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Creative Chicago Expo March 12, 2011 10:30-11:30am

WordPress Web Sites for Artists

Peter McDowell and Ari Salomon PerformSites

Peter McDowell Peter McDowell Arts Consulting (San Francisco, New York, Chicago)

Peter specializes in PR and Web sites for music and dance - from Classical to Jazz to New Music & Performance.

http://petermcdowell.com

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Ari Salomon HelloARI Design (San Francisco)

Ari is a graphic designer, WordPress expert and a fine art photographer. Offering a full range of design services: branding, print, signage and web. Use my imagination.

http://helloari.com

Peter: Content, marketing & training Ari: Visual design, coding & web hosting

http://PerformSites.com

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This presentation is for

• You as Artist, “Project Manager of your Career”

• You as informed customer, to educate yourself about web site options

Part 1: The Big Picture

Part 2: The Tools: Introducing WordPress

Part 3: The Site: Planning and samples

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Part 1: The Big Picture

Why a web site? • one stop center • control your message • international, low cost marketing • cultivate existing fans, make new ones • income generation • house your “EPK”

Part 1: The Big Picture

The path to professionally marketing yourself

•  your art, your site •  simple website: DIY •  add great photos •  complex website with a consultant •  maintaining content over time

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Part 2: Introducing WordPress

What is WordPress?

• like printing press, new age of publishing

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Part 2: Introducing WordPress

What is WordPress?

•  largest in the world: 6-12% of all sites •  open source software •  content management system

Part 2: Introducing WordPress

Why WordPress?

•  simple, biggest and best •  stable and successful, long term •  upgraded often •  multimedia •  free or low cost •  easy to “repaint” (like a house with good structure)

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Part 2: Introducing WordPress

WordPress is easy: mini demo

•  log into dashboard •  add a simple page (or post)

• new page • title, content • publish

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Part 2: Introducing WordPress

WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org

•  same software can power 18 million blogs or your 1 site

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Part 2: Introducing WordPress

wordpress.com

•  free •  upgrade options: no ads, url, storage, CSS etc. •  limited themes; limited customization

•  for any DIY option to be successful it needs a clear organization and structure to the content

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Part 2: Introducing WordPress

wordpress.org

•  also called self-hosted •  robust, the sky’s the limit •  requires professional web designer/developer skills •  supports plug ins like

•  gigpress (listing concerts/tours) •  nextgen gallery (image slideshow)

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Part 2: Introducing WordPress

Competitors and relative merits

•  other CMS tools: Joomla, Drupal

Part 2: Introducing WordPress

Competitors and relative merits

•  DIY CMS tools: •  general website/blog sites: weebly, blogspot •  specialized for visual artists: dynamod, OtherPeoplesPixels, Arlo •  specialized for musicians: MySpace, Bandcamp, sonicbids, reverbnation •  specialized for photographers: clickbooq, liveBooks, bludomain, Viewbook, A photo folio

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Part 2: Introducing WordPress

Competitors and relative merits

•  “built by hand”/page by page: Dreamweaver, iWeb

Part 2: Introducing WordPress

Spectrum of professionalism: DIY options can’t get you far along

DIY is not to be confused with the training that we give you to add/manage your content

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Part 3: Planning the Site

Essential ingredients •  your best artistic work •  written and structured content - bios, reviews, etc. •  brand •  images •  video •  audio

Part 3: Planning the Site

Anatomy of a web site

•  URL / title •  Header •  Logo •  Nav(igation) bar, 7 buttons •  Sidebar •  Blog/News •  Footer

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Part 3: Planning the Site

Getting Started

•  Start free at wordpress.com •  register domain •  find consultant: codepoet •  costs

Review and Conclusion

Review and conclusion

•  why a web site? •  what is WordPress? •  why WordPress? •  how to get started? •  how to prepare?

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Thanks for coming!

Questions and Answers

How to contact us: www.performsites.com

peter@petermcdowell.com ari@helloari.com

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•  Extra images

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