Sometimes people contact me with worthy causes – worthy sites – sites about Art in New York – and what could be more abotu Art in New York City than ….. www.NYC-ARTS.org and www.NYCkidsARTS.org ?

I took a look at NYC-Arts.org and it looks good!  Now, I do think they need to add a Social Networking aspect to the site, and I will speak to Joe Harrell, the Director of Marketing for the Alliance of the Arts, here in New York, about that.

But the sites, as they look now, are first class – they look good.  In fact, what I’d do, if I ran those sites, is add the content from Artcards.cc and also have artists, like me, go out and cover shows and post them to an accompying blog – that feeds into the NYC-Arts.org site – that would generate a lot more content.

Not sure what to say about the kids site – I have a son, but he’s almost 16 years old – and I think a kids site has a different demographic than me – (unless I’m trying to reach out to kids and their parents – in which case, maybe it’s relevent).  At any rate – these are Art Sites about our community – here in New York City – and they ougth to be supported.

Here’s the information about NYC-ARTS.org and NYCkidsARTS.org from recent press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Alliance for the Arts Launches NYC-ARTS.org and NYCkidsARTS.org in Beta Testing

NEW YORK – November 25, 2008 – The Alliance for the Arts has launched the beta versions of its new NYC-ARTS.org and NYCkidsARTS.org, the most complete, customizable and dynamic source of information on New York’s cultural institutions. Curated by people who know the scene, NYC ARTS provides an inside view of New York’s cultural life.

The NYC ARTS Web sites have launched during beta testing. The public is invited to participate in testing by submitting feedback through the “Send your feedback” button at the bottom of every page.

NYC-ARTS.org

Locals and tourists will find in-depth information on cultural organizations and their events, programs and activities.

NYCkidsARTS.org

Educators and parents will find the most comprehensive information on cultural activities for children, including arts education programs that support teaching in many subject areas.

Alliance for the Arts Research Center

The research tools in the Alliance for the Arts Research Center will provide easy access to accurate quantitative data on the nonprofit cultural sector in New York City.

In the increasingly competitive entertainment environment, NYC ARTS and NYCkidsARTS ensure that New York City’s arts organizations stand out in the clutter of choices. The NYC ARTS brand is a powerful promotional identity both for large cultural institutions that command high visibility and smaller groups with less promotional muscle. Unlike commercial cultural listings that have a narrow focus, these sites give all arts groups equal opportunity to promote their programs and attract visitors. The power of the NYC ARTS sites extends beyond the walls of the Web sites with weekly e-mail updates, interest-specific RSS feeds and connections to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Cultural consumers need a strong brand to help them navigate the rich and diverse resources of New York City’s five boroughs. Through recommendations, curated collections and other features such as “Events ending soon,” the sites will be proactive in directing individuals to cultural opportunities they might otherwise overlook.

The City of New York is the major underwriter of NYC ARTS. Because the system supports hundreds of cultural organizations and their events in all five of the city’s boroughs-in effect shoring up the cultural infrastructure-the City of New York has invested $1.5 million in capital dollars for the first release of the system. It has also pledged additional enhancement funds for future releases of NYC ARTS.

New York’s philanthropic community has joined the City as investors in this project. Local foundations and corporations supported the research and development of NYC ARTS.

About the Alliance for the Arts

The Alliance for the Arts serves the entire cultural community through research and advocacy and serves the public through cultural guides and calendars. Through its NYC ARTS guides and calendars, the Alliance promotes New York cultural institutions. Through its research studies highlighting the importance of the arts to the economy and to education, the Alliance helps government and civic leaders understand the importance of cultural organizations to New York City. More information on the Alliance’s work can be found at the new www.AllianceforArts.org.

Contact:

Joe Harrell, Director of Marketing & Product Management

Alliance for the Arts

jharrell@allianceforarts.org

(212) 947-6340

Again, what I think is needed is Social Networking that supports and encourages community – and I’ll help where I can, being of this community – we want to not just have engagement – but encourage it with Social Media for Engagement.