Posts
This Aux post cam in about the above clip and we agree so much we can't even think of anything better to say than "AMEN!" (if the video above is broken, try this one.)
So I'm sure by now you know that the CBS Morning Show (you know, the ones with the trumpets) did a profile on etsy that included Rob (dissing items made by Etsians in Mexico, no less) and then continued on with Mo Rocca(sp?) being instructed by an etsy super fave (and Parachute member) Ruffeoheartslilsnoty.etsy.com on how to make a hoodie.
Well apart from wanting to barf at the elfin Rob and his diss of Mexican crafters...I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT YET AGAIN ETSY WASTED A SUPER PR OPPORTUNITY BY SHOWCASING A SKANKY FAVORITE AND THEIR HIPSTER DESIGNS.
Guess who watches the CBS Morning Show?...Demographically it's the 35+ set. I doubt anyone watching that show would find the need to purchase this and more likely would be offended by the half-naked photos in their shop.
Second dis comes when Mo takes his sweatshirt to Martha Stewart's show for approval and she asks if he finished the seam with an overcast hem...and sure enough he did not - because his instructor and etsy seller featured did not have him do so.
Martha then informed him that he should have because this type of material (looked fleecy) would rip apart at the seams and get stretched out easily if he didn't. In essence, Martha informed everyone watching the CBS Sunday Morning show that the garment he made was not made properly. Further ruining the reputation of etsy sellers.
I am so sick of their constant favoritism and the fact that this favoritism brings hipster crap to the fore of any media blitz instead of showcasing accomplished crafters that would appeal to a MASS MARKET of BUYERS!
62 Comments:
WHAT A WASTE. the video was am embarrassment.
Everything about what the Etsy staff choose to feature is style over substance, image over quality.
It shows a total lack of maturity and understanding of the craft and art world.
Not surprising - none of them are accomplished artists, and any of them who are actually 30 or older somehow seem to have been chosen to be as dense as the kids.
rufeoheartslilsnotty is amusing, but seriously, while their presentation has an artistic style, I think everyone knows that it doesn't really have broad based appeal to mainstream america and might not be the best pick for the CBS morning show. Also, this is not really representative of the mass of etsy sellers.
Etsy has a RESPONSIBILITY to their sellers to represent them accurately, yet they still choose to present the site as if it's an enclave of 24 year old hipsters with giant glasses from NYC. Sorry, Etsy - you were overtaken by the average 37 year old woman sometime about 2 years ago. Wake up and figure out where your real audience is.
I'm not a Christian, but for instance, I wouldn't think it was amiss for Etsy to have ONE Christ related front page for Easter. It's fair to represent ALL your customers AND THEIR CUSTOMERS.
Gag. That shop is so innapropriate for the average middle America online shopper. Not only the weird, homoerotic half naked emo dudes, but every description is filled with comments like "perfect for terrorists" and f-this and f-that.
Yeah, just what I want Aunt Sue to see when I send her to Etsy to do some browsing.
I personally love that Apple cozies made the headline. Go on with your bad self, Etsy!
The piece really felt quite tongue and cheek, and not in a good way. Unfortunately.
Ouch. That is pretty bad. I got a couple of emails from people asking me why Etsy would support such a "tutorial" only to have it shot down by Martha. Oh, and being that I am Latina, I love how Rob makes "Made in Mexico" a joke. What a racist.
Mea culpa. I love your blog but have often thought you might be a bit harsh on etsy.
No more.
Forgive me.
When I went and looked at the referenced seller, it sucked the breath out of me. Maria should be immediately fired for allowing that seller to be the “etsy brand” for Sunday Morning viewers, for displaying such a monumental ignorance of the most fundamental, elementary principles of marketing.
To entertain for even one moment the thought that any viewer in Sunday Morning’s demographic would find those products and their presentation appealing, would find all the swear words in the shop announcement and product names and descriptions inoffensive, and to foolishly believe that all but a very small handful of people would venture further into the site based on their visit to that shop is just, well, ignorant beyond the pail. The slop pail, that is.
You feature a seller like that somewhere like Bust Magazine or the back of some torrid comic book, but NOT SUNDAY MORNING! Alas, I suspect even Bust’s readers wouldn’t spend much time there -- who can get past the extraordinarily amateur, low resolution and poorly designed shop banner?
Furthermore, that seller has been on etsy a long time -- more than three years -- and has had less than 600 sales! What of all the talented artisans who have thousands of sales to thousands of customers in the same or less time? If you were running etsy, wouldn’t you want to feature a seller who has brought lots of buying customers to your site? Or maybe even -- wait for it - MORE THAN ONE SELLER??!
Add this publicity S.N.A.F.U. to the hideous-by-any-standard single-seller print ad they did for Christmas, and it’s clear that etsy will never be the professional, high-end artisan boutique destination they imagine themselves to be.
Upon further reflection, I guess it’s clear they do NOT entertain any such imaginings. They can’t see beyond the cowls beneath their chins that etsy could be so wonderful and have a much wider appeal than to just uneducated, half-literate hipster wannabes.
I have been going back and forth for months as to whether or not I should give selling on etsy another chance as a means of trolling for new customers, as I have had success there in the past at a nice high dollar amount. This latest utter lack of professionalism and enormously abused opportunity has cured the itch forever, for good and for always.
My customer demographic is the same that watches Sunday Morning, and I do not want my good name and hard-earned reputation associated with an organization that chooses to brand itself in the most public way possible - national television - with such foul-mouthed, bizarre crap.
OMG. But let me qualify that--this is the perfect example of what Etsy thinks they are. They live in a world in which "ar-TEESTS" are apparently too hip to write a bio or shop policies that one can comprehend. Regardless of what Etsy really is, this is how they see themselves.
Sad? yes.
Wasted opportunity? yes.
Likely to change anytime soon? no.
I especially enjoyed the people laughing at the guys' hoodie as he sashayed down the block in NYC.
And Martha was perfect.
And Rob- well, ugh.
And of course the wildly exstatic forum thread was typical.
I know it's said that all publicity is good publicity, but Etsy certainly tests that theory.
Ugh. Just. Ugh.
I watch Sunday Morning in the 15-30 minutes it takes me to get ready for church. Too bad I missed this. Usually it's something about Cezanne (I think that was what I saw yesterday), how pencils are made, or other quaint Americana.
DH calls me old because I like it, lol. And yes, I am 38yo...geriatric in etsy years.
There were so many wonderful things etsy could have done with that spot - showcasing dirty hipsters with dysfunctional ill made clothes was not one.
****rolls eyes****
Come ON, bitches, this is lame even for you.
YOU SHOULD KNOW that you can't control what the media says about you, what angle they put on a story, who they interview, the bias of the reporter, how they take quotes or soundbites out of context, blah blah blah.
If Etsy could totally control their image in the free press, do you think EtsyBitch would still exist?
YOU bitches are the QUEENS of telling the Etsy story however the hell you feel like it.
where are all of you going to expatriate yourselves? Dear God, i dont know whether to bail out of the socialist states of amerikka or etsy first. Now that i started reading this blog i see how often the same people are on the front page. that video embarrassed me -like bad theatre or musicals do. worse, actually.
How can any thinking person figure this debacle will do anything but turn away hundreds, or even thousands of potential buyers that go to see that greasy hipster wannabe's shop on Etsy?
Good GOD Etsy!! Is your head permanently stapled up your ASS???
I just watched the video again, and my take is that the piece is advertising for people feeling the economic pinch to sell their handmade stuff on Etsy. The sales figures given were misleading because no mention was made of the corresponding huge increase in sellers over that period. And adding the bit about Martha's critique established that even if your goods aren't made to professional standards, you're still good enough to be cool, and fit in on Etsy. OMFG!
Lots of people say Ebay is evil. But when Ebay printed their full color gift suggestion catalogs shoppers purchased items from me that were featured. People searched for those items, found me, and spent money. The theme of the catalog wasn't 'earn money for the holidays and empty out your basement here.'
I just wanna see that larger size gal in the still photo on the FP...double dare ya, Etsy.
bad hoodies are the new death-hammock.
Marketing 101...I've been on Etsy since 2005 and have only had 16 sales. I've promoted the heck out of my shop while trying not to be spammy, used tags and titles to my advantage, joined two street teams, have my shop in my sig, gone for critiques where people tell me that nothing is wrong and don't understand why nothing is selling.
I haven't had a sale since last summer. I guess my style isn't hip enough or crap enough :\
Which brings me to a question that EB might want to explore. How about a survey of monthly traffic to Etsy shops now that Google Analytics is active? My shop has only had 500 (exactly) hits since GA became available. That seems terribly low to me. I'd love to know how others compare. If a comparison already exists and someone could point it out to me, I'd be grateful.
The Skeptical One said...
****rolls eyes****
Come ON, bitches, this is lame even for you.
YOU SHOULD KNOW that you can't control what the media says about you, what angle they put on a story, who they interview, the bias of the reporter, how they take quotes or soundbites out of context, blah blah blah.
If Etsy could totally control their image in the free press, do you think EtsyBitch would still exist?
YOU bitches are the QUEENS of telling the Etsy story however the hell you feel like it.
__________________________________
I'm pretty sure media editing had nothing to do with making Rob look like a racist douche.
Besides the total embarrassment that clip was, I was annoyed by the fact that the emphasis seemed to be on Americans selling their goods on Etsy. I know, I know, this was aimed at the American public, Etsy is an American company, and most sellers on there are American, but guess what.. People from all over the world sell on Etsy. Even people in, can you believe it, Mexico!
*sigh*
Agree again with you forumrubbernecker, we are on the same page.
While I could go on about how Etsy has changed handmade to mean cheap, poor quality crap, has descimated pricing of handmade and damaged its reputation. I knew that could happen when Etsy started, and it has.
On a more positive note, I am amazed how many artisans who have debuted on Etsy and have gone on to better sites, including setting up their own.
THEY ARE THE TRUE professionals and the beneficiaries of their own hard work DESPITE ETSY. They have changed, grown, improved their craft, and gotten better at their own businesses BEYOND ETSY.
Etsy hasn't changed a bit----the best description I've seen lately is that Etsy (on several dozen blogs today)is PEDESTRIAN AND PAROCHIAL.
Caught like a deer in the headlights, its all EGO, and Etsy is still charmed with its own self importance, AND IT SHOWS.
oh what a glowing advert for etsy, it's artists and the goods on sale. next the media clip extolling etsy as a flea market where handmade can be purchased for little more than a song will be wheeled out again
WEll, fuck, those shops were chosen to be highlighted by Etsy. You think otherwise? check the forum thread asking for people to nominate themselves.
This is humiliating for me, personally, and I have to admit that I have been down before but this time I am completely demoralized.
I feel like a cheap whore for being affiliated with Etsy. Shit, and I have sold quite a bit and treasure my return customers, but Good God, who would go shopping for real quality on Etsy after seeing that segment?? Not me.
I am just glad that no one I respect personally can remember what the hell website my shop is on.
I think the demo of Sunday Morning is even older than late 30's.
I'm 39 and it bores me to tears. My mom, 59, loves it to death as does my older best friend of 50. I'm willing to bet the average age is 50-72, a market etsy not only shuns but seems to like to insult.
And I'd bet not one of those would go to Etsy after seeing that story.
I like Mo, I have watched his Vlogs for a while
any hoo..
what really bugged me was that they picked this very "interesting" man who would give my grammie a heart attack if she saw this dudes store.
Y'all said that already
But he doesn't even use his own patterns, Mo said it himself "with patterns one can find off the internet". so basically he is just a copy cat that uses the wrong sewing techniques.
yeah, my shop isn't like that, so maybe that's why i only have 8 sales
The way I saw that clip, the entire thing was making fun of Etsy. Rob made himself look like an idiot with the "made in Mexico" comment, but honestly, that whole thing seemed to say to me "Look at the crappy shit all these people are making and selling at Etsy and they're making a lot of money doing it too!"
I mean...right from the gitgo that thing sounded like he was about to riff on Etsy...that whole bit about how he's a clothes horse and then showing him dressing like a geek.
I don't have any idea whose decision it was to feature who they did, but to me it seemed carefully orchestrated to pick the crappiest, most trite items. I cannot believe that out of all the amazingly talented artists there are at Etsy, the truly brilliant seamstresses, they picked THAT one to represent Etsy. No, it had to be a joke. It had to be satire or something.
How could anyone, in their right minds, think that those were good examples to show....anywhere. Never mind Sunday morning or Martha Stewart.
I'm agog.
That clip was an abomination.
This was a disaster (the last one) for my Etsy shop. I will be closing it within the week.
Not only did they choose to showcase the cheapest, cheesiest, poor quality items, and Rob's offensive seller buddy. They also suggested Etsy was the place for unemployed people to sell stuff, and to just get (I didn't hear the word Buy) patterns online.
They ignored the fact that there are actually some highly skilled artists and artisans with years of experience, and they promoted pilfering of patterns (um... copyright infringement?), as if there are no Etsy sellers who are actually skilled enough to design their own patterns.
I have been to 1 dinner and 1 luncheon since this aired, and I have taken a HUGE volume of shit from everyone who saw it.
2 people who hadn't seen my work commented that they "didn't know I was so crafty" with some disdain, not knowing that I have degrees in Art and Marketing, and have been a working artist for 24 years!
Others asked with disbelief if I actually sold things there (hardly ever). Others advised that the association would damage my reputation.
My buyer demographic is sophisticated and has money (kind of like a lot of Sunday morning TV viewers), and gallery curators just laugh when you mention Etsy, and say "No thanks."
I can't afford to hitch my horse to that dung-wagon driven by children with no knowledge of business, art, fashion or marketing.
Sunday morning TV is a major PR get. They couldn't have done it worse. They have no vision at all.
Etsy actively promotes itself as a low-end flea market for crappy stuff by unskilled crafters.
Not my venue. I'm done.
Rob's offensive seller buddy.
________
That answers my question of "how". At least they could have said that it ranges from "quirky" like greasy-hipster underwear dude to cute like the apple cozies to high end like some of the jewelry and clothing.
I don't find that video surprising at all. Frankly, etsy has always screamed "crafty" and low-end as opposed to highly skilled, artisan made. As in, go learn a couple simple things on Crafster then open up a shop on etsy. I know that there are highly skilled artisans there, but they are not the ones being promoted. They are better off elsewhere, preferably somewhere with a modicum of class.
If I was the Etsy PR person I would have chosen skilled artisans with broad appeal, and I would have plugged all those upcoming Merchandising themes they're hyping.
How about a real clothing designer like myblackdress or mamapatrice. And I definitely would have mentioned Leann's early Etsy shop (remember the Project Runway WINNER?)
And why not mysticsilk's beautiful scarves instead of dorky apple cozies? Or some actually pretty necklaces from someone like bonitaj - gee, that would even tie in with the Handmade Wedding theme coming up - God forbid they should accomplish multiple goals with 1 appearance.
Epic marketing fail. No focus, no connection to merchandising, no apparent goal other than for Rokali to try to make himself look hip.
Unless they get Rob and the rest of this lame-ass team out of there, they'll be eternally limited in their scope and potential. Can't they see Rob is a fish out of water in those public settings? He's a laughingstock.
People here have said he had 1 good idea, but if what Etsy has become is really the idea he had, then it wasn't such a good idea afterall. A quality handmade site for skilled crafters and buyers from a demographic that has some money would be a good idea.
There are more highly skilled professional marketing people available in the job market now than ever in the past 3 decades. If Maria ever got the notion to get serious about marketing, she could have a top tier team in place before this team's 2-week notice has expired.
ByeBye is right - Sunday morning is a big marketing gig. You have to capitalize on it by going in with a plan that concisely presents your mission and ties in with your current promotions. These guys are just fooling around.
I really hoped that this spring I would reopen my shop, but every time I seriously consider it, something like this raises my blood pressure and I realize I'm healthier without Etsy.
Rant over. Thanks for listening EB.
And of course everyone on Etsy is loving it....
*sigh*
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6098170
This certainly was a total waste of good PR time! And what a slam for all those etsy sellers who actually produce quality products. Makes us all look like incompetent fools.
SO very glad that I no longer have etsy shops! been DONE for quite awhile! viva la Art Fire!
and a new dot com coming to the net soon!
Well for what it's worth, I did send Maria a convo.
I also wanted to get a feel for how that video was received by non-Etsy sellers, so I posted a link on my Facebook page. So far it's been mixed. Some people thought it was funny, some not, some thought it was a poor representation of Etsy. That spread sounds about right.
I'm going to narrow it in, later, and ask them if they thought the products were presented in a favorable light, or in a "hey look! An online yard sale for toilet paper cozies!" kind of way.
And the commenters on the Forum Post about how totally fab Etsy was on TV will be the next FAVES promoted at the same time on the:
FPT
Finds Emails
Dozens of cryptic bloggies
FPT
GG's
Tweets by the hundreds (all play and no work)
FPT
FPT
FPT
FPT and the
FPT
Cupcakes on Etsy get eco-recycled in a never-ending, circular, over-played, oh no not again way!
I'm not about to close my Etsy shop, but will continue to check out the competition as many others do every day.
If there is truly a market, someone will find it but it will take some time for all the sites starting up can really evolve.
Until then, I'll stick, but I won't shut up.
Etsy has the google hits, bottom line. I do my biz on a day-to-day basis most of the time while keeping an eye out for the future.
You know, I am kinda old. (59). I always consider myself to be pretty open minded etc, but this shop...WOW. Big bowl of wrong in my opinion.
Funny, I haven't sold a thing. And I really don't want to sell anything on that site any more.
When it all expires i am looking elsewhere.
oh.holy.crap. literally. I can't believe that rufeoheartslilsnotty was used as an entry point to Etsy. Who came up with that awful idea. If I was new to Etsy, I'd take one look and say, "Not for me" and go elsewhere. In fact, I am saying that. I am continuing to renew very little on Etsy and putting more effort into 1KM. Which by the way, has an easy peasy checkout system (had a new user get lost on Etsy last week).
Did you catch the TOS violation on rufeoheartslilsnotty etsy page?
"check out RHLS.COM"
Does this mean we all can now list our websites on our etsy page?
I saw the thread on Etsy and thought "cool", then searched the internet for the show. Then found the shop they featured. OMG!
I was so disappointed. I couldn't believe the seller could get away with language like that in their shop announcement. I felt old and unhip and confused. I have been an Etsy seller since 2005, active since last summer. I am so confused about what they are trying to do with this site. Etsybitch is my "real" news source for Etsy. I thought Maria would bring some amount of professionalism to this site, but alas, SSDD.
The Skeptical One said...
****rolls eyes****
Come ON, bitches, this is lame even for you.
YOU SHOULD KNOW that you can't control what the media says about you, what angle they put on a story, who they interview, the bias of the reporter, how they take quotes or soundbites out of context, blah blah blah.
If Etsy could totally control their image in the free press, do you think EtsyBitch would still exist?
YOU bitches are the QUEENS of telling the Etsy story however the hell you feel like it.
****************
If Etsy wasn't such a fuck up, there wouldn't be any need for this alternative blog. And everyone would be a lot happier.
JUST HOW are we "supposed to know" how CBS or anyone else decides to do their segments? Isn't that the job of PR? Or does PR stand for "Pass the Retro"?
ALSO; somebody tell me where VORTEX is!!!!
I love Etsy and this just makes me embarrassed and want to cry.
For someone who was at Etsy early enough to get to know some key players it comes as no surprise at all that Rufeo was chosen to be featured with Rob.
Why? because he and Rob are BFFs. Who else remembers that horrible outfit he made for Rob to wear on that web interview for the business site? Who else remembers the uproar when he was made a featured seller despite having the shop message of "we what what what the fuck"?
Etsy=clique.
Stop trying to look for equality there, they are too busy passing notes in homeroom to pay attention to things like that.
I didn't get to see the video before it was removed, but I think I get the gist.
Sunday Morning show is unpopular with the younger set, but I admit, I watch it. The reason why I watch it is to see who is planning their next 'breakout', or at least attempting to. I've yet to see very many legitimate stories on the show (not counting the opinion pieces, and even those are questionable) The whole Sunday Morning Show is one big PR crunch, shoving as many washed up used-to be's in as little time as possible.
I honestly would not be surprised if actors/musicians/corporations place bids on being "interviewed" on that show.
Taking that opinion into consideration, what a mess. What the heck is Etsy trying to do, really?
Oh lord! Those half naked pics almost made me gag on my delicious pasta dinner! Thanks EB for another insightful post!
This whole mess does not surprise me in the slightest. Rob looks about 12 years old, and has the maturity to match!
It makes me sick to see all the crap that they dish out in the name of "style", "trends" and hipsterisms.
My sound is currently on strike, but I really didn't need it to watch that farce of a segment. It pretty much spoke volumes, even without the spoken word!
I'm really hoping that Art Fire picks up soon, so that I can get away from Etsy...but unfortunately traffic is there, even if the sales are not.
Those underwear look dirty...
Well, I wrote Maria that letter and She took the time to respond to me personally and that was commendable. She responded to me within the day, thoroughly discussed all of my questions and concerns, and was very respectful about it, not dismissive at all and didn't just give me a lot of patronizing lip service. And it was not some copied and pasted or hastily thrown out canned response.
It was a private conversation so I won't repost the convo, BUT...I don't think it will be violating any privacy if I say that she was not aware of the language and TOS violations in rufeoheartslilrob's announcements. Obviously Rob and the others read this blog, and have made sure to cover their asses, but I doubt Maria reads it. If you were the CEO of a huge endeavor like Etsy, you probably wouldn't have time to look at this blog either.
I also understood that she'd gotten very little negative feedback from that piece. Hello? Did anyone from EB write to her? This was a very important issue, surely someone...anyone...who has been upset on that video sent her an email or convo or something to tell her how you felt about it!
I think that venting is all very well and fine, but complaining without offering any solutions or backing it up with some sort action is pointless. Everyone who was upset by that video really, REALLY needs to sit down and write her a letter and tell her your concerns and issues....*calmly and respectfully.* Don't write her some frothing-at-the-mouth rant.
There are some truly valid points at EB and if I were the CEO of a company, I'd appreciate hearing them. Even if I did not agree with all of them, I'd want to be aware. In marketing, there's a thing called a SWOT (I only had marketing 101, so I am no expert) and it means strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. She did not get to be where she is without understanding that basic principle.
The Etsy admins and cupcakes may hate EB, but they know, whether they like it or not...this is THE place to find weaknesses and threats. But a CEO isn't going to have the time to dig through all of the posts and comments.
Use your knowledge to keep Maria in the know, because you can bet your ass that the little Brooklyn groupies aren't going to be telling her anything negative. How the hell is she supposed to know anyone is upset or concerned if the only convos she gets are from cupcakse and the admins are using EB to run around and cover their asses before she finds out about their mistakes?
Please write to her. Be respectful and polite, but let her know how you feel. Explain your issues. Offer suggestions of what you'd like to see happen at ETsy. If the best you can muster is a bulleted list of issues, then do it, but please...do *something.*
Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. ~James Baldwin
Sorry if this sounded preachy or whatever. I think EB is awesome and that dissent can actually be a very healthy and valuable thing. Thanks for listening.
Oh Jamy, you must be unaware of our "Manifesto to Maria" which is a list of well thought out complaints and offers some solutions. Check the archives of our posts to find it.
She is aware of EB. We've offered to speak to her in a rational manner when she first came aboard. She's not taken us up on that offer.
So, we've done what you're suggesting and got silence in return.
Shit...I'm sorry. I was hoping that since she seemed to be so responsive that now would be a good time to try to open a dialogue. :o(
And I see that ruffeoheartslilsnoty's TOS is still there for all the world to see.
Damn... :o(
I'm amazed.
The clip first off to poke fun at handmade, as if we're all some people who hasn't evolved pass the 20s. Ok, one probably can't blame this on etsy alone, but come on.
Then, "made in Mexico"? By the founder of etsy? Really, I'm an internationally seller, not that I'm a Mexican, but I'm totally and absolutely offended. If your company is only gunning for the american sellers and american buyers, don't open for international market, simple as that. If you have views of crafts that made by Mexican is not of good quality, then why would you accept it to your own site?
And feature 1 seller, only 1, they picked probably because they found him "hip" and located in Brooklyn. First off, I know etsy is based in Brooklyn, but come on, tons of sellers that's out there that's based on a location closed to Brooklyn enough that the production crew would be willing to travel to. If you do choose to feature, feature someone that's poised and looks good on TV, really, and appeal to the demographic that's viewing the show of that time.
I'm not sure etsy has any control of the Martha part, but it's not bringing good lights to the qualities of etsy seller. You can't help but get the impression that etsy seller is for amateurs that produce poor quality products after watching this. It's like they promote themselves as amateurs that is making crap and making a good living out of it.
If the show has some sort of agenda that's to make fun of the handmade community, don't agree to be on it in the first place!
And they featured a seller that has absolutely no appeal to the Sunday morning crowd. hm...I wonder how did that happened. Did they not think it through, because, a good PR on TV can means a lot, a bad PR on TV can means you're dragging all you and all your sellers down. I'm sure the sunday morning crowd who would buy from me, take a look of his shop and won't click further than hm....3 clicks. Not to mentioned, to a new comer, etsy's site layout is absoultely confusing. What's a treasury or time machine? and why it loads so slowly? I don't have time for this, I will check out other site instead. That's how I feel when I first browse etsy 2 years ago, and it still hasn't change. It took me loads of time to find the stuff I like, hm...buy clicking on other people's hearts whom I seem to have the same taste. That's like 3 hours of patience sitting in front of a shopping site, that I don't really need to buy stuff to start with....A site that makes you learn new terminology for shopping is just, a wonder.
I have to say, not that I'm not enjoying being on the front page or gift guides a few times, but the kind of favorism played by a company like this is childish. I'm sure if I put my name in this comment, I will no longer see myself in the front page again. Those who make the same products over and over again with no orginality are on the front page again and again and again, especially when they have some new listings. Until the products are all sold out. What's with that? I do think I worked for my front pages by getting people to put me into treasury, and by making products that's good.
Grow up etsy employees! I worked in an environment that's fun with wii and playstations, but when it comes to work and business, we're all very professional. It's time they stop being childish even when they're doing their job.
They tried so hard to be another "google", but imitating the "fun" and "immature" sides only. Look at how google progressed after the same amount of years? And etsy?
sorry for the long rant, but I am really appalled. I've been looking away and try to see the bright side of things, but this video is just too much to swallow.
OMG... that was disgusting. What a joke....
Once again, I am disappointed in Etsy's poor choices. Although the segment was done in tongue and cheek, a more appropriate Etsy shop would have gone a looonnngg way at promoting Etsy. Now I feel as if I'm going to have to become very descriptive in how I sew my garments to show that they are sewn correctly and will last. Thanks again for a bang up job Etsy!
Well, I loathe CBS as it is, so it's no big surprise this segment was pointless.
If Etsy's goal was to bring in consumers and display the wide variety of wares the sellers offer, then this was a HUGE blunder.
This was nothing more than a self-indulgent piece by Mo?, if that's his name, to show off what he created and HIS own poor taste in clothes, and nothing more.
Ok...
I did not read all the comments, but did read what you ladies wrote, and saw the video clip.
As a successful seller on Etsy , and a Mexican American, I really did not find what Rob said offensive, or demeaning in any way.
More like, when you quickly try to think of a country where crafty 'stuff' is made, he said Mexico.
Perhaps if they had been talking about I don't know, jewelry, he could have said Taiwan, and would that have really offended anybody from Taiwan?
And no, I am not a 'cheerleader', or kiss ass, nor have I ever been a featured seller.
I think that his really, not thought out slip, was taken out of context.
Really, not a big deal.. relax people!
Sure, it was probably a slip of the tongue, but that does not excuse it.
Shows a real lack of self-control-- immaturity- he was probably stoned. And since he is so hung up on himself, he probably doesn't think he has to choose his words carefully.
Spoiled brat.
This video clip brought a little epiphany to me.
I always bitched that etsy staff were too incompetent to market themselves effectively. But even the most clueless slacker would know the audience for CBS Sunday Morning is mature and mainstream.
So now I realize THEY DON'T CARE who the audience is.
"The Skeptical One" is wrong to say, "...you can't control what the media says about you, what angle they put on a story, who they interview..." Honey, entire industries are built around that very thing. It's called PR and Marketing--how you present your product and who represents you.
Etsy trotted out its impish ex-CEO and an edgy-but-slipshod tailor to represent the website. As usual, they presented Etsy as a place where every kid can make something and sell it and quit their day job.
This exact scenario has played out time and again, yet I kept bitching without realizing THEY DON'T CARE. F#ck the demographics.
They don't care if the handmade goods on the site are of high quality.
They don't care whether rufeo blah blah is repesentative of etsy sellers.
They don't care if Martha thinks they're doing it wrong.
They don't care if the hammock causes spinal cord injuries.
They don't care if sellers in foreign countries (like Kansas) feel ignored.
They don't care about drawing buyers of fine works to the site.
They don't care if the grumpy-haters bitch for change.
We are bitching in vain and it all makes sense now: the look, the staff, the labs, the favs. Brooklyn is the center of the universe. Everyone else can go screw themselves.
It was MY pipe dream that a handmade marketplace meant a community of highly skilled artisans. I assumed that was etsy's goal, but I was just wrong. Duh.
Why can't they feature a seller who actually washes their hair? That would be so much more appealing than buying undies from a sweaty man.
Where the heck is his penis? It looks like he does not have one:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22283784
And I am sorry, but all of those clothes are super ugly!
You know, as a piece of propaganda, that clip was brilliant.
By implication the clip took "craft" out of the realm of "art" or "quality." The frame of the clip itself was aimed at the crowd that grew up with the postwar consumerist ethic that promoted storebought and uniform over individual and handmade, and that saw thrift and frugality as negative qualities (no fun), or as the province of parents who survived the Depression, or as the language of limits. For the younger folks, the frame equated craft not with survival skills, or independence, or self-reliance, or anything really positive, but instead with a sugary sappy view of the past (Little House) that nobody *serious* would really have. The incredulity of the presenter (man MAKING clothes?), his own poor choice of clothing and colors, and his whole TONE further reinforced the message that crafts were for folks who otherwise couldn't make it. As someone else has said, the shoddy design and execution, and the comments by Ms. Stewart, further diminished "craft".
I am only 45, but I can still hear my mother as she handed me a pair of knitting needles. I had said something about "women don't do these things any more," and she told me in no uncertain terms that what a woman did was to learn skills that would enable her to rely on herself. So now I can patch a roof, put in drywall, build a deck, change locks, install a toilet, fish electrical line, knit, sew (and know what stitch to use with fleece, TYVM), gut and clean fish, change my car's oil, crochet, needlepoint, tat, and the like.
That article was offensive not just because of the shoddy craftsmanship, or the Mexico comment, or its reflection on Etsy as a whole, or even its ignorance of the high-quality craft and art world. It was offensive because it painted skill as innately shoddy and as the province of losers.
Oh, and while we're at it, another snarky comment. Anyone notice that the "manties" in ruffeoheartslilnoty's shop only come in small and medium? Guess anyone larger is by definition unhip and uninterested.
Well, *I* am uninterested, but then I am uninterested in the work of anyone who, in their ad, spells invisible "invisable," and who in his copy (supposedly edited!) uses run-on sentences and comma splices. We all make typos--Heaven knows I do. Not, however, in graphics or a printed advertisement or header.
Very disappointing.
What a mess up of a fine opportunity.
And I am someone who feels like I fit the hipster demographic. Yet am not impressed. Not even slightly.
The seller was an unsuitable choice, and shockingly unprofessional...
I'm no sewing expert by any means but sewing anything with a stretch with a straight stitch. I learnt that the first time I tried...snap snap snap...
*sigh*
Is it really that difficult?
Etsy has shown me a new world of amazing creativity and originality.
I am friends with an Etsy seller, and through her/him,I have been exposed to amazing works- ones that are bright, honest, and beautiful.
I, like most of the likely viewers of this video, are woefully unaware of how this professional website is a place of true craftsmanship--not CRAP.
And I, because I have a small window into this place,am aware of how unjust and terrible this video is.
It misrepresents everything I have seen on Etsy.
Yeah, over a million Etsy members and a hand full of Bitchy bloggers. You do the math..
So what if the guy on the video made an ass of himself. It's just "one persons" objective and one person doesn't constitute all of Etsy. I see more arrogance and self centeredness on this blog, not to mention hindsight is 20/20, than I did on that short clip.
I don't care where you sell or market your art, You represent yourself in every marketing venue regardless of the market place. The smart thing to do is use Etsy to sell, but market elsewhere to draw your target market. Do you really think, other than OTHER artists, that people go looking for negative video's and Bitch blogs to find out of they should buy from an Etsy member? Umm, That's just stupid blind sighted thinking and vanity on your part.. For a lot of Etsy sellers, most of your best customers are other Etsy sellers or members. All you're doing is trading your art if you really think about it. LOL!
There sure is a lot of vanity in the world and I see some of it right here on this blog. Stop bitching so much, get off your ass and stop trading and start marketing your Etsy store to someone other than OTHER ETSY SELLERS, because I can guarantee you, there are many many many more Mo Rocca's with negative reporting that seems to sell better than positive, or the duffus with the T-shirts than just this one, on Etsy!!!
Post a Comment