While reading through a Mashable article on How Community Arts Organizations are Using Social Media it occurred to me that it makes sense – in terms of reach to the community and economic realities – for any community arts group, no matter how big or small to make use of social media. A few weeks ago we were strolling through the Artwalk show in Red Deer and I was amazed at the wide variety of art available in our community. Some of the artists taking part were using Twitter and Facebook to announce their involvement. Red Deer has a number of arts organizations and a very active artist community in the region. We have a college that features world class art training.
With the growth in the number of people using the web to keep themselves informed on what’s happening in the world and their local community it’s important that the arts organizations use social media channels to share their activities. There are many social media options available that are free. With most arts organizations facing budget issues, free is a good thing. How do you get your organization into social media? Since there are many channels available it’s important to plan. Make a list of the sites you want to make use of and start feeding them content. Over the years I’ve belonged to arts societies and know well that it’s the volunteers who do much of the heavy lifting in getting things done. Rely on your volunteers, particularly the ones already using social media platforms, to lead your forays into the world of web 2.0.
Now I’ll put my money where my mouth is. If your arts group is interested in making use of social media but you’re not sure where to start – give me a call at 403-896-4956 or drop me a line at dean.owen(at)brassmedia.ca or leave me a comment on our blog at www.brassmedia.ca. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know everything but I’ll be happy to share some ideas with local non-profit arts groups to get you going.
Talk with you later . . .
Dean
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