Los Angeles ( CNN ) -- Barbra Streisand is following in the footsteps of Rihanna and Justin Bieber by creating an Instagram account . The two-time Oscar-winning actress-singer posted her first Instragram photo Wednesday with the message : `` Hello Instagram ... is n't my Samantha just precious ? '' Samantha is her dog , a Coton de Tulear that travels with Streisand as she tours the world . The photo shows the pooch sitting with her on a grassy lawn . Streisand announced her new Instagram account through Twitter , which she 's been on for five years : `` Big news ... Barbra has joined @ instagram ! '' Do n't expect Streisand to try to match Rihanna 's often revealing selfies . Her Twitter pics have been pretty tame , such as one photo of her with Sen. John McCain . Her tweets have not been written in a first-person voice , suggesting she relies on a publicist to handle her social networking . Streisand could learn from how Elizabeth Taylor used Twitter to connect with her fans in the last two years of her life . The legendary actress personally posted tweets on her smart phone , including messages from her hospital bed . `` I like the connection with fans and people who have been supportive of me , '' Taylor said when Kim Kardashian asked about Twitter in an interview just before her death in 2011 . `` And I love the idea of real feedback and a two-way street , which is very , very modern . But sometimes I think we know too much about our idols and that spoils the dream . So , like all things , it is to be used with care ! '' Twitter , Instagram , Facebook and YouTube have become essential marketing tools for musicians . Billboard magazine publishes a weekly chart -- the Social 50 -- that ranks artists based on their social media movement . The chart has become an important way to measure the success in the industry . CNN first learned about Streisand 's Instagram account through Twitter . Kim and Kanye turn Instagram into wedding album . Justin Bieber posts Tom Hanks ' dance moves on Instagram .
Samantha is Streisand 's dog , a Coton de Tulear . Comment: Twitter , Instagram , Facebook , YouTube are essential marketing tools for musicians .