Your home online
Tjil caught up with some Namibian celebrities who have launched websites to make work easy for themselves and also keep their fans informed.
Have you ever tried searching for your favourite celebrity online and failed miserably to get that 2001 hit song you like so much? This is caused by the fact that we don't have digital archives and this means artists and celebrities could miss out on digital sales if they don't have a hub with their information available on one click. What is this hub you may call it? A website.
Big Ben, who launched his website as early as 2009, says he has had enquiries from all over the world and he thought he should provide everything in a one-stop site. Big Ben also says a website made him look organised. “Having my own domain name allowed me to have my own customised email address while other musicians were still using Gmail, Live and Yahoo. It makes sense for business, trust me,” he said.
Many public figures are visible on social media, however, this is not enough as many social media accounts do not contain all the needed information. For Big Ben, websites are like offices and this shows people from anywhere that they can trust you and do business with you. He also says compared to social networks which are just hangout places, a website is more like a physical address for one's business because ownership and maintenance can be traced. “As for social networks, even handles can change in seconds. Social networks have their use but they can never beat the benefits of a website. I get bookings through the website and even local events companies get to email me directly from the site and place bookings. Picture galleries and promotional materials get to be used by media as they are in high resolution compared to those on social networks,” he said.
Oteya, who launched her site this year, says the Namibian music industry has been facing music distribution challenges thus website development helps in closing that gap. She says her website can be seen as Oteya's music shop. “Fans can buy and download the entire album or buy any song they like. The reason for launching it was to create awareness because that's one of the ways her fans will be informed,” she said. For Oteya, having a website makes sense because she has a wider catalogue of albums so its makes economic sense for her to upload her content for her fans to have easy access.
Comedian Mark Kariahuua who just launched his website says it is about time because all his material is now accessible to everyone from one place.
June Shimuoshili
Big Ben, who launched his website as early as 2009, says he has had enquiries from all over the world and he thought he should provide everything in a one-stop site. Big Ben also says a website made him look organised. “Having my own domain name allowed me to have my own customised email address while other musicians were still using Gmail, Live and Yahoo. It makes sense for business, trust me,” he said.
Many public figures are visible on social media, however, this is not enough as many social media accounts do not contain all the needed information. For Big Ben, websites are like offices and this shows people from anywhere that they can trust you and do business with you. He also says compared to social networks which are just hangout places, a website is more like a physical address for one's business because ownership and maintenance can be traced. “As for social networks, even handles can change in seconds. Social networks have their use but they can never beat the benefits of a website. I get bookings through the website and even local events companies get to email me directly from the site and place bookings. Picture galleries and promotional materials get to be used by media as they are in high resolution compared to those on social networks,” he said.
Oteya, who launched her site this year, says the Namibian music industry has been facing music distribution challenges thus website development helps in closing that gap. She says her website can be seen as Oteya's music shop. “Fans can buy and download the entire album or buy any song they like. The reason for launching it was to create awareness because that's one of the ways her fans will be informed,” she said. For Oteya, having a website makes sense because she has a wider catalogue of albums so its makes economic sense for her to upload her content for her fans to have easy access.
Comedian Mark Kariahuua who just launched his website says it is about time because all his material is now accessible to everyone from one place.
June Shimuoshili
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