Dear readers of UEN, I unfortunately must step down from my role as administrator of this site. I’m soon to get married and begin my post-college career, and it’s imperative that I focus my time and energy on these new efforts. I’d like to take a moment to share how far we’ve come, thank you all, and commend UEN’s editors. But first of all, don’t worry! UEN is continuing on unchanged and will only get better!

When I started up this website and emailed a few of my Etsy friends to ask their help, I had no idea how big the project would grow. Since March 2007, just a year now, we’ve had half a million page views and over seventy thousand returning visitors. We have many hundreds of users who have taken the time to register, and over ten thousand comments have been posted to the blog. It’s been very exciting to watch this site grow along with Etsy.

You may remember the reader survey we took back in November and December 2007. Here are a few results (click the charts to view large versions):

Reading habits: Comparing news sources available to Etsy buyers/sellers
Q: Please describe how frequently you read the following news sources?

UEN’s helpfulness now that Etsy has an official news outlet
Q: How helpful do you find the following news sources?

Are we doing our job?
Q: Should UEN continue to exist?

Thus, beyond simple popularity, it has been a pleasure to provide a timely and reliable news venue for Etsy’s buyers and sellers. As time has progressed, we have also found ourselves deemed an appropriate place for frank discussion and debate of the issues that surround the Etsy community. I believe that is a reflection of our constant efforts to create a space where people of all viewpoints can feel comfortable sharing their opinions.

The credit for this success belongs far more to the dedicated members of the UEN editorial team than it does to me. I’d like to give my endless thanks to everyone who’s served as an editor at UEN. You might be surprised how hard they have worked behind the scenes to make sure that everything runs as smoothly as possible on the site. As tough situations have arisen, it has always been our goal to do what is best for the Etsy community as a whole. Thanks team!

Now that I am stepping down, my former role will be shared among other editors. I do not anticipate any special changes in how you use the site, so please continue to enjoy reading, commenting, and sending in tips. UEN is only going to get bigger and better. If you’d like to stay in touch with me, I’m available through my Etsy store, serena.etsy.com and my direct email here.

Thanks and best wishes!
Sara (serena)