Another development, tying together two of my previous entries.......abuse of websites for personal gain and lack of professional and financial support for a venue.
A fourth blog has appeared tied to the sales venue previously mentioned, this time parading as a means of communication for sellers and buyers apparently. So, besides a main blog (which I have no problem with...this is, after all, my business blog, right here) there are now three (count 'em, 3) acting as content pages of a 'for profit' business site. Any website wanting to be taken seriously would have this pages as an integral part of the site not sending traffic elsewhere.
To their credit, one person has commented on the excessive number of blogs but the owner has given a somewhat disingenuous reply, saying the blogs open in a different window, thus not driving traffic away. This misses the point entirely.
The current trend of abusing free websites for personal gain is gaining prevalence and before long the plug will be pulled if we aren't careful. You can't expect something for nothing. I will freely admit to having this blog for my business and any day now will have a personal one, which seems an accepted behavior, but to have several, providing essentially a host for parts of a website for which you accept payment for, seems abusive. How long will it be before blogger.com decides to curb this and pulls anything business related and we all lose out, thanks to the greedy behavior of a few?
It's already happening.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
I did it!!
I did it!!!! whimsicaltime.com is now my domain......
OK, a feeble first step, a step nevertheless, to getting this business up and running.......
watch this space.....
OK, a feeble first step, a step nevertheless, to getting this business up and running.......
watch this space.....
Sycophants
Did I spell that right? One of my pet peeves...people who follow without question, suck up, call it what you will, mostly enabling others to maintain an inflated ego and bask in the glory of unwavering adoration. I just can't stand it!!
***The previously mentioned 'expert' on online marketing.......without doubt, plenty of really good advice (some of it common sense but valuable nevertheless), a few mis-steps, but.......having established a reputation as such, directs people to a blog, generating amazing traffic which can be parlayed into a real advantage. There are places that provide sponsorship, advertising opportunities etc which use the number of hits or visitors to select sites they work with. This person's establishing a loyal group of followers can pay off big time.
This week I saw someone actually point that out but the message got quickly lost in the neverending string of kudos and ass kissing.
***The previously mentioned online venue that I believe will sadly fail. A loyal group of supporters offer nothing but sugary sweet praise while steadfastly turning a blind eye to the problems with the site will make it possible for the owner to keep their blinders on and run the site into the ground. Kudos to them for keeping the faith but this is business not a tea party.
***An apparently popular blogger who has a devoted following who add fawning comments like 'oh how cute' etc to posts (and photos) detailing the latest escapades of a child who most experts (and moms for that matter) would say lacks discipline, boundaries and should be long past the destructive behavior they exhibit with alarming regularity. I could go on for hours. What is excused as mischievous and amusing 'scrapes' are more the sign of a parent more interested in other distractions like blogging. Why doesn't anyone (including me) actually stand up to her and say 'hey lady, your kid is a brat and you let them run riot, any responsible mother wouldn't finding it amusing that her x year old is so destructive and disobedient, let alone be writing about it'
***The previously mentioned 'expert' on online marketing.......without doubt, plenty of really good advice (some of it common sense but valuable nevertheless), a few mis-steps, but.......having established a reputation as such, directs people to a blog, generating amazing traffic which can be parlayed into a real advantage. There are places that provide sponsorship, advertising opportunities etc which use the number of hits or visitors to select sites they work with. This person's establishing a loyal group of followers can pay off big time.
This week I saw someone actually point that out but the message got quickly lost in the neverending string of kudos and ass kissing.
***The previously mentioned online venue that I believe will sadly fail. A loyal group of supporters offer nothing but sugary sweet praise while steadfastly turning a blind eye to the problems with the site will make it possible for the owner to keep their blinders on and run the site into the ground. Kudos to them for keeping the faith but this is business not a tea party.
***An apparently popular blogger who has a devoted following who add fawning comments like 'oh how cute' etc to posts (and photos) detailing the latest escapades of a child who most experts (and moms for that matter) would say lacks discipline, boundaries and should be long past the destructive behavior they exhibit with alarming regularity. I could go on for hours. What is excused as mischievous and amusing 'scrapes' are more the sign of a parent more interested in other distractions like blogging. Why doesn't anyone (including me) actually stand up to her and say 'hey lady, your kid is a brat and you let them run riot, any responsible mother wouldn't finding it amusing that her x year old is so destructive and disobedient, let alone be writing about it'
Grand Experiment part two
Seems like more and more people are finally becoming vocal about the evils of guerilla marketing and the abuse of social networking sites. I have always felt in the minority when not embracing aggressive marketing but finally there is a shift in perceptions away from the notion that any publicity is good publicity.
Time to roll out the Grand Experiment
Time to roll out the Grand Experiment
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Implosion
Another reason for my change in business plan is what I see as the imminent demise of an online sales venue that I had high hopes for. Some readers may know the site in question but I won't name it here.
The concept is (was) great; a marketplace catering to a particular niche market which perfectly reflected my own personal style in crafting and general aesthetic. The potential is (was - not sure whether past or present tense is appropriate) huge for a successful venue catering to a small but devoted demographic. Sad to say the reality has not been what I had hoped for.
What follows is my own personal opinion but it's obvious many others share my view and disappointment. The site was 'talked up' for months and previews aluding to the final design were gorgeous but what has gone 'live' is far from gorgeous, or even functional for the most part. The owner has revealed that while passionate about her craft and singular devotion to her vision, she lacks the ability to accept even the most constructive and gentle of criticism and her steadfast refusal to see any point of view but her own will be her downfall, unfortunately.
Even worse is what I perceive as a serious lack in capital to invest in the venture; likely relying on vendor fees to finance the site rather than fronting the money herself. I venture to suggest her ideas far outweigh the means to make it happen and that is why the design is less than wonderful and basic functions seem to fail; such as accurate recording of items sold. The owner admitted as much when she once said that certain improvements wouldn't be made anytime soon because there were more important fixes to be done and she only had enough money left to cover 2 hours of her webdesigner's time. How can you provide a service for paying customers who rely on you when you're operating on a shoestring budget like that? It would also explain why a couple of pages at the site are nothing more than glorified blogs hosted here at blogger.com for free; there isn't enough money to pay for the webmaster to add and maintain the pages as a part of the site.
Sad to say, she is caught in a Catch22 situation of her own making. Vendors are withdrawing from the site for a variety of reasons (I won't detail the drama here but suffice to say her lack of business sense and tendancy to react emotionally caused many problems) but without the vendors there will be no cashflow to make the site viable and functional.
So........having planned on making this venue my choice for an online home, I need to regroup and start over.
The concept is (was) great; a marketplace catering to a particular niche market which perfectly reflected my own personal style in crafting and general aesthetic. The potential is (was - not sure whether past or present tense is appropriate) huge for a successful venue catering to a small but devoted demographic. Sad to say the reality has not been what I had hoped for.
What follows is my own personal opinion but it's obvious many others share my view and disappointment. The site was 'talked up' for months and previews aluding to the final design were gorgeous but what has gone 'live' is far from gorgeous, or even functional for the most part. The owner has revealed that while passionate about her craft and singular devotion to her vision, she lacks the ability to accept even the most constructive and gentle of criticism and her steadfast refusal to see any point of view but her own will be her downfall, unfortunately.
Even worse is what I perceive as a serious lack in capital to invest in the venture; likely relying on vendor fees to finance the site rather than fronting the money herself. I venture to suggest her ideas far outweigh the means to make it happen and that is why the design is less than wonderful and basic functions seem to fail; such as accurate recording of items sold. The owner admitted as much when she once said that certain improvements wouldn't be made anytime soon because there were more important fixes to be done and she only had enough money left to cover 2 hours of her webdesigner's time. How can you provide a service for paying customers who rely on you when you're operating on a shoestring budget like that? It would also explain why a couple of pages at the site are nothing more than glorified blogs hosted here at blogger.com for free; there isn't enough money to pay for the webmaster to add and maintain the pages as a part of the site.
Sad to say, she is caught in a Catch22 situation of her own making. Vendors are withdrawing from the site for a variety of reasons (I won't detail the drama here but suffice to say her lack of business sense and tendancy to react emotionally caused many problems) but without the vendors there will be no cashflow to make the site viable and functional.
So........having planned on making this venue my choice for an online home, I need to regroup and start over.
Grand Experiment
I have long believed in something I have dubbed 'Accidental Marketing'. I'm not especially fond of the usual tactics such as using every possible site to leave links or ads masquerading as social messages - done in moderation it's fine, but too many are jumping on the 'social networking' bandwagon and effectively sending out what amounts to spam, pure and simple.
That has always been my attitude and finally I see others speaking out against the prevalent use of social sites for business promotion. In moderation and subtly done it's fine but blatant use for nothing more than pushing your business agenda is tasteless in my opinion, reeks of desperation and worse, violates Terms of Use if you read the fine print.
On one sales venue there was (and may be still is as I write) a discussion of the merits of using such methods. One seller (respected by many as an 'expert') who offers advice on effective selling put up a blog entry advocating the use of social networks and while many fell over themselves to kiss his feet (so to speak) others took him to task for encouraging spamming. Thank you! It's my understanding he amended his advice but too late for the many who read the original post and flooded sites with 'ads'. It was even mentioned in the ensuing discussion that one site has flagged the selling venue as a whole as a source of spam - effectively closing it to all sellers for use, legitimate or otherwise. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.
I prefer a more subtle tactful method which, while not reaping immediate rewards, I believe works well in the long run. Time will tell as I start my Great Experiment........
That has always been my attitude and finally I see others speaking out against the prevalent use of social sites for business promotion. In moderation and subtly done it's fine but blatant use for nothing more than pushing your business agenda is tasteless in my opinion, reeks of desperation and worse, violates Terms of Use if you read the fine print.
On one sales venue there was (and may be still is as I write) a discussion of the merits of using such methods. One seller (respected by many as an 'expert') who offers advice on effective selling put up a blog entry advocating the use of social networks and while many fell over themselves to kiss his feet (so to speak) others took him to task for encouraging spamming. Thank you! It's my understanding he amended his advice but too late for the many who read the original post and flooded sites with 'ads'. It was even mentioned in the ensuing discussion that one site has flagged the selling venue as a whole as a source of spam - effectively closing it to all sellers for use, legitimate or otherwise. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.
I prefer a more subtle tactful method which, while not reaping immediate rewards, I believe works well in the long run. Time will tell as I start my Great Experiment........
In the beginning
This little disclaimer will be obsolete eventually, but for now, excuse the dust as I decorate and settle in.....it's a touch bland and boring for now but it'll change as time allows.
For reasons way too complicated (and of little interest to the casual reader) my life, both personally and professionally, is back at square one. It's an intriguing position to be in; reinventing yourself. Imagine deleting every text, email, every link, every bookmark...a blank canvas.
For reasons way too complicated (and of little interest to the casual reader) my life, both personally and professionally, is back at square one. It's an intriguing position to be in; reinventing yourself. Imagine deleting every text, email, every link, every bookmark...a blank canvas.
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