By choosing different web 2.0 platforms I have been able to create an online web presence of myself as a pianist. With the introduction of web 2.0 users were able to create a profile online creating an online identity for themselves. This led to the phenomena of presentation of self-online which is, as Helmond (2010) explains, performed. People give an image of themselves online according to the opinion they want people to have of them. Helmond (2010) also explores the fact that the web self is no longer limited to a single website, such as a homepage and that it is now represented on multiple web 2.0 platforms. By creating a central node on the website wix and linking it to Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, I created an online identity on multiple platforms. My presentation of self online was no longer that of a young woman but that of a pianist when I created this website on my life as a pianist. In this essay I will explain the choice I made while making my website, my choice of social platforms and how it affected my web presence.

 

“The format of self-publishing changed with introduction of the one-button-publishing blog software Blogger in 1999” (Helmond, 2010). With the introduction of such software expertise in HTML5 was no longer required to create a web presence. Having researched various website builder I decided on Wix.com as my central node. Wix offers HTML 5 capabilities, is user-friendly and you can create, edit, publish and modify the site at any time, once you are logged into your Wix account (inspiretrends, 2013).  Additionally, Wix offers several design layouts from which you can choose the most appropriate for your needs (inspiretrends, 2013). The template I chose for my website was “PR Blog” option. I chose this template because I found it visually appealing and also as it gave the ideal format for me to add my videos, music and music sheet. The template I chose may have been a PR blog but I adapted it as a music blog. The homepage allowed me to add multiple posts such as information on piano or videos of me playing and this allowed me to promote my image as an artist. “The blog is often seen as the successor of the homepage and as such it duplicates the classic approach to identity which is always under construction” (Helmond, 2010).  By using the PR blog as a template I could constantly modify my representation of self online, my online identity was under constant construction. As Papacharissi (2004) explains blog are ideal for self-disclosure and for personal expression. I also went through the process of self- disclosure when creating my website as my personality was reflected through my multiple posts, such as videos, and also I provided personal information on the “About me” page. The software wix provided me with the ideal format to create my web self as a pianist and it also provided me with the opportunity to create this identity on multiple platforms. I was easily able to link my website to Facebook, YouTube and Twitter; and also it provided me with the ability to share my website or each of my posts on social networking sites.

 

My web presence is about sharing the experiences I gained during my life as a pianist. The goal was to create an interesting and captivating image of myself as a pianist that could be easily replicated through several social platforms. To enable the theme of my web presence to be carried through the different platforms, I used the same photo of me on every platform that is one of me with my piano. I also posted videos of me playing different musical pieces on the various social platforms, therefore promoting my representation of self as a pianist.

 

Social networking sites are very useful when it comes to promoting the image of an artist or gaining popularity as they are platform that connects people all around the world. A Boyd (2007) explains social networking sites such as Facebook has attracted millions of users who incorporate these sites into their daily life. Therefore using those sites to promote the image of an artist would be ideal. The first social platform that I chose to use was YouTube. YouTube allowed me to easily upload the various videos of me playing the piano, then when the videos were uploaded on YouTube I could easily share the videos on other social platforms. This also allowed me to easily add my videos to my central node, as on wix, to add a video you have to copy and paste the link of a video on YouTube. Therefore YouTube allowed me to share my videos with the community of YouTubers, to easily share my videos on other social platforms and to add my videos to my website. YouTube is one of the web 2.0 platforms that now allows participatory culture, therefore by sharing my videos on YouTube I included myself in this participatory culture and also allowed other to participate by commenting, liking or sharing my videos. This communication channel between producers and YouTubers also allows me as an artist to bring some amelioration to my work by taking into considerations comments and opinions of viewers.

 

The second node I chose is Facebook as it helped me to promote my image as an artist. As Zhao et al. (2008) explains Facebook allow its users to create a profile with various personal information but also give the users control over the information they share and who can or cannot see it. Therefore Facebook allowed me to create a page with all the detail of my life as a pianist, I was able to share my passion of the piano with Facebook users by posting videos of me playing, photos with inspiring quotes on piano and other information on the piano. I was also able to share my experience as a pianist with my friends on Facebook or people with similar interests. I easily promoted my image as an artist by inviting people to visit my page and eventually like it. By creating a page on Facebook I created a space for people to experience in person my life as an artist and also to communicate their thoughts and ideas on the subject.

 

The third node i chose is Twitter as it offers a platform for conversation and that ideas grow through conversation. Being a public forum Twitter provides a platform where I can share my experience and where other people can discuss or comment on this experience. Therefore giving me the opinion of the public on my work and ideas on how I could improve my playing or which new musical pieces I could play. Tweets on Twitter are also quite short about 140 characters per message, therefore this allowed me to write simple and to the point tweets that would capture the interest of viewers. According to (O'Reilly & Milstein, 2009) in his book on Twitter, “you can send and receive messages via a variety of mechanisms, including mobile phones, PC’s, websites and desktop programs and they’re distributed in real time.” Therefore Twitter will allow people to connect to my profile through all the new technology available in this digital age.

 

By using the four different platforms to create the nodes of my web presence I was able to use the different platforms of Web 2.0 to promote my image as a pianist and increase my popularity as an artist; and I was also able to engage with the different materials discussed in this module.