THE ART OF CLASSICAL MUSIC BLOGGING Frances Wilson AKA The Cross-Eyed Pianist

What is a blog? noun 1. a website containing a writer's or group of writers' own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other websites. 2. a single entry or post on such a website Origin: a shortened form of “weblog”

Differences between a website & a blog Website  Most content is static.  Formal/professional.  Interactivity is usually limited: typically, there is only one-way communication.  Communication tends to be about products and/or services.  Almost everyone has a website. Blog  Content is regularly updated.  Less formal in approach and tone.  Interactive – readers can leave comments.  A blog is more like a magazine or journal.

Why did I start The Cross-Eyed Pianist?  I have always enjoyed writing about music  I wanted to find a way to record my thoughts about the music I was playing and hearing at concerts  Maybe other people would find what I was writing interesting…..

How I got started Before The Cross-Eyed Pianist there was Demon Cook ….

Getting started  Choose a blogging platform  Wordpress, Blogger, Tumblr, Live Journal  Choose the right design  Eye-catching, attractive and appropriate to the content  Accessible – don’t overload the reader with information  Easy to navigate

Content  Try to develop a consistent online persona or “voice”  Keep content fresh and regularly updated  Include pictures, video and soundclips to enhance and vary the content  Consider including guest posts to add greater variety

Increasing the readership  Don’t expect overnight success! It can take several years for an online profile to grow  Use categories and “tags” (key words that people may use in search engines like Google) to enable better Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)  Stream your posts to other social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn (SEO is improved through referrals from other popular sites that reference your blog)  Add a “blogroll” of links to other related sites & encourage others to link to your site  Allow readers to comment and interact with them (but always have the option to moderate comments to avoid spam and trolling)

What can a blog achieve?  Enhanced profile and promotional opportunities  A chance to offer insights into your work & share with readers your thoughts and opinions on:  Repertoire  Practising  Teaching  Performing  Touring  Recording  Audience interaction  Your day to day working life  Opportunities to connect with others in the profession across the world

How has blogging helped my career?  Blogging has put me in touch with a wide range of classical musicians and music professionals  The quality and frequency of my content has given me an enhanced profile in the UK classical music world (and beyond) which has led directly to:  Invitations to review and write for other music sites, including Bachtrack.com, HelloStage, The Sampler, Musical Orbit and InterludeHK  Press invitations to attend concerts, CD launches and other music-related events

The Stats To date, the Cross-Eyed Pianist has  570,000 views  c4,000 followers (blog subscribers & followers via social media)  990 published posts, including over 150 ‘Meet the Artist’ interviews  Most popular post: ‘Describing Music in Words and Sound’  Most popular Meet the Artist interview: Stephen Hough

Further reading….  Stephen Hough’s blog in The Telegraph  Graham Fitch’s Practising the Piano  Boulezian (Mark Berry)  On An Overgrown Path  Susan Tomes – pianist & writer

The Cross-Eyed Pianist