| Workshop Minutes: Street Team Meeting 2007.07.11 |
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sarawearsskirts: hi, everyone! i'm so glad you all made it!
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sarawearsskirts: i'm going to give people another couple minutes to wander in
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sarawearsskirts: if i could ask people to kindly sit on the right side of the screen, that would be awesome
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sarawearsskirts: just for the sake of being able to read the text more clearly
sarawearsskirts: i'm so happy to see so many people here!
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sarawearsskirts: okay, we'll start in just one moment
sarawearsskirts: yay!
sarawearsskirts: okay, sorry for the lopsided circle. but i think this is awesome!
sarawearsskirts: okay, does everyone see the little movement icons under the chat bar?
sarawearsskirts: great. please spin if you're familiar with what a street team is.
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sarawearsskirts: okay, super. so, most everyone is familiar with the idea of a street team -
sarawearsskirts: basically, a group of etsy people who organize themselves
sarawearsskirts: so that they can promote their own etsy shops, etsy as a whole, and also meet like minded people
sarawearsskirts: so, keeping that in mind, on etsy, we have two main kinds of teams
sarawearsskirts: right, through location based teams
sarawearsskirts: (meeting people who live near you)
sarawearsskirts: or interest based / global teams
sarawearsskirts: so, pretty much everyone on etsy can belong to *some* kind of team
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sarawearsskirts: (sorry about that, my cursor went berserck)
sarawearsskirts: yep - everyone on etsy belongs on some team in some way
sarawearsskirts: awesome.
sarawearsskirts: so, the question is, once we're all on these teams, two things:
sarawearsskirts: 1) what can the teams do once they're formed
sarawearsskirts: and 2) how to keep people actively involved once they sign up for a team
sarawearsskirts: and lots of teams lately are doing really great things -
sarawearsskirts: blogs, flickr groups, offsite pages, real-life meetups, sales, contests
sarawearsskirts: yahoo groups, email lists...
sarawearsskirts: tons of great studd.
sarawearsskirts: studd = stuff
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sarawearsskirts: yep - meeting online is awesome
sarawearsskirts: (the workshops are awesome!)
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sarawearsskirts: right. and on that note, i think i'll open up the questions board now - so you can type a question and i'll go down the list and we can discuss
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sarawearsskirts: (whew, found it)
sarawearsskirts: (sorry about that)
sarawearsskirts: okay - fire away with your questions
liskidder asks, Do you know if there's an ETA for the unveiling of the street team section? Will it be this year?
sarawearsskirts: (oh, the questions line up in a queue, so i'll pick the most asked ones first)
sarawearsskirts: we don't have a specific ETA for the new team pages yet
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sarawearsskirts: so in the meanwhile, i will be working on getting the existing pages up to speed
sarawearsskirts: accurate, and up to date
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thimblescratch asks, Group discussion boards?
sarawearsskirts: this is totally something we would love to include in the future for teams
sarawearsskirts: in the meanwhile, we want to help you guys in other ways we can
sarawearsskirts: like allowing you to schedule your own meetings in chats and workshop type spaces
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stellaloella: hi matt
matt: i
matt: hello
sarawearsskirts: but so many teams are really doing well interacting in their own groups - like yahoo groups and google groups and flickr griups
bethbrown asks, How often are the street team member lists updated?
sarawearsskirts: as often as i can humanly get to it. :)
sarawearsskirts: i have been updating the pages as the emails to teams@etsy roll in, usually within about 2 days
matt: np
stellaloella: please remember that Sara has *just* started working with the teams, so the current updating schedule is sort of new
sarawearsskirts: one thing to note is that we don't go through your member lists off site and update - if you want to add or delete members, you must email the teams email address
sarawearsskirts: team blogs are great, and i'm working on making a master list of all the active team blogs right now
stringtheory asks, also, what content is on those offsite pages?
sarawearsskirts: this is a good question -
sarawearsskirts: you guys might have better answers for this
sarawearsskirts: lots of different types of things -
sarawearsskirts: info on upcoming meetings or events
stellaloella: (please use the /ask command to ask a question)
sarawearsskirts: a featured seller for that group
sarawearsskirts: info on joint team sales
sarawearsskirts: right now, you can click through the team profiles listed here http://team.etsy.com/profilest/index.shtml
sarawearsskirts: and each team has their offsite links posted, so you can click through and see what they're doing on their blogs
matt: these , hopefully, in the not too distant future will be vastly improved
sarawearsskirts: which brings me to my next point
sarawearsskirts: if you're on a team and the links on your team's page are out of date, please let me know!
sarawearsskirts: that way all the info on the team pages is accurate and up to date
matt: Sara has been doing a fantastic job, and I am excited for Etsy to catch up with the tools she and you all need. Right now all changes are done manually so it takes a bit of time
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CavanaghCraft asks, are you now the admin who approves street teams and manages the ST page on etsy?
sarawearsskirts: right.
stellaloella: sara is your gal for all things street team :)
matt: she is heaven sent
sarawearsskirts: to ask a question, type /question
stellaloella: indeed
EtsyTexasCrafters asks, can the workshop be reserved for a team meeting?
matt: yes
stellaloella: right now, the workshop can only be opened by an Admin
stellaloella: but, we hope in the future to offer it for other organized events
matt: but we are working any ways to give members access to it
stellaloella: like perhaps team meetings, or seminars on tem-related topics
sarawearsskirts: so if you have a big idea for a workshop, like a lecture or a big meeting, perhaps you can pitch it to us
matt: that was one of the original reasons for its creation
sarawearsskirts: so we can help you organize.
stellaloella: exactly.
sarawearsskirts: we want to give you guys the ability to meet up from around the globe
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happywhosits asks, how do you all balance team activities and real life, jobs, shows & websites?
stellaloella: for now, let us know if you want to use the room, and we can help you out
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stellaloella: should we open that question to group discussion?
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sarawearsskirts: eeeh, yeah. we'll hold off on that one. (sorry)
matt: congrats thimblescratch
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stringtheory asks, how many of you have offsite webpages?
stellaloella: let's do a poll
sarawearsskirts: that info is on the http://team.etsy.com/profilest/index.shtml pages
how many teams have offsite webpages?
sarawearsskirts: but i'd love to make it more accurate
stellaloella: (i should have phrased that better for the poll. d'oh!)
23 yay, 17 nay, 10 abstain
SoCaliGirl asks, will there ever be a more centralized way to reach all street team members rather than convo'ing one by one and getting caught by the spam bot?
matt: yes
stellaloella: hopefully, yes!
matt: each team will have a forum
sarawearsskirts: it's definitely something we see as being really important in theb future
stellaloella: right now, we encourage you to gather email addresses for the most effective group communication
sarawearsskirts: in the meanwhile, the blue and green chatrooms are usually open for informal meetings within your team, too
sarawearsskirts: right - philly has a regular email list that i maintain
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ZestyB asks, why update the esty pages?
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sarawearsskirts: well, i think having one central place where all the teams are listed for people to browse through
sarawearsskirts: with a contact for each team, and with links and members is important
matt: we have been really amazed by the efforts you all have gone to to communicate without having been giving the proper tools. We are serious about improving this. Right now those pages are all we have. We will be doing much more inthe future. to get you more
sarawearsskirts: (i was assuming that meant the profile pages at team.etsy.com)
itsallgood asks, what type of marketing is Etsy doing currently?
matt: I'm happy to discuss this if you wish, but think we should stay on the topic of street teams
sarawearsskirts: part of your goal as a street team should be to band together to market your shops and etsy
sarawearsskirts: (but also to have fun with people you meet on etsy)
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dkjewels asks, what can we do if we have no street team for our srea and noone else on etsy for our area?
sarawearsskirts: that's when the global / interest based teams come in
matt: itsallgood we will be making an update soon about our marketing olans in the months ahead
matt: rather for
sarawearsskirts: and to start a team, just find a couple people who are interested, and email me
stellaloella: you can start a team with just a few people
sarawearsskirts: and if there aren't people in your area on etsy... make your friends join!
happywhosits asks, will etsy assist street teams with marketing?
stellaloella: getting even two or three Etsians together is a good way to start
matt: yes
matt: we are haooy to help
stellaloella: we currently provide promo packs on request
stellaloella: and we'd love to do more
matt: and will help with press etc when you are putting on events
sarawearsskirts: we just need a bit of advanced notice on the promo packs
sarawearsskirts: since they make them in the labs
matt: we will even help subsidize advertising costs
stellaloella: keeping us informed of your events and goals is important.
stellaloella: we can't help you if we don't know what you need :)
sarawearsskirts: i've been trying to be very diligent about updating the events page at team.etsy.com so you can check there for things in your area
stellaloella: you can email teams@etsy.com
sarawearsskirts: and there is a form for getting promo items on the team.etsy.com page
staceyrebecca asks, How does one go about keeping those "at the top" informed about local events?
stellaloella: we do have to make choices since the budget is only so large, but we'll do our best to support as many teams as possible
sarawearsskirts: events@etsy.com
sarawearsskirts: (but it only goes to me... so not the tippy top)
sarawearsskirts: :)
stellaloella: we have an event calendar on team.etsy.com which is updated regularly now
staceyrebecca asks, What is the application process (is there one?) for subsidizing Etsy booths at craft shows?
stellaloella: if you're going to be at a show as a team or solo vendor, let us know and we'll add your shop link to the event listing
matt: furthermore, when we have the storque there will be a regular events section so we can better promote street team events
matt: we will feature events and link prominently to all others
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matt: send it to sara and me
stellaloella: event info goes to events@etsy.com
matt: matt@etsy.com
sarawearsskirts: sara@etsy and matt@etsy
matt: sara@etsy.com
stellaloella: general team info goes to teams@etsy.com
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sarawearsskirts: also, joining and unjoining goes to teams@ etsy, along with updates
itsallgood asks, what kind of help with press? like writing press releases?
sarawearsskirts: there will be resources posted on the team page soon about writing press releases
sarawearsskirts: and other functions of organizing a successful even
sarawearsskirts: event
matt: MEC , usually we can only help out groups of sellers, because we do not have the budget to help every individual seller one be one
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matt: but email me
matt: and we can talk
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itsallgood asks, should we be paying to be part of a street team?
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sarawearsskirts: i think that's up to the team
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matt: email me mec
sarawearsskirts: it depends on what the team's goals are, really
matt: let me know what I can do
Whamodyne asks, is there a "street team for dummies" available? or something like that?
sarawearsskirts: if you'd like to start one, that might be helpful :)
sarawearsskirts: but i would hope the membership would be very revolving and turn over often
matt: send taht event info to events@etsy.com
sarawearsskirts: but the team.etsy.com pages should provide answers to basic questions about things street teams can do
matt: Ithink the street teams for dummies is a great idea
matt: we can definitely flush things out for those who do not know
stellaloella: we're hoping to put together a resource guide for teams, but we need all the help we can get from you all to build it
stellaloella: so many of you have awesome ideas
stellaloella: that would be good for everyone to know
matt: mec, send event info to events@etsy.com
sarawearsskirts: if you have ideas or tips for the resource guide, i'd love it if you'd email them to teams@etsy
matt: np
sarawearsskirts: we want the team.etsy.com pages to be a compilation of advice from the seasoned, successful teams so that other teams can learn from them
thimblescratch asks, How many street teams is too many for one person?
stellaloella: additionally, if your team's personal website or blog has useful how-to-team info, let us know
sarawearsskirts: i think this is a great question -
sarawearsskirts: my answer is as many as you can *actively* participate in
sarawearsskirts: because what's the point of being on a team you don't participate in, right?
sarawearsskirts: which leads to another question, which i was saving til we open the floor, but i'll post it so you can all mull it over
SweetyPrize asks, wonders if anyone has advice about getting greater member participation
MrsDragon asks, Is there anyway to reach out to potential street team members who don't frequent the forums (since convos are spammy?)
sarawearsskirts: so you guys can think on those for a bit.
sarawearsskirts: a couple people asked about the existence of specific teams. right now, all the teams that etsy knows of are posted on http://team.etsy.com/profilest/index.shtml
stellaloella: (you can same you comments to the open discussion period)
sarawearsskirts: so if you don't see it there and you want to start one, see if anyone else is interested and let me know
sarawearsskirts: (yes, please do save most of your comments for a little while from now)
CavanaghCraft asks, Will you have a transcription of this meeting? (If not, I've been taking notes.)
fairytalefibers asks, "do teams ever collaborate to pull together lager shows or projects?"
stellaloella: yes!
sarawearsskirts: yes, transcript for sure. i'll post a link in the blog at team.etsy.com
stellaloella: that yes was to the transcript. we'll link to it on team.etsy.com
sarawearsskirts: and teams pulling together would be *awesome*
matt: tot rad
sarawearsskirts: like if a global interest team wanted to join with a location team, that would be fantastic
sarawearsskirts: or two nearby teams joining up
sarawearsskirts: we would totally support that
stellaloella: Etsy-Lou, the St Louis street team is supporting one of our members (stringtheory) as she's the organizer of a large show in our area
sarawearsskirts: and if you have other crafty groups in your area - craft mafias and things - try talking to them about collaborating
xiane asks, how many more trunk shows are planned currently?
sarawearsskirts: that info is on the labs.etsy.com site, i believe
stellaloella: many Craft Mafia chapters overlap membership with Etsy, so they're a great partnership opp
sarawearsskirts: they have a calendar through december planned out, to my knowledge
CrankyPickle asks, how do you become a member if there isnt a contact person for the team
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sarawearsskirts: you can email me at teams@etsy.com and i'll add you, but then try contacting other members of the team
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sarawearsskirts: and if that doesn't work... try reorganizing a small group of the team
matt: welcome
MrsDragon asks, What are some good ways to involve Etsy in our street teams?
stellaloella: invite us! :)
sarawearsskirts: uh huh!
matt: lhelp us help you
sarawearsskirts: and let us know what you're doing so we can plan for it
sarawearsskirts: teams@etsy, matt@etsy, lauren@etsy
liskidder asks, Is there an official Etsy policy on posting about Team-sponsored group sale events in the Street Team forum?
stellaloella: yes
sarawearsskirts: yes.
stellaloella: sales thread go in Promos & Critiques -- even street team sales
stellaloella: you can DISCUSS the success of your sale in the street team forum
sarawearsskirts: if it's more promo than info, we don't want it in street teams
sarawearsskirts: and i will move it
stellaloella: but not promote the sale itself
sarawearsskirts: and give tips and ideas for other teams having sales - what worked, what didn't
sarawearsskirts: i want the street team forum as uncluttered and easy to navigate as possible
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stellaloella: talk about where else you're promoting the sale, also, if beyond the P&C forum (other websites, locally)
sarawearsskirts: since it's such an important thing right now for the teams
stereoette asks, what is the wait list like for trunk shows?
sarawearsskirts: that's a question for the labs
sarawearsskirts: anda@etsy.com would know this
stellaloella: actually
stellaloella: labs@etsy.com is the correct email to use
stereoette asks, and what is etsy's policy on using the name "etsy" in street team url's?
sarawearsskirts: (sorry - labs@etsy.)
matt: good an dcomplicated question
stellaloella: currently, we allow teams to use the Etsy name in marketing
stellaloella: but we need to protect our trademarks
matt: we do not have a problem init as much as there are legal ramifications
matt: to it
matt: we need sarah to chime in
matt: sarah the lawyer
stellaloella: so soon we will be asking everyone who uses the Etsy name to register their use with us
matt: we might have to ask people to sign something
sarawearsskirts: saraH
sarawearsskirts: :)
matt: but you can use it
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matt: I am not a lawyer
stellaloella: it's a complicated legal issue to protect a trademark
happywhosits asks, Does etsy have to 'approve' a street team befor it can be formed?
matt: but it has to do with protecting our namke
matt: name
stellaloella: sarahsays (the lawyer) will give more info on this soon
sarawearsskirts: about the appproval -
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sarawearsskirts: basically, if you get people together and you want to start a team
sarawearsskirts: talk amongst yourselves - about your goals, what you want to do, etc
sarawearsskirts: then email me at teams@etsy -
sarawearsskirts: send me the team name, if it's global or a location team, links to outside pages, a brief description of who you are / why you formed
sarawearsskirts: and your upcoming events (this is key!), a contact person
sarawearsskirts: and then the members in paragraph form, separated by commas
sarawearsskirts: (all of that info is the standard on http://team.etsy.com/profilest/index.shtml)
sarawearsskirts: and i'll review it, ask you any questions we have
sarawearsskirts: and then build you a page
sarawearsskirts: and banners are nice on those pages :)
sarawearsskirts: so it's not so much approval that you need as much as just have your info together and have a plan!
staceyrebecca asks, Is it appropriate to have non-etsy sellers on a street team?
sarawearsskirts: i'm not sure why a non-etsyan would want to be on a team - they should join etsy!
stellaloella: good question
sarawearsskirts: although there was a thread in the forum today about a buyer-only team
sarawearsskirts: which i think would be kind of awesome
matt: the more people making and appreciating handmade goods the better imo
matt: it all helps etsy
sarawearsskirts: right. we want people talking about etsy and interacting, primarily
stellaloella: some street teams have partnered with Craft Mafias too, and not all CM memmbers are on Etsy
sarawearsskirts: evenif they don't MAKE stuff
sarawearsskirts: i want to be here for you guys!
sarawearsskirts: by all means, i know how difficult organizing a team can be and iwant to make it as easy as possible
happywhosits asks, Can teams have sub teams, like can there be a NC team with several subteams?
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sarawearsskirts: yes.
stellaloella: it's also smart to organize local teams within an area easy to travel for regular meetings
sarawearsskirts: if it makes it easier for people to meet regionally, then that's a good idea
stellaloella: state-wide might not always be the best option, but a city's metro area or several counties would work beautifully
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sarawearsskirts: for example, we like when members of the philly team can make it to our monthly meetings. seein gpeople face to face is important to us
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stellaloella: we're going to open the floor to free dicussion now
sarawearsskirts: okay - open session!
stellaloella: but we'll stil use the questions as topics for discussion
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sarawearsskirts: but let's be careful to stay on topic, please!
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itsallgood: shoot
MountainEagleCrafter: ok. What is the protocol for removing someone from a street team?
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SoCaliGirl: Sorry. I've got a hungry baby to tend to.. Goodnight.
staceyrebecca: oh good question
matt: good question, there really has not been one
MountainEagleCrafter: there are several who are ostensbily on the team I'm part of who have not participated in any way, won't respond to convos, nothing.
Kae1Crafts: Why would you want to remove someone?
sarawearsskirts: well, if they want to be removed, please just email me and i'll take them off the profile page
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matt: In the past I dealt with those on a case by case basis
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MountainEagleCrafter: if they don't participate, kae
CircaCeramics: unresponsive!
matt: when the new pages are built
MountainEagleCrafter: I don't know if they want to be removed. They don't respond to ANY effort to contact them.
matt: you wil have the ability to come join or leave
matt: yourself
SweetyPrize: that frustrates me mountaineaglecrafter
willowglass: Do Treasury lists belong in Promos or Street Team forum?
staceyrebecca: Do we need a website, or is contacting sarah our key to getting our info out there?
xiane: mmm, that happens sometimes.
SweetyPrize asks, what do you do if a team has a lot of unmotivated members?
staceyrebecca: Bring food.
abbey753: Motivate them
CircaCeramics: lol
groovyvinyl: or beer
sarawearsskirts: i think this question is related and maybe more productive? :)
stellaloella: willowglass: treasury list posts for in Promos
froggyfibers: so teams that were merged early in the street team formation won't be separated into smaller geographical groups automatically? We should subgroup ourselves?
SweetyPrize: thanks
MountainEagleCrafter: heh, the team I'm speaking of has a total of two motivated people. The other 8? are totally unresponsive.
willowglass: Thanks, Lauren!
sarawearsskirts: maybe ask them what they want to get out of a street team?
fairytalefibers: perhaps, give them specific tasks to accomplish.
matt: when we launch the new pages i was thinking of tryoing to have some confirmation process
MountainEagleCrafter: what's not productive about asking about people who do not participate in any way?
sarawearsskirts: good answer, fairytale
SweetyPrize: that is good advice
staceyrebecca: I'd honestly say, you two people, go make your street team awesome and when they see you doing awesome things, then they'll be motivated to do awesomeness.
matt: liek do you still want to be on x team
stringtheory: play a Richard Simmons work-out tape for them!
groovyvinyl: LOL @ string
matt: that way it might weed out some of the inactive people
xiane: staceyrebecca's got good advice there
sarawearsskirts: we want to motivate as many people as we can to be active, not just boot inactive people
CircaCeramics: Confirmation pg a great idea
willowglass: In the future, will the contact people for each Street Team be able to edit their team page?
sarawearsskirts: stacey, that's good thinking, i think
MountainEagleCrafter: so no one is going to answer my question?
sarawearsskirts: willowglass - that's the idea. we'd like that.
groovyvinyl: I think that maybe for some people, they had a lot of initial interest in whatever team it was, then they got busy or became disinterested, not what they thought it would be, etc
willowglass: Thank you, Sara :)
staceyrebecca: As the head of a street team, I dont want to turn *anyone* off from my group. I want etsy to be promoted, because in turn, I get promoted. Be nice, be kind, be welcoming. If you have members who are not active, I'd say let them stay inactive until they're ready to participate.
SweetyPrize: my question is also a thinly vieled way of asking what you do with members who are not exactly team players
abbey753: I would like to see a etsy traveling show or etsy mag
staceyrebecca: ah
sarawearsskirts: mountaineagle - it's not that we don't want to answer your question
fairytalefibers: I think booting someone from a team should be at the discretion of the team admin. or the team as a whole.
matt: back sara
staceyrebecca: Well, its usually team players who get ahead...
sarawearsskirts: right - unless it's someone asking to be removed, we work it case by case right now
staceyrebecca: I'd let their inactivity fold in on themselves.
SweetyPrize: thanks staceyrebecca that is good policy
SweetyPrize: just let people in the background stay there
beanblossom: Are there currently groups that are inclusive or juried?
dkjewels: Is it ok to deny people membership to teams? beacuse a team is full? i thought participation was the point?
groovyvinyl: yeah--what you put into it is what you get out of it
wildwood: you only get outof it, what you put into it:)
SweetyPrize: encourage, be welcoming
abbey753: EGA is juried
SweetyPrize asks, what are the pros and cons to have strict requirements and/or member dues
froggyfibers: what about larger groups... member list get too large to have lots of uninterested members
SweetyPrize: hey thanks again for posting my question
ZestyB: MEC - when I run into this kind of thing at work - I might tell them I'm rev=moving them since they have dropped off hte face of the earth & you're assuming that they are no longer intersted
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itsallgood: yes what is the dealio with the member dues?
ElementsbyDawn: AJC is juried too.
fairytalefibers: the active members of our team get more press....more sales ect...it seams that is the way a team goes!
xiane: EGCG is currently holding off membership, but only while we reformulate how we handle people who want to join.
ZestyB: often gets a response
SweetyPrize: we actually took a poll of our members to see how strict they wanted to be
willowglass: Sweety Prize, one of the pros of having dues is that it has allowed Etsy Glass Artists to advertise both the team and the Etsy site.
itsallgood: EGCG??????????????????????
sarawearsskirts: sweetyprize, that's a good idea
beanblossom: I can see being restrictive for a speciality category
xiane: We had a huge flux of potential members and we want to make sure that we do right by them
ZestyB: how did you decide to have dues/requirements
groovyvinyl: Sweety I think I missed that poll--this was for Trashion, right?
itsallgood: what is that?
beanblossom: Locally? nooo.
SweetyPrize: may i ask how much the dues are for your team and how you decided on that figure
liskidder: EGA took a vote of the membership.
xiane: Etsy green and clean guild - the soap and bath and body group
abbey753: And for the small amount of members fee it has really paid off
sarawearsskirts: etsy clean and green guild?
liskidder: 100% of the dues are for the team.
dkjewels: but isnt it just for lampwork, stained glass and dihoric or fused
willowglass: Yes, we took a vote and the majority agreed on $10 a month which goes totally toward advertising (minus Paypal fees)
stellaloella: i think generally we like for LOCAL teams to be open to everyone in that area and GLOBAL teams can be more exclusive (especially if they're organized around a specific theme)
itsallgood: OK, LOST ME AT DUES...I THINK I'M OUTTA HERE
xiane: whoa, itsallgood
groovyvinyl: thanks SweetyPrize!
stellaloella: itsallgood -- dues are not required by most teams
itsallgood: ?
sarawearsskirts: it's all good - dues are up to each team
staceyrebecca: Phoenix Team doesnt have dues.
dkjewels: ty stella for answering
itsallgood: DUES SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
groovyvinyl left the room
dkjewels: :)
xiane: not all teams charge dues
matt: well, in the future we want teams to decide whether they have open or restricted memberships, and therefore team leaders. I imagine that geographically based teams should be open to all, but some other temas can and should have membership requirements
SweetyPrize: have teams found that dues were limiting to members?
sarawearsskirts: so your team can decide whether or not they feel it'd be beneficial
StephanaDesigns: what about having an Etsy shop to cover costs?
bethbrown: external websites cost money
lizstaley: EAST doesn't charge dues either, but I could understand why some teams would want to
stellaloella: dues are useful for establishing a marketing budget
bethbrown: so does advertising
SweetyPrize: thanks stella
xiane: liz, I ahree
itsallgood: especially if you can't go and start up a competing street team, no you have no options!!!
abbey753: no I think you get more serious artist
xiane: agree, even
stellaloella: but dues are not the only way to gather funds
SweetyPrize: what about the concept of team donations?
wildwood: I found that members are completely willing to contribute
sarawearsskirts: some teams have shops to raise money for ads
matt: etsy shops are a great idea
itsallgood: STOP
itsallgood: FOR A SEC
sarawearsskirts: whoa.
itsallgood: street teams shouldn't have to have exterior
CircaCeramics: ...
itsallgood: websites that they have to pay for
staceyrebecca: they don't *have* to.
matt: they do not
xiane: some don't have them
staceyrebecca: but they *can*
sarawearsskirts: right, they don't have to .
itsallgood: why can't that be here on etsy?
stellaloella: itsallgood -- these are all OPTIONAL ideas for promoting teams & shops outside of Etsy
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stereoette: we just have a free blog itsallgood
matt: we are building a better section for teams
stereoette: we havent paid anything
wildwood: its promotion, right?
sarawearsskirts: many teams use free sites like blogger and flickr and yahoo until the team section is built
matt: in the mean time some teams
liskidder: To clarify, right now, EGA doesn't pay for the website. I pay for the website, the dues pay to advertise the website.
CircaCeramics: It's not necessarily referring to external websites; a team may want print advertising, local team advertising, etc.
staceyrebecca: The point of a street team (any street team for any organization) is a grass-roots way of getting "the word out"
matt: have expanded to other areas
staceyrebecca: So these are just some of they ways people can get the word out about etsy.
beanblossom: flyers, postcards, ads, etc aren't ree
beanblossom: free even :)
stellaloella: promoting within Etsy is fine, but a big part of a team is to get the word out beyond our site
sarawearsskirts: there are lots of ways to get the word out -
SweetyPrize: do any of your teams call for monetary donations, versus dues?
sarawearsskirts: stencils are cheap.
willowglass: Correct. The dues pay for outside advertising, not the EGA website.
sarawearsskirts: photocopies are cheap
staceyrebecca: That's why Etsy will help with the cost.
StephanaDesigns: MoE uses blog,myspace,google group&flickr group
itsallgood: so what is ETSY for then??
CircaCeramics: It doesn't need to break the bank - Giving up time is also a way of funding if money isn't an option.
abbey753: The EGA team has grown even since we started paying dues
sarawearsskirts: these are all traditional ways street teams worked locally to spread word about something
beanblossom: the problem with donations is that a handful of people will advertise for a large group of non-givers
stereoette: etsy is for selling, darling!
CircaCeramics: ...
itsallgood: a place to list my items?
SweetyPrize: i agree beanblossom
ZestyB: Is why I asked why do all the work on Etsy St team pages It's all
bethbrown: I agree with beanblossom as well
SweetyPrize: thats a great point
itsallgood: uh huh...selling yes, I wish
wildwood: I find asking for members to chip in for a specific campaign works best
wildwood: limited investment, time and money
sarawearsskirts: okay, let's talk about team shops again? please?
stereoette: and street teams are for helpin' each other sell
sarawearsskirts: right - steroette, exactly
willowglass: Yes, back to team shops
SweetyPrize: hmmm, like if you want to participate in x project, it costs $X?
itsallgood: all the work this is taking to promote etsy...
ZestyB: what abou them?
xiane: i want to hear more about team shops!
wildwood: yes, just like that, sweety
bethbrown: etsyFAST has a team shop.
staceyrebecca: itsallgood, its possible that getting the word out around town might lead to sales. You can include your shop's url in with your general Etsy promotional materials, if I'm not mistaken.
liskidder: So team shops are kosher? Because it isn't clear that they are from the Dos and Don'ts
SweetyPrize: like what OWS does to cover shipping the promos, right?
dkjewels: Willow is EGA just for lampwork,stained glass and fused?
StephanaDesigns: team shops!
SweetSpice: etsy = shop....shops = team...teams use blogger, flickr, yahoo groups, myspace = free....other stuff optional :-)
itsallgood: I've done that
froggyfibers: FAST did goody bags too
stellaloella: Team shops are considered a collaborative, which is ok under the Dos & Don'ts
sarawearsskirts: team shops are comlicated beasts, IMO
dkjewels: Or is it for other types of glass art also?
SweetyPrize: the FAST goody bags are really nice
liskidder: okay good to know
froggyfibers: but the contact in charge fo the shop stated that it was very time consuming
abbey753: EGA is for all forms of glass
itsallgood: thanks admin for your time...gotta go pass out business cards
willowglass: EGA is for fusers, lampworkers, enamelists, mosaicists, stained glass artists, and anyone who creates their own glasswork
sarawearsskirts: i ran one with philly and they're great, but it's a lot to consider
stellaloella: but team shops can be complicated to run effectively
SweetyPrize: trashion has a team shop
matt: is why all teams will have treasuries
stringtheory: How do teams handle thier finances?
SweetyPrize: fairytalefibers and i run it
dkjewels: Willow what about hand etched glass?
stereoette: we will have our own treasury matt?
matt: s
matt: entually
sarawearsskirts: but for a well organized team with good communication, you can raise money to promote your own shops
SweetyPrize: i am in charge of the finances
itsallgood left the room
art4milkbones: when on the tresueys matt?
Whamodyne left the room
matt: eventually
stereoette: me/ is giddy excited
stereoette: hee
SweetSpice: each team will have its own treasury??
SweetSpice: how kewl is that!!!
SoCaliGirl joined the room
stereoette: that didnt work
matt: ill be a bit
stringtheory: you obviously can't have a busness checking account, so...
wildwood: awesome
liskidder: EGA got a separate paypal account to handle finances so that we wouldn't be commingling (however that's spelled) funds
sarawearsskirts: sweetyprize, does trashion have a dedicated paypal acct?
xiane: currently egcg doesn't spend money - we use all free means of advertising
willowglass: dkjewels, so we don't hijack this discussion, see the website at http://etsyglass.com
sarawearsskirts: how do you all work that?
beanblossom: i've seen some teams with etsy_(fill in blank) buttons
ZestyB: Not sure that I under stand how a team tressury woeu lwork
SweetyPrize: the member gets anotice the item they have in the store has sold
beanblossom: i assume they are selling them for the team
bethbrown: Some teams do try to get treasuries and feature members items
SweetyPrize: and then the member ships it
art4milkbones left the room
matt: they will be curated by different team members
SweetyPrize: yes we do sara
MountainEagleCrafter: right I've seen team treasuries. Seemed like a good idea to me.
StephanaDesigns: I do treasuries for MoE
matt: we have not fully figured it all out yet
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SweetyPrize: it was a bit of a pain and i do worry about it
SweetyPrize: i need to make sure my team trusts me
wildwood: they love you., sweety
willowglass: sara, EGA has a separate Paypal account, a separate link to a bank account and a trustee/treasures and safely checks done weekly
sarawearsskirts: right. because paypal isn't totally userfriendly to groups or multiple people runnig it, so i was wondering if you have any tips on it
SweetyPrize: :-)
stereoette: i feel like it miht be easier for a geographic team, sweety
ZestyB: not any easier
SweetSpice: team treasuries on rotation for all members to have time
willowglass: sorry, treasures = treasurer
fairytalefibers: Etsy Trashion Team Shop splits the sale price half to the team and half to the member to cover their expenses. (unless the member specifies otherwise.) That has allowed us to fill the shop.
ZestyB: so dropping inactive members becomes more important
SweetyPrize: right and if you are putting up yr own financial info, you have to trust whoever is curating the shop with you
stereoette: well, it isnt a street team sara, but the nyc craft mafia has a treasurer who takes care of running our paypal
sarawearsskirts: okay. whew.
stereoette: its easier when its a really small group
wildwood: yes, and shipping problems become everyones problem?!
sarawearsskirts: okay, everyone. since it's getting late, let's wrap this up.
SweetyPrize: shipping is part of the listing, and is sent back to the member
sarawearsskirts: this was an awesome, awesome session
ZestyB: let's schedul ethe next one
staceyrebecca: oh drat
sarawearsskirts: and i totally want to meet with you all again, soon.
SweetSpice: thank you sara, stella and mat for your time :-)
wildwood: we are fam-i-ly
sarawearsskirts: can we make this a weekly event?
fairytalefibers: Thanks Sara and admin!!!
Kae1Crafts: thanks so much
SweetyPrize: so the member can pay for the shipment of the sold item
sarawearsskirts: would you all be into that?
xiane: thank you for making this happen, sara matt and lauren!
willowglass: Thanks Sara, Lauren and Matt
SoCaliGirl: sure
liskidder: thanks guys!
ZestyB: sure
StephanaDesigns: Thanks
staceyrebecca: I'd love that.
CircaCeramics: Yay!
SoCaliGirl: Thanks guys
froggyfibers: maybe bi-weekly
xiane: I would gladly come to a weekly event!
should we do this weekly?
ElementsbyDawn: Thanks to all!
ZestyB: just remembe the folks across the pond
sarawearsskirts: our pleasure! befor eyou go, let's pick a time for next week
SweetyPrize: that woudl be great
abbey753: Thanks Sara and Matt Lauren love the toys in here
MountainEagleCrafter: ack! I"m going to be out of town next week :(
matt: sara is the mastermind behind this
lizstaley: Thank you for all the great information!
staceyrebecca: sara is amazing.
sarawearsskirts: how about 3pm next wednesday, so the UK can join us?
ZestyB: Day time
27 yay, 3 nay, 4 abstain
staceyrebecca: outmazing.
matt: three cheers for her
stellaloella: overwhelmingly YES to weekly :)
dkjewels: Ty all so much i learned a lot!
CircaCeramics: :)
sarawearsskirts: yay!
fairytalefibers: hip hip hazaahh
SweetyPrize: if anyone would like to continue the chat i'll be in the chat rooms
willowglass: Night, everyone!
beanblossom left the room
sarawearsskirts: you all are wonderful and the street teams will only get better and better
Kae1Crafts: how about varying the times
SweetyPrize: i always am
SoCaliGirl: Night guys!
stellaloella: next week we'll make it a different time so peoplein other time zones can participate
matt: good night
wildwood: we feel wonderful
sarawearsskirts: 3pm wednesday - check the team.etsy.com blog for updates!
xiane: awesome!
stereoette: night everybody!
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