WELCOME

The purpose of this blog is to document my process of discovering how to make use of networking sites such as facebook, twitter, blogger etc in order to [hopefully] demystify the world of internet social networking for us all.

I am by no means an expert in this field, but I hope that as I gather the gems discovered along the way, you too can benefit from these discoveries, and share them with others. I welcome the era of the handmade revolution with open arms, and this blog is my way of supporting all of you who are out there trying to launch your offerings to the world.



Sunday, June 6, 2010

the internetworking checklist...

It occurred to me the other night (as I was building yet another internet presence: this time for my newly renamed "osiris jewellery" pages)... that it would be useful to have a checklist of pages & accounts required to set up a comprehensive internet presence. I'll set examples of my pages along the way, so you can see what I am talking about...

So, here we go - and feel free to add other suggestions in the comments section. I am no expert at this, I'm simply sharing what I learn as I go...

1. Facebook Profile http://profile.to/kirrasprings/
If you do not yet have a personal profile, you will be prompted to set one up - it's easy, just follow the steps provided. You can also do this directly from http://www.facebook.com
(If you want to view my profile, you will need to send me a friend request. Don't worry - I'll accept!) Your facebook profile becomes the centre point from which you can spread out, connect with others, create pages and the like.
[nb. you can upload an application called "web address" which allows you to get a custom url for your profile page. There is a link to this application through my profile page - it is the last tab, called "web address" - open it and follow the link to create your own profile address.]

2. Facebook Page http://artist.to/osirisjewellery
If you have a business or organisation that you would like to create a page for, start by going to the "home" tab of your facebook and scroll down the page. In the left hand column you'll find a tab called "ads and pages". Click on that and follow the prompts to create your page. There are a few choices, so be sure to take a moment to consider which will suit you best. If you are unsure, go through a few facebook pages / groups / etc and see what features each one has.
nb. the value of a fanpage is that people can add your page to theirs, which is a further cross-promotion opportunity.

3. Twitter
If you are into twitter, definitely add it to your list. ( my post on hootsuite, the "two birds with one stone" approach to managing your social networks).
I have a twitter account but I have to admit I have let it fall to the wayside. Try it, and see how you go - it will either "fit" or it won't.

4. Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/osirisjewellery
Flickr is an excellent site for publishing photos - very easy to use and interactive with other net spaces e.g. you can add "widgets" to your blogs that show your recent flickr pics (that update as you update your photostream), you can organise slideshows, share on facebook.... and it is also another way to drive traffic to your other spaces, because people do searched on flickr and can come across your images and if they are interested in what you do, they will post a comment or get in contact with you.
You can also upload videos - I have not yet experimented with that, but when I do - I'll let you know about it.

5. YouTube
Handy to have an account if you would like to include videos as part of your presentation. You can post a direct link via fb, twitter etc. You can embed a link into your blog. I have not yet set up youtube, but will do so soon, so will post a blog about that shortly.

6. Blog http://osirisjewellery.wordpress.com/
Blogs are a great way to provide extended information about yourself, what you do, what it is that you are offering - and a way for people to get to know the person behind the 'product'. They can be quite interactive, and there are a number of ways to go about them.
I have worked in both blogger and wordpress. This blog is set up through blogger, which is very easy to set up and personalise. My new blog specifically for osirisjewellery is set up in wordpress - the main reason for this is that wordpress can be adapted to a domain name i.e. when I am ready to have a domain www.osirisjewellery.com I can transfer all the work from the wordpress blog to the domain name. Many large corporations now use wordpress templates to run their sites - you don't need a web designer, you can choose from thousands of templates, and its free!
When you post a blog, you can announce that on your network pages (fb, t...) to direct traffic to your blog.
So my friends go forth and conquer! Establishing your bit of online real estate is crucial to ground your business or organisation in these times... may the force be with you and we'll meet again soon.

P.S. Let me know when you have set up your various pages - I would love to see how you go!