Julie R. Neidlinger: Lone Prairie Art Works

You can read my experiences trying to learn to fly here.

Artists and web sites.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

When I first started LonePrairie.net, back in 1999, there weren't a lot of options for people who wanted a web site other than building their own. The internet changed a lot, though. At this point, anyone can have their own site for free.

In a sense.

Which leads me to artists having their own web sites. And blogs. My advice for any artist (or other person, for that matter) who wants their own site is to use some of these free blogging sites. This is anything but uncommon. To avoid having to include a "blogspot" or "wordpress" URL, purchasing a domain name and then forwarding it onto the blog is the easiest solution.

Case(s) in point:

The Nicaragua Resource Network - North Dakota is my latest use of just such a system. The old site, while perhaps a little better looking (the downside of this is the use of obvious blog templates, though you can modify them to a degree), did not have the ease I found necessary to constantly update. As NRN-ND gets more involved and the information needs and frequencey of news became more involved, I found being the webmaster a real drain.

Blogs, with their database way of working, should make this much, much easier. New content? Easy to put up, categorize, and accessible from any internet connection.

For artists or people selling things, a simple PayPal or Google Checkout account, uploaded images in each post, and a "buy now" button will do the trick.

My current personal preference is Wordpress.com. Lots of features, including static pages. I personally buy my domain names from GoDaddy.com just because...I do. They're cheap and have great customer service.

So:

Sign up for a free blog account (Wordpress.com).
Sign up for a PayPal/Google Checkout account.
Buy your domain name (GoDaddy.com)
Forward your domain name to your blog URL.

Done.

What the heck. Get some free business cards at VistaPrint.com with your new web site address and call it a day. Minimal investment and ease of use. It's a fine start. Maybe not the final answer if your business grows, but a good way to get online, at least.