Get Connected using Social Networking: Why it's important in promoting your art/business

"I don’t have time for social media. Twitter is a waste of time. Facebook is for college kids. These are statements I see repeatedly on forums populated by artists, crafters, and creative entrepreneurs. Every time I see these posts, I cringe. One, I see myself in those rebels against social media, because I used to think the same things. Two, I’ve realized how powerful social media can be for your business, and that it’s NOT going anywhere. Either jump on board or get left behind." 

(excerpt from E-Book 9 Creative Women Share Secrets to Succeeding With Social Media)

I've been scouring the internet looking for some useful information that I think will pertain to most of you who are trying to go from "hobbyist" to "entrepreneur" (selling your art work).  After starting this blog and creating a facebook page for Art Play Today  I am convinced of the power of social networking.  As much as I've been fighting the idea, I'm even considering opening a twitter account after reading this great FREE E-Book,  9 Creative Women Share Secrets to Succeeding With Social Media.

This E-book contains a wealth of information on how to use blogging, facebook, twitter, flickr, newsletters etc...to promote yourself and what you have to offer the community that follows you.

I don't know about you, but I see a bright future ahead for me and using social media to build relationships will be an integral part of my journey to success.

What do you think?  Do you use any social media networks?  If so, which are your favorites.  Do you have any tips of your own you'd like to share?  If you find this post interesting, are there any other topics of interest you'd like to see more of at Art Play Today?  Share your thoughts!

How to post a Badge to your sidebar on your blog: a quick tutorial...

Copy this code to your website to display this banner!
<a href="http://www.artplaytoday.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/q48xu.gif" alt='create your own banner at mybannermaker.com!' border=0 /></a><br /><a href="http://www.mybannermaker.com/">Make your own banner at MyBannerMaker.com!</a>

This is one of the badges I made for my Art Play Today Blog.  It was a no brainer! I went to a great little website called MyBannermaker.com.  Making a badge at this website was a lot of fun.  First you can choose your size of banner, badge or button you want to make, then you upload your image (as a background), or you can just choose a color or gradient).  Next you type in your text and they have some really nice fonts to choose from.  You can position your text wherever you want it  and you can also add special effects, such as glitter, blinking text, color overlays, black and white etc....The last step is to type the URL that you want your banner to link to and save it.  You can then copy the html code for your new badge, or download it to your computer.

For my blog badge I chose to have the html code show in a box below it. This is so followers like you can copy the code and paste it into their own blog sidebar.  If someone pastes my badge on their blog I (and most other bloggers) will most likely reciprocate and post your badge to my blog as well!)

Why have a badge you ask?  An attractive badge will send more traffic to your site, allowing others who share your interests to check out your blog!  I know for myself, when I see a cool badge (I'm always attracted to the image) I want to see more of that persons work, so I click on it and find great blogs, make new friends and discover fun tutorials, techniques, tips and advice!

To put someone else's badge (like mine, hint, hint...) on your blog you simply copy the html code in the box below the badge and then, in your blog you click Design, Add a Gadget, select the HTML/Java Script Gadget and in the Content Box paste the code and save!  That's it!  Easy Peezy!

Here is another example of a badge I made today, while refreshing my memory on how it is done!


Copy this code to your website to display this banner!
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/artplaytoday" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/Y6gFS.jpg" alt='Create your own banner at mybannermaker.com!' border=0 /></a><br><a href="http://www.mybannermaker.com/">Make your own banner at MyBannerMaker.com!</a>

The only downside to using this website is that you can't remove their link at the bottom, but that's fine by me!

Let me know if you'd like to exchange badges at any time!  I'd be happy to!

Creating a Signature for your blog posts: A tutorial from Shabby Blogs

Have you discovered the tutorials over at Shabby Blogs?  I've been playing around with making a personalized signature that will display with all of my posts.  What fun!  I'm sure my little signature will change again as I try to get it just right, but I've run out of time for the day so this will have to do for now!  If you would like to add your own signature to your blog posts try Shabby Blogs tutorial here.  And a big thank you to Shabby Blogs for providing such fun freebies and tutorials to make our blogs more personal and unique!