Tip Me: Social Media Tools (Fotolio Twist)

We found a new online site that is a real time saver for artists creating a website to sell art online.

Check out Fotolio Twist.  Not only does it allow artists to upload unlimited artworks, but it’s easy to edit and allows users to incorporate unique galleries with the option of a PayPal button. In addition, the site promotes the artists through the Artist Directory!  Some of are favorite artists listed are:  Impressionist Paintings by Mehran, Tania, Artwork by Jan Thibault, and Bill Knott Art.

Here are some frequently asked questions listed by Fotolio Twist:

What is “social networking” and how will it help me sell my art?

Social networking is pretty much like traditional business networking—basically, the more people you know, the more chances you have of meeting people who might want to buy your art.

We use the phrase “social networking” to refer to online networking, so of course, it’s not always about business. Websites like Facebook, Twitter, Digg, StumbleUpon, and Delicious are great ways to meet people and promote your artwork in a natural, socially-acceptable way.

With foliotwist, you can link to your profiles on Facebook and Twitter, and we’ve made it easy for your visitors to help you promote your blog posts through Digg, StumbleUpon, and Delicious.

I want to sell art from my own website – do foliotwist artist websites have an integrated shopping cart?

Yes, each foliotwist website comes with PayPal built right in, so you’ll be able to securely accept all traditional forms of online payment including every major credit card. All you have to do is make sure you have a free PayPal business account, then type your PayPal ID in your foliotwist admin panel.

Once you do, your foliotwist website will be linked to your PayPal account, and any artwork marked “for sale” on your website will instantly become purchasable.

While Paypal does take a small fee for any purchase made, we never take a cut of any sale you make.

Do you offer customizable artist websites, with multiple templates?

Yes. We have two professionally designed templates and each one is fully customizable. You can change background, foreground, and miscellaneous colors on your website; choose from several web-safe fonts; and even upload a logo or banner.

In addition, both of our templates was created with a specific purpose in mind. Our “Blogger” template was made to be optimized for the search engines, from the code we used to program it, to the layout we chose, and even the way your website’s pages are titled.

Our “Minimalist” template on the other hand is more traditional, for artists who are less concerned about search engines and want to focus more on the display and branding of their website.

At any time, you can switch from one template to the other, seamlessly. Your artwork and blog posts (along with your colors, fonts, logo, etc) will all stay the same.

What happens inside the foliotwist forum?

Mostly we answer questions and talk with our artists about how they can get the most out of their websites. It’s a great place for our artists to share information, give us feedback, and learn from each other.

Can I place my artwork in different galleries on my website?

Absolutely. At any time, you can add a new gallery or edit old ones.

Adding a new gallery is as simple as clicking the “new gallery” link in your admin panel, typing in the gallery’s name and description, and pressing “save”. Editing an old gallery is just as easy, and if you ever decide to remove a gallery from your website, you can do that too.

With foliotwist you can also reorganize the way your galleries are displayed, so that your most important galleries are shown first.

I already have a domain – can I use it for my foliotwist website?

Yes, but before your website can go live you will need to complete a simple process called “switching nameservers” which will point your domain towards our server.

The steps to complete this process are always slightly different depending on where you purchased your domain, so although the following instructions should help, they won’t be perfect. If you get lost, contact us and we’ll be glad to help you the rest of the way.

If I need help, how do I reach someone?

We offer 24-hour email support—there will be a link in your admin panel—and you’ll always get a personal response from one of us, the founders of foliotwist. (We’re Dan and Zac, by the way.)

There’s absolutely no problem we can’t solve with our system, so no matter the question, we’ll be able to help.

ARTICLE COURTESY of FOTOLIO TWIST