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Dear John

Websites for performers

Question:
More and more performers seem to have their own websites and blogs - do I really need one, how do I get one and what do I actually need?

Answer:
When we ran a Dear John column a couple of months ago where I nailed my own colours to the 'every serious performer needs to be on the internet' mast, we expected bouquets and brickbats in equal amounts and both duly arrived. It was interesting to observe that the pro and anti internet lobby was not divided along the young performer/older performer lines one might think. By far the largest sub category though was the many variations on the theme of ''I know I need to be on the web but the whole business seems so complicated and expensive I'm not sure where to start''. With that in mind, I think the last part of your question - what type of internet presence do I need - is the key one. It is also the one you need to have worked out before you go anywhere near your computer, let alone start flashing your credit card. Just like your headshots, your stage clothes or your showreel, your corner of the web should be there to serve your specific goals and career direction, rather than looking either generic or creating a completely different impression than the one you are aiming for. Examples of the latter mistake range from a site I looked at recently, which took five minutes to load, had enough bells and whistles to suggest that Beyonce, U2 and George Lucas were collaborating on a career defining project and after all that build up turned out to be for a young singer who, though talented, has so far had one dance track out. Overkill to say the least. At the other extreme is the vast online graveyard of sites and spaces which someone launched with great enthusiasm - and probably at some expense - but now languish neglected and unmaintained, giving the unfortunate impression that the performer they represent is in the same situation. To help you avoid either extreme here are two different approaches to being on the web which have repaid the thinking time that has gone into creating them.

What the experts say:

Jasmine Birtles

Jasmine Birtles can often be found on TV and in the press making financial issues comprehensible and even fun for those of us not born with a calculator in our brains. She has also presented BBC1's Homes Under the Hammer and financial series and reports for ITV Scotland and UK Style TV and BBC Radio. Her 36 books include her latest, The Money Book - Control Your Money, Control Your Life. She has also paid her dues as a comedian on the stand-up circuit.

Getting a personal website was one of the smartest things I did for my career. Anyone who might be interested in hiring me can look at my details online; I don't have to send them a brochure or CV, I just say "look at my website"; and it has been a great way of getting work. I have had TV series, corporate bookings and various writing assignments simply because my website has come up when they did a Google search.

There are a few important things to keep in mind when you get your own site. Get a good url (the site's 'address' on the internet). I bought www.jasminebirtles.com early on and I also bought various other endings including .co.uk and .net. It's easy to buy a url. Just go to a site like www.123-reg.com or www.uk2.net and look up the name you want to see if it's free. Different endings cost different amounts but for a basic .co.uk ending you shouldn't have to pay more than about £5 a year.

The design is also important. Mine was designed by a guy called Steve Roche (contact him at steveroche@blueyonder.co.uk). I liked his sense of design and he was pretty reasonable (it cost me about £500 all-in) so I would go back to him again. You could also try Peter Nixey of Sitefire (www.sitefire.co.uk) who offers 1-10 page websites, designed in just a week, for £495. He has done a number of sites for performers and media-types including www.madmacproductions.co.uk for a TV production company. You could also try www.weebly.com which is free.

Or, there's nothing to stop you designing and building your own site. The cheapest and easiest way I have seen is to use ready-made templates such as the one offered here http://www.tufat.com/script4.htm?PHPSESSID=41d9e12ff4323a09d222089edbe47c55 which costs just $5! In fact, if you are a bit of a techie on the quiet there are evening classes, full-time courses and online courses in HTML (the code in which sites are generally designed) and in various design software programmes like Dreamweaver or Homesite you could take. If it really interests you, you could even take a course in web design and then make money on the side building sites for other people.

The Exiles

The Exiles are a young rock band from Glastonbury and consist of three brothers - Joe (vocals), Sean (drums), and Kevin (lead guitar) McGough plus Oli Miller (bass), and Guy Benneworth (rhythm guitar). Although unsigned they have appeared on the BBC, in NME & Loud Quiet magazines and at the Glastonbury Festival. Currently based in Bristol, they are playing - and using the web - to build their following

Websites like Myspace.com are a brilliant way of getting your music heard by as many people as possible. Essentially this is a site where you can add your music, photos, pictures and videos and make them accessible to any internet user.

We currently use myspace and have over a thousand ''friends'', all of whom can write messages to us and listen/view the above media. It's an important, and inexpensive, link with fans and the site can also act as an introduction to bookers and the industry as to what you are about. It's important to make the page easy to read, attractive and interactive. It's very easy to add videos etc to make you stand out and the site itself will walk you through the steps in plain English. While acts like 'The Arctic Monkeys' and Lily Allen have risen to fame using this technology, it is still just as important to gig and advertise as normal - mainly because there are so many other bands and websites for people to go to so it is unlikely that you will be able to drum up much support relying on just the web. So, while it is a great medium through which to promote your art, it is best used as a supplementary tool which you can advertise on flyers and CDs, and by telling your audience about it.

John sums up

If you are still unconvinced about the importance of getting on the web, sincere apologies - both for raising the dreaded issue again, and for the fact that because it is so important it is likely to be popping up in Dear John frequently as this marker continues to expand. But having said that, it's worth reinforcing the point that, just as naive as wishing the web would go away, is the policy of getting a website or space and expecting to sit back and have it do all your promotional work for you. Both Jasmine and The Exiles are examples of people who are using the web to compliment their own ongoing work. They would also agree, I'm sure, that like any other aspect of your career, web success takes time and patience but if you follow their example you will hopefully be getting in more work of your own, on the physical stage as well as the cyberspace one.

* Jasmine Birtles is launching a new money management website at the end of February called www.moneymagpie.com

* Contact The Exiles at www.myspace.com/glastonburyexiles (and turn your speakers up!)

See also:

Dear John: How do I get started on the internet?

Dear John: Websites as promotional tools

How To Guides: How To Market Your Act

How To Guides

Legal Eagle: Licenses for websites

Legal Eagle: Can I be sued if I complain online about someone?

* Feedback/queries are welcome to dearjohn@thestage.co.uk

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