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Originally posted by Alex Burton here.

Below are ten super effective tools to facilitate communication amongst band members, management, agents, labels, and/or fans. If you thought your crappy myspace profile and facebook band page were enough, think again. There’s a lot out there, so get familiar with these ten pages fast because there’s sure to be more to come! Get moving!

1)    Twitter – So you’ve seen site name referenced and maybe you’ve even created an account. But how do you use it? What’s the point? It’s time to smarten up. Twitter allows you to share up to the second information in a public setting, as well as directly engage your fans and followers in mass conversations (with the hash tags), or direct messaging (@ sign). After all, social media is all about developing a conversation with your consumer.  Look at your account from a reader’s standpoint and if you’re interested in the content you’re putting out, chances are your readers will be too. The more interesting you are, the higher your chances of being followed and retweeted and thus expanding your network. You can also add yourself to a number of Twitter user directories to make you and your band easier to find.

2)    Twiki – People tend to forget that your band is a business. You need to streamline your efficiency. Twiki.org is an enterprise collaboration platform that allows you to organize your operations and engage everybody involved. Use your Twiki to develop ideas and grow strategies all together even though your band is in New York, your manager lives in L.A., and your booking agent is on vacation. You can also archive important documents in a virtual setting, upload and download files to view in a website format, and pull up older ideas and conversations for redevelopment.

3)    Absolutepunk.net – Don’t let the name fool you. This news site has quickly become one of the largest active music forums on the Internet and it’s not just about the pop punk. Sure they often have the scoop on the latest music news before Rolling Stone gets their hands on it, but they’ve also become a fully functioning social media network replete with blogs, personal photo archives, and networks of friends. Their massive user base (which includes industry execs, music fans of all genres, and probably members of your favorite band) gives you unlimited potential to make new friends and network with important folks. The site is also largely dedicated to breaking new bands and exposing fans to new music with features like The Small Band Round Up, Self Promotion Forum, and The Daily Random Questionnaire.

4)    Google (Alerts) – I heard your guitarist was a dick to the fans at the last show. I heard Pitchfork Media really love your new record. I heard Lou Pearlman is signing your band from jail and making you into the next Backstreet Boys. Use Google Alerts to stay on top of what the news sites are saying about you. Every time your band is mentioned on the web you’ll get a notice from Google Alerts directing you to the source of the conversation, which will give you an opportunity to dispel rumors, capitalize on fan interaction, and confront problems before they blow up in your face. Lou Pearlman probably just read this.

5)    Google (Analytics) – So you want to know what kind of traffic your site is getting? Find out the details with Google Analytics. Copy and paste some simple coding into your site and Google keeps track of everything: How users find your site, how long they use it for, which pages are the most popular, where users live, and more, and displays it in line, chart, and pie graph form. Plus seeing what towns your visitors live in gives you great leads on where to start booking shows (hint: play where you have lots of fans).

6)    Ping.fm – There are SO MANY social networking tools! How do you find the time to update them all? Easy, with Ping.fm! Ping allows you to connect all of your social networking sites with one easy update. Post your news on Ping and it will automatically update your other social networking sites with the same message. No more logging into each site one by one. Ping is your one stop shop.

7)    Musformation.com – Run by the illustrious and slightly neurotic insomniac Jesse Cannon, Musformation is exactly what you think it is: a whole crap load of music related information. Get industry news, instrument reviews, or tips on touring, booking, self-promotion, PR, song writing, and networking. You can even make navigating this massive reservoir of music knowledge easier by selectively following individual twitter feeds relating to your specific areas of interest. Also, Jesse’s worked in the studio with rad bands like The Cure, Animal Collective, Dillinger Escape Plan, and Saves the Day, so you know he knows what he’s talking about. As an added bonus, he puts himself out there. If you ask nicely he might even answer your personal questions.

   Dropbox – Dropbox is like having a private, virtual external hard drive. Dropbox allows you and your friends to share large files between each other instantly. Upload your newest demo to your drop box and your management and record label can grab it from their own personal computers. Upload those garage band files you’ve been working on and see if anyone else in the band can figure out a good transition into that last chorus.

9)    TheGarageDoor.com – Any band worth their salt should be doing home recordings these days. Garage Band has made it so incredibly easy for anyone to make demos in their bedroom, that if you don’t have it yet you might as well quit now. The Garage Door is a full on Garage Band-focused site focused on helping you best use the program to fit your needs. Learn how to set up your studio, build virtual instruments, and watch tutorials on how to use the program efficiently and effectively. You can even find out which Garage Band sounds your favorite bands are using!

10)    Backtype.com – Backtype can be used much like Google Alerts in that you can keep track of what people are saying about your band, only Backtype focuses specifically on blogs and social media networks. Like I said before, social media is all about developing and maintaining a conversation with your audience and Backtype allows you to get in the game as soon as anybody says your name. With so many bloggers turning into tastemakers, this is a great tool to help interact with those who are quickly becoming the new authorities in music.

BONUS ENTRY:

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I highly recommend http://BlueHost.com. Unlimited everything for just $6.95 per month.

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