Hi guys! I sincerely apologize if a topic like this exists already, but for a long time I wanted to collect and post my own tips about how to increase your presence in the internet. Some of the tips might seem obvious, but I thought I’d post all I know (which doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m good at it) – but I definitely want to hear your experience as well:

Personalized tools:

- Your own website (make it very easy to handle for users, clear, update it weekly with your best work, don’t post stuff you didn’t enjoy to draw and are not satisfy with, make the name of the website easy to spell and understand – make it VERY EASY to find the contact information)

- Newsletter: I got some people to sign up for newsletter at the Comicfestival in New York, but to be quite honest, as long as you’re not ready to write a good, interesting newsletter every 2 weeks or so you shouldn’t get people to sign up for it (like me – I plan to make some changes here). ALWAYS offer the option to unsubscribe clearly in the mail.

- Blog: Use a blog to write about your work, make the posts entertaining to read and sometimes share advice and tips on how to do stuff (making-offs). Comment on other blogs, don’t just expect people to follow you without following them in return

- Face book fanpage: gaining fans is not so easy for me. I gain most fans trough having a shirt sold somewhere. Keep up the interaction with fans by posting work, asking for feedback, offering free shirts from time to time, etc
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- Twitter: I suck at twittering!!! Nothing to say here yet.

- Tumblr - a lot of people here have good experiences with it because it enables users to re-blog fast end easy. collection of threadless artists on tumblr

Online Portfolio sites – I use or know:

- Deviantart – I refused to use it for a long time and I still don’t have a clear opinion about it. There is a lot of crap there, naturally, but also so much good stuff. Countless fantastic artists contribute everyday and it becomes easier and easier to find them once you start. For me, deviantart is not only a self promo tool but a place to see good art (avoid the crappy art). To get “Watchers” on deviantart, you have to invest some time – post fan art in groups, comment on other people’s stuff, contribute regularly. I DON’t use the option for art prints, since I am doing that on society 6.

- Society 6 – I have not really dealt with it enough yet – I like a lot of the art I see there. I don’t earn much money with it yet and I don’t get a lot of exposure, but I guess that’s mainly because I haven’t invested much time in it yet.

- Behance, gawker, etc.: I have not dealt enough yet with the free portfolio sites, nor have I invested in a portfolio site that charges….a project for the future.

Message boards:

- Threadless community: I know I should post more there, definitely need to invest more time in the future. A lot of community members offer valuable advice and feedback. It pays off to be active at the Threadless community.

- Look for Message boards related to the topics you make designs for – I am active in some pretty nerdy message boards, like nerdnyc.com and the Bruce Campbell Society because I make very nerdy designs.

Over-all tips:

Give and take – online networking is not just about silently spitting out one design after another, it’s very much about interaction and reaction. Comment on other stuff, try to really give honest and useful feedback, don’t be a douche – internet is the best place for misunderstandings, so express yourself clearly and try to not take anything to serious. Internet-Shit Storms are funny, but also embarrassing for the participants ;-)

I need to improve a lot in a lot of the stuff I posted myself….my future project.

PLEASE share all your knowledge here!