Your Blog Layout is CRAP! --guest blogger

CRAP stands for Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity. These stand for the four principles of design.

Contrast is good…it attracts the eye. Contrast is the difference between medium blue and dark blue, for instance. Go bold or go home.

Is there a theme or brand running through your site? If so; take that color, logo, shape, line thickness, etc and repeat it throughout to organize and unify. Be careful not to overdue to the point of becoming boring.

Nothing should be put on your page randomly. Pick a side….alignment, that is. You really should try not to use more than two alignment styles. Envision an invisible line running down the page. Alignment doesn’t just apply to text either.

Like or similar items should be group close-by to each other to create one visual unit. It reduces a cluttered look, and organizes the page. Keep in mind what you want the reader’s eye to look at. You don’t want their eyes darting all over the page, which it will without proximity.

More Information:

http://carsonified.com/blog/design/how-crap-is-your-site-design/

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1898774/the_crap_design_principle_contrast.html?cat=15

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/design-better-with-crap.html

A special thank you to Beth for writing up this article after several of our members were talking about how we can improve our individual blogs. To find out how this is used or more about Beth please use these handy dandy links:
http://jusshar.etsy.com
http://jusshardesigns.wordpress.com/
http://www.facebook.com/JusSharDesigns

Plaincraft: “The Best Handmade Items Picked By You!”

Looking for a venue where you can gain free exposure for your handmade wares? Want impartial feedback for your creations? Plaincaft is a website where you can have both!

Plaincraft’s concept is simple. You may submit up to three handmade items to their website per day. Each submission includes a photo and link to the item for sale (i.e. on Etsy). Visitors to Plaincraft then rate your submissions from 1 to 20. The current Top 10 items remain on Plaincraft’s front page along with the five latest submissions.

Plaincraft is also on Twitter and has over 1400 followers. When you submit an item, @plaincraft sends a tweet asking followers to rate it. It also sends a tweet when a new Top 10 is selected and for each item in the Top 10.

Although the popularity of Plaincraft is growing fast and the competition is stiff, it is possible to get into the Top 10. I have personally had many items in the Top 10 and a few of my items have been rated number one. My Pretty Petals bracelet is currently in the Top 10 and has been since I submitted it over a week ago [as of this posting].

Here are some tips for ensuring the highest possible rating and exposure:

• If free exposure is most important to you, submit examples of your finest work. I don’t submit an item unless I believe it will be rated highly.
• You can be the first to rate your item. If you feel it’s worth a score of 20, why not give it a 20? I don’t always rate my own items, but you should follow your conscience.
• Send tweets with a link to your submission on Plaincraft asking your followers to rate it. Make sure to include the #estytwitter tag so your team will see it. Post on Facebook, Google groups, etc. as well. Do it as often as you feel comfortable, but don’t spam or tell people how high to rate it!
• Make sure to include your shop name in the title of your submission. For example, when I submitted my latest item, I titled it “Pretty Petals Bracelet – joslinjewels.etsy.com”.

Remember that brand name recognition is a process. There is no way to know for sure if I have made a sale via Plaincraft, but I have received an Etsy convo and tweets complimenting my submissions so I know my jewelry is being seen. My submissions have also resulted in photos of my jewelry being shown on the popular jewelry blog, The Beading Gem’s Journal, in a post about Plaincraft. The website’s author recently contacted me to ask if she could write a feature about my jewelry.

There are only a couple limitations to keep in mind:

• Submissions must be approved if you don’t have a Plaincraft account.
• To prevent the same items from remaining perpetually in the Top 10, submissions expire after two weeks.
• Plaincraft only allows links from Etsy, iCraft, Dawanda, 1000 Markets, Winkelf, Folksy, Shop Handmade, Misi, Madeitmyself, Handmade Fuzion, as well as any independent artist websites.

So why not try Plaincraft? It’s simple, free and fun.

Sheridan Joslin
joslinjewels.etsy.com
http://twitter.com/joslinjewels

Photos © Joslin Jewels/Sheridan Joslin

What is Twitter Influence?

Becki, from Ambient Lights, wrote up a really nice article explaining Twitter influence and the site Twinfluence. Enjoy!

To quote Twinfluence.com: “Twinfluence is a simple tool using the Twitter API to measure the combined influence of Twitterers and their followers, with a few social network statistics thrown in as bonus.”

Basically, your Twitter influence shows how many people you could reach by tweeting and by the retweeting of your tweets by your followers.

For 14 days, I tracked the number of those I follow on Twitter and those who follow me. I didn't make an extra effort (too much at least) to gain new followers or tweet more. I really just tweeted and followed as I normally would. Some days I wasn't on Twitter much, some days I was on a lot.

At the beginning, I was following 573 fellow tweeters and 576 were following me. At the end of the two weeks I was following 697 tweeters and 717 were following me.


My Twitter influence rank at the beginning on 2/16/09 was 3,542 (86%) with 1,593,565 second order followers. Secondary followers on Twinfluence are calculated by collecting the “raw” numbers of your followers’ followers, but not your followers’ followers’ followers’ followers. Let’s use some simple numbers for an example of what secondary followers are. Let’s say only 10 fellow Twitterers were following you on Twitter but each of the 10 following you has 100 followers. The secondary followers that would be in your reach (i.e. retweets!) would be your 10 followers multiplied by each of their 100 followers = 1,000 second order followers! Do you see the power of retweets?

Twinfluence quote: “The number rank and percentage number is explained by Twinfluence as 'Reach Ranking'. Reach rankings take the form of 'Rank: #XXX (YY%)'. The #XXX score is your overall rank compared to all other Twitterers that have been analyzed by Twinfluence. If your rank is #400, that means there are 399 other Twitterers in the system that have higher reach scores than you. The (YY%) score is your grade; if you have a grade of 75%, it means that you have a higher reach than 75% of the other Twitterers we have analyzed.”

A full explanation about Twinfluence can be found here: http://Twinfluence.com/about.php

On 2/24/09 I went through all the tweeters I followed and unfollowed some, 38 to be exact. I did not unfollow all that did not follow me back (I did follow them for a reason), but I did unfollow some that had not followed me back, some I found that hardly ever tweeted, and/or tweeted things that I decided didn't truly interest me all that much.

The day I unfollowed some tweeters, my Twinfluence was ranked at 3,059 (89%) with 1,850,594 secondary followers.

For the people I newly followed during this time, I checked out what I normally check out when I follow people, but I did so a bit more thoroughly. I looked at the number of those they followed and the people who followed them, their web site if one was linked, read a page (maybe two) of their tweets and their Bio on Twitter, too, of course. I know that sounds like a lot but I mostly skimmed through it and was able to check out many tweeters in a fairly short amount of time... with just a few distractions of looking at interesting random links I ran across in their tweets.

At the end of the time that I was tracking my followers and those that followed me, my Twinfluence rank was 2,648 (90%) with 2,160,468 secondary followers. So, with out too much extra effort my rank rose 4% in two weeks and I gained 566,903 secondary followers as well as 141 awesome new direct followers.


Everyone uses Twitter for different reasons and in different ways, but I feel one reason that many of us tweeties use Twitter is for the network reach it has - be that making new friends, sending out inspirational quotes, promoting your business, charity or blog, whatever the case may be... it's about the network, however small or large, and Twinfluence is a great tool to find out exactly what your potential reach may be.

Guest Blogger: Firebird House

Kristen, from Firebird House and Still Heart Studios on Etsy, lets us in on her secrets for a fantastic personal presence in your Etsy shop. Follow her on Twitter @stillheartart. This will be a weekly series!

That Personal Touch

Have you ever gone into a new shop and been greeted with a big smile, or a friendly comment about the color of your raincoat or the state of the crazy weather outside? It probably made you feel good to chat a little, and along the way you probably got a better feel for both the physical items in the store as well as the people who worked there.

Chances are good that you remembered the smile and the warmth the next time you went shopping and it might even have encouraged you to visit again.

In Gatlinburg last year, I went into a tiny import shop crammed full of wonderful and unusual things. The owner was there and she and I chatted about how she got into opening the store, and about the items, many of which had stories. I learned a lot of fascinating things that day, and left with gifts for family that had additional meaning thanks to the owner’s willingness to share her knowledge and enthusiasm for her treasures.

The bad news is that this human connection is missing when people shop online. The good news is that there are some great, easy ways to create that connection. Online shopping already has ease, speed and convenience built into it, and in an increasingly time-and- money-crunched marketplace, those are advantages you can build on by putting a little of yourself into your shop to draw in customers once, and encourage repeat business.

So, let’s start with the Etsy Basics…the Shop Announcement and Bio/Profile.

1. Shop Announcements –Think of your shop announcement as the virtual front door to your store. What kind of welcome would you like to give customers? What kind of feeling? Elegant? Heart Warming? Come Right In and Pull Up a Chair? Or more of an exclusive, make an appointment and we’ll pamper you to death kind of atmosphere? Here is where you start creating that, in the shop announcement.

Use words that are descriptive and appeal to the senses. As an example, if you are selling candles, you might talk about warmth, romance, wonderful aromas, and creating a sanctuary. If you are selling vintage items, you might talk about how much you love the feel of a satin pillowcase, or a beautiful piece of china, or about the history and connections in your items. Put your passion into your announcement. How did you get into making/creating/selling this product? Why do you want to share it with others? What do you love about it? You don’t have to say a lot, but enthusiasm is catching and draws people in, and that is what you want to capture in your shop announcement.

2. Bio/Profile – This can be as long or as short as you like, but a few things should be included. Your name, at least your first, and your location. People like to know where and who they are dealing with - it’s that human connection again. Things that are personal to you, such as children, lifestyle, pets, hobbies, are all things which impact a bio and provide a clearer picture of you the person, and by extension, your items. For example, if a person has 3 children and sews handcrafted children’s clothing, its likely that she also has a good idea what kinds of things are important to both mom AND child (i.e. washing ability, style, fit, etc). This builds confidence in the buyer. When there is not a lot of money to spend, this can be invaluable. Ask yourself what kinds of things you would like to know about someone, then come up with ways you can tell customers the same things about yourself.

3. General – if your craft or art has a history (i.e. pine needle basket weaving, silk painting, beading, glass blowing, pottery, etc) as so many do, be sure to include a little bit about the history and techniques. If you’re not sure, now might be a good time to do a little research and use what you learn to help people connect with you and your work.

So, now I want you to head over to your shop and take a virtual “visit” as if you were a stranger, just seeing your work for the first time. What do you notice? Notice what’s good, and what you think isn’t really having the effect you intended. Have a friend or teammate take a look as well, and compare notes. Do some window shopping on Etsy and see what you like and don’t like about shop announcements and profiles, then add (or subtract) from yours to get the look you want. When you are finished, have your friends pay a second virtual visit and see what they think.

If you run into something you are not sure what to do with, or have questions, leave a comment or post to the group, and we can help!

See You Next Week….

Kristen

About Twitter in 140 Characters or Less

Becki Krska, from Ambient Lights, wrote an article for our blog!

What Can You Say in 140 Characters or Less In the Twitterverse?

Lots of things. Each section here will only be 140 characters or less and will be a complete thought. This is exactly 140 characters long :)

U can only use 140 characters b/c Twitter is designed so you can receive & send messages via text msg.I might be in trouble if I did that ;)

Twitter, plain and simple, is fun. It's a great way to meet lots of people, chat and have a chance to promote your website(s) or blog.

Many Etsians are on Twitter. Etsy themselves are on Twitter. I have seen moms & pops & gov ppl, other well knowns & not so knowns on Twitter

Bloggers, journalists, artists, radio show hosts, mentors, life coaches, SEO specialists, herbalists, marketing specialists...& on & on!

Smtimes u need 2 get creative w/ ur words if u want 2 fit evrythng u want 2 say in 140
chartrs > tho there's usually plenty of rm 4 evrythng

You can tweet about what you are having for dinner, the weather, a favorite quote of yours or @ reply to chat w/ people.

Or something random like, "My ‘e’ and ‘s’ are half worn off my keyboard! Too much Twittering maybe?"

BTW, I had still had 40 more characters I could have used on that last one :D

You can tweet links to videos, articles, your favorite artisans, links to your own work, whatever you like.

Links can use up a lot of your characters. Here you can make a tiny URL though, http://tinyurl.com/ so you can fit more in your tweet.

I love looking at links but honestly ppl, if apx half or more of your tweets are JUST promos for you, I may not follow you.

Chat w/ me too! Tell me what you’re doing; let me get to know you a bit. Twitter, I feel, is best described as a "water cooler stop." Short and sweet :)

Oh, & if you say something quirky, cute or creative in your promo link too, I'm even more inclined to take a peek and see what's up :)

You can also DM ppl that follow you (Direct Message). It's a mini "email" within Twitter, tho you still can only use 140 characters or less.

To sign up for Twitter go to twitter.com & to search for people go to search.twitter.com

Follow ppl that interest you, just be sure not to follow 2 many at once. If you are following 2 many & not enough are following back (cont)

you'll be blocked from following more until the ones you're following and those following you becomes more balanced.

You can set your background of your Twitter page to anything you like. An easy one to do is set up an Etsy mini (from your Etsy), (cont)

and save it as a jpg file (you can do this in Paint) and load it to your Twitter page. It's fast, easy and cute!

A couple great twitter tools are Twhirl & Tweet Deck (just Google them) :) Twhirl is ok IMO but I'm really excited to try Tweet Deck!

To see your (or others’) Twitter ranking based on followers you can go to http://twitterholic.com/

You can check out your Twitter grade here twitter.grader.com/. Last time I checked I had a failing grade, now I have a 98.3 out of 100!


I've only had a few quitters (I don't really know why they quit following) but if you want 2 know who quits on u go here useqwitter.com/.

There's other neat things out there that you can do w/ Twitter and lots of fun to be had, but I'm about tweeted out now...so go on people!

Go tweet! Find some neat new people to follow, see what your Twitter ranking is, tweet something funny or tweet a link to this post!

Tweet y'all later ;-) http://twitter.com/AmbientLights