Dear John
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How do I get started on the internet?
Question:
I trained as a performer not a computer expert. I don't have email and I'm not on the internet. But with even The Stage full of web addresses I'm feeling left out and worried that I'm missing the boat. Can you throw me a lifeline?
Answer:
Ah yes, this week's query brings me back to one of the very first Dear John questions in my column of December 1927. ''Dear John, everyone's getting excited about these new fangled talking pictures but surely they are just a fad and the wondrous artistry of silent cinema will continue to flourish as before''. As I told that young correspondant back then, some of us are technical, some of us aren't and it may well be unfair that ways of working which have suited us perfectly well in the past get rudely shunted aside by the next big thing. But change happens whether we like it or not and we have only two choices - we can fight it or we can embrace it. The one choice we don't have is stopping it.
I'm not sure if young Mr Jolson took my advice back then (he mentioned something about getting a second opinion from his mammy) but - joking aside - although it wasn't quite as long ago as 1927 since Dear John began advising performers, one of the most surprising things I have learned is just how many performers are either resistant to, completely ignorant of, or just plain terrified of the internet. In all seriousness this is very worrying, firstly because by not addressing this issue, you really are editing yourself out of a whole range of benefits and opportunities. And secondly because just like the talkies the stark reality is that the net is here to stay and is going to become an increasingly important part of the business. The good news though is that unlike the talkies, it isn't whether or not you have the right voice that will decide whether you succeed or flounder - as technology has advanced it has also become far more user-friendly, to the point where even I can grasp the basics. And believe me, my technical expertise did stop somewhere around 1927. If you are in the same boat here fear not-here are some people ready willing and able to explain the whole thing to us in simple English, so if you're sitting comfortably...
What the experts say:
Susan Hailes
Susan has worked for The Stage since 1997 and has been regularly dispensing advice to StageTalkers on the online discussion forum as Online Content Manager. She's spent many an early hour arguing with complete strangers on the internet about obscure television programmes and is currently one of only two staff members to have a MySpace profile.
If you think the internet is just for geeks and not performers you just need to look at some of the people who disagree: off the top my head I could mention a plethora of different performers who have their own websites with some fantastic and often exclusive content; Ian McKellen, Joe Longthorne, The Krankies, Darcy Bussell, Ruthie Henshall, Toyah Willcox, John Cleese and it’s not just performers either - many writers, directors and backstage artists have their own sites. The list, like the internet itself, is endless.
Of course all the people I've mentioned had to build their names and reputations the hard way - and I'm not suggesting that their net presence is the primary reason for their success. But I'm sure they would confirm that the internet offers an incredible marketing opportunity for up and coming performers that simply didn’t exist even a decade or so ago.
You don't have to leap into a full fledged website straight off - it really isn't all that difficult to learn to set up an email address, send and receive mail and find useful sites and information on the web. If you don't have a computer, a techie friend or a teenager in the house, most internet cafes will still show you step by step how that's done. They'll probably charge you for the tuition as well as your time on their computer but it's still a good investment. You can always pay someone to set up the backbone of a site which then you can easily maintain if you'd prefer not to build it from scratch - and hiring a webmaster or company to do this is an option many people seem to take.
If you're on a tighter budget or would rather explore and create on your own, there are plenty of books or websites which can take you through step by step tutorials in pretty much everything you'd need to know. Try sites like Devshed and Webmonkey for HTML and site building tips, or even places like Wikipedia which often has simple explanations of technical web jargon and easy-to-follow free tutorials.
It's worth pointing out that even when people who are reluctant users do get the internet at home they often opt for 'dial up' access as it seems the less technical and cheaper option. But with the range of new broadband packages on offer it can be a very false economy. If you don't like the net already, a dial up package which takes forever to load pages or download files and frequently freezes is not going to make you any warmer to the experience. You can compare broadband packages on offer in the UK at uSwitch and choose the one which sounds best for you.
Broadband and internet connection deals often come with their own email accounts but if you'd rather set up a seperate account (good should you ever change service providers as then you don't lose all your past emails!) then take a look at some of the free webmail services such as Google Mail, Yahoo or Hotmail.
Once you do get access there are plenty of free marketing tools to explore for networking professionals of all types such as weblogs, MySpace and YouTube. Many artists use blogs as public calendars, rather than personal diaries, announcing their upcoming appearances and gigs to interested fans, prospective bookers/agents and clients. This is very popular amongst comedians and musicians at the moment and MySpace is often used in a similar way. Fan-lead communities on MySpace helped both The Arctic Monkeys and Lily Allen get large fanbases before any record label interest, so it's worth looking into similar online communities and 'trends'. Even established and professional artists are releasing material and videos on YouTube as marketing virals or starting their own podcasts (online radio shows) in order to promote upcoming shows, projects, or simply themselves as presenters/DJs etc - so there's plenty of scope outside of your personal site to market yourself or use as promotional tools for your act/career.
When you do get up and running, check back with us here at www.thestage.co.uk as we regularly update our advice section and it continues to be a growing wealth of information and resources to complement the material in the print edition. Readers of all technical ability are welcome on our message boards where you are welcome to swap stories and get opinions on any career issue - technical or non technical - you care to mention.
Gia Milinovich
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Photo:
Vincent Connare |
I started off presenting children's programmes in 1992. Fairly early on I realised that one can become pigeonholed as a kids' presenter and find it difficult to move on to 'grown-up' programmes. When I was taking time off from work after my son was born, I decided to use that time to become an 'expert' in something that would hopefully allow me to move away from kids's tv. I taught myself HTML and Photoshop and read everything I could on the budding internet. When my son was two and I was ready to start working properly again, I was hired to present 'The Kit', a computer and technology programme on BBC Knowledge. I've subsequently presented various science and technology programmes including a live daily magazine show broadcast throughout Asia. If you go to China now, I'm on TV every day.
In 2002 I started blogging (writing an online diary). Not only did it give me a place to write, it gave me the confidence to branch out into New Media professionally. I've been writing, producing and designing websites for a few years now and have had so many New Media job offers that for the first time in my life I've actually had to turn work down. I am still presenting, but am able to be much more choosy about the jobs I take.
New Media is the most exciting place to be right now. Actors, presenters, directors and musicians who have spent their careers hoping that someone else will decide whether or not they are 'good enough' to get the chance to do their jobs are now able to bypass the whole waiting game and broadcast their work to the world.
Though simply having a website won't guarantee automatic fame and fortune, I know of enough success stories to be able to say for certain that it can change people's lives in ways they couldn't have imagined had they stayed offline.
There's the child star whose blog dragged him from obscurity and made him even more famous than when he was acting. There's the unknown actress who started fronting a daily video blog who is now being courted by network TV in the US. There's the teenager who started doing funny videos from her webcam in her bedroom who has now been hired by Carson Daly to 'do her thing'. There's the funny guy who did videos from his webcam at home who now has his own MTV programme. There are people who've got book deals out of their blogs, record contracts out of their podcasts and just last week a tv researcher friend of mine was hired to write a weekly article for a Conde Nast magazine because they loved her blog. None of those people were complete tech-savvy geeks before they started, you don't need to be. You just need to want to do it.
The first step to doing anything online is to learn HTML, the coding language with which websites are written. Don't be scared. HTML is so easy even an 80 year old woman can get the hang of it (and become a blogging sensation).
A good place to start is W3 Schools which offers free HTML tutorials online. Having a basic grounding in HTML is absolutely necessary, even if you decide to use a free or inexpensive online blog like WordPress, Blogger or TypePad, or even if you want to adapt a pre-designed website from someplace like Open Source Web Design to use as your homepage.
Once you've got a bit of HTML knowledge, create a free blog, sign up for a free image hosting account at Flickr and if you want to put up videos try Vimeo or You Tube... and experiment.
Once you are confident with creating links or posting images and video, then you can decide what kind of site you want. Personally, I would recommend having both a website and a blog - the former is the static, more professional site which you can give to producers, directors and agents; the latter is a more personal space where you can 'show-off' and interact with your audience. Start writing about your auditions, start writing about the show you and your friends are writing, start writing about your highs and your lows 'in the business', start writing about the new job you've just got...
And I guarantee it will change your life.
John sums up
When this piece appeared in the print version of The Stage, I admonished performers (in a positive encouraging way of course) who hadn't yet made it their business to get their internet presence sorted out. Since you're reading this you are either already ahead of the pack or perhaps you're even here as a result of said plea, in which case welcome, you've made a smart decision! However, we wouldn't have had to deal with this particular issue if the world in general and the world of showbusiness in particular wasn't still in that 'twixt silents and talkies' mode when it comes to cyberspace. So perhaps it's worth closing this net version of the query with a reminder that while I salute you for your forward thinking in being on the web, it's probably best to assume that not everyone you will be approaching or dealing with will be. As always if you are aiming to get work out of an agent, producer, event manager or whoever it's your job to make it easy for them, so if you are sending music files or pictures always send them in the simplest and most universal format you can. Don't assume that when an email has been sent it has been received (bounce-back message or not) and - it has to be said - make sure you still have a phone number, snail mail address and even a fax number (doesn't matter if it's in your local corner shop) in case an ex Ealing Director comes out of retirement and wants to cast you!
* Feedback/queries are welcome to dearjohn@thestage.co.uk but I would be particularly delighted to get any emails telling me that this column has encouraged you to make that first leap online!
* You can also check out Gia's own site at www.giamilinovich.com and get a sneak preview of the new Danny Boyle movie at www.sunshinedna.com
* You can also read an interview with Gia Milinovich and find more information about How To Market Your Act here on The Stage Online.
* Susan can be contacted via email at The Stage on talk@thestage.co.uk
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