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  Paul Flack January 14, 2013 at 12:46pm

  Boom, check this out!!!!!!  http://youtu.be/Y0jEPn7UDxg
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  Paul Flack January 14, 2013 at 10:13am

  Also, did anyone, except for my wife, know that you can schedule a Facebook posting so that it is read by a maximum audience. I mean there is soooo much to all this stuff.
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  Jacki Bilsborrow January 13, 2013 at 2:25pm

  Patrons going to the show could check out that Pinterest board to see what is available.  I could see art buyers loving that.
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  Connie Mettler January 11, 2013 at 8:43pm

  That is really cool. Thanks for this info, Paul. What a wonderful idea.

  Here is the Pinterest board: http://pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=Bayou+City+Art+Festival
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  Paul Flack January 11, 2013 at 5:57pm

  if you really want to see this in action. check out Bayou City's Pinterest board. They are looking at something really powerful. In theory each artist has the ability to create a Pinterest board featuring the work they have for sale at the show. People find the artists through Bayou City's Pinterest board, then go to each artist's board then in theory to the artist's web site. Done right, each show could preview each participating artists work by having each artist put up and manage what they are brining. Wow. How cool is that?
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  geri a. wegner January 11, 2013 at 5:10pm

  I check out artists' websites all the time.  If there isn't a link from an art festival that lists their artists, I google the artist's name to find a website.  I know a lot of people that check out websites before going to a show.  I buy from websites all the time.  

  And speaking of buying, having your prices (unless they fluctuate, ie price of gold/silver) on your website is really helpful and doesn't scare off potential customers.  Gives us an idea of your price range before we check out your booth at a show or lets us buy right then.  Having to call you for info interrupts what you are doing and is a pain for the buyer.  Make it easier for both of us.
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  Richard L. Sherer January 11, 2013 at 10:48am

  I would only add, if you don't feel comfortable with technology, take the time to educate yourself or hire a professional. I sort of did both. The former so I could communicate better with the latter. What has helped my business are the website and Facebook. I had my website done by a pro and the investment has been worth it, but we are currently improving and updating it with suggestions I picked up on he podcast here on AFI. Check it out now and then in February: www.sherersaddlesinc.com. Ya Yun Chan, my web master, has added important stuff like the alumni article which I never thought about adding. Find someone who is as creative in the tech world as you are in the art world. Facebook: I sort of just jumped into this over a year ago at Ya Yun's suggestion. Wow! I've connected to people world wide who are interested in and are buying my work. After a recent discussion with some other saddlemakers, I went to their web sites. I found stuff that was pretty amateurish: black fonts on dark backgrounds that were hard to read, slow response times, blurred photos, busy photo backgrounds, same old cliches, and etc....you get the picture. If that appealed to a client, I wouldn't want them as a client. I found the same sort of stuff on their Facebook page. My point is that PRESENTATION is important. My dad used to say "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink". It's still true today.
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  Paul Flack January 11, 2013 at 9:53am

  It is unfortunate but one needs either a tech-savvy child/intern/spouse/employee or something like that. There is an obvious loop out there. Blog>Facebook>Twitter>Pinterest>?  You should be able to introduce a thought or a post once and it should (in theory) populate cyber space. They used to call it the net and a net is nothing without the intersection of string and knots. Think of the overlapping occurrences of a post. Actually, cyber space reminds me of tress in the forest, the leaves fall and deteriorate and new leaves fall on top of those. Cyber space is instant too. Particularly social media. One tweet doth not a marketing plan make(eth). The idea is to keep the ball in the air as long as possible.

  My point is, to figure out how to make this seamless cyber hook-up possible takes a Microsoft certified technician. I am not, I am an artist...sigh...  But, I can still try while it is too cold to work in my studio. Come summer, I don't have a lot of time for this stuff.
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  Connie Mettler January 10, 2013 at 7:31pm

  Great point, Brian! I attended Blog World Expo in LA a year ago. Thought I was reasonably tech savvy with the device things -- but after watching all those bloggers was convinced if I was going to stay up to date (and really my livelihood does depend on it) I had to upgrade. Bought my first iPhone and it just sticks to my hand and I'm ready for the next upgrade. Yes, that is why everywhere you go people have their faces in their phones.
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  Nels Johnson January 9, 2013 at 10:12pm

  But also the way it is now, kudos to Paul.