Site Maintenance
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Archive for March, 2008
Changes ahead for Alchemy
Based on user feedback, admin is planning some changes to Alchemy as described in this Storque article. Here’s an excerpt:
Here are a few things that we’re going to do, based on the community’s input:
1. Add a flagging system for Alchemy requests. These flags will allow the community to notify Etsy when they think a request is in violation of Etsy’s rules. Etsy will investigate each case as we currently do with flagged items. (More about this below).
2. Allow editing requests prior to the first bid being placed on the request. Once a bid has been made, the request is locked so that all bidders are bidding on the same request.
3. Link directly to the bidder’s shop in the bid via a text link, so buyers can more easily check out that seller’s other items and overall style.
4. Make searching for items within Alchemy more efficient.
There will also be an open discussion on Alchemy on Friday March 14th (today) at 11am EST in the Virtual Labs Treehouse.
Alchemy is HERE!
The Storque has announced the return of Alchemy!
An excerpt from the article (see the article for screencaps):
How it works:
Alchemy is a tool on Etsy where buyers can post requests for custom items. Sellers then bid on the opportunity to make the item and get the commission. This presents a unique opportunity for shoppers to work closely with a crafter or artisan to get the exact item they seek.However, in order to accept private requests through Alchemy, sellers must “opt in” by going to Your Etsy > Shop Appearance.
The main Alchemy page shows all the open requests from buyers that sellers can bid on. To get the ball rolling, Etsy admin have put in requests for items we’ve been craving. If you are interested in making one of the requested items, feel free to bid on a request and be one of the first participants in Alchemy. Buyers can use these Admin requests as examples of the information necessary for an Alchemy request.
Etsians can manage all the requests you’ve placed or accepted, along with private Alchemy requests in “Your Alchemy.”
We’ve added a new section for Alchemy to the Dos and Don’ts. Before participating in Alchemy, please read and familiarize yourself with these rules.
Do use Alchemy to request custom handmade goods.
Do communicate openly with the buyer/seller during all phases of the transaction via Conversations or email.
Do follow through on the terms you agree to in your Alchemy transactions. This is a legally-binding sales agreement.
Do refer to and abide by Etsy’s Intellectual Property Policy regarding any intellectual property disputes.
Do get permission from Etsy prior to creating items that use Etsy’s marks (name, logo, etc). Please refer to the Etsy Trademark Program for more information.
Don’t use Alchemy to request Supply or Vintage items. At this time, Alchemy is for custom handmade items only.
Don’t use Alchemy to request a copycat or knock-off of an item listed on Etsy. Instead, submit a private request directly to the seller of the original item to inquire about a custom order.
Don’t infringe upon the intellectual property of others through Alchemy (some examples might include: using images in your request that don’t belong to you, or creating works using trademarked or licensed characters). When in doubt, ask permission first. Check out the Copyright FAQ for more info.
Don’t complete a transaction off-Etsy once it has been initiated through Alchemy. This is fee avoidance.
Don’t use Alchemy as a classified ad space for things unrelated to Etsy (for example: employment opportunities, room rentals, free puppies, etc).
Don’t use Alchemy to request pornography, illegal items or anything that would otherwise violate Etsy’s policies as stated in the Terms of Use or DOs & DON’Ts.
So go out and have fun with Etsy’s newest tool, Alchemy! If you need help at any point in the Alchemy process, peruse our Alchemy Help Guides. You should also check out our article on Alchemy’s best practices to get the most out of your Alchemy experience and keep the lines of communication between buyer and seller open.
Alchemy is coming soon!
This Storque article hints that the long-lost Alchemy feature is about to make a comeback!
Alchemy is a feature on Etsy that enables buyers and sellers to connect through custom orders. Let’s say you’re a buyer and you have an idea for something you want to buy, but after digging and digging on Etsy you still haven’t found it. You can go to the Alchemy section of the website and describe your idea; then sellers bid on the project and you can decide to strike a deal or not. Or say you’re a buyer and you admire a particular item in a seller’s shop, but you want the seller to customize it in some way. You’ll be able to initiate that custom order directly through an Alchemy link in the seller’s shop. That is, if the seller opts into this Alchemy feature.
If you’ve got a request, go make a comment, or check out the forum thread.
Wall Street Journal publishes article on Etsy
The Wall Street Journal featured an article by Raymund Flandez about Etsy and grassroots promotion through social networking on Thursday, March 6.
You can read the article online here.
The article devotes several paragraphs to the “We Love Etsy” site created by seller Lis Kidder.
Last but not least, the online version of the article also features a video interview with Etsy founder Rob Kalin.
(in the interest of full disclosure, Lis Kidder is also an editor at UEN)
NPR Mentions Etsy in “Digital DIY”
American public broadcasting service NPR mentioned Etsy in the article “Digital DIY: Web Helps Do-It-Yourselfers Share Ethic.”
Under the header Making a Living from Making Something Unique:
Tens of thousands of small entrepreneurs do just that at Etsy.com, which reported $26 million in sales last year. Etsy’s CEO, Rob Kalin, says those sales came from hand-made jewelry, clothing, bags and accessories.
In the spacious workroom known as Etsy Labs, at the Web site’s Brooklyn headquarters, during Etsy’s monthly crafters’ open house, Kalin runs the numbers.
“In 2007, over 50 Etsy sellers made over $30,000 on the site, and our top seller made over $125,000,” Kalin says. “Our big mission for 2008 is to show that you can make a living making things. Theres a whole world out there for doing something you love.”
In addition to Etsy, several other websites and services are discussed.
Audio will be available later on today here. (For our non-US readers, NPR is primarily a radio station.)
Etsy publishes their survey results
The Etsy survey results have been published, please see this Storque article for a summary.
Etsy has compiled the detailed results into a pdf file you can download here
Minutes to Etsy’s policies meeting now available
In this Storque article, Matt provides a summary of Monday’s discussion on Etsy’s policies and practices.
There is a direct link to the meeting minutes here.
edit by JB:
The posted minutes only contains the written portion of the chat and not Matt’s voice comments.
This past Monday I invited members of the Etsy community to join me in the Virtual Labs to share their comments and concerns. My intention was to give the community an opportunity to speak directly and candidly to us here at Etsy.
We were there to listen, and listen we did.
Over the past couple of weeks, we clearly made some missteps in the forums and customer support. We are sorry for anyone who was affected by our mistakes, and we’ve been reaching out directly to the people involved.
Our aim now is to take action by formulating clear and consistent policies and practices to make sure our community, and our company, will continue to be healthy, helpful, and supportive as we grow.
Here are the key issues raised during Monday’s meetings:
Issue 1: Buyer /Seller Disputes- What Role should Etsy play? What is a venue?
Issue 2: Shop Closures:- What are Etsy’s policies? What due diligence measures are being taken to make sure that mistakes are not made?
Issue 3: Relationship between Etsy’s Policies and a seller’s.
Issue 4: Feedback System - improvements and limitations.
Issue 5: Improving policy documentation: TOU, Dos and Don’ts.
Issue 6: Forum: Policies and environment. Muted sellers.
Issue 7: Admin tone, behavior, and accountability.
The entire Community & Support team is in NYC this week and we’re discussing the these issues. I invite you to email me directly at matt@etsy.com if there are other issues regarding customer support and forum policies that are important to you that weren’t discussed.One quick note:
Monday’s discussion was rather spur of the moment. I realize how important it is to make sure everyone’s voice is heard, and I apologize to all who did not learn of Monday’s talk in time. I do assure you, however, that they were just the start of what will be regularly occurring conversations.
FYI: The comments as currently posted accidentally repeat the minutes from the morning meeting twice. The minutes for the second session start approximately three-quarters of the way down the page.
New additions to Etsy staff announced
This Storque article has introduced the most recent additions to Etsy’s staff.
They are:
Customer Support team:
Amber aka adubois
Caleb aka calebwalt aka Inflataboy
Claire aka mermaidclaire aka onceinadirtywhile
Matt aka projectmattnyc
Joe aka joethebeard aka DeepInTheWoods
Jason (no username given)
Storque team
Both the new staffers will be making films for Etsy
Bre aka brepettis
Tara aka weirdwolf
Engineering team
George aka Georgyo
Kyle aka twokb
David aka davidgiffin
Bryan aka bschwab
Anti-Spam Brigade
Dear faithful readers, thank you for being patient with our registration system. So far, based on your feedback and our experience as editors, the decision to require commenters to register has worked very well.
Long Have the Spammers Caused Us Suffering
However, one thing you might not have thought about is registration spam. I know, they think of everything! Since we use up-to-date blogging software and have security controls in place, the hundreds of spammers that have been registering at UEN have been unable to make use of their registrations. They haven’t commented, posted, or hacked our site. But from the site admin perspective, these fake users are terribly annoying and obsure who our real readers are and who they aren’t.
What’s Changing
Thus we are putting into place a few measures to combat registration spam. Only new users will deal with these; existing users can continue as per normal. We have added a captcha image and a “math test” to our registration form. One or the other of the tests will appear when a new user attempts to register. You will also have three days to confirm your true intent to register, which can be done by clicking a link in the registration email. If you don’t decide to confirm, your account will disappear after three days.
You can admire this elegant new system here. For our already-registered readers, you hopefully will not notice any changes, except maybe happier editors.
Mopping Up the Mess
Now that we’ve hopefully reduced spam registrations greatly, we will begin the tedious process of weeding out spam users and deleting them. Usually they are apparent, such as gamblingisfun12461@ourwebsite.com. We will pour all of our combined powers into making darn sure no real users have their accounts deleted. However, if you did somehow decide to register with the email checkoutourextrabeautifulwebcams35426@ourwebite.com, never left a comment or edited your profile, and if we somehow delete you, please let us know! We really, obviously, really, truly do not want to inconvenience anyone and will take all possible measures to make sure all real user accounts are totally protected. So don’t worry. I’m just putting this out there in case.
What if You Now Experience Unfortunate Problems?
I’ve tested the system and it appears to work very well. However, if a problem does come up, please let us know so we can help you. Since anyone who has problems with registering will not be able to leave us a comment about it in a post, we would ask you instead to send us a “tip” about your problem. The link is on the sidebar, or you can click here. We will work with you to make it right.
Thanks a million for your patience and continued reading.
