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 What’s New |
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Most of the work done this summer has been behind the scenes and has involved the programming necessary to fully automate our billing system. We have also needed to ensure that we can integrate with the shopping carts and prints option when they are introduced. This work is still in progress, and we look for completion in October.
We also have worked to increase our security. Artspan, like all major sites, is can be subject to attack by hackers so this is something we need to do periodically. This does not refer to your financial data which is protected by multiple layers of security and has not been threatened at any time.
We have also worked to streamline the Artspan Art Calendar. We hope to complete this later in the month. Other projects under way include the planning for a Collectors portal with a full offering of information and resources of interest to collectors. When this is ready, we espect to launch this with the domain name, CollectorsMoment.com. Other portals launched this summer include Illustration, B&W Photography and Abstract Photography.
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If You Missed It |
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Watermark
Did you notice the Watermark option on your Control Panel image pages? The checkbox is located right below the field where you browse for your images.
New Tutorial Video
We also posted an updated video tutorial for the Website Pages section of your Control Panel.
Improvements for your site rankings
We also made changes to the way images are named and accessed in the database that are important for Search Engine Optimization and should increase the ranking your site is assigned by Google and the other search engines for the categories and subcategories you have selected for your work. They will also make your images show more quickly in Google Images. To take full advantage of this you need to make sure that you highlight the category, medium and subject for ALL images on your site.
Wall Street Journal article
If you missed the Wall Street Journal article published on June 16, 2008, it’s posted here. The article discusses various ways artists use the Internet. It focuses on Artspan, Etsy and eBay. It’s a well written and informative piece.
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Artspan.Blog |
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Nina, our portals editor is writing a very informative blog at Artspan.blogspot.com, full of marketing tips for artists. She has also started a podcast there, her latest podcast concerns how to best set up and run a personal blog. Internet marketing is so different from previous forms of marketing, so please take the time to visit this blog on a regular basis. And give her your feedback at artspanstaff@gmail.com.
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Referral Program |
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We have 144 members participating in the new referral program. In the past month and a half we have sent out most of the referral cards. There are still 20 members who have not received their cards – these will mailed in the next two months.
For those of you who are not aware of this program, here is an overview:
If you want to receive and then hand out or post some Artspan promotional cards on bulletin boards in your area, we will send you cards. We will stamp your personal referral code on all cards we send to you. Anyone entering that referral code when completing an Artspan application will get a free month with Artspan. You will also get a free month.
In other words, you can post a card on a bulletin board or hand some out, and then forget about them. If anyone signs up with your referral code, you get 1 month free with Artspan. If 12 sign up, you get a year free. There is no limit on free months. And for you, its really no work at all. The cards are post card sized and well designed. Just take some with you when you go out. Please email me if you want to participate
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Scammers (again) |
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Scammers will always be with us, alas. Here is the link to Forum thread where members post on any suspicious contacts http://www.artspan.com/community/forumdisplay.php?f=35
If you have questions about a contact, that is a good place to check.
Here are two rules to use with any questionable buyer:
1. Ask them who they are. Get full contact information and ask if they have purchased anything over the Internet before.
2. Ask your bank to verify any suspicious check sent to you before you do anything. Then make sure it actually clears your account.
If you follow these rules, you will be fine. The most common scam concerns bogus checks for more than the selling price, the difference to be given to the buyer’s “shipping agent.”
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Featured Members |
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| Daniel Becker |
| Paintings |
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| "The theory of entanglement states that all atomic subparticles are linked and that a charge in one is instantly reflected in its counterpart even if separated by a great distance. Painting allows me the opportunity to visually elaborate on the implied meanings of entanglement and with them to explore ideas of time and interconnectivity… I strive to create a moment of timeless contemplation where simplicity and human interconnectivity are found and shared."– Daniel Becker
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| Louise Daddona |
| B&W Fine Art Photographs |
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From Fine Art Portraiture to “Roots and Headstones.”A very extensive and impressive body of work reflecting a wide range of human experience.
“I consider my education in photographic techniques & processes through self-study, workshops and experimentation to be an on-going lifelong journey." ~ Louise Daddona |
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Legal and Other |
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Copyright 2008. Artspan LLC. All rights reserved.
All /images are the property of their respective owners. The opinions expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect those of artspan.com members.
Thoughts or ideas for future newsletters? ask@artspan.com
Technical questions or problems? www.artspan.com/help
Visit www.artspan.com today! |
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