions.
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