Storque articles by twokb

Tech Updates: Feed Enhancements, Google Base and More

2009-01-08T17:45:00-05:00

UPDATE 11/25/09: Google Product Search no longer supports submissions from individual sellers on marketplaces like Etsy. Etsy is partnering with Google as a participant in the Google Product Search Marketplace Partner Program. Learn more about Etsy's Google Product Search Syndication feature.

We've rolled out some small but important improvements to Etsy's RSS feeds. (What is RSS? Check out this post for an introduction.) These enhancements are designed to make Etsy's feeds more discoverable, useful and visible.

What's changed?

1. Shop feeds now include thumbnail images! They're also much easier to find. Previously shop feeds could only be found on shop pages. Now, in addition to shop pages, every item listing page on Etsy includes a link to that shop's feed. Look for it below the "Bookmark and Share" link under "Page Tools":

2. We've also made Favorites feeds easier to find. Did you know how easy it is to keep up with the latest items from your favorite sellers, or your friends' favorite sellers? All public Favorites pages now include a prominent link to the associated Favorites feed:

3. RSS autodiscovery has been implemented throughout the site. This means Etsy feeds will be easier to discover by both people and search engines. If you use the Mozilla Firefox web browser, you'll know you're on a page with a feed when you see the little RSS icon in the web address field. You can click it to access the feed.

4. Shop feeds now come pre-formatted for easy upload to Google Base! Uploading items to Google Base is a great way for sellers to help Google — specifically Google Product Search — find their items. Shoppers will then be able to find sellers' items via the 'Shopping' link on the upper left of any Google search page.

ps
If you want to get the breaking, vital Etsy news as it happens — delivered straight to your email inbox, then sign up for Etsy News Alerts emails. Read more about it here. Expect this as an Etsy Alert email in your inbox if you already subscribe to the list.

You can also get an RSS feed of all TechUpdates here.

Tech Update: Bookmark and Share

2008-12-30T17:00:00-05:00

UPDATE 11/5/09: Sharing is back! Look for our better, stronger, faster share module on item listing pages, shop pages and public favorites pages. With it you can easily share Etsy pages on Facebook, Twitter, Kaboodle, Tumblr or StumbleUpon.

UPDATE 10/27/09: This feature has been disabled temporarily. Learn more here.

Now on every item listing page, shop page and Etsy blog post, you can use pre-installed social bookmarking options to share and spread the cool stuff you find on Etsy. Whether you're into Twitter, StumbleUpon, Facebook, MySpace, Google Bookmarks, Kaboodle, Stylehive, Delicious, ThisNext or Digg, we've got you covered.

Look for the link that says "Bookmark and share" at the bottom of blog posts like this one or under Page Tools on item listing pages and shop pages:

Click it to pop open a box with options and start sharing!

Social bookmarking and social shopping sites are web tools people use to keep track of items—be it news headlines or things they want to buy or just point out to their friends. Which one of these social bookmarking sites is right for you? It's your call. They're all a little bit different, and you can always use different accounts to suit your different purposes. We've done some posts on these tools here on the Etsy blog, which might help you get started.

If you're in the know, post in the comments below with your tips!

Tech Updates: Tell a Friend

2008-11-17T15:45:00-05:00

Now it's easier than ever to spread the word about cool items you find on Etsy. When you find an item that you can't resist sharing with friends, make sure you're signed in to Etsy and then click the 'Tell a friend' link under 'page tools' on the right of any listing page. You'll be taken to a form that looks like this:

Enter the email addresses of up to 10 friends separated by commas, customize the subject line, personalize your message and click 'Send.' Your friends will receive an email that looks like this:

If they use a web-based email service like Gmail that displays HTML, they'll see a thumbnail image of the item and a summary of the item description along with your personalized message. If their email client doesn't display images, they'll see a plain-text version with a link to the item page. The email your friends receive will come directly from the email address you have saved on file in your Etsy account info. Your friends will be able to reply to the email and continue discussing the item directly with you.

We will only use the email addresses you provide for Tell a Friend for the Tell a Friend service. See our Privacy Policy for details on how we protect your personal information and feel free to contact us with any questions. Recipients of Tell a Friend emails will always have the option to opt out of receiving future Tell a Friend emails.

Try it out with these great items below or items in your Favorites!

We closed commenting on this post so we can consolidate responses in this forum thread.

Tech Update: Printer-Friendly Etsy Invoices

2008-06-25T15:50:00-05:00

Here at Etsy, we're always working towards making the buying and selling experience easier. To that end, we've added a printer-friendly link at the top of every Etsy invoice page!

The printer-friendly invoice is a stripped-down version of the invoice we're all familiar with,* saving you ink and giving you only the information you need.

Buyers might like to print this for their shopping records as a form of receipt, while sellers might like to print their invoices to ship with the item or for their own shop records.

Here's what it should look like:

If you have any questions or comments, please post them in the associated forum thread.

*p.s.
Buyers, if you're not familiar with the invoice page, go to the Your Etsy section and click on the Purchases link. There you'll see that each item you've bought has a link to "invoice."

Sellers, clicking on "details" of your Sold Orders gets you to the same page.

Etsy Finds: A True American Summer

2008-06-21T07:35:00-05:00

If there is one thing the summer is good for, it's barbecues, and good 'ol American Freedom.

Like I always say, what better way to bring these together than with two bastions of America, the hot dog and honest Abe, though littlegreenroosters sums it up much better than me:

"What's more American than ol' honest Abe and a chicken/pork slurry encased in intestine and injected with Red Dye #40? Nothing my friend, nothing."

I've assembled the best Etsy has to offer that gives thanks to our forefathers, as well as the hot dog and everything between.

Neapolitan Abe

talkingpaintings offers a great mashup of Abe Lincoln and Neapolitan ice cream, another great summer favorite. Pick up a copy today for $15.

Hot Dog Soap

Finally, a hot dog I can clean up with. MollycoddleSoap offers a stunning blend of chemistry, toiletry, and ingenuity. Stock up for $8.25.

Now get out there and get that summer started!

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Etsy Finds: Giddyup Cowboy

2008-02-20T08:57:00-05:00

Kyle aka twokb is a new hire at Etsy. He works as an engineer with us here in Brooklyn.

So I was looking for that perfect piece to finish off my living room when a couch, TV, and coffee table alone would just not cut it. Well, I certainly found that piece with cindricksbaby's Giddyup Cowboy. There is just something so whimsical about a childish cat on its own adventure through the wild west.

I asked cindricksbaby where she came up with such an idea. She said:

"My inspiration in this one comes from my love of my crazy cats, they are always up to some thing, and usually it means trouble, so when my husband and I sit down to a glass of wine at the end of our day, we come up with these crazy, offbeat ideas for me to sculpt my next figure, this one came to me as I wanted to do a cowboy theme and thought well, I don't want normal, as this is too easy, and I came up with the hobby horse idea, and the end results are Giddy-up Cowboy! YeeHah!!!!!!!!!!"

I really feel this is the perfect center piece to any room that needs just a little something extra, and I know quite a few cat lovers that probably could not resist this little guy.

Seriously though, check out her shop for some equally inspired pieces.

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