The Birth of a Blogger

� by Pamela Vale; all rights reserved

Although I was initially turned off by the word "blog", I have now become one of the biggest fans of blogging!

A Website Done the Hard Way

Almost 10 years ago I decided to build a website for my business. I was a computer novice and knew nothing about things like "html" and "domain names". However, I was lucky enough to be referred to a very patient and kind husband-and-wife webmaster team. With their help we designed and started my original website. It was a lot of work - and a lot of money - but I was so proud of it, and felt very "up with the times".

As my business evolved, I found that I needed to add, delete, and change a lot of information on my site on a regular basis. My friendly husband-and-wife team were across the country, so 95% of our communication was via email. I would have to email the changes to them (which took a lot of time to type), then wait for the changes to be made (which could take a while, because I wasn't their only client).

Sometimes I had to deal with the occasional mistake they would make, either because I wasn't clear, or because they didn't understand what I meant describing my preferences via email. Also, while they were very generous, I did still have to pay for some of the changes and additions.

I quickly became frustrated with not being able to update items on my website myself. Creatively I wanted to have more control over where things went, how they looked, etc. Because it was such a hassle I began to let my site go, not updating things, not keeping information current - like class dates, for instance. Not really professional business practices!

Knowing that I wasn't interested in learning the specifics of how to build websites and write html code, I did some online hunting and found out about "blogs" (web logs). I couldn't believe how easy they seemed - and the best part was that they're free! I already had my website, but I began thinking, "What an easy, economical way for someone starting out to have and maintain their own website."

A Blogger is Born

In a blog, all the technical work is done for you. You choose a template, type in your information, and the system does the rest. It will even archive your entries for you! As you become more comfortable you can customize your blog as much as you like.

I started slow with a one-page blog, learning how to operate and navigate the blog host I chose (blogger.com). I downloaded their companion photo manager program and began playing around with all of its features.

Thrilled and amazed at the ease of adding photos and information, this past January, I ended up switching my entire website to blogs!

I kept my traditional "home page" and made a separate blog for each of the different categories that I needed. Then my webmaster linked each blog page to my website home page. Now it takes me about a minute to add, change or delete information. I can instantly include photos of new work, and I can email a link for a specific page to people on my mailing list.

I often get requests for a catalog of my artwork. The problem is that the majority of my work is one-of-a-kind and my inventory changes quickly, making a printed catalog impossible.

So I use my blog as an ever-changing catalog that I can update - daily if need be - marking items as sold, adding new photos, etc.

As of now, I don't sell directly off of my website. I use it more like a really big portfolio of my work that is available for viewing, worldwide, 24 hours a day.

Blogging has definitely helped me keep in closer contact with my customers as I frequently have new blog updates to email them. I also include a link to my blog in emailed invites for upcoming shows and special events.

Whether your blog is one page or many, it can be a very effective, cost-conscious way to display and market all of your creative hard work!

You can see author Pamela Vale's blog at Creative Potential. Pamela creates handmade jewelry and accessories, with vintage and new materials. Her website is home of The Family Jewels - custom, handmade, personalized "future heirlooms" sculpted in silver, embellished with vintage and semi-precious birthstones.

Return to top of The Birth of a Blogger.

Return to Jewelry Business Website Tips.

Return to Home Jewelry Business Success Tips home page.