Finally, my "big project" is finished! It’s been a crazy day with a lot going on, but our new artist website service at Foliotwist.com is finally live and online! Since I’ve kept it a complete secret until now, here’s a quick (mostly visual) overview of what it does:
What is Foliotwist?
Foliotwist is a service that combines all the tools you’ll need for displaying, promoting, and selling art online in a single website.
In some ways, it’s similar to a portfolio website because you can upload artwork, describe and "tag" your images, even create new galleries—but at the same time it’s also a fully functional blogging program.
We’ve made it so that you can control everything (artwork and blog posts) through a password-protected admin panel seen below.
The tabs, from left to right are Overview, Site Setup, Art Manager and Writing Desk. The two tabs on the right are Tips & Tutorials and My Account.
Artists can also sell art directly from their Foliotwist website using PayPal—just verify your PayPal account in the admin panel, and "buy now" buttons will instantly appear next to every work of art in your gallery.
When you want to change prices on your artwork you don’t need to edit each button or mess with PayPal at all. . . instead, there’s a handy "price sheet" underneath the Art Manager tab that lets you edit prices or mark as sold or not for sale.
I should also mention that every paying Foliotwist artist gets to choose their own domain name (like www.yourname.com) and we’ll set it up for free.
So what’s the price?
A Foliotwist website costs $9.95/month, $24.95/month, or $49.95/month depending on the level you choose after your free trial. We also have a special Totally Free option for artists just starting out.
Most importantly, there are no hidden fees or extra charges, whatsoever. We hate sites that nickel-and-dime their customers, and we’ve made a deliberate choice to be upfront and JUST charge a simple monthly fee.
What else is there?
I have a number of other things I could mention about Foliotwist, like how we went through every part of it with SEO in mind, or that we’ve included an easy newsletter mailer that allows artists to email their subscribers right from the admin panel.
There are also a ton of customization options, and support for six currencies—so if you’re an international artist, no worries; we’ve probably got you covered!
I’m probably forgetting some important things, but I’m too exhausted from the launch to figure out what. :) All the details are at Foliotwist.com if you want to learn more.
If you have any feedback for me about Foliotwist, let me know! I’m sure I’ll post more about how it goes in the coming weeks and months.
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