Internet for Artists – “For those of you playing at home” Edition

Steve Lambert and Dread Scott, IFA Artist Course Leaders

So yesterday was Day 1 of the Internet for Artists workshop at the Rhode Island School of Design, and we have a great group of artist participants.

One of the main philosophies behind Internet for Artists is that the information itself is open source, and meant to be shared, so if you’re interested in beefing up your online presence, here’s a good introduction exercise:

“What Is My Internet Footprint?” Exercise
(Not the official title of the exercise. I just thought it up ;-))

Step 1: Ask a friend to Google your name, and see what comes up.

This is best done in pairs, so trade off with an artist friend. If you’re in a mastermind or other other artistic community, this exercise is even more effective if the person googling you does not know you that well.

The point of this exercise is to discover what a stranger sees when they look you up online. When googling someone else, ask:

* Do they have a website under their own control?
* Is this person easily found?
* Do they have social media accounts?
* Can you find examples of their work?
* Did you find that artists/people with the same name online made
it difficult to know if you had the right person?

Step 2: Trade the information you learn with your partner.

The results of this exercise enable you to evaluate how you are found online, and what kind of changes you need to boost your presence. Participants of this exercise are often surprised to learn what is “out there” on the internet about them. Sometimes, the wrong info is found, or worse – info they didn’t want people to know about. So it’s good to keep an eye on what can be found about you online.

Step 3: Take steps to improve the quality of your online footprint.

As the internet changes often, do this exercise at least twice a year to see your progress.

If you decide to do this exercise, I’d love to hear about it below!

Photo Source: Lorene McIntosh

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