Archive for Editorial
February 13, 2008 at 6:02 pm · Filed under Editorial, Meta · By quirke
There’s been some questions and concerns raised both here in the UEN comments and on the Etsy forums recently, about some of UEN’s policies and practices. We’d like to take a minute here to address them.
Top-Level Articles:
A “top-level article” refers to the articles written under the main headlines that appear chronologically in the sidebar. The comments on a top-level article are not part of the article, but a separate entity. In all but the rarest of cases, a top-level article is comprised of a short introduction or explanation, a link to a primary source, and a cut-and-paste quote from the primary source. The information in top-level articles regarding Etsy is factual and opinon-free. We link to sources on Etsy and quote from Etsy. As described in our policies page, we cannot vouch for the integrity of the information linked to; we are only reporting its existence. The information linked to may change, or be retracted, or may be incorrect.
We encourage all UEN readers to investigate the primary sources linked to in the articles and form their own independent opinion on the issue.
Comments:
As expressed on our policies page, UEN is not responsible for the comments made on any article. Comments are the sole responsibility of the commenter, and we do not vouch for the integrity of the information and personal opinions therein, just as Etsy does not vouch for the integrity of the information and personal opinions posted on its forums. You may find bias in the comments, opinions you disagree with, information you think may be untrue, or statements you find offensive. These do not reflect the opinions of UEN, nor does their existence imply endorsement.
We kindly ask that our readers be careful to distinguish between the top-level articles and the comments.
Comments by UEN Editors:
As described in our policies page, we feel it would be a disservice to strip the editorial team of the opportunity to express their individual, personal opinions within the pages of UEN. Consequently, the editors are as equally responsible for their own comments and the information therein as much as any other UEN user. We do not value our opinions any more or any less than others’, and no user should ever feel disinclined to respond to a comment because it came from an editor. At the same time, we are obliged to uphold our no-abuse policies. That means from time to time, you may see an editor speaking separately in a personal manner or in an editorial capacity. It works the same way on Etsy: admins post on the fora in both an official capacity (admin hat on) and using their own personal Etsy accounts (admin hat off). On UEN, we do not have separate accounts for editors, but we feel that there are few enough of us that most readers will be able to identify who is an editor. Our list of editors is viewable on the sidebar if there is any confusion.
Moderating Comments:
A “moderated” comment is a comment that has been held back from publication, but which still exists in our system. We do not delete comments. We may choose to permanently moderate a comment, but it is always still accessible to us, and moderation is reversible.
Every UEN user should be aware that we have automatic spam filters in place. The spam filters are aggressive, and from time to time, real comments may be held up in moderation. Comments most likely to be automatically moderated are those containing links, and those from new users. These comments will be held in moderation until a UEN editor finds and releases them. If you think your comment may have been caught in the spam filter, please contact one of the editors so that they can release it.
Comments that may be manually moderated by an editor include those that are abusive, defamatory, safety concerns, advertisments, or accidental duplicates. Examples of “abuse” including name-calling, deliberate insults and derogatory remarks towards other users, and telling other users to shut up. We may also moderate comments that drag down a discussion and aren’t relevant to the topic at hand, or disputes that escalate into personal attacks between two or more users. If we see conversations heading this way, we will warn the parties involved. Abusive comments will be moderated without warning. We may invite a person to re-post part of a moderated comment if they are willing to subtract the part that violates our posting policies.
Moderation is always a last choice for us. Our intent is to provide a platform for a wide variety of opinions and perspectives. We have had to manually moderate very few comments during UEN’s existence, and we’d like to keep it that way as much as possible. If you see a comment you feel should be examined for moderation, please contact an editor.
Overall, we feel the discussions here on UEN have been thoughtful and civil, even during disagreements, and we thank our users for that.
Anonymity, Impersonation and Usernames:
We are cognizant that some people who wish to discuss negative aspects of Etsy are fearful of reprisal, and for that and other privacy concerns we allow anonymous accounts (called “sockpuppet” accounts on Etsy where they are prohibited). The same rules of conduct apply whether you are using your Etsy name or an anonymous name. Anonymity is not a free pass to abuse anyone, it is simply to protect your business account.
UEN does not tolerate impersonation of another person under any circumstances. Because we allow anonymous accounts, the only possible reason for impersonating someone else is for malicious intent. Comments from impersonators will be moderated and the IP address banned.
For the reasons described above, we also do not permit usernames that contain the names of other individuals within them, with the exception of common-usage words. UEN retains the right to remove inappropriate usernames at its discretion.
We hope that clears up some of the questions we’ve seen floating about. If you have any questions or need further clarification, ask away.
The UEN Editorial Team
December 16, 2007 at 10:58 pm · Filed under Editorial, Meta · By starrydesigns
Dear fellow Etsyians and Readers of UEN,
I regret to inform you that today is the last day of my service to the UEN. It has been a great journey and I have enjoyed writing for and interacting with you. I am sad to leave, but it is a step I must take because of time constraints.
Thank you, Sara, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this great site and to help out the Etsy community. Thank you, UEN editors, for this great journey and friendship. Thank you, readers of the UEN, for your kind support all these months.
All the best to everyone and do give continued support to the UEN as the current editors strive to be of service to you.
Tata for now.
Warmest Love,
Cindy
December 3, 2007 at 5:27 am · Filed under Editorial, Meta · By The Janitor
Hi everyone! I am stepping down as an editor of this site as of today. My time commitments in real life have made it nearly impossible for me to keep up with the ins-and-outs of Etsy any longer. I’d like to thank the other UEN editors for their camaraderie, for engaging in some great discussions and for volunteering many hours to keeping this site afloat.
I’d like to thank Serena especially for creating and maintaining this site. I’ve always appreciated her objectivity and even-handedness and for graciously leaving the door open for me to return as an editor at a later date.
It’s been a great ride! Thanks to everyone and keep in touch, you know where to find me :)
Ciao for now.
October 10, 2007 at 5:09 pm · Filed under Customer Service, Editorial, Email Notifications, Etsy Communications, Listings, Site Use · By The Janitor
This is an update to our prior coverage.
In a nutshell, Erin previously explained Etsy planned to
use a special tool that was just developed to help us work on tag abuse cases.
She further explained in that same thread
But we thought we would use this tool to see if it is more efficient. We still send an e-mail and an explanation for how to handle things in the future, but the job gets done right away.
(editor-added emphasis)
Around the same time, the Etsy reported via a Storque post on the same topic that they wouldn’t notify sellers of any changes:
Due to the extraordinary volume of mistagging, Etsy will be correcting tags without email notification, but we are happy to assist you in any way if you have questions. Simply email support@etsy.com. We will email you if there is a problem.
(editor-added emphasis)
Erin’s posts and the Storque entry are saying 2 slightly different things. Maybe someone from Etsy can further clarify officially whether sellers will or will not receive prior or after-the-fact email notifications a tag has been removed from their listing.
Here’s the full Storque entry:
Hi everyone!
We have great news. Etsy has responded to the community need for an improved search by developing some tools that will allow us to correct or remove tags that either don’t qualify or that confuse the search engine.
Searching on Etsy will now be more efficient due to Admins’ ability to crack down on tags.
We receive a huge volume of emails about items that have been flagged because they are tagged incorrectly. We understand that most mistagging is a mistake and that when you are tagging your items that you are attempting to get the widest exposure possible for your item. There is no fault in that line of thinking.
However, mistagging items, albeit accidentally, is making it difficult for buyers to search for things. For example, an item tagged as “stocking stuffer” (that is actually a bar of soap) makes the search for handmade stockings impossible. The buyer looking for a stocking finds soap and gets exasperated — and they might leave and not come back.
Due to the extraordinary volume of mistagging, Etsy will be correcting tags without email notification, but we are happy to assist you in any way if you have questions. Simply email support@etsy.com. We will email you if there is a problem.
As we improve this system, we should be able to provide resources that help people learn how to tag. Best of all, we are all going to see a highly improved search function just in time for the holidays.
(editor-added emphasis)
EDITORIAL follows: The part I found a little confusing is the sentence emphasized in the last quoted block. The way the Storque article is written, it sounds as if the tag “stocking stuffer” is meant to apply to “handmade stockings”? I assumed the tag would apply to anything gift-appropriate in the size which would fit into an Xmas stocking. Consistent with my understanding of the term “stocking stuffer,” I’d expect many small items - spanning a range of diverse categories - to be pulled up with that tag and NOT handmade stockings. Using Etsy’s example of the soaps, yes, I’ve used the tag “stocking stuffer” in my listings because based on past experience with retail buyers, including retail outlets, many of my smaller soaps indeed are bought, considered and marketed as stocking stuffers. If a search for “stocling” is pulling up items tagged with “stocking stuffer,” that seems to be a definitional problem (read: search engine parameter) with “stocking” and not with people who are appropriately using “stocking stuffer” for items which are bought for that very purpose.
Maybe someone from Etsy can further clarify officially what is considered a “stockingstuffer” (do they really mean “handmade stocking”?).
September 24, 2007 at 3:57 pm · Filed under Editorial · By Elizabeth
After a lot of reading, writing, and fun working with the other editors at UEN to cover the goings-on at Etsy, I find that there are other personal projects upon which I prefer to spend my time and energy. Thanks to Sara for the opportunity to be part of the team, thanks to the other editors for the spirited discussions and the 24-hour coverage, and thanks to all of the readers for the great comments and tips you’ve sent, and continued great word-of-mouth.
I can’t decide between two parting quotes, so you get both. :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. ~Gilda Radner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happy trails to you, until we meet again.
Some trails are happy ones,
Others are blue.
It’s the way you ride the trail that counts,
Here’s a happy one for you.
~Dale Evans
August 3, 2007 at 7:45 pm · Filed under Copyright / Branding, Editorial, Laws & Regs, Marketing, Site Terms · By The Janitor
I’ll be back later to post about this properly, at which time I likely will (but do not promise to) delete this post
- in the mean time, this is the topic:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5177569
July 11, 2007 at 5:10 am · Filed under Bugs, Editorial, Features, Privacy, Site Security, Site Use · By The Janitor
[JULY 22 UPDATE: two more Etsy users report they see other users' convos]
Have you ever logged into your Etsy account only to see yourself in someone else’s account? Some Etsy users have reported seeing this.
On July 2, Facade compiled some of the threads in which different Etsy users reported similar accounts of apparently accessing other Etsy users’ pages, including convos and billing page. These posts were as far back as Feb or Mar 2007. To simplify viewing, I’ve posted Facade’s original post in the thread beneath Chris’ response copied below, 8 days later (he also locked the thread):
RevolvingDork says:
The only way this phenomenom has occured is when a user’s cookies are read improperly or multiple users are logging into the same machine. When it does occur, it is not possible to see any private data or alter any part of another user’s account. It is just the username at the top of the page that is shown incorrectly.
If you experience this issue, be sure to do the following:
1. Deativate any web accelerator programs you have running
2. Click Etsy’s logout button
3. Clear your browser’s cookies
4. Restart your computer
5. Log back into Etsy
If you follow these steps, your login should work normally.
Posted at 3:04 am, July 11 2007 EST
(bolding added by editor)
The bolded part disturbs me a bit - what exactly does “when a user’s cookies are read improperly” mean? User #1’s cookies can be read as those for user #2 - on a different computer, possibly in different state or even a different country?
Had the thread not been locked, people could’ve asked Chris to clarify his statement.
EDIT July 11: Click here to post about Chris’ post above or about other concerns on this issue.
___________________________________
Facade’s original post:
facade says:
What’s up with that bug that puts people inside the wrong Etsy account?
I’ve seen mention of it scattered all over the place, and eclipse rounded up a few more. I think the problem’s falling through the cracks because people have posted in threads that dealt with unrelated bugs. So I’m gathering examples here.
fallinstyle:
Someone else created two treasuries using her userid. She wasn’t logged in at the time. Nobody ever figured out how it happened.
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5142500
HeatherLynnWhite:
Saw someone else’s convos while logged in to her own account.
(Don’t know if she would have been able to read the convos.)
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5144215
magicforestcreations:
Ended up in someone else’s shop.
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5144215&page=2
Taina:
Kept seeing someone else’s convos when trying to check her own.
(Don’t know if she would have been able to read the convos.)
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5115794
sereneonion:
Ended up in misocat’s account.
(Could access misocat’s Etsy bill. Could *not* edit/delete misocat’s listings, thank goodness.)
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5054346&page=2
Please, somebody fix this. Even if random people can’t open my convos, they could still read that first line in the summary. I’m especially worried that someone else was apparently able to make treasuries under fallinstyle’s i.d.
Posted at 5:08 pm, July 2 2007 EST
EDIT July 11: Another thread in which melisap reports she appears to be logged into another person’s account - click here to view the thread (Chris locked this one, referring it to Facade’s now locked thread - copied above):
melisap says:
There was a recent thread on this and I thought I would repost because 1- it happened again and 2- I was logged into the same person’s account as I was before. I didn’t go anywhere in her shop, but I did screen print it for ‘proof’. Refreshing the page cleared the problem and brought me back to my page.
It’s scary that this happened on two different computers and that I ended up in the same account. This could be dangerous…
Posted at 5:15 pm, July 10 2007 EST
(editor-added bolding)
melisap clarifies in an ongoing thread
Both times this happened to me were on two separate computers to which only I have access to. A home laptop and a work computer. I was logged into the same person both times, and I have a screenshot of the gal’s store I was logged into . . . .
In addition, it is NOT just the username at the top. I can view her ENTIRE store. The front page has ALL of her listings. I have a screenshot, so please do not say that this is just a username at the top issue . . . .
This account I have never seen before and on two computers to which only I have access to.
EDIT by starrydesigns
Chillionaire says:
Hi all!
I wish I had more information to pass along right now, but I do want to remind everyone that even if for some reason someone gains access to your account, it is impossible for them to view all your billing info. In order to change any billing info, it must all be re-entered and card numbers are not visible to even you.
We hope to have more on this soon, and we will be sure to keep you updated.
—>Lori40
Posted at 2:30 pm, July 11 2007 EST
Another thread locked:
RevolvingDork says:
Shutting this down to prevent panic due to sensationalism — There is no known issue with login security on Etsy. If you are having issues, please bring them up with specifics in a new thread
Posted at 8:16 pm, July 11 2007 EST
[EDITOR'S NOTE: I will edit this when I have more time and I have had some sleep]
June 27, 2007 at 12:11 pm · Filed under Bills, Bugs, Editorial · By Elizabeth
No admin acknowledgment yet, but new bills say autocharging will happen in July. Technically, they still have today (6/27) to autocharge June bills…
Either way, we’ll let you know.
EDIT:
Doesn’t look like anything went through. No acknowledgment either way from admin. Another month, another bill with untrue statements.
EDIT: (by starrydesigns)
Please read this post for latest update on autocharge for June 2007.
EDIT: (by Serena) I removed the info about Etsy’s financial backers. We will re-post this in a different context.
June 25, 2007 at 4:16 pm · Filed under Bugs, Customer Service, Editorial · By The Janitor
Puerto Rico is part of the US mail system and they have USPS zip codes (I think they all start with “0″). Mail sent to/from Puerto Rico is handled by USPS & is domestic, just as it would be to a California or Utah address. I believe it’s considered Zone 8 by USPS for rate purposes for packages sent from any other location - and all the rates, including flat rate envelope and box, apply to PR addresses. The private carriers such as DHL, UP and FedEx charge more for shipping to PR addresses but they also charge more for shipping to Alaska and Hawaii addresses.
According to Chris, on Etsy, a buyer registered in Puerto Rico with a Puerto Rico address can’t purchase a listing unless the listing separately lists Puerto Rico or Everywhere Else in the shipping profile even if the seller says they ship to US. [EDIT: or the buyer in PR can enter their address as being in the US. WONKY].
Just something to know - you all may be missing out on some sales involving no more effort than to ship an item to another state. I just bought some rings from a seller registered in Puerto Rico - and just received them via USPS Priority in one of their Priority boxes. Easy peasy.
Here’s a handy map showing the USPS system:
http://www.usps.com/nationalpcc/html/locator/locator.htm
April 15, 2007 at 12:27 pm · Filed under Editorial · By Elizabeth
In a comment to an earlier post, Anda, an Etsy employee who was NOT speaking for Etsy, but for herself, said:
Everyone, we’ve only heard one side here. There are always two sides, and in these cases, I know for a fact there are two VERY differing accounts of what occurred.
I loved the UEN when it first appeared, but I’m really dismayed these last few days with the complete lack of fact-checking. Has anyone spoken to the buyers in question? Or to Etsy support?
Anda is completely correct. We have heard only one side of the story. We welcome any statements from anyone, Etsy, buyers, sellers, etc., who wishes to provide an alternative perspective. We know that Etsy cannot reasonably be expected to comment on specific cases, but any kind of comment would be great. Speaking for myself, I have not checked with buyers because I consider that harassment. But if a buyer wanted to comment, we would welcome that.
My (Elizabeth’s) opinion: Publishing these stories is a tough call. I think it likely that none of this would have come out if not for the muting and threatened suspension of Amanda/ebbandflo. Thus, I think Etsy themselves opened this can of worms. But Anda is right - I especially have not made the disclaimers I should have in the posts I have added, and for that, I apologize.I don’t think Etsy is evil, I don’t think they’re out to get people, I don’t think they’re cruel or even indifferent.
I think they’re disorganized, uncoordinated, often act out of emotion, and tend to over-correct from one mistake to the next.
My personal goal in publishing these stories is to provide sellers with information to help them deal with a similar situation should it happen to them.
I believe Etsy will figure this out. In the meantime, sellers need to protect themselves.
Anda, thanks for the reminder.
