28.3.07

Getting Ready for Beta

As we approach beta, things are starting to really rev up for ourtbeat! Our beta launch is mid-April... we're only taking 500 beta testers to begin with, so if you haven't signed up for beta yet, definitely go to ourtbeat and sign up... spots are filling fast! For those of you who don't have the time to read my way too long explanation of what ourtbeat is... I'm learning how to sum up all my excitement into a few simple sentences: We are a virtual community created by artists for artists! We offer cutting edge platforms for artist promotion and networking that break the mold of today's current online communities. We are taking Web 2.0 to the next level of artistic evolution, so if you want to Get Heard, Get Seen, and Get Discovered all you have to do is Get Involved! Go to www.ourtbeat.com today and sign up to beta test.

I encourage you to use this blog as a means of expressing your artistic needs in an online site. You may comment on postings even if what you have to say has nothing to do with the posting... this blog is meant for the members of ourtbeat as well as those who want to learn more about what we offer. It, just like ourtbeat, is yours. Ourtbeat is what you make of it, so get involved today to help build the PULSE of ourtbeat.com!

If you get to the site and don't see anything, it's not because we're hiding it from you, it's because we run on a Flash platform. This allows us to provide you with a hard core professional and interactive virtual portfolio. Download the latest version of the Adobe Flash 8 player and you'll be golden!

21.3.07

Speed Drawing with Opus 3

Check out this video. Music by Samcam and Enkrypted and produced by J.Ohm. The song is called Opus 3. Join the PULSE of the city. Check out www.ourtbeat.com, created by artists for artists, we are an online networking community offering cutting edge platforms of artistic promotion and representation.



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Amazing Guitar Skills

We've got new commercials. Check out this video of Daniel Davies. Daniel came to Seattle from Montana to show off what makes his ourtbeat. What makes your ourtbeat??



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15.3.07

Social Networks moving to Niche Audiences

Check this out: Social Networking Goes Niche

This is a Business Week article discussing the evolution of social networking and the invariable downfall of "come one come all" social networks that supply big advertising to undefined mass markets. More and more, people are moving towards social networks that are geared towards their interests. Though ourtbeat definitely gears toward the niche group artists, some may say that it doesn't settle down on a niche enough. I'm definitely a fan of the sites that gear specifically to musicians, or painters, or filmmakers (are there any sites that gear to filmmakers?), but I'm not quite sure those sites are completely conducive to the networking purpose. In my opinion, artists of all genres have to come together to work with one another on various projects. In other words, where would a musician be with out a venue to host his or her music? And who creates that venue? An industrial artists designs a stage, a graphic designer makes the fliers, a party planner supplies the atmosphere, a sound engineer works the speakers and output, and possibly a filmmaker hears the music and puts it in one of their films. At ourtbeat, we appreciate and artist's need to work with other artists for the greater good of art. Because of this, we are created for a niche audience, but we don't want to narrow our member base too much, for fear of taking away necessary opportunities for everyone.


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13.3.07

Artists need an online presence

Check out this story: Artists urged to give selves Web presence It discusses how artists can gain exponentially with something as simple as a website. Web 2.0 is taking professional promotion into new realms and artists have a great opportunity to gain. For artists looking to set up a professional web page and earn a strong online presence, ourtbeat.com is being created for you! Check us out and sign up to become one of our beta testers! We launch to the public this summer, but beta testing starts soon!



read more | digg story

5.3.07


ourtbeat is a site created by artists for artists. We are a social and professional networking community that is re-writing the rules of today's platforms of virtual and physical self promotion. Artists require a resource where they can get heard, get seen, and get discovered. Enter ourtbeat. Ourtbeat provides a cutting edge interactive experience filled with exciting opportunities where artists can learn, play, promote, share ideas, and make connections to further their own creative selves!

What makes us different? Sites like Myspace and Youtube revolutionized the way we communicate... but that's old news. As a co-creator of ourtbeat, I tip my hat to sites like this, but am also aware that they can only do so much for artists. These sites have to cater to everyone's needs and tastes. Ourtbeat is a site dedicated to one niche group: Artists. As a struggling artist myself, I know what it's like to strive to get noticed in a world inundated with media and information. The featured artists link on popular sites can span 10 pages with 20 artists/page. When you do a search on Google, how likely are you to click more than 2 pages into your journey for information? We live in a microwave society, and many people don't have the time to work too hard to randomly discover the next big artist. At ourtbeat, you'll never be lost on page 10 in a long list of artists.

The social networking sites of today have also made it incredibly easy for anyone to create their own web page. This is a double edged sword. You can Google various ways to improve your Myspace page, but in the end, it will always have to follow a certain order of "organization" that many have deemed unprofessional. At ourtbeat, we provide our members with a professional and interactive online profile page that supersedes what is currently available on the web.

So why a blog about a completely different website? Why not? We're focused on creating a cutting edge site for you, your friends, your colleagues, and... us. We need a professional networking community just as much as anyone else. There's no need for us to focus on creating a blog site while we're doing this, because we're not trying to improve upon blogs per se. This blog is being created for one reason and one reason only: You. We want your input. We want your likes, your dislikes, your needs, and your do withouts. Ourtbeat is a site in construction... so why not throw in your two cents to insure that it's constructed the way you want?? You can post comments on this blog, or you can go to www.ourtbeat.com and sign up to become a beta tester, content provider, promoter, or all of the above.