December 8, 2003

The holiday season is here... which means that everyone hopefully has some extra free time to devote to creative endeavors. Aside from David Leonhardt, few members have been submitting work lately. I'm hoping that everyone takes some time to write some poetry or add some art to the site.

I've been trying to find ways to make money off my site. So the pages on the Artistic Network now have a commercial element. I have always been sentimentally against adding advertisements and overbearing links... but I have realized that all the time I've put into this site requires more returns. For now I have become an Amazon.com affiliate... meaning that when visitors click on Amazon.com links on the Artistic Network and makes a purchase from Amazon.com, a kickback comes to me.

I hope this doesn't turn off too many members and visitors. I've tried to integrate the links in a non-intrusive fashion.

I've also added features to advertise the newsletter more. I want to increase the traffic to my site, and one way to do that is to increase people on the mailing list. So if you know someone who would be interested in the articles and art on the Artistic Network, please encourage them to become a member or subscribe to the Artistic Network Newsletter.

Well, I hope everyone enjoys the most recent work. If you're a member... add some of your own!

Happy Holidays
Shawn Olson