a
-
n
the
artists
information
company
v
7
signpost
“Being web literate can help you connect”
Now, more than ever, beingweb literate can help you
to connect, and stay connected, to the art world. Not
only is being visible online a great promotional tool for
you and your work, it can help you build andmaintain
networks.
The web can provide a secondary (and at times primary) audience for your
work, and documenting and publicising your activities online can be key to
your development as an artist. There are many options when it comes to
your online presence, from having your own site or blog to using managed
platforms and social media. Being strategic about where you put your time
and energy online is imperative.
The most successful online practitioners have a multi-pronged
approach. It’s important, then, to think carefully about your strategy.
It is a waste of time building a complicated web platform that
quickly gets out of date. For some practitioners, a blog can be a much
more immediate and appropriate way of maintaining an up-to-
date online presence. The key thing is to keep it updated: you can
improve your presence on search engines by posting regularly.
Deciding who and what your online presence is for will help you
to work out what you need. The main thing to remember is to keep
it simple. Rather than creating a complex site, it’s better to have a
straightforward, easy to navigate one and then have a presence on a
strategic number of other managed sites, such as Tumblr (for images),
Axisweb (for networking) and a-n (for blogging and individual
projects).
You should regularly check your website for broken links and make
sure your web presence is joined up. Provide links from your blog
to your website, to your Facebook page, to your Axis profile, to your
Twitter feed, etc.
A F
<
ArTiST’S PAgE: JAcK HuTcHinSon
Jack Hutchinson is an artist, writer
and educator. A specialist on the
role of digital technology within the
visual arts, he is Communications
officer for AIR: Artists Interaction
and Representation through a-n The
Artists Information Company. His
writing has featured in a diverse
range of publications, including Dazed
and Confused, Garageland, Guardian
Culture Professionals, Twin Magazine,
a-n Magazine and Schweizer Kunst.
Based in London at Bow Arts Trust, he
is an active campaigner for artistic,
legislative and economic measures
that enhance artists’ working lives
and professional status. His drawings
have featured in solo and group
exhibitions across the UK.