Week 15

This week's lesson was about the internet, which is a great mystery to me, ironically, seeing as I am on it basically all the time. The first thing explained was URLs--uniform resource locator, which describes the mechanism for finding a web document or resource. The world wide web is the information system where documents and resources are. But the internet is what connects computers on a global scale by sending packets of digital data. I was surprised to hear that there was a community and staff that determines web standards, but after thinking about it, it makes sense; who knows what the internet would be without them when already there are so many things people can get away with. 

The internet is an important place for artists; without it, many of us would not be able to start careers and find opportunities. Usernames and domain names catch people's attention. When I search for things online, checking the domain name or website is make or break with deciding if I'm going to visit the website or not. One of the videos this week recommended doing three things before choosing a domain name: have a keyword in it, do a Google search, and do a Namechecker.com search. Having keywords in the domain name will tell people what your business is about and if it is what they are looking for. Performing a Google search is helpful because there may be people out there who have a similar brand name or such, and you do not want to be confused for them or associated with them. Namechecker.com finds out if you can make a username from your chosen domain name on different social media platforms. It really is not enough to just have a website nowadays; it is also essential to market yourself on social media. However, having too many social media profiles can be a full-time job by itself, so it is better to stick to one or two that you know you will update regularly. I have an Instagram account dedicated to my art and even with just that I often forget to post. I liked creating a website because I was able to personalize it more than Instagram. Hopefully, I will keep up with posting on both of them from now on.