{"id":2546,"date":"2014-03-27T08:31:16","date_gmt":"2014-03-27T13:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/?p=2546"},"modified":"2022-11-25T14:17:53","modified_gmt":"2022-11-25T20:17:53","slug":"data-portability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/audiotheme.com\/blog\/data-portability\/","title":{"rendered":"Own It: Data Portability and Its Impact on Your Website"},"content":{"rendered":"

Who owns your data? It’s an important question that’s often overlooked when building a website or registering for the latest social media service, but the answer can impact your ability to access your content or communicate with your fans.<\/p>\n

Data portability allows you to take your site content and reuse it across a number of different applications. Essentially, it\u2019s the ability to control media and other forms of content in your possession. Data portability makes it easy to download information you may require in the future.<\/p>\n

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In a competitive market, data portability is important for creating and maintaining your online niche.\u00a0If data portability is addressed prior to creating your website, your data can easily be ported between different platforms.<\/p>\n

Limitations of Social Media<\/h2>\n

Different services have proprietary data templates, formats and other aspects that lock users within specific boundaries. \u00a0If you host your site on Facebook<\/a>, MySpace or another service, any content you\u2019ve created is confined to that specific service. Facebook has drawn harsh criticism from marketers recently after restricting access<\/a> to fans.<\/p>\n

If you’re active on any social network \u2013 Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. – you’ve likely amassed a wealth of content. These services\u2019 terms and conditions can change at any time, so you should always have access to your content in case an issue arises. Just imagine spending months publishing blog posts, tour dates, lyrics and audio clips on a platform only to have it fixed within certain restrictions.<\/p>\n

Expanding Your Digital Horizons<\/h2>\n

Data is what drives your long-term relationship with fans.\u00a0Instead of relying on one service or another as a platform for your fan interactions, use their interest in your music to your advantage. By collecting contact information – email addresses, for example – you can stay in touch with fans regardless of your platform.<\/p>\n

According to the Wall Street Journal, the\u00a0average fan email address has a value<\/a> of $3.78 over the owner’s lifetime.\u00a0If these services close operations or limit your access, you can adapt to these changes quickly. It\u2019s impossible to take Twitter followers or Facebook fans along with you, but this data can go anywhere.<\/p>\n

Below is a list of popular email marketing services that can help you collect email addresses and communicate with your fans:<\/p>\n