Storque articles by jorgelo

Tech Updates: New Tools for Flagging

2008-11-19T15:00:00-04:00

Today we released an update which will make it easier to flag an item on Etsy. If you notice an item listing that violates Etsy's site policies, you can "flag" it to notify the Etsy Support admin who work on Content. Previously, the "Report this item to Etsy" link would lead you to contact Support by email; now the link leads to a simple form you can fill out and submit right on Etsy.

If you're new to flagging, here are some FAQs:

What is flagging? How do I flag an item?
If you find an item on Etsy which appears to violate the DOs & DON'Ts or Terms of Use, you can bring it to the attention of Etsy's staff by clicking "Report this item to Etsy" in the right sidebar on the listing page. Just complete the simple form by selecting a reason and adding any additional information in the message field.

What happens when I flag an item?
Etsy admin review every flagged item. If the item appears to violate Etsy's policies, admin will contact the seller by email. In extreme cases the item may be removed from the site immediately. Flagging is confidential; only Etsy's staff will know who flagged an item.

Oops, I flagged an item by accident! Can do I undo it?
There isn't a way to undo a flag, but don't worry, each flag is reviewed by a human being. If you flagged an item in error, it will be cleared when the Content admin reviews the shop.

Will I know right away if one of my items gets flagged?
Etsy admin review each flag before notifying the seller. You will only be contacted if there is something you need to change about the listing or if Etsy's staff have questions about the item or shop. If you do get an email from Content, it's important to respond promptly so the issue can be resolved quickly. Etsy admin will email you at the address on file in your account information (Your Etsy > Account Info), so be sure that info is up-to-date.

What else do I need to know about flagging?
You can read more about the people who work on Content here at Etsy in this previous Storque article: Meet the Content Folks on the Support Team. You may also want to familiarize yourself with Etsy's policies for flagging from the DOs & DON'Ts.

All about Etsy FAQ Series| TechUpdates | Help

Etsy Finds: Children of the Workforce

2008-07-30T10:15:00-04:00

As the workforce gets younger, children need to adapt to their new corporate envrionment. babyleila's adorable tie for your little guy will keep your little one looking professional in the boardroom and on the playground.

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Handmade Kids Series | Special Kids Showcase | Baby Gift Guide | Children Gift Guide

Tech Updates: Invite a Friend

2008-07-14T15:36:00-04:00

We are pleased to announce the addition of an Invite a Friend feature to Etsy. Registered Etsy members can now send an email to a friend or contact, inviting them to check out Etsy. Eventually, this new feature will tie into a referral program. For now, please help us by telling all your friends about Etsy in a quick and easy way and watch the number of referrals that have become registered Etsy members because of you grow straight from Your Etsy!

You may have noticed a few changes to the look of the top right of your Etsy screen! We have added an additional text link between Help and Logout called Invite.

Once you select the Invite text link, you will directed to the main Invite a Friend feature where you can enter in up to 3 unique email address at one time. It should look similar to this:

You might also notice some changes to the Your Etsy page on the left hand side bar. You now have an addtional heading in Your Etsy called Promote which houses the following shop administrative features:

When you select the referrals text link, you will be directed to a page that looks like this where you can see how many registered users you've helped bring to Etsy since the launch of this new feature:

FAQ:

Q. What if I enter in the Wrong email address?
A. You will receive a confirmation screen alerting you to the exact email addresses you typed in so you can resend the invite if you typed in the wrong address.

Q. Can I invite more than 3 friends?
A. Sure! Invite as many friends as you like; however, you will only be able to enter in 3 unique addresses at one time.

Q. What if I forgot if I sent an invite to an email address and type it in again?
A. No worries, Etsy will remember which email addresses you have already sent invites for and will remind you that an invite has already been sent if you type in a duplicate at any point.

Q. Can I enter in my own message to my friends?
A. No. But we will look into adding this feature.

Q. Will my referrals be kept track of?
A. Yes! We will be keeping track of all the new registered members that sign up for Etsy from your invites starting from the launch of this feature. You can even watch the number grow from the new referrals section of Your Etsy.

Q. What happened to all of my previous referrals; weren't you keeping track of those?
A. All referrals will start fresh with the implementation of this new feature. Unfortunately, we were not able to recover and transfer previous referrals into this new system. We appreciate all the help you have sent our way thus far and hope you will continue to refer your friends to Etsy moving forward.

We hope you enjoy this new addition and that is makes spreading the word about Etsy a little easier. Please direct all comments and questions to this related forum thread.

Tech Update: View Tally System Upgrade

2008-06-18T15:55:00-04:00

To the delight of our engineers and (hopefully) our sellers also, we are very pleased to let you know that view tallies should be functioning properly once again.

As many of our sellers know, we've experienced a recurring problem for the past several months that caused listing view tallies to sporadically reset. This forced the affected view counts to drop to "1".

We've developed a new, more reliable view tally system. As a result, most sellers will see a shift in their item view counts today. In addition to keeping accurate counts going forward, we were able to restore all view count data since January 1, 2008, even if a listing's view count was reset during this time. Unfortunately, we were unable to retain data prior to January 1, 2008, so some listings may experience a decease in views if they were on the site prior to the start of the calendar year. Think of it as a fresh start for the new year, with (most importantly) accurate information.

We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused by this problem, and we thank all our members for your patience as we worked on a solution. We are hopeful that this new tally system is a solid solution that will provide reliable info. Giving credit where it's due, we'd like to give big thanks to Etsy engineers, Jorge and CB aka longhaul who solved this challenging problem.

We've tested this system thoroughly, but there is always a chance that an issue may arise once we have it running on the live site. If there is an issue, we'll be sure to alert you through the Storque and the Etsy News Alerts email list. If you continue to experience problems or just have questions, please let us know in the forum thread.

Here is a brief Q & A about the new system:

Q. Some of my listings lost views counts AGAIN! What's going on?
A. We've been able to restore all view counts that occurred between the dates of January 1, 2008 and June 17, 2008. If your listings' views occurred outside of that range, they were not able to be included in the new count.

Q. My view counts jumped up! Why did that happen?
A. Your listings now reflect all of the view activity between January 1, 2008 and June 17, 2008. If your view counts have jumped, it's because they were reset in the past and have now been restored.

The Very First Alchemy Request

2008-05-02T14:45:00-04:00

While Etsy engineer Jorge Lopez coded Alchemy, he was daydreaming of the his ultimate Alchemy request. As soon as we released the new site feature on Etsy, he was the first one to post a request! He ended up choosing artist Emily Balivet's bid and getting the most amazing painting. Watch the video to learn more...

MP4 | Youtube | Blip.tv | iTunes

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About Us: Jorge

2008-03-20T18:39:00-04:00

UPDATE: Jorge no longer works for Etsy. Keep in touch, Jorge. We love you!

Etsy has had quite a growth spurt in the past year, and we have the awkward pictures to prove it. We are posting a series of About Us pieces to help you get to know the Etsy admin (and since many of us work remotely, for the admin to get to know each other!). You've seen the admin badge, and maybe you're a bit curious about the person behind it! For more on Etsy's mission and about the company, please see our About page (the link is in the little blue footer of every Etsy page).

UPDATE: Jorge has his ear pierced 9 times.

Jorge aka jorgelo is one of the kinder/gentler engineers at Etsy. He's a mellow fellow (except for his love of extreme sports! Hint: search "Xterra Rollover" on Youtube.) and has a really adorable dog named Clementine who he sometimes brings to the Etsy Labs. It's also rumored that this tender-hearted guy is a vegan as well as a self-professed "crazy cat lady." (He owns five!) How could you not love this man we know as Jorge?

Since he's one of the engineers who we get to see on a regular basis (he doesn't work from home), this means we get to see his ninja skills in real life! Speaking of ninja skills...Sledding while practicing archery while wearing shorts in the dead of winter??? This man is crazy talented.

Tiny Venezuelan!

See all posts in this About Us series. Here are some of his favorites below...

About Us: Welcome Aboard, First Etsy Admin Baby

2008-02-11T17:57:00-04:00

We are happy to announce Anda and Pete's little bun has arrived! Her name is Sidonie and she is mighty cute. They are resting in the hospital and they are all happy and healthy — except for Pete's car, which got towed! Anda was at work yesterday (now that's just crazy!). We'd been laying our bets down on weight and date. Alec won — though Michelle disputes this and is settling for bragging rights.

I was kinda expecting the wee girl to pop out in an explosion of diamonds and tears and for her to have a siamese twin, but nope. She's pretty normal and that's awesome. Danielle, Mary, and Christine and Lori went to go visit them in the hospital and took these adorable photos. More here!

Lots of love — Vanessa et al