A Blog about Blogs

The internet has changed the way products are marketed, and being a Steampunk is no exception.  If it were not for the net, in fact, the culture of Steampunk likely would not have proliferated in the way it has over the last few years.  How you use the internet can define how well you do in your business endeavor.  There are two ways you can proliferate your work through the net: Social Networking, and a Blog.  As social networking is such a diverse part of everyday life these days, I will take that second and talk about blogs today.

Blogging is a method of communication similar to journaling that shows your audience your thought process, ideas, or other parts of your business that may otherwise remain hidden.  It is also a good way to show your progress on a particular project, whether it is making a monocle that is designed to see into the soul of a mechanism, or to show off pictures of the Lawn Gnome while you make it.

Most importantly, it gets your name out into the world.  A blog, especially a professional blog, is the easiest, and one of the most common ways to get your name into the world to prove you not only know what you are doing, but are one of the best at it.  Allow me to become a bit self-indulgent and use this blog as an example:

In the six weeks that this blog has been active, it has had 168 hits (Thank you!).  That is a potential 168 new people that know something about my skills that they didn't before.  It has had hits from the US, UK, China, Finland, Singapore, and five other countries.  That means that my name is now known around the world.  And that was only in one month!

As an artist and a businessperson, your ability to become known across the world will give you the opportunity to take special orders and make more money doing what you love, rather than having to use funds from a job you may not like to do what you love.  Do this by writing.  When you blog, come up with a subject you can write about weekly and use it to show your customers (because even though you are not selling, your readers are customers) what you want them to know.  Many Steampunk sites use this method to get the word out between productions, especially the magazines.

When you receive comments, make sure you read them.  Often times they can provide insight into what you are doing and offer suggestions regarding it you may not have considered before.

Finally, I'd like to take a moment and THANK every person that has read this blog and spread the word about it across the Steampunk culture.  That it has become a worldwide blog in less than a month is astounding.  I will strive to continue to deliver what you expect out of me every week.  -Julien A. Harrison