The Storque is still young and fresh-faced, having only been launched in September of 2007. We still hear people asking, "What is the Storque?"  As part of our All about Etsy FAQ series, we're including this post: information about the Storque, how it works, how it serves the Etsy community and readers interested in the handmade lifestyle, and further, how you can get involved.

Upon reflection, we've come a long way since September of 2007. But the Storque editors feel that there are still ways to improve. We've just launched the Multi-Media section as of January 2008, and we'll be making a push this spring to have a stronger Etsy video presence. Part of that includes getting Etsians involved: we want to see Your Handmade Stories and your How-to videos, and other video projects too. And to help support that, we'll be doing a series of How-to Make Your Own Video.

We're also working on ways to make the Storque easier to navigate. One of the common critiques we hear is, "There's so much great stuff on the Storque, but it's hard to find what I'm looking for!"  We'll be working on other mechanisms for readers.

Editing the Storque is also a constant balancing act between content for Buyers and content for Sellers. Our hope is that this dual readership is interested enough in each other that you don't mind sifting through content a bit. We also plan to work more on syndicating content out and getting the Storque name out there into the wide world outside of Etsy. 

All in all, Alison aka TeenAngster, Bre aka brepettis, Tara aka weirdwolf and I love our jobs and we look forward to suggestions you may have in the comments below.

The Storque is Etsy's online zine/blog/magazine (what do you think we should call it?), for both buyers and sellers and readers interested in the handmade lifestyle. The Storque provides site announcements for users, as well as posts highlighting great handmade items for sale on the site and stories about makers.  It's like a blog in that it's updated every day, throughout the day, but it's more like a magazine in that its content is organized into different sections, to better help you get to stories of interest to you.

Another special aspect of the Storque is the Related Items; these are listings from the marketplace linked at the bottom of each article. Most of the header images used to illustrate posts are from marketplace listings (some are from Creative Commons licensed flickr photos). In this way, the Storque can be browsed like a context-based shopping tool: a magazine embedded with handmade items for sale.  Since we're telling the inspiring stories behind handmade items in our marketplace and sharing info from helpful sellers, it makes sense for the Storque.

How to Navigate the Storque

• Click on any of the recent posts featured on the homepage of the Storque.
• Search the Storque for articles by using the search bar (search by Storque tags only, tags and titles of articles, or tags, titles and body of articles).
• Click on the main sections at left and they will take you to that type of content only.
  
  SPOTLIGHT— Featured items and sellers from the marketplace.
  THIS HANDMADE LIFE— Lifestyle pieces from the world of handmade.
  CRAFTIVISM— Stories with a socially conscious mission.
  HOW-TO— Indie-preneur info and advice as well as some how-tos for making stuff and help using the site for buying and selling
  REVIEWS— Reviews of anything related to handmade: blogs, music, movies, equipment, shows...
  ETSY NEWS— Updates about Etsy policy, new site features, press clippings
  EVENTS— Heads-up and round-ups about goings-on in the in the world of DIY, handmade (especially events Etsians are organizing or involved in)
  ETC— Fun, silly stuff like Etsy Pets and Funny Forum Quotes.
  MULTI-MEDIA— Get straight to a chronological list of the videos embedded within articles on the Storque.
  
• Click on a Featured Column to get an even finer grained sorting of the content.
• Click view all contributors to read the Storque by author.
• Under featured columns, you'll see recent comments. Click on these to get right to what all the fuss is about.

Once you've opened an article, you can:

• Click on the tags at the bottom to see other similar content.
• You can click on an author's avatar to get to a list of all the articles they've written for the Storque or to get to their shop and profile.
• If you're a shopper, you should also click on related items to get to the listing page.
• Click on Comments to make them visible. You need to be logged into Etsy to post your own comment.
• Previous page and Next page get you to the previous or next article within the section.

If you prefer the Storque to be a weekly experience, you should read the Storque Digest for all the headlines from the previous week. We have a monthly video called the Storque Newscast that you should check out. Both of these can be found in the featured columns.

Here are the specifics on Featured Columns:

About Us — Get to know the Etsy admin.
All about Etsy FAQ Series — Learn about how Etsy, the company, runs internally.
Art of Pricing — A series for sellers on figuring out how to price your work.
Competitions & Opportunities — Check this out for contests, promotions and other ways to get in on the action.
CustomerCare — Pieces from admin on the Customer Support Team, with everything from helpful tips on how to use Etsy to updates on site policy and billing.
Etsy Community Projects — Projects that Etsians do together to get to know each other, have fun or do something that makes a difference.
Etsy Finds — Every day, one of the Etsy admin posts one of their favorite items from the marketplace.
Etsy Handmade Heirlooms — Call for videos about your family's most treasured handmade heirloom.
Etsy Love Stories — Romance, Etsy style.
Etsy Success Stories — Interviews with successful Etsy sellers, in which they share their useful tips.
Etsy's Most Hearted — Posts about much beloved Etsians.
EtsyLabs — Find out what is going on in the Labs and how to get involved, even if you're not in Brooklyn.
EtsyTeams — All posts related to Etsy Teams.
EtsyinthePress — Keep up to date with news articles and other media pieces that cover Etsy.
Featured Buyer — Posted on Wednesdays, these pieces invite notables and bloggers to choose their favorite items from the Etsy marketplace.
Forum Decorum — Etiquette for participating in the Etsy Forums.
Fresh Shops — Our weekly series highlighting new talented sellers.
Funny Forum Quotes — Silly and insightful lines from the Etsy Forums.
Gift Ideas — Seasonal content for shoppers.
Legal Info for Artists —Legal information for artists and crafters from Sarah Feingold, Etsy's in-house attorney and jeweler.
News from the Craft + Style Blogosphere
Online Workshops — Notices for live multi-user events. Get involved!
Open Studio Tour — Visits to artists, both Etsy sellers and other notable artists.
Podcasting Series — Learn how-to podcast and suggestions for what to listen to.
Recommended Blogs — Suggestions for cool blogs to read
Shop Critiques — Posts related to the Labs' live critiques of sellers' shops.
Shop Makeover Series — How-to make your shop better looking, more effective and more self-confident too!
Storque Newscast — Our video newscast. Entertaining and informative.
TechUpdates — Site announcements pertaining to site functionality and features.
Trends — Hot tends for shoppers
Your Handmade Stories — Our call for videos from sellers and buyers telling us how making things has changed their lives or supporting indie artists makes the world a better place

For Buyers:
There's plenty o' shopping content. Click through the Storque as you would flip through a fashion magazine, checking out the related items at the bottom of each article.

• Every week we post a Trends piece or a Featured Buyer piece in the SPOTLIGHT section.
• Daily, we post Etsy Finds which highlight a unique item on Etsy.
• We also feature Fresh Shops as a way to highlight newbie sellers.
• Look for Etsy EVENTS in your area; some of these are local to Brooklyn and related to our office at the Etsy Labs, but some of the events may be featuring Etsy sellers in your area.

For Sellers:
The Storque is your go-to place for site announcements and ETSY NEWS, as well as HOW-TOs for indie entrepreneurs. Etsy Success Stories in the SPOTLIGHT section reveal some of the best kept secrets from Etsy's top sellers. TechUpdates offer you the crucial info.

Writing for the Storque
The Storque is written by Etsy admins, special guests, and members of the Etsy community, so in a way, it's like a community newspaper. Etsians can pitch an article to the Storque  by clicking the "You can too!" link on the Storque's homepage. We, the Storque's editors Vanessa and TeenAngster, will get back to you if your pitch fits the editorial calendar and if we think your post would be of interest to readers. Please click through to authors' shops and profiles linked to by their by-line avatars.

Readers and authors alike look forward to reading the comments on articles. These comments range in tone from virtual high-fives to thoughtful critiques.

One of our readers anndouglas, for example, commented:
"I'm new to Etsy and loving The Storque. Thanks for your great blend of helpful tips, fun-to-read writing, and things I have to check out (and possibly buy)."

Like any online magazine or blog, the editors reserve the right to remove comments that we deem inappropriate or offensive. The Storque is a live, public space for editorial content, and we urge commenters to reflect on their tone and message before posting. For in-depth, Etsy-focused discussion, you may want to post in the forums. From time to time, in fact, we'll close commenting on a Storque post and redirect conversation to a forum thread. In part, we don't want to splinter information and the valuable insight that comes when important topics like site policy or bugs are discussed or diagnosed.

Reposting Content
The Storque is published under a Creative Commons license which allows you to repost articles wherever you like, and we hope that you do so, as long as you give the creators attribution and link back to the original post.

For Media & Press inquiries:
Please see the Etsy About Page and Press Page. If you're interested in developing a Storque story for newspaper, magazine or TV, please email storque@etsy.com.