Readers can tell when you’re out of your element--and you can tell, too. You struggle with words when you’re trying to write about something for which you have little enthusiasm. Write about what matters most to you and draw us in with your passion for the topic.

Are you communicating in a way that shows you in your best possible light? Or are you messing with a good opportunity?

Perform a blog checkup. Make sure you’re showing your personality. Double check to see that you’re starting a conversation and not just talking at people. Verify that it’s easy for people to get information from your blog and to be updated on your goings on.

Your poor Web site. You got so caught up in blogging, newsletters, and the latest technology, that your Web site has been neglected. Or maybe you’re so happy you finally got it online that you forgot about it for the last two years. When is the last time it was updated?

If you’re still using only a formal staged shot taken in a photo studio, I urge you to replace it or add to it. You’re an artist! You need to be more creative than that. We want to see you at work and in action.

If your work is difficult to photograph, your time is probably best spent making the art and then hiring a genius photographer to capture its special-ness. At the same time, you need to become competent with using your digital camera and software.

Like everything else, e-marketing takes effort. In order to reap results, you must think of each component as part of a comprehensive strategy.

Do you want to know what makes a good artist’s blog good? Are you curious as to why some blogs and Web sites have more traffic than others? To find your answers, all you need to do is deconstruct one.

Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed by the idea that you have to do it every day. However, the more often you write, the more often visitors will return. Remember: Blogs aren’t a place for dissertations. They should be short, meaty entries that contain information of interest to your readers.

Here are some basic techie things you can do with your blog in order to make it easier for people to find you. All I can do is share what I wish I had known when I first started blogging--a Quick Start Manual, if you will.

I don’t think she’d mind me telling you this, but Margret struggled a bit at first. I encouraged her to relax and use the blog to sort out her random thoughts as well as document her research. It didn’t have to have perfect writing. Like my own blog, it took time to find the rhythm and writing style.

Blogs help you build an audience by connecting with readers on a very personal level. Whereas websites are mostly static and aloof, blogs are ever changing (or should be) and personal. If you have a very focused subject matter, blogging is that much easier.

Do you know where you are online? Not only can you go to the Google Images site above and pull up your images on the Worldwide Web, you can also use Google Alerts to see where you might be popping up.

Pat Velte, my Web guru, has come up with "10 Common Mistakes on Artists' Web Sites." She's agreed to share them with you today.

Blogging allows you to define yourself and your art more frequently and in greater detail than ever. Why would you ignore this powerful marketing tool?

Why in the world would you ignore technology? It's cheaper and easier each day to stay in touch, to brand yourself, and define yourself before someone else does it for you.

Just because you build it, doesn't mean they will come.  Come up with a promotional plan for your site. What is it for? Who is your target audience? Where can you find them? How can you encourage them to visit your site?