Ah, this is a good example of how new and old worlds are colliding. In the olden days, you needed to control your brand message, but now on the net, not controlling your message is the point. People can find ways to use your products that you haven't thought of. For example, a customer used a bracelet of mine for a wedding. I don't think much about weddings, but other people would. Your customers and potential customers are creative, and so it's important to see how others see your products.

People are celebrating the official start of the Christmas in July sale. I'll of course be promoting my section, if I am not overextending myself again, as I always do. I took some pictures, and will probably edit them all day.

The Long Tail is my new obsession. But, I'd like to note that casual games are definitely the long tail of video games. For example, take Chocolitier 2. I've never seen a version in stores, but over a year after it's release, it is still on the top 100 of big fish games'[just one of the distributors of casual games, which are usually distributed by download, although there's boxed versions for the luddites] Yahoo's casual games portal also builds reviews and you may also like into the game download page, which is another part of the long tail. People who are casual game enthusiasts may download several games a week and review them, and this can help the more casual casual gaming fans.

For example, I like time management games[do Y before time runs out!] instead of hidden object games[click on items..to solve puzzles] so I'll trust the recs of other time mangement fans over the recs of hidden object fans, especially those fans who play and review a large variety of games. There are also various websites set up for news[I learned, for example, in this review that there will be a Chocolatier 3 and totally died of happiness] that gather thousands of fans.

In regular game economies, you need hits. The production values of games have gone up. The price of producing the voice acting, CGI cut scenes and long levels of hardcore games must be staggering. If only 1000 people buy your game in the first month, you're likely to lose a large amount of money. However, casual games have much lower production values and are quicker to produce. The distribution also allows producers to wait. If chocolaitier 2 sells 1000 in the first week...but continues to sell 100 every week after for a year, long after a game that sold so badly offline would have been removed from the shelves, there is some profit there. And for the game portals that have hundreds of these games, year after year...there's even more profit.

In today's reads, I'm reading The Long Tail. If you want to create an internet venue, remember it's the folks who only sell a few items a month that keep you alive, it seems. If a million people buy from one person, but two million buy from two million separate people, the second is more cash.

This skirt is love. But it'll never be mine!

Finally got my etsybead theme section working. My 800 heart sale will be free shipping. Gotta promote, promote, promote. And of course, I'm anticipating a late summer full of crafty goodness.

Oooh, this referral thing should be causing a lot of drama that I missed! Please don't spam, etsy people.

Oooh, i heard a ruuuumor in New York! My brother said his friend was interviewing at etsy[she's a computer programmer] and that they were interviewing like 20 people. This is just a rumor

Yay, an etsybead treasury

On etsy, staying positive means saying negative things about other people, their shops, their intentions and possibly what their grandmas did for a living. By page 19 or 22 or so, there's some resistance to this idea. I would propose that all threads that say STOP WHINING EVERYONE ELSE be moved to the bitch and moan section.

Not to mention, I hate how people act like if some lady gets a $5 pity sale, they are somehow winning over them in a huge way, as if every single sale someone else gets is somehow taking away from them. I promote everywhere, and get sales slow and steady.

Ouch, I'd hate to be a noob. At least she's not being all positive before going for the maybe your stuff sucks tack.

Etsian Behave Littles has come up with a line of condom holders before the big Freshman rush of the fall. Have fun, prevent babies and disease!

We can now put items into sections while listing.

An etsian notes that shipping isn't free. I skip many of these steps- invoices? no. And I don't wait in line at the PO unless it's an international package, but I still have the cost of envelopes and tape, and the fact that it cost me $1.52 to send 2 ounces to California today.

ah, long promos threads. Note how I posted using an interesting title, talking to the other people in the thread, and took advantage of obvious points of human psychology. Thumbs up to me!

Hey, I've been featured on a blog!


from that blog, I found an article on the time movement, and I have to say I'm all for it. I'd rather work less and consume less than work more to get stuff that's going to hang in the back of my closet.

I love twitter.

This post is a paean to the amazon box. If you're in business, never throw out the amazon box. This is as unadvised as making a hammock out of clotheslines. You can reuse the amazon box to ship almost anything. It doesn't get ruined after you remove its original contents. Just put some bubble wrap[hopefully recycled] in and seal it back up, and whatever you've got in there is protected against wind, rain, hail and postal workers. Go,amazon box!

Yay, I got a treasury.

Hey, I didn't know that you could search twitter. Also, LEST has a fourth of July contest.

Finally got the Christmas in July section up. Hoping to do some promoting soon.

People are protesting the lack of a doll category on etsy. I'm working on a paper, and watching my ebay auctions.

800 hearts. Better come up with a sale. For Christmas in July, I'll just have a section

Etsy fan club wants better service

Turning Towards Home

american eagles
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

I think in these times, we'll see even more of a turn towards home. More local items, more recycling, and more DIY. Recycling is trendy right now, but it connects to the old maxim 'waste not, want not'. And of course, handmade is both old and new- old because people used to have to handmake everything, and new because the internet allows a connection between the artist and the user.

So not my picture!

It's a giant piece of natural turquoise!

There's a new patch on etsy's search engine. I have a huge pile of work to do, but have become drained.

An etsy drama community? say it's not so! In other news, I'm having an ebay day, and will soon update my supplies shop. I need to take more pictures!

Art Doll makers want a category on etsy. The collectibles categories have been not implemented for reasons unknown. My listing has been neglected, as I enjoy creating things, and I enjoy promoting things, but I do not enjoy listing things. I haven't even changed the photos for the items I took new photographs of.

lolipops

lolipops
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

Just posting to show that I took photos. I'm quite worried about Monday's assignment. I'm a really slow writer. So to procrastinate, I made tons of bobby pins[although some sets haven't been photographed yet] and a necklace

Featured on blog for the wild thing theme of the week. The sun looks good for pictures today.

A new etsy blog? Interesting. But on number 5- don't forget your local library. Maybe Memphis is an odd town, but you run into a lot of different people at the library- college students, teens,moms with kids, seniors, and many libraries have places to put cards for businesses or post them. In summer, the library is popular because it's free heat relief!

Popular forum goer loosewire is leaving etsy.

I am spending my time promoting the last day of my YART sale. I have a large backlog of ebay stuff to do, and I'm contemplating what designs would look best.

The natives are restless at etsy! with windy's bannation, there is shock! also, here's a new thread.

I must wait until the sun is properly aligned for me to take pictures of supplies and put it in my other shop. Then, I must promote my ebay auctions ending soon. This is before doing my pile of school work. I'm glad I don't have a protestant work ethic. School, ebay, etsy, dawanda, lov.li... they all keep me running! I have tons of backlog to post on ebay, and I need to rephotograph not only my whole etsy shop, but my whole website.

giraffe print earrings
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

Finally made, pictured and posted some earrings. I had been looking for those beads for the wild thing theme.

I'm the only etsy seller who sucks. It's official, if you're not nice to me, I'll whup your butt! And I'm not scared to come right out under my own name and do it!

Rob White has deep thoughts. I may make some jewelry today.

People note that etsy is not cheap to list on. 10 sales a month is above average for etsy jewelry, I say, as I post ads in the classifieds. I flipped over my cards at the library today too.

Etsians are having issues with The Sampler. This is sad because back in 2007, when I did the sampler, I had a good experience, but I guess things change. I need to do more giveaways and things like that for marketing. The happily handmade giveaway was quite a boon for me when it was going.

Not so much ebaying today as I need to. I got some long delayed shots of earrings for ebay, but haven't listed anything. I tagged and retagged for the wild thing theme sale. I've decided that Sunday is a terrible day of the week. Your undone homework haunts you..

I think today will be an ebay day, but I'll also promote my YART and add more items to the section. I'm hoping that I can also write a paper and do all my homework before I start feeling ill again.


also, look, more etsy lolz.


A fraudster may have been shut down.

also, here's some etsy news about the allegations. The cookies were actually good, but sorry about the fraud.

Fresh dirt! Seems that the etsy angels are calling other etsy people names. This is much more exciting than writing a paper about me giving my mom a card. The cached post.

it's time for the etsyy blog fight! A bunch of 'positive' folks are calling out because they can't show their negative sides, I guess. At the bottom of this page, alwaysamy is amazing.

I think that it's dangerous to never acknowledge that we have feelings that are less than pure and wonderful.Not to mention, humans don't work the way we think they do. We're not efficient, and some of my best work has come from futzing around, having a sense of humor and generally being a less than exemplary person.

After my break, I've started to do things again. Promote my YART sale, put a newsletter out, I may be up to my normal level of advertising soon. My head is still killing me, but now that my neck has let up, I'm able to move forward. I'm hoping that after summer school, I'll be able to work even harder.

There seems to be some rumbles in the forums. I'm unable to get inspired to make any jewelry or do anything much besides goof off with a heat pad or a vibrating noodle of doom around my neck.

Pie in dry ice.

Yay! In a treasury today! I'm beside prettyinpeace. This is the first treasury screenshot I've done using fireshot.

In a treasury today. yay.

Regal beads blogs, and she's pissed


I'm planning to gather supplies and restore my strength. There may be an outrageous amount of beading going on soon.

I forgot all about the new etsy bead theme- a day at the beach- so tagging and detagging may have to be done. Finally, did the tagging and detagging. Items in section.

The Lol Wut pear is not to be sold by unauthorized persons I want a bookmark now.

1000th post!

291 etsy people have the same bday as me.

I need to promote my ebay auctions. and of course, list. *tired* I only made 2 items today.

Etsy Finds from Around the World. Awesome stuff I found on etsy lately:



I just like this brooch.



Of course, I like the bright colors and staging for the pictures of this dress, which seems traditional with a twist.



shoes with love from Columbia.

Hey, I'm featured on a blog, and it's all pretty.

Passementetrie[possibly misspelled] vanished from etsy without a word a long time ago. She had sold certainly more than a hundred high end pieces. anyway, I found her flickr.

It seems that prettyinpeace has a new blog, which has highlighted the designer flytie.

Littleput in a legal battle? And all sorts of weirdness. But I'd like to note that hoop earrings are in the public domain, and also, sushi is in the public domain.

Making a living doing handmade isn't very common, but then again, who can fault etsy for making people want the dream? I mean, even if we won't achieve it, we still can dream big! *has been reading sports manga again*

International shipping sticker shock.

I am the only person in the world who doesn't know about these fee calculators. Oddly, it's cheaper to sell a ten dollar book on ebay than amazon[and there are fewer penny books, too]. Adjust the etsy listing fees for the amount of relists. For example, if you want to relist three times before it sells, put in .60 for etsy fees.

41 items for my 50 item challenge. It's nice to be short by less than ten items. Today I took a break, but I guess I might actually list some items now that I'm awake.

Best etsy thread ever.

38 items made for the challenge. Also, page on handmade parade is up.

I don't understand this featured buyer thing, but I love they might be giants

Etsy lady abitabite has made Playgirl.[a pornographic magazine, so if you don't want to see things like that, please do not click this link.] To tie to into my general blogging, I hear you have to generate some press to be successful. I bet she'll get a lot of interest from the national exposure.

During my hour of promotional power, I noticed my flower ring got to popular on craft juice.

I also noticed that on craigslist, Memphis is listed in Mississippi.

I wonder if one hour a day is too little. But I guess I should pace myself so I don't get ill.

Note: yay for minutes of chats.

I'm still depressed but I feel a bit better. Some people have Ferraris and some people have rusty old bikes, and you don't get an upgrade. I find that every time I need to ship even one package[today is the day after Memorial Day, I have four] I lose my scissors.

I may have an exciting secret, that I can't enjoy now, but when I feel better, I may enjoy it.

Apparently if you make more than the 1 sale a month that's the etsy average, you should never worry.

Also, I've lost my sense of humor, so these folks seem mean. I was all hoo rah last post[5 minutes ago] but instead I think I'll hang around and tell my parents to give me some of those sausages they've been grilling.

I plan to do a promotional power hour everyday. Maybe I'll fall short[I've only made 34 items for my 50 item challenge] but I'm hoping to work hard. I don't do shows, so I'm working hard during the summer to build a foundation for winter.

Yay! Featured in Carnival's blog!

Glad to be a sweet steal.

I enjoy all things etsy, even if they aren't super happy shiny. So I've discovered the shocking blog, etsy bitch! There's also bad etsy deals, full of calling out! A forum thread. and a shocking compilation of closed threads!!!

I have to admit that I don't really fit in at etsy as I don't do well being all goodie goodie gumdrops. I mean even in real life it's tough for me to have a good personality. Once this guy during a game said missed[in Italian] bitch to me, and I swear he recoiled in fear. Hehehe, so there you have it. I work hard making jewelry, and I like my designs, but the truth is that if you buy handmade not for the workmanship or the beauty of the items, but instead because you think the person making the item is all goodie goodie gumdrops, you'll be really disappointed with my stuff.

But I have faith that the majority of people aren't like that. That people aren't as judgmental as they seem to be. That real humans of flesh and blood can still be successful.

Should attempted price fixing be disallowed on etsy?

34 items made for my 50 item challenge. I've been sick a lot, and seem to be running out of supplies. Things I'm quite sure I'm out of:

antiqued brass earwires
gold plated ear wires
gold plated headpins


Things I want but never had:
glue on necklace bails
ribbon bracelet ends

Popular fashion blog A Dress A Day is covering the etsy search change. I might photograph some items for ebay or I might go back to bed for the whole day.

I see that iliketotallyloveit has changed its website. As you can see, I've mostly been using it for advertising.

Yay! I'm in a treasury with some nice etsy artists of color!
The treasuries are awesome! I'm glad to get in a treasury as I am trying to promote my butt off before summer school begins. I need to get as much of a foothold as I can before I only have the time to maybe relist once per day.

Also, look at this cute troll doll.

Yay for free press. Got my 25% off sale on the etsy sales blog. But filling out stuff about me to get free press, it's pretty tough.

Hey, I'm in a treasury. I hope I start being in treasuries more often now, I've been in a slump lately.

aqua stars

aqua stars
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

The new supplies I got in certainly helped me with my burst of creating.

I made 28 items for my challenge! I also took pictures of all of them.

etsy dirt! abitabite has a new shop! It is nsfw!

Also, the vintage and supplies meeting minutes have been posted!

Etsy dirt! Small company, Vital, ripped off by Urban Outfitters.

I'm celebrating nearly 700 hearts with a week long sale! Tell me where you found my shop and get 25% off!!!

Spiderbite calls for some maturity. Remember- saying I gotta list! doesn't make people agree with you or even shut up.

Yay! My stuff is similar to a front pager's!



front page! yay!



Me! I'm happy in a sort of "look, I'm as good as a front pager" way, but I'd like people who are worried about copying to note that two people who don't know each other[I've never seen this person before this] managed to make similar earrings by using the same sort of idea- flowers with centers, and sterling silver.

I never knew I was on etisians say the darnest things! Note: in googling myself, the first mention of what I said in the forums was this, four pages in. This is the only forums hit in ten pages, and it had to be copied unto a blog.

I'm also refocusing on my supply shop. Renewing the expired items and adding a few new in. I'm cleaning my bead box out too, as I need to be able to find things to be able to make things.

Formerly banned people return to etsy forums mysteriously. I have run out of energy to make any items, and so my 50 item challenge is in danger. I also plan to list 5 items on ebay everyday.

pink and blue cell charm

pink and blue cell charm
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

I finally uploaded some pictures, and have been listing like crazy. I posted these stars on

I haven't gotten to uploading my zillion pictures, so here's the minutes of an etsy employees chat! There may be dirt about the vintage and supply situation forthcoming!

Posting this so I remember to read it fully.

Plenty of dirt in the forums.

I can't have nice things

I can't have nice things
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

This is why you need to be careful with your stuff. I think it broke because I put my keys in the grocery basket with stuff on top. So remember- this could happen to you

I've made about 22 items for my 50 item challenge. Slow but sure. I've gotten some good pictures today, but I hesitate to post them on flickr as it's mother's day.

I hear the sampler is going Mtv. I can't participate because the fee is $110.

There's been a lot of furor about the new search changes, with handmade as the default search. But there's also been a lot of support with some tresuries- this one explaining how to find vintage and this one just displaying the best of vintage and a thread about supporting vintage and supplies on etsy.

In shocking etsy news, littleput's business is up for sale: for only $7000.

Littleput suggests that she'd like to go outside once in a while.

I love these old photos I found on etsy.

New changes to etsy? I am too run down to understand them, but I bet there will be drama. see official thread.

Negative is the new positive. I sure hope so! People harp on positive, positive,positive, but I think to become strong artists, we need more than that. Not only do we need honest critque to grow, we also need to have emotions that are less than positive to become more creative. When I make jewelry, I have many emotions- sometimes I am angry and want to do better, sometimes I am sad, and want to create to soothe myself, sometimes I am ambitious and want to top myself. Hard work isn't always pretty or fun, but you become stronger for it. So I want everyone to be able to become strong too.

I'm on item 15 of my 50 item challenge, and it's overcast again. I guess today I should post the items I have pictures of, at least. I saw all the bright colors in the mall yesterday and thought my fashion moment has arrived.

Ugh, it's overcast..

A common complaint about the promotions forums is that your post gets buried. The truth is that while we all think our new sale is the most important, so does everyone else. So the best thing to do is to contribute to other people's threads and to chat with them. Look at some items, stay a while. Maybe post in a post and run thread. Get known and more people will be looking for your super special new sale.

11 items completed for my 50 items challenge! I have to wait an hour for the sun to get to a point where I can photo the items, and between then and now I need to post more items on ebay and promote my ending auctions.

I'm not in the etsy supply team anymore, because I said that a promotional thread...BELONGS IN PROMOS!!

Here's what etsy says belongs in techniques and materials, where it was originally posted:

Techniques & Materials:
share and seek advice about creating items
Topics that belong in Techniques & Materials:
• photography questions
• crafting how-to help
• questions about materials or tools

Topics that etsy says belong in promotions:

Promotions:
looking to shop, promote yourself or a favorite seller? post here
Topics that belong in Promotions:
• "show me your..."
• "I'm looking to buy..."
• anything that is advertising or promotion
• sales threads for 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

Whenever you post something on the forums in these sections, these guidelines pop up. There is no longer an excuse for clogging every single other section with promotions. Everyone thinks their thread is too important to be in promotions, so if we say 'well, because this person is in a group with me, they should be allowed to post anywhere they want' the truth is that everyone on etsy is in a group with someone else on etsy or is someone else's special friend. I also do not agree with the idea that everyone must agree with breaking rules for people to be in a team. Now, I'm not an active member of my many teams, but all the teams I am in right now follow the rules. Etsybead doesn't go and post 'looking for jewelry' in business, Jet doesn't go 'we do custom orders' on the techniques, and you never see etsy artists of color posting 'support diverse artists' on the ideas forum. These are all teams, but they agree to work within etsy's rules on etsy.

Etsy isn't making forum rules to be mean or to be arbitrary. When you spam your promotions in other areas, that not only creates more work for the moderators, it also means that people looking for actual information can't be seen above your promotion. So keep it in promos. The truth is that your post or your group's post is not more important than the posts of everyone else. All the other teams, including one of the vintage teams, have been following the rules all this time, you know.


*I just remembered that trashion also follows the rules, and doesn't spam the forums.
also, now you can flag posts for being in the wrong section- another indication that etsy does not want you to spam.

Yay! The new etsy search is here!!

New supply drama?!

I made a cell charm[9 items for the 50 item challenge] but I mostly spent today shopping and sleeping. I need to list and list, though.

hey, it's a new gemstone blog!

8 items made for my 50 item challenge! The sun is out, so it's time for more pictures!

4 items made for my 50 item challenge! But my brain has some fog, so I might have to lay down and play video games for the rest of the day. Our light quality is pretty bad today, so no photos, I think.

betty page!

betty page!
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

I finally put this necklace on my website. I've only made one new item for my 50 items in May challenge. Better step it up!

*is featured on the art of color!* The board that the booties is on makes me sad. No more house rules candyland for me.