Attention Artists: How Facebook, Twitter, Google+ YouTube & Other Social Media Sites Help You

Posted on July 11, 2011 by itees

Facebook and YouTube have become great resources for artists! (illustrators, designers, fine artists, photographers, musicians and actors…) Not only do we have the ability to post galleries and videos of our work, but we can create event pages about upcoming productions or exhibitions and invite all our friends. Our friends can share the events with other friends and so on. Facebook even stores our response, “attending” or “maybe” and will remind us of the event.

Today, we still receive direct mail postcards and brochures about upcoming productions and exhibitions, but there’s nothing better than having that information stored in a place we visit everyday. It’s a great way to be reminded as the event draws near.

Facebook also lets us feature our lastest videos so business owners can feature a new brand or product, actors can show a clip from an upcoming show, and musicians can feature their latest song.

We have the ability to create custom pages (iFrame apps) and they can include audio, video, forms, basically anything you can put on an html page and then you can set any of those custom pages as the landing page for newcomers. You can grab the link to that custom page and post about it, sending people to check it out. You can even load a store custom page and sell products right in there as well.

So okay what’s the ROI (return on investment)?

Since Facebook is FREE, I’d say the ROI is pretty amazing, but here are a few stats just from my own experience.

In the past two years my Facebook friends have tripled. It’s amazing to me sometimes over these many years just how many people I’ve met and know from the last! I have been invited to many more exhibitions, webinars, teleclasses and events, and by knowing about them and attending them (some in person) I have been introduced to so many new people.

As a creative, the larger your reach, the more opportunities will come your way.

As for Twitter, it has been a different experience. The sharing of bits of information can be a wonderful resource for news and meeting and learning about new people has it’s benefits, but so far I don’t see the ROI as much as on Facebook and I think it’s because the dialog on Facebook is much more personal and engaging. The conversation can be among lots of people at once, rather than just a dialog between two.

On LinkedIn, I have been using this networking site for a few years and have built a great business posse. My connections have also probably quadrupled. It’s a great place to share information with like-minded individuals and groups to have engaged discussions. When looking for companies to pitch to, or people who might help you, you can’t beat it’s database of millions of professionals.

I have a channel on YouTube and I can subscribe to other people’s channels… then YouTube sends me notifications when those people have uploaded new videos, as others get mine. I can embed a video in a blog post or just share it with my friends and colleagues on social media.

Savor The Success is a growing community of women entrepreneurs across the planet (15,000+) and I have been a member since 2010. This has been a very valuable resource for me. My visibility and clients are expanding due to this exceptional online community.

In the past few weeks, I joined this new community, Social Buzz Club, and I can see now how being a charter member and soon blogger of this new social media community is going to explode it all for me and super charge my online visibility. The sharing of valuable content between colleagues, having brand advocates in your corner for your own business, and being able to share that information with friends, what could be better?

Today I joined Google+ and so far it’s pretty great! Once I joined it instantly pulled together all my information for me… my profile photo, links to website, blog and social media, even all my company details. Now I’m connecting with people I know and you share on the wall like in Facebook or Twitter. I’m wondering why it recognized my YouTube account but doesn’t seem to load any of the videos there? Also it’s not immediately recognizing people but these may be kinks in the new system they are still perfecting. Check it out!

The Little Book of Shocking Global Facts – Green Books Campaign 2010

Posted on November 10, 2010 by itees

Barnbrook Design has compiled close to 200 pages of shocking global facts that cover these important issues: trade, environment, health, population, human rights, arms trade, war and illicit drugs. As I read through this book, one thing became quite clear. The world’s priorities are seriously screwed up and at this pace we’re potentially all doomed. Between runaway global spending on the wrong issues to the massive population explosion to deforestation and global warming, we need to make REAL CHANGE happen or our civilization is truly going to end as we know it. The facts were gathered from the world’s most authoritative sources and a glossary is contained in the back.

The book questions global politics and highlights the inequalities and iniquities of rampant globalization.

How is it that the developed world spends billions on weaponry, while the poor of the world have no access to education, medicines or clean water?

Here are just some of the facts from this alarming book:

Chapter One, Trade: The richest 2% own more than 1/2 of all global assets. The financial crisis that started in 2008, slowed trade and halted investment throughout the world. The poorest countries were hit the hardest with 50 million sent into extreme poverty.

Chapter Two, Environment: 25% of greenhouse gases are caused by deforestation. Why are we cutting down so many trees? So we can clear the way and raise more cattle for the growing need for meat and the population that’s out of control. Because of global warming, glaciers are melting which will threaten water supplies to millions. Between 40-60 million more people will be exposed to malaria in Africa alone.

Chapter Three, Health: Tobacco is the most preventable cause of death, but still kills more people than tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS combined. **Starred Fact**: The US pharmaceutical industry spends 24.4% on promotion and just 13.4% on research and development.

Chapter Four, Population: Our little blue planet has 6.8 billion people living on it and 5 billion have been added since 1900. 5.6 billion of them live in less developed regions. Tokyo is the most populous and Africa’s Kiberia has the largest slum and houses around 1 million.

Chapter Five, Human Rights: 8.75 million people are held in prisons throughout the world. Two-thirds of the world’s 785 million illiterate adults are women.

Chapter Six, Arms Trade: Between 1998 and 2007 military spending increased by 45%. There are between 50 & 70 million AK-47 assault rifles around the world and in parts of Africa, a rifle can be bought for as little as $30.

Chapter Seven, War: During WWI, civilian casualties were less than 5% and today that is 75%. It took just 100 days for an estimated 800,000 Rwandans to be killed during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Between 1990 and 2007 negotiations led to the end of 59 conflicts around the world.

Chapter Eight, Illicit Drugs: **90% of the world’s opium is produced by Afghanistan, yet less than 2% of it is seized there.**

Barnbrook Design created an interesting, informative book, using original and innovative graphics, typography, and culturally relevant photography to help illustrate these serious issues. In paperback format on thick, glossy paper and having a cover with flaps, both the cover and interior were printed using mixed sources and the book is labeled FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified.

About Barnbrook Design: Barnbrook is one of the most well-known creative studios in Britain. Their team of designers specialize in producing innovative books, corporate identities, CD covers, custom fonts, websites and magazines. Their clients range from international museums to charitable organizations.

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Eco-Libris Green Books Campaign 2010

This review is part of the Green Books Campaign initiated by Eco-Libris. Today’s second annual event has 200 bloggers reviewing 200 great books at the same moment and printed in an environmentally friendly way. Their goal is to encourage publishers to get greener and readers to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books. This campaign organized by Eco-Libris, a green company working to green up the book industry by promoting the adoption of green practices, balancing out books by planting trees, and supporting green books. A full list of participating blogs anbd links to their reviews is available on the Eco-Libris website.

2010 - 200 Green Books Campaign Logo by Susan Newman

How Will The Newest Students Entering the Design Industry Find Work in a Slow Economy

Posted on October 17, 2010 by itees

I try to stay current on the happenings around the industry, through exhibitions, lectures, online groups, printed magazines and certain organizations such as AIGA. Lately I’ve been thinking about the students currently enrolled and how they will compete once they graduate and enter this field. If they are educated at a good school, it’s my hope that the teachers are preparing them so that their portfolios will be outstanding, but in a slow economy, will they find work?

Having been in this industry for over 25 years, I’ve built a wide circle of colleagues and every one of them has special gifts and talents that has helped them be successful, but the industry is growing at an alarming rate and the competition for each assignment is getting more difficult. At the same time, companies are still acquiring others and the jobs as well as freelance assignments are getting thinner.

Take for example these online competitive sites like Elance, Guru, Logo Tournament, 99 Designs and more… Some of these sites do not put forth the right message about our industry. By giving clients hundreds of ideas, and all for FREE, this sends the wrong message about why a business needs a designer. A client posts an assignment, pays a set fee, and then tons of designers are wasting their time entering and the clients picks one winner. Only one person gets paid folks, so perhaps 50-100 or more have just worked for free. In other cases like Elance and Guru, designers are bidding against 50+ others and the sites don’t give clients enough information to help them choose between them around the world. In some cases clients ask for FREE mock-ups so they can decide without doing their homework. How about looking at each person’s body of work? How about seeing how many years experience one has, or reading testimonials from their clients? In our fast paced world, the clients would rather we just make it easy for them. Let 100 people design for free and they’ll just pick a winner. Just awful.

In 2010, every student has the ability to express themselves via a portfolio, print marketing and an online presence. Today they are expected to know every software program, both print and web design and be an expert at it all. It’s just not realistic.

I have been considering hiring an assistant and I’m wondering about these things. Should I find someone whose design esthetic matches my own? Should they know print or web or both? What types of projects have they worked on and which types of clients, what industries? What are their goals? I’m going to weight all of these issues as I look through resumes and portfolios and set up interviews.

What I do recommend is to design in different industries, try assorted projects but eventually try to pick a niche that fits where you’d like to be in 5-10 years. In order to compete, you have to do great work and if you want to be recognized, be consistent. A career isn’t created overnight through Facebook or Twitter. It takes dedication, expertise at your craft, and an openness to new and exciting advancements in technology. Always be willing to expand, learn and continually move forward. If you focus on the details and slow down you will achieve great things.

Clients also stay with someone who they trust and respect. A successful career is one built on the clients who stay and continually need you to help them. Care for your clients and they will take care of you.