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?

• 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!