Sunday, March 30, 2008

Art Blog Search


Another short post because I wanted to share the ArtistBlogSearch which I first saw on James Gurney's blog. It is a Google custom search which searches "the best artists' blogs while eliminating splogs and inactive blogs that clog the results on most search engines." I tried out a few searches and came up with results for a lot of blogs I already read and others that seem worth checking out. It seemed to return more pertinent results than a standard google search. I think it could be a good resource for art collectors searching for works in a specific medium or style or with a specific subject. And of course it is good for artists looking for information on art topics.

I also used it to check some search terms that I want to lead to my blog. It was an eye-opening experiment! I found I have work to do on several of my search terms.

Why don't you go have a play with it, then come back and tell me what you think. Do you see value in having a separate search engine for artist blogs? Do you think collectors will use it or only other artists? Did the search terms you want people to find you with actually lead to your blog? If so, can you give me some pointers?

About the photo: It is time for the American Cancer Society Daffodil Days again and I was happy to get my annual gift of daffodils from my husband. Of course I couldn't resist taking some pictures. I love the reflection in this one.

10 comments:

Jennifer Rose said...

Its a neat idea, makes searching for interesting blogs easier, but I don't see a lot of collectors using it. Until they get a bigger search, more stuff can be still found by just using Google.

I found your blog on a few pages trying to see if mine showed up (it doesn't). I have no idea what words to use that I am not already using. The ones you have obviously are working as you showed up many times :)

Mark said...

Well, you are the first result for "drawing roses", so it must be good! :)

Stacy said...

Jennifer, isn't it frustrating to not find your own blog! I am not the best at internet searches, which I think makes it more challenging to figure out how to be found.

Mark, I'm happy to be found in a search for drawing roses, but since I consider myself primarily a watercolor artist (or painter) and I paint a lot of different things (not just roses) I need some other terms to start working for me. Do you teach a "Keywords 101" class???

Billie Crain said...

my blog came up on this search engine. whatdaya know?! i don't use keywords in my posts but seem to get a lot of hits for things like notecards, a particular flower, etc. anyway. the titles of my posts work pretty well...i guess.

Stacy said...

Billie, you hit on something I have been thinking about...titles. I'm thinking if I make my titles more informational that might help with some of the search terms that are missing me. So if you see my titles becoming less creative, you'll know what I am doing. ;)

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Rose Welty said...

Lovely photo here Stacy!

Thanks for the gentle nudge to work on the SEO optimization. I keep meaning to, but can't quite bring myself to do it.

Stacy said...

Thanks for stopping by Rose!

I hear you on the SEO optimization. I'd be better at it if I actually understood it. If I wait long enough my kids will be old enough to help me figure it out. LOL

Robyn Sinclair said...

I think the new search engine is a great tool. I immediately got both your blog and mine. Nice to see the word 'Tuscany' brings me up on top. Many thanks for the link. I'll explore it some more. I'm afraid I have no idea if collectors would use it.

I always look forward to your husband's annual daffodils. This is a lovely photo that would work wonderfully in charcoal too.

Stacy said...

Robyn, be careful exploring that new search tool. It can be a great time waster if you let it. Don't ask me how I know.

I'm surprised that hubby keeps buying me the daffodils since so much of our computer memory is taken up by daffodil pictures! But he must know they bring me joy. This photo would be good in graphite. I'll have to add it to the idea pile. Thanks for the suggestion!