What are you afraid of?

I'm on a rant this morning and is often the case many will disagree with me; and I run the risk of ruffling some feathers. However, as an avid blog follower, reader and commenter, it never fails to snark me into a bad mood when I continually must enter word verification just to leave a comment. I get it, I really do; we all hate spam and the like, but every blogger has the ability to check their comments and delete whatever is inappropriate. What really sends me into a tailspin is when I read and post a comment and my comment is moderated ~ to me that defeats the purpose of commenting at all. I think, doesn't this blogger WANT people to comment?

I follow over 400 blogs (on different platforms with different methods of commenting) and my reading list in the morning looks like "War and Peace." Obviously I can't read every blog that comes across my feed but I do quickly scan for blogs that interest me on any given day; read and comment. That could be one or one-hundred.



I don't know a blogger who doesn't check their comments frequently and unless we are a blogger with 10,000 followers, the likelihood of spam is relatively small. Every time I must verify, it shortens the amount of time I have available to read other blogs...or want to (given my bad mood).

On my blog as an example, my settings allow anyone to comment, without moderation and without word verification. I use Blogger and have a spam filter...which is always empty ~ and fortunately for me, I've never had a spammer. If I do end up with a spam comment, it won't ruin my day ~ I'll simply delete it! I WANT people to comment on my blogs with as little hassle as possible. I want people to walk away from my blog with a good feeling, one that didn't wear them out. And it is for that reason, I believe, I get several comments to my blog on a daily basis.

When I first started blogging and made my setting choices, it occurred to me that I could choose or choose not to be so arrogant as to put requirements surrounding the comment box. I want comments and above all I want followers to come back. If I wear them out, there is a very good possibility they won't come back. I maintain this is one small thing we can do to develop a rapport with our reader.



As said earlier, I read blogs on different platforms and I am a huge fan of Google Friend Connect. It is easy, gives me the ability to see the feeds 24/7 and tells me this blogger want's my business...so to speak. Many times I read blogs that require that I sign up for RSS, Atom or other feeds that will filter into my email box. NOT! My email box looks like a Goodwill Store and I can't handle another feed of any kind. This type of blog has always perplexed me. While we all would love to have our words effortlessly flowing into email boxes, there are a vast number of people who will not read our feed AND it will probably end up in their spam box anyway. On last check, I have over 1000 emails in my spam box from last week alone ~ and I check it frequently. For the life of me I don't understand why a blogger wouldn't use Google Friend Connect or something similar to allow a person to simply follow and that's that? From my perspective if I must sign up for a specific feed, I just pass and move along. No follow, no comment, nada.

I love reading blogs, I really do; but as a reader it must be easy for me, not the author of the blog. I love reading diverse blogs but I don't want to be diverse in the method required to follow or comment. And that as they say, is just my opinion.

Don't forget to stop by my CremeMagnolia Etsy Store for a browse!

Hoarding or Collecting?

Over the last several weeks I've had the opportunity to watch a television show called, "Hoarders." The show gave me pause to wonder if I am a collector or a hoarder? I look around my house and especially my office slash studio slash packing station; it frightens me to think that I may fall in the latter category! It also gave me pause that most artists and crafters may also wonder if they are hoarders!



I collect antique calendar plates, antique white ware, cut glass, black and white photography just to name a few. But the one thing I collect most are art and craft supplies. I simply can't help myself! A trip to Michaels, Hobby Lobby or JoAnn's is a dangerous outing. Regardless of my existing "stash" I can always find something that I absolutely have to have! Even the old Walmarts that have fabric departments and large craft supply isles will catch my attention and I can't leave without buying something!



When it comes to paints and painting supplies I become absolutely giddy when the Dick Blick Art Supply catalog arrives! I currently own boxes upon boxes of expensive oil paints and all kinds of brushes - and oil brushes are very expensive! Once a year Dick Blick has a huge sale on stretched canvas...I always think I need MORE resulting in a fair to huge stockpile of canvases.



Because one of my great loves is mosaic art I have enough antique and vintage plates to serve a small country. I cut these plates and make mosaic tiles from them. I can't pass a thrift store and because of my proclivity for hoarding plates my friends watch me closely when invited to dinner! I even sell the cut plates and some of my antique calendar plates in my CremeMagnolia Etsy Store!



A Rose by any other name!

So my question to all my fellow artisans are we collectors or hoarders?

It takes a strong woman to sell virtual

I was asked to write a tutorial on sales, I've only been selling or teaching the art of the sale for 35 years. It's what I do; it's the only thing I know how to do!

There are some tools that one must become familiar with to become a good seller. Rocket fuel first; be it coffee, tea, soda or just plain water ~ using Rocket Fuel will keep you zoned in on your goal. Here's mine.



Time fly's when you are doing something fun or starting a new venture. I opened an Etsy Store a mere six months ago and am fairly satisfied with my results. Nearly all my sales were multiple orders, I have 100% glowing feedback (despite the winter storms slowing delivery times), and I sell to a very narrow customer-base.



What I've learned is not to trip over dollars to make quarters! Learning the in's and out's of a new selling venue takes determination and reading everything possible. I've spent so many hours "learning" reading that I have days when I think my eyes are going to bleed. Determination also means rolling with the punches, adapting to change and most importantly avoid the politics of any group. It's hard to avoid the latter ~ however I was taught many years ago; "no one can put negativity into your head if you don't let them."

It costs money to make money and having spent the better part of my life creating bottom line revenue I am acutely aware of this fact. Marketing and promotion are the single most important aspect to launching a new business. For my Etsy store, I choose to renew items on a regular basis. The cost is minimal and it brings my inventory within closer viewing range. I have chosen not to "feature" my items on Etsy's front page. It's expensive and rarely does anyone even see it. Lets face it, I've been around Etsy long enough to know that shoppers, even new shoppers will search from the list on the front page or for sellers they know. My pretty picture for a day is not going to make a difference in my revenue.

I'm not typically a joiner, especially where I may be tempted to let negativity into my head. Etsy has changed their focus from a Forum based community to a Team based community. They did not write and ask my opinion! That said, new teams are springing up every day. In the first few days of "teamdom" I began to think of what would make the most sense for me and what would other people "need" to grow their business. The Internet, or better said, Blogging! Many, many Etsy sellers use Blogs as a sales, marketing and promotions tool for their respective stores. So I started the Etsy Blog Team. I should tell you that by it's very nature (full of off-Etsy links) it is controversial. However the team is growing fast and it's a very cool crowd to hang with. We have even started our own brand new blog, The Etsy Blog Team Blog! It's brand new but sure to be a real winner as it will be full of guest Bloggers and tutorials on subjects of all kinds.



So I leave you today with this message: Work hard, keep your head down, drink what keeps you going and don't let any negativity enter your brain!