How To Navigate Our MIVEST Yahoo! Group

This post is designed to help you get around on our MIVEST Yahoo! Group pages and how to manage your personal settings for the group.

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Not Able To Access Group Links?

You must be signed into Yahoo! before you can access all the information available to our members.
If you are a member of our group, but you go to our Made In Vermont Etsy Street Team Yahoo! Group's Main Page and the left side bar looks like the below image, then you are not signed into Yahoo!. 

 To sign into Yahoo!, click on "Sign In" in the upper left corner of the page.

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On the MIVEST Yahoo! Groups Home Page you will see a list of links on the left hand side of the page.

Messages Section
The Messages section shows all of the emails that have been sent into the group.
Under the Messages Section is a subsection called Posts.  If you click on Posts you will be taken to a page where you can send a message to the group.

Files Section
This section is used by Moderators only.


Photos Section
Not used.

Links Section
Here you will find the link to our MIVEST "Members Only" Blog, a link to our MIVEST Public Blog, and a link to  VermontMadeteam Promo Links which will take you to the Etsy Forum where we have a forum thread where you can post about items in your shop.
There are also four folders in the links section: Members Etsy Shops, Members Blogs/Websites  and Members Facebook, Twitter, Myspace Pages. These folders are where members add their links.
I will use Members Etsy Shops as an example but all four of the folders work the same way.  If you click on the Members Etsy Shops  you will be taken to a page that shows the links to members' Etsy Shop.  All members should put their shop link here. On that page you will be able to add your Etsy Shop link by clicking on "add link" on the right hand side of the page. On this page simply fill out the information asked for and then click on the blue button that says "Add Link." 

If you have more than one Etsy Shop, add that shop separately.  Do the same thing to add your corresponding links to the other folders.

Database Sections
We currently are not using the database.


Polls Section
This is where you will find current polls and where you can sign up for them. If there are any polls going on, you will see "Open Polls" and below that "Poll Quetsion" and below that will be the poll question.  Click on the question it self to being taken to the page where you can vote on the question.



Members Section
This shows a list of all members, their email addresses and the date they joined the group.

Calendar Section
We currently are not using the calendar.


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Changing Your Group Settings
You must be signed into Yahoo! before you can change your settings for the group.
On the MIVEST Yahoo! Groups Home Page click on "My Groups" on the upper right hand side of the page.

This will take you to your "My Groups" page where you can edit your settings for this group.

This is where you can change your Email Preferences for the group.  You can select "Individual Emails," "Daily Digest," "Special Notices," and "No Mail."  Note: Your email preferences should not be set to "Special Notices" or "No Mail" except for short periods of time when absolutely necessary.
This is also where you can delete yourself from the group.

Step By Step How To Do A Giveaway

One of the promotional activities we are doing is having MIVEST members host a giveaway on our public Made In Vermont Etsy Street Team Blog. For anyone who has never hosted a giveaway, or who doesn't blog themselves, this may seem a little intimidating.  This post is designed to take you through the process step by step.

If you have any problems understanding the following guidelines, please email me at AllAboutCatsEtsy@gmail.com 

First Step - Select Date To Do Giveaway

Each giveaway starts on a Monday morning, lasts for two weeks, and ends on a Sunday night at midnight. Select a two week period that you would like to do the giveaway.  To see available dates and to sign up, go to the Blog Giveaway: Sign Up Here Post  and leave a comment stating the available dates you have picked out.

Once you have done this, I will check to make sure you are listed as an author on our blog.  If you aren't you will be receiving an email inviting you to become a blog author.  Follow the instructions in the email to become a blog author.

Preparing Ahead Of Time

1). Choose the item, or items, you want to give away. You can do a giveaway with one or more items.  The item(s) you choose to giveaway should be representative of things you sell in your shop.
2). Take your pictures of the giveaway item(s). You can have more than one picture in the blog post.
3). It is totally up to you what the "rules to enter" the giveaway are.  You can use the following example or make up your own. Example: To enter, pick your favorite item in my shop.
4) Let people know how to sign up for your giveaway. To sign up people should leave a comment below your post. Also state that people signing up should leave their contact info (email address) in their comment so that you have a way to reach them if the win.

Preparing Ahead Of Time - Writing Your "Draft Post" In An Email To Yourself

You can use your email to prepare your post by writing an email to yourself.

In this email write a draft of your Blog Giveaway Post.
What to include in your "Draft Post" email:
Write a paragraph about you and/or about what kinds of things you sell in your shop (this is optional).
Give the information about your giveaway item(s).
Insert a picture of the item(s) you are giving away.
State the rules of your giveaway.
Write the information of how people can sign up for the giveaway.
State what date the giveaway will end.
State how the winner will be notified.

Example:

The All About Cats Etsy Shop  features handmade items for cats (and for humans who love them). All About Cats catnip toys are filled with potent organic catnip, two bells encased in fleece, and fiberfill. Each cat toy is designed, and lovingly hand crafted, by Linda, the owner of the All About Cats Etsy Shop. Every item is made in a "Smoke Free" "Cat Filled" home :-)

This giveaway is for Fran, a happy-go-hoppy frog who is looking forward to entertaining your cat! Fran is made from green and yellow fleece. She has black felt, and yellow fleece, eyes. She measures approximately 3 1/2" tall and 5 1/2" from the end of one hind leg to the other. Her belly is approximately 2 1/2" wide.

For a chance to win Fran, visit the All About Cats Etsy Shop, pick your favorite item in the shop, and leave a comment to this post saying which shop item is your favorite.  Please leave your email address in your comment so you can be contacted if you win.

The winner will be posted on this blog Sunday, May 2nd, and will be contacted by email the same day.

Feel free to visit the All About Cats Blog and the All About Cats Facebook Page.

Make sure to check back often for more giveaways.  There is a new giveaway every two weeks!

Keep tweaking your "Rough Draft" email until you get it to look like what you want it to look like when you post it on the blog.

If You Don't Know How To Write A Blog Post

If you don't know how to write a blog post, send me an email that includes all the information you want in your blog post.  I will write up the post and post it for you. My email address is: AllAboutCatsEtsy@gmail.com 

What To Do On The Morning Your Giveaway Is To Start

Wait for the MIVEST member who is doing the giveaway ahead of you to write a blog post stating that a winner for their giveaway has been chosen.  This MIVEST member should write into the group to let you know that the coast is clear for you to post your giveaway, or you can keep checking the blog to see if that blog post has been written.

Write your blog post.

What To Do After Your Giveaway Has Been Posted

A big aspect of the giveaways is advertising.

One way to do this is for other MIVEST members to get the word out about your giveaway by posting about it on their Etsy Shop announcement, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, My Space, We Love Etsy, Indiepublic, etc.  So let the rest of the members know when your giveaway is posted.

Another way to advertise is to submit your giveaway to sites that will post your giveaway for free.  Here are sites you can submit your giveaway to:
Etsy Giveaway Blog
By Hand Giveaways
Just A Mom's Take On Things 
International Giveaways
Blog Givaways: Everyone Loves Free Stuff
Just A Mom's Take On Things
Mom Fuse 
Contest Forums
Tip Junkie
The Giveaway Gal
The Giveaway Diva
Blog Contest Station 
PRIZEY: A Directory Of Online Giveaways 
Sweepstakes Advantage
Blog Giveaways
Product Sweepstakes  
Prize-A-Tron
Free Blog Giveaway
Contest For Moms
I Wanna Win Wednesdays
Waterwaif
Indie Smiles -  Indie Smiles Submit Giveaway Page
On Facebook: a little etsy love giveaways and features
On Facebook:  Etsy Sellers' Giveaways 

These sites will probably bring in about 75%, or more, of the people signing up for your giveaway.

When It Is Time To End Your Giveaway

Go to the True Random Number Generator page on Random.org.  There you will see the True Random Number Generator on the right hand side of the page.


Leave the "Min" number at 1. Change the "Max" number to the number of entries you have for your giveaway.  Click on the "Generate" button.  Then a number will show up beside "Result."  Then count down the list of comments to your giveaway until you reach the number that matches the "Result" number from the True Random Number Generator. The person that wrote that comment is the winner.

Blog Giveaway With Available Time Slots

One of the promotional activities we are doing is having MIVEST members host a giveaway on our public blog.

If you would like to do a giveaway, please write an email into the group stating which of the available time slots you would like.

Dates Available:
May 2 - May 15
May 16 - May 29
May 30 - June 12
June 13 - July 4th
and so on...

Group Giveaways are an option (more than one person can sign up for a slot)

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Current Give Aways:

April 16 - May 1st: Kristen Varian ~ Bead Swede Studios Give Away 

2011 Past Give Aways:

Jan. 10 - Jan. 23: Eleni Curious Wiccan - 3 Winners drawn from a Hat
Jan. 24 - Feb. 6 - Valentines Giveaway: Lisa elle.paisley designs  Steam Punk Locket Give Away!
March 24 - April 1 - Anne ~ Cozy Noggin  chicken wire and paper flowers -my-first-giveaway
April 7 - April 11 - Anne ~ Cozy Noggin  Barely Measured Cozy Noggin Giveaway

2010 Past Give Aways:
March 8-21: Mary By A Thread - Blue Quilted Purse
March 22-April 4: Kris sweetnettle.etsy.com - Little Daisy Doll Sling
April 5-18: Céleste Spindrift Studio At Reindeer Station Farm - Funky go-out-to-dinner Purse
April 19-May 2: Linda AllAboutCats - Three Organic Catnip Toys
May 3-May 16: Sarah Curly's Quilts - Green Kangaroo
May 17-May 30: Kelly All things Simple - Organic Vegan Soap with Juniper Berries
May 31-June 13: Kris Sweet Nettle Market - Organic Cotton Market Bag
June 14 - June 27: Mary By A Thread - Glasses Case and Coffee Cozy
June 28 - July 11: Nicole Nicole's Threads - Pottery Lottery Button Bobby Pin
July 12 - July 25: Colleen Truly Noted - Custom Note Cards
July 26 - August 8: Martha Sweet Avenue Jewelry - Peaches and Cream Bobby Pin Trio
August 9 - August 22: Risa Funky Dreams Art Studio - Nature Inspired Bookmark
August 23 - Sept. 5: Courtney courtney reckord - Silver Earrings With Semi-Precious Gemstones
Sept. 6 - Sept. 19: Linda AllAboutCats - Two Pumpkin Organic Catnip Bell Catnip Toys
Sept. 20 - Oct. 3: Samantha Among New Horizons - Hand-painted Cup & Saucer Set
Oct. 4 - Oct. 17: Linda AllAboutCats - Two Spooky Spider Organic Catnip Cat Toys
Oct. 4 - Oct. 17: Lisa elle.paisley designs - Skull Ring
Oct. 4 - Oct. 17: Risa Funky Dreams Art Studio - Halloween Magnets
Oct. 4 - Oct. 17: Mary By A Thread - Autumn Themed Quilted Change Purse
Oct. 18 - Oct. 31: Kristen V. beadswedesupplies.etsy.com
Nov 1 -Nov 14: Tonya The Vermont Branch Company -Birch Hooks and Coasters
Nov. 15 - Nov. 28: Martha Sweet Avenue Jewelry - Mulberry Rose Hair Comb 
Nov. 29 - Dec. 12 - Christmas Group Giveaways
Paula Paula Higa - Elegant Earrings 
Kristen V.  kristenvarian  - Green Tree Agate and Sterling Earrings
Risa Funky Dreams Art Studio - Snowman Magnets and Matching Tin

Lisa elle.paisley designs - Steampunk Storybook Locket 
Linda AllAboutCats -  Abstract Cat Magnets
Kris Old Gates Farm - Sweet Sleep Pillow

Branding

Definition Of "Brand" From Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia 
The word brand began simply as a way to tell one person's cattle from another by means of a hot iron stamp. The word evolved to become synonymous with a trademark, where a brand could be thought of is a name, sign, symbol, slogan or anything that is used to identify and distinguish a specific product, service, or business. A legally protected brand name is called a Trademark. The word brand has continued to evolve to encompass identity - in effect the personality of a product, company or service.

 Branding is basically a way to give your business a unique and consistent identity. Making a brand for your Etsy shop should include, but not be limited to, the name of your business, an image and a slogan.  These three things should be cohesive and memorable.  Here is an example:

Using the example above, you can see that the name of the Etsy Shop is "Spotted Cow Soaps," that the slogan is "Handcrafted in the heart of Vermont," and that the corresponding title image and avatar are a spotted cow. The playful title and avatar for Spotted Cow Soaps makes the shop seem inviting.

Branding can be designed to target a certain type of clientele.  If a shop is targeted toward young people, the branding should be designed to appeal to young people.  A shop that sells high end goods should brand their shop to reflect that with a stylish and classy look, feel and slogan.

Beyond branding your shop, you can also brand the items you sell.  This is a way to remind the people who have bought your products, where they bought them from.  For instance, if you make fabric items, you can brand these items with sew-in fabric tags that match your existing branding. Artists always sign their work, right? So it makes sense that your handmade products should be "signed."

How to create a Facebook Fan page!

This is a great tool for promoting your shop. This video is great for showing you step by step on how to create a fan page.

If you haven't already you can check out my fan page for my shop and Click the "Like" button!

AllThingSimple Facebook Fan page

Craftopolis and Cr8tivity

These are two great sources that I use. On Craftopolis you can find out what treasuries your products are featured in, who "Hearts" your shop and items and also watch the treasury clock if you are interested in posting in the main treasury or treasury West.

On Cr8tivity you can do similar things but they also include widgets, helpers and statistics. I love printing out fliers with my products on them and hanging them up at all the local bulletin boards.

So what are you waiting for? Go check them out and see who is "Hearting" your shop today!

MIVEST Tag Search Feature

This is an image of the MIVEST tag search feature which members can put on their blog.

When this image with it's corresponding HTML is clicked on, items from MIVEST members' shops who have the tag "vermontmadeteam" (no spaces between words) will show up.  The newest items with this tag will be the first items in the list.

To have your items included in this list, simply write in vermontmadeteam (no spaces between words) as a tag for each item you have for sale in your Etsy Shop.

 

This is what the tag will look like in your item listings.

How To Make A Treasury

What Is An Etsy Treasury?

Treasuries are a member-curated shopping gallery of handpicked items. In the past, only a certain amount of treasuries could be made at any one time, which made making a treasury time consuming.  Now there is a new treasury called Treasury East which has changed all that.

Why Create A Treasury?

The biggest reason : Any treasury created has the potential to be featured on Etsy's Front Page.  This is a big deal!  Imagine having one of your Etsy Shop items on Etsy's home page where everyone visiting could see it.

Even if a treasury is not featured on Etsy's Front Page, it still gets exposure.  Many people (buyers and sellers) browse treasuries.

Treasury East

The new Treasury East (beta) has no limits to how many treasuries you can make and no expiration date.  Anyone can create a Treasury East at any time.

Example Of A Treasury:

This treasury, "Gifts From The Woods Of Vermont" was created by Kelly Todd owner of All Things Simple Etsy Shop.  Every item in this Treasury comes from a MIVEST's member's shop.

How To Make A Treasury East Using MIVEST Members' Shop Items

First: Go to Treasury East. There you will see a lists of treasuries that Etsy members have created.

Second: Click on + New Treasury.   This will take you to the "Create A New Treasury" page.

Next: Go to our MIVEST blog and find the "Members Etsy Shops" link section on the right hand side of the blog.

In separate browser tabs, open up some of the members' shop links.

Now browse through some of the member shops to get inspiration as to what you want your treasury theme to be.  Once you have decided that, you can create your title and description on the "Create A New Treasury List" page. You can change the title and description at any time right up until you post your treasury.

Here is the title and description of the treasury I am making.

Next: Select an item from one of the MIVEST members shop that you want to put in your treasury.  Copy the URL of the item you have selected.  Now paste the URL below one of the boxes on the "Create A New Treasury List" page. As soon as you do that, the picture of the item you've selected will appear in the box above.  The first item I have selected is Russian Serpentine Doily Earrings from Inspired Jewelry by Ann Burke Etsy Shop.

Keep doing this until you have all the boxes filled.  You can delete any of the items by hovering over the picture and selecting "Delete."  To move items around, drag and drop an image into a different box.  The picture that was occupying that box will automatically be moved to another box.

Once you are finished creating and editing your treasury, click on "Save This List" in the bottom right corner.

That is all there is to making a Treasury East!

The treasury I've used as an example can be found here.

Once your treasury is finished, send the link to it into the MIVEST group so the rest of us can see your creation.