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.

2 comments:

Spangy's Official Community Blog said...

Hi Amy, I saw your post originally on Brian's site, social degrees http://www.socialdegree.com/2007/03/02/3-qualities-of-a-good-social-network/ and believe you have a site that will be successful. I believe that one of the best things you can do is what you are doing right now.

I think what you will find over time is that people tend to not share helpful insights and a lot of folks view fellow bloggers as "competition" when in fact nothing could be further from the truth.

Please visit the blog of Guy Kawasaki for this post http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/02/a_study_of_the_.html because it provides terrific insight about the pros and cons of company names. I would encourage your visit and join our beta group at www.spangy.com if you don't mind. The cool thing about what we are doing is that the focus is completely international out of the box rather than focusing on the US first. You will notice that a few members are truly international, which will give you unlimited access to further expand your network. It would be great to get your feedback as well. We launch www.spangy.com for open BETA starting in 2 weeks. Best wishes and keep us posted.

Ourtbeat said...

Thanks for the input! I saw that you signed up to beta test for ourtbeat which is great! We begin beta testing in April. At that time, I'll send you a password that will get you past our splash page for the first month of beta. After the first month, every beta tester can invite whomever they want to continue beta testing!

I checked out spangy and joined. I think it's a great site! It's clear that you and I both have very similar ideas on what a social networking site should be. I like that spangy is about community and idea sharing. It focuses on the good in life vs. promoting self indulgence. And it also shows that everyone has something to contribute regardless of age, location, ethnicity, etc. Truly a dynamic message to send! At ourtbeat, our focus is on artists working together for the greater good. We want to connect all genres of artists because art is a cross platform genre itself. I am a filmmaker and a musician myself. Networking is basically a necessity in my line of work. At ourtbeat, we want to provide a location where a filmmaker can connect with actors, or get a musician to score his/her film, etc.

Also, thanks for the link to Guy Kawasaki. I absolutely love marketing and find Guy Kawasaki to be a fantastic thinker in his field. I read his blog whenever I get the chance, but haven't read this posting yet... so it's moved to the top of today's to do list.

Thanks for your insight! We should definitely continue sharing thoughts and ideas on each other's sites!