ArtBuzz

ArtBuzz is a new service for the art community that lets people communicate, share and discover.

It's very simple: you add short messages that explain what you're doing, what you're thinking, who you're seeing or what's happening in your art world. Everyone else does the same, and the end result is a stream of happenings that builds a picture of the global art community.

Each short message is called a buzz. When you add a buzz it gets added to the big list of buzzes. The big list is known as the timeline.

You can either view the public timeline (this includes everyone's buzzes) or you can just view the buzzes of the people you follow.

You can send direct messages to individual users. Just type your buzz in the normal way but use the selector to choose your recipient (the default recipient is 'the public').

You don't have friends in ArtBuzz; you have followers and people you follow. You don't have to know someone to follow them. ArtBuzz is an open sort of place, where cross-fertilisation is encouraged. So follow anyone you like the look of, or anyone who likes the same artists as you. And if you change your mind about someone, just stop following them.

Following someone means you see all their buzzes. But they won't see your buzzes unless they follow you. Get it?

You can update your ArtBuzz on the move, from your mobile phone. First you must go to Settings and then Add your mobile. Please note that normal text message charges apply. Then type your buzz as a text message and send it to: +447950080888

You can easily add pictures to your buzzes by sending a Multi-media Message (MMS) from your mobile phone to +447950080888. Normal charges apply.

If you're feeling a bit shy you can always block an individual user. Then they'll no longer see your buzzes. (When viewing your list of followers, simply click 'Block user') You can also restrict access to your buzzes by ticking the 'Protect by updates' box in your Settings.

View the public timeline and follow anyone that sounds interesting. You can also search for your friends or invite people from your email contacts or other social networks (like LinkedIn and Plaxo).