Letting Others Know

The task of directing others to you or your work is not an easy one. The immensity of the Internet is intimidating. Getting your idea or message across can feel like you're tossing a bottled message into the ocean. Your chances of recognition might be slim, but they're made even more of a challenge by the thousands of others tossing their messages into the sea. Setting aside the idea of e-mailing to everyone (don't try this at home), there are strategies that build a strong foundation that will ultimately help your work to succeed.

The vast diversity of the network becomes comprehensible for each person when individual selections are made and individualized groupings occur. The Internet is a living example of the concept of parallel universes. When I ftp to a NASA's photographic archive because I'm interested in downloading a high resolution photograph of some satellite pictures of some earthly features to test my photo retouching package, I might be next to (in the virtual sense) a geologist who is retrieving the same file for an entirely different purpose. We may have arrived at this site through entirely different paths. The geologist may have been poking around on a university department Gopher. I might be FTPing after seeing an article in an art news group. Someone else might pass through the same site while Net surfing. The three of us have no knowledge of each other's coincidental interest.

Let us suppose I now develop a curiosity about geological formations. I'm inspired to paint a series or create a sculptural environment and I want more information. Now I begin to look for sites that are a little difficult for me to find while the geologist would be on familiar ground, and would understand the language, methodologies, and so on. Maybe the geologist has discovered a need to learn about photo-imaging because greater detail and isolation of physical features has become critical. The geologist now treads into the world of graphic resources, an equally unfamiliar domain. Our paths may anonymously cross again. And there goes that Net surfer.

We both, however, have fortunately interacted a lot with users within our more familiar domains. Owing to the diversity of interests in the department, the geologist finds someone who knows someone who can point a little more directly toward the appropriate resource. I find someone whose home state has a university known for its geology program. I might even by strange coincidence connect with that very same geologist, and we're both thrilled to discover our mutual ability to assist each other. Within the seeming chaos of divergent paths on the Net, there is order where the many possible common interests intersect.

Strategies for effectively finding your best audience begin with your own small circle of contacts on the Net. Your personal mininetwork probably formed quite naturally and it therefore likely has the strongest foundation. But your group of resources can't help if you don't ask. Seeking advice isn't only a logical starting point but it's a no-pressure approach to letting friends and strangers know about your interests. In some cases it enables others to offer resources to you that they didn't realize you might need. Often as a result, your sphere of contacts widens. In the process of developing new relationships, you may have the opportunity to show a sample of what you do or your product to an entirely new audience. You then may be able to ask for advice about your product or service from their perspective. Does this person think the presentation is effective? Might they suggest the kinds of people or companies who might be interested in this service? Have they had any experience with this kind of service or product? You are not only receiving feedback and possible further potential contacts, but you have made yourself known to at least this person, who may in the future refer someone to you. This is all basic business common sense. The same rules of politeness and brevity apply. Be concise and to the point. Keep in mind that people do not want to scroll through screenful upon screenful of information.

After you have established a slightly larger network of people who have a direct interest in you and what you do, it's important to cultivate their interest. The down side of high speed communication is that things grow old fast. Try to stay in touch with what others are doing. Study online techniques or presentations in areas completely different from yours. Occasionally, through a news group or a mailing, announce a new service that you provide. You now have an online presence to maintain. I liken it to animated neon displays I create in my storefront studio window. I feel an obligation to keep things running, and periodically I make a refreshing change. I keep my outdoor neon clock set to the right time. I have learned over the years that people do notice and do appreciate it.