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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="http://ethanwaldman.com/catching-uppitch-and-website-updates-msi9w2" title="&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size:medium;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:garamond, serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;It may be week 4 officially, but I\'ve done some major catching up!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;p /&gt;Thanks to the help of m..." target="_self">Catching Up:Pitch and Website Updates! #Msi9w2</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:12:00 -0700</span><br />');
document.write('<p><p><span style=\"font-size:medium;\"><span style=\"font-family:garamond, serif;\"><strong>It may be week 4 officially, but I\'ve done some major catching up!</strong><p />Thanks to the help of my family and friends, I refined my pitch from week two.&nbsp; I couldn\'t decide between a pitch that had other bands referenced vs unique.&nbsp; What I realized is that I can use both!&nbsp; My official pitch is <strong>polyphonic dream pop nostalgic for folk but ready to rock</strong>. Doesn\'t that just roll of the tongue? What if someone asks me what I sound like?&nbsp; I\'ve got an answer for that too! <strong>Imagine if&nbsp; The Decemberists met up with Cake and jammed with The Beatles in your living room.</strong> <p /> <strong>The Website</strong><br />This brings me to my next point- I\'ve updated my website with some new branding! I\'m not a great graphic designer, and I think I need to work with someone to develop more of a \'logo\'.&nbsp; My thought was to have a musical staff swoop down from the left and underline my name, and then after my name it would curl up into what looks like an LP record.&nbsp; I even carried this over to my bandcamp page so the user experience is consistent!<p /> <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\'http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/ethanwaldman/oHmz4m4rvGTRLGQn7MkEPPlWfCeIDnha0VRGQ2R80BOWWpdeKpkzkjEUp6QS/bandcamp.png\'><img src=\"http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/ethanwaldman/YfcSSpEuk5QYEDo9x1Tu1j6Is94v9QnqAV05PCfcVdrM91VcGNK1dZDlcf2y/bandcamp.png.scaled.500.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"324\"/></a> <p />Sweet, right? Twitter and Myspace still to come.&nbsp; Also.. is there really much you can do to brand your facebook page?&nbsp; Last I checked you weren\'t able to put up a custom header or anything fancy.<p /> <strong>The Bribe</strong><br />I\'m also still working on my \'Bribe\'.&nbsp; I\'m currently using a flash widget from artistdata, but I don\'t like that it wont show up for people on iphones and ipads.&nbsp; Down with flash! Artistdata also offers a simpler html box that I think will ultimately make it easier for me and my fans to interact.&nbsp; The html widget will also help make the email form look more integrated with the webpage, because I think it\'s a bit jarring now as it is:<p /> <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\'http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/ethanwaldman/IzPL3sf1Jkjv7fzOoaBCUAYQJz4N06SpIthXtwrNlc2Nc7qkLbueXnZ55aYk/homepage.png\'><img src=\"http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/ethanwaldman/PoJlUHOXIUINzPlmmvbHgaFAvy4Y1jN2pgAlmx9Y6JOTP43cVLMwRXNSVe2a/homepage.png.scaled.500.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"390\"/></a> <p />As always, your feedback is appreciated!</span></span>  <p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://ethanwaldman.com/catching-uppitch-and-website-updates-msi9w2\">Permalink</a> | <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://ethanwaldman.com/catching-uppitch-and-website-updates-msi9w2#comment\">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p>');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="http://ethanwaldman.com/challenge-week-3-website-optimization-msi9w2" title="&lt;p&gt;&lt;div&gt;It just so happened that I\'ve fallen a bit behind on my MSNW responsibilities. I feel comforted by the fact that Ariel mentions that exactly this might happen; the material covered is meant to be done over the course of a year in most..." target="_self">Challenge Week 3 - Website Optimization #msi9w2!</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:17:11 -0700</span><br />');
document.write('<p><div>It just so happened that I\'ve fallen a bit behind on my MSNW responsibilities. I feel comforted by the fact that Ariel mentions that exactly this might happen; the material covered is meant to be done over the course of a year in most cases. I\'m stuck still deciding on my pitch, which is holding up any re-branding or website design that I might embark on. I do however, have it planned out as best as I can.</div> <p /><div>I migrated to Posterous a couple weeks ago and I\'m sticking with it. It doesn\'t have nearly as many features as Wordpress, but I decided that I\'d rather grow out of Posterous then start with more then I need. My main draw for Posterous is that it enables me to post by email. I\'m on email all the time. I can email from my phone. From my computer. From your computer. I do most of my writing as emails in the first place. It seemed to be a good fit.</div> <p /><div><b>Current State:</b></div><div><ul><li>No unique branding</li><li>Webpage loads straight to my blog. While I like that posterous blogs are well integrated with the site, I think I should have a more pleasing welcome to the site- prominently displaying my opt-in box, and maybe a photo or two and a sample track. </li> <li>I\'ve already matched my bandcamp page to my website. Twitter and Myspace will be the next step. </li></ul>I think this will probably be a multi-phased project. I know I really need to develop some more unique imaging, colors, a logo, etc. I don\'t have the time to focus on it right now. My plan is to get everything aligned at a basic level, stick with it for a few weeks or months, and then update as needed.</div> <p /><div><b>The Mailing List</b></div> <div><b></b>I\'ve used bandcamp for a long time. They do enable you to collect an email address in exchange for a free download, but there\'s no widget to speak of. I\'d have to point people to the bandcamp page and hope that they follow through with the download. I think the whole point of this is that the email download is easy to get. One step. Type in your address and press enter. </div> <p /><div>Now.. how to best facilitate giving away the free music. My email list is currently languishing over at ArtistData.com. Not because they are a bad company, but because I\'m a bad email list keeper. Anyhow, they allow you to offer a \"incentive\" for signing up, and a nice simple email entry box to boot. </div> <p /><div>One thing that Ariel doesn\'t talk about (or maybe doesn\'t mention yet in the book) is email list etiquette. I want to write a really great welcome note when people sign up. Not just the typical \"thank you for joining, bla bla bla\". Hopefully there will be some guidance on this in the future. It needs to be special and compelling. </div> <p />Bonus- I found a little web service I thought you all would like. It\'s called <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://ohlife.com/\">OhLife</a>. They send you an email every day at 8pm asking how your day went. Your response becomes a part of a private online journal. The cool part? They start emailing you quotes from your old posts as time goes on. I\'m going to use it to help me with the five successes exercise, since I\'m constantly on email anyway.  <p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://ethanwaldman.com/challenge-week-3-website-optimization-msi9w2\">Permalink</a> | <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://ethanwaldman.com/challenge-week-3-website-optimization-msi9w2#comment\">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p>');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="http://ethanwaldman.com/my-perfect-pitch-official-week-two-post-msi9w" title="&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family:garamond, serif;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size:large;&quot;&gt; &lt;p style=&quot;line-height:normal;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color:black;&quot;&gt;Have you ever heard the phrase &quot;eas..." target="_self">My Perfect Pitch: Official Week Two Post #Msi9w2</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">Sun, 22 Aug 2010 19:40:00 -0700</span><br />');
document.write('<p><p><span style=\"font-family:garamond, serif;\"><span style=\"font-size:large;\"> <p style=\"line-height:normal;\"><span style=\"color:black;\">Have you ever heard the phrase \"easier said than done?\" I\'m on to week two of the Music Success in Nine Weeks blogging challenge. &nbsp;This week, we\'re coming up with a pitch to help quickly communicate what we sound like to other listeners. Ariel recommends exploring the bands you sound like, your influences, genre, and what you&rsquo;re trying to convey as a basis for your pitch. &nbsp;She then instructs you to take that pitch and put it everywhere that counts- website, facebook, twitter, myspace, postcards, flyers, etc. &nbsp;</span></p> <p style=\"line-height:normal;\"><span style=\"color:black;\">Totally true to my form, I\'m having commitment issues with my pitches. &nbsp;I understand that I need to give people a basis for what I do, and using other musicians to help define that sound is a common reference point, but I\'m having trouble coming to terms with the idea of plastering another artist\'s name all over my site and promo materials. Is this foolish? &nbsp;</span></p> <p style=\"line-height:normal;\"><span style=\"color:black;\">&nbsp;I saw this band Violince(?) open up for MGMT in Burlington.&nbsp; My description for them: &nbsp;U2 meets the Smiths and plays metal. &nbsp;It\'s always been easy for me to hear someone else and assess their sound and come up with a good description. However, turning that same level of judgment and scrutiny on me is a different story. &nbsp;</span></p> <p style=\"line-height:normal;\"><span style=\"color:black;\">When someone asks me what I sound like, I always squirm and have trouble answering in an interesting way. &nbsp;I know who my influences are. &nbsp;I know what things I have in mind when I write. But I don\'t know if that\'s what I really sound like. &nbsp;</span></p> <p style=\"line-height:normal;\"><span style=\"color:black;\">I\'ve had a lot of people tell me that my songs are beatle-esque. &nbsp;\"oh, you did a little John Lennon thing right there\". &nbsp;Now don\'t get me wrong. &nbsp;I love the Beatles. But it feels like a copout to say that I sound like the Beatles. &nbsp;I am very deeply influenced by their recordings and songwriting so maybe it does make sense to go with that. &nbsp;</span></p> <p style=\"line-height:normal;\">Whining aside, I\'ve come up with a list of what I think are decent candidates. They don\'t feel completely \"done\" to me, but I think they are a step in the right direction. &nbsp;You can help by just answering my little survey here. I\'ll take the top 2 or 3 and work them a bit more to come.</p> <ul> <li><em><span style=\"color:black;\">John Lennon gets into bluegrass and Weezer&rsquo;s blue album</span></em></li> <li><em><span style=\"color:black;\">Cake meets The Decemberists with a Beatles obsession</span></em></li> <li><em><span style=\"color:black;\">Cake plays polyphonic folk with The Decemberists</span></em></li> <li><em><span style=\"color:black;\">Polyphonic folk with a back beat.</span></em></li> <li><em><span style=\"color:black;\">Rocking polyphonic folk with a soul.</span></em></li> <li><em><span style=\"color:black;\">The Beatles jam with The Decemberists in your living room</span></em></li> <li><em><span style=\"color:black;\">Harmonic folk rock with a twist of The Beatles</span></em></li> </ul> <p style=\"line-height:normal;\"><span style=\"color:black;\">Finally,&nbsp;</span>I want to shout out to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://www.meghanmorrison.com/blog/\">Meghan Morrison</a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://blog.danloomismusic.com/Blog/?p=1\">Dan Loomis</a> for their really great posts so far. &nbsp;Being pretty new to blogging, their writing styles and ideas have been helpful to read.&nbsp;</p> </span></span>  <p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://ethanwaldman.com/my-perfect-pitch-official-week-two-post-msi9w\">Permalink</a> | <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://ethanwaldman.com/my-perfect-pitch-official-week-two-post-msi9w#comment\">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p>');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="http://ethanwaldman.com/saturday-backyard-hoedown" title="&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;http://www.flickr.com/photos/santheo/267895424/&quot; title=&quot;Macro mandolin by santheo, on Flickr&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;http://farm1.static.flickr.com/92/26789..." target="_self">Saturday Backyard Hoedown</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:12:00 -0700</span><br />');
document.write('<p><p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/santheo/267895424/\" title=\"Macro mandolin by santheo, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm1.static.flickr.com/92/267895424_98b85e836e.jpg\" height=\"333\" alt=\"Macro mandolin\" width=\"500\"/> </a></p> <p><span style=\"font-size:medium;\"><span style=\"font-family:garamond, serif;\"><p /> Anyone in the Burlington, VT area should stop by my house tomorrow afternoon.&nbsp; I\'ll be doing an acoustic performance with my neighbor Sam. Guitars, Mandolin, Violin and two part harmonies abound.&nbsp; Rumor has it that a keg of Switchback will also be making an appearance.&nbsp; Leave a comment if you need the address/directions and I\'ll contact you!</span></span>  <p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://ethanwaldman.com/saturday-backyard-hoedown\">Permalink</a> | <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://ethanwaldman.com/saturday-backyard-hoedown#comment\">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p>');
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document.write('<li class="rss-item"><a class="rss-item" href="http://ethanwaldman.com/unpaid-interns-and-other-brain-food-official" title="&lt;p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;a rel=&quot;nofollow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=\'http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/ethanwaldman/9jtlaCA5jSnw7mryC222RDBylnPF7qlaHK8n8IlbdTMGQScsMUvF0Kl6qh1s/Screen_shot_2010-08-11_at_7.37.png\'&gt;&lt;img ..." target="_self">Unpaid Interns and Other Brain Food - Official Week One Post! #Msi9w2</a><br />');
document.write('<span class="rss-date">Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:39:02 -0700</span><br />');
document.write('<p><div><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\'http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/ethanwaldman/9jtlaCA5jSnw7mryC222RDBylnPF7qlaHK8n8IlbdTMGQScsMUvF0Kl6qh1s/Screen_shot_2010-08-11_at_7.37.png\'><img src=\"http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/ethanwaldman/i8OxUggZAuwfYEMKvF37Qrrfk7FuWlnITwMSyvs80SCec2Z82UNjOA1smMCm/Screen_shot_2010-08-11_at_7.37.png.scaled.500.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"362\"/> </a> <br /></div><div><span class=\"name\"><span class=\"username\"><span style=\"font-size:x-small;\">photo by </span><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/loririelly/\"><span style=\"font-size:x-small;\">lordog</span></a></span></span></div> <p /><div>This is the week we play mind games. Goal setting, levelling expectations, quelling fears. It\'s all here. </div><p /><div>Last night I stayed up in bed and set myself 6 musical goals for the next year. According to the book, they should be clear, involve just me, and be realistically achievable. Considering I\'m starting pretty much at ground level, some of the goals I set for myself feel pretty out there. <b>Yet deep down, I know I can make this happen because I believe in the music that I make.</b></div> <p /><div>Next assignment is to repeat this exercise regarding musical, financial and lifetime goals. To finish the week out, we are advised to write our goals on pieces of paper and hang them up where we\'ll see them. </div> <p /><div><b>Sounds easy, right?</b> Honestly, no. Sitting down and thinking about what you\'d like to achieve, and then having to determine whether its achievable or not is a hard exercise. It makes you confront your dreams and think about how you\'re really going to get from point A to point B. In the self help age of \"positive thinking\", an exercise like this helps you cut through all the bullshit out there with a positive, but realistic dose of goal setting. </div> <p /><div></div><p /><div>Chapter one is short- just 8 pages (in the printed copy). But those 8 pages are really packed full of useful suggestions. There\'s one thing Ariel mentions here that really got me thinking:</div> <p /><div>\"…Log on to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://www.entertainmentcareers.net\">http://www.entertainmentcareers.net</a> and post as an employer seeking interns - you will be amazed at how many bright young people would like to get their feet wet in the music business.\"</div> <p /><div>I was floored by this suggestion. \"Me.. have interns? Working for me?\" My mind was flooded with ideas of things I could ask them to do. Then the self doubt crept in. \"Am I good enough to warrant having interns?… Will they just laugh at me when they hear my music?\" Typically, I\'d pass on a great idea like this because there\'s no one to encourage me to do otherwise. But I\'ve committed to following the advice of this book. So I\'m adding that as one of my goals (that I set earlier this week). I am going to at least post an internship or two to get some help with all this. I really hope there\'s more info later in the book about what to do with these people once I bring them on! I have the feeling that I\'ll have a much better idea as the weeks continue on.</div> <p /><div>FAQ:</div><div>Q: What\'s coming in week 2?</div><div>A: \"Your perfect pitch\"</div><p /><div>Q: What\'s a good song to go along with this week\'s post?</div><div>A: <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://music.ethanwaldman.com/track/i-found-the-one-thing\">I Found the One Thing</a></div>  <p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://ethanwaldman.com/unpaid-interns-and-other-brain-food-official\">Permalink</a> | <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http://ethanwaldman.com/unpaid-interns-and-other-brain-food-official#comment\">Leave a comment&nbsp;&nbsp;&raquo;</a> </p>');
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