Girls Gone Crafty and "ADs"

[brdgt]

[artgeek]

I think "share a craft" is for sharing patterns, asking questions about different crafts, etc.

In a perfect world, "girls gone crafty" would be where members share info about their crafty businesses, articles, books, etc or information about crafty businesses, articles, and books they like/don't. So, when the Crafty Chica gets a new book publishes, she posts in GGC or like that previous thread where a member had a horrific customer service experience with an Etsy seller...that goes in GGC.

I'm really put off by people who sign up, post a link to their business on the blog, in the "crafty businesses thread," start a thread in GGC and never return. To me, those aren't members, and we're just giving them oodles of free advert space.

I think the original intent of GGC was to empower our crafty members to sell their wares and get help doing so, but now it's just absolutely ignored.
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[Nancy Flynn]

hello fellow craftistas-- just wanted to update you on how we're going to move forward:

*we'll be starting a new area on the home page for News & Events,
*This area will be for exciting news (i.e. a community member who is getting published, is going to be on TV, etc.) and events (craft fairs, crafty contests) the community should know about.
*This area will be moderated by Christy and me-- we will ask that you e-mail us with your news and events and we will post appropriate information (more details on this when we launch).

In addition, we'd love to get your feedback on starting a new forum specifically to talk about crafty business-- NOT advertisements, but discussion and feedback for the crafty entrepreneurs among us. The "crafty business links" thread would live in this new area as a reference point for people looking to "shop craftista."

From the feedback on this thread, it sounds like the community agrees that getcrafty is NOT a place for free advertising, and it makes sense to take a firm stand on that.

to that end, in the future:
*The Girls Gone Crafty forum may be locked and phased out
*From that point forward, anything that can be considered a blatant advertisement may be deleted by the moderators

please do post your thoughts & concerns on this thread-- we want a solution that the majority of the community can agree on happily.
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[riotous lioness]

The truth is, I really wouldn't mind a space that's dedicated to allowing members to share their businesses. That's what I meant by wanting to buy from someone I know. If I knew that GGC was going to be filled with links to businesses and such, but only to those run by people who contribute to this space, I'd enjoy it greatly. It's the pseudo-spammers that drive me away from that forum.

My thought is to take a page from the book of another board I used frequent. They didn't allow business ads, but if a person wanted to be involved in a swap, they had to have X number of posts. That might work in this instance as well. I think at that forum X = 40.

Get Crafty is a community defined by it's content. I, myself, may not add a lot to that content, but it's very interesting and valuable to me. And I'd be willing to spend my money at a shop run by someone I have learned something from, or even just recognize the user name, because I know that they've contributed to the content of this place.

I don't have a craft based business, and I probably never will. However, I love to buy crafty items, and always will. The chance that I'll go into a forum that's "specifically about crafty businesses" is small. I simply won't feel I have much to contribute. So I may well miss out on etsy shops and such like from our members, who are the first people I'd like to buy from if I'm looking for something.

It's kind of a long way to say that I don't like the "AD" posts from strangers, but I think disallowing all advertising is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

[Cindy]

I have to agree with riotous lioness. I too don't mind the Ad posts from members. I like to see others' sites and crafty stuff. What I don't like is someone who just spams their Ad here. Come share, post, and be a true member here!
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[TQClampwork]

Tho I'm very new to the great group here, I'll toss in my 2 cents......

Myself, I like to see what everyone here is selling - and I prefer to work with/purchase and support the businesses of those I know a bit. So a dedicated 'area' for advertising would, IMO, be great. Particularly because it's a nice time saver to see a post of 'new work' or 'sale' etc and click a link to view (as opposed to trying to second guess when new items for sale are available amongst all of us)

There's never enough time in a day for any of us :-) so I see having a dedicated AD area as useful/enjoyable for those who want that aspect kept available. By having the ADs separated out ot the general fourms ADS are easily avoided by those who don't wish to view items for sale....

Mods, thanks for asking for input!

Faye
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=53225

[brdgt]

Something that I would like: essentially keeping the idea of Girls Gone Crafty but not allowing ads at all.

So - keep the "crafty business" links thread, but confine any business promotion to that thread (we don't need new threads every week about a sale or bumping a thread to keep a business on the front page) and then all other posts should be about the how to have a crafty business ("where do you advertise?" "how do you price your work?" "how do you set up your table at a craft fair?, etc.) And then, of course, the "News and Events" feature would cover anything else.

[riotous lioness]

That's fair, but that thread is awfully unwieldy, even now. Perhaps a short list of stickies, with links broken down in rough catagories. Things like "Jewelry", "Items for the Home", "Clothing".

I'm not sure. But there's got to be a way to take your idea, which is the best way to not feel inundated by advertising, and make it more managable for those of us who wouldn't mind seeing things from the people we interact with on this forum.

[brdgt]

[riotous lioness]

Thank you.

Just trying to strike a balance.

[catherine]

Brdgt,
I found this site by putting in craft business fourums. I thought that I would be able to ask for help, get advice, give advice and info. with other crafters. I didn't think I would be able to advertise my business on the site and for the first week or so I looked at a few sites advertised but only on the ones asking for help and suggestions, because that is what I asked for also and not many people answered that post.

[brdgt]

[vinyl_notions]

[quote:32116ca98d=\"TQClampwork\"]Tho I''m very new to the great group here, I''ll toss in my 2 cents......

Myself, I like to see what everyone here is selling - and I prefer to work with/purchase and support the businesses of those I know a bit. So a dedicated ''area'' for advertising would, IMO, be great. Particularly because it''s a nice time saver to see a post of ''new work'' or ''sale'' etc and click a link to view (as opposed to trying to second guess when new items for sale are available amongst all of us)

There''s never enough time in a day for any of us :-) so I see having a dedicated AD area as useful/enjoyable for those who want that aspect kept available. By having the ADs separated out ot the general fourms ADS are easily avoided by those who don''t wish to view items for sale....

Mods, thanks for asking for input!

Faye
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=53225[/quot
e:32116ca98d]

After reading all this contesting, I''m a bit embarrassed to admit that I posted an ad...but...I do intend to be more than just an ad poster if that means anything.

I do agree with a great majority of what is being said but the one that is most appealing to me is the one above posted by Faye. I had read several threads where people were looking for recommendations on sites that offered supplies and that is one reason that lead me to submit my ad. (at this point it is pending for moderator approval, so it may never post). Although I marked it as an ad, I am also looking to be successful in my business just the same as many of you. I am also looking for craft ideas, products and advice to help me do that. Somehow I got the feeling that that was a portion of what this site was about...people helping people.

As for ads, I think if a person is posting something that is totally unrelated to the hobby(ies) then it should be banned. For ads that are related (or may offer inspiration for projects) I agree that they should be within their own board that way those who are interested in exploring know where to go and those who hate ads don''t have to deal with it. It''s kind of a win-win situation. And in all fairness, if someone who has a potential product that may be of interest to someone else (even if it is one person) they should be able to post it just the same as those of you who are advertising your personal site that is also selling a product. I would think that materials are needed to make projects, right? Or am I wrong?

I have no hard feelings against anything that anyone has had to say and only ask for the same in return. I consider myself to be a fair person and I got there by taking the time to consider both sides of the coin. I''m just simply sharing my view/opinion, I''m not asking for supporters or debaters.
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[quornflour]

I almost feel as though you should have to post elsewhere before you post in Girls Gone Crafty since so many folks pop in post a link to their "fabulous site" and then never come back.
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