Name of your website?Virtu - Art
Your name?
Karin
Your Location (city, etc)
Rosscarbery, West Cork
Please give us a short summary of your website?
Virtu - Art promotes the Art + Craft of South West Cork. There is a directory of artists and craft people in our area. Information and resources for both artists and crafts people. We have useful links and an online Art + Craft bookshop. You can browse our informational pages or buy Irish artwork online with a credit card.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
I live in South West Cork where there is about 500 artists and craft people living. I am artistic myself and have attended an Art, Craft and design course at a local college. I have been developing web sites for many years and wanted to create an online community of artists and craft people. Virtu - Art at the present time gets about 2000 visitors aday.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
1994 when i was living in Holland had a web site www.theflow.nl no longer available. It was an informational site focusing on Marijuana.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
Looked through an Art Dictionary luckily for me i started at the back. Virtu means a Love of or taste for works of art or curios.
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
Many other art related sites have come and gone. Virtu Art remains and is continually building as more and more artists and craft people join us. We update often and offer a lot of free information. We cater to many not just artist and craft people but also buyers of art and craft. And just the plain interested in what goes on here in West Cork
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
To be the hub for Art + Craft information in our area. To continue to support and promote the Arts and Crafts here in West Cork. To hopefully provide myself with an income through subscriptions, selling artwork online and through selling myown artwork.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
The site more than pays for it's self. And also allows me to invest in materials for my own artwork and special events that i attend
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
Emply someone else to join me in my endevour
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Yes
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
None
What has been your biggest challenge?
Havent really had one yet
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Banging the rock together. Digging into the data mines and continual communication with the other Artists and Craft people in the area we cover.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
It hasn't
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
It is a site that only covers a small area so i think it will be ok. If it gets really successful i will employ someone with a similar interest to help me.
What is your website address?
Virtu - Art
