The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Feature North Van's fifth annual arts symposium presented a wealth of information for anybody who wants to be involved in the arts. Here are some tips from three of the workshops. seven days a w e e k . People have access to It from all over the w o r l d , a n d basic rental costs for a site range from $20-$100 per m o n t h . " T h o s e numbers c a n g o higher d e p e n d i n g o n h o w far y o u w a n t to take i t , " said Jeff. " T h e beauty is that it's still w o r k i n g w h i l e y o u sleep." O n l i n e sales capabilities have the added advantage of e l i m i n a t i n g galleries or dealers, or the cost of h a v i n g your book o n the shelves in a store. A n d in terms of soliciting gallery support, being able t o refer a gallery o w n e r or client to a w e b site saves t h e cost of printing material a n d m a i l i n g it, as w e l l as t h e time involved. M a n y galleries encourage their artists t o have their o w n sites, w i t h links to t h e gallery site. The individual site c a n have a more extensive b i o g r a p h y a n d sample images, c o m p a r e d t o a gallery that m a y represent m a n y artists, Y a s a m a n s a i d . A n d online marketing gives an artist a competitive Online marketing: keep the quality high The W o r l d W i d e W e b is n o t for everyone. But artists of all disciplines should consider the W e b a n d Internet as v a l u a b l e p r o m o t i o n a n d sales tools a m o n g m a n y others available at a reasonable cost. That w a s t h e message from Y a s a m a n a n d Jeff W h i t i n g at a S y m p o s i u m 2 0 0 2 w o r k shop for artists, writers a n d performers. Y a s a m a n is a n Internet strategy consultant a n d Jeff is a nature artist. Together, they f o u n d e d the W o r l d W i d e Nature Artists' G r o u p (www.natureartists.com) in 1 9 9 7 . From 4 0 artists represented a t t h e launch, t h e non-profit g r o u p has g r o w n t o 1 4 0 artists f r o m a r o u n d t h e w o r l d , w h o are featured w i t h short biographies, e x a m p l e s o f their w o r k a n d links to their o w n personal w e b sites. " O b v i o u s l y there is n o o n e w a y t o d o t h i n g s , " Y a s a m a n e x p l a i n e d to t h e w o r k s h o p ' s t w e n t y p a r t i c i p a n t s . " Do w h a t e v e r w o r k s for y o u . The key is t o keep the quality h i g h . " O n l i n e m a r k e t i n g w o r k s best a s a n extension of t r a d i t i o n a l m a r keting, they s a i d . It is n o t a c o m p l e t e l y n e w a n d separate strategy, a n d the traditional marketing rules apply. "It is just another m e d i u m , w i t h m u l t i p l e tools t o reach a u d i ences," said Jeff. "If your advertising isn't w o r k i n g in t r a d i t i o n a l m e d i a , chances are it w o n ' t w o r k online. If your message is successful in print, for e x a m p l e , chances are it w i l l be successful o n t h e w e b . " He said artists c a n create a virtual gallery of their w o r k online, w h e t h e r they are visual or p e r f o r m i n g artists. A m o n g t h e a d v a n t a g e s of such an a p p r o a c h is t h e fact the W e b is accessible 2 4 hours a d a y a d v a n t a g e because m a n y are n o t yet online a n d others are loath to sacrifice their creative time t o m a i n t a i n the site properly. "If you're g o i n g t o build your o w n w e b site, keep it simple a n d easy t o navigate," Jeff urged. " Y o u r contact i n f o r m a t i o n s h o u l d be right there. A n d use t h e two-click rule -- p e o p l e s h o u l d be able t o get A virtual gallery put up online has the advantage of being accessible 24 hours a day w h e r e they w a n t t o g o o n your site in t w o clicks of t h e m o u s e . " He e x p l a i n e d there are three basic types of sites: i n f o r m a t i o n a l , Interactive, a n d t r a n s a c t i o n a l . W h i l e w e b sites are important, artists a n d writers s h o u l d not overlook t h e p r o m o t i o n a l capabilities of e-mail. Event or performance notices, partnering w i t h other groups or organizations, e-mail newsletters a n d b u i l d i n g a d a t a b a s e of clients a n d supporters are a l l i m p o r tant a n d comparatively quicker than traditional m e t h o d s . P r o m o t i n g your e-mail address a n d w e b sites o n traditional material such as letterhead a n d business cards is critical, a n d it is also possible t o join discussion groups or o r g a n i z a t i o n s of similar artists t o help b o o s t your Most bang for $200 profile. During t h e w o r k s h o p , participants w e r e separated into four groups t o brainstorm t h e a n s w e r s t o four challenges: (1) List the advantages a n d d i s a d v a n t a g e s of j o i n i n g a n online user group or having your o w n w e b site; (2) List s o m e w a y s of d e t e r m i n i n g the success of your o w n o n l i n e m a r k e t i n g : (3) List w a y s to drive interest in your w e b site for $ 2 0 0 ; (4) D r a w up a b u d g e t for marketing yourself o n the web. Lively discussion e n s u e d in each group, w i t h a variety of solutions for each issue. Participants left reluctantly after asking many questions, w i t h most v o w i n g to start their o w n online marketing projects right away. - Al Price Attract visitors to y o u r W e b site c h e a p l y b y - p r o m o t i n g it o n b u s i n e s s c a r d s a n d p o s t c a r d s - taking out magazine a n d newspaper a d s - s e n d i n g out press releases - l i s t i n g it i n d i r e c t o r i e s a n d o t h e r p u b l i c a t i o n s - p u t t i n g it i n t h e a r t s c o u n c i l l i s t i n g s - a n n o u n c i n g it b y e-mail n o t i c e s - p u b l i c i z i n g it o n t h a n k - y o u c a r d s a f t e r a s h o w e March | April