ArtSites Updates
(posted on 28 Jun 2013)
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about which images get shared the most online.
This week, I came across a great VISUAL infographic that highlights the findings from that study even better!
Below is the infographic and hopefully, it will help you understand what types of images are most "viral" online.
You may want to review your own images and see whether some may be better suited to online viewing than others.
Take a look at the tips provided and see which images catch your eye! ;-)
Enjoy!
(posted on 21 Jun 2013)
As mentioned, this week has been a very emotional one!
And, that's actually always welcomed! :-D
It has been a week that gently reminds me how we are constantly impacting the lives of others.
We are constantly leaving behind a trail of ourselves!
And, the ripples we make travel much farther than we may even know! :-D
Your artwork is clearly a big part of your legacy because it is:
- Who you are
- How you see the world
- How you express yourself
- It is your voice!
However, your art is not the only legacy you will leave behind ...
- Your kindness
- Your joy
- Your laughter
- Your outlook
- Your generosity
- Your spirit
All of these things will also be remembered, reinvented, and passed along to many generations to come!
So, continue to put yourself out there - exhibiting and sharing who you are!
We KNOW how difficult it can be to bare your soul!
But, please know that we're cheering you on!
Today, Geoff and I simply want to thank YOU for letting us support you in sharing your art and who you are with the world!
We are SO privileged to have such an amazing, loving, supportive and talented ArtSites family!
Please know that you have rippled into our lives!
And, thank YOU for the amazing Legacy you're leaving with us!
So, continue to put yourself out there - exhibiting and sharing who you are!
We KNOW how difficult it can be to bare your soul!
But, please know that we're cheering you on!
Today, Geoff and I simply want to thank YOU for letting us support you in sharing your art and who you are with the world!
We are SO privileged to have such an amazing, loving, supportive and talented ArtSites family!
Please know that you have rippled into our lives!
And, thank YOU for the amazing Legacy you're leaving with us!
We will never be the same! :-D
From our hearts to yours ...
(posted on 7 Jun 2013)
This week, I came across a fascinating study that looked at which images get shared more on Pinterest.
In case you're not familiar with Pinterest, Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social networks AND it's based on VISUALS!
If you're not on Pinterest, I'd strongly recommend signing up!
Pinterest examined the pixels of more than 500,000 images and analyzed faces, texture, hue, saturation, lightness, brightness and aspect ratio.
Based on their examination, they came up with the following conclusions:
In case you're not familiar with Pinterest, Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social networks AND it's based on VISUALS!
If you're not on Pinterest, I'd strongly recommend signing up!
Pinterest examined the pixels of more than 500,000 images and analyzed faces, texture, hue, saturation, lightness, brightness and aspect ratio.
Based on their examination, they came up with the following conclusions:
- Vertical “portrait” style images with 2.3 to 4.5 aspect ratios are more likely to be shared over long or wide images
- Images with multiple dominant colors are 3.25 times more likely to be shared than those with one dominant color
- Very light and very dark images are NOT shared as often
- The Sharing Rate for images of medium lightness is:
- 20X higher than for predominantly black images
- 8X higher than predominantly white images
- Red images get shared more compared with blue images
- Red, orange and brown images receive roughly 2X as many shares
- Images with 50% saturation get 4X more shares than images with 100% saturation, and10X more shares than images that are totally desaturated
- Images with less than 30% background or white space are shared the most
- Images with a smooth texture are shared up to 17X more than images with a rough texture
If you'd like to read more, here's an article that provides a few more details and context!
So, when you're thinking of your own artwork images, do keep some of these statistics in mind in terms of which images you use online!
So, when you're thinking of your own artwork images, do keep some of these statistics in mind in terms of which images you use online!
(posted on 31 May 2013)
Following my article last week about using your email address for branding purposes, I wanted to briefly talk about the actual email address you use to receive emails, i.e. your personal email address.
When you sign up for your Internet Service, you are often provided with an email address: For example:
- YourName@shaw.ca, or
- YourName@telus.net, or
- YourName@rogers.com, or
- YourName@comcast.com, etc.
These email addresses are generally called Internet Service Provider (ISP) email addresses because they are provided by your Internet Service Provider.
However, if you ever decide to change your Internet Service Provider, you'll have to let everyone know your new email address.
And, as you can imagine, this can be quite a pain! ;-)
Instead, we strongly recommend that you setup a free web-based email address, e.g. Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL, etc.
When you setup a web-based email address, your emails are stored out on the Internet on Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc. servers.
Because of this setup, you can also access your email from ANY computer, tablet, phone or other device that's connected to the internet.
This allows you to be much more mobile and still receive and respond to emails on-the-go.
So, why does this matter?!
Well, if you ever DO decide to change Internet Service Providers, nothing changes for anyone trying to reach you!
The only difference is that you're now CONNECTING to your Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc. email through a new Internet Service Provider.
Think of it this way ... your Internet Service Provider is your connection or "on ramp" to the Internet.
Once you're on the Internet you can go wherever you want and access emails, files, webpages, wherever they "live".
If you change Internet Service Providers, you're simply getting on a different "on ramp", but once you're on the Internet Superhighway, you can go wherever you want!
So, if you're looking for an "evergreen" email address that:
However, if you ever decide to change your Internet Service Provider, you'll have to let everyone know your new email address.
And, as you can imagine, this can be quite a pain! ;-)
Instead, we strongly recommend that you setup a free web-based email address, e.g. Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL, etc.
When you setup a web-based email address, your emails are stored out on the Internet on Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc. servers.
Because of this setup, you can also access your email from ANY computer, tablet, phone or other device that's connected to the internet.
This allows you to be much more mobile and still receive and respond to emails on-the-go.
So, why does this matter?!
Well, if you ever DO decide to change Internet Service Providers, nothing changes for anyone trying to reach you!
The only difference is that you're now CONNECTING to your Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc. email through a new Internet Service Provider.
Think of it this way ... your Internet Service Provider is your connection or "on ramp" to the Internet.
Once you're on the Internet you can go wherever you want and access emails, files, webpages, wherever they "live".
If you change Internet Service Providers, you're simply getting on a different "on ramp", but once you're on the Internet Superhighway, you can go wherever you want!
So, if you're looking for an "evergreen" email address that:
- will survive any Internet Service Provider changes you make
- allows you mobile access from any Internet-connected computing device
We recommend setting up a web-based email address.
In terms of WHICH web-based service? Both Geoff and I use Gmail and would strongly recommend it. However, there are pros and cons to all of the services ;-)
If you have any questions or if I've just confused you further, please let me know! :-)
In terms of WHICH web-based service? Both Geoff and I use Gmail and would strongly recommend it. However, there are pros and cons to all of the services ;-)
If you have any questions or if I've just confused you further, please let me know! :-)
(posted on 24 May 2013)
Perhaps, you've never thought about it, but when you give out your email address, what does it say about you and your brand?
As part of ArtSites, we setup email address(es) that are linked to your website address(es), e.g.YourName@YourName.com.
However, we continue to see many of our artists using their personal email addresses, e.g.YourName@shaw.ca.
Did it ever occur to you what impression this gives when you hand it out to potential buyers or others?
While it's not the worst thing, you are missing out on an opportunity to promote your website and your online portfolio.
(And, you've spent a lot of time creating your website so show it off! ;-)
When you use your website email addresses, the other person immediately knows how to reach you directly AND the name / location of your website! Just from the email address!
In many ways, you're giving them two resources in one and they can go to your website and look at your artwork, if they're truly interested.
It also looks more professional and if that's part of your brand, that's definitely something to consider. ;-)
So, we strongly recommend that you use the email addresses that we've setup for you and start making your email an integral part of your brand!
Which brings me to another point...
When you use the email addresses that we've setup, we automatically (behind the scenes) forward them to your personal email address!
So, you'll get those emails just like you get any others. Think of the email addresses we setup as "virtual" forwarding addresses.
As long as WE know how to contact you, we can forward all emails sent to any of your website email addresses to wherever you want! :-D
Now, if you want to know HOW to setup your EXISTING email programs so that you can SEND using your website email addresses, we have several tutorials!
(Simply scroll down to the "Email Setup" section on our Tutorials Page! If you're program isn't listed, just let us know ;-)
Next week, I'll continue this conversation and talk about why you might want to use a web-based email address, e.g. Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc., for your personal email address instead of the one from your Internet Service Provider, e.g. Shaw, Telus, Comcast, etc.)
(posted on 24 May 2013)
We often receive this question from new ArtSites artists, Why Isn't My Website in Google or Why Isn't My Website on the First Page of Results?
In the Internet Explorer sample above, you will see that the address bar is the upper most input area to your far left! (Here's a more detailed article on How to Find Your Address Bar and What It Looks Like.)
Your Address Bar is where anyone can type in your new website address and reach it! (even if Google hasn't indexed your website yet ;-)
The other input boxes are Google (or other) Search boxes and if your website has not been indexed, they will not find it there :-(
If you're not sure, here's a tip: Press the following keys simultaneously: Ctrl and L (PC) or Command and L (Mac) and the address bar will be highlighted and you can start typing!
If your website HAS been indexed and it's not on the first page, there may be several other issues:
You do have to be patient and over time, your rankings will improve and Google will hopefully list you closer to the top! ;-)
You are probably running up against a couple of issues.
In terms of the issue about not finding your new website on Google, this is due to Google's policies.
Google does NOT immediately index every new website. In fact, Google purposely waits a few weeks to make sure that your website is not a "spam" website and is legitimate.
You should also know that Google penalizes websites that are less than 6 months old or have made substantial changes within the last 6 months.
Again, this is their way of ensuring that people are not creating websites that are not legitimate.
So, when you setup your website, be patient because it may take a few weeks before you see your name in the Google results.
HOWEVER, your website is "live" and anybody can view it if they type in your website address in their "address bar" (NOT Google Search Engine!)
Speaking of which, your "Address Bar" is the area at the top of your web browser that has the http:// or https:// or just the website page address in it (see below).
In terms of the issue about not finding your new website on Google, this is due to Google's policies.
Google does NOT immediately index every new website. In fact, Google purposely waits a few weeks to make sure that your website is not a "spam" website and is legitimate.
You should also know that Google penalizes websites that are less than 6 months old or have made substantial changes within the last 6 months.
Again, this is their way of ensuring that people are not creating websites that are not legitimate.
So, when you setup your website, be patient because it may take a few weeks before you see your name in the Google results.
HOWEVER, your website is "live" and anybody can view it if they type in your website address in their "address bar" (NOT Google Search Engine!)
Speaking of which, your "Address Bar" is the area at the top of your web browser that has the http:// or https:// or just the website page address in it (see below).
In the Internet Explorer sample above, you will see that the address bar is the upper most input area to your far left! (Here's a more detailed article on How to Find Your Address Bar and What It Looks Like.)
Your Address Bar is where anyone can type in your new website address and reach it! (even if Google hasn't indexed your website yet ;-)
The other input boxes are Google (or other) Search boxes and if your website has not been indexed, they will not find it there :-(
If you're not sure, here's a tip: Press the following keys simultaneously: Ctrl and L (PC) or Command and L (Mac) and the address bar will be highlighted and you can start typing!
If your website HAS been indexed and it's not on the first page, there may be several other issues:
- If you have a fairly common name, you may not rank high enough to get on the first page, especially when your website is new.
- You have little text on your website and that makes it difficult for Google to know how to categorize your website.
- That said, your website should represent your work and you should NOT artificially try to add words and phrases that do not represent what you are doing.
- What you should do is get words onto your website that do describe the work or your process for creating your work.
- Additional, try to use "geographic" words that help people know where you're located. Often buyers and people are looking for local artists!
This process can take time too so just keep improving your website and the search engine rankings will follow.
You do have to be patient and over time, your rankings will improve and Google will hopefully list you closer to the top! ;-)
(posted on 17 May 2013)
Whenever you exhibit or participate in an event, it's always good to get people's contact information - Admirers, Buyers, Potential Buyers, etc.!
Depending on what makes sense, you may only want their name and email or maybe you want a physical mailing address for event postcards.
Either way, ArtSites allows you to manage and update your mailing list directly through your website.
To manage or update information about any existing people on your mailing list, just:
- Go to the Mailing List tab in your Admin Panel
- Scroll down to the Manage the Mailing Listsection and you will see a list of names with contact information
- Click on the "Pencil" (edit) icon to update or change any information for that person
If you would like to Add a Person to Your Mailing List, simply:
- Go to your website (NOT your Admin Panel)
- Click on the Mailing List link on your website
- Type in the information you have
- Click on the Add to Mailing List Button to submit
All of that person's information will be added to your mailing list.
Of course, you can also ask people to go to your website to enter their information.
However, most people will forget ;-) So, feel free to do this yourself, if you've received their information and permission.
What if you only want to collect people's names and email address and NOT their postal addresses?
Well, Geoff just added a new feature that removes those text fields! Thanks, Geoff!
If you go to your Mailing List tab in your Admin Panel and scroll down, you'll see a new option:
Of course, you can also ask people to go to your website to enter their information.
However, most people will forget ;-) So, feel free to do this yourself, if you've received their information and permission.
What if you only want to collect people's names and email address and NOT their postal addresses?
Well, Geoff just added a new feature that removes those text fields! Thanks, Geoff!
If you go to your Mailing List tab in your Admin Panel and scroll down, you'll see a new option:
- Do not collect Postal Address information
When you click this checkbox, you will remove those fields from your form on the website.
(Note: You may need to reload your Mailing List page (Ctrl+R [PC] or Command+R [Mac]) to see the fields removed.)
Now, people (or you ;-) can just enter a name and email address and the other fields are hidden.
And, if you want to know what you can do with your mailing list, please check out our previous article on How Our Blogs / Newsletters Work.
In essence, your mailing list allows you to easily email your contacts with specific news, updates, or any other information you post on your ArtSites Blog.
If you have any issues or other questions about your mailing list, please let us know!
(Note: You may need to reload your Mailing List page (Ctrl+R [PC] or Command+R [Mac]) to see the fields removed.)
Now, people (or you ;-) can just enter a name and email address and the other fields are hidden.
And, if you want to know what you can do with your mailing list, please check out our previous article on How Our Blogs / Newsletters Work.
In essence, your mailing list allows you to easily email your contacts with specific news, updates, or any other information you post on your ArtSites Blog.
If you have any issues or other questions about your mailing list, please let us know!
(posted on 10 May 2013)
This week, I received an email from one of our US ArtSites artists asking if I only highlight Canadian events or exhibits.
My response was "Absolutely NOT!" I actually felt quite bad that this even came up and crossed her mind!
The events I highlight are ones that our artists send / share with me. With 500 artists, it's hard for me to just "know" when you have something ;-)
So, I wanted to make sure that YOU know that we'll promote YOUR activities and events for FREE!
That said, you DO need to send me an email to let me know!
And, here's what I'd like to get when you send me an event:
- Name of the Event
- Website Link for the Event, if available
- Dates
- Location & Address
- Link(s) to Your Image(s) in the Event
- Link or Image from Event Invitation / Announcement
This helps me tremendously in putting the weekly newsletter together and getting all your details correct.
So, once again, PLEASE let me know when you have something coming up and we'll gladly help you share and promote it! ;-)
So, once again, PLEASE let me know when you have something coming up and we'll gladly help you share and promote it! ;-)
(posted on 12 Apr 2013)
A few weeks ago, we mentioned that images taken with Apple iOS devices (e.g. iPads, iPhones, iPods, etc.) and potentially other cameras may not be rotated/oriented properly when viewed on some browsers.
Geoff has been working on this issue and this week, we uploaded a new feature that allows you to rotate your images!
Geoff has been working on this issue and this week, we uploaded a new feature that allows you to rotate your images!
Beneath each image in your Image Library, you will now see two new icons (see red arrows above).
These allow you to rotate your image counter-clockwise (on the left) or clockwise (on the right).
Just continue to click the icon until you get your image in the proper orientation. So, if your image is not properly oriented, you can now rotate it yourself and make sure it's properly displayed!
As always, whenever we introduce a new feature, there is a possibility that we may affect other areas of our system. If you find something isn't working properly, e.g. you're getting a blank page, etc.,please let us know and we'll look into it ASAP!
Thanks again for your understanding and for your continued support in making ArtSites better!
These allow you to rotate your image counter-clockwise (on the left) or clockwise (on the right).
Just continue to click the icon until you get your image in the proper orientation. So, if your image is not properly oriented, you can now rotate it yourself and make sure it's properly displayed!
As always, whenever we introduce a new feature, there is a possibility that we may affect other areas of our system. If you find something isn't working properly, e.g. you're getting a blank page, etc.,please let us know and we'll look into it ASAP!
Thanks again for your understanding and for your continued support in making ArtSites better!
(posted on 12 Apr 2013)
Earlier this year, we wrote a detailed article about How to Blog and What to Blog About. And, many of you are now using the ArtSites Blog system and are blogging regularly. Congratulations!
We also recently had a conversation with one of our artists about how our blogging system and newsletter work and we thought you might also appreciate understanding this.
Our blogging system is tied into our newsletter system.
What this means is that when you create a blog post,you have two options for getting your blog post read and distributed:
We also recently had a conversation with one of our artists about how our blogging system and newsletter work and we thought you might also appreciate understanding this.
Our blogging system is tied into our newsletter system.
What this means is that when you create a blog post,you have two options for getting your blog post read and distributed:
- You can simply leave your blog post on your website for online visitors to read, OR
- You can ALSO send it out to everyone on your mailing list
Some of the benefits of this system are:
So, if you're blogging about a work-in-progress, you may want to post interim updates on your blog for those interested in all the intermediate steps.
However, when you're done, you may want to make a more formal blog post / announcement and send that final post to everyone on your mailing list.
Or, maybe you have an event or exhibit coming up. Using our blogging system, you can post the event information to your blog AND send out a newsletter at the same time!
Using our blog system this way makes sure BOTH your online website visitors AND your mailing list members know about your most important activities.
So, the next time you want to announce something to your collectors, friends, family, and fans, feel free to create a blog post and if it's really important, email it to them, as well! :-)
Want to know how to use our blogging system and how to send out newsletters, here are two tutorials that'll walk you through the process step-by-step: And, once again, here is a link to our previous article with more details on: How to Blog and What to Blog About.
If you have any other questions or suggestions about blogs, simply let us know! We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas!
- You decide which posts JUST live on your blog and which ones ALSO get sent as a newsletter
- You don't have to create separate newsletters
So, if you're blogging about a work-in-progress, you may want to post interim updates on your blog for those interested in all the intermediate steps.
However, when you're done, you may want to make a more formal blog post / announcement and send that final post to everyone on your mailing list.
Or, maybe you have an event or exhibit coming up. Using our blogging system, you can post the event information to your blog AND send out a newsletter at the same time!
Using our blog system this way makes sure BOTH your online website visitors AND your mailing list members know about your most important activities.
So, the next time you want to announce something to your collectors, friends, family, and fans, feel free to create a blog post and if it's really important, email it to them, as well! :-)
Want to know how to use our blogging system and how to send out newsletters, here are two tutorials that'll walk you through the process step-by-step: And, once again, here is a link to our previous article with more details on: How to Blog and What to Blog About.
If you have any other questions or suggestions about blogs, simply let us know! We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas!
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