In the Arts and starting a presence on the Web

So, you are in the Arts (musician, visual artist, theatre group, dance company, etc...) ... you want a presence on the net... you are a novice... you are not sure where to start.

"Darn, this is scary! What is CODE or URL or... or... " It all seems like a daunting task, right? Wait, take a deep breath.

Lets start with this...

WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR PRESENCE ON THE WEB TO DO?

• Ultimately get the word of your vision out there! Drum up an audience! Get B.I.T.S. (Butts In The Seats). After all, without an audience... your art doesn't exist!

• Repeat business! Build on the audience you already managed to scare up in the first place.

Now, here are some start-up tips that range from free to affordable.

NOW WHAT DO YOU DO?

Get A Website - The Free Way!
(yeah, we realize we are cutting our own throats by giving you this information... but this site is a designed as a resource... and we're hoping you will go the "affordable" routes listed below and become happy and loyal customers of Jungle Webs.)

What you should have regardless...

1. A MySpace page - Great for networking and building up an audience through their "friending" system. You can also send out "bulletins" and "invitations" to your events and shows. Especially good for musicians and comedy acts... but not exclusively so. HERE is an example of a theatre group with one. Really, almost everyone has a MySpace page... even politicians. Techniques on building a friend base coming soon.
2. A Blog - This can also function as your "starter" website. You can sign-up for a free one with blog services such as Blogger and Wordpress. The user-friendly interface allows for easy postings with little or no knowledge of code. *Reasons to have a blog... coming soon

Get A Website - The Affordable Way

(and the main reason NOT to look "cheap" to potential audience members.)

1. Buy Your Own Domain - This really creates a presence! A potential audience member will look at www.yourdomain.com and instantly realize you are serious (and totally for-real) in your art. Plus, it's a lot easier to remember than something off a free server like http://somefreewebsite.com/yada/user/yourname.html . See the logic here? On top of that... buying your own domain costs UNDER $10 A YEAR... and comes loaded with tons of useful freebies! *Money Saving Tip: Own your own domain and associate it to your free blog... coming soon!
2. Buy Affordable Hosting - This opens up even more options to your presence on the web. Plus it puts you in control of the image you want to present. Affordable? Yep... our generous and reliable hosting plans start under $5 a month!
   

At Jungle Webs your own Domain and Hosting (*economy plan) will only cost you less than $5.60 a month! Click Here for more on this topic.

Check back at our blog JUNGLEWEBS.NET for more "How to's" plus affordable and creative tips and topics to create your presence on the Web.

Cheers!