By Jenny Cressman
As a new member of the Huntsville Festival of the Arts (HFA) board of directors, I wanted to work on something new for the festival's 15th year. So, with the support of others on the marketing committee, I set up a blog for the HFA.
For the uninitiated, a “blog” – derived from “web log” – in its purest and most personal form, is essentially an internet journal. It floats around in cyberspace somewhere (I can’t explain that part) and anyone whose computer is online can go to a blog address and read the writing or view the images posted by whomever is associated with that particular site.
At the other end of the blog spectrum, it can be used as a laid back but effective marketing tool by businesses seeking a casual way to relate to clients.
The HFA blog is somewhere in between. It’s certainly not a personal diary, although board members are welcome to write personal comments for posting – such as encouraging people to attend a festival event they’re helping to organize, or explaining what goes on behind the scenes.
Nor is this blog strictly a marketing project, though that is at its root.
Along with a little gentle promotion, the intention of the HFA blog is to help raise the profile of Huntsville’s festival beyond the bounds of the town and to inform the public, near and far, about what we’re doing and why. In the same way that a newspaper or magazine article can offer a more in-depth story than a radio or television report often has time for, the blog is an easily accessible forum for information that you won’t necessarily find elsewhere.
The blog is named after this newspaper column (www.trumpeterhfa.blog spot.com). That’s because some of the material posted on it comes from the Huntsville Forester, through the monthly Trumpeter column or articles pertaining to the festival that have appeared in the paper.
There are also exclusive blog postings, both written and photographic, as well as links to sites we hope you’ll find interesting or useful. For instance, you can click a link to the website of a musician who will be performing here, thanks to the HFA, then you can click the link to the Algonquin Theatre site and order tickets. Or, while you’re clicking, you can let the link zap you to the festival’s home site (www.huntsvillefestival.on.ca) so you can check out the full summer lineup, which is awesome, if I may be permitted to offer a quick opinion.
I am going to be quite busy this summer, partly because there are so many festival shows I want to attend. In other words, if I don’t seem to be updating the blog in a timely fashion, please bear with me; my hands may be sore from applauding.
One update in the works is the creation of an e-mail address for comments, either pertaining to the blog or other aspects of the HFA. When it’s up and running, I’ll note it on the blog, of course. I’ll be looking forward to receiving your comments and, hopefully, posting some.
Local writer Jenny Cressman is a Huntsville Festival of the Arts board member. The black and white photo accompanying this article is from a full-colour portrait painted of her by Mendelson Joe, who was one of the generous donors supporting the Huntsville Festival of the Arts May Marche this year by contributing a piece of art for the silent auction.
