The Sidetrack Cafe No. 1

Photo credit: Noel Kerns
When I first started this blog five years ago this month, it was never with the intention of a readership. The intention back then was to catalogue inspiration for me as a student in communication design. What evolved was; the unintentional readership, the online business of blogging, our marketplace and the immense pride in showcasing emerging and amazing talent. This blog and it's online marketplace has become not only a job, but a passion for both Earl and myself.

In this mini column I'm calling "The Sidetrack Cafe", I'm going to step away (get sidetracked if you will) from the beautiful, the decayed and the handmade and talk about issues with respect to the business side of this online world that many of us have found ourselves immersed in, and share some thoughts and perspective; and also open up conversation if you're willing to participate. I didn't go to business or marketing school, so I don't consider myself an expert at any means to start writing a business column, and we all know there are many resources online (good and bad) for that. But what I'm going to share here is my experience as a blogger these past five years, my point of view on how things have evolved with respect to the online world, the community, blog and online business etiquette, the business of blogging, the state of the blogosphere and hopefully open up conversation to make this online world a better place for artists and bloggers. I won't be able to do this alone, but with your help maybe we can all make a difference. I hope you'll join me.

So leave a comment here, with topics you would like to discuss, questions you may have and we'll see where this goes. Topics/ideas that come to mind for example: Giveaways - Do they work and who benefits (the blog that hosts the giveaway or the artist), Corporate Blogging (Someone's been offered a corporate blogging position, should they join how does it affect indie blogs?); Someone has copied your work, what should you do; Advertising; etc. The intention here is to help, enlighten, and inspire. The conversation will continue in the comments (thread style) where we will welcome people's experiences, opinions, etc. I look forward to hearing from you!