Jim Carlson dot Net

I’m guilty. Ive broken the golden rule of blogging: Write frequently.

It is funny, I preach this simple commandment to my clients. I tell them how important it is to keep providing their readers information, or you will lose them. Have I lost you?

Quite frankly, it is easy to get caught up other business activities and personal issues. So what’s a blogger to do? Here are some ideas that I’m hoping to use to keep this blog current:

• Set aside time on your schedule to write. Keep your appointment with yourself.
• Write a series of articles and ‘post to the future’. Have them in reserve, mix it up.
• Invite guest bloggers. No one knows everything, bring a new voice to the table.

So what have I missed? What do you do to ensure you post regularly?

I’ve read many studies that it takes the average website visitor 3-5 seconds to decide if they are going to stay on your site. With that in mind, I have worked with many clients who pay great attention to their home page to ensure their message gets across quickly and efficiently.

After conducting some SEO research for a client this week, I was reminded of something incredibly obvious and commonly overlooked: Search engines direct traffic to all pages of your site.

Although it is important to optimize your home page, it is equally critical to ensure all of your pages have a clear vision, are optimized for search engines and that the navigation of the site effectively allows users to find what they need quickly.

Never assume your visitors will land on your home page, make each page count. You have five seconds, make the most of them.

This discussion reminded me of the YouTube video “Information R/evolution“, which demonstrates how technology has changed the way we create, store and locate information:

Additional Reference:
5-Second Tests: Measuring Your Site’s Content Pages

Editors note: Other articles in this series:Updated Facebook Band and Business Pages, Musicians and Social Media Networks and Surviving a Recession as a Musician.

In my last post on Musicians and Social Media Networks, I discussed the basics of social media networks that help musicians communicate and promote their music. I have a MySpace band page, and as I discussed in the post mentioned above, managing social media networks can be a challenge, but may be worth the effort.

Needless to say, when Facebook announced Band Pages, I wasn’t the first to jump on bandwagon. However, after reading an article on New Muisc Strategies: What websites should I be on? (part 3), I took another look.

To set up a Facebook Band Page, you must already have (or create) a Facebook account. Once you are in your account, you can create ‘pages’ using the Page Manager application link in the left hand navigation. Read the rest of this entry »

Editors note: Other articles in this series:Facebook Band Pages, Updated Facebook Band and Business Pages, and Surviving a Recession as a Musician.

As a musician who has leveraged social media for several years, I use social media networks and tools every day to communicate with others and promote my music. The majority of these services are free, the only expense is your time.

Social media sites allow you to promote your music, videos, photos and gig schedules with your fans in an environment where they can interact with your music and share it with others in their network.

This article will look at two categories of social media:1) all-in-one social media networks and 2) stand alone networks which include specialty media and communication services.

Read the rest of this entry »

Editors note: Other articles in this series:Facebook Band Pages, Updated Facebook Band and Business Pages and Musicians and Social Media Networks

Kanon Kulpa recently published a post on Branding During a Recession. After discussions with fellow musicians, I’ve been thinking about how musicians are impacted by an economic slowdown.

As prices rise and incomes are stretched, entertainment is one of the early casualties of cutbacks. As Kanon mentioned in his article, people do not necessarily eliminate entertainment, they tend to look for lower cost alternatives. For example, it is a lot less expensive to grab a 12-pack and have a house party than hit the clubs.

For entertainers and venue owners, this can be a problem. As bar revenue decreases, owners and managers are forced to look at their expenditures and ask the question: Does providing music continue to generate revenue, or is it an expense that can be cut?
Read the rest of this entry »