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The arts have always been fertile ground for co-operative ventures, writes Robin Houghton. On the Internet, the principles of successful co-operation haven?t changed: something in common, something complementary.
But on the ever-expanding web, co-operative competition (?co-opetition?) is an emerging phenomenon.

Sharing resources has proved to be a key factor for those realising that economies of scale go hand-in-hand with promotional leverage. In other words, co-operation not only saves money but it can play a crucial part in the success of an organisation?s web strategy.

The Fiveways Artists Group (http://www.fivewaysartists.com) was established in the late 1980s by a few artists who opened their homes as exhibitions during the annual Brighton Arts Festival. Their website is a virtual showcase for the thirty or so members, and the original webmaster, Colin Ruffell, stresses that online enhances rather than replaces traditional promotional methods. ?The site serves as both catalogue and exhibition guide; people show up at the open houses clutching printouts of webpages.? The costs of running the site are minimal as members have the skills to manage it themselves. Other costs are covered by a combination of sponsorship and member donations.

Clearly, existing groups have certain advantages when they take to the web ? for example, they already have a following and a name. But what of those who had no prior association with one another, and no group identity? Can there be any advantage in creating a ?virtual? co-operative presence online?

If one of the reasons for having a web presence is to gain exposure amongst a wider audience, then being found in web searches is critical. A vast industry has grown up to service this one aspect of web promotion ? part art, part science - called search engine optimisation (SEO). Successful SEO requires either specialist skills or money. The problem is, artists and arts organisations are unlikely to have a surfeit of either.

Marika Graham-Woods, who manages the Cumbria-based website Artists Working to Commission (http://www.awtc.org.uk) believes that genuinely artist-led sites are still rare. She blames this on a basic lack of understanding of issues such as SEO and technology generally. AWTC originally came about as a way of overcoming the geographical remoteness of the region. Another example is Potfest (www.potfest.co.uk), managed by Chris and Geoff Cox, originally as a vehicle to promote a local annual exhibition. Potfest has grown in stature, as has the website ? once a simple contact point for exhibitor and buyer information, now a comprehensive pottery portal. One of the typically innovative features of the site is the Cyberceramics competition, started back in 1998 and attracting entries from all over the world.

So what are the advantages to collaborating online?

? Artists and small organisations can reach a wider audience, without the need for technical skills or even a computer
? Shared (rather than individual) costs
? Group sites are likely to have greater visibility on the web
? Both the costs and benefits of group brand-building are shared
? Greater potential for inter-connectivity

And the potential problems?

? Risk of negative brand association: the group site may weaken the indentities of individual members.
? Can mean a loss of personal contact with buyers/customers
? Virtual groups at higher risk of co-operation breaking down

Sites that are maintained and promoted effectively, both on- and offline, stand the greatest chance of success. Effort needs to be spent building the group brand name and making sure the site engages visitors and members alike, keeping it vibrant and relevant, rather than purely a directory. If these issues are taken care of, a collaborative web presence can form the basis of an extremely cost-effective marketing strategy.


Robin Houghton is a marketing consultant to small business and
non-profit organisations, specialising in online.e: robin@robinhoughton.com;
w: http://www.robinhoughton.com