Search results (tags) for: "forums"

Etsy Finds: Weekend Deals October 4th and 5th, 2008

2008-10-04T09:27:00Z

Feeling a little strain in your billfold lately, or simply trying to not to break the bank? Well, we hear ya, and we decided to run this special Storque edition called "Weekend Deals," highlighting some fantastic shop promotions and sales running this weekend only! We wanted to give our readers in the know (yes, you!) a heads up on several of these great deals, but be quick since your chance to take advantage will end on Sunday!

rikrak: Buy any one item, get the second 50% off! Just enter in the promo code "5000 hearts bogo" in the notes to seller during checkout and wait for your Paypal refund. Please check out rikrak's shop announcement for full details.

FantCastle: Earrings buy one get one 50% off (equal of less value). Pendants buy one get one free (equal or less value). All necklaces and bracelets 20% off list price. Wait for a revised invoice to pay. FREE snowman earrings with any $30 purchase before discount!

AfineDistraction: From 11:00 am EST Saturday 10/4 until 11:00pm EST on Sunday 10/5, when you buy one pair of earrings from her selection of "Blooming Earrings" you can choose any other pair of earrings in her entire shop for half price! She will send you an adjusted invoice or refund your paypal payment whichever you prefer.

BreeLeeD: Headbands are BOGO 1/2 off! Buy one headband and get the second for half off: there's no limit! Mention this article in the notes to seller section during checkout and wait for a revised invoice before paying.

chitowncheryl: All prints are buy one, get one free. Enter in the promo code "bogo" in the notes to seller during checkout with the name of the print you wish to receive free.

LillyQueen: Free worldwide shipping on all items in her shop this weekend!

TwilightKnits: Free shipping to the U.S. and Canada on all items in her shop. Enter in the promo code "twilightsale" in the notes to seller during checkout.

Sweetiepie: Saturday and Sunday, sweetiepie will offer free shipping worldwide on her worksite accidents diptych.

cutemunchkins: FREE SHIPPING on all treasure bags and $5.00 off any fabric banner. Send her a convo with the promo code "special price" and she'll adjust your price before checkout.

JessicaSharrah: Free worldwide shipping on entire shop this weekend only.

atouchofvintage: Buy 2 items, receive 10% off your order. Buy 4 items, receive 20% off your order. BUY 6 ITEMS, receive 30% OFF YOUR ORDER!!! Use promotional code "moving sale" in notes to seller during checkout for your discounted invoice.

SmadarsTreasure: Buy 1 item, get 10% off. Buy 2 items, get 20% off the 2nd item (equal or less value). Buy 3 items, get 30% off the 3rd item (equal or lesser value). Please see shop announcement for full details and contact information.

RhisBitsandBeads: Store wide 30% off sale with discount refunded after purchase with mention of this article in the notes to seller. Additionally, any purchase over $5.00 will receive free shipping.

designsbyericakortz: All earrings are 50% off from 10/4-10/05. To receive 50% off, just enter promo code "fall50" in the notes to seller and wait for your revised invoice.

SolidArtCollective: 10% off your first order total and free U.S. priority shipping on all scarves. Just enter in the promo code "yowza" in the notes to seller during checkout to receive revised invoice.

misseskwittys: FREE Page Percher bookmark with each order (her choice of colors), and each purchase will get your name in the hat for a free.

Those are the highlights for this weekend...take advantage while they're hot! For more shop deals, check out our promotions section of the Forums and be sure to take a look at the thread with deals specific to this weekend. Are you a seller running a shop promotion this weekend? Share the details below in the comments section of this article so we can take a look!

Seller How-to: Promoting a Site Wide Sale on Etsy

2008-09-16T10:39:00Z

With sellers planning ahead with their promotions and marketing for the holiday season, we thought it would be neat to check in with theartistscloset. She was one of the masterminds behind a simple idea that went viral on Etsy — many of you remember the "Yart Sale" of summer 2008!

Working within a group is the only way I would be involved in any mass marketing approach on Etsy. The combining of resources and effort makes for a lighter load and the sharing of ideas makes for a more creative sale event — and one less likely to have shortcomings.

I strongly recommend joining an Etsy Street Team appropriate for your shop. Presently, there are over 250 Etsy Teams. I participate in three Teams: Etsy Supply Street Team, Cottage Style Street Team and Etsy Maine Team. The Etsy Supply Street Team, under the direction of Team leaders CarDonCreativeDesign and Faro, was instrumental in helping me organize the recent Yart Sale from June 11-20. What began as a casual conversation on our weekly thread about destashing and raising funds for a summer vacation blossomed into a whole discussion on our private boards about creating an Etsy Wide Yart Sale. The title Yart was suggested by fellow teammate BlackStarBeads (Yard + Art = YART). Faro created special Yart Sale Avatars.

Keys to planning and preparation - Become part of a larger group, as mentioned above. If possible, create a private area for planning, such as a private discussion board (such as Yahoo Groups). This is where you share ideas, decide on promotions, discuss concerns and resolve issues that might come up during the event.
Come up with a unique promotional idea or title for the event - Try to capitalize on what might be on people's minds; seasons, holidays or current events, and be sensitive to time and cultural differences. Remember that Etsy is a global community. With this first sale, we made the mistake of initially describing the Yart Sale as a 10 day countdown to the first day of summer, not realizing that summer in the U.S. is winter down under. Next year we intend to be more inclusive.
Utilize your support group to advertise - Word of mouth is a powerful promotional tool. Promote the sale among family, friends and colleagues through the use of fliers, email, etc. and utilize the Internet community by posting on blogs, groups and networking sites.
Get Sellers involved site-wide - Promote in the Forums, introducing the sale in advance in Business Topics so people have time to prepare and get involved. Be inclusive and also have minimum requirements for participation. Make it easy for anyone to participate — we simply asked people to use the tag "Yart Sale" for the sale. Clearly spell out the time and dates of the sale with initial forum threads in the Promotions forum, allowing flexibility for participation. The Yart sale lasted for 10 days, but it was up to the individual shops as to how long they chose to participate.

(Yart sign courtesy of dmriceart)
Create a FAQ sheet of information about the sale - Posting a FAQs thread under the Business Topics forum will help to address user questions and minimize confusion. (Here's ours, for example.)
Get the participants involved - Encourage sellers to post a statement of participation in their shop announcements; offer a ready-made announcement to cut and paste for their shops. This is helpful, user friendly and gets people quickly involved creating anticipation and excitement for the sale. Point people to the Forums for the daily Promotional Sale thread, encouraging them to post and participate in promoting their shops during the sale. However, remember to make it clear it is not a requirement for participation; some people are forum shy.
TIP - Use the daily sale threads to educate users about how to search for the sale items on Etsy, for example: "Just a few suggestions to all you shoppers! Type 'Yart' in the Search bar and choose the appropriate category from Etsy's Drop Down Menu - Choose Handmade, Supplies, Vintage or All items to view the specific items you are looking for. Viola - you will have so many choices from all the wonderful shops that have chosen to participate in this sale."
Remember to make the whole approach user-friendly and easy to follow - I found it was essential that my Team members and I monitor the Forum regularly to maintain a POSITIVE presence in the forums, and encourage participation by highlighting each other's sale items. It is important to maintain a presence during the course of a sale and be consistent in posting. Link threads so people don't get lost. Keep up on new threads that will pop up directing users to informational threads already established to answer their questions.

The Etsy Forums can be used as a positive force, encouraging an attitude of camaraderie and creating new opportunities for new friends and networking connections!

Click to see more seller how-tos about promoting.

About Us: Lauren aka stellaloella

2008-07-09T15:38:00Z

Best known to the Etsy Community as Stellaloella (or Stellllllla!), Lauren was already a very familiar face as an extremely helpful presence in the Etsy Forums before she was hired in February 2007. Lauren has worn many hats as an Etsy Admin — working as official Forum Admin, leading up the Community Team, and now as a guru of Etsy policy, among many other things. She does a truly tremendous job of communicating and bridging the remote-worker gap, despite being all the way over in Central Time (that's far away from Brooklyn!). You couldn't ask for a more thoughtful or wonderful coworker, and we're so lucky to have her on the Etsy Team.

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Lauren Fun Facts:

Lauren is a picky eater. She won't eat anything that's green; she's anti-chlorophyl. She also won't eat anything that lived in the sea or any food that has "touched."
She does, however, love cheese.
The moniker StellaLoella is the combination of Lauren's two beloved grannies' names. Aww!
When Lauren tried to update her avatar with a new photo, the Etsy community protested, so she stuck with her old one.
Her dogs scared off a robber — what heroic pups! (Their names are Toast and Scooter.)
She previously sold pottery and handmade books before joining the Etsy Admin team.
She is originally from Milwaukee.
Matt once rented an apartment for her that was haunted, with a billion roaches as well as ghosts.
Lauren is a great writer and communicator. She's pretty articulate!
She has awesome design sense. When she learned to knit, the very first things she made were perfect.

Lauren being a teenage star. (Or runaway?)

Baby Lauren!

Etsy has had quite a growth spurt in the past year, and we have the awkward pictures to prove it. We've been 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).

Some items from Lauren's favorite shops below...

Service Tips for Sellers: Community Chatt Roundup, June 13, 2008

2008-06-17T14:32:00Z

Hi there sellers!

This past Friday I (marymary) led a brainstorming session in which sellers gave me some great input for an ongoing series in the Storque called Service Tips for Sellers. We divided the session into two parts: we first talked about what sellers can do to promote repeat business in their shop. We then talked about the many types of conversations sellers might run into and the necessary responses. I took note of all the ideas and tips that came from the chat and you can look for them in the coming articles from the Service Tips for Sellers series!

This Week's Chatt with Michelle (Matt is on vacation)

Time and Place: Friday June 20th, at 12 noon, Eastern US in the Treehouse Room of the Virtual Labs. Times on the Virtual Labs Lobby are displayed in your local time.

Topic: Promotions in the Forums
We'll be talking about ideas for the Promotions section of the Forums, as well as tips and ideas about using the Forums for promoting.

Agenda:
1. What are the most effective ways to use the Forums to promote? We'll share our tips, and we want to hear yours!

2. Your ideas about the Promotions section of the Forums.

About Community Chatt With Matt:
Each week Etsy admin Matt invites you to join us for a live, online discussion of topics of interest to the Etsy community. Our intention is to give buyers and sellers alike the opportunity to speak directly and candidly to Etsy Admin. We listen, take notes, and make sure that everybody who wants to gets a chance to speak. We can always be reached at community@etsy.com with more ideas and suggestions.

You can view minutes from past meetings HERE.

About Us: Rob aka RobWhite

2008-05-20T16:50:00Z

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).

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Rob numero dos aka RobWhite (not to be confused with Etsy's founder Rob Kalin aka Rokali) works on the Community Team spreading peace and goodwill amongst forum goers, "like some kind of forums whisperer" as Tara put it. Once, late at night, Rob asked for my advice over IM about a particularly painful dispute on a forum thread he was about to lock. As I read the draft of his response, it brought me to tears. It dawned on me then that he's like an angel sent from above. He is one of the most genuine, old souls I've ever met. We recently started getting worried that he would quit Etsy for a better offer to end the crisis in the Middle East through level-headed, sensitive peace talks.

Rob also has a wicked sense of humor and can bake the most delicious cookies. He works remotely so we don't get to see him very often at the Etsy Labs, and as Bre mused, "Don't you want to just shrink him down and carry him around in your pocket?" I like to think of Rob as a good angel sitting on my shoulder, except he's not at all goody-goody...He's just right.

I'm fearing that this About Us piece is becoming too adoring, but who can not love this guy? He's the salt of the earth.

Here are some fun facts about RobWhite:

He is really good at cooking and baking.
He loves tea. Loves it.
He and his wife Xiane are nocturnal, so it seems.
He is a Dance Dance Revolution ninja.
He loves Lost.
He and StellaLoella bicker like siblings.
He plays role playing games, like Kingdom of Loathing.
He likes kitties, and has some!
He has a large traveling hat that gives him the air of Indiana Jones.
He's great with puns.
He studied computer science for a bit, but it wasn't his style.
He wants to study Psychology or Philosophy.
He's good at chess.
He's a very courteous house guest.

Check out this little dude: he was grounded and mature, even when posed in front of creepy fake wheat.

Wee angel...

Read more About Us. Here are some of Rob White's favorites below in the related items...

Tech Updates: Report this Post

2008-05-06T16:45:00Z

Today, we launched a report this post feature to Etsy's forums. The Community Team at Etsy always appreciates your help in keeping a lively and fun community atmosphere when participating in the forums and we hope this new feature will help make your posting experience run much smoother! The report this post feature should be used when you see a post that doesn't fit within Etsy's forum guidelines and you want to alert the Community Team.

Here's what you'll see on each forum post:

When you click the "report this post" text, it will take you to a screen that looks like this:

Once you have filled out the necessary information in the submission form, just click submit report and your report will be sent directly to the community inbox completely anonymously! This should make the forums run a lot smoother and help the Community Team stay on top of concerns amidst the community in a timely fashion.

Thanks again for all your help and hope you enjoy,

Etsy

Focusing Our Priorities: Your Top Three Ideas

2008-04-21T15:02:00Z

We're taking a bunch of steps here at Etsy to make sure we're in tune with what you, our members, would like us to change or add to the site.

Last Tuesday, we posted a forum thread in the Ideas Section of the forums asking for your top three ideas as both buyers and sellers on Etsy. We were so happy to follow this thread over the past week and watch it grow to a 60+ page thread with over 600 posts. As each new post came in, we documented and tallied your ideas. We are pleased to share the results with you.

Overall Top Three Buyer Ideas:

Favorites (organizing, searching, privacy, gift registry, etc.)
Advanced Search
Seamless checkout process

Overall Top Three Seller Ideas:

Seller statistics
Ability to move listings within shop (without renewing)
Vacation mode

Here are the full lists:

We greatly appreciate your feedback, ideas, and the time you took to voice them in the thread. From here, we'll use your input (from both the ideas forum and community inbox) to help us prioritize development. You can expect some more forum posts from us as we gather more details about specific features.

Summary of Community Chatt with Matt from April 11, 2008

2008-04-16T16:58:00Z

Hello sellers!

Last Friday's Community Chatt was about commercial supples: specifically, what types of commercial supplies should be allowed to be sold on Etsy. As we are currently defining our guidelines on what types of commercially made crafting supplies and tools should be permitted, getting feedback from the community is very important!

We conducted polls during the workshop on specific supply types. The general consensus seemed to be that supplies (materials) should be allowed, and tools should get more scrutiny, or not be allowed at all. Electronic equipment seemed to be a no-go (for example: inkjet printers, digital cameras, sewing machines). As well, general household items (such as pots and pans) that are not crafting items are out, too. Please flag these types of things if you see them, and we will take a look!

Thank you to everyone who came to the meeting and shared your opinions! We very much appreciate it, and this information will help us keep Etsy a haven for artists' and crafters' as we grow!

Next Week's Chat:
This week, we will be talking about the idea of an Etsy-wide payment system. Please join us Friday, 4/18 at noon (Eastern Time) in the Treehouse room of the Virtual Labs to chime in!

If you have other thoughts on how feedback can be improved, or on any Etsy community issue for that matter, we can always be reached at community@etsy.com.

About Community Chatt With Matt:
Each week Etsy admin Matt invites you to join us for a live, online discussion of the "hot" issues in the Etsy community. Our intention is to give buyers and sellers alike the opportunity to speak directly and candidly to Etsy Admin. We listen, take notes, and make sure that everybody who wants to gets a chance to speak.

You can view minutes from past meetings HERE

Forum Decorum: More Sections for your Posting Pleasure!

2008-04-10T10:39:00Z

Stellaloella may love the library, but I get stoked whenever a grocery store starts to renovate. You know how it goes: when the changes are all done, the produce is still just inside the door, the eggs, milk and beer are still near one of the far walls, and the grumpy guy who can pick out the best cuts of meat for you is still going to be at the back. The basics need to stay the same, because you don't want anyone wandering into the grocery store and then throwing a fit when they can't find the carrots at the usual spot.

So what actually changes? From what I've seen, what gets added are always pretty specific additions that these grocery stores think you're going to make use of. Fairly specific stuff like prepared food sections, more space for "gourmet" items or the weird little olive bar. In any case, their focus is narrower than your typical "baking aisle."

That's how the new additions to the Etsy Forums work. We've provided a little tighter focus on some specific topics so that you'll be able to find the information you're looking for (both by reading and posting) quicker than before. So what goes in what Forum now? I'm glad you asked! It's important to get the right topics in the right places so that no one has a "where's my carrots?!" moment; important enough that we wrote "Do keep your posts on-topic and in the appropriate section of the forums" in our rules.

Admin are here to help, too. We regularly look through the Forums (often based on tips from the community) and move threads to their proper locations as we happen upon them. However, it saves us time and is easiest for our wonderful and information-hungry community when you start by posting threads in the correct places. To help you do that, check out this updated outline of where to post some of the most common topics on the Forums:

Site Help
not sure of how to use something on Etsy? Ask the community and Etsy staff

questions about how to use the site
questions about site features
questions about site policy

Business & Marketing
the ins and outs, ups and downs of being an independent business owner

advice/questions about marketing a shop or successful selling
advice/questions about running a shop
advice/questions about running a business
requests for promo items for goodie bags, giveaways, etc
threads about PayPal issues

Critiques
give and receive specific advice about your shop

critiques on:
- Etsy shops
- items
- banners
- avatars
- listings (descriptions, titles, photographs, etc.)
- shop policies

Techniques & Materials
share and seek advice about creating items

photography questions
crafting how-to help
questions about any material or tool

Teams & Events
connecting people locally and globally

"anyone from (location)?" threads
street team discussions
blog threads specific to street teams only
threads discussing street team sales/promotions/ contests
collaborative art projects
craft fair or local crafty event announcements

Ideas
have a way to make Etsy better? let us know!

suggestions for new features
discussions of changes to the site
sometimes Admin announcements go here (unless they fit in better elsewhere)

Bugs
if you've found a glitch in the site, please report it here

reporting technical glitches
downtime notices from Admin (also posted in The Storque 's TechUpdates)

Promotions
looking to shop, promote yourself or a favorite seller? post here

"show me your..."
"I'm looking to buy..."
anything that is advertising or promotion
sales threads for street team promotions
sharing your Treasuries, favorite shops or recent purchases
blogs/blog entries highlighting specific items or shops
milestones in number of sales, hearts or views

Etc.
if it doesn't fit in another forum, it belongs here

anything goes in Etc (unless it fits in one of the above sections)
socializing
other threads about blogs
off-Etsy networking (via MySpace, Flickr, personal websites, etc.)
off-Etsy critiques (blogs, personal websites, etc.)
NOT your diary entries

These are the guidelines that we're now using in moving threads, but we know that some threads don't quite fit any of the above. We'll use our best judgment in those cases to determine whether or not anything needs to be moved. We hope this update will help to keep things organized across the sections of the Forums, and can prevent you from having any carrot freakout moments of your own!

Discuss this article on the Forums, in this companion thread: Forum Decorum: Where to Post What.

Summary of Community Chatt with Matt (er, Michelle) from April 4, 2008

2008-04-09T17:07:00Z

Hello sellers! Last Friday's Community Chatt was about tagging of items, and indirectly, Categories. Matt was in a board meeting, so I (HeyMichelle) took the wheel and we (cool buncha Etsians and I) chatted on! We talked about ideas for tagging (the keywords for items that are added on the second page of listing), and Categories. Here's the best of what we came up with:

- Tagging profiles.
- Add all rules to tagging page, or have pop-up with rules and definitions on the tagging page.
- Shop by Style, a flash shopping tool.
- Definitions of Categories for buyers to entice them in.
- Have a discussion with artists about the art category, and what their ideas are for it.

Overall, this was a good discussion and brainstorming session! We look forward to what's ahead for the tagging process and Categories, and will be implementing some of these ideas.

To see our shorter term plan for Tagging and Categories, please read this article by Rokali. The next step, which is the creation of specific searches for handmade, vintage, and supplies will be coming soon, so stay tuned!

Next Week's Chat:
Next week, we will be discussing which commercial supplies the community thinks should be allowed on Etsy. Please join us Friday, 4/11 at noon (EST) in the Treehouse room of the Virtual Labs to chime in!

If you have other thoughts on how feedback can be improved, or on any Etsy community issue for that matter, we can always be reached at community@etsy.com.

About Community Chatt With Matt:
Each week we invite you to join us for a live, online discussion of the "hot" issues in the Etsy community. Our intention is to give buyers and sellers alike the opportunity to speak directly and candidly to Etsy Admin. We listen, take notes, and make sure that everybody who wants to gets a chance to speak.

Etsy Community Projects: Weekly Challenge

2008-04-08T14:32:00Z

The Etsy Community is constantly dreaming up new ideas. Some of these ideas are for improvements on the site, some are inspiration for getting out of a creative slump and some are just plain fun ideas for projects to work on with or get to know other members of the Etsy Community.

This is a series spotlighting Etsy Community Projects initiated and run by the Etsy Community. Many of these projects originate in the Forums and some happen completely there. Some involve mailing packages to other Etsy members, some involve posting on other sites, like Flickr. All are fun ways to interact with other members of Etsy, be it for a short period of time or on a regular basis.

It's safe to say that people on Etsy generally like making things. Sometimes ideas come easy, but sometimes a little inspiration is helpful. That's where the Weekly Challenge is a great thing. Each week on Monday a new theme or idea is posted in the Etc. Forum to inspire the creation of a new item. The rules are simple: post in that week’s thread a link to something new that you have created for the challenge. That’s it! It's hard to imagine not wanting to get inspired and participate! Here's a little background on the Weekly Challenge from Jewelstreet, the initiator and organizer of the project.

What inspired you to start the weekly challenge?
Inspiration behind the challenge: the challenge actually started quite accidentally. I had noticed I was in a color rut that I was constantly listing and making things with the same color. I posted something about that on the forums and lots of others said the same thing. We all agreed it would be fun to have a little themed thread that would keep us from getting in our ruts or at least help us out of them.

How long has the Weekly Challenge been going on?
Oh, goodness. May 22, 2006 was the first challenge which was only about a month or so after I started here on Etsy.

Do you have a personal favorite challenge so far?
I think my personal favorite challenge would have to be the challenge we did involving our favorite games, and a close runner-up would have to be the first one with black and white.

About how many people participate regularly?
It varies from week to week. We've had 15-20 people some weeks and some weeks we only have 6.

Is there any one aspect of the Weekly Challenge in particular that you enjoy?
There's nothing really in particular. I think it's interesting to learn about the other sellers participating. I've learned some sellers' favorite books, games, flowers. I just like the fact I can get to know the people participating like a crafting circle just over the computer.

Jewelstreet's piece for the India Challenge .

Are you organizing a project within the Etsy community, outside of an Etsy Team? Use the Storque Pitch Form to tell us about it or mention it in the comments!

Do You Speak Etsy? Funny Lingo for Etsians

2008-04-01T14:54:00Z

When you open a shop on Etsy, you know you're joining a community of talented artisans and enthusiastic crafters from all over the world. You set up your account, hang your virtual shingle for the world to see, and obsess over every last detail of your new little corner of the Internet.

Pretty simple, right? Well, not so fast. As you spend more and more time on Etsy, inevitably there comes a day when you think to yourself, "I have absolutely no idea what that person just said." You were probably in the Forums, and saw a thread called "How can I get a Treasury? HELP!!??" Or maybe you were perusing a thread called "Which is better - a blog or Flickr? And do you Mini? HELP!!??", and you came across a comment like this: "I think there was a Storque article about this. Check this link...." Your first thought, naturally, is "Storque? Like the bird that brings the babies? I think they spelled it wrong...."

So you go back to the Etsy home page, and take a minute to really look around. The words float before you in a dizzying array: "Pounce," "Time Machine," "Treasury," "Conversation." And then it hits you: no matter what your native language, you've got some learnin' to do.

It takes time and dedication to learn Etsy-speak. Time, because in your quest to learn, you will spend hours in the Forums, reading Storque articles and clicking on anything more than three pixels wide on the main page. It also takes dedication, because even though there will be days you wish you could just throw in the towel, just give up on trying to learn all these...words...you'll find you always return. To the Forums. To the Storque. To the main page. But, if you are willing to do those two simple things, you will make progress. You will learn. You will become fluent in Etsy-speak.

After a few weeks, all will seem well and good. You're posting in the Forums, you're listing new items and expertly checking the Time Machine 2, you're exchanging friendly messages with fellow Etsians. But one day, quite by accident, without even thinking, you'll turn to your husband and say, "Go ahead and start dinner without me, honey. I just need to send a quick convo." After a few seconds of puzzled silence, his face lights up. "Convoy?! I love that movie! Kris Kristofferson rocks. Ten-four, good buddy!"

And as your husband walks away chuckling to himself about 70's trucker movies, you turn back to your computer screen and realize you're not in Kansas anymore. It begins to dawn on you that the world you now take for granted, the one you effortlessly float through on a cloud of Convos, Gift Guides, and Colors, is a world very much removed from the one everyone else you know lives in. That is to say, their world. The one they call "real."

So you don't mention Etsy again for about a week, and things get back to normal. Then, to your delight, you discover a pair of your earrings featured in a Treasury. "Honey! I'm in a Treasury!" "The Treasury? I think it's in Washington D.C. Or is it Kentucky? No, that's Fort Knox. Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's in Washington."

At this point, you realize you have two options: attempt to teach Etsy-speak to your family and friends, or leave things as they are and get used to dinner conversations where your husband, trying to be supportive, asks, "So, did your Treasury get muted in the Storque?" The choice is obvious.

Usually it will be a simple misunderstanding. "I wonder if I should invest in a Holiday Showcase?" "Well, we don't really have room for more furniture." Occasionally jealousy rears its ugly head. "Jared says he wants us all to Pounce." (Stony silence). And sometimes talk moves from Etsy to other venues where you work to promote yourself. "I'm thinking about putting a Mini on my blog." "Don't be so hard on yourself, sweetie. You have a great figure."

In the end, once you've found your Etsy-speak comfort zone with family and friends, it will take something truly monumental for the cracks to show. "Honey! Guess what?! I made the front page! Gosh, I just sent ten Convos to my Team to let them know. I hope I don't get muted!" And suddenly your dear husband resembles a Stepford robot on the fritz. "Right. That would be bad. I mean, good? No, bad. Right? Good? Bad."

At that point, all you can do is smile sympathetically and head straight back to the Forums to count up how many threads you've killed. Just don't try to tell your husband why that's bad. Or good?

For more Etsy Lingo explanations, check out our How-to and the Etsy Wiki. Or continue obsessively reading the Storque to feed your hunger for funny posts about Etsy addiction.

Etsy Community Projects: Saturday Night Specials

2008-04-01T11:00:00Z

The Etsy Community is constantly dreaming up new ideas. Some of these ideas are for improvements on the site, some are inspiration for getting out of a creative slump and some are just plain fun ideas for projects to work on with or get to know other members of the Etsy Community.

This is a series spotlighting Etsy Community Projects initiated and run by the Etsy Community. Many of these projects originate in the forums and some happen completely there. Some involve mailing packages to other Etsy members, some involve posting on other sites, like Flickr. All are fun ways to interact with other members of Etsy, be it for a short period of time or on a regular basis.

If you have spent any time in the Etsy Forums on the weekend, you may have noticed the Saturday Night Specials thread. A fun and interesting way to kick it up a notch on the weekend, many sellers offer great sales in their shops on Saturday evenings. This promotion was initiated by Willowglass, and has a set of guidelines posted for new sellers who wish to get in on the action. There's also a companion chatting thread, so that the thread of specials stays relatively clutter-free and easy to sift through to find amazing buys from a wide range of Etsy sellers.

What inspired you to start the Saturday Night Specials?

Willowglass: The Saturday Night Special was originally started as just a summertime promotion by me in 2006. I was fairly new to Etsy and the forums were much smaller then, so SNS was started as a way for some of us to visit on Saturday nights, get our shops some more exposure and hopefully some sales! At the end of July and August, so many people asked for it to be continued that it was and it's become an Etsy phenomenon, much to my surprise!

When did the SNS begin?

Willowglass: The SNS was born on July 15, 2006 at my kitchen table. It has grown from an original thread with 48 posts to 2 threads that run concurrently — one in the Promotions forum for the actual SNS sales and a second one in the Etc. forum for chatting. The thread needed to be split due to the sheer magnitude of it. It's not unusual for both threads to now number 1000 posts! It was split into 2 threads at the request of many buyers who didn't want to wade through all the comments and just wanted to concentrate on the specials being offered. I listened to the buyers. After the first year of SNS, it became clear that I needed some help with it, so a few SNS hosts were added to start the SNS thread.

What should sellers hoping to participate remember?

Willowglass: The main thing sellers need to remember is that the SNS is just a thread and doesn't guarantee sales!
The second most important thing is to post only in the original SNS thread and not start a dozen other threads using the SNS name. It's confusing for both buyers and sellers. Another point that's important to remember is that my original concept was to have the thread be fun! Along with the potential for increased sales, the camaraderie that has developed among many sellers and buyers has been awesome.

Any tips or advice on successful sales as part of SNS?

Willowglass: Everyone needs to remember to post their SNS in their Shop Announcement area! Also, the buyers' feedback has been that they'd like to see your shop link, as well as what you're actually selling, to help them get to you more quickly. For instance, I start my posts with willowglass: Fused and Dichroic Glass Art. There's no magic formula as to what's a successful SNS. I'd suggest trying a mix of percentage off, BOGO's, free shipping, or whatever works for you. SNS doesn't always work for everyone, but it does always work for some people each week. Have fun and good luck!

For more coverage of Etsy Community Projects, check out our continuing series. For more tips and tricks of successful blogs, check out the Blogging Guide!

Are you organizing a project within the Etsy community, outside of an Etsy Team? Tell us about it in the comments!

Maintenance: Forums will be down Saturday night!

2008-03-29T23:57:00Z

EDIT: We've bumped up the planned downtime by a few hours to allow for some additional testing.

Hi all,

Remember the forums maintenance that was supposed to happen last week? Well it's happening tonight (March 30th) for real!

The forums will be taken down around 1:00AM EST for approximately 12 hours.

We know that the forums are very important to many of you, so we'll try to keep the downtime as short as possible. Thank you for your patience as we keep Etsy growing!

Please address all comments and questions to the associated forums thread (Until they shut down!)

- H

Seller How-to: Making Category Suggestions

2008-03-25T22:30:00Z

Dear Sellers:

As many of you are aware, we are in the process of improving the Category system. This is a long-term project that we are very excited about!

We get many suggestions for subcategories and sub-subcategories. Almost all of these will be in the new system. Keep making these suggestions, as we are saving them to be implemented later!

As our engineers work on the new systems, we are currently and constantly adding new subcategories and sub-subcategories to the site. In my estimation, we immediately add over 50% of the unique ideas proposed into the current category system! Last week, for example, we added about 29 new sub and sub-subcategories. So keep 'em coming!

So, what determines whether we will add a new subcategory or sub-subcategory — now, versus later? And, if you have an idea for a new subcategory or sub-subcategory, what is the best way to suggest it to us? Here are some pointers and tips:

How to suggest a new sub or sub-subcategory on Etsy:

1. Start using the name of your proposed subcategory or sub-subcategory as a tag, and encourage others to do the same.

When we are deciding whether to add to the current category system, we will search for the word under the proposed Category. If there are items "tagged" with this word, it greatly increases the chances that it will be added. If the sub or sub-subcategory is added, these items will automatically be in it!

2. Got an idea for a subcategory or sub-subcategory? Let us know!

Etsians make category suggestions in various ways — all of them are great! Some like to post in the ideas section of the Forums. Make the title something like "Category suggestion: how about "XYZ"?". If an admin doesn't reply, please convo HeyMichelle (that's me!), and I'll take a look. Feel free to convo me directly as well.

Other ways that people suggest categories are by e-mailing Community or Support. These are just fine, although it may take a bit longer for me to see the suggestion, since they are just going to forward the email to me!

Many suggestions we get are good, but for various reasons, we are unable to add them at this time.

Reasons we might not add a suggested category, subcategory or sub-subcategory:

1. There's a better chance of us adding to a short list than a really long list.

Does the place where you would like us to add a sub or sub-subcategory have a long list underneath it? This makes it more difficult to add subs underneath it. If there is nothing, or a really short list, it's almost a shoo-in. Don't let a long list intimidate you, though! If your idea is a good candidate for the current system, we will try to find a way to accommodate it!

2. We are not currently adding "styles" to the category system.

Examples of styles are "Primitive," "Kawaii" and "Cottage." These are currently very useful for shopping, and will be included in the new category system. However, adding them now will lead to mistagging, and will make it more difficult to find items in these styles. A suggestion for those who are making items in a style: create or join an Etsy Team with others who are working in that style. At the bottom of your item descriptions, describe the style in one sentence, and encorage shoppers to search for the style to find similar items. This will spread the word about the style and help with cross-promotion!

3. We are not going to add new top-level categories that are not *types* of items.

New top-level categories in the current system are very rare indeed! We're not currently considering new top-level categories for methods, art forms, materials, styles, or any other type of category other than "What is it?" types. Please continue to suggest these, though, as they may be excellent candidates for sub and sub-subcategories, and are useful for designing the new category system.

4. Technical difficulties

Certain things that would make a fabulous subcategory for the current system can't be added now for technical reasons. An example of this is Art Dolls. We are working on implementing fixes for these types of problems, and we apologize for the inconvenience.

Well, that's all for now! Thank you so much for your category suggestions — we very much appreciate it, and we look forward to hearing more!

Tech Update: Emergency Forums Maintenance

2008-03-25T15:56:00Z

UPDATE: We've been able to get the forums back online! We may have to take them down again later this week to get everything humming smoothly again, but until then enjoy!

======

Today we've encountered an issue with one of the machines that is responsible for running the forums. Due to this, we have been forced to take the forums offline until the issue has been corrected.

The forums will very likely be offline for the rest of the evening as we reconfigure the deep parts of Etsy.

Don't fret, the Virtual Labs and chat rooms are both up and running as usual if you'd like to keep the dialogue going!

We apologize for the inconvenience -- we'll post updates here as soon as they happen.

Summary of Community Chatt with Matt from March 21, 2008

2008-03-24T18:15:00Z

Each Friday, we invite you to join us in the Virtual Labs to discuss specific community issues. We call these sessions Community Chatt with Matt.

This past week (Friday, March 21, 2008) we took a look at feedback.

Meeting Summary:

A perennial hot topic in the Etsy Forums is the feedback system. Primarily, sellers are concerned about receiving negative and neutral feedback that they feel is undeserved. Last week, we took the issue to the Virtual Labs, and found that the following were the big ideas that came up.

Required text with negative feedback
Drop down menu for negative feedback with “other” as an option
A "pop up" window that explains feedback policies before a negative feedback is left
“Pending” negative feedback grace period to try to work it out
Blocking buyers with a certain amount of negative feedback
Rating scale in feedback

We will be discussing these with the Community Team, and will implement any that we feel will improve the feedback system.

The overall conclusion of the workshop was that communication between the buyer and seller is the most important thing, and improving that should be the primary goal. We (Admins and the community) will continue to brainstorm ways to facilitate that.

Click here to view the complete minutes from the meeting.

If you have other thoughts on how feedback can be improved or on any Etsy community issue for that matter, we can always be reached at community@etsy.com

Next Week's Chat:

Please join us for next weeks' discussion on Forum Policy, which will be Friday at 12PM (EST) in the Treehouse room of the Virtual Labs.

About Community Chatt With Matt:

Each week we invite you to join us for a live, online discussion of the "hot" issues in the Etsy community. Our intention is to give buyers and sellers alike the opportunity to speak directly and candidly to Etsy Admin. We listen, take notes, and make sure that everybody who wants to gets a chance to speak. We value your feedback greatly and always take your suggestions seriously when we plan site policies, practices, and features.

Tech Update: Forums "Title only" Searching

2008-03-20T09:50:00Z

Searching the Community section's forums has become a bit easier today, as we've rolled out a forum "title only" search option. Previously, the only way to search the forums was to search all text across all posts.

You'll find that "forum titles" is now the default search method when browsing forum pages. This will allow you to limit the range of your forums searches to only thread titles.

This is also a good time to remind everyone using the forums to use descriptive thread titles! Descriptive thread titles make it easier to scan through the forums, and they will now make it a lot easier to search the forums at large.

This is the first of a few near-term forum search upgrades -- let us know if you like it!

Please address all questions and comments to the associated forum thread.

Scheduled Maintenance: Forums will be down Sunday night

2008-03-16T14:44:00Z

UPDATE: We've canceled the maintenance for now, so enjoy the forums!

Hi all,

We're doing some database reorganization in the bowels of Etsy that will require us to take the forums down tonight ( March 16th ) for maintenance.

The forums will be taken down around 9:00pm EST for approximately 3 hours.

We know that the forums are very important to many of you, so we'll try to keep the downtime as short as possible.
Thank you for your patience as we keep Etsy growing!

Please address all comments and questions to the associated forums thread.

Etsy Community Projects: Friday Happy Hour

2008-03-11T13:29:00Z

The Etsy Community is constantly dreaming up new ideas. Some of these ideas are for improvements on the site, some are inspiration for getting out of a creative slump and some are just plain fun ideas for projects to work on with or get to know other members of the Etsy Community.

This is a series spotlighting Etsy Community Projects initiated and run by the Etsy Community. Many of these projects originate in the forums and some happen completely there. Some involve mailing packages to other Etsy members, some involve posting on other sites, like Flickr. All are fun ways to interact with other members of Etsy, be it for a short period of time or on a regular basis.

After a long week of work, many people look forward to kicking back at a Friday Happy Hour™. Of course, in the Etsy world, this doesn't necessarily mean micro-brews, hot toddies or Manhattans, but rather special sales and offers in their Etsy shops. Buyers, take note: Friday Happy Hour™ on Etsy is a great time to get specials from a plethora of great makers. True to its Happy Hour name, these deals don't last very long and vary from shop to shop.

Friday Happy Hour™ originated when KateBlack had a sale to get some quick cash to spend at a friend's bar. New York City's music and art scene frequently centers around bars, and the common bar drink specials inspired the original sale structure. NYC bars frequently have "buybacks," which means that a patron in good standing (someone who is typically polite and tips appropriately) will buy two or three drinks and the bartender may give them one for free. It's a gift, not an entitlement. She thought that was a nice thing to do, so Kate often offers gifts to buyers who purchase multiple items. That's a popular way to participate in Friday Happy Hour™ sales.

When asked for advice for newcomers to the Friday Happy Hour™, Kate says, "New participants should read the FAQ which is linked in every new Friday Happy Hour™ post. They should include the hours of their sale — FHH™ is always measured in hours, not days. They should include info about which items are on sale or which freebies a buyer can expect with their order. The most successful sellers promote outside of Etsy, on Flickr, Myspace, their blogs and in online communities which encourage sales promotions."

Keep your eyes peeled for Friday Happy Hour™ in the Promotions forum each week — just one more reason to look forward to Fridays!

For more coverage of Etsy Community Projects, check out our continuing series.

Are you organizing a project within the Etsy community, outside of an Etsy Team? Tell us about it in the comments!

Etsy Community Projects: Self Portrait Thursday

2008-03-04T17:37:00Z

The Etsy Community is constantly dreaming up new ideas. Some of these ideas are for improvements on the site, some are inspiration for getting out of a creative slump and some are just plain fun ideas for projects to work on with or get to know other members of the Etsy Community.

This is a series spotlighting Etsy Community Projects initiated and run by the Etsy Community. Many of these projects originate in the forums and some happen completely there. Some involve mailing packages to other Etsy members, some involve posting on other sites, like Flickr. All are fun ways to interact with other members of Etsy, be it for a short period of time or on a regular basis.

If you've ever wanted to put a face to an Etsy username (or avatar), you might think Self Portrait Thursdays is the best thing since sliced (handmade) bread. Each week, you can find a thread in the Etc. Forum titled "Self Portrait Thursdays" or "SPT" (and usually followed by that week's date). Anyone can post in these threads with a link to a photo they've taken of themselves and posted online. Many users prefer to post their self-portraits on Flickr, as Flickr allows its users to leave comments and notes on the photos posted on the site, which is a fun way to interact with other participants. Portraits posted in Flickr can also be posted in the Etsy Self Portrait Thursday pool, which makes it a snap to find other participants in this weekly activity.

Where did Self Portrait Thursdays come from? It started in 2006, when Etsy sellers Tinymeat and Mamadelic fell madly in love but lived in very different parts of the country. It's a very sweet story, actually. I asked Mona, of Mamadelic, to give us the whole scoop on this fun weekly project that's open to the entire Etsy Community. She says, "We started making sure that we sent pics to each other every Thursday. We started tagging the pics with "self portrait thursday" and "spt" and next thing we knew, other people were doing it!"

How did it evolve into the forum phenomenon it is today? "I created a pool for people to add their pictures to. Next thing I knew there were hundreds of people in the group and it had taken on a life of its own. People take it upon themselves to post in the forums that they've added their picture and I get the idea that many look forward to adding new ones. I especially love it when people do theme pictures! Those are fun! I love that people are still participating in it now even though Mikey and I don't post pics very often. I do go in and look at the group all the time."

Mikey and Mona are now together in Portland, growing their handmade business, so they don't contribute self portraits as often as they used to, but you can read more about their Etsy Love Story. You can browse through over 150 pages of Etsy Self Portraits in the Flickr Pool. Here's a list of other Etsy Flickr groups we've noticed, as well.

Are you organizing a project within the Etsy community, outside of an Etsy Team? Mention it in the comments below!

Etsy Community Projects: Etsy Sellers Who Blog / Blog Love

2008-02-26T13:47:00Z

The Etsy Community is constantly dreaming up new ideas. Some of these ideas are for improvements on the site, some are inspiration for getting out of a creative slump and some are just plain fun ideas for projects to work on with or get to know other members of the Etsy Community.

This is a series spotlighting Etsy Community Projects initiated and run by the Etsy Community. Many of these projects originate in the forums and some happen completely there. Some involve mailing packages to other Etsy members, some involve posting on other sites, like Flickr. All are fun ways to interact with other members of Etsy, be it for a short period of time or on a regular basis.

To say there are many Etsy sellers who blog is quite the understatement. So many Etsy members have really fantastic sites and blogs, where they cover a whole range of topics — from tutorials, to daily journal style blogs, work in progress documentation to outrageously entertaining pretend letters to celebrities (some living, some deceased...). These blogs are interconnected in a few ways through the Etsy Community. There's a Bloggers Etsy Team, a blog ring so you can flip through easily from blog to blog, and there's a daily Original Blog Love forum thread started by two very proficient bloggers and artists, mLee and stilettoheights in the Etc. forum.

Garnering anywhere from 75-100 posts daily with links to recently updated blogs, Etsy members can keep up on each others' daily musings simply with the aid of this thread. It's a great resource to check daily for new faces, old favorites, people who might swap links with your blog and just to get a little insight into what makes other Etsy members tick.

Here are a few interesting things to note about the Original Blog Love threads:

What inspired you to start Blog Love threads?
mLee: I had just gotten back into blogging on a regular basis for about a month or so and there were so many blog threads going on getting started each day. It was confusing to me as a reader and overwhelming as a blogger. I didn't want to put my blog on five or more threads a day. I thought it might be a good idea if I could get people to condense it to one thread that happened daily started around the same time.

I had noticed that the term love was used a lot and often people joked about it going beyond love. It was silly and fun and made a good title. So I made a post asking people what they thought and people were overwhelmingly for it and for me running it since I was a regular blogger. So I started doing it every weekday morning at 9am.

I was also eight months pregnant [at the time] and suffering from pregnancy hypertension. So my blogging started going down and also I had doctor's appointments and who knew when I would vanish and go into labor (turns out it was quite some time, as I was 12 days late). So I knew I needed another regular blogger to fill in.

StilettoHeights: Blog Love started sometime over the summer. The lazy summer months were hard on sales for a lot of people. Mine remained pretty steady, and I owe a lot of that (I believe) to my blog, so while Marissa (aka mLee) and I were gossiping and talking art and business we talked about the importance of "the blog," and more importantly, getting people to read it.

How did you two become the ladies in the loop, so to speak, for beginning this project?
StilettoHeights: Marissa had little baby blee and Blog Love was passed onto me, with Marissa "getting my back" on days that I am unable.

mLee: Jen (aka StilettoHeights) seemed the perfect choice since she is such an awesome blogger. She was my inspiration to get back into blogging. She is still better about blogging nearly every day than I am. So I asked her. Eventually she ended up taking over for the most part as my schedule makes it difficult to get a post out every morning plus I often have my hands full. But I still try to whenever I can. Funny thing is I seem to have some sort of mental link with her because most of the time when I do it she oversleeps or something.

What should new sellers hoping to participate remember?

mLee:

Blogging at least 4 days a week is key — every day is ideal.
Let your personality show without getting too personal, keep the drama out.
Don't bash other sellers (duh).
Try to be positive, even when you aren't feeling it.
Feature other artists from time to time (this is something I am trying to get better at).
If you need a break, take one. Blogging should be fun, not a chore, or you will end up resenting it.
Always include an interesting graphic.
An attractive, well laid out blog with a good banner. (That isn't so huge it pushes your text to the bottom, so much one has to scroll down. I hate that!)
Be personable with your readers. Treat them more like friends than like potential clients. Don't pressure anybody to buy. Though it is okay to post sales every once in awhile.
Showcase variety.
Link to other blogs.
Comment on other blogs.

StilettoHeights: Tips for new bloggers...I say you must be consistent with your blogging, and don't just write for yourself, write for others too. Write something you would want to read: chances are someone else will want to read it, too. I personally think in the DIY world, people like to know who they are buying from, they like to know them, know what inspires them, and the life they lead. After all, when you are buying handmade, you are not just buying an object, but a part of the artist. I also have to say that people should also read blogs and comment as well, making the blog world a complete community a true form of interaction.

Jen's (StilettoHeights) blog is located at http://stilettoheights.blogspot.com.
You can find Marissa's (mLee) blog at http://mleeprints.blogspot.com.

For more coverage of Etsy Community Projects, check out our continuing series. For more tips and tricks of successful blogs, check out the Blogging Guide!

Are you organizing a project within the Etsy community, outside of an Etsy Team? Tell us about it in the comments!

Tech Updates: Forum Remodeling

2008-02-18T15:00:00Z

We've noticed there has been a lot of huddling, crowding and just general congestion in the Forums lately. With all the new buyers and sellers (about 2,200 a day!) there just doesn't seem to be enough room to fit us all comfortably. Good discussions are being buried faster than you can sew a button on a plushie. We've come up with the first of a few changes to help keep conversations flowing (versus overflowing).

Today you'll see three new sections (Critiques, Business & Marketing, Techniques & Materials) and some revised descriptions so we can keep everything as organized and comprehensible as possible. We also have some staffing changes in the Forums happening today also (it seemed like good timing).

I'd also like to introduce myself (Daniellexo) as the new Forum conductor. A bit about myself: I started working for Etsy after being a dedicated member of the community as a seller. I ran two street teams and sold my work on Etsy full-time for nearly a year. I started teaching at the Etsy Labs and came to know a few Admin and I loved what they were doing for artist and crafts(wo)men. I wanted to become more involved because not only do I believe in their vision, I believe that the community of people they bring together can make a big change in the world. I'm very excited about this new role. My goals are to create a forum that allows us all to be heard and to facilitate discussions that can shape the future of our creative community. Oh, and I like to use a lot of brackets and exclamation points!

I'm going to need a lot of help, so joining me in this task is our faithful nightowl (who many of you already know) RobWhite and the ever-delightful MaryMary. Rob White has been a forum moderator for a while now and he'll keep working hard to make your nights on the Etsy Forums fun and orderly! (Perhaps he'll share a cookie recipe with you and melt your heart with its deliciousness.) Mary, while she has been active in the Forums since day one, will now be moderating full-time. Mary has a passion for the community and a cheeriness that makes everyone adore her. She loves to share her top-seller skills and make us laugh at the same time. Mary also runs the Virtual Labs, a place for chat, online workshops, critiques (and much more to come)! So look for us on the Forums and in the Virtual Labs! We'll meet you over there!

So, now you may be wondering, "What about Stella?" Lauren (stellaloella), who has been overseeing the Forums for the past year, will be taking on some big behind-the-scenes projects and getting Etsy's Help section whipped into shape. (Stay tuned to the Storque for more news on that front later this year.) Lauren will still be around and in the Forums occasionally — but trying to manage large-scale projects while tending to the Forums full-time is a bit like being interrupted by your telephone ringing every ten minutes. Mary and RobWhite and I are answering the call to give Lauren the chance to focus on some long-overdue initiatives. (You can still send her a Convo to say "hi" or ask a question once in a while!)

If you have any other concerns or questions about these changes feel free to contact me, MaryMary or RobWhite. Remember the open door policy from high school? We're totally into it. Our convo doors are always open, so come on in and take a seat. Care for a Werther's?

"xo",
Danielle

PS. We've included some Q&A below, but if you have more questions or comments please join us in this forum thread.

FAQs

What will the sections be?

Site Help not sure of how to use something on Etsy? Ask the community and Etsy staff
Bugs if you've found a glitch in the site, please report it here
Business & Marketing the ins and outs, ups and downs of being an independent business owner
Critiques give and receive specific advice about your shop and items
Techniques & Materials share and seek advice about creating items
Teams & Events connecting people locally and globally
Promotions looking to shop? promote yourself or favorite seller? post here
Ideas have a way to make the site better? let us know!
Etc if it doesn't fit in another Forum section, it belongs here

Why do we need new sections?
More sections in the Forums will allow us to stretch our legs a bit. Get a little more relaxed. More topics will be seen by those who might want to find them. Questions can get answered instead of buried. Hopefully we can discuss with each other tips and tricks for marketing, photography, how-tos, crafting or art tips and more in the new sections.

What about the Promotions section? My promotions always get buried!
Mary and I are working on a plan to help promote your sales. We want to talk about it with you soon, but first we have to make sure its "do-able." So stay tuned!

Now there are threads in the wrong places, what's up with that?
I may take us a little while to get all the threads from the former Crafting & Business section moved to the three new sections (Critiques, Business & Marketing, Techniques & Materials). If you see an active thread that needs to be moved, feel free to send us an email at community@etsy.com to let us know.

Can we have stickies or a section for Admin posts only, so I can see what Admin are saying?
We've heard this request. Right now we want to steer everyone to the Storque for Etsy updates. We want to keep the Forums open for discussion between the community — including Admin, buyers, and sellers alike. The Forums aren't a place where policies should be made (because not all of the community is active in the Forums), the Forums should be a place for open discussions about how to make Etsy a better place and help each other grow. All important Admin announcements will be posted in the Storque's Etsy News section (we promise). And if something unclear or important comes from an Admin on the Forums and you feel it's something the entire community should know about, send us a convo and we'll probably write a Storque article about it. We know you still want to hear what we have to say in certain threads, so we're brainstorming a new way to highlight Admin posts (or even posts by your favorite Etsy member!).

Where did the chat rooms go?
The chat rooms are still here! They're just not linked at the top of the main forum page. You can find them on the Community landing page, which is a more prominent location on the site.

Is this the "big change" for the Forums everyone keeps talking about?
This is the first in a series of "upgrades." More to come — but we thought this mini-remodeling effort was a needed one for the time being.

Forum Decorum: Be No One's Puppet

2008-01-24T17:09:00Z

You know who gets a tough break on the Internet? Sock puppet makers. While innocently pursuing their age-old craft, the Internet at large steals their identifying term and applies it to a particular kind of mischief. Sock puppets are commonly used around the 'net to generate fictional support for some belief or cause. Alternate accounts have been similarly used to post on the Etsy Forums in the past, and the term sock puppet has been adopted in our community to cover a range of anonymous posting agendas. This week's Forum Decorum is about the sock puppet phenomenon: why you might be tempted to make one and what you can do instead.

Using an alternate account to post in the Forums is against Etsy rules, so why would you do it anyway? Why not just post on your original account? Typically, someone who has made a alternate account either can't use their original name or simply won't. Let's look at these two circumstances in a little more detail.

If you were to start a second account to post on the Forums because you can't do so with your original account, this is a good sign that you need to privately contact support@etsy.com to determine what can be done. Posting with a second account is likely to cause more problems than it will solve, so it's best to email Etsy and find out what is up.

What circumstances might lead you to say that you won't post something on the Forums with your original account?

Maybe you want to avoid the "no calling out" rule. If that's the case, it's probably still best that you take your concerns to Etsy's staff privately. If you really want the input of your peers on the Forums, sometimes it's possible to rework your question into a more general one or give a hypothetical case. See our article about calling out for more tips on dealing with this scenario.
Maybe it's too embarassing or too personal to post under your own name. If it isn't Etsy-related, you might want to consider a different venue (maybe one that's more anonymous overall) to share what's on your mind. If it is Etsy-related, go ahead and email us about it. We won't tell, we promise!
Maybe you're just having a bit of fun with a practical joke. No harm there, right? Well, not exactly. Since sock puppet accounts are against Etsy's rules, you would be held responsible for the consequences of breaking a rule. That joke might not be so funny once you realize that you're putting your primary account at risk.

There are probably reasons beyond the ones we've listed here, but in general when a sock puppet is used it's because there is a need for discretion. A private email to the right Admin team at Etsy offers the maximum level of discretion. If you really want to reach out to the Etsy community for input, we can help advise you on how to word your question/statement/story for the Forums so you can feel comfortable having your username attached to it. However you do it, don't post on the Forums with a sock puppet. Doing so can put all of your accounts at risk, and we want you right here with us!

(No sellers of sock puppet-related items were harmed in the writing of this article.)

Share your thoughts in this Forum thread: Keep your socks on your feet!

In the Forum Decorum series, Lauren (stellaloella) and RobWhite of the Community team explain some of the finer points of cultural etiquette in Etsy's community spaces. When something is an official site rule, we'll be sure to link you up to the DOs and DON'Ts or Terms of Use. Simply consider these as tips for avoiding a forum faux pas.

TechUpdates: Uniting the Community

2008-01-21T17:09:00Z

Dearest Etsians,

For far too long, we've been scattered to the farthest corners of the site. And now, finally we are united in one glorious hub: the Community page! The link in the top navigation bar has been switched from just "Forums" to the broader term "Community." Here you will find a gateway to all the different community spaces on Etsy such as the Forums, the chat rooms, the Virtual Labs and Etsy Teams. There is also a Storque ticker here to keep you informed of site news and the handmade movement. The side bar contains valuable links like contest announcements, official Etsy promotional download resources and the Handmade Pledge – to name just a few.

This is an interim step towards some grand plans we have for the community spaces in 2008, so stay tuned for more improvements in the coming year!

xoxo,
The Etsy Community Team

You can read more about the Etsy community spaces in these related articles:

HOT TIP: Frequent Forum-users may need to adjust their clicks slightly for quick navigation. Use the breadcrumb trail under the site header for fast movement throughout the Forums!