Building Your Author Website and Crafting Your Online Presence

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With special guest speaker Dana Ball (ArtGuyCreative.com (http://www.artguycreative.com))

You've got a Facebook page, LinkedIn account, and Google+ presence - so why do you still need a website?

First and foremost, you need a website to host YOUR content. Social media sites like Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/writemarketdesign), LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraorsini), and Google+ (http://www.gplus.to/phxazlaura) are a great way to connect with people, share relevant content, and establish yourself as an expert, but you are always at the mercy of that host site. Break a rule (even one you didn't know about) and you could be shut down and instantly lose all your friends/followers/contacts. And what happens to all of your content? If you don’t have it backed up somewhere else, it’s probably gone forever.

The same is true for a free blogging site like WordPress or Bloggger. Blogs are immensely useful and, in many ways, much easier to manipulate and manage than a traditional website. However, if your blog is ever suspended or blocked for any reason, there goes your access to your content and, more importantly, the content itself. With a traditional website, or a standalone WordPress blog or website, you own the content and can rest much more secure in the knowledge that you won’t accidentally defy any rules and risk that site being wiped out.

Other reasons to have a website in addition to social media and a blog:

• More flexible ecommerce options

• More options for things like video hosting

• More options and flexibility regarding overall appearance

• Limitless pages

In this meeting, we'll discuss:

• The type of website that's best for your purposes

• The kinds of content you want to include on your website

• The difference between static and responsive websites

• What to look for when hiring a web designer

• Some SEO basics to help enhance your web presence

There's no fee to attend. Please just be a gracious guest and plan to purchase at least one beverage. We will order off the menu with a dedicated server; each person will pay his/her own tab.