Thursday, June 28, 2007

Help Spread the Word

Today, I want to talk about something a bit different than my usual knitting and yarn content. I want to talk to you about Etsy and to ask for your help with something.

As many of you probably already know, Etsy is a selling venue for items that are handcrafted. Most of you know Etsy for the hand dyed and handspun yarn, but Etsy is full of amazing shops that sell everything from art to pottery to purses to clothing to jewelry to paper goods to . . . well, you get the idea! The list could go on and on. If a mind can conceive it and a person can create it, you’ll likely find it somewhere on Etsy.

Etsy’s tagline is “Your place to buy & sell all things handmade” but the vision behind Etsy goes beyond that. When Etsy drafted their “Do’s and Don’ts” for buying and selling on Etsy, the original draft included a preamble that talked about the vision of creating a marketplace where there is a connection between buyer and seller. It referenced days past when the items people purchased were often purchased directly from the hands that made them. This vision appeals to me enormously. Although there is certainly a vital place in our world today for mass-produced goods, the idea of purchasing some of our goods directly from the maker is wonderful.

I’ve been selling on Etsy now for over a year and I can personally attest to the satisfaction and joy that this relationship between buyer and seller has brought to me. My customers are more than customers to me. They are very real people, infinitely human, full of kindness and spirit, sharing a common passion for yarn and fiber arts. The day to day interaction we have is a wonderful and unexpected gift that has added something meaningful to my life. I am extraordinarily grateful to the mad geniuses behind Etsy for bringing the venue to life.

Etsy is still a very new venture, but it is thriving and growing and I want to see that continue. This got me to thinking about what more I can do to help with that, not for my shop specifically but for Etsy as a whole. I want to do my part to give back to the Etsy creators, owners and staff, as well as to the amazing community of artisans with shops on Etsy. That’s where this post comes in. And that’s where you come in.

Today, I would like to ask that any of you who have blogs consider posting a little something about Etsy. This is not a request that you talk about my shop, but simply that you join me in shouting to the online world that Etsy exists and is all about a good thing. It’s a venue that is providing an amazing opportunity for artisans to reach the world and share their work. It’s a venue that allows buyers a connection and interaction with the talented people making the goods sold there. It’s a place of innovation and enlightenment, forward thinking, care and concern about the environment, and appreciation of the value of human ingenuity and the creative process.

If you have a blog, this post is my request to you that you take a moment and tell your readers about Etsy and perhaps also ask that your readers join in and spread the word as well. Feel free to use any of what I’ve posted here or a link to this post if you find it worth repeating. If some of you choose to do this and some of your blog readers take up the cry as well, a chain can begin and we can do a great deal to spread the word in a short space of time.

Perhaps this is not something you’re interested in doing. I entirely understand that! But if you have found that the Etsy venue and the connections you’ve made with some of us who sell there have brought some small but positive addition to your life, I ask that you consider helping to spread the word. I know that many of you regularly mention Etsy sellers in your blogs, but this is a bit different. This is a more generalized shout to the world that Etsy is a place worth visiting and it is a specific request that others help spread the word. If you don’t have a blog, but would like to help spread the word, perhaps you could make a point of telling a few folks about Etsy who may not already know.

If you choose to take me up on this request and post something on your blog, please do drop a comment here. I’d love to pop over and see your posts and learn more about how all of you view Etsy.

My apologies for the off-knitting-topic post! I hope you don’t take this post as just an “advertisement”! I am posting this not to spread the word about my shop, but to do my small part in contributing to spreading the word about Etsy. It’s just my small way of giving back to the Etsy community that has brought so much to me.

Back to knitting and yarn topics next post, I promise!

37 comments:

DragonsChest said...

I love the Etsy setup -- and I will be glad to post a few comments in forums I'm a member of. My blog isn't really up and running, so that isn't a place to put it, but my forums... oh yes!

tisjewel said...

Would be happy to post it and spread the word. I'm going to just borrow most of what you said in your post and credit you for it with a link back to your post, hope that's ok? :)

Anonymous said...

I absolutely agree with you sentiment. Etsy is so much more than an online marketplace--it's a community.

I've posted plenty of Etsy love in my blog, but I wonder if that is getting the word out, since most of my readers found me through Etsy!

Sometimes I feel like I'm preaching to the converted...

Kathleen J. said...

As you personally know I feature sellers on Etsy occassionally. I never thought of doing Etsy itself but why not? After all a rising tide raises all ships.

Pamela said...

I don't know if I have time to add a message today about Etsy, but when I celebrated the 1 year mark I did write a glowing account of what Etsy has meant to me. I really believe in Etsy and the vision behind it!

Sweet Olive Press | Helen said...

I love the Etsy community and the direct interaction between artist and buyer. It's so rewarding to get such personal reactions to my work, and I'll be happy to spread the word even further!

Anonymous said...

I don't have a blog but I am a seller on Etsy and I think what you have written is wonderful. Etsy is more than just the shops we have there. It is a community of people, both the sellers and the wonderful buyers who become our friends.

You have done a great job describing Etsy as a community and I will follow your lead on other message boards I belong to. Thanks for taking that first step.

Sadie Lou said...

Great post! I will take you up on your offer and post it this Friday and leave it up for the weekend...

Jane Carlstrom said...

Hi Deb, great idea. To get a post up today, I too paraphrased and borrowed heavily and credited you. Thanks for getting this started and glad to join in the shout out.
Jane

Anonymous said...

I'll add your post to my blog with a link to your blog. I think this is a great idea!
~JDStar.net

jayne said...

This is a wonderful and thoughtful post. Inspiring too.

I've posted a blurb on my blog and referenced this post for further reading. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

What a great post! I love, love, love me some Etsy. I go there almost every day, just to look. ~Di

~Tonia~ said...

Great post. Yes Etsy is a wonderful place for buyers and sellers.

Mouse said...

I'm also a member of the Etsy community (mousiemasala.etsy.com)and I agree with your post completely. I find myself buying from other members rather than going out to shop in a store and I will definitely be purchasing my holiday and birthday gifts within Etsy.

I'm planning on linking to this post via my blog as well within the next few days.

Anonymous said...

Done. My purchase from you last week was part of my first foray into Etsy purchasing. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful work with the rest of us.

aija said...

Thanks Deb :)

Post here:
http://sockpr0n.blogspot.com/2007/06/etsy-friday_27.html

Jennifer said...

I love Etsy as both an etsy shopkeeper/indie crafter, and someone who loves to support the indie crafting community. My latest blog contest asked people to send me links to etsy shops they liked (as well as other indie online shops). I then posted them all in one monster post on my blog just this past month. I'm impressed an amazed by the lovely work by the crafters on etsy, and am proud to be a humble member as well.

Precious Quilts said...

Hi, I sell and Buy:) on Etsy. I have never come across such a friendly and helpful community.

Etsy may have started in USA but it is a truly global community and I am proud to be a member of that group.

I have positive links to Etsy on my blog so if you want to comment, do please feel free!
http://preciousquilts.blogspot.com

jpolka said...

Etsy is wonderful! I buy and sell there, and am so touched everytime I receive an order for handmade supplies with a little note from the maker, or when someone buys from me and tells me how the plan to use my patterns.

Thank you for starting this great initiative. I will definitely be following your lead and blogging about Etsy.

Infinitespirals said...

I tried to expand on things I like about etsy over at my blog :)

Unknown said...

Hi, I just wanted to thank you for dropping in on my blog. Here is the latest post, with my etsy plug. Thanks for the great idea!
ps, why doesn't your husband like the desert? You can visit anytime...

Unknown said...

oops, forgot to leave the link to my blog!
http://ponosmom.blogspot.com/2007/06/etsy-is-worth-visiting.html

Unknown said...

Great post on the importance of Etsy! I shop and sell there and absolutely love the community.

Kim said...

Great post! I do sell very little on etsy but have met so many incredible people through etsy both in person and just on the forums. I post regularly about etsy and all the fun stuff going on there!

Sara Millis said...

I've just added it to my blog to do list... I think there are a lot of peolpe here in the UK who don't know what Etsy is and spreading the word would definately benefit us. I'm also going to add your blog to my blog roll, if that's ok.

Thanks for starting this up,

Sara x

Anonymous said...

I have links in my blog to some Etsy shops but I will gladly talk about Etsy itself also,maybe I can do that tonight since not much else is happening! I do believe most of my readers are from Etsy, but there is always that chance that some one will stumble onto it.

GwynnsGifts said...

Thank you for doing such a wonderful job capturing the essence of Etsy and promoting the entire community. I have added your post to our blog and given you all the credit with a link to your site. Thank you so much it has been a pleasure

Jersey Shore Deb said...

Hey Deb,
I just posted about Etsy. You can read it on my blog at http://rather-be.blogspot.com. Thanks for encouraging us to do this--I love Etsy and want it to get as much positive feedback as possible!

stacey said...

great idea!
i am off to update my blog now.

The Dangerous Mezzo said...

Absolutely. Consider it done.

Anonymous said...

Well said. I really do love Etsy - both as a buyer and a maker (wildcatdesigns), because of the personal connections and community. I'll definitely be bigging-up Etsy soon!

Barbra said...

Thanks for inspiring me. I created my ode to etsy today!!!

Scarf It Up said...

You have written such a wonderful tribute to ETSY - its sellers, buyers, creators, and staff! I will post tomorrow on my blog, but I may quote you and giv e you the credit because I coulnd't say it better - ever!

Terri said...

Wow, what a really wonderful post that encapsulated exactly how I feel about Etsy! It really is about community :)

Scarves For All Reasons said...

Fearless

I have a small shop there never sold anything but I have a shop there. I do like Etsy.com and have a link on my blog. Keep up your good work sharing our community. Karen

Avrienne said...

It's odd that I'd never seen your blog before, but that someone in the YPF ring mentioned this entry on the same day that I had posted about wanting to open my own Etsy shop!

I haven't much made up to sell yet, which is why I've been holding off, but now, having read all the wonderful thoughts here and elsewhere, I'm even more excited to try it myself.

Ginger said...

Posted!
http://gingerblack.blogspot.com/