Cafe Chatter

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2010-03-12T11:36:00.001-05:00

This green Leprechaun's hat is perfect for the St Patty's Day holiday. blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah Blah Blah blah blah blah. blah blah blah blah blah. blah blah.

Saint Patrick's Day Prep

2009-02-24T19:59:00.000-05:00

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[15:59:25] shopaholicchick: hi there
[15:59:42] Karen: Hi everyone
[16:00:03] PeggyWvB: Hi all!
[16:00:08] electricgreen: Howdy
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[16:00:37] Scarebaby: hi Dafna! Hi everyone!
[16:01:08] DafnaCP: Hi everyone. Sorry about the mix up last Thursday, we had technical difficulties.
[16:01:30] Kate@LittleLizzyLou: Hi Dafna!
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[16:02:23] DafnaCP: Welcome to today’s St. Patrick’s Day Shopkeeper Discussion. This discussion format is intended for you all to share ideas for fresh, festive content for your shop.
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[16:02:44] DafnaCP: As always, this chat will be moderated.
[16:02:57] DafnaCP: This means that you will not immediately see your responses posted. Instead, they will go into a queue and the moderators will do their best to get all the response posted live.
[16:03:29] DafnaCP: I hope that you’ll all leave this discussion feeling inspired and excited about creating designs to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
[16:03:46] NiftyGaloot: Hi Folks! :)
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[16:04:22] DafnaCP: So, I'll start. I'm curious as to how many people plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?
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[16:04:56] Lorilei: I do!
[16:05:00] electricgreen: i'll wear green..but no drinking!
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[16:05:03] Stratman: cornned beef and cabage for sure
[16:05:12] Kate@LittleLizzyLou: We'll definitely be celebrating! Lots of Irish in our family.
[16:05:23] DafnaCP: How do you plan to celebrat Kate?
[16:05:54] DafnaCP: celebrate*
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[16:06:31] shopaholicchick: i will celebrate when my check from the st pats sales arrive...does that count?
[16:06:39] DafnaCP: I guess it does!
[16:06:46] matisse: I am boiling orange potatos in green beer right now!
[16:06:54] Kate@LittleLizzyLou: I'll definitely have on one of my shirts! But also, we're likely going to go to this Irish Pub near our house. I plan to take mini-buttons to hand out.
[16:07:20] DafnaCP: That's a great idea.
[16:07:23] Tropicando: My irish friend opens a pub in his garage but i never make it because of geography
[16:07:25] Tropicando: Oh yeah, I don't drink either :S
[16:07:51] NiftyGaloot: I celebrate St. Urho's instead! :)
[16:07:58] DafnaCP: Is that a Finnish thing?
[16:08:22] Lorilei: :-D
[16:08:29] NiftyGaloot: Yep... Live in what was a Finnish community
[16:08:36] DafnaCP: Ah...cool!
[16:08:38] Tropicando: You know, I might go out to downtown LA for the parade, last time I was there for the st paddy parade by accident
[16:08:56] DafnaCP: You should certainly go -- and wear one of your shirts!
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[16:09:29] DafnaCP: I plan to go out with friends. There is a great place in San Francisco that does corned beef and cabbage for St. Paddy's
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[16:10:00] DafnaCP: I'll be wearing a bunch of mini buttons and a CafePress shirt!
[16:10:08] Tropicando: No one will remember it
[16:10:31] DafnaCP: :-D
[16:10:34] shopaholicchick: kate - for mini buttons...buy a package of return address labels and print your website on them only 1/2 the wodth though like www. (enter) site (enter) .com ....and centered then cut the labels into little squares...with tweezers to hold the sticker & a qtip to push it down you can slide them in and stick them to the back of every mini button
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[16:11:37] Kate@LittleLizzyLou: Shopaholicchick - I have one of your buttons sitting right here! It's a great idea!! Thanks for the reminder!
[16:11:43] DafnaCP: well that's one way to make sure that they remember
[16:11:45] horselovergurl: @shopaholic great idea! I may use it for myself!
[16:12:18] Tropicando: A wild idea has slapped me. St paddy's stickers (for face) as alternative to face painting
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[16:12:47] DafnaCP: I've seen people wearing little shamrocks and glittery things before
[16:12:50] shopaholicchick: lol kate your welcome...it is not as hard as it sounds...cute one side then cut the other after peeled it is easier to peel that way
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[16:13:27] DafnaCP: Are there other products that any of you use creatively for St. Pat’s?
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[16:14:38] DafnaCP: For example, the coasters and steins would make good decoration for a party
[16:14:54] DafnaCP: and it's nice that they're both functional and decorative
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[16:15:51] shopaholicchick: the framed tiles make goot hot plate trivits
[16:16:23] DafnaCP: good idea
[16:16:48] DafnaCP: Has everybody seen the Kelly Green t-shirts? Are you all adding them?
[16:17:06] Lorilei: I'm adding them
[16:17:11] Tropicando: I've added 2 I think
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[16:17:22] horselovergurl: adding!
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[16:17:39] matisse: done
[16:17:43] shopaholicchick: i added them
[16:17:54] thsgirl: hi all, i've added to a couple designs
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[16:17:58] NiftyGaloot: I added a bunch of them...
[16:18:02] electricgreen: Adding to new sections
[16:18:05] webdvl: yep
[16:18:11] Lorilei: I love the green tees. I just wish the women's fitted tee waas a tad larger
[16:18:24] shopaholicchick: dafna why does it say limited time only on them???
[16:18:31] servopuff: I'm disappointed the color is considered seasonal.
[16:18:40] horselovergurl: oh no! i hope they last longer!
[16:18:45] electricgreen: I only wish they were in the v-necks, I'd buy some!!
[16:19:35] DafnaCP: Shoppa, to answer your question. They are a "seasonal" product so the plan is to have them for a limited time and then perhaps extend that if we see that there is demand.
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[16:19:43] Lorilei: We have to get people to buy these all the time, not just St. Patrick's. I'm adding lots of Earth Day designs, too
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[16:20:22] DafnaCP: Yes, I think the color could be something we keep long term. But it would depend on how many shopkeepers added the products and how many customers bought them.
[16:20:27] electricgreen: Seasonal? I buy green all year (of course it is my fav color). Think Christmas!
[16:20:32] shopaholicchick: i agree earth day needs green...and my Go Green stuff will want green year round!!!
[16:20:42] electricgreen: ACK! Keep them! Keep them!! If we can sell the bright green ones, we can sell nice green ones
[16:20:44] Tropicando: I need to add them to my actual st paddy designs- i sell few, but one went zombie today
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[16:21:27] PamelaC (CPV): I hope they stay around too
[16:21:35] shopaholicchick: i wish theyw ere plus sizes...but then i wish plus was anything but black and white
[16:21:49] webdvl: Hopefully they sell well. As it has been pointed out in forum threads, these would make great additions to environmental designs, Christmas designs, and spring and summer products as well.
[16:21:54] Lorilei: I'll also be adding Christmas designs to green tees. I want a couple, at least, in case they're discontinued
[16:22:06] PamelaC (CPV): Fishing & outdoor themes would be nice with green
[16:22:12] PamelaC (CPV): I've added all of them in SEVERAL sections, but haven't sold any yet. I updated my Google feed to include them.
[16:22:18] horselovergurl: i already sold one, so let's keep em around? :)
[16:22:26] shopaholicchick: i used bulk add last week and added them to everything but my i heart shop....cuz green with a mauve heart is just painful to think about
[16:22:58] DafnaCP: ha ha, yes Green and Mauve are a little scary but the nice thing is that each of the products come in black as well
[16:23:09] art313: If they're short term do we have to add them all back again for next year's St Patrick's Day?
[16:23:42] DafnaCP: Nope, the color has been added to products that have additional colors so if we were to remove the Green, it would simply revert to the black.
[16:23:46] webdvl: I've sold a couple of the BLACK fitted shirts, but not the green ones.
[16:23:50] Lorilei: We need to convince American Apparel that we aren't all size sixes
[16:24:24] PamelaC (CPV): :bow: Lorelei
[16:24:26] DafnaCP: Yes, their sizing is a bit limited
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[16:24:46] Lorilei: They might all default to black. But mine aren't all designs that will look good on black
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[16:25:25] PamelaC (CPV): They way my shop is setup, it'll be a royal pain if they disappear or default to black.
[16:26:09] DafnaCP: well, hopefully we can all promote them well and then we can keep them around
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[16:26:31] DafnaCP: ;)
[16:26:39] horselovergurl: i kind of hope they default to black, some of my designs look really strange on the green and i have yet to fix them
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[16:27:00] DafnaCP: For many images it should be a simple fix.
[16:27:34] DafnaCP: You can change the design to white or some other color that will pop with both the green or on a black
[16:27:41] Lorilei: I've been working on redoing several of my designs, tweaking them for green
[16:27:50] DafnaCP: How have you been doing it?
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[16:28:06] Lorilei: Most of my transparent images were designed for black
[16:28:16] PamelaC (CPV): I think lots of SKers are reluctant to put loads of time in adding them only to possibly see them go away. But it's a Catch 22. If they don't add them, they for SURE won't sell and they will for SURE go away. I say add them.
[16:28:19] GalaxyGirl: I work part-time clothing retail, and there's alot of Plus-size women!...looking for stuff their size...CP needs to market to them more!
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[16:29:01] Lorilei: Some of my text is white, but a lot of it would look better black. It shows up great on the green
[16:29:06] shopaholicchick: with bulk add and bulk remove
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[16:29:13] shopaholicchick: it is not a huge deal to add things....
[16:29:27] DafnaCP: Yes, agreed. Those tools are real time savers.
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[16:29:47] shopaholicchick: galaxy from a plus sized woman i agree....i would love to be able to get something other then black or white...and i cannot buy the mens shirts because i have boobs!
[16:29:57] Lorilei: The same designs look good on red, violet, and that turquoise blue, too
[16:30:18] CRschilliger: In bulk add it would be nice if we could chose the default color for the new stuff
[16:30:27] PamelaC (CPV): I don't always do WHITE as an alternative on dark shirts. Many times I do a lighter version of the main color (i.e. lighter green or khaki)
[16:30:34] DafnaCP: Oh I bet that looks really good.
[16:30:40] Lorilei: I wear men's shirts too, but I so love the fit of a women's shirt
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[16:31:21] shopaholicchick: i switched to grey in place of black & white on a lot of my designs LOL so it works on both...but it means work to make the design without black & white
[16:31:33] CRschilliger: Most of my designs go both ways, I don't really design for one or the other. I try to choose colors and outlines that will help things stand out on all of them
[16:31:50] PamelaC (CPV): or a LIGHTER border around the dark areas that "semi-disappears" on light colors but it there when I need it on darks
[16:32:24] webdvl: I do the same thinig on a lot my stuff
[16:33:04] DafnaCP: What colors are you finding look good on the green? Anything that looks terrible?
[16:33:07] PamelaC (CPV): Another SKer taught me that. Then I only have to upload one design and bulk changes are super fast.
[16:34:14] PamelaC (CPV): The light browns/khaki seem to look good, but like all dark colors, do NOT use thin lines or thin fonts!
[16:35:00] DafnaCP: any other dos and don'ts we should know about for the green or darks in general?
[16:36:07] Tropicando: Can't think of any, but Pam is right about using thin elements
[16:36:24] DafnaCP: Britta isn't around be she was insisting that orange looks good on the green. I think that remains to be seen.
[16:36:41] PamelaC (CPV): If you're using Illustrator, you can always add a stroke to thin fonts.
[16:37:20] Lorilei: I'm sure that green/orange thing is one of those eye of the beholder issues...
[16:37:23] PamelaC (CPV): I would think that a fuchsia / hot pink might look good too.
[16:37:54] matisse: orange is a color of Ireland's flag
[16:38:01] DafnaCP: well, that's a good point
[16:38:24] Tropicando: and guiness??
[16:38:38] PamelaC (CPV): When I started using thicker/broader fonts on the dark shirts, I started selling them a lot more.
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[16:38:45] matisse: white, green and orange - I'm using them all together.
[16:38:47] PamelaC (CPV): with very few returns
[16:38:53] shopaholicchick: i think like golden yellows or orangy yellows tend to look good on green
[16:39:02] Tropicando: i don't know my alcohol :(
[16:39:41] DafnaCP: Well I thought we could brainstorm a few of the different kinds of designs/topics that work well for St. Patrick's Day.
[16:39:53] Kate@LittleLizzyLou: Sometimes what looks strange to the SK, is what the customer wants though. I've sold quite a few bizarre color combos.
[16:40:28] DafnaCP: We can start with my favorite…
[16:40:40] DafnaCP: leprechauns!
[16:41:01] PamelaC (CPV): A quick browse of the MP St. Paddy's designs shows the gamut of possibilities!
[16:41:15] PamelaC (CPV): I've sold a few leprechaun designs already.
[16:41:45] DafnaCP: Well I see a lot of Beer/Drinking related things, obviously that's huge.
[16:41:52] thsgirl: lucky and shamrocks
[16:42:04] PamelaC (CPV): Don't forget certain city or state designs.
[16:42:21] DafnaCP: Pamela, can you expand upon the city/state thing?
[16:42:30] Tropicando: I guess that one order in production I have is an leprechaun dog
[16:42:47] webdvl: Kiss Me I'm... is a big one too.
[16:43:01] CRschilliger: I sold a shiny shamrock (proper, three leaf) on a kelly green about an hour after I put it up
[16:43:14] CRschilliger: a lot of people assume four leaf/lucky clovers are shamrock's which buyers will grab them because they don't know either...
[16:43:42] PamelaC (CPV): I did some research on what areas of the US have large Irish populations and targeted a few areas.
[16:43:51] Tropicando: I like the Irish Yoga ones =)
[16:43:56] PamelaC (CPV): Irish for a Day
[16:44:07] CRschilliger: celtic knotwork shamrock designs and tattoo style "lucky" ones are good
[16:44:17] NiftyGaloot: And... We have an Irish President this year... O'Bama ;)
[16:44:21] DafnaCP: LOL!
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[16:44:29] matisse: Boston, New York, etc
[16:44:32] shopaholicchick: i sell more 4 leaf then 3 leaf
[16:44:49] PamelaC (CPV): Also, don't forget about the wee little lads & lassies!
[16:45:13] matisse: Scottie, is that you?
[16:45:18] DafnaCP: Irish pride is another big one
[16:45:26] PamelaC (CPV): Beam me up!
[16:45:35] CRschilliger: shopaholic, it's because people assume a 4-leaf/lucky clover is a shamrock, they both look good but 4-leaf shouldn't be really called shamrocks
[16:45:46] matisse: :-D
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[16:46:24] shopaholicchick: i usually list it as a shamrock/clover
[16:46:28] Lorilei: Otherwise Adam will come after you...
[16:46:46] CRschilliger: Lor *snicker*
[16:46:53] PamelaC (CPV): So 3-leaf is a shamrock and 4-leaf is a lucky clover?
[16:47:10] Tropicando: yes
[16:47:34] PamelaC (CPV): Got it!
[16:47:53] CRschilliger: Pamela, yes, some people actually get really offended when they see it mixed up. *shrug*
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[16:48:00] horselovergurl: i always used to get those confused ;)
[16:48:09] PamelaC (CPV): Got a shamrock design in my head. I'll be sure to use a three leaf!
[16:48:12] Lorilei: Three leaf clover is the normal one. It was used as a device to teach about the Holy Trinity in Ireland
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[16:48:39] shopaholicchick: LOL lori me and adam have had this discussion for 3 years every year he yells at me at st pattys and 4 leaves...and every year i tell him i offer both and the pattys 4 leaves sell better for me LOL
[16:49:04] matisse: I am selling a ton of 5 leaf!
[16:49:06] Lorilei: Oh, well
[16:49:13] DafnaCP: Didn't it used to be blue that was worn, not green?
[16:49:15] PamelaC (CPV): What an education in here!
[16:49:24] Lorilei: He's just being traditional and taking pride in his heritage
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[16:50:16] Tropicando: hey that 5 leaf thing is against cup
[16:50:23] shopaholicchick: lol lori i know...i just tell him to come across the pond and see what they say about it LOL
[16:50:36] DafnaCP: So is anybody changing the look of their shops to make them more festive?
[16:50:45] DafnaCP: or is it mostly about the designs?
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[16:51:10] PamelaC (CPV): Just a countdown banner at the top of St. Paddy's section.
[16:51:21] CRschilliger: I have a wee bit of Irish but not enough to badger people too much :) I have more German. hehe. And Pamela, yes, one neat thing about CP (and the interwebs) is the hugely diverse bunch of knowledge to be shared :)
[16:51:27] PamelaC (CPV): Most of my sales are still MP and CP has done a good job of "greening it up".
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[16:51:50] NiftyGaloot: I just rearrange and move the Holiday designs up front.
[16:52:02] Lorilei: I used to change my colors and such pretty frequently, but I don't do it as much as I used to. I usually change my header for the season, though
[16:52:15] webdvl: I try and do a little something for the different seasons/holidays. I've got a bit of a green background and some St. Pat's designs featured in my header right now.
[16:52:28] shopaholicchick: i move my holiday stuff to the top of the shop
[16:52:36] horselovergurl: i'm going to make banners but that's all really
[16:53:21] CRschilliger: I had been changing a banner and a button on my main shopfront but one is still wintery and one is a heart *rolls eyes* I have too many things on my proverbial plate, plus most my sales are MP. Very few shop
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[16:54:12] DafnaCP: So it seems then that for most people it's enough that the homepage is St. Patified
[16:54:21] Tropicando: You know what- I just realized my st paddy's designs in the basic shops should be permanently Greened Up .
[16:54:29] Lorilei: I don't even bother counting which are MP anymore. It isn't a good use of my time, because most of mine are MP
[16:54:47] DafnaCP: Oh good point! If you have a shop that's specifically for the holiday then you should really go all out!
[16:54:54] i am one: Ive already sold a few Earth Day designs on the green shirts so hopfully they at least stay through April
[16:55:36] CRschilliger: Lor, I don't get enough sales anymore for it to be a pain for me to check, I get maybe one shop sale per 20 MP sales... and that might be between 2-3 months...
[16:55:46] Lorilei: According to which holidays are coming up, I have a representative design in a top section in my storefront
[16:56:17] DafnaCP: Well we're coming to the end of the hour. Any last thoughts?
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[16:56:27] shopaholicchick: i have a holiday shop...so i just rearrange it as the holidasy pass i move them to the bottom
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[16:56:58] shopaholicchick: my last tought is keep green year round and add more plus sized colors
[16:57:04] Lorilei: We love green! We want larger shirts! And we love CP! <3
[16:57:26] CRschilliger: I agree with shopaholic and Lor :)
[16:57:30] Tropicando: Happy st Paddys
[16:57:35] GalaxyGirl: Amen!

Vday prep

2009-01-08T19:03:00.002-05:00

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[2009.01.08 18:58:42] DafnaCP: Hi everybody, welcome!
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[2009.01.08 18:58:48] shopaholic chick: hi everyone!
[2009.01.08 18:58:50] SagArt: Good evening!
[2009.01.08 18:58:51] bikerchick: Hi Dafna!
[2009.01.08 18:58:59] boldavenue: hola!
[2009.01.08 18:59:00] wheedesign: Hey all!
[2009.01.08 18:59:04] AlienShack: howdy all
[2009.01.08 18:59:05] horselovergurl: hi!
[2009.01.08 18:59:06] DafnaCP: Did you all enjoy the holidays? I went to Tennessee to visit my Sister-in-Law who just moved there. It was cold!
[2009.01.08 18:59:12] TexasFiddler: Dooni, Nifty, Kippy, Sag! Good to see you! You to Dafna!
[2009.01.08 18:59:24] Dooni Designs: hi hi hiiiiii
[2009.01.08 18:59:34] SagArt: You came to TN and didn't visit me??? I am crushed!!!!
[2009.01.08 18:59:44] Cyndi has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 18:59:49] DafnaCP: I know, I know. I only had 3 days though!
[2009.01.08 18:59:52] NiftyGaloot: Are we all ready for... LOVE!!!
[2009.01.08 19:00:11] dreamup has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:00:19] LittleLizzyLou Josh has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:00:22] SagArt: LOVE:bow:
[2009.01.08 19:00:38] DafnaCP: Welp, let’s get started then:
[2009.01.08 19:00:45] upatree has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:00:47] Kate@LittleLizzyLou has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:00:53] DafnaCP: As always, this chat will be moderated. This means that you will not immediately see your responses posted. Instead, they will go into a queue and the moderators will do their best to get all the response posted live. The benefit is that moderated chats help us stay on subject and are easier to keep up with.
[2009.01.08 19:01:28] DafnaCP: In Prep for Valentines Day, here are the topics I’d like to cover today:
[2009.01.08 19:01:56] DafnaCP: V-Day Overview
What we’re doing at CP
Popular V-Day themes
Products to Pimp (pardon the expression)
[2009.01.08 19:01:56] DDKnight has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:02:06] GalaxyGirl has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:02:17] cyi has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:02:32] DafnaCP: Does everyone have plans to celebrate V-Day in some way? I know I do!
[2009.01.08 19:02:48] SagArt: Of Course!
[2009.01.08 19:02:50] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2009.01.08 19:02:56] shopaholic chick: i don't celebrate vday.....i do enjoy the $ i make on it normally though
[2009.01.08 19:03:00] bikerchick: My daughter's b-day is the day before, so we will do something
[2009.01.08 19:03:11] matisse: Nope!
[2009.01.08 19:03:14] wheedesign: I'm one of those single ones just going out with friends.
[2009.01.08 19:03:22] DafnaCP: Well, according to the US Census Press, a lot of people plan to celebrate Valentines Day.
[2009.01.08 19:03:38] boldavenue: shop celebrates about 45 days later...when the check comes thru! ;)
[2009.01.08 19:03:44] bikerchick: I hope to sell something this year, because I haven't had any luck in the past
[2009.01.08 19:03:55] DafnaCP: GL bikerchick, I'm sure you will!
[2009.01.08 19:03:59] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2009.01.08 19:04:07] Annek has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:04:08] shopaholic chick: bold oh so very true....but by then i am celebrating the st pats sales too LOL
[2009.01.08 19:04:28] kunstrxns has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:04:32] DafnaCP: It's true, the holidays really stack up on one another don't they?
[2009.01.08 19:04:57] DafnaCP: Anyway, here are the household participation rates as listed by the US Census Press:
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[2009.01.08 19:05:19] Annek: If customers show up for the holidays, they can go ahead and stack up all they'd like! Ka-ching!
[2009.01.08 19:05:25] DafnaCP: Greeting Cards 64%
Date Night 44%
Candy 38%
[2009.01.08 19:05:43] DafnaCP: Flowers 32%
Gift Cards 29%
Other Gifts 17%
[2009.01.08 19:05:53] DafnaCP: Plush 12%
Perfume/Cologne 12%
Jewelry 11%
[2009.01.08 19:06:13] baconation has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:06:16] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2009.01.08 19:06:21] horselovergurl: Good for us, lots spent on greeting cards
[2009.01.08 19:06:27] shopaholic chick: my teddy bears do well normally - as do keepskae boxes and oddly buttons
[2009.01.08 19:06:30] boldavenue: so it sounds like cards are the best thing to push as far as our shops go
[2009.01.08 19:06:52] DafnaCP: Well, this does give us a good idea about which products we might try
[2009.01.08 19:06:55] matisse: What are CPs most popular selling products for VD?
[2009.01.08 19:07:52] Annek: But go after things like bears and other things opportunistically...
[2009.01.08 19:07:56] LittleLizzyLou Josh: New Product: Candy Boxes! :-)
[2009.01.08 19:08:23] DafnaCP: LizzyLou, what about the keepsake boxes merchandised as candy boxes?
[2009.01.08 19:08:38] Cyndi: Or candy bowls! LOL
[2009.01.08 19:08:43] terraformtees has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:08:49] DafnaCP: The main thing to remember is that above all, Valentines Day happens in February, when most of our customers are cold.
[2009.01.08 19:09:06] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2009.01.08 19:09:10] Kate@LittleLizzyLou: We haven't tried marketing the keepsake boxes or pet bowls as candy keepers yet, but we might have to! Good idea!
[2009.01.08 19:09:12] shopaholic chick: i marekt my dog bowls as perfect for candy dishes
[2009.01.08 19:09:18] LittleLizzyLou Josh: chocolate wouldn't do too well in a wooden box? *speculating*
[2009.01.08 19:09:35] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2009.01.08 19:09:44] Cyndi: Yeah, the pet bowls
[2009.01.08 19:09:47] shopaholic chick: the keepsakes boxxes are too small for candy it hink - but the dog bowls are HUGE
[2009.01.08 19:09:51] SagArt: Or the Keepsake box as a gift box with an engagement ring inside or a necklace or braclet for your gal! Uh-huh!
[2009.01.08 19:09:54] DafnaCP: Great idea!
[2009.01.08 19:10:11] AlienShack: maybe the Pet Bowls should be relabled as 'Multi-Purpose Bowls' or something like that
[2009.01.08 19:10:12] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2009.01.08 19:10:20] terraformtees has left the room (logged out)
[2009.01.08 19:10:30] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2009.01.08 19:10:35] DafnaCP: that's probably not something we would do on the CP end but you could certainly rename the product
[2009.01.08 19:10:50] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2009.01.08 19:10:50] kunstrxns: pets need love too!
[2009.01.08 19:11:00] shopaholic chick: danfa with 9600 designs i cannot rename them all
[2009.01.08 19:11:13] DafnaCP: nope, agreed. I'd just rename the ones that pertain to V-Day
[2009.01.08 19:11:23] boldavenue: alienshack: i have pet bowls in houseware sections just named "bowl" and dupes in my pet sections named "pet bowl"
[2009.01.08 19:12:28] DafnaCP: So just to get back to the question from Matisse....
[2009.01.08 19:12:47] Annek: No tank tops...
[2009.01.08 19:13:04] DafnaCP: right, warm weather garments are key for this holiday. So are Mugs and the Ceramic travel mugs.
[2009.01.08 19:13:20] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2009.01.08 19:13:34] DafnaCP: For your apparel you’ll want to feature Valentines colors like the red and the pink t-shirts and the pink zip-up hoodie.
[2009.01.08 19:13:49] DafnaCP: If it looks good, consider changing the default product color on your V-Day related products to red for men or pink for women.
[2009.01.08 19:14:11] DafnaCP: Other popular products for V-Day:
[2009.01.08 19:14:31] wheedesign: Are those (travel mugs) back in stock again? One I had in pending since before Christmas finally completed, but there is still one there.
[2009.01.08 19:14:34] DafnaCP: I think they are
[2009.01.08 19:14:39] SagArt: Yep, you can take a mug, line it with pretty food wrapping, fill it with Valentine candy and tie it up with a bow as a gift for anyone. Kids love it too.
[2009.01.08 19:14:51] bikerchick: Don't forget the thong! :)
[2009.01.08 19:14:54] kischitsch has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:15:00] DafnaCP: How could I forget the thong?!
[2009.01.08 19:15:02] wheedesign: I actually sold quite a few boxers and thongs last year.
[2009.01.08 19:15:12] DafnaCP: Yes, they do well.
[2009.01.08 19:15:27] DafnaCP: Obviously there are also the greeting cards -- singles
[2009.01.08 19:15:31] SagArt: Oh and the thong!!!! :bow: and matching boxers :bow::-D
[2009.01.08 19:15:35] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2009.01.08 19:15:46] DafnaCP: so cute! Could do matching t-shirts also!
[2009.01.08 19:15:50] shopaholic chick: i sold a lot of thong cami or thong tank top combos last year
[2009.01.08 19:16:08] DafnaCP: Yes, a special V-Day outfit maybe
[2009.01.08 19:16:17] DafnaCP: Then there is the Teddy Bear
[2009.01.08 19:16:33] DafnaCP: and strangely, the Tote Bag
[2009.01.08 19:16:51] LittleLizzyLou Josh: do some people have designs that are complimentary, to make sets, or is it common for people to buy the two that have the same design featured.
[2009.01.08 19:17:05] DafnaCP: I think you could do a matching set with different images
[2009.01.08 19:17:09] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2009.01.08 19:17:10] hazeleyes7 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:17:12] matisse: tote bag?
[2009.01.08 19:17:15] shopaholic chick: tote bags make good giftbags they stuff them with items
[2009.01.08 19:17:20] Annek: SagArt - do you promote your mug that way in your shop? I mean, suggest ways for people to "gift" their love?
[2009.01.08 19:17:26] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2009.01.08 19:17:38] shopaholic chick: 2 of the same design normally a matching pair....ladies like matching Pj's....
[2009.01.08 19:17:46] SagArt: Yeah, and I have pictures of how they are put together too.
[2009.01.08 19:17:49] Karen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:18:11] DafnaCP: That's a great idea! The easier you can make it for the customer to visualize all of the unique things they can do with your products, the better.
[2009.01.08 19:18:47] kischitsch has left the room (logged out)
[2009.01.08 19:18:55] DafnaCP: Am I forgetting any products or are we ready to move on?
[2009.01.08 19:19:23] matisse: keepsake boxes?
[2009.01.08 19:19:29] DafnaCP: yes, I think we talked about them
[2009.01.08 19:19:39] LittleLizzyLou Josh: is too late to get snuggly warm sweatshirts? I love the grey hooded sweatshirt!
[2009.01.08 19:19:47] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2009.01.08 19:19:53] DafnaCP: Nope, February is still cold so sweatshirts do well!
[2009.01.08 19:19:58] boldavenue: anyone sell lots of something unusual (out of the box) around val day?
[2009.01.08 19:20:01] shopaholic chick: framed prints
[2009.01.08 19:20:15] AlienShack: love or heart themed flip minos for that 'perfect gift for valentines'
[2009.01.08 19:20:29] DafnaCP: oh that's a good one!
[2009.01.08 19:20:53] horselovergurl: love that idea!
[2009.01.08 19:21:12] bikerchick has left the room (logged out)
[2009.01.08 19:21:57] SagArt: You guys can google gift mugs and get ideas for how to present your mugs online with your own products if you want to do that.
[2009.01.08 19:22:04] DafnaCP: So some more thoughts on V-Day sales...
[2009.01.08 19:22:25] DafnaCP: Valentines Day is a procrastinator’s holiday. The heaviest shopping time is usually the 5th and 6th weeks after Christmas.
[2009.01.08 19:22:51] DafnaCP: This year that should be Jan 25th through Feb 8th with the majority of cards being bought in brick and mortar stores the week preceding the holiday.
[2009.01.08 19:23:46] DafnaCP: Though Valentines Day is a procrastinator’s holiday, don’t let that stop you from planning for it and getting those designs up now.
[2009.01.08 19:23:51] NiftyGaloot has left the room (logged out)
[2009.01.08 19:24:02] DafnaCP: Like you, here at CP we’re working on our campaign at the moment so I don’t have details about what we’re going to do.
[2009.01.08 19:24:18] DafnaCP: However, in years past we’ve done both a Pro and an Anti push and it’s been successful so we’ll likely do something similar this year.
[2009.01.08 19:24:25] matisse: How big is the VD sales for CP?
[2009.01.08 19:24:40] DafnaCP: Matisse, you know I can't answer financial information. We do well.
[2009.01.08 19:25:09] bikerchick: I notice that CP is sponsoring a contest, Anti V-day. How well does the anti v-day theme do?
[2009.01.08 19:25:22] LittleLizzyLou Josh: I got an email today about an Anti- contest?
[2009.01.08 19:25:40] DafnaCP: Yes, back by popular demand is our Anti Valentines Contest.
[2009.01.08 19:25:50] DafnaCP: This year we have three categories. The single life, anti-love, boycott valentines day.
[2009.01.08 19:26:05] matisse: bah humheart!
[2009.01.08 19:26:13] DafnaCP: To participate, you’ll need to upload and tag your designs with the appropriate tag no later than Jan 22nd.
[2009.01.08 19:26:49] DafnaCP: These are the tags:
[2009.01.08 19:27:17] DafnaCP: The Single Life: AVCsingle
Anti-Love: AVClove
Boycott Valentine’s: AVCboycott
[2009.01.08 19:27:30] GalaxyGirl: For contest-we can enter as many designs as we want, right?
[2009.01.08 19:27:51] DafnaCP: Yes but I ask that you please only enter each image for the category(ies) that seem appropriate.
[2009.01.08 19:28:18] DafnaCP: For more information be sure to check out the official guidelines and rules here: http://community.cafepress.com/?p=562
[2009.01.08 19:29:01] AlienShack: do they have to be new images or can they be existing images that have been entered in other v-day contests?
[2009.01.08 19:29:32] DafnaCP: They can be existing images but I'm hoping that y'all will design a few new ones specifically for the 3 categories
[2009.01.08 19:30:19] DafnaCP: buyers' taste evolves so updating your product offering to meet the "in" design style is a good idea now and then
[2009.01.08 19:31:01] DafnaCP: Any questions on the contest?
[2009.01.08 19:31:07] DafnaCP: Are you all entering?
[2009.01.08 19:31:27] Annek: Yeah!!!!
[2009.01.08 19:31:40] kunstrxns: yep
[2009.01.08 19:31:52] DafnaCP: Great!
[2009.01.08 19:32:08] GalaxyGirl: Instantly got an idea!
[2009.01.08 19:32:09] Cyndi: Yup
[2009.01.08 19:32:12] wheedesign: Already have one design up and going to do a bunch more.
[2009.01.08 19:32:43] DafnaCP: So next let’s talk about popular topics and themes.
[2009.01.08 19:32:53] DafnaCP: We already know that Anti V-Day is one theme.
[2009.01.08 19:33:09] DafnaCP: We also know about the famed I heart… stuff.
[2009.01.08 19:33:40] DafnaCP: Last year we also talked about the different kinds of love from true love, to companionship to pure lust. You can create designs for a any kind of relationship.
[2009.01.08 19:33:47] SagArt: Valentine gifts for teachers
[2009.01.08 19:33:49] SagArt: Valentine gifts for friends - friends forever kind of thing
[2009.01.08 19:33:56] matisse: We all heart Dafna!
[2009.01.08 19:34:00] DafnaCP: Excellent, yes!
[2009.01.08 19:34:09] SagArt: Valentine gifts for family members - mom, dad etc.
[2009.01.08 19:34:10] Dooni Designs: hmm i gotta make some baby's 1st vday stuff =)
[2009.01.08 19:34:27] DafnaCP: Yup Sag. Over the years we’ve even seen an increase in V-Day gifts for non romantic relationships such as gifts for Best friends, Moms & Dads, your children, coworkers
[2009.01.08 19:34:34] LittleLizzyLou Josh has left the room (logged out)
[2009.01.08 19:34:42] DafnaCP: Am I missing anybody?
[2009.01.08 19:35:59] boldavenue: pets?
[2009.01.08 19:36:03] wheedesign: There's always the teacher vday card in the packs at the store.
[2009.01.08 19:36:18] SagArt: You know the tiles on a tiny easel and ornaments on an individual ornament holder are great gifts for Valentines Day and cherished by many who get them.
[2009.01.08 19:36:27] blackunicorn has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:36:29] LittleLizzyLou Josh has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:36:47] DafnaCP: Those are all good ideas.
[2009.01.08 19:37:10] DafnaCP: The point that you want to impress upon your customers is that Valentines Day is not just about your significant other; it’s about all of the people you love most.
[2009.01.08 19:37:31] DafnaCP: In addition to designing for all kinds of love, I also recommend that you target niches instead of creating more of those generic valentine heart designs.
[2009.01.08 19:37:36] SagArt: Give your heart to anyone when you place it on an ornament and give it to a friend, teacher or loved one. They really like that.
[2009.01.08 19:37:55] DafnaCP: We’re seeing a trend toward things that seem more “special” because they represent who the giftee is: what’s important to them and what they’re all about.
[2009.01.08 19:38:09] upatree: ...or those you tolerate - (joke) anti valentines for the inlaws, etc...
[2009.01.08 19:38:36] DafnaCP: :)
[2009.01.08 19:38:41] SagArt: Everyone sells the common generic stuff, it has to be different to sell.
[2009.01.08 19:38:58] DafnaCP: Agreed. This is truly a movement in the vein of “it’s the thought that counts”.
[2009.01.08 19:39:07] DafnaCP: We saw this over the holidays and I expect this trend will continue for as long as the economy slumps.
[2009.01.08 19:39:20] GalaxyGirl: And a good time to make things right with people you've hurt or offended-I'M SORRY!
[2009.01.08 19:39:51] DafnaCP: You know, that's a fantastic idea. You could certainly promote V-Day as a time to make ammends with people you care about.
[2009.01.08 19:41:35] DafnaCP: Your shop can be a place where someone on a limited budget, who perhaps can't afford that new violin for his girlfriend (I don't know why I'm using that as an example but hey)
[2009.01.08 19:42:10] DafnaCP: he can come to your shop and find the perfect shirt that speaks to his girlfriends love of orchestra without breaking his budget
[2009.01.08 19:42:35] DafnaCP: and it's still really special because it demonstrates how well he know her and that he really thought about what to get her
[2009.01.08 19:42:40] SagArt: If you can keep it unique and use lower cost items to promote, I think they will sell better in this economy.
[2009.01.08 19:44:14] SagArt: You can also promote non-traditonal designs as gifts for valentines day as they can be utilized all year long. Favorite sport, love of pets, etc. It doesn't have to have hearts plastered all over it to be a Valentines Day Gift and it is money well-spent for the long term.
[2009.01.08 19:44:58] DafnaCP: Yes! That goes back to the whole niche thing. Think about what they might use year round because they love it that much
[2009.01.08 19:45:52] DafnaCP: Okay, so while we’re still on the topic of themes, does anybody want to share some of their own clever ideas?
[2009.01.08 19:46:48] boldavenue: a really beautiful design (landscape painting or nice calligraphy, etc.) can be marketed as a romantic gift - doesn't have to necessarily be pink hearts
[2009.01.08 19:47:03] Annek has left the room (logged out)
[2009.01.08 19:47:06] DafnaCP: Mhmm
[2009.01.08 19:47:07] Annek has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:47:41] Karen has left the room (logged out)
[2009.01.08 19:48:02] GalaxyGirl: Yes, some people might be tired of all the hearts, hearts, hearts!!!
[2009.01.08 19:48:16] SagArt: Note cards are a nice gift for anyone and can be promoted during as a Valentine gift.
[2009.01.08 19:48:16] Kippy has left the room (logged out)
[2009.01.08 19:48:23] DafnaCP: As stationary you mean?
[2009.01.08 19:49:09] SagArt: Yeah, stationary. Brain fart!:-D
[2009.01.08 19:49:12] wheedesign: Wedding/engagemenet stuff for people proposing this Valentine's Day.
[2009.01.08 19:49:18] wheedesign: Valentine Anniversary designs for those married on Vday
[2009.01.08 19:49:29] DafnaCP: It is a popular day for weddings isn't it
[2009.01.08 19:49:36] AlienShack: i made a design of a green heart with red alien shaped eyes, and then made a whole bunch of unique 'I heart' designs with it also (love.alienshack.com)..something different i guess
[2009.01.08 19:49:44] horselovergurl: don't forget about goth valentine's! dark hearts and love! my friends love that type of stuff, so I'm sure there must be buyers out there...
[2009.01.08 19:50:16] DafnaCP: yep, there is a market for that kind of dark, pretty, gothy stuff. Even little skulls with hearts and things of that nature.
[2009.01.08 19:50:27] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2009.01.08 19:50:32] shopaholic chick: my goth love stuff is under anti-valentines
[2009.01.08 19:50:41] SagArt: Goth is great, so are the will you marry me stuff. Lots of guys get down on bended knees.:-D
[2009.01.08 19:50:45] boldavenue: think about your target audience. what would they buy for val day?
[2009.01.08 19:51:09] horselovergurl: twilight valentine's day! haha
[2009.01.08 19:51:16] DafnaCP: That might do very well!
[2009.01.08 19:51:33] DafnaCP: Edward is my Valentine...that kind of thing
[2009.01.08 19:51:42] DafnaCP: :)
[2009.01.08 19:51:59] horselovergurl: Just what I'm thinking :)
[2009.01.08 19:52:00] wheedesign has left the room (logged out)
[2009.01.08 19:52:17] DafnaCP: So we're getting down to the time limit
[2009.01.08 19:52:27] wheedesign has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:52:42] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2009.01.08 19:52:44] DafnaCP: are there any burning questions?
[2009.01.08 19:53:07] shopaholic chick: good chat dafna!
[2009.01.08 19:53:17] SagArt: One more, a love poem on a pillow for a girlfriend. Oh my oh my!
[2009.01.08 19:53:22] DafnaCP: that's awesome!
[2009.01.08 19:53:27] kunstrxns: great chat! Thanks a bunch
[2009.01.08 19:53:31] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2009.01.08 19:53:39] SagArt: great chat!
[2009.01.08 19:53:40] shopaholic chick: can u reopen the lobby before you go so we can keep chatting over there about ideas?
[2009.01.08 19:53:43] DafnaCP: will do!
[2009.01.08 19:53:54] cyi has left the room (logged out)
[2009.01.08 19:54:08] boldavenue: sag = genius
[2009.01.08 19:54:17] AlienShack: yeah...do you recommend or know of any software to handle all of the social networks? i just set up twitter and squidoo sites today...there's too many!
[2009.01.08 19:54:18] mamm has left the room (logged out)
[2009.01.08 19:54:19] DDKnight has left the room (logged out)
[2009.01.08 19:54:30] Cyndi has left the room (logged out)
[2009.01.08 19:54:33] DafnaCP: There was something called addthis or addme
[2009.01.08 19:54:36] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2009.01.08 19:54:37] DafnaCP: you might Google it
[2009.01.08 19:54:44] shopaholic chick: alien not really it is a lot to run them all
[2009.01.08 19:54:50] Dooni Designs has left the room (logged out)
[2009.01.08 19:54:50] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2009.01.08 19:54:53] Kippy has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2009.01.08 19:55:01] shopaholic chick: alien come to the lobby when it reopens we will discuss it further
[2009.01.08 19:55:03] SagArt: I believe it's addthis
[2009.01.08 19:55:16] boldavenue: thanks for the chat dafna!
[2009.01.08 19:55:17] matisse: Thanks Dafna!

post holiday

2008-12-18T19:56:00.000-05:00

[2008.12.18 19:02:36] Welcome to the CafePress Chat Room
[2008.12.18 19:02:36] Shopaholic chick has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:02:37] All users in this room have been allowed to talk
[2008.12.18 19:02:45] BrittaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:02:46] teesa has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:02:50] Cyndi has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:02:52] DafnaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:02:55] kitschbitsch has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:02:56] Stratman has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:03:04] mydeas has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:03:10] NiftyGaloot has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:03:22] rogers has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:03:25] GetYerGoat has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:03:26] dreamup has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:03:27] AngelaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:03:29] Lace has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:03:41] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.18 19:03:46] AngelaCP: hi everyone!
[2008.12.18 19:04:00] Shopaholic chick: hi everyone!!!
[2008.12.18 19:04:01] GetYerGoat: HI Ang
[2008.12.18 19:04:08] DafnaCP: hi all
[2008.12.18 19:04:10] AngelaCP: hi goatlady! how have you been?
[2008.12.18 19:04:12] Cyndi: Hola, Chicka! Chickas...
[2008.12.18 19:04:14] kitschbitsch: Hey
[2008.12.18 19:04:16] rogers: hello
[2008.12.18 19:04:19] teesa: hi all!
[2008.12.18 19:04:39] GetYerGoat: Busy tired and cold
[2008.12.18 19:04:46] mydeas: hello!
[2008.12.18 19:04:53] AngelaCP: me too... very cold and tired...
[2008.12.18 19:04:55] AngelaCP: busy too
[2008.12.18 19:04:57] GetYerGoat: sales this month are good though
[2008.12.18 19:05:04] AngelaCP: that's so good to hear!
[2008.12.18 19:05:27] GetYerGoat: 900 + orders so far this month
[2008.12.18 19:05:40] kitschbitsch: Whoa!
[2008.12.18 19:05:40] AngelaCP: Oh my! The DONOT fairy has been really good to you
[2008.12.18 19:05:51] teesa: wow!
[2008.12.18 19:05:53] Lace: somebody send me some cold weather...70+ degrees here
[2008.12.18 19:05:55] electricgreen has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.18 19:06:00] AngelaCP: i wish lace...
[2008.12.18 19:06:02] AngelaCP: let's trade
[2008.12.18 19:06:07] NiftyGaloot: Was a bit nippy this morning... 24 below zero
[2008.12.18 19:06:14] Lace: it's a deal! :D
[2008.12.18 19:06:15] GetYerGoat: Need to do this Every Month THEN I'll be happy ;)
[2008.12.18 19:06:18] AngelaCP: ;)
[2008.12.18 19:06:27] armymom has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:07:04] Cyndi: LOL No you won't...it's a CP sickness...always wanting more than last month...
[2008.12.18 19:07:16] DafnaCP: Hi everyone. Thanks for coming.
[2008.12.18 19:07:28] DafnaCP: As holiday sales slow down, this is a good time to put together your game plan for transitioning your shops, or de-seasoning if you will.
[2008.12.18 19:07:49] Cyndi: Hi Dafna
[2008.12.18 19:08:02] DafnaCP: Before we get started, I just want to remind everyone that this is a moderated chat. That means that questions come in to a queue and we push them out and answer them as quickly as we can.
[2008.12.18 19:08:22] DafnaCP: We can not get to all of the questions due to time and subject constraints but we will do our best to get all of the relevant questions out.
[2008.12.18 19:08:48] DafnaCP: So let’s talk about how you can best transition your shops from their holiday personas back to their normal un-holiday selves.
[2008.12.18 19:09:04] DafnaCP: Has anyone started doing this yet?
[2008.12.18 19:09:14] teesa: no
[2008.12.18 19:09:42] Cyndi: Nope. I thought I should wait til the day...
[2008.12.18 19:09:43] rogers: no my shop doesnt really look any differnt
[2008.12.18 19:09:45] Lace: just behind the scenes stuff
[2008.12.18 19:09:47] kitschbitsch: Not yet waiting for end of december
[2008.12.18 19:09:51] NiftyGaloot: Don't we just switch holidays? V-Day's comin' up!
[2008.12.18 19:10:01] AngelaCP: that's perfect...it's definitely behind the scenes as there's still a week left for holiday shopping
[2008.12.18 19:10:11] DafnaCP: Yes, the first thing to remember is that this should be a gradual transition.
[2008.12.18 19:11:10] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.18 19:11:23] Shopaholic chick: i agree with nifty - xmas comes down vday goes up
[2008.12.18 19:11:33] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.18 19:11:35] Cyndi: I was in Walmart today and they were already replacing Christmas stuff with Valentine's Day stuff...which made me mad since I'm not done Christmas shopping yet...
[2008.12.18 19:11:56] DafnaCP: Yes, it's important to retain the look and feel of Christmas for as long as the Holiday season is upon us
[2008.12.18 19:12:03] DafnaCP: Your transition should begin on December 22nd by featuring the Gift Certificates option for those last minute shoppers who won’t make the shipping deadlines. Consider putting up a banner promoting the Gift This Cart feature.
[2008.12.18 19:13:00] mydeas: How do we feature them? Do you have a code?
[2008.12.18 19:13:30] DafnaCP: No code. I suggest creating a banner and putting it in the welcome message section of your custom html. That's the easiest way.
[2008.12.18 19:13:45] DafnaCP: Anybody else have suggestions on how to feature the gift certificates?
[2008.12.18 19:14:18] kitschbitsch: Not everyone is html savvy
[2008.12.18 19:14:23] mydeas: K. Thanks. :)
[2008.12.18 19:15:10] DafnaCP: Even if you're not html savvy, you can still feature them. You can do something as simple as putting it in that section in text -- no banner necessary.
[2008.12.18 19:15:22] GetYerGoat: Stupid question, I must have missed how the Gift this Cart feature works, is this something that credits our shop?
[2008.12.18 19:15:25] rogers: what gift certificates?
[2008.12.18 19:15:54] DafnaCP has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.18 19:16:08] AngelaCP: When checking out, there's an option called Gift This Cart.
[2008.12.18 19:16:39] DafnaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:16:41] Cyndi has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.18 19:16:52] AngelaCP: Their gift recipient will receive a code to redeem and purchase what was picked out by the customer
[2008.12.18 19:17:18] Cyndi has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:17:32] AngelaCP: The shop will receive the commission after the gift recipient redeems the "cart"
[2008.12.18 19:17:36] GetYerGoat: OK and then what happens to the cart?
[2008.12.18 19:17:50] AngelaCP: an email will be sent to the gift recipient
[2008.12.18 19:17:58] rogers: you mean the thing that asks if it is a gift order?
[2008.12.18 19:18:06] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.18 19:18:10] AngelaCP: no, that's separate
[2008.12.18 19:18:27] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.18 19:18:33] Shopaholic chick: that could explain the people leaving on the cart without buying...
[2008.12.18 19:18:34] Cyndi has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.18 19:19:08] AngelaCP: under the Keep Shopping/Proceed to Checkout buttons in the shoppiong cart
[2008.12.18 19:19:14] deadhippo has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:19:23] AngelaCP: there's a Gift This Cart option
[2008.12.18 19:19:34] Dooni Designs has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:19:36] Shopaholic chick: so basically you can pick out what you want and then send the list in the form of the cart to someone in an email
[2008.12.18 19:19:40] Cyndi has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:19:44] AngelaCP: that is correct
[2008.12.18 19:19:47] AngelaCP: and it's already paid for
[2008.12.18 19:20:14] veggiet has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:20:18] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.18 19:20:19] GetYerGoat: Does the customer who gets the gift certificate code have an option to change shops or items?
[2008.12.18 19:20:28] AngelaCP: the benefit is that the gift recipient can select the right size and color
[2008.12.18 19:20:39] AngelaCP: they do... so that is the risk
[2008.12.18 19:20:40] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.18 19:20:42] DafnaCP: Yes, that option is available but a person would really need to try in order to do that. It's not an easy thing to see.
[2008.12.18 19:20:50] teesa: is there a traditional gift certificate to purhcase in a monetary value without the person putting specific items in the cart?
[2008.12.18 19:21:14] kitschbitsch has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.18 19:21:28] DafnaCP: Yes. A customer could simply buy a gift certificate for a specified amount here:http://www.cafepress.com/cp/members/giftcertificates/product_details.aspx
[2008.12.18 19:21:38] Shopaholic chick: paid for?
[2008.12.18 19:21:39] AngelaCP: The customer basically buys the amount in the cart...and then sends it over to the gift recipient.
[2008.12.18 19:21:46] mydeas: How do people get teh gift certificates? Sorry haven't used them.
[2008.12.18 19:21:53] DafnaCP: by email
[2008.12.18 19:22:01] Stratman: is this feature explained to potential customers anywhere
[2008.12.18 19:22:03] AngelaCP: it is
[2008.12.18 19:22:15] AngelaCP: in the shopping cart, under the procced to checkout buttons
[2008.12.18 19:22:27] GetYerGoat: So I f I did the gift this cart and sned it to you the gift is for you and I paid for it and chose the item for you ?
[2008.12.18 19:22:30] DafnaCP: exactly
[2008.12.18 19:22:44] AngelaCP: Turn this cart into a Gift Certificate and send it today! [paragraph explaination] Gift This Cart button
[2008.12.18 19:23:18] DafnaCP: So gift certificates is a good way to capitalize on the late shoppers
[2008.12.18 19:23:24] DafnaCP: anyone do anything else?
[2008.12.18 19:23:29] Lace: gonna have an after christmas sale to start the transition ;)
[2008.12.18 19:23:34] Lace: hit up all those folks that got $$$ for gifts lol
[2008.12.18 19:23:49] DafnaCP: that's a great idea Lace
[2008.12.18 19:24:12] teesa: how do you "have a sale"?
[2008.12.18 19:25:06] Lace: lower the prices in my shop (all shop or different sections) and advertise on my sites with banners and posts and my email list
[2008.12.18 19:25:34] GetYerGoat: I only put a few items in a sale section for ashoirt amount of time- blog aboutit then take it down or replace the prices with normal pricing after a certain time (Remember! These saleprices will hit the MP!)
[2008.12.18 19:25:55] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.18 19:26:27] Lace: me too gyg
[2008.12.18 19:26:29] Lace: one tweet on twitter about the sale and you've told the world!
[2008.12.18 19:26:31] mydeas: How do you get an email list?
[2008.12.18 19:26:46] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.18 19:27:15] Lace: there is one you can use in your premium shop but I was talking about my website email marketing list
[2008.12.18 19:27:24] teesa: thanks, but is there a say to show a sale price next to the regular price?
[2008.12.18 19:27:42] Lace: you have to build your list from people who have purchased or subscribed to your newsletter
[2008.12.18 19:27:43] rogers has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.18 19:28:36] rogers has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:28:51] mydeas: So, was I. What are you using for an email list? Is there a way to get emails from people who have purchased?
[2008.12.18 19:29:11] teesa has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.18 19:29:43] Lace: I built my list from my website
[2008.12.18 19:29:50] AngelaCP: For us, St Patricks is bigger only because people find the need to get
[2008.12.18 19:29:55] GetYerGoat: Which is a bigger selling audience? Valentines day or St Patricks day? which to hit when and
[2008.12.18 19:30:08] AngelaCP: Sorry for pushing that out w/o finishing my thought
[2008.12.18 19:30:12] AngelaCP: GetYerGoat
[2008.12.18 19:30:13] AngelaCP: Turn this cart into a Gift Certificate and send it today!
[2008.12.18 19:30:21] AngelaCP: Sorry again
[2008.12.18 19:30:23] AngelaCP: ignore that
[2008.12.18 19:30:28] teesa has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:30:30] DafnaCP: LOL!! We're having technical difficulties y'all
[2008.12.18 19:30:41] GetYerGoat: lol
[2008.12.18 19:30:51] AngelaCP: so the bigger selling of the two is St Patrick' s Day because of the drinking and party related topics
[2008.12.18 19:31:17] AngelaCP: Vday is big too
[2008.12.18 19:31:23] AngelaCP: but more the smaller stuff
[2008.12.18 19:31:41] AngelaCP: cards does really well
[2008.12.18 19:31:49] AngelaCP: anti does much better though
[2008.12.18 19:32:17] AngelaCP: i think because for vday, it's traditional to get flowers, candy and diamonds
[2008.12.18 19:32:44] DafnaCP: so for cards and keepsake boxes and things of that nature, the positive items sell best
[2008.12.18 19:32:57] DafnaCP: but for t-shirts and things like that we do better with anti valentines
[2008.12.18 19:33:09] DafnaCP: though there truly is a market for both so you could go either way
[2008.12.18 19:33:27] DafnaCP: I wouldn't hit Valentines Day just yet though
[2008.12.18 19:33:44] DafnaCP: if you have a political shop, I suggest moving into Inaguration
[2008.12.18 19:33:44] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.18 19:33:52] Shopaholic chick: i start vday on 1/1 and st pats on 2/15
[2008.12.18 19:34:12] AngelaCP: who has a political shop? I bet you're still selling political related designs...
[2008.12.18 19:34:13] DafnaCP: normally, that'd be the way to go shoppa. But this year, we have something special happening
[2008.12.18 19:35:23] DafnaCP: we only get to do an inaguration every so often so let's take advantage of that by promoting both your pro and con political merch
[2008.12.18 19:35:42] GetYerGoat: selling pornaments like crazy - like many many a day still
[2008.12.18 19:36:05] GetYerGoat: (I was thirlled my ornament was featured in one of the cafepress blogs letter to santa :)
[2008.12.18 19:36:11] Cyndi: Pornaments? Is that a special kind of ornament?
[2008.12.18 19:36:23] Cyndi: :D
[2008.12.18 19:36:28] GetYerGoat: TYPO LOL LMAO sorry
[2008.12.18 19:36:51] DafnaCP: And moving right along..... :)
[2008.12.18 19:37:43] DafnaCP: For those of you who do not have political shops, you can still transition to Winter
[2008.12.18 19:37:53] DafnaCP: The timeline should look like this:
[2008.12.18 19:37:56] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.18 19:38:03] DafnaCP: On December 23rd through the 25th you can start to slowly – gradually remove the holiday look and feel in your shops. Remove those cute graphics one at a time over the course of a couple of days.
[2008.12.18 19:38:05] AngelaCP: i was wondering what that was? ;)
[2008.12.18 19:38:25] DafnaCP: Remember, it’s still the Holidays so any shoppers who come to your site during this transition time should still see a semi-festive vibe.
[2008.12.18 19:39:00] DafnaCP: On the 26th I recommend moving over completely to whatever topic you think will work best for your shop. Either inaguration, winter, V-Day and/or St. Pats
[2008.12.18 19:40:17] DafnaCP: each niche is different so think about the one that's going to be best for your design style etc...
[2008.12.18 19:40:54] DafnaCP: It's also important to make sure that you've got the right products for the season.
[2008.12.18 19:41:13] DafnaCP: Cards are going to be less popular for Winter or Inaguration and more popular for V-Day
[2008.12.18 19:41:48] DafnaCP: and Sweatshirts, the Travel Mug, and Longsleeve shirts are going to be good for all niches
[2008.12.18 19:41:54] NiftyGaloot: Can we combine inauguration and St. Pats... O'Bama and O'Biden... The Irish guys?
[2008.12.18 19:42:15] DafnaCP: You may be on to something there nifty :D
[2008.12.18 19:43:14] DafnaCP: I've also notices a shortage of dark sweatshirts in the shops I've looked at recently.
[2008.12.18 19:43:21] DafnaCP: noticed*
[2008.12.18 19:44:16] DafnaCP: add those!! It's cold these days and people are going to be looking for dark sweatshirts and dark long sleeved shirts.
[2008.12.18 19:44:32] mydeas: I have some :)
[2008.12.18 19:44:39] Cyndi: LOL That's funny, cuz I actually had doubles in some of my sections because I was playign with the bulk add feature...
[2008.12.18 19:45:10] DafnaCP: oops! I guess doubles is better than none though!
[2008.12.18 19:45:23] rogers: me to havent sold any yet
[2008.12.18 19:45:36] Dooni Designs: so is cp giving anti and vday less marketing this year cuz of the politics this year?
[2008.12.18 19:45:38] AngelaCP: No, we'll be doing something. However, the reality is... politics is big. It's in the news, it's everywhere...and if we don't capture it, someone else will. That said, we will do something for V and anti-Vday but something for inauguration as well
[2008.12.18 19:45:59] GetYerGoat: I've been selling a lot of dark long sleeves and hoodies lately
[2008.12.18 19:46:03] Cyndi: I have sold quite a few...maybe doubles is the ticket...LOL
[2008.12.18 19:46:06] Dooni Designs: ive sold some of those and the zip hoodies
[2008.12.18 19:46:12] DafnaCP: awesome!
[2008.12.18 19:46:21] AngelaCP has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.18 19:47:46] DafnaCP: So we're running low on time but I do want to touch upon SEO for a bit.
[2008.12.18 19:48:59] DafnaCP: As you're cleaning things out, it's important not to delete your "holiday" section(s).
[2008.12.18 19:49:09] Cyndi has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.18 19:49:11] DafnaCP: If the sections have ranking in Google or other search engines, deleting them will only hinder your ranking.
[2008.12.18 19:49:34] DafnaCP: Instead, move the sections to the bottom of your shop and/or hide them if you feel that's necessary.
[2008.12.18 19:49:52] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.18 19:49:56] Shopaholic chick: i sell holuday off season all the time - i sold 4 st patricks day int he last 2 weeks
[2008.12.18 19:50:12] Cyndi has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:50:45] DafnaCP: yep, you never know
[2008.12.18 19:51:39] veggiet has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.18 19:51:53] DafnaCP: The other point about SEO that I want to throw out there is that it takes time to build ranking
[2008.12.18 19:52:04] SagArt has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.18 19:52:12] DafnaCP: so the earlier you can start building those sections for V-Day or St. Pats, the better.
[2008.12.18 19:53:02] Cyndi: Good point...I am usually way behind on that...
[2008.12.18 19:53:44] DafnaCP: I wouldn't put the sections front and center in your shop (not just yet) but do start creating them and keywording the teasers, descriptions etc...
[2008.12.18 19:53:51] NiftyGaloot: Like... is a good gift for her Birthday, Valentine's day, Mother's day, or any day.
[2008.12.18 19:53:57] DafnaCP: exactly!
[2008.12.18 19:54:41] DafnaCP: We've got just a few minutes left. Any last questions?
[2008.12.18 19:55:35] Cyndi: Really good ideas...thanks!! I am actually going to go make some pornaments now...:whistle:
[2008.12.18 19:56:04] Lace has left the room
[2008.12.18 19:56:05] mydeas: lolol
[2008.12.18 19:56:16] DafnaCP: Lol! Okay then, have a good night everybody. And happy holidays!

googlebase

2008-12-04T19:56:00.002-05:00

this was supposed to be about the various shipping search engines but 99% of the time was just on google...eventhough 95% of the people here use it already...if you use google already....dont waste your time on this transcript...

[2008.12.04 18:59:56] Welcome to the CafePress Chat Room
[2008.12.04 18:59:56] Shopaholic Chick has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 18:59:56] All users in this room have been allowed to talk
[2008.12.04 18:59:56] matisse has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 18:59:58] AngelaCP: hi everyone!
[2008.12.04 18:59:58] RowdyJRT has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:00:00] mr servopuff has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:00:02] kdbrown has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:00:03] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:00:03] twopurringcats has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:00:06] BrittaCP: we'll be ready in a second
[2008.12.04 19:00:07] DDKnight has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:00:13] Shopaholic Chick: hi all
[2008.12.04 19:00:16] AngelaCP: hi! :)
[2008.12.04 19:00:16] buffaloworks: Hey Britta and Angela
[2008.12.04 19:00:20] AngelaCP: hi jean!
[2008.12.04 19:00:24] buffaloworks: and all
[2008.12.04 19:00:29] matisse: twas the night before Christmas.......
[2008.12.04 19:00:36] twopurringcats: Hi :)
[2008.12.04 19:00:49] DafnaCP: Hi everyone
[2008.12.04 19:00:57] buffaloworks: Angela, replacement check arrived, original is still awol
[2008.12.04 19:00:59] kdbrown: hey this is my first chat!
[2008.12.04 19:01:00] DDKnight has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.04 19:01:01] AngelaCP: yay!
[2008.12.04 19:01:10] AngelaCP: welcome kdbrown!
[2008.12.04 19:01:13] DDknight has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:01:18] NiftyGaloot: All I want for Christmas is... Lefse!
[2008.12.04 19:01:22] AngelaCP: what's a lefse?
[2008.12.04 19:01:55] NiftyGaloot: Norwegian potato pancake... very thin
[2008.12.04 19:01:58] buffaloworks: yum
[2008.12.04 19:02:01] buffaloworks: oooh, nifty, I havent had that for years!
[2008.12.04 19:02:06] AngelaCP: oh, sounds good
[2008.12.04 19:02:11] RowdyJRT: Hi All :)
[2008.12.04 19:02:22] buffaloworks: like potato tortillas
[2008.12.04 19:02:31] bacon has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:02:34] DafnaCP: So let's get started. Welcome all.
[2008.12.04 19:02:41] NiftyGaloot: Top lefse with butter and brown sugar, roll up!
[2008.12.04 19:02:47] Cyndi has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:02:51] DafnaCP: I just want to go over "the rules"....
[2008.12.04 19:02:56] TexasFiddler has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:03:54] DafnaCP: This is a moderated chat which means that comments come in to a queue and we push them out as fast as we possibly can.
[2008.12.04 19:04:01] MaxMuhlin has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:04:20] DafnaCP: Due to the limited time, not all comments get out.
[2008.12.04 19:04:49] DafnaCP: Also, please be respectful of one another. Anything else I forgot?
[2008.12.04 19:05:31] matisse: I am googling "the rules"
[2008.12.04 19:05:41] DafnaCP: Guess I covered it all then
[2008.12.04 19:05:54] Ga has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:06:01] Cyndi: LOL @matisse
[2008.12.04 19:06:51] DafnaCP: Today's chat is on Shopping Engines. With us to talk about that is Jeremy who manages the online marketing team here at CafePress
[2008.12.04 19:06:57] JeremyCP: hi everyone
[2008.12.04 19:07:10] matisse: Heh Jeremy!
[2008.12.04 19:07:14] CupcakeGirl has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:07:47] JeremyCP: I'm going to jump right in with a quick intro then ping you all with a couple questions
[2008.12.04 19:08:03] JeremyCP: Comparison shopping engines allow consumers any easy way to view and compare prices of categorized products offered by hundreds of retailers around the world.
[2008.12.04 19:08:16] JeremyCP: For retailers, they provide a great way to showcase products to consumers who are actively shopping.
[2008.12.04 19:08:36] JeremyCP: Here are some of the most popular shopping engine sites out there based on their monthly visitor volume:
[2008.12.04 19:08:55] JeremyCP: Shopzilla.com – 40 million
Shopping.com – 20 million
Google Base – 20 million
NexTag.com – 8 million
PriceGrabber.com – 5 million
Shop.com – 4 million
PriceRunner.com – 3 million
[2008.12.04 19:09:12] JeremyCP: Anyone use these to shop?
[2008.12.04 19:09:23] DafnaCP: I do!
[2008.12.04 19:09:26] kdbrown: nope
[2008.12.04 19:09:38] DDknight: i have
[2008.12.04 19:09:41] CupcakeGirl: I've used Shopzilla
[2008.12.04 19:09:43] Pandion: I get emails from PriceGrabber.
[2008.12.04 19:09:56] Cyndi: Mostly google
[2008.12.04 19:10:05] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:10:15] Shopaholic Chick: i have used shopzilla....i tried to add my stuff to shopzilla but they want $ to be added lol
[2008.12.04 19:10:25] JeremyCP: true
[2008.12.04 19:10:41] JeremyCP: Most shopping engines charge a fee for every “click” (or visitor) they drive to a retailer’s website. But, some shopping engines allow you to list products for free – the biggest freebie is Google Base, aka Google Products Search (formerly Froogle)
[2008.12.04 19:11:32] JeremyCP: Is anyone currently uploading their products to Google Base?
[2008.12.04 19:11:36] matisse: Google Products is my friend!
[2008.12.04 19:11:42] buffaloworks: yes!!
[2008.12.04 19:11:44] servopuff: Yes!
[2008.12.04 19:11:53] twopurringcats: I have
[2008.12.04 19:12:01] NiftyGaloot: Trying to... uploaded on the 27th still processing
[2008.12.04 19:12:06] Cyndi: I did it for the first time yesterday!
[2008.12.04 19:12:27] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:12:35] matisse: Good for you Cyndi!
[2008.12.04 19:12:55] kiwi: Nifty, if it doesn't process in 24 hours, upload it again.
[2008.12.04 19:13:05] Dooni Designs: google base now keeps activating my cp products because some dont have descriptions and they won't accept a generic one that doesnt match what is on the site.
[2008.12.04 19:13:09] Cyndi: Heh. Teesed and Bambi helped me. I am so lame sometimes...
[2008.12.04 19:13:14] JeremyCP: Great! Because Google is the cheapest (FREE!) and easiest comparison shopping engine to advertise in, I wanted to chat about how to get your products listed in Google Base (for newbies), and answer any questions others might have about their experiences with Google.
[2008.12.04 19:14:16] JeremyCP: For you Pros, I'll ask you to bear with us...
[2008.12.04 19:14:37] JeremyCP: Google makes it (relatively) easy to get started.
[2008.12.04 19:14:56] JeremyCP: You'll want to bookmark this page: http://www.google.com/base/help/sellongoogle.html
[2008.12.04 19:15:02] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:15:04] JeremyCP: That's your starting point.
[2008.12.04 19:15:18] twopurringcats has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.04 19:15:32] JeremyCP: From that page, you’ll click the “Start a Datafeed” button. You’ll need a Google Account (also free). Google will ask you to sign in using your Google account. If you don’t have one, you can create one on the fly.
[2008.12.04 19:15:49] hazeleyes7: Will you be covering any of the other shopping engines or just Google?
[2008.12.04 19:16:23] JeremyCP: the details on Google, but I can answer questions on the others after
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[2008.12.04 19:16:44] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:16:54] JeremyCP: Back to Google for now...
The first time in the system, you’ll be dropped on a page which asks you to specify your feed file. We’ll talk more about how to create a feed file later, but for now, you should enter/select the following options on this page:
[2008.12.04 19:17:33] JeremyCP: [Dafna will send a screen shot in a second]
[2008.12.04 19:17:44] DafnaCP sent a picture:
[2008.12.04 19:18:19] DafnaCP: If you can't see the image, just click on it and it'll pop up bigger
[2008.12.04 19:18:25] JeremyCP: on that first page, there are some important settings you'll need to make
[2008.12.04 19:18:43] JeremyCP: Country: United States
Item Type: Products
Type of Feed: GoogleBase
Data feed filename: anything_you_want.txt
[2008.12.04 19:18:52] dreamup has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.04 19:19:13] dreamup has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:19:36] JeremyCP: for the filename, you can just makeup a filename that you'll use after you create your feed
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[2008.12.04 19:20:15] JeremyCP: Now that your feed settings are correct, you’ll need to create a feed file, or flat file – that’s a single file which contains relevant info on all the products you want to submit to Google.
[2008.12.04 19:21:08] Kelly C has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:21:53] JeremyCP: Here’s a link to the guidelines on how to create and format your feed file:
http://base.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en_US&answer=73932

On that page, you’ll follow the instructions for creating a tab-delimited text file to use as your feed file. Here’s a direct link to those instructions: http://base.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=58083&hl=en
[2008.12.04 19:22:19] JeremyCP: so, i know a lot of you probably have specific questions about the feed files and where to get your data
[2008.12.04 19:22:26] JeremyCP: we can pause to cover those now
[2008.12.04 19:23:09] hazeleyes7: What about using Instant Cafe to create your feed?
[2008.12.04 19:23:13] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:23:27] DafnaCP: You can use it, it's a 3rd party tool. I've heard other shopkeepers have had success with it.
[2008.12.04 19:23:33] Shopaholic Chick: there are several programs to make feeds....and 2 are free....www.squidoo.com/cpinstantcafe explains step by step how to use instant cafe & www.squidoo.com/ilovecafetoolbox emplains how to use the other
[2008.12.04 19:23:37] JeremyCP: There's also CafeGrabber.com
[2008.12.04 19:23:58] JeremyCP: or you can use the API directly with your own queries
[2008.12.04 19:24:06] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:24:19] JeremyCP: not typically for the beginner...
[2008.12.04 19:24:28] mr servopuff has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.04 19:24:54] servopuff: I noticed that CafePress also submits to Google Base. Sometimes I see products I have hidden in my shop listed Google Base, submitted by CP. Do you list hidden products on purpose?
[2008.12.04 19:25:08] mr servopuff has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:25:19] DafnaCP: Nope, not on purpose. If you've opted out of the MP then the products aren't supposed to be in the feeds.
[2008.12.04 19:25:34] DafnaCP: which also means that products in hidden sections should not show up
[2008.12.04 19:25:49] JeremyCP: We also generate feeds once every 30 days, so if anything about your products has changed in that time, it won't get picked up until we refresh
[2008.12.04 19:26:02] Shopaholic Chick: is cafegrabber free??? last i heard there was a charge for that one
[2008.12.04 19:26:12] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:26:17] AngelaCP: it's not free...there is a charge
[2008.12.04 19:26:25] MaxMuhlin: i would think, since people went to all the trouble to create these Feed Generators, one may as well take full advantage of the wonderful FREE benefit there ! I certainly appreciate having Instant Cafe to generate my feeds for 16 shops !!!!!
[2008.12.04 19:26:26] JeremyCP: CafeGrabber is software you'll need to purchase
[2008.12.04 19:26:38] JeremyCP: exactly
[2008.12.04 19:27:03] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:27:14] Shopaholic Chick: if you show a sub section inside a hidden section...the showing subsection is still in the marketplace
[2008.12.04 19:27:24] kdbrown: is there a limit to the # of characters for descriptions?
[2008.12.04 19:27:31] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:27:54] lizartdesign has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.04 19:27:55] JeremyCP: the nice thing about understanding how Google works, is that you can begin to optimize the feeds that services like InstantCafe spit out
[2008.12.04 19:28:05] JeremyCP: 10,000 characters on the Description field
[2008.12.04 19:28:16] Message sent to moderator(s)
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[2008.12.04 19:28:54] JeremyCP: if you visit this link http://base.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en_US&answer=73932 and click on the different fields, they have descriptions and character limits listed
[2008.12.04 19:29:13] kdbrown: that should do it
[2008.12.04 19:29:19] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:29:23] Shopaholic Chick: kd the description MUST MATCH your cafepress product description exactly or google will reject it
[2008.12.04 19:29:52] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:30:24] JeremyCP: Description must match, but but you can append to beginning or end of Titles
[2008.12.04 19:30:33] JeremyCP: also, description is NOT required
[2008.12.04 19:30:43] JeremyCP: These are the required fields
[2008.12.04 19:30:52] JeremyCP: ID – CP product number
Title – Name of product
Description – Description of product
Link – URL for product in your shop
Price – Retail price in $USD
[2008.12.04 19:31:02] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:31:22] JeremyCP: I'm sorry -- Description IS required
[2008.12.04 19:31:39] servopuff: Where does it say that Shopa? We change ours. Do you mean the product description?
[2008.12.04 19:32:05] JeremyCP: and must match text that exists on the PDP you send traffic to
[2008.12.04 19:32:08] chm has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:32:21] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:32:41] JeremyCP: For example, if your description is "Men's Organic T-shirt"
[2008.12.04 19:33:05] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:33:07] JeremyCP: and the "generic" CP description on the site is:
Lightweight for summer comfort or winter layering, our Men's Organic T-shirt is one of our most popular fine tees. It's what to wear when you care about having 100% organically-grown cotton next to your skin. The next best thing to nothing, naturally.
[2008.12.04 19:33:33] JeremyCP: there description matches enough of the text on the page to qualify in Google
[2008.12.04 19:33:51] JeremyCP: these are the rules we abide by when we submit for MP
[2008.12.04 19:34:02] Dooni Designs: google has been deactivating ALL of my items for descriptions that don't match
[2008.12.04 19:34:04] Shopaholic Chick: servo - it does not say it - until you load it and it rejects the lines saying description does not match the one on the site
[2008.12.04 19:34:52] Shopaholic Chick: jeremy it will not accpet that as a description anymore if that is the name also....it says the name and description MUST me different
[2008.12.04 19:34:59] bacon has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.04 19:35:19] JeremyCP: that's right, you'll need to make sure your Title and Description are not identical
[2008.12.04 19:35:45] JeremyCP: but basically, Google will scan the landing page to make sure it's relevant
[2008.12.04 19:35:49] twopurringcats: Do we just copy and paste what is on our store description when submitting to Google?
[2008.12.04 19:35:55] Luppy has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:36:17] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:36:22] JeremyCP: That's probably the best option, and typically what InstantCafe or CafeGrabber will do
[2008.12.04 19:36:44] JeremyCP: sometimes we append to beginning or end of those fields to help boost click-thru
[2008.12.04 19:36:56] JeremyCP: we've had no troubles with Google declining those listings
[2008.12.04 19:37:09] Shopaholic Chick: two use the feed genertor and you dont have to do anything but type your shopname into their box and then upload the file they make for you
[2008.12.04 19:37:17] Dooni Designs: I got a 100% success and then they emailed me 3 days later and made everything inactive. Just a warning to check your emails if yours differ and you THINK you have active items
[2008.12.04 19:37:58] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:38:00] JeremyCP: absolutely, Shopaholic Chick -- I only suggest you modify if you'd like to test and tune your feed -- this is how we get more traffic from the same feed each month
[2008.12.04 19:38:28] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:39:18] JeremyCP: More questions on Google, or should we cover some of the other engines?
[2008.12.04 19:39:23] dreamup: we want more traffic too =) where do you add descriptions on google?
[2008.12.04 19:39:40] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:40:15] JeremyCP: by default, if you have supplied CP with unique descriptions and you use a service like InstantCafe, etc -- they will be pulled into your feed file automatically
[2008.12.04 19:40:54] MP: Is there a way to handle the flat rate economy shipping prices with single item (card, button etc.) shipping prices with the new Google requirements?
[2008.12.04 19:41:05] JeremyCP: MP: short answer is no
[2008.12.04 19:41:22] MP: Bummer
[2008.12.04 19:41:42] JeremyCP: we've tweaked our settings in Google to match shipping as closely as possible, but the bottom line is they don't REQUIRE you to upload or select shipping info
[2008.12.04 19:42:06] JeremyCP: basically, you just want to offer the user a close approximation of shipping costs
[2008.12.04 19:42:17] NiftyGaloot: Are we better off uploading only our best selling designs... or should we upload all designs?
[2008.12.04 19:42:31] JeremyCP: NiftyGaloot: we upload as much as we can
[2008.12.04 19:42:53] JeremyCP: basic Google accts are limited to 100K products, i think -- so that should cover most folks
[2008.12.04 19:42:59] JeremyCP: submit it all!
[2008.12.04 19:43:06] JeremyCP: 2 notes
[2008.12.04 19:43:44] JeremyCP: on the Settings page for your account, make sure to use your SHOP URL, not just "CafePress.com" in the optional field here
[2008.12.04 19:43:52] JeremyCP: otherwise, you'll get declined
[2008.12.04 19:44:30] JeremyCP: and for the Brand field in your feed, I'd recommend using your Shop name (the field is optional)
[2008.12.04 19:44:30] dreamup has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.04 19:44:39] twopurringcats: I just made a feed and uploaded an image it just says "processing", now what do I do?
[2008.12.04 19:44:47] JeremyCP: now you wait, twopurringcats
[2008.12.04 19:44:48] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:44:48] Kelly C has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.04 19:44:57] Shopaholic Chick: two you wait 24 hours
[2008.12.04 19:44:58] JeremyCP: Google will take some time to review
[2008.12.04 19:45:11] dreamup has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:45:14] JeremyCP: then approve the items they see as "relevant"
[2008.12.04 19:45:17] chm has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.04 19:45:42] chm has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:45:52] JeremyCP: Also note: any products with "adult" language in titles/descriptions could cause errors with Google
[2008.12.04 19:46:02] JeremyCP: they have a pretty strict content filter
[2008.12.04 19:46:08] DafnaCP: I believe that includes even the word "adult"
[2008.12.04 19:46:39] NiftyGaloot: Very slow on dial-up with 12 meg file... hours...
[2008.12.04 19:46:49] JeremyCP: correct Dafna
[2008.12.04 19:47:12] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:47:16] JeremyCP: NiftyGaloot: You can also break up your feed into smaller files -- ex: 2x 6 meg, or 4x 3meg
[2008.12.04 19:47:24] JeremyCP: Google seems to do better with smaller files
[2008.12.04 19:47:36] JeremyCP: even on dial-up:)
[2008.12.04 19:47:45] Cyndi: Even if you mark it as "may not be suitable for children" when you upload?
[2008.12.04 19:47:50] Shopaholic Chick: yeah i have to appeal every month for my "stop child pornography" designs to be removed from the banned queue LOL
[2008.12.04 19:47:59] servopuff: Yes, tits are not allowed. Tits are birds!
[2008.12.04 19:48:17] JeremyCP: yeah, they'll make exceptions, but you need to request them AFTER they block your product
[2008.12.04 19:48:21] NiftyGaloot: Thanks, will try breaking file into smaller chunks.
[2008.12.04 19:48:29] DafnaCP: So we have only a little bit of time left
[2008.12.04 19:48:32] art has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:48:33] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:48:38] DafnaCP: I'd like to move on to some of the other shopping engines
[2008.12.04 19:49:23] lizartdesign: I'd be interested in learning about the other engines.
[2008.12.04 19:49:26] buffaloworks: Does anyone use any of the others?
[2008.12.04 19:49:40] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:49:49] matisse: no
[2008.12.04 19:49:51] Shopaholic Chick: you can now sbmit to shopzilla and shopping.com thru google.....but you hae to sign up and pay for them first
[2008.12.04 19:49:53] MP: Are any of the others no cost?
[2008.12.04 19:50:11] JeremyCP: You can also submit to TheFind.com for free
[2008.12.04 19:50:23] JeremyCP: but most others charge on a cost-per-click basis
[2008.12.04 19:50:26] servopuff: We use MSN/Live Product Search
[2008.12.04 19:50:29] buffaloworks: Has anyone found the cost worth it?
[2008.12.04 19:50:47] MaxMuhlin has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.04 19:50:49] buffaloworks: I've never had luck with adwords.
[2008.12.04 19:50:51] JeremyCP: We manage the paid ones very closely, because ROI tends to be tight there
[2008.12.04 19:50:55] mr servopuff: We tried Yahoo but that was a waste of money (no sales for $50)
[2008.12.04 19:51:08] JeremyCP: I'd also recommend MSN live search, and even CashBack
[2008.12.04 19:51:21] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.12.04 19:51:27] JeremyCP: if you're willing to share a percentage of your confirmed sales, it could work for you
[2008.12.04 19:51:35] Shopaholic Chick: i JUST got my adwords to convert for the first time to a profit...and it is on a VERY niche set of designs
[2008.12.04 19:52:08] servopuff: WTG Shopa
[2008.12.04 19:52:11] JeremyCP: adwords is a bit different -- that's straight Search Engine Marketing, not necessarily Shoppng Engines -- but they can work well for you
[2008.12.04 19:52:16] mr servopuff has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.04 19:52:31] mr servopuff has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.12.04 19:53:07] JeremyCP: the lowest cost per click we've seen on the big shopping engines is NexTag and PriceGrabber -- almost half what we see in Shopping and Shopzilla
[2008.12.04 19:53:16] servopuff: Do you have stats on Yahoo or MSN Live Search?
[2008.12.04 19:53:33] JeremyCP: For paid search, or shopping engines?
[2008.12.04 19:53:55] MP: Do you only share a percentage of true sales without other fees for MSN Live and CashBack?
[2008.12.04 19:54:11] JeremyCP: MP: Sales minus tax/shipping
[2008.12.04 19:54:20] servopuff: Monthly visitor volume, eg 40 million for Shopzilla
[2008.12.04 19:54:46] JeremyCP: not off the top of my head, but I can follow-up
[2008.12.04 19:54:53] JeremyCP: you may want to check Quantcast
[2008.12.04 19:54:55] JeremyCP: .com
[2008.12.04 19:55:04] Luppy has left the room (logged out)
[2008.12.04 19:55:31] DafnaCP: Time is almost up. Any more last imnute questions about anything we covered?
[2008.12.04 19:55:39] DafnaCP: minute*
[2008.12.04 19:56:23] MP: Any chance CP could shorten some of the titles like "Women's Plus Size V-Neck Dark Long Sleeve. . . Not much room left for a descriptive title
[2008.12.04 19:56:48] JeremyCP: MP -- I've put in a request to Merch/Marketing along those same lines -- we'll see what happens ;)
[2008.12.04 19:57:10] matisse: How often does CP upload product feeds to google base? The reason I ask is that it is not often enough to keep up with any price changes.
[2008.12.04 19:57:18] JeremyCP: Every 30 days
[2008.12.04 19:57:54] JeremyCP: we'd do it more often, but we're limited to 10 million, and we have to analyze all 200+ million to figure out which once would be best to submit
[2008.12.04 19:57:58] JeremyCP: takes time
[2008.12.04 19:58:18] JeremyCP: we're trying to shorten the update to 2 weeks this year -- fingers crossed

sk 2 sk

2008-11-05T18:32:00.000-05:00

[2008.11.05 18:00:56] Welcome to the CafePress Chat Room
[2008.11.05 18:00:56] shopaholic chick has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.11.05 18:00:56] All users in this room have been allowed to talk
[2008.11.05 18:01:08] wheedesign has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.11.05 18:01:08] DafnaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.11.05 18:01:09] Suzzie has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.11.05 18:01:15] NotReallyHere has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.11.05 18:01:22] barbd has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.11.05 18:01:35] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:01:49] JeffsPress: hello all
[2008.11.05 18:01:53] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:01:53] bappa: hai
[2008.11.05 18:01:58] shopaholic chick: hi jeff
[2008.11.05 18:02:12] shopaholic chick: hi dafna - not sure everyone realized the time change on chat....seems a bit slow so far
[2008.11.05 18:02:25] DafnaCP: Hi all, I'm substituting for Britta as she's super busy today
[2008.11.05 18:02:44] DafnaCP: so this does look a little small, I know the time changed on y'all a few times
[2008.11.05 18:03:05] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:03:11] shopaholic chick: will this be moderated or open chat?
[2008.11.05 18:03:18] DDKnight has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.11.05 18:03:27] DafnaCP: this will be a moderated chat; it makes it much easier to read
[2008.11.05 18:03:46] DafnaCP: I'll push everything out as quickly as possible but go easy on me, it's my first time modding : )
[2008.11.05 18:04:00] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:04:06] shopaholic chick: and they left you all alone!!!
[2008.11.05 18:04:14] DafnaCP: haha, we'll get through it together!
[2008.11.05 18:04:51] DafnaCP: So today's chat is open. This is a great time for you all to ask eachother questions, share your shops etc...
[2008.11.05 18:04:56] DDKnight: Dafna! my hero! :)
[2008.11.05 18:05:02] saucepot: Hello, I have a quick question. I have a premium shop. Last week I I have a premium shop. Last week I noticed a product carousel on the item description pages that I thought was great. It's no longer there and the only reference I find to a carousel is in the information about the recent makeover of basic shops. Is the product carousel no longer available for premium shop items?
[2008.11.05 18:05:32] preggoprincess has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.11.05 18:05:42] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:05:51] shopaholic chick: it was never available on premium shops as an option - some people write their own code for it....it can lag your page though if you want shoppers on dial up yo are losing them all
[2008.11.05 18:06:14] barbd: Teesed offers a great one as a substitution. Though it isn'at a carousel. Cafewish Likewise.
[2008.11.05 18:06:20] Bacon has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.11.05 18:06:31] DafnaCP: So the product carousel wasn't exactly what we wanted out of it. We're working on some kinks and hope to put it out again as an option in the future.
[2008.11.05 18:07:12] DafnaCP: Barb, can you explain a little more what is available through 3rd parties?
[2008.11.05 18:08:00] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:08:13] shopaholic chick: if you look in the third parties thread on the forum there are a lot of third party tools to "pimp out" your shop - just keep in mind they also lag your shop
[2008.11.05 18:08:46] barbd: Teesed offers CafeWish likewise. Any easy copy-paste script you put in the html. When someone clicks on a product in your store, you get this nifty little feature that puts up other products the design is on. I have seen lots of hits from it.
[2008.11.05 18:09:15] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:09:23] shopaholic chick: another note - little flashing lights or snowflakes look pretty on your site - but are a turn off to many shoppers including those on dial up who get lagged - and those with eye problems or seizure disorder
[2008.11.05 18:10:11] DafnaCP: that's a good point shopa -- customization looks nice but it's not worth it if it interferes with the performance of the site
[2008.11.05 18:10:32] barbd: Other 3rd Party tools I have: Teesed replacement dropdown menu as a top nav bar. Anything to help customers find what they want. www.Cafepress.com/witnwhimsy -- my store if you want to see some of these in action. Just don't pay attention too closely, I'm switching from fall to christmas colors. ;)
[2008.11.05 18:10:44] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:11:03] shopaholic chick: adding a flat snowflake background and holiday colros is nice - but nothing moving blinking or flashing
[2008.11.05 18:11:45] DDKnight: I believe Teesed also offers an easy to add code that will take a shopper directly to the product they click on in the market place...right now when a shopper clicks your link in the MP it goes to the shop front. With the code added it takes them right to the product in your shop
[2008.11.05 18:12:25] barbd: I was just typing that one DDKnight. Too fast for me!
[2008.11.05 18:12:34] preggoprincess: I wish Cp could do something with the dropdown menu - MAT-Dark T aint' pretty :-)
[2008.11.05 18:12:35] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:12:38] DDKnight: lol
[2008.11.05 18:12:55] Tropicando has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.11.05 18:12:55] shopaholic chick: also rememebr placing your url or HTML in the product description will prevent many people from affilaiting you
[2008.11.05 18:13:32] barbd: Use Teesed drop down. It doesn't have to be spread out like mine! There is a simple, one line replacement drop down one. And super easy to install.
[2008.11.05 18:14:13] wheedesign: Actually, I was wondering if the ability to put HTML in the product desc has been turned off. Any time I tried, even to add bold or something I couldn't save it.
[2008.11.05 18:15:37] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:15:49] Tropicando: Hi
[2008.11.05 18:15:54] barbd: I thought you could only do that for section descriptions, not products.
[2008.11.05 18:16:41] DafnaCP: at one time we allowed html in product descriptions but we no longer do
[2008.11.05 18:16:46] Suzzie: there was a thread about that, you can't put HTML in product desc any more
[2008.11.05 18:17:02] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:17:34] shopaholic chick: there are a few people with HTML in thier product decription - i find them when affilaiting and a lot of people type their url in there without html
[2008.11.05 18:18:41] preggoprincess: Still want CP to change theirs :-) I do not like to be dependant on others - and I think it's easy for CP to do that if they want to do so :-)
[2008.11.05 18:19:27] wheedesign: I think I still have some old descriptions with the HTML still there. I was linking back and forth between paired designs (TRICK and TREAT for Halloween for example). But I stopped doing that a while ago.
[2008.11.05 18:19:36] wheedesign: Now I need to remove the old ones.
[2008.11.05 18:20:06] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:20:16] shopaholic chick: old designs or descriptions
[2008.11.05 18:20:32] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:20:39] shopaholic chick: i dont remove anything unless it has a date on t - unless i NEED the space
[2008.11.05 18:21:18] wheedesign: Old descriptions. I need to get the HTML out of them, so if/when someone comes by and wants to affiliate, they won't be totally put off.
[2008.11.05 18:21:50] DDKnight: same here, I'v had designs from when I first started Cp(4 yrs ago next month) sell...its surprising! lol
[2008.11.05 18:21:58] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:22:02] shopaholic chick: yeah i have been doing a lot of affilaiting and i either delete the html or if i am in a pissy move i just skip the design and go to the next one - even if i really like the design
[2008.11.05 18:22:43] wheedesign: Yeah. NEVER delete an old item. I actually sold a Clinton/Obama ticket button just a few days before the election. You never know what someone might want to buy.
[2008.11.05 18:22:56] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:23:00] shopaholic chick: i sold an obama today LMAO
[2008.11.05 18:23:17] DafnaCP: Are we all seeing the post-election upswing today?
[2008.11.05 18:23:33] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:23:36] DDKnight: again..same here shoppa! I have 7 offsites for affiliating CP....I pass up on some really good designs becuase of stuff like that...no description...image no fitted right...etc...frustrating!
[2008.11.05 18:23:45] shopaholic chick: no dafna - i am seeing the same as i have for a weeek
[2008.11.05 18:24:12] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:24:22] DDKnight: yeaterday was good for me, 21 products sold
[2008.11.05 18:24:26] barbd: I have sold a few election things today.
[2008.11.05 18:24:37] DDKnight: but..i have 14 prem shops LOL
[2008.11.05 18:24:43] wheedesign: I got nothing today. The election was HUGE for me. Mostly one design. Things have slowed down a LOT.
[2008.11.05 18:24:45] shopaholic chick: oj and if everyone comes to the lobby afterchat i have an affiate site needing designs so stick around to find out how LOL
[2008.11.05 18:25:04] Tropicando: low activity here. sold halloween-obama mini buttons today
[2008.11.05 18:25:12] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:25:18] shopaholic chick: oh and everyone please excuse my typos - the typo fairy hates me apparently
[2008.11.05 18:25:21] flipk@charter.net has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.11.05 18:26:18] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:26:21] DafnaCP: Do consider adding Obama victory designs as I suspect we'll see sales for those items for the next week or so
[2008.11.05 18:26:33] barbd: so, when can I expect the holiday sales rush? Economy not with-standing of course
[2008.11.05 18:26:46] DDKnight: i did one today and put it up in a basic
[2008.11.05 18:26:53] barbd: Ahem, some of us are adding anti-Obama victory stuff
[2008.11.05 18:26:58] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:27:11] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:27:16] DafnaCP: either way Barb! I'm an equal opportunity t-shirt seller!
[2008.11.05 18:27:23] shopaholic chick: honestly i swore i was not going to add any poltiical then in sept i was inspired and made a line for each candidate and make like $3000 off them - even making them late
[2008.11.05 18:27:28] Tropicando: I seen those selling in the news- homemade obama tees
[2008.11.05 18:27:41] DDKnight: agreed! hope you sell millions! lol
[2008.11.05 18:27:43] Tropicando: I was putting the finishing touches on an Obama Vday tee myself
[2008.11.05 18:27:51] wheedesign: From what I've been readin gin the forums, it looks like holiday sales should pick up i nthe next week or so. I sure hope so.
[2008.11.05 18:27:53] shopaholic chick: barb starting soon hopefully
[2008.11.05 18:28:03] NotReallyHere has left the room (logged out)
[2008.11.05 18:28:51] Tropicando: wow shoppa, mai frend, mai monied frend
[2008.11.05 18:28:55] barbd: Oh tip: if you use the copy section to put up new designs, it seems to take longer than a new section. I tested it out. Some items one day with the copy section. New section, next day -- designs were up before the older section.
[2008.11.05 18:29:26] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:29:34] shopaholic chick: lol actually i would liek to take this time to say thank you mccain for my new wacon intuos3 pen-pad LOL
[2008.11.05 18:29:54] electricgreen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.11.05 18:30:20] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:30:25] shopaholic chick: barb do you mean in the MP or in your shop?
[2008.11.05 18:31:08] barbd: in the MP. Sorry should have been more specific.
[2008.11.05 18:31:52] Tropicando: am i the only one to have sold a mccain-palin thong and matching camisole?
[2008.11.05 18:32:14] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:32:19] shopaholic chick: i sold a thong i dont thin they patched it with a top thouh
[2008.11.05 18:32:31] barbd: LOL Tropicando. I've sold some odd items, but not that.
[2008.11.05 18:32:46] barbd: I did sell a dog bowl with a Clinton theme.
[2008.11.05 18:32:59] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:33:08] Tropicando: I sold a mccain dog bowl
[2008.11.05 18:33:12] Gandalf Parker has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.11.05 18:33:30] shopaholic chick: i can only hope that a stripper was wearing some of them LOL
[2008.11.05 18:34:08] Tropicando: What do you think about Obama/Thanksgiving themes
[2008.11.05 18:34:32] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:34:38] shopaholic chick: i think i am dun with political for 3 1/2 more years
[2008.11.05 18:34:50] barbd: I think if you can find a unique way, there will be someone who REALLY like Obama to buy them.
[2008.11.05 18:35:33] DafnaCP: Tropicando, I might try holiday cards instead
[2008.11.05 18:35:38] Tropicando: Well I thought it was the end. But I think you cannot understimate the Obama post election afterglow
[2008.11.05 18:36:15] Tropicando: You mean thanksgiving cards?
[2008.11.05 18:36:27] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:36:30] DafnaCP: Nope, I mean I'd skip Thanksgiving and do Holiday instead
[2008.11.05 18:36:33] shopaholic chick: i am not underestimating it - i am tired of it lol
[2008.11.05 18:37:03] Tropicando: You mean December then
[2008.11.05 18:37:08] DafnaCP: Yup!
[2008.11.05 18:37:29] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:37:36] shopaholic chick: ohhh big tip tedn out your holiday cards thanksgiving week - with your bsness card in them so they arrive immediatly after black friday for all those shoppers who cant fidn what they like in the stores on that day!!!
[2008.11.05 18:37:44] barbd: Actually, for Christmas cards, you'd want them out soon -- most mail them early December. That means they'll order within the next few weeks.
[2008.11.05 18:38:24] DafnaCP: Yeah, this is the time to get those Holiday cards up and available, they're an early-sell product
[2008.11.05 18:38:31] Tropicando: I had a close one die xmas week so it's tuff, but I'll give it a shot this year for xmas designs
[2008.11.05 18:38:46] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:39:12] Suzzie: i couldn't put a business card in a christmas card.. i think i would be smited from above.
[2008.11.05 18:39:25] shopaholic chick: i dont sell a lot of holiday cards to be honest - prolly cuz of the cost - we buy ours the day after xmas for next year and spend like $.99 for a 20 pack at target
[2008.11.05 18:39:49] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:39:56] shopaholic chick: LMAO - i just got a donot for an obama while we are in chat
[2008.11.05 18:40:32] Tropicando: right on
[2008.11.05 18:40:36] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:40:43] shopaholic chick: suzzie i put them with a note that says "hope your family is doing well, this year my shop is doing good, please keep it in mind for those hard to find gifts"
[2008.11.05 18:40:53] barbd: I always do a newsletter with mine. So I'm including my url (and maybe business card) with a "This is what I've been doing" aspect.
[2008.11.05 18:41:24] cole has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.11.05 18:42:40] Tropicando: I have a question. I notice some shops have ordering phone numbers; do you need permission from CP to use them or can you post them on your own?
[2008.11.05 18:43:16] barbd: I think I remember hearing the numbers were on old templates and not new ones.
[2008.11.05 18:43:23] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:43:31] alicethelna has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.11.05 18:43:33] DafnaCP: go ahead and post 'em! Do keep in mind that phone orders will usually be counted as an MP sale (unless the customer has a cart number).
[2008.11.05 18:43:41] shopaholic chick: that is CP's number that is built into the CP templates - rememebr call in order means it gets marked marhetplace not shop
[2008.11.05 18:44:38] barbd: I think it's important to have them as there are occasionally bugs in the system. Rather have an MP sale than none at all!
[2008.11.05 18:44:42] BrittaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.11.05 18:44:51] Tropicando: That's not a problem, most of my sales are MP. Until I begin promotions on youtube...
[2008.11.05 18:45:00] DafnaCP: Some customers just prefer to order by phone.
[2008.11.05 18:45:01] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:45:05] shopaholic chick: britta your late:-p
[2008.11.05 18:45:17] alicethelna: is the place where Britta is hosting the chat 4pm?
[2008.11.05 18:45:18] BrittaCP: Hi Alice... yes it is. However it was bumped to 3pm at the last minute
[2008.11.05 18:45:29] BrittaCP: I apoligize for the last minute change
[2008.11.05 18:45:46] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:46:13] wheedesign: I suppose that has to be weighted against, either making a marketplace sale or not making any sale though. Hmmm.... Now I'm wondering if I should remove the number from my site. It's small, so I don't think I'm actually driving anyone to call instead of buy online.
[2008.11.05 18:46:16] BrittaCP: but worth the wait ;)
[2008.11.05 18:46:45] barbd: Youtube huh? How is that working for you?
[2008.11.05 18:46:51] wheedesign: I see I missed barbs comment while I was typing. Makes sense. So the phone number stays.
[2008.11.05 18:47:08] Tropicando: By the way is that phone line 24hrs?
[2008.11.05 18:47:36] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:47:54] Tropicando: I'm guessing yes
[2008.11.05 18:47:56] shopaholic chick: i dont think it is....
[2008.11.05 18:48:22] Bacon has left the room (logged out)
[2008.11.05 18:48:35] cole: no its not
[2008.11.05 18:48:57] DafnaCP: nope, hours are 9am to 9pm Eastern Monday through Saturday
[2008.11.05 18:49:02] wheedesign: Monday - Saturday 9:00 am - 9:00 pm EST.
[2008.11.05 18:49:12] cole: what is the difference on our end if the sale is marketplace or shop? we get a bonus if its stright from the shop?
[2008.11.05 18:49:39] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:49:44] shopaholic chick: we only get bonus on sales from shop not from MP
[2008.11.05 18:49:48] Tropicando: youtube, I have not actually uploaded anything, but in the past I have sent animated greeting to my friends, so why not use it commercially :)
[2008.11.05 18:49:59] alicethelna: will you be in seattle on saturday?
[2008.11.05 18:50:01] alicethelna: or can I come by the offices in San Mateo when I'm in the Bay Area for Thanksgiving
[2008.11.05 18:50:03] alicethelna: I have LOTS of questions
[2008.11.05 18:50:24] BrittaCP: Yes... both dafna and I will be in seattle on saturday
[2008.11.05 18:50:28] BrittaCP: we look foward to seeing you
[2008.11.05 18:50:34] DafnaCP: ome find me and I'll be happy to answer your questions.
[2008.11.05 18:50:35] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:50:41] shopaholic chick: alice feel free to come to the lobby after this chat ends and there are a lot of us shopkeepers who can help you out
[2008.11.05 18:50:47] bignumpt has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.11.05 18:50:53] cole: How is teh bonus worked out, a percentage, a flat rate? Sorry I dont know how this works
[2008.11.05 18:51:02] alicethelna: ok - thanks!
[2008.11.05 18:51:23] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:51:40] Gandalf Parker has left the room (logged out)
[2008.11.05 18:51:41] alicethelna: it should read: alicethelma
[2008.11.05 18:51:42] alicethelna: but my name is really Chris
[2008.11.05 18:51:45] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:51:49] alicethelna: and the shop is "I LOVE KNITTING"
[2008.11.05 18:51:55] BrittaCP: i recall that from the RSVP lsit
[2008.11.05 18:52:01] alicethelna: confusing I know
[2008.11.05 18:52:03] shopaholic chick: alice u can ask here too that way others can profit from the answers
[2008.11.05 18:52:08] Tropicando: shopa is very informative
[2008.11.05 18:52:11] shopaholic chick: cole it is a % of your base shop sales once you reach $100 in base shop sales....and the % goes up the more base shop you have
[2008.11.05 18:52:19] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:52:24] shopaholic chick: thanks trop....but even i learn new things every dayu
[2008.11.05 18:52:42] cole: Ah, got it! Thanks so much.
[2008.11.05 18:52:46] alicethelna: well one question is this: Why is the graphic on my mugs offset - cockeyed.
[2008.11.05 18:52:55] Suzzie has left the room (logged out)
[2008.11.05 18:53:00] alicethelna: off to one side
[2008.11.05 18:53:29] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:53:29] BrittaCP: but yes... i recommend also haning out in the lonny after this chat. we will reopen it
[2008.11.05 18:53:34] BrittaCP: *lobby
[2008.11.05 18:53:43] shopaholic chick: oh you can set it to print right left or center - if you want it to wrap around you have to make it like a bumper sticker
[2008.11.05 18:53:44] Tropicando: I've noticed that on embroidery
[2008.11.05 18:53:54] alicethelna: how can i get in touch with "Chairman Meow" ....
[2008.11.05 18:54:26] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:54:37] BrittaCP: i here he is quite busy these days... with his royal kitty duties
[2008.11.05 18:54:49] BrittaCP: but there maybe contact info in the shop
[2008.11.05 18:54:54] bignumpt: Are you using the correct Mug Template?
[2008.11.05 18:54:58] alicethelna: I greatly admire his shop...
[2008.11.05 18:55:00] Tropicando: I love chairman meow
[2008.11.05 18:55:06] barbd: you meant loony... as in loony bin, admit it Britta! ;)
[2008.11.05 18:55:12] bignumpt has left the room (logged out)
[2008.11.05 18:55:14] BrittaCP: my brain often belongs there
[2008.11.05 18:55:18] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:55:18] shopaholic chick: you cant contact other shop keepers unless they have their email posted - or on the forums you can try to right click on their name and invite them to a private topic
[2008.11.05 18:55:22] alicethelna: I feel stymied by my lack of hardcore html coding skills
[2008.11.05 18:55:26] Tropicando: If i was versed in afiliation I would affiliate it- chairman meow that is
[2008.11.05 18:55:30] shopaholic chick: barb we are all loony
[2008.11.05 18:55:43] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:55:59] BrittaCP: Alright gagn... well thanks for taking it easy for Dafna
[2008.11.05 18:56:05] electricgreen has left the room (logged out)
[2008.11.05 18:56:10] BrittaCP: *gang
[2008.11.05 18:56:12] shopaholic chick: alice i have NO html coding skills unless you count me copying and pasting other peoples code LOL
[2008.11.05 18:56:16] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:56:18] Tropicando: i am one of the sane ones
[2008.11.05 18:56:22] shopaholic chick: britta i think u and ang owe dafna a beer for leavig her alone with us!!
[2008.11.05 18:56:46] BrittaCP: agreed
[2008.11.05 18:56:49] DafnaCP: mmmm, beer
[2008.11.05 18:56:52] alicethelna: has anyone submitted their url directly to google?
[2008.11.05 18:57:00] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:57:03] BrittaCP: I will open up the lobby now... actually it's already open
[2008.11.05 18:57:09] Tropicando: thanks dafna and master of chats
[2008.11.05 18:57:15] alicethelna: I am driving up to Seattle from Vancouver, WA and there's a possibility of flooding on I5 - it's that time of year...
[2008.11.05 18:57:18] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.11.05 18:57:25] BrittaCP: fingers crossed you can make it
[2008.11.05 18:57:27] shopaholic chick: alice come to the lobby and i will give you a ton of ways to get exposure like that fro free
[2008.11.05 18:57:35] BrittaCP: Thanks for joining!

Holiday Prep

2008-10-23T19:01:00.000-05:00

[2008.10.23 18:33:01] Welcome to the CafePress Chat Room
[2008.10.23 18:33:01] shopaholic chick has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 18:33:01] All users in this room have been allowed to talk
[2008.10.23 18:44:57] electricgreen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 18:51:53] Ellen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 18:52:34] Ellen has left the room (logged out)
[2008.10.23 18:54:02] Ellen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 18:55:14] SusanFaye has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 18:55:28] dreamup has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 18:57:40] matisse has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 18:57:44] Heni has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 18:58:29] MaxMuhlin has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 18:58:36] BrittaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 18:58:42] MenagerieMayhem has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 18:58:58] BrittaCP: Greetings and Salutations everyone
[2008.10.23 18:59:16] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 18:59:18] Kate@LittleLizzyLou has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:00:08] DafnaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:00:21] Max has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:00:21] Heni has left the room (logged out)
[2008.10.23 19:00:33] matisse: bah humbug!
[2008.10.23 19:00:36] MaxMuhlin: Hi, Everyone!
[2008.10.23 19:00:38] shopaholic chick: hi all!
[2008.10.23 19:00:49] Dooni Designs: boo!
[2008.10.23 19:00:50] twopurringcats has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:01:02] BrittaCP: @ dooni: that's more like it
[2008.10.23 19:01:02] Heni has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:01:23] BrittaCP: but there's a reason why we start talking about the holidays in october
[2008.10.23 19:01:37] BrittaCP: because in the retail world... that's when it begins
[2008.10.23 19:02:15] LittleLizzyLou Josh has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:02:42] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:02:43] BrittaCP: So as you can guess (if you didn't know already, that's is) today we're doing our second installment of Holiday Prep talk
[2008.10.23 19:03:32] BrittaCP: A few weeks ago we went over site navigation
[2008.10.23 19:04:18] BrittaCP: http://community.cafepress.com/?p=475
[2008.10.23 19:04:50] BrittaCP: The tips that we gave in it (as well as tonight) are really things that you can implemnt all year... but if you're not already... you really want to start now
[2008.10.23 19:05:03] BrittaCP: so you have everything ready at go time when the season kicks in
[2008.10.23 19:05:19] BrittaCP: Tonight we'll be talking about Shop Promotion
[2008.10.23 19:05:50] BrittaCP: and we've got Dafna, our Top Shop Rep to talk to us about some best practices
[2008.10.23 19:06:02] DafnaCP: Hi everyone!
[2008.10.23 19:06:08] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:06:17] shopaholic chick: hi dafna
[2008.10.23 19:06:34] Pandion has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:06:34] BrittaCP: So before we go any further let me go over the rules...
[2008.10.23 19:06:49] QueenBee has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:06:54] BrittaCP: This chat is moderated which means all your questions and comments go into a queue
[2008.10.23 19:07:05] BrittaCP: so you will not see them right away
[2008.10.23 19:07:34] BrittaCP: A moderator will review it and push it out
[2008.10.23 19:07:56] BrittaCP: aat the end of the chat we'll open up the loibby again, so you guys can continue the conversation and fun
[2008.10.23 19:08:08] BrittaCP: and we'll have the transcript up in a day or so
[2008.10.23 19:08:27] BrittaCP: ok... enough of that babble... let's get on with the show
[2008.10.23 19:08:30] twopurringcats: hi
[2008.10.23 19:08:32] matisse: Hi Dafna!
[2008.10.23 19:08:35] Kate@LittleLizzyLou: Hi Dafna!
[2008.10.23 19:08:35] Bacon has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:08:37] shopaholic chick: all the discount stores around us put the xmas stuff out same day as the halloween stuff!
[2008.10.23 19:08:51] DafnaCP: So, I see a lot of familiar shopkeepers in the chat room this evening (hi y’all!). But is there anybody here who is preparing for their very first Holiday Season at Cafepress?
[2008.10.23 19:09:19] electricgreen: I just bought some Christmas stuff today for a promo at work at the dollar store near me-people almost expect to see it now
[2008.10.23 19:09:43] BrittaCP: dpn't be shy
[2008.10.23 19:10:02] BrittaCP: we'll make you speak up eventually
[2008.10.23 19:10:07] QueenBee: Yup, first timer here
[2008.10.23 19:10:11] twopurringcats: this is the first year I'm actually working on Christmas promotion
[2008.10.23 19:10:37] DafnaCP: Great! I’m glad there are a few new “faces” and I hope that you old timers can help me prepare the newer shopkeepers for the months to come.
[2008.10.23 19:10:44] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:10:57] Max: This will be my first CP holiday season
[2008.10.23 19:11:00] shopaholic chick: this year iupgraded from just a section to making a whole holidays shop
[2008.10.23 19:11:11] DafnaCP: With the economic slowdown it can sometimes be hard to get motivated but don’t let that stop you from prepping your shop for the holiday season.
[2008.10.23 19:11:20] DafnaCP: I’m here to offer some tips for maximizing your sales this time of year.
[2008.10.23 19:11:31] DafnaCP: We just had a Shop Navigation chat so I don’t want to get too much into that but if you couldn’t make it, please be sure to read the transcript.
[2008.10.23 19:12:23] DafnaCP: Navigation is important because shoppers have a short attention span. In the rush of trying to find the perfect gift in no time, shoppers have no patience for cluttered shops. They want to find the gift fast and move on to the next one!
[2008.10.23 19:12:50] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:13:02] shopaholic chick: other then the regular googlebase, blogs, squidoo - are there any new ways this year?
[2008.10.23 19:13:36] DafnaCP: We’ve also recently had a chat about Promoting offline.
Don’t neglect the basics! If you didn’t get a chance to check out the chat on promoting offline, please go take a look at that one:
http://community.cafepress.com/?p=441
[2008.10.23 19:14:06] BrittaCP: there are tons of way... and a lot of this may be repeat for some of you... so please share your exepreninces.
[2008.10.23 19:14:18] DafnaCP: Remember, this is the season of holiday parties and craft fairs.
[2008.10.23 19:14:21] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:14:25] John has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:14:25] DafnaCP: My Mother-in-law even throws craft parties where she and her friends get together to showcase their art. These are great opportunities to network to your immediate social sphere so don’t let these chances pass you by!
[2008.10.23 19:14:34] DafnaCP: Does anyone currently do any offline promoting?
[2008.10.23 19:14:50] shopaholic chick: ohhhhh this time of year the best thing is something you do already - holiday cards!!! when you send them to friends and family include a business card and note about your shop....and mail them the week thanksgiving!!
[2008.10.23 19:15:05] Scarebaby has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:15:07] MaxMuhlin: I have Magazine Ads running
[2008.10.23 19:15:10] twopurringcats: I hand out business cards but that's it at present
[2008.10.23 19:15:38] BrittaCP: what magazines max?
[2008.10.23 19:15:41] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:15:52] BrittaCP: and do you care to share how you go about doing that?
[2008.10.23 19:15:58] AureySorrow has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:16:02] BrittaCP: for those that may be curious?
[2008.10.23 19:16:06] MaxMuhlin: Modern Dog and Top Notch Toys
[2008.10.23 19:16:21] shopaholic chick: i am listed on a full page ad for my friends surf shop/grill in the local paper - i added his menu to my website....
[2008.10.23 19:16:44] MaxMuhlin: I contacted the advertising dept at each Mag. . .made up the ads and submitted them. . .Top Notch Toys was a full page at about $450.00 but they distribute the mag free at the big dog shows. . .
[2008.10.23 19:17:04] DafnaCP: That's awesome Max!
[2008.10.23 19:17:06] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:17:21] DafnaCP: So lets launch right in to Holiday SEO
[2008.10.23 19:17:25] MaxMuhlin: and Modern Dog is costing me an arm and a leg for 1/4 page but I've been getting hits. . .
[2008.10.23 19:17:27] shopaholic chick: max thats not bad!
[2008.10.23 19:17:40] DafnaCP: I just want to give a quick overview for the newbies here:
[2008.10.23 19:17:52] MaxMuhlin: Plus I get 20 free issues of Modern Dog and distribute them myself to Veterinary and Grooming offices here in town
[2008.10.23 19:18:11] DafnaCP: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of using the text on your webpage to draw traffic from search engines like Google and Yahoo.
[2008.10.23 19:18:24] MaxMuhlin: For any newbies that are wondering. . .I paint dogs. . .Ha!
[2008.10.23 19:18:29] AureySorrow: that's brilliant MaxMuhlin
[2008.10.23 19:18:42] DafnaCP: By adding keywords to your webpage (and in this case, your shop) you have the potential to be indexed in search engines’ organic (read: free) results.
[2008.10.23 19:18:46] Bacon has left the room (logged out)
[2008.10.23 19:19:07] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:19:23] DafnaCP: For more information on the basics of SEO please take a look here:
http://www.cafepress.com/cp/learn/tutorial_seo
[2008.10.23 19:20:00] BrittaCP: you can also check out or previous chat transcrips with our SEO guru Laura
[2008.10.23 19:20:30] BrittaCP: http://community.cafepress.com/?cat=14
[2008.10.23 19:20:33] BrittaCP: they are all listed here
[2008.10.23 19:20:38] BrittaCP: good information
[2008.10.23 19:20:42] shopaholic chick: max LOL i am now picturing you trying to get a dog to stand still while you apply paint to them....
[2008.10.23 19:21:01] DafnaCP: LOL!
[2008.10.23 19:21:20] Scarebaby has left the room (logged out)
[2008.10.23 19:21:35] DafnaCP: So, we like the word “gifts” year-round and I encourage you to add the word gifts to your section names, teasers, descriptions etc…
[2008.10.23 19:21:43] Tropicando has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:21:47] TexasFiddler has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:21:50] DafnaCP: But for holidays you should also add “Christmas” and “Hanukkah” as well.
[2008.10.23 19:22:10] MaxMuhlin: I get that comment all the time. . .Shop,. guess I'll have to think of a better way to explain it
[2008.10.23 19:22:15] matisse: I wrote my url on my neighbor's dog but I haven't got any hits yet.
[2008.10.23 19:22:22] BrittaCP: i'm sure your neighbor loved that
[2008.10.23 19:22:25] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:22:27] BrittaCP: :P
[2008.10.23 19:22:31] MaxMuhlin: LOL
[2008.10.23 19:22:33] shopaholic chick: but do NOT ADD them to your TAGS!!!! unless it is a related design
[2008.10.23 19:23:00] AureySorrow has left the room (logged out)
[2008.10.23 19:23:03] electricgreen: Is it Hanukkah with an H or CH??
[2008.10.23 19:23:07] BrittaCP: either is fine
[2008.10.23 19:23:08] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:23:21] DafnaCP: That's right, don't add those words to your image tags. Those words should be added to the text on your storefront. Teasers, Descriptions etc...
[2008.10.23 19:23:28] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:23:37] shopaholic chick: there are 4-6 acceptable spellings for hanukkah depending where in the world you live
[2008.10.23 19:23:45] DafnaCP: Can anyone think of other words that would work?
[2008.10.23 19:23:56] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:24:31] shopaholic chick: yule kwanzaa happy holidays
[2008.10.23 19:24:35] matisse: Christmas presents
[2008.10.23 19:24:38] MaxMuhlin: Winter, Snow, Santa Claus, presents!!! Santa's Helper, Elf
[2008.10.23 19:24:47] TexasFiddler: Yule, Christmas, Xmas, Holidays, Navidad
[2008.10.23 19:25:00] DafnaCP: Those are all great.
[2008.10.23 19:25:07] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:25:08] Tropicando: Noel?
[2008.10.23 19:25:09] DafnaCP: It’s also important to remember that your SEO should be as focused as possible.
[2008.10.23 19:25:11] Dooni Designs: season's greetings stocking stuffers
[2008.10.23 19:25:13] shopaholic chick: mrs claus, saint nicholas, st nick,
[2008.10.23 19:25:14] Bacon has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:25:35] DafnaCP: So Dooni, you make my point about being focused. For example, don’t stop at “Christmas Ornament”. That’s a competitive search term. Try something more specific like “Sleeping Pug Christmas Ornament”.
[2008.10.23 19:26:12] mousecrafter has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:26:18] DafnaCP: Does that make sense to everybody?
[2008.10.23 19:26:21] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:26:33] flyingwolf has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:26:35] Tropicando: Since I have mixed couples as friends , I was going to do Christmikah designs this year :)
[2008.10.23 19:26:49] shopaholic chick: the phrase "hate holiday shopping lines" is usually well searched too lol
[2008.10.23 19:26:54] QueenBee: What about common misspellings? Where's the best place to cover this?
[2008.10.23 19:27:20] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:27:28] shopaholic chick: queen that is hard without making your shop look like it was written by a 3rd grader
[2008.10.23 19:27:40] DafnaCP: I'd limit it to one or two misspellings and you can certainly add them in to a discreet place
[2008.10.23 19:28:24] DafnaCP: While we’re on the topic of SEO, I want to talk about the idea of creating a Holiday Gift Ideas section.
[2008.10.23 19:28:35] Bacon: maybe put the misspelled terms in your store meta tags?
[2008.10.23 19:28:39] flyingwolf: I think holiday designs would depend on who gets elected
[2008.10.23 19:28:51] DafnaCP: That term gets searched often during this season.
[2008.10.23 19:29:12] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:29:56] PhotoGirl has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:31:03] TexasFiddler: Silly question that I've never had answered well. If I have the words sleeping, pug, christmas, and ornament all there, do I also need to tag or keyword "sleeping pug christmas ornament" or will the search engines and marketplace pick the whole combo up?
[2008.10.23 19:31:03] DafnaCP: If all of the words are included somewhere on the page, you may still come up in search engines for the full term. But, you're much more likely to come up for that phrase if you use the phrase somewhere on the page in its completion.
[2008.10.23 19:32:33] DafnaCP: So Holiday Gift Ideas does well.
[2008.10.23 19:32:36] DafnaCP: As do, “Gifts for Her” and “Gifts for Him”.
[2008.10.23 19:34:51] Tropicando: Sorry, is this an image tag or for the store?
[2008.10.23 19:34:52] BrittaCP: we're talking about your shop.
[2008.10.23 19:34:58] BrittaCP: in the storefrony
[2008.10.23 19:35:01] BrittaCP: not tags
[2008.10.23 19:35:14] Tropicando: ok
[2008.10.23 19:35:19] MaxMuhlin: You are talking here about Section Descriptions, right? Naturally one needs to beef up those with good descriptions of the individual desigsn, but a Holiday Mood could still be created in the general SHOP
[2008.10.23 19:35:19] DafnaCP: Yes, I'm talking about SEO only. Places for SEO: your meta tags, shop intro, section descriptions, section names, section teasers, product descriptions
[2008.10.23 19:35:42] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:35:42] MaxMuhlin: Did I break the Chat?
[2008.10.23 19:35:44] BrittaCP: oooh... so it was you, huh? j/k. seems to be working fine for us.
[2008.10.23 19:36:26] MaxMuhlin: :-o
[2008.10.23 19:37:14] matisse: Can we now change "shop info" without breaking our CP templates?
[2008.10.23 19:37:14] DafnaCP: Yes, that's fixed.
[2008.10.23 19:37:40] KiniArt has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:37:41] matisse: cool!
[2008.10.23 19:37:56] DafnaCP: The point is, you should consider adding sections that suggest gift ideas for those shoppers who aren’t quite sure what they want.
[2008.10.23 19:38:01] DafnaCP: Make sure you work those keywords into the text in those sections.
[2008.10.23 19:38:13] cyi has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:38:14] DafnaCP: This is also the time of year where people are attending parties and looking for gifts to give their Hosts and Hostesses.
[2008.10.23 19:38:21] DafnaCP: Call that out on your storefronts.
[2008.10.23 19:38:32] DafnaCP: Point out an item or two that would make a good gift for your boss or neighbor at that yearly party they host.
[2008.10.23 19:39:05] jerseygirl has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 19:39:07] BrittaCP: Wear your products... and engage in conversation that includes mention of your shop or business
[2008.10.23 19:39:15] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:39:27] BrittaCP: have a card handy for those who are curious
[2008.10.23 19:39:31] shopaholic chick: i have sold tote bags for office gifts - a law firm bought a whole set of them - my design on one side their firm on the reverse!
[2008.10.23 19:39:38] Kate@LittleLizzyLou: make sure to always ALWAYS carry your busines cards with you!
[2008.10.23 19:40:01] flyingwolf: how about suggestions for the people you only see once a year
[2008.10.23 19:40:14] DafnaCP: Yeah, that would work too!
[2008.10.23 19:40:17] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:40:21] Tropicando: I have seen text in sk's description/content that is like a page of text, but less than a paragraph on the actual webpage, is that neccesarily bad?
[2008.10.23 19:41:28] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:41:34] BrittaCP: Can you clarify? do you mean like huge chunks of text in the storefront?
[2008.10.23 19:41:44] matisse: I wrote my urls on my forehead for the Holiday season.
[2008.10.23 19:41:51] LittleLizzyLou Josh: My friends tell me I'm a walking billboard, because I wear littlelizzylou all the time. But I often get asked about my shirts/buttons, and I tell them how they can get one just as cool! :-)
[2008.10.23 19:41:55] TexasFiddler: Tropicando, I experimented with that just to see if it would do anything for me in search engines.
[2008.10.23 19:41:55] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:41:58] KiniArt: Teachers and babysitters are a neglected gift group too
[2008.10.23 19:42:02] Tropicando: like from wikipedia
[2008.10.23 19:42:08] shopaholic chick: matisse - can the url be mine?
[2008.10.23 19:42:22] TexasFiddler: It didn't seem to make a difference.
[2008.10.23 19:42:56] matisse: I am affiliating my forehead!
[2008.10.23 19:43:06] DafnaCP: So lets move on to products
[2008.10.23 19:43:16] DafnaCP: Cards are already taking off.
[2008.10.23 19:43:26] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:43:30] DafnaCP: We’re seeing sales start to ramp up for them so be sure that you’ve added Greeting cards to your storefront and that you’re featuring them.
[2008.10.23 19:43:38] BrittaCP: and don't forget about single cards
[2008.10.23 19:44:07] Dooni Designs: I'm selling alot of mugs all of a sudden
[2008.10.23 19:44:21] DafnaCP: Mugs are big during the holidays
[2008.10.23 19:44:30] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:44:30] DafnaCP: This is also a good time to add calendars and ornaments.
[2008.10.23 19:44:48] shopaholic chick: i always sell a lot of mugs for the holidays - people like to make thier own little gift packages in mugs at holidays
[2008.10.23 19:44:49] TexasFiddler: Sold two ornaments last week!
[2008.10.23 19:45:10] Kate@LittleLizzyLou: you can add that you can fit shirt, bib, buttons, magnets in the mug for a nice gift
[2008.10.23 19:45:17] matisse: I'm getting hits and a few sales of ornaments already.
[2008.10.23 19:45:33] DafnaCP: That's a great idea Lizzy!
[2008.10.23 19:45:59] DafnaCP: I have a list of products that sold well last December
[2008.10.23 19:46:16] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:46:17] DafnaCP: dark t-shirt
white t-shirt
hooded sweatshirt
sweatshirt
mugs
oval stickers
[2008.10.23 19:46:24] DafnaCP: in no particular order
[2008.10.23 19:47:15] TexasFiddler: I asked a long time ago and there were no statistics. Are the cards that are selling well including a sentiment, or are they blank inside? The answer at that time was, "We haven't tracked that."
[2008.10.23 19:47:16] BrittaCP: I don't know the solid information on that. But I would think that if you are doing a holiday specific gift card... it's better ot have a sentiment. That mostly what you see on the shelves.
[2008.10.23 19:47:25] shopaholic chick: the ornaments make a great personal gift tag to hang on a wine bottle
[2008.10.23 19:47:29] Tropicando: Oh wait, I can't complain, I don't think I have christmas designs at all.
[2008.10.23 19:47:37] matisse: oval stickers?
[2008.10.23 19:47:59] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:48:06] DafnaCP: yes, we have oval stickers and apparently they did well last year
[2008.10.23 19:48:12] MaxMuhlin: Put a gold string between two oval stickers and hang them on the Tree!!!!
[2008.10.23 19:48:18] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:48:25] shopaholic chick: matisse a lot of people will add a sticker or a button to hit the coupon thresholds;)
[2008.10.23 19:48:52] Bacon: remember stocking stuffers: buttons, stickers etc.
[2008.10.23 19:49:30] DafnaCP: Let's not forget decoration items. This is a good time to start selling those.
[2008.10.23 19:50:07] DafnaCP: Framed prints and pillows, yard signs, keepsake boxes, tile coasters are all items that make great holiday decor
[2008.10.23 19:50:58] DafnaCP: Does anyone currently have items up that are meant more as holiday decor rather than gifts?
[2008.10.23 19:51:11] MaxMuhlin: Yard Signs to give the neighborhood a Holiday Greeting
[2008.10.23 19:51:24] Tropicando: I have to tell Cafepress something, for the longest time I ignored ornaments, I thought they were like cardboard thingies. Didn't realize they were ceramic. I thought they were like those pine tree car ornaments :)
[2008.10.23 19:51:30] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:51:40] DafnaCP: they're really nice aren't they?!
[2008.10.23 19:51:46] BrittaCP: They are very nice. Aren't you glad you discovered them?
[2008.10.23 19:51:50] LittleLizzyLou Josh: If you haven't seen a yard sign yet - they are great, and impactful!
[2008.10.23 19:51:52] MaxMuhlin: Christmas. . .or I should say HOLIDAY Banners !
[2008.10.23 19:52:01] Dooni Designs: i sell "ornaments" year round.. picking up now though
[2008.10.23 19:52:31] Kate@LittleLizzyLou: the banners are really nice too. very big! would make a nice party sign or something.
[2008.10.23 19:53:02] DafnaCP: yes, I love the banners and I can just see someone putting Noel on one and turing it into mantel decor
[2008.10.23 19:53:13] DafnaCP: I’m often asked which topics sell best on Cafepress.
[2008.10.23 19:53:24] Tropicando: Yeah, I have thank Sag with getting me into selling yardsigns
[2008.10.23 19:53:32] MaxMuhlin: Dogs !!
[2008.10.23 19:53:37] DafnaCP: There isn’t really a good answer to that question.
[2008.10.23 19:53:51] DafnaCP: The answer is, if you’re passionate about it then so are others. The bonus there is that you already know something about your market – because your market is you.
[2008.10.23 19:53:58] DafnaCP: That said, the holidays are all about interest related gifts.
[2008.10.23 19:54:10] DafnaCP: For example, I have an Aunt who is very much into softball.
[2008.10.23 19:54:10] LittleLizzyLou Josh: holiday parties/seasonal house decor
[2008.10.23 19:54:37] DafnaCP: For the holidays I’ll be looking for a shirt that speaks to that interest. Think “Softball Sweetie” or “# 1 Softball Aunt”.
[2008.10.23 19:54:47] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:54:55] DafnaCP: Maybe your aunt is into dogs or music. Whatever the interest, the point is to play it up!
[2008.10.23 19:55:23] MaxMuhlin: I have two very productive Dance - related Premium Shops
[2008.10.23 19:55:55] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:56:14] DafnaCP: Great Max, be sure to add that holiday SEO and you'll do well with them this season!
[2008.10.23 19:56:46] MaxMuhlin: Yes, Teacher gifts. . .
[2008.10.23 19:57:01] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:57:10] QueenBee: When I worked in a retail store we noticed that people bought decor in November and then gifts in December. Is it the same online?
[2008.10.23 19:57:14] BrittaCP: you bet
[2008.10.23 19:57:22] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:57:23] BrittaCP: that's why it's important to be ready to go now
[2008.10.23 19:57:29] shopaholic chick: people start earlier online though
[2008.10.23 19:57:45] DafnaCP: that's true, they do start earlier online
[2008.10.23 19:57:51] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:57:55] DafnaCP: so get 'em up now!
[2008.10.23 19:58:13] shopaholic chick: gifts start going in november because they want to allow for shipping - then right after black friday it will go nuts grabbing everything they couldnt find on black friday
[2008.10.23 19:58:17] TexasFiddler: My sales basically ended last year about the fifteenth of Dec
[2008.10.23 19:58:21] MaxMuhlin: People also buy Whatever Holiday strikes their eye whenever they are in your shop, so leave the designs up all year
[2008.10.23 19:58:25] Kate@LittleLizzyLou: Also, something about this year is that people may start buying earlier, and we might see that sales happen in waves, to go along with paychecks
[2008.10.23 19:58:33] Bacon: Anyone have a Holiday themed shop or section they'd like to show off?
[2008.10.23 19:58:42] BrittaCP: We'll open up the lobby in just aminute
[2008.10.23 19:58:46] BrittaCP: and you guys can all share
[2008.10.23 19:58:49] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 19:58:51] TexasFiddler: Good point, Kate
[2008.10.23 19:59:01] MenagerieMayhem has left the room (logged out)
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[2008.10.23 19:59:29] DafnaCP: So unfortunately it's 5:00 and while we didn't cover everything, hopefully you've got a good idea of the creative ways you can make the most of the season.
[2008.10.23 19:59:30] matisse: How soon after 11/4 should we remove poltical designs or should we?
[2008.10.23 19:59:33] BrittaCP: Think about rediesigning those election themes... to comment on the winner and the losers
[2008.10.23 19:59:36] MaxMuhlin: Thaks for some great ideas, Dafna !!
[2008.10.23 19:59:42] MenagerieMayhem has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.23 20:00:05] PhotoGirl has left the room (logged out)
[2008.10.23 20:00:10] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.23 20:00:12] QueenBee: Does CP have a shipping deadline for Christmas?
[2008.10.23 20:00:13] BrittaCP: We'll be announcing those when we roll out our Holiday campaign.
[2008.10.23 20:00:16] Tropicando: Thanks Dafna

Holiday organization and shop appearance

2008-10-09T18:51:00.001-05:00

[2008.10.09 18:27:15] Welcome to the CafePress Chat Room
[2008.10.09 18:27:15] Shopaholic Chick has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 18:27:16] All users in this room have been allowed to talk
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[2008.10.09 18:50:56] Barbara Burns has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 18:52:00] twopurringcats has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 18:52:46] PeggyWvB has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 18:55:04] Linda has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 18:55:58] preggoprincess has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 18:56:40] dreamup has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 18:57:37] foxvox has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 18:58:00] LakeEffects has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 18:59:19] Tropicando has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 19:00:09] Mark has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 19:00:24] Heni has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 19:00:44] Jaenne has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 19:00:45] Kate@LittleLizzyLou has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
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[2008.10.09 19:01:21] AngelaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 19:01:51] Barbara Burns: Hi Everyone :)
[2008.10.09 19:01:52] PeggyWvB: Hi all!
[2008.10.09 19:01:54] Tropicando: hello all
[2008.10.09 19:01:55] Linda: :)
[2008.10.09 19:01:57] Linda: hi
[2008.10.09 19:01:59] AngelaCP: hi everyone!
[2008.10.09 19:02:01] BrittaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 19:02:02] AngelaCP: happy thursday!
[2008.10.09 19:02:08] BrittaCP: Hello Hello Hello!
[2008.10.09 19:02:09] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.09 19:02:14] Shopaholic Chick: hi everyone!!!
[2008.10.09 19:02:29] AngelaCP: I'm going to jump in and get started
[2008.10.09 19:02:36] Shopaholic Chick: hi gand
[2008.10.09 19:02:37] twopurringcats: hi
[2008.10.09 19:02:38] Kate@LittleLizzyLou: Hi Everyone!
[2008.10.09 19:02:48] foxvox: Hi All!
[2008.10.09 19:02:49] Gandalf Parker: Hi ALl
[2008.10.09 19:03:28] AngelaCP: we have to leave a bit early today so let's get started -- we'll stop chat at 4:45 and then open up the lobby for you guys to continue chatting about holidays
[2008.10.09 19:03:42] LakeEffects has left the room (logged out)
[2008.10.09 19:03:46] AngelaCP: Let’s start out with the usual chat rules, for any newcomers.
[2008.10.09 19:04:00] BrittaCP: This chat is moderated. All your questions and comments will go into a queue until reviewed by a moderater, which is why you may not see them right away. We’ll try to get all questions, but apologize ahead of time if we don’t since there’s only an hour.
[2008.10.09 19:04:09] BrittaCP: At the end of the chat we’ll open up the lobby for you to continue chatting, and the transcript will be up in a day or so.
[2008.10.09 19:04:12] Tropicando: this is like the miranda rights
[2008.10.09 19:04:15] AngelaCP: you got it ;)
[2008.10.09 19:04:17] BrittaCP: Ok, let’s get this chat started…
[2008.10.09 19:04:24] AngelaCP: Ready to jump start the Holiday season? As you guys are aware…things aren’t looking great in the economy and so we’re here to offer tips to help you maximize sales starting with optimizing your shop for shoppers.
[2008.10.09 19:04:40] AngelaCP: We’re not sure how shoppers will spend their money this holiday season… They might feel the pinch and tighten their pocket books for gifting.
[2008.10.09 19:04:56] AngelaCP: Or, shoppers might skip the big ticket items and go for smaller ticket items such as t-shirts and other gift items found in your shop which is an advantage for you.
[2008.10.09 19:05:05] lakeeffects has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 19:05:10] AngelaCP: Either way, shoppers are going to be careful how they spend this holiday season.
[2008.10.09 19:05:29] AngelaCP: Today’s chat is Holiday Prep: shop navigation and we’ll go over a few ways how you can optimize your shop for shoppers. Some of you here are seasoned Shopkeepers so please share your experience – what has worked, what hasn’t.
[2008.10.09 19:05:35] Me has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 19:05:40] Tropicando: we see brick and mortars closing
[2008.10.09 19:05:53] AngelaCP: yes... so that is a big benefit for online
[2008.10.09 19:06:05] AngelaCP: holiday crowds in the mall, save gas, etc
[2008.10.09 19:06:13] AngelaCP: First of all, let’s start with the storefront. Let’s call this window dressing – it’s popular over the holiday season.
[2008.10.09 19:06:33] AngelaCP: You have a few seconds to grab your visitor’s attention. Be sure the top part of your shop is a billboard for what you have to offer. If your sections are below the fold, feature your top sellers above the fold.
[2008.10.09 19:06:49] AngelaCP: “Below the fold” - meaning that part of a screen where you have to start scrolling down.
[2008.10.09 19:06:58] AngelaCP: Here’s an example:
[2008.10.09 19:07:02] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.10.09 19:07:21] BrittaCP: you can click on the image if you can't see it
[2008.10.09 19:07:47] BrittaCP: Here you can see the difference between above and bleow
[2008.10.09 19:07:48] AngelaCP: Items that you want your customers to see first is above this area, the fold,, and in this case that would be your most festive and top selling designs.
[2008.10.09 19:08:30] AngelaCP: Since this is where customers will land first use it as a starting spot to get them excited about holiday shopping in your shop. Get them in and get them clicking on the goods all the way to checkout.
[2008.10.09 19:08:46] AngelaCP: any questions so far?
[2008.10.09 19:08:49] AngelaCP: feel free to ask them...
[2008.10.09 19:08:56] AngelaCP: Put your message on top using rich content to help drive SEO (Search Engine Optimization) as the top part of the page is most beneficial for SEO. [SEO chat transcripts: http://community.cafepress.com/?cat=14]
[2008.10.09 19:09:25] AngelaCP: Although it’s important to add an intro with rich content, don’t overdo it. Too much content on the top is a bad customer experience and may scare visitors away. It also pushes your shop down – below the fold. Just include a headline and a sentence or two. If you’re featuring items, use a descriptive phase.
[2008.10.09 19:09:51] Kari has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 19:10:00] AngelaCP: Make your shop festive and include holiday imagery – including photographs. Make your visitors feel like it’s holiday and get them into the gift buying spirit.
[2008.10.09 19:10:09] PeggyWvB: Will CP be offering sales for the holidays?
[2008.10.09 19:10:10] BrittaCP: Really, quick... who here is celebrating thier first holiday with us?
[2008.10.09 19:10:15] Melhi has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 19:10:26] AngelaCP: We're still working on that. Stay tuned for the announcements.
[2008.10.09 19:10:56] AngelaCP: Does anyone want to share their storefront they feel are enticing and proud of it?
[2008.10.09 19:11:02] Kari: We are here for our first holiday
[2008.10.09 19:11:09] AngelaCP: welcome kari
[2008.10.09 19:11:20] Kari: ty
[2008.10.09 19:11:22] AngelaCP: 2008 Tip: With the shoppers being budget-minded – market your shop so it speaks to them. “Get gifts for the whole family and spend under $100!” Something similar to that to get their attention
[2008.10.09 19:11:40] PeggyWvB: And when will the "don't modify your header "bug be fixed so we can update our shops look for the holidays?
[2008.10.09 19:12:10] AngelaCP: Great question: this bug is currently being QA'd and should be fixed early next week - we're aiming for Monday.
[2008.10.09 19:12:13] Tropicando: Ive been around, but not really active till this year.
[2008.10.09 19:12:57] PeggyWvB: great! Thanks ANg! be sure to let us know how the fix goes!
[2008.10.09 19:13:05] AngelaCP: Welcome tropiocando, the holidays is a busy rush. Although it's hard to say this year as the economy is different than what it was last year. It will still be a big increase from what you've seen from the other months....
[2008.10.09 19:13:12] AngelaCP: definitely Peggy!
[2008.10.09 19:13:19] Tropicando: Can our CP shops play music?
[2008.10.09 19:13:20] Gandalf Parker: if you do NOTHING else, at least edit the descripts of a couple items on each page. Add something like "a great xmas gift for Grandma" or something. Major search engines love "dynamic" pages. Changing the text will move you up in searches. And then in a couple of months you can change it back getting another boost.
[2008.10.09 19:13:41] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.09 19:14:16] BrittaCP: Tropicando... there are HTML players that you can plug into your shop to play music... but it can be overwhelming and I would take caution in adding a music player
[2008.10.09 19:14:18] foxvox: I do NOT recommend having your shop play music AUTOMATICALLY - it will drive shoppers on dialup nuts and make them leave. ;)
[2008.10.09 19:14:21] DDKnight has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 19:14:27] AngelaCP: I have to agree with foxvox -
[2008.10.09 19:14:33] Shopaholic Chick: ang having the ability to offer multiple levels of coupons would be great like $5 off $40, $10 off $75 or free shipping over $100 would be awesome
[2008.10.09 19:14:34] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.09 19:14:39] AngelaCP: thanks for the feedback.
[2008.10.09 19:14:41] Shopaholic Chick: gandolf I agree - I go in an randomly change descriptions on 5-10 designs each week (i have 9000 designs) and i see those items will come back to life!!
[2008.10.09 19:14:42] Blipfishimus Maximus has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 19:14:49] PeggyWvB: trop, I often hav my own music playing when I'm online. I HATE it when I come across a shop that plays it's own music
[2008.10.09 19:15:11] AngelaCP: Any more questions? This is really important in terms of shopping experience as you want to give the best first impression and encourage visitors to navigate into your shop.
[2008.10.09 19:15:15] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.09 19:15:20] Karen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 19:15:26] Shopaholic Chick: if a website has music playing i immediatly close it and will not go back to it (part of why i left myspace)
[2008.10.09 19:15:37] Gandalf Parker: unless its a shop selling music of course.
[2008.10.09 19:15:48] PeggyWvB: I did very well when we had the $5 off $25 coupon
[2008.10.09 19:16:02] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.09 19:16:02] BrittaCP: exactly... music is neat... but chances are someoen is shopping at home becuase it's convientent to be in their own surroundings... and remember, the more bells ands whistles you add... the longer a page load could be
[2008.10.09 19:16:16] Linda: music...will the cds be fixed so we can sell our music on cd?
[2008.10.09 19:16:24] AngelaCP: I believe that is fixed... but let me check...
[2008.10.09 19:16:29] Shopaholic Chick: also a lot of flashing items will cause slower computers or those on dial up to freeze up - so videos on shops is a BAD idea
[2008.10.09 19:16:34] AngelaCP: Correct, keep it simple.
[2008.10.09 19:16:52] Jaenne: Gadget-rich, or as I call them, "fancy'd" up pages take longer to load on slower systems and some people are not willing to wait.
[2008.10.09 19:17:03] AngelaCP: Showcase your products and make your message a highlight
[2008.10.09 19:17:11] Me: Does anybody have an opinion on falling snowflakes, blinking Holiday lights--that sort of thing? Annoying or festive?
[2008.10.09 19:17:14] AngelaCP: do not distract with music and blinking things
[2008.10.09 19:17:21] AngelaCP: my opinion of course....
[2008.10.09 19:17:37] PeggyWvB: Ang what is going on about the travel mugs?
[2008.10.09 19:17:50] Message sent to moderator(s)
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[2008.10.09 19:18:00] twopurringcats has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 19:18:10] AngelaCP: We're having some manufacturing errors on those...no news. No promise it will be back in time for the holidays :( I haven't announced an update yet because we're still waiting to hear.
[2008.10.09 19:18:22] PeggyWvB: Don't distract your customer from the desired objective- making a purchase!
[2008.10.09 19:18:31] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.09 19:18:38] Gandalf Parker: if you want to go upscale with flash and music and videos then the best bet is to create a website, with a domain. Then the shop becomes one of the links at that domain. This frees you up to do whatever you want, and frees CP up from their servers trying to do everything above and beyond shops.
[2008.10.09 19:18:43] Shopaholic Chick: falling snowflakes blonking lights and music can cause peoples computers to lag - and turn off the non-christmas shopers
[2008.10.09 19:18:47] Jaenne: This is the first year I am foing any real Christmas designs. Do Christmas-themed items sell better in October and November than they do in December?
[2008.10.09 19:18:55] AngelaCP: I think it depends
[2008.10.09 19:19:13] AngelaCP: Holiday designs do better on products such as ornaments, cards, stickers, tiles, pillows
[2008.10.09 19:19:28] AngelaCP: they do sell on apparel - but more for home/decorative items
[2008.10.09 19:19:44] Gandalf Parker: I think the economy will have people shopping early to try and find the best items in their new price range
[2008.10.09 19:19:53] AngelaCP: that may be the case
[2008.10.09 19:20:00] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.09 19:20:19] Shopaholic Chick: jaenne I have been selling them since august
[2008.10.09 19:20:32] AngelaCP: It's a good transition to talk about Shop Organization. Group your merchandise so it's easy for your shoppers to find gifts. Think groupings by gift recipient or theme. Here are some ideas to help you get started:
[2008.10.09 19:20:43] Linda: I sold a holiday ornament the other day
[2008.10.09 19:20:56] AngelaCP: • Gift Recipients such as: Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for Kids & baby
[2008.10.09 19:21:10] AngelaCP: Organizing by recipient is the best way to help shoppers find what they want as they tend to shop by person. When your products are organized this way, you can also take advantage of SEO by including top keywords in the section and section intro.
[2008.10.09 19:21:37] AngelaCP: • Holiday Decorations such as Ornaments, Tile Frames, Yard Signs, Pillows, Buttons, and Magnets
[2008.10.09 19:21:57] AngelaCP: What a great way to help your customers kick the Holiday off with all the trimmings. In the beginning of the Holiday season, start with gift sections for recipient and a section for Holiday Decorations.
[2008.10.09 19:22:21] PeggyWvB: Can that be added to the dropdown menue in the sidebar pls?
[2008.10.09 19:22:42] AngelaCP: Not the product drop down - but you can make a top nav using the code
[2008.10.09 19:22:59] AngelaCP: I have seen SKs do it... if anyone here wants to share their shop, please post a link
[2008.10.09 19:23:10] PeggyWvB: how?
[2008.10.09 19:23:12] AngelaCP: anyone?
[2008.10.09 19:23:21] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.09 19:23:24] Shopaholic Chick: peggy you can use http://blogacow.com/CPCreateAPage/home2-beta.php
[2008.10.09 19:23:40] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.09 19:23:43] Shopaholic Chick: it will let you create a mirror basically of any page on your shop....
[2008.10.09 19:23:45] PeggyWvB: thanks Shop!!!
[2008.10.09 19:23:51] AngelaCP: I have seen shops that uses on the top nav: drop downs for "kids apparel" "gifts for him",etc and when you mouse over the tab, there's a list of products categorized
[2008.10.09 19:23:57] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.09 19:24:00] Shopaholic Chick: peggy PM me if you get stuck ill help you out with it
[2008.10.09 19:24:07] AngelaCP: • Greeting/Note Cards section and organize by the theme such as Merry Christmas, Holiday, Hanukkah, Happy New Year... to name a few
[2008.10.09 19:24:18] AngelaCP: • Create a “Gifts under $10” section or “Stocking Stuffers” such as Buttons, Stickers and Magnets
[2008.10.09 19:25:56] AngelaCP: shop organization is really important - think of it in terms of a brick and mortar store. If nothing was organized in a way that's easy for you to shop, would you continue?
[2008.10.09 19:26:13] AngelaCP: what's the experience at walmart vs target?
[2008.10.09 19:26:47] AngelaCP: There's a difference... even though it's subtle, I think most people have a better shopping experience at Target
[2008.10.09 19:26:52] Linda: what about flea markets and antique stores? some people like to rummage in them
[2008.10.09 19:27:25] AngelaCP: that's different because they are rummaging knowing they might find a gem
[2008.10.09 19:27:56] Jaenne: I think people appreciate organization more online than in real life. Disorganized sites frustrate the heck out of me.
[2008.10.09 19:28:18] AngelaCP: the take away is to organize your shop so your customers can immediately find what they are looking for, and see products for other gift recipients they may not have planned to buy in your shop but will now buy
[2008.10.09 19:28:57] BrittaCP: Exactly Jaenne... it can be just as frustrating a s disorganized brick and mortar shop... where the kids clothes are mixed up with the women's sweates
[2008.10.09 19:29:13] AngelaCP: Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Ross -- ;)
[2008.10.09 19:29:26] chm has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 19:29:43] Blipfishimus Maximus has left the room (logged out)
[2008.10.09 19:29:46] Gandalf Parker: try to hit the "perfect fit" crowd. Use many key words that people might use to find the perfect gift. Perfect subject, perfect thoiught, favorite color, favorite animal, etc. Offer them in variations of the words. 12 of the same design do not have to have 12 of the same description.
[2008.10.09 19:29:59] AngelaCP: a part of shop organization is visual....
[2008.10.09 19:30:06] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.09 19:30:14] Shopaholic Chick: it is also important to make your section buttons clear & say what is in the section, do not count on shopkeepers to read the tiny text underneath - shoppers like big easy to see pictures - even though the section name and teaser is important for search engines
[2008.10.09 19:30:32] BrittaCP: we'll touch on section buttons in a second
[2008.10.09 19:30:37] AngelaCP: Make sure your section thumbnails really show case your design or product if that’s how you organize. Your customers want to immediately know where they’re going, and click on it. That’s why you want to stimulate them with nice big thumbnails.
[2008.10.09 19:30:52] AngelaCP: Here’s an example of good vs. bad.
[2008.10.09 19:30:57] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.10.09 19:31:02] BrittaCP: ooops
[2008.10.09 19:31:09] BrittaCP: wrong screen shot
[2008.10.09 19:31:23] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.10.09 19:31:28] BrittaCP: there we go
[2008.10.09 19:31:53] BrittaCP: this screenshot looks a little bigger than it would in a live shop
[2008.10.09 19:32:05] BrittaCP: it's enlarged to show you the example
[2008.10.09 19:32:31] AngelaCP: and the image Britta has is more visual -- but imagine if the design was text or something less visible.
[2008.10.09 19:32:49] AngelaCP: Notice on the product collague, you can’t really see the image, you read it’s something about Ice Cream & Chocolate, but I can’t really see what’s happening with it. But there are some shirts in there.
[2008.10.09 19:33:04] AngelaCP: In the second one with just the design, I can see what Ice Cream & Chocolate is all about, giggle over it, click and buy. The information is all right there and enticing.
[2008.10.09 19:33:37] AngelaCP: We’ve recommended that you organize by design in the past, and personally I still prefer this method for this very reason.
[2008.10.09 19:33:38] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.09 19:34:09] AngelaCP: However some Shopkeepers do the product collage or other method because it makes sense in their shop (perhaps you have a lot of products organized by recipient).
[2008.10.09 19:35:03] AngelaCP: The key take away though, is make sure that your TN immediately tells the story of what’s inside by keeping it large enough to quickly recognize.
[2008.10.09 19:35:46] Shopaholic Chick: angela i find for sections that contain design subsections it is good to add the words like on www.cafeprss.com/sportygirls
[2008.10.09 19:36:19] AngelaCP: oops
[2008.10.09 19:36:27] AngelaCP: you had a typo in the URL
[2008.10.09 19:36:40] AngelaCP: it's www.cafepress.com/sportygirls
[2008.10.09 19:36:51] Me: When making special sections (him, her, sale etc) for Holiday shoppers, should we move items from their home section, or have the same product in two sections?
[2008.10.09 19:37:45] AngelaCP: i believe you can duplicate your section
[2008.10.09 19:38:02] AngelaCP: there are severals you can do this
[2008.10.09 19:38:07] BrittaCP: or duplcate your products and add to the special section
[2008.10.09 19:38:07] AngelaCP: let's hear from the crowd...
[2008.10.09 19:38:15] AngelaCP: what do you normally do when you create a gift section
[2008.10.09 19:38:28] AngelaCP: i know some will have duplicate products by duplicating a section
[2008.10.09 19:39:04] lakeeffects: I've imported an item into a new shop; you have to watch for changes though because they won't automatically flow with the imports.
[2008.10.09 19:39:27] lakeeffects: oops, new section, not shop
[2008.10.09 19:39:39] AngelaCP: Correct
[2008.10.09 19:39:54] AngelaCP: if you duplicate a section, you then delete products you don't want in the gift section
[2008.10.09 19:40:02] AngelaCP: it's just an easier way to do it
[2008.10.09 19:40:05] foxvox: Also, moving items out of sections might be bad for affiliates who have linked to that section, so I'd recommend duplicating them as well.
[2008.10.09 19:40:05] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.09 19:40:10] Shopaholic Chick: i make a section then use add products and just select a few - or i make the gifts sections on my off cafepress websites colecting several designs together
[2008.10.09 19:40:18] AngelaCP: Correct
[2008.10.09 19:40:33] AngelaCP: Select your best looking designs and select a few
[2008.10.09 19:40:37] AngelaCP: don't add all your designs in it
[2008.10.09 19:41:01] AngelaCP: the purpose of gift sections is to limit the selection to make it easier for shoppers to find a gift
[2008.10.09 19:41:16] AngelaCP: sometimes too much of a selection can be overwhelming
[2008.10.09 19:41:20] Bacon has left the room (logged out)
[2008.10.09 19:41:24] Jaenne: I am in my yearly process of checking through and updating old designs in my shop, verifying SEO on my designs and deleting out deadwood. Do have any other recommendations for this time of year?
[2008.10.09 19:41:34] AngelaCP: if they want to see more, you have the rest of your shop for them to browse through
[2008.10.09 19:42:54] BrittaCP: I would say... definitley hide your old holiday items... like St. Patricks Day or 4th of July
[2008.10.09 19:43:04] AngelaCP: I recommend organizing your sections with popular products on top
[2008.10.09 19:43:14] AngelaCP: such as t-shirts and sweatshirts
[2008.10.09 19:43:17] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.10.09 19:43:22] AngelaCP: move the tanktops down
[2008.10.09 19:43:31] Shopaholic Chick: jaenne be carefule delete dead ones - i have ones that will sell that have been there for 2 years and never sold before - before you delete try changing your descriptions & tags to see if it hlps first
[2008.10.09 19:43:31] BrittaCP: Som epoepl like to keep it year round... but if you're trying to "clean up" don't be scared to hide it
[2008.10.09 19:43:48] AngelaCP: correct, you can hide them
[2008.10.09 19:43:53] Kate@LittleLizzyLou: I sell St. Patrick's Day stuff all year round though. I'd be nervous to hide them
[2008.10.09 19:44:12] BrittaCP: again... it depends on what your shop niche and attention is
[2008.10.09 19:44:20] AngelaCP: What you can do if you like is to have a small section at the bottom of the page called "other holidays"
[2008.10.09 19:44:37] BrittaCP: Personally, the way I see it is if Target can put away thier Halloween items, so can I
[2008.10.09 19:44:44] BrittaCP: but that's me
[2008.10.09 19:44:49] AngelaCP: make it small so it doesn't distract from your shop... but it's still there should anyone run across it
[2008.10.09 19:45:12] AngelaCP: wow, time flies... it's already 4:45
[2008.10.09 19:45:24] AngelaCP: let me quickly recap while britta opens up the lobby for you guys to keep chatting
[2008.10.09 19:45:46] Heni: You can always create a new hidden section and move old holiday sections inside it 'unhidden'. That way they won't appear in your shopfront, but will still appear in marketplace search.
[2008.10.09 19:45:47] AngelaCP: we'll be opening up a Holiday Prep Forum so SKs can share tips and experiences
[2008.10.09 19:45:58] AngelaCP: first thing on your list is to work on your shop front
[2008.10.09 19:46:17] Karen has left the room (logged out)
[2008.10.09 19:46:25] AngelaCP: be sure to optimize your shop for SEO - shop front is the place to do it but dont' skip in other pages either....
[2008.10.09 19:46:38] AngelaCP: Organize your shop so it's easy for your visitors to navigate
[2008.10.09 19:46:49] AngelaCP: present gifting centers so it's easy to find
[2008.10.09 19:47:13] AngelaCP: early in the season --- meaning NOW --- show case holiday decorative items such as ornaments, cards, pillows, etc
[2008.10.09 19:47:16] AngelaCP: yard signs!
[2008.10.09 19:47:19] Photo Girl has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.10.09 19:47:38] AngelaCP: Keep your products visible - see screen shots
[2008.10.09 19:47:41] AngelaCP: KISS
[2008.10.09 19:47:52] AngelaCP: Keep it simple silly
[2008.10.09 19:48:06] AngelaCP: Thanks everyone
[2008.10.09 19:48:11] BrittaCP: lobby is open
[2008.10.09 19:48:19] AngelaCP: hope you guys get busy prepping your shops this holiday season
[2008.10.09 19:48:31] Tropicando: have a nice commute
[2008.10.09 19:48:32] AngelaCP: wishing you many donots
[2008.10.09 19:48:38] DDKnight has left the room
[2008.10.09 19:48:39] BrittaCP: g'nite!
[2008.10.09 19:48:43] AngelaCP: thanks everyone~
[2008.10.09 19:48:46] foxvox: Thanks Angela & Britta! :)
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SEO part 3

2008-09-25T19:09:00.000-05:00

[2008.09.25 18:24:34] Welcome to the CafePress Chat Room
[2008.09.25 18:24:34] Shopaholic Chick has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.25 18:24:34] All users in this room have been allowed to talk
[2008.09.25 18:41:43] Kippy has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.25 18:47:10] Gandalf Parker has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.25 18:49:22] Valerie1 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.25 18:52:43] edg has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
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[2008.09.25 18:59:34] BrittaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
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[2008.09.25 18:59:54] LauraCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.25 19:00:19] Message sent to moderator(s)
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[2008.09.25 19:00:37] BrittaCP: Greetings and salutations everybody
[2008.09.25 19:01:16] BrittaCP: So ma
[2008.09.25 19:01:19] Shopaholic Chick: evening everyone!!!
[2008.09.25 19:01:21] MenagerieMayhem: hola
[2008.09.25 19:01:26] Baconation has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.25 19:01:43] BrittaCP: So many of you have been with us for our SEO series with Laura
[2008.09.25 19:01:50] BrittaCP: I hope that you have learned a lot
[2008.09.25 19:02:19] BrittaCP: and for those tha may have missed them... we have them all archived
[2008.09.25 19:02:21] BrittaCP: http://community.cafepress.com/?cat=14
[2008.09.25 19:02:50] MenagerieMayhem: wow that's handy
[2008.09.25 19:03:06] BrittaCP: We know that most you had questions that couldn't be answered at the time... and some have come up with new ones since the chats
[2008.09.25 19:03:20] BrittaCP: so we wanted to give you an opportunity to ask them today
[2008.09.25 19:03:27] BrittaCP: during our SEO Q&A with Laura
[2008.09.25 19:03:57] BrittaCP: First the rules...
[2008.09.25 19:04:11] BrittaCP: the chat is moderated so your questions will not show up right away
[2008.09.25 19:04:31] BrittaCP: they will go into a queue until reviewed by a moderator
[2008.09.25 19:04:53] BrittaCP: We will try to get to all questions, but may miss some or just get to many... but again we'll try
[2008.09.25 19:05:17] BrittaCP: First I beleive Laura wanted to start out with some questions that were sent to us earlier
[2008.09.25 19:05:26] BrittaCP: and sooooo... i give you LAURA!
[2008.09.25 19:05:40] LauraCP: Hi everyone
[2008.09.25 19:06:04] LauraCP: Hope you are doing well. :-)
[2008.09.25 19:06:18] LauraCP: Last time I mentioned that product naming can influence SEO.
[2008.09.25 19:06:29] LauraCP: I mentioned that you can change product names. On the forums there were some questions:
[2008.09.25 19:06:44] LauraCP: How do I change the base name of an individual product?
[2008.09.25 19:06:46] Scarebaby has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.25 19:07:07] LauraCP: There was a geat discussion here: http://forums.cafepress.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/863104/m/987101062 which I’ve edited a bit:
[2008.09.25 19:07:20] LauraCP: If you type in the name for each product rather than applying the same name to a group of products, it can help with SEO.
[2008.09.25 19:07:25] Cartwright has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.25 19:07:29] LauraCP: Sometimes you might find that the default product name is not a good fit for you or your designs.
[2008.09.25 19:07:40] LauraCP: “You can change the base name if you edit the product individually
[2008.09.25 19:07:53] LauraCP: It will then stay as you've named it until/unless you use the bulk naming tool on that same product.”
[2008.09.25 19:08:06] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.09.25 19:08:26] LauraCP: Modifying the product name was more common before the bulk naming tools. Each product had to be named individually.
[2008.09.25 19:08:45] LauraCP: Or be a little quicker and do a few at a time:
[2008.09.25 19:08:51] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.09.25 19:09:12] LauraCP: See how 3 products have changed names:
[2008.09.25 19:09:20] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.09.25 19:09:20] Sag has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.25 19:09:38] BrittaCP: go ahead and click on the image to see it larger
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[2008.09.25 19:10:15] LauraCP: Here's a very topical question.
[2008.09.25 19:10:23] LauraCP: When should I remove my election stuff from my shop?
[2008.09.25 19:10:42] Cartwright: Never
[2008.09.25 19:10:47] LauraCP: Is there any chance the candidate you have designs for could be re-elected?
[2008.09.25 19:11:06] LauraCP: If so, then if you keep the section alive you will build historical “points” for having a site this isn’t brand new and unknown to the engines next time.
[2008.09.25 19:11:27] Cartwright: Yep and even for the loser...people will buy souvenirs and collectables for a while post-election
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[2008.09.25 19:11:48] LauraCP: Good point about the post election gift possibilities
[2008.09.25 19:12:20] LauraCP: But I think there is a balance to be had with older material.
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[2008.09.25 19:12:42] realemon has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.25 19:12:43] LauraCP: If your candidate was the winner, what about the ongoing opportunities after the “newness” charm wears off?
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[2008.09.25 19:12:53] LauraCP: This section could be repurposed for new political issues about the candidate.
[2008.09.25 19:13:07] LauraCP: Think about how much stuff has been in the news about President Bush over the past 8 years and not just during the election season.
[2008.09.25 19:13:12] Cartwright: hey, stop giving away my ideas! haha
[2008.09.25 19:13:38] LauraCP: One way to decide is to look at Google trends
[2008.09.25 19:13:45] LauraCP: See what happened last election season.
[2008.09.25 19:13:53] LauraCP: How quick was the drop off after the election?
[2008.09.25 19:14:16] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.09.25 19:14:28] PDF_landover: You should tuck it, not remove it
[2008.09.25 19:14:46] LauraCP: That's a technique I like a lot for the shorter to mid-term.
[2008.09.25 19:14:54] Scarebaby has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.25 19:14:54] Gandalf Parker: However changing the description to be post-epection is a good idea. It also boosts SEO to change descriptions
[2008.09.25 19:15:02] LauraCP: Great tip!
[2008.09.25 19:15:02] bonkers has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.25 19:15:44] LauraCP: You will also keep your inbound links which will benefit your whole site.
[2008.09.25 19:15:48] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.25 19:16:05] LauraCP: One good method would be to move the election section link to the bottom of the shop homepage and remove the section description.
[2008.09.25 19:16:09] LauraCP: Remove many of your election designs but keep a few.
[2008.09.25 19:16:29] Shopaholic Chick: i have designs in a hidden sections from 3 years ago that are reselling now as candidates are rerunning...
[2008.09.25 19:16:44] brainlint has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.25 19:17:05] LauraCP: Very interesting. How does the traffic on those pages compare to your newer stuff?
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[2008.09.25 19:17:43] LauraCP: Do you have the Google toolbar installed? What is the page rank on those older pages? Is is pretty good?
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[2008.09.25 19:17:58] LauraCP: "is it pretty good?"
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[2008.09.25 19:18:36] realemon: If I don't advertise my store, are random searches the only way to show your stuff?
[2008.09.25 19:18:51] LauraCP: No, you can put it on your facebook page
[2008.09.25 19:18:54] LauraCP: or Digg it
[2008.09.25 19:19:00] LauraCP: or twitter about it
[2008.09.25 19:19:14] LauraCP: or upload a video to Youtube
[2008.09.25 19:19:20] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.25 19:19:23] LauraCP: or include a link in all of your emails
[2008.09.25 19:19:38] BrittaCP: these are all free methods of promotion
[2008.09.25 19:19:56] realemon: good idea
[2008.09.25 19:20:01] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.25 19:20:01] Shopaholic Chick: well they are not frequent sales, but they are enough that i notice them here and there, most are just state senators and such
[2008.09.25 19:20:06] chm has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.25 19:20:18] MenagerieMayhem: Is it advantageous to have several different product descriptions for a single design? One for apparel, one for housewares, etc?
[2008.09.25 19:20:18] chm has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.25 19:20:28] LauraCP: Yes, I think it helps in two ways.
[2008.09.25 19:20:45] LauraCP: It helps customers be more confident that they are getting what they are searching for
[2008.09.25 19:21:03] LauraCP: And it helps your content look more unique to the search engines
[2008.09.25 19:21:15] Shopaholic Chick: www.squidoo.com/cafepressfreeadvertising outlines more then a dozen ways tog et free advertising - most are one time things!
[2008.09.25 19:21:25] LauraCP: The problem with keeping sections and designs around indefinitely are:
[2008.09.25 19:21:37] LauraCP: -user interface clutter
[2008.09.25 19:21:48] LauraCP: -makes the customer work harder to find what they want
[2008.09.25 19:22:01] LauraCP: -dilution of the topic on the page to the search engines
[2008.09.25 19:22:13] LauraCP: -more links on the page for the spiders to check during each crawl
[2008.09.25 19:23:03] LauraCP: I mentioned a midterm solution of just re-arranging your sections.
[2008.09.25 19:23:09] LauraCP: Here's a quick screenshot
[2008.09.25 19:23:26] LauraCP: Rearranging your site to bring most important links to the top:
[2008.09.25 19:23:31] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.09.25 19:23:54] LauraCP: The stuff at the top of your page is the most important for SEO
[2008.09.25 19:24:00] LauraCP: the stuff at the bottom counts less
[2008.09.25 19:24:11] MenagerieMayhem: about dilution of the topic - if I have a section about, say, Smiley Faces, and there are 50 subsections with one main design per subsection... is that diluting it too much?
[2008.09.25 19:25:11] LauraCP: If the 50 subsections have unique product names and section descriptions and product descriptions compared to the other 50 subsections, then you should be okay.
[2008.09.25 19:26:06] LauraCP: I would thin your main page with the 50 sections could probably only rank for your most general theme of "smilely" and not so well for the individual design names.
[2008.09.25 19:26:18] LauraCP: Is this what you are seeing?
[2008.09.25 19:26:30] Cartwright: "the stuff at the bottom counts less" - really? Interesting..
[2008.09.25 19:26:46] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.25 19:27:12] MenagerieMayhem: is it a good idea to have your product name mentioned once in the description as well? ie Puppy Dog Tshirt as a title, and "Dog lovers really adore our Puppy Dog Tshirt yadda yadda yadda"?
[2008.09.25 19:27:12] LauraCP: So, imagine you are reading a 3 page article. How likely are you to get to the end?
[2008.09.25 19:27:24] LauraCP: less likely than getting to paragraph # 2, right?
[2008.09.25 19:27:46] LauraCP: so because the best pages are the ones designed for users, the engines pay attention to user behavior
[2008.09.25 19:28:02] LauraCP: they know that stuff at the bottom will be seen by fewer people than stuff at the top
[2008.09.25 19:28:23] realemon has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.25 19:28:45] MenagerieMayhem: actually, for the section I'm thinking of, I've actually seen a dropoff to absolute nothingness... I was considering going through and sectioning by "humor," "art," etc
[2008.09.25 19:28:50] Cartwright: wow, i never thought of it that way. Thanks.
[2008.09.25 19:29:21] DDKnight has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.25 19:30:03] LauraCP: Providing meaningful sections like "art" and "humor" is a good idea. It should help both users and search engines
[2008.09.25 19:30:37] LauraCP: That actually gets to another frequent question about keywords.
[2008.09.25 19:31:01] LauraCP: Do my keywords fit my designs?
[2008.09.25 19:31:09] LauraCP: Here’s a list of 10-20 words I’m targeting per design…
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[2008.09.25 19:31:24] LauraCP: 10-20 words is great creativity and great for brainstorming.
[2008.09.25 19:31:34] LauraCP: It is where you have to start
[2008.09.25 19:31:42] LauraCP: Now narrow down to 2-3 per design or per product
[2008.09.25 19:31:57] LauraCP: Imagine you had to describe each product page in 3 phrases of no more than 3 words.
[2008.09.25 19:32:11] LauraCP: That’s your maximum list you can optimize for.
[2008.09.25 19:32:19] LauraCP: But that’s okay.
[2008.09.25 19:32:28] LauraCP: That list of 10-20 can be used a few at a time across different designs and products.
[2008.09.25 19:33:32] BrittaCP: So those are some of the questions that were sent to us earlier
[2008.09.25 19:33:40] edg has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.25 19:33:40] BrittaCP: what are some other questions you may have?
[2008.09.25 19:33:48] BrittaCP: hmmmm?:*-/
[2008.09.25 19:35:29] Shopaholic Chick: I found it it appear my screen is scrolling down too far - i will make the image sizes slightly smaller for the section image and then go to 4 across (you can shrink the image size on the section info page for each section)
[2008.09.25 19:35:53] BrittaCP: while you guys are typing... here's another question we got earlier
[2008.09.25 19:35:57] LauraCP: Here's another one. How do I pick good keywords?
[2008.09.25 19:36:16] LauraCP: We talked about that on previous chats, but here's a few quick tools
[2008.09.25 19:36:29] LauraCP: The Google keyword tool can help. https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
[2008.09.25 19:36:45] LauraCP: In many ways: By providing search volume, analysis of content, analysis of a specific page, or a specific site.
[2008.09.25 19:37:07] LauraCP: Not just for search for keyword volume - you see!
[2008.09.25 19:37:16] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.25 19:37:40] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.09.25 19:37:50] LauraCP: Getting words from content. Example from CafePress about us page.:
[2008.09.25 19:38:30] matisse has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.25 19:38:55] MenagerieMayhem: is it a good idea to have your product name mentioned once in the description as well? ie Puppy Dog Tshirt as a title, and "Dog lovers really adore our Puppy Dog Tshirt yadda yadda yadda"?
[2008.09.25 19:39:07] LauraCP: Yes, it is.
[2008.09.25 19:39:10] Shopaholic Chick: i find a good way to think of keywords is look at the design then close your eyes and think about what words describe that image
[2008.09.25 19:39:44] LauraCP: Combining the previous questions about when to take down designs with picking good keywords....
[2008.09.25 19:39:53] LauraCP: You can use the keyword tool for this too
[2008.09.25 19:40:19] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.09.25 19:40:45] LauraCP: Experiment with "exact" and "broad"
[2008.09.25 19:41:05] chm has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.25 19:41:10] LauraCP: This will give you a sense of how people's searches vary.
[2008.09.25 19:41:29] LauraCP: You can even change countries
[2008.09.25 19:41:51] LauraCP: and get ideas for alternate slang or spellings
[2008.09.25 19:42:26] LauraCP: Okay, here's another one. My content is relevant but I’m still not getting traffic from the search engines... Why?
[2008.09.25 19:42:43] LauraCP: Is your page indexed? Check this first.
[2008.09.25 19:43:07] LauraCP: Go to google.com
[2008.09.25 19:43:27] LauraCP: put site:your_url_here.com into the search box
[2008.09.25 19:43:30] LauraCP: see what you see
[2008.09.25 19:43:55] LauraCP: you can also just put your full url into the main google box on the google homepage
[2008.09.25 19:44:09] LauraCP: Is anyone linking to your page?
[2008.09.25 19:44:32] LauraCP: In google, use Link:your_url_.com
[2008.09.25 19:44:38] LauraCP: like link:cafepress.com
[2008.09.25 19:44:59] LauraCP: or use Yahoo Site explorer (see previous chat for full details)
[2008.09.25 19:45:24] LauraCP: https://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/
[2008.09.25 19:45:40] LauraCP: Do you have typos in your title tag?
[2008.09.25 19:45:52] LauraCP: In your descriptions?
[2008.09.25 19:46:16] LauraCP: Maybe your content isn’t really matching the searches people are making because of the mispellings.
[2008.09.25 19:46:29] BrittaCP: Who else has a mind boggeling question that's been on your mind? Go ahead, Laura's a pr
[2008.09.25 19:46:33] BrittaCP: pro
[2008.09.25 19:47:04] Baconation has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.25 19:47:25] LauraCP: Here's another: I’m ranking okay, but not much traffic.. Why?
[2008.09.25 19:47:39] LauraCP: Is the title tag is hard to understand?
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[2008.09.25 19:47:53] LauraCP: As a user, I may not be sure what “…keyword 1, keywords that are related, cute shopname” is or would lead to.
[2008.09.25 19:48:08] LauraCP: I suggest renaming your title something easy to “get”
[2008.09.25 19:48:40] LauraCP: Compare "cat, kitty, my buddha cat in a bag"
[2008.09.25 19:49:18] LauraCP: to "Cute Ragdoll cat on a tote bag"
[2008.09.25 19:49:30] LauraCP: which one are you more confident about clicking on?
[2008.09.25 19:49:43] LauraCP: If words in titles are misspelled, that can look unprofessional and therefore reduce click confidence.
[2008.09.25 19:49:57] LauraCP: If the description tag is a series of keywords, that isn’t a call to action.
[2008.09.25 19:50:05] GS has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.25 19:50:06] LauraCP: It reduces appeal and comprehension.
[2008.09.25 19:50:25] LauraCP: For example, “Find four leaf clover Irish designs on t-shirts. Unique Irish gifts, Irish-themed mugs and more designed for collecting or sharing.” is better than:
[2008.09.25 19:50:34] Blipfish drinking brandy has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.25 19:50:46] LauraCP: "mugs, Irish, Celtic, green, island, clover, good luck, charm”
[2008.09.25 19:51:03] MenagerieMayhem: does it hurt your search engine ranking to have puppy dog t-shirt, puppy dog mug, puppy dog tank top, etc all in your one section? To continually just repeat puppy dog (whatever) over and over?
[2008.09.25 19:51:31] DDKnight has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.25 19:51:57] LauraCP: It is an accurate description so I wouldn't say it hurts. But I would say that a little variety could help.
[2008.09.25 19:52:15] matisse: If I spelled "Obama" oboma, I might have gotten a sale today according to statcounter!:)
[2008.09.25 19:53:02] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.25 19:53:03] BrittaCP: could you clarify? what exactly is statcounter telling you?
[2008.09.25 19:53:17] Shopaholic Chick: matiss i have a few things with typos in descriptions that have gotten me sales - but on the reverse side they may have cost me some by people being turned off
[2008.09.25 19:54:10] cyi: Is there any way to add a sitemap to our stores (on the cafepress domain)?
[2008.09.25 19:54:12] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.25 19:55:17] LauraCP: It depends. You could create a new section, and then add your own html with links to all of your pages.
[2008.09.25 19:55:36] Shopaholic Chick: i will spell things in 2 spellings in the same description (american vs british prefernces) like "if your favorite sport is hockey then this great ice hckey T-shirt will be your favourite"
[2008.09.25 19:56:37] LauraCP: You could also upload a google sitemap to your own site and put in the URLs of your pages on CafePress.
[2008.09.25 19:56:43] matisse: Customers mispell!
[2008.09.25 19:57:21] LauraCP: True. But do more misspell or do more get it right? I think Shopaholic Chick said it well.
[2008.09.25 19:57:24] Finbar: Can those of us that are good at SEO offer that as a service to other CP members?
[2008.09.25 19:57:26] BrittaCP: There are many shopkeepers that share their knowledge on the Forums. If you were interested in selling your services, then I suppose you could market it to other Shopkeepers, just as there are shopkeepers who offer custom templates.
[2008.09.25 19:58:03] cyi: Thanks for the sitemap advice.
[2008.09.25 19:58:12] MenagerieMayhem: you have to be careful about selling SEO... if SKs don't get desired results.... it could be bad for you
[2008.09.25 19:58:17] MenagerieMayhem: what's your opinion on keyword density? How much is TOO much?
[2008.09.25 19:58:22] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.25 19:58:36] LauraCP: Anything that turns your off as a reader is a good rule of thumb.
[2008.09.25 19:58:48] LauraCP: "you off"
[2008.09.25 19:59:06] LauraCP: It should look natural. Think customer first.
[2008.09.25 19:59:38] Shopaholic Chick: laura on yahoo siteexplorer you cannot place you cafepress sitemap on your non-cafepress url - they decline the sitemap
[2008.09.25 20:00:00] LauraCP: I was thinking about Google. Thanks for the clarification on Yahoo. :-)
[2008.09.25 20:00:07] Finbar: I hate asking...."SKs"?
[2008.09.25 20:00:09] BrittaCP: sorry... Shopkeepers = SK's
[2008.09.25 20:00:10] Kippy has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.25 20:00:16] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.25 20:00:24] Kippy has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.25 20:00:32] LauraCP: Here's another...Do you have more than one shop or site with the same content?
[2008.09.25 20:00:42] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.25 20:00:42] LauraCP: The two websites may be competing.
[2008.09.25 20:00:51] LauraCP: Since both have similar to identical content, the search engines have to decide which pages to keep and which pages to ignore.
[2008.09.25 20:01:09] LauraCP: It also creates inbound link dilution as half of your audience may link to one site and half to the other site.
[2008.09.25 20:01:18] LauraCP: This makes each site less powerful.
[2008.09.25 20:01:30] Finbar: NP; I've got to get back to hanging out on the forums again;-)....
[2008.09.25 20:01:40] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.25 20:01:56] Shopaholic Chick: laura i had that issue so i have been changing my 2 sitesso that www.shopaholicchick.com & www.shopaholic-chick.com have different text while still promoting the same cafepress shops & products
[2008.09.25 20:02:06] LauraCP: and your results?
[2008.09.25 20:02:49] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.25 20:02:54] Shopaholic Chick: i just changed it within the last 2 weeks - so i ams till waiting for the results
[2008.09.25 20:03:05] Fricka: I have a store that I set up as "leak free" for affiliates and then one I host on my own, what should I do in that scenario in regards to SEO? If I had to pick I'd want my own hosted store to be strongest in SEO.
[2008.09.25 20:04:00] LauraCP: Well, to take it to an extreme, you could label every page "noindex" on the site you don't want to SEO
[2008.09.25 20:04:05] Finbar: Yeah; that's the one thing thst seriously sucks about SEO. Because of the sandbox effect, SEO changes take a while to take effect.....
[2008.09.25 20:04:14] LauraCP: Or you could just give it much weaker content
[2008.09.25 20:04:19] LauraCP: less text
[2008.09.25 20:04:22] LauraCP: no alt text
[2008.09.25 20:04:25] LauraCP: bad titles
[2008.09.25 20:05:16] BrittaCP: There's a balance between being a better shopkeeper or a better affiliate... just need to find it
[2008.09.25 20:05:27] matisse: Laura is describing all of my stores!:)
[2008.09.25 20:05:51] Fricka: Hehe I've never purposely done "bad seo" before. Unfortunately, I am pulling the same products into my hosted site (using cpshop) so if I change the descrips etc it will mean bad seo for my hosted site too.
[2008.09.25 20:06:01] BrittaCP: Alright gang... we've got to wrap it up
[2008.09.25 20:07:07] BrittaCP: I hope this Q&A has helped with some
[2008.09.25 20:07:24] Valerie1 has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.25 20:07:28] BrittaCP: of those questions you've had building over the past month
[2008.09.25 20:07:38] Cartwright has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.25 20:08:00] BrittaCP: And with that I shall open the lobby for you kids to continue the party
[2008.09.25 20:08:15] LauraCP: Bye! Have a good weekend
[2008.09.25 20:08:16] Message sent to moderator(s)

promoting your cafepress shop free

2008-09-18T18:34:00.003-05:00

[2008.09.18 18:59:44] Welcome to the CafePress Chat Room
[2008.09.18 18:59:44] shopaholic chick has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 18:59:44] All users in this room have been allowed to talk
[2008.09.18 18:59:58] BrittaCP: Hello Everyone!
[2008.09.18 19:00:27] Joie: Hi!
[2008.09.18 19:00:28] Iscah Designs: Hello! Thank you for inviting us today!
[2008.09.18 19:00:44] BrittaCP: Thanks for coing out to the chat today
[2008.09.18 19:00:53] BrittaCP: We're going to be talking about online promotion
[2008.09.18 19:01:02] BrittaCP: a few weeks ago we did offline promotion
[2008.09.18 19:01:03] AngelaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:01:16] matisse: Good morning!
[2008.09.18 19:01:18] bacon has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:01:18] AngelaCP: Good morning!
[2008.09.18 19:01:19] AngelaCP: LOL
[2008.09.18 19:01:23] matisse: Hi Angela!
[2008.09.18 19:01:26] Kippy: oh, testeroo?
[2008.09.18 19:01:28] BrittaCP: http://community.cafepress.com/?p=368
[2008.09.18 19:01:32] AngelaCP: oh, what's this about testroo?
[2008.09.18 19:01:34] Tropicando has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:01:38] Iscah Designs: Hello Angela!
[2008.09.18 19:01:40] AngelaCP: hi everyone
[2008.09.18 19:01:46] AngelaCP: happy thursday
[2008.09.18 19:01:57] matisse: I am getting my donots Hawaii time!
[2008.09.18 19:02:01] AngelaCP: awesome - congrats!
[2008.09.18 19:02:05] realemon has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:02:28] Heni has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:02:47] BrittaCP: We have a special guest with us today
[2008.09.18 19:03:11] BrittaCP: Nate... who is an avid blogger and promotion freak
[2008.09.18 19:03:16] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:03:22] BrittaCP: say hello Nate!
[2008.09.18 19:03:25] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:03:30] thegoldstandard: is everyone here for the online promotions chat?
[2008.09.18 19:03:30] nathanmcgee.com: freak is a good description :)
[2008.09.18 19:03:36] AngelaCP: hi nate!
[2008.09.18 19:03:38] GimpDaddy has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:03:48] BrittaCP: So before we start.... the chat room rules
[2008.09.18 19:03:51] matisse: Heh Nate!
[2008.09.18 19:03:53] Joie: Hello, Nate!
[2008.09.18 19:03:54] nathanmcgee.com: but I'm a bad speller... so my apologies in advanced :)
[2008.09.18 19:03:59] Iscah Designs: Hi, Nate! Welcome!
[2008.09.18 19:04:00] MaxMuhlin: Hello Nate
[2008.09.18 19:04:01] ThE_RiPPeR: hi Nate!!!!
[2008.09.18 19:04:02] nathanmcgee.com: Hey Gang!
[2008.09.18 19:04:08] matisse: oh no not the rules again!
[2008.09.18 19:04:15] AngelaCP: rules are important... okay, hit it britta!
[2008.09.18 19:04:16] Kunstrxns-Anne has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:04:17] BrittaCP: you can recite them with me if you know them by heart by know
[2008.09.18 19:04:17] BrittaCP: lol
[2008.09.18 19:04:22] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:04:23] Tanith has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:04:33] MyFireArt has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:04:39] realemon has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:04:49] flyingwolf has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:04:52] BrittaCP: The chat is moderated... meaning all your comments and questions go into a queue where they aer reviewed by a moderator
[2008.09.18 19:04:59] realemon has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:05:04] BrittaCP: and once reveiewed it gets pushed out
[2008.09.18 19:05:14] BrittaCP: this is why you won't see your comment right away
[2008.09.18 19:05:30] BrittaCP: at the end of the chat, we'll open the lobby back up
[2008.09.18 19:05:37] BrittaCP: and you can continue the party there
[2008.09.18 19:05:57] BrittaCP: So we ready to talk about online promotion?
[2008.09.18 19:06:00] realemon has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:06:17] Joie: Yes.
[2008.09.18 19:06:19] AngelaCP: Yes
[2008.09.18 19:06:21] realemon has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:06:22] AngelaCP: A few weeks ago, we talked about ways to bring awareness to your shop offline… today we’ll go over a few ways you can promote your shop online.
[2008.09.18 19:06:33] AngelaCP: One of the topics I won’t cover (that you probably all want to hear about) is Search Engine Optimization – as our SEO expert Laura has hosted a few chats on this topic.
[2008.09.18 19:06:55] AngelaCP: If you missed it, be sure to read the transcript on the Chat page: http://community.cafepress.com/?cat=14 [transcripts: SEO – copywriting tips, SEO Q&A, and Optimize your shop]
[2008.09.18 19:07:12] AngelaCP: If you have tips or tactics that worked for you, please share. We’d love to hear other ways to promote shops online.
[2008.09.18 19:07:30] AngelaCP: I’m going to start with 3 areas that will help increase awareness of your shop but also help with SEO. I won’t into the SEO aspects, but keep in mind that more pages and content on the web means more opportunities your site comes up on organic search.
[2008.09.18 19:07:59] AngelaCP: The three areas are: Blogs, Social Sites, and Community sites (for your niche).
[2008.09.18 19:08:05] realemon: can anyone see this???????????
[2008.09.18 19:08:21] AngelaCP: This chat is moderated realemon - so your questiosn will go into a queue
[2008.09.18 19:08:32] AngelaCP: Blogging is now a part of most people’s online activity… whether you have a blog just for your site, or a blog attached to a social site.
[2008.09.18 19:08:44] AngelaCP: Blogging is a great way to help people get to know you, your brand, site, etc. It’s written in first person and feels personal. You can talk about your day, your products, what’s close and personal to you… whatever you do, use it to tie back to your site/products.
[2008.09.18 19:09:11] flyingwolf: do I have to get on facebook?
[2008.09.18 19:09:17] AngelaCP: We'll talk about that in a minute....
[2008.09.18 19:09:21] AngelaCP: Take a look at the CafePress Blog. Sure, we have products listed – but the products listed are there as part of a larger conversation. CafePress merchandise is relevant in the real world as part of larger issues, and that’s what the blog highlights.
[2008.09.18 19:09:38] AkJeff has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:09:41] AngelaCP: Think of the CP Blog as “All the news that’s fit to print on a t-shirt.”
[2008.09.18 19:09:53] AngelaCP: If you decide to move forward with a blog, think about what you can talk about that’s interesting to people and how you can work your products in.
[2008.09.18 19:10:25] AngelaCP: If your site is all about vegetarian, you might have a blog sharing vegetarian recipes, up to the minute news, etc… and as you create designs that are clever and personal to vegetarians, share it. Talk about Palin’s love of hunting and protest it! Solicit support with a t-shirt: http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/item/moose-against-palin-jr-ringer-tshirt/303338083
[2008.09.18 19:10:45] AngelaCP: You get the idea…
[2008.09.18 19:10:52] flyingwolf: where does Cafepress blog go to other than people already in Cafepress blog?
[2008.09.18 19:11:16] AngelaCP: Can you rephrase that flyingwolf?
[2008.09.18 19:11:21] Cartwright: How often does one need to blog for the search engines to see it as fresh and current?
[2008.09.18 19:11:21] nathanmcgee.com: I am posting something on my blog today about this very topic cartwright... rule of thumb, post when you have something to say.
[2008.09.18 19:11:29] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:11:36] shopaholic chick: blogs appear in search results all the time if they have a signifigant amount of content
[2008.09.18 19:11:52] AngelaCP: that is correct shopachick
[2008.09.18 19:11:54] nathanmcgee.com: Don't just post for the sake of posting. People can see through that and you'll lose readers.
[2008.09.18 19:12:12] AngelaCP: Correct Nate. I’d advise against a blog simply to list products because it may not keep people coming back. But, I’m interested to have anyone disagree with me. Is there anyone here that is running a blog featuring products that is successful?
[2008.09.18 19:12:17] GimpDaddy: I get hits from comments I have left on others blogs. If I see a blog that relates to a subject of one of my designs I will try to cleverly drop a link in my comment. It has resulted in a few sales
[2008.09.18 19:12:23] GRaphicdeeziner has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:12:55] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:13:10] nathanmcgee.com: GimpDaddy... something that has worked spectacular for me...
[2008.09.18 19:13:16] AngelaCP: Definitely gimpdaddy. If it's relevant - I say, go for it. Also, blog comments do show up on Google. Lately when I'm searching for political stuff, I am getting a lot of results that are a part of blog comments.
[2008.09.18 19:13:36] GimpDaddy: I have noticed that as well
[2008.09.18 19:13:43] shopaholic chick: ang my http://designsoftheday.blogspot.com was quite popular - and even though i have not added anything in 9 months it stillg ets a fair amount of hits
[2008.09.18 19:13:51] nathanmcgee.com: If you link directly to your product or specific post in the URL field in the comment section, then you don't have to be so obtrusive with the links.
[2008.09.18 19:14:01] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:14:07] shopaholic chick: wait wrong link http://designoftheday.blogspot.com
[2008.09.18 19:14:12] GimpDaddy: yes, I avoid "spamming" blogs
[2008.09.18 19:14:40] Joie: I'm not sure I understand, Nate.
[2008.09.18 19:14:50] thegoldstandard has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:15:22] flyingwolf: people always think I'm spamming them if I talk about my products
[2008.09.18 19:15:28] nathanmcgee.com: Generally, when you post a comment, they ask for your name, e-mail address and an optional URL... you can put anything in the URL
[2008.09.18 19:15:42] flyingwolf: Okay where does the blog go to if the person you want to reach doesn t know about Cafe press
[2008.09.18 19:15:44] AngelaCP: A blog is like a website. If someone doesn't know it's there, it's hard to get seen. So if you have a website, make sure your blog link is visible. If you don't have a website and just a shop - put a blog link on your shop. Treat your blog like a personal website and add the URL on social network sites, optimize it for SEO, etc.
[2008.09.18 19:15:56] AngelaCP: Does anyone have more to add on to this for flyingwolf?
[2008.09.18 19:15:59] GimpDaddy: some blog formats allow you to add a link
[2008.09.18 19:16:03] Iscah Designs: ahh...
[2008.09.18 19:16:04] GimpDaddy: you just need to be clever about it
[2008.09.18 19:16:17] ckrawesky has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:16:20] nathanmcgee.com: Right! *hi-5* gimp-daddy.
[2008.09.18 19:16:22] AngelaCP: yes, don't make it look spammy
[2008.09.18 19:16:22] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:16:29] shopaholic chick: fly dont talk about your products....reply to the post with a comment about the post...but put your url where it allows a url- or tastefully at the end say something like "and i just got this great sticker that supports my view" with a link
[2008.09.18 19:17:07] Joie: Thank you for the example.
[2008.09.18 19:17:11] AngelaCP: Yes Shopac... this is on topic with what Nate is suggesting. Start participating by reading other blogs and making comments when the entry is relevant to your blog.
[2008.09.18 19:17:24] nathanmcgee.com: Make sure you are contributing to the blog post.
[2008.09.18 19:17:26] MaxMuhlin: So, can we now put outgoing links into our shops - without offending Affiliates?
[2008.09.18 19:17:29] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:17:53] AngelaCP: I've stated this in another chat... there is a balance between optimizng your shop for marketing, for seo, for affiliates.
[2008.09.18 19:18:04] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:18:12] AngelaCP: If you feel affiliates are a very important part of your business, you might not want to have any links out of your shop
[2008.09.18 19:18:22] shopaholic chick: it is better to make it look like your referring to someone else's item - then to your own....it tends to look less spammy
[2008.09.18 19:18:22] nathanmcgee.com: no... Honesty is best policy here shopaholic, but put some passion behind your post.
[2008.09.18 19:18:27] wingedturtle has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:18:49] AngelaCP: If affiliates linking directly to your shop is not a big part of your business, I'd suggest focusing on building your brand awareness and promotion.
[2008.09.18 19:18:52] AngelaCP: Does that make sense?
[2008.09.18 19:18:57] flyingwolf: I have a website for my artwork,so I can put my Cafepress blog URL on it, right?
[2008.09.18 19:18:57] nathanmcgee.com: If it is your website... by all means, cross promote!
[2008.09.18 19:19:12] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:19:21] shopaholic chick: max i do not link to the blog from my CP shop but i do from my offsites (non-CP websites)
[2008.09.18 19:19:59] MaxMuhlin: Ok, thanks, gotta work on my offsite website!
[2008.09.18 19:20:05] AngelaCP: So Max, I only suggested if you don't have a website to link from your shop... but that's only if you want to create a voice for your brand to your visitors/customers
[2008.09.18 19:20:12] casadelinda has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:20:18] AngelaCP: your own website is optimal
[2008.09.18 19:20:18] preggoprincess has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:20:53] Iscah Designs: Squidoo is an excellent venue for cross promotion. They even have a section specifically made to advertise CafePress products.
[2008.09.18 19:21:02] Karen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
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[2008.09.18 19:21:27] shopaholic chick: nathan it is the difference between saying "come buy MY sticker" and "check out this great sticker"
[2008.09.18 19:21:27] nathanmcgee.com: How about this... "wow! It is great to find someone so passionate about this subject! This is one of my passions too! It motivated me to make stickers about it!"
[2008.09.18 19:21:38] AngelaCP: I didn't even have Squidoo on the list! but yes, that is a great option as well.
[2008.09.18 19:21:42] GimpDaddy: I really never got my squidoo lens to take off...
[2008.09.18 19:22:05] Tanith: Actually if you play it like you just found it you really will tick people off
[2008.09.18 19:22:26] rusty has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:22:32] rusty has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:22:35] Tanith: Be honest - when it is yours, say so.
[2008.09.18 19:22:42] grace has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:22:43] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:22:58] AngelaCP: So as we mentioned, blogs needed to be maintained often. At least a few times a week – and if that’s not for you, I’d recommend skipping blogs and trying social sites.
[2008.09.18 19:22:59] nathanmcgee.com: So, shopaholic, you can promote your stuff with out actually really pushing. It goes against most marketing principles, but what you are trying to do on is build relationships with people on common interests.
[2008.09.18 19:23:33] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:23:40] shopaholic chick: gimp squidoo works if you make it about a topic - and integrate your shop - not about your shop - because people are not searching for information about your shop - or they would go right to it
[2008.09.18 19:23:40] shopaholic chick: other then sites like myspace & facebook....i find simple places like if you have a yahoo or AOL or AIM account put it in your profile...and ask your friends to add it to their profiles...i get a lot of hits off of AOL profiles & yahoo profiles
[2008.09.18 19:23:51] AngelaCP: Great idea!
[2008.09.18 19:23:54] GimpDaddy: I have used myspace and facebook
[2008.09.18 19:23:58] AngelaCP: Good transition
[2008.09.18 19:24:06] AngelaCP: With social sites, many are a form of blogging – without the commitment. I say this because there are other ways you can keep your site fresh without having to blog often. I’ll cover a few of the popular social sites.
[2008.09.18 19:24:11] electricgreen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:24:22] AngelaCP: I don't have all the sites so please chime in
[2008.09.18 19:24:28] AngelaCP: Let's start with the top 2
[2008.09.18 19:24:38] nathanmcgee.com: myspace and facebook?
[2008.09.18 19:24:45] AngelaCP: Facebook is the network I’m on…and personally, I find it easy to use and very little commitment.
On Facebook, whenever you update your page or do anything – it provides a feed that updates all your “friends”.
[2008.09.18 19:24:48] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:24:49] AngelaCP: Yes nate :)
[2008.09.18 19:25:05] AngelaCP: You're the pro...so please chime in Nate
[2008.09.18 19:25:11] AngelaCP: For example: if you enter “I’m updating my shop for the holidays – check it out at www.cafepress.com/holidayshop” all your friends will see your update.
[2008.09.18 19:25:22] AngelaCP: Many SKs have created “fan” pages for their shop/site. This is a page for your brand. You can blog on it. You can put notes on it. Share photos. Showcase your favorite products. Allow your “fans” to post comments.
[2008.09.18 19:25:32] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:25:38] AngelaCP: When you have a “fan” page, you can send it out to all your friends so they can become fans of your site.
[2008.09.18 19:26:04] AngelaCP: We should have a thread in Chit Chat for SKs to share their fan pages... that'd be fun
[2008.09.18 19:26:15] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:26:16] AngelaCP: It’s a great way to “interact” with others and get your brand out there – even if it’s on Facebook. Also, these pages do come on search engines.
[2008.09.18 19:26:24] AngelaCP: i heart facebook....
[2008.09.18 19:26:26] Uncle Frog has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:26:30] flyingwolf: whooo, I missed this "fan" part--how do I get fans?
[2008.09.18 19:26:44] AngelaCP: You can send it out to all your friends
[2008.09.18 19:26:52] AngelaCP: I know many of you have fan pages....
[2008.09.18 19:26:58] AngelaCP: is there another way?
[2008.09.18 19:27:01] MaxMuhlin: Yes, it would be good to have a Thread for sharing fan pages because then those of us who haven't a clue (myself !!) can see what a sampling of them would look like. . .
[2008.09.18 19:27:05] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:27:14] Iscah Designs: How/where can you create a "fan" page?
[2008.09.18 19:27:14] nathanmcgee.com: I've done it... it is pretty simple... there are links somewhere in facebook... I'll have to look for it :).
[2008.09.18 19:27:14] shopaholic chick: fly you have to make a page about your site then you can go into the how to promote forum and you will see there is a thread started there already you can list yours and people will add you
[2008.09.18 19:27:31] AngelaCP: Here's the CafePress fan page: http://www.new.facebook.com/cafepress
[2008.09.18 19:27:44] AngelaCP: maybe you guys can post your fan site here for other SKs to add as well
[2008.09.18 19:27:52] shopaholic chick: ang there is one in how to promote already
[2008.09.18 19:28:12] AngelaCP: No, but I can see if we can get a SK to write a "tip" on it
[2008.09.18 19:28:26] AngelaCP: http://community.cafepress.com/?cat=15
[2008.09.18 19:28:44] AngelaCP: Anyone that knows... I'd love to have a quick list of tips...and you'll get your shop on the Community page. :)
[2008.09.18 19:28:47] bacon has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:28:50] realemon: how do you stop people from stealing your ideas?
[2008.09.18 19:29:00] BrittaCP: send to cptips@cafepress.com
[2008.09.18 19:29:02] nathanmcgee.com: You want to make sure you cross promote your fan page on your blog :).
[2008.09.18 19:29:07] AngelaCP: You mean your designs?
[2008.09.18 19:29:14] macphreak has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:29:22] realemon: ya, or jsut ideas
[2008.09.18 19:29:42] AngelaCP: If your designs are seen, there really isn't a foolproof way other than to be sure to report it to the Content Usage Policy team for them to look into
[2008.09.18 19:30:02] AngelaCP: Ideas are harder to prevent...
[2008.09.18 19:30:29] Kunstrxns-Anne: Ideas are free...
[2008.09.18 19:30:31] realemon: will a user be kicked off if its obvious?
[2008.09.18 19:30:41] nathanmcgee.com: You might have a great idea too, but someone else might have the same or similar idea...
[2008.09.18 19:30:44] armymom has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:30:52] AngelaCP: If it's a design, they will be dealt w/appropriately
[2008.09.18 19:30:56] macphreak: so who is doing what to promote
[2008.09.18 19:31:10] AngelaCP: Anyone want ot share? I'll move on to MySpace while you guys type...
[2008.09.18 19:31:15] AngelaCP: MySpace works in the same way that Facebook does: you create a network of friends. There are also several great ways that you can use your MySpace page to target audience. I’ve seen Shopkeepers use a variety of different ways to promote their shop.
[2008.09.18 19:31:27] AngelaCP: Use your blog and bulletins.
[2008.09.18 19:31:47] AngelaCP: With MySpace blogs, you can post about sales you may be having, or new designs. You can also use it as a way to promote any contests or fun stuff. I’ve seen Shopkeepers use it as a blog where they talk about things happening in the world, and reference their merch in it.
[2008.09.18 19:31:56] nathanmcgee.com: Promotion is a tricky thing because we are all selling cafepress "stuff" but even that is unique and different.
[2008.09.18 19:32:07] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:32:11] AngelaCP: Your friends have the ability to sign up for blog updates, and automatically receive notification in their account if you posted a new blog.
[2008.09.18 19:32:18] AngelaCP: You can also send out bulletins to your friends to let them know about new things happening. But be careful, you do not want to spam your network with bulletins. It can be annoying, and you will lose friends.
[2008.09.18 19:32:19] nathanmcgee.com: Someone doing artwork will want to promote differently than someone who is doing political stuff.
[2008.09.18 19:32:29] AngelaCP: Since MySpace is customizable, you can do your own CSS to get it to match your shop layout. You can also add things like slideshows and banners
[2008.09.18 19:32:39] AngelaCP: That's what MySpace offers that Facebook doesn't....
[2008.09.18 19:32:43] Wontar: except MySpace blocks CP links, and even deleted profiles that are repeat offenders.
[2008.09.18 19:32:55] nathanmcgee.com: Link to your blog ;)
[2008.09.18 19:33:02] nathanmcgee.com: Which will have tons of CP links ;)
[2008.09.18 19:33:10] macphreak: will it block tiny urls?
[2008.09.18 19:33:11] AngelaCP: if that is the case, the work around is a link to your site/blog
[2008.09.18 19:33:17] macphreak: I am giving out t-shirts to friends I know that are always around lots of people
[2008.09.18 19:33:17] Peggy has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:34:00] AngelaCP: There's two more that I'll toss out quickly
[2008.09.18 19:34:08] AngelaCP: Flickr: Flickr is more of a photo blog/community. I’m not going to talk too much about this…
[2008.09.18 19:34:17] AngelaCP: It’s fun and easy to use. I use mine for personal reasons, but do sometimes share CafePress stuff on there. I’ve seen others do that and I think it’s a great option to get you out there.
[2008.09.18 19:34:40] Cartwright has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:34:45] AngelaCP: So if you're using it for fun and enjoy photography... this is a good venue for you. You also have a circle of friends...
[2008.09.18 19:34:52] AngelaCP: Then there's Twitter
[2008.09.18 19:35:02] bearabull7 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:35:04] AngelaCP: Twitter is more of a micro-blog. I know many SKs are using Twitter…whether it’s for fun, business, or both. Does anyone want to share?
[2008.09.18 19:35:07] GimpDaddy: ive just started using it
[2008.09.18 19:35:33] AngelaCP: I have a twitter with a whole bunch of SKs... I don't really blog myself, but I enjoy reading the "blogging" from other SKs.
[2008.09.18 19:35:37] GimpDaddy: not sure if I like it yet
[2008.09.18 19:35:45] macphreak: share what
[2008.09.18 19:35:48] AngelaCP: you have to be on top of it --- I' not
[2008.09.18 19:35:50] BrittaCP: what you may do on twitter
[2008.09.18 19:35:51] BrittaCP: if you do
[2008.09.18 19:36:27] AngelaCP: So here are a few ideas from the group about ways to promote....
[2008.09.18 19:36:35] GimpDaddy: I have used craigslist locally with limited success, ebay is starting to increase sales for me as well
[2008.09.18 19:36:40] shopaholic chick: i have multiple websites, facebook, blogs, profile links....in addition to the profioe links i will drop my name in a chat room and leave it there...with an away message on saying i am working and a link to my site....i am in a chat room on aol right now actually LOL
[2008.09.18 19:36:48] BrittaCP: for awhile i followed a shopkeeper who specialized in horror themed shirts... and he twittered about the zombie apocolypse
[2008.09.18 19:36:49] MyFireArt: ning.com also hosts many social networks and you can even create your own.
[2008.09.18 19:36:54] Iscah Designs: So, let me get this straight...you create a non-CafePress-affiliated blog and link to it from MySpace?
[2008.09.18 19:36:54] nathanmcgee.com: Yes... I'll expand a bit more on this in a bit :).
[2008.09.18 19:37:02] Tropicando: twitter is getting big. ppl can get their cable company's attention there
[2008.09.18 19:37:11] macphreak: I know cafepress just started folloing me on twitter
[2008.09.18 19:37:12] flyingwolf: what about Gather.com?
[2008.09.18 19:37:20] AngelaCP: Not familiar with that flyingwolf... anyone else?
[2008.09.18 19:37:29] macphreak: what about teebler?
[2008.09.18 19:37:40] BrittaCP: wow... you guys are more on the scene than us
[2008.09.18 19:37:47] AngelaCP: haha, i was thinking the same thing!
[2008.09.18 19:38:01] macphreak: how would we use ebay for sales?
[2008.09.18 19:38:05] realemon: on Ebay do you sell from your store or by ordering your product and shipping it yourself
[2008.09.18 19:38:11] nathanmcgee.com: There are a lot of these social networks popping up all over. Teebler gather.com etc.
[2008.09.18 19:38:13] cyi has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:38:18] GimpDaddy: exactly
[2008.09.18 19:38:20] Wontar: There's plurk, too.
[2008.09.18 19:38:23] AngelaCP: Some people drop ship - meaning once a sale is done, they order from their shop and ship it to the "winner"
[2008.09.18 19:38:52] AngelaCP: If you're limited on time...focus on the popular ones... the ones where most people are on.
[2008.09.18 19:38:54] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:39:05] AngelaCP: it never hurts to be on more... it's just a matter of time and upkeep
[2008.09.18 19:39:08] BrittaCP: of course when you do drop ship for ebay... you want to make it clear how retunrs work
[2008.09.18 19:39:11] macphreak: ok
[2008.09.18 19:39:15] Jaenne: Frienster has a bigger following in Asaia than most other site. If you are marketing to Asia, it might be worth it to hook up on Friendster
[2008.09.18 19:39:22] shopaholic chick: ebay requires you tell them shopper the item will be dropshipped
[2008.09.18 19:39:23] GimpDaddy: thats how I do it. I tell the buyer to email the quantitiy and sizes they want and ship it direct
[2008.09.18 19:40:15] brev87 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:40:22] AngelaCP: nate has something to share
[2008.09.18 19:40:23] cowpie has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:40:32] macphreak: do you list one t-shirt with image choices and so on
[2008.09.18 19:40:39] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:40:56] AngelaCP: it has to be a specific product and design -- ebay is strict
[2008.09.18 19:41:05] GimpDaddy: yes
[2008.09.18 19:41:07] macphreak: ok
[2008.09.18 19:41:07] AngelaCP: no links to your shop, etc... but you can brand it.
[2008.09.18 19:41:14] nathanmcgee.com: Marketing through networks like facebook and myspace is more about people than products. You need to keep this in mind.
[2008.09.18 19:41:16] cowpie has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:41:26] shopaholic chick: there are a lot of places you can make websites free to if you do not want to pay for one
[2008.09.18 19:41:30] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:41:37] realemon: brand it?
[2008.09.18 19:41:38] BrittaCP: brand the product
[2008.09.18 19:41:45] GimpDaddy: one design per listing, I add larger images using html that cost me nothing and list it as store inventory so it costs me 3 cents a month per listing
[2008.09.18 19:41:57] nathanmcgee.com: Just putting your stuff out there and say "buy my stuff" is not going to be as successful as in the past.
[2008.09.18 19:42:22] AngelaCP: Actually, you can highlight your brand - that's what i meant - put your shop name "Critter's World"
[2008.09.18 19:42:30] goodgollymissmolly has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:42:50] macphreak: you can brand it but notlink it
[2008.09.18 19:42:55] AngelaCP: That is correct.
[2008.09.18 19:43:03] sag has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:43:07] nathanmcgee.com: People what to do buisness with friends and you should put some personality behind the brand. That is why it is important to blog.
[2008.09.18 19:43:20] AngelaCP: So we've pretty much covered social sites and blogging...
[2008.09.18 19:43:21] Jaenne has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:43:42] AngelaCP: I think something worthwhile is participating in a community that's relevant to your shop
[2008.09.18 19:44:00] AngelaCP: if your shop is all about gardening... be a part of that community
[2008.09.18 19:44:10] Wontar has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:44:24] macphreak: iditto
[2008.09.18 19:44:30] AngelaCP: Join the forum and talk to people - i'm sure it's fun and not work for you... be sure to include your website in your signature
[2008.09.18 19:44:44] GimpDaddy: I am a member of several online forums relating to personal interests that are also in many of my designs
[2008.09.18 19:45:06] AngelaCP: When you comment on the blog - include your URL... we've covered that, but repeating it because it's so important. You can get seen by people you normally don't cross paths with
[2008.09.18 19:45:07] drummergirl: Has anyone had good results with Facebook Ads? I tried them, specifically targeting demographics that matched my GirlsCantWhat.com characters, but my sales were minimal. Lots of clicks, tho.
[2008.09.18 19:45:07] nathanmcgee.com: Ads do not typically provide good return and there are many other options that are free.
[2008.09.18 19:45:15] brev87 has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:45:16] AngelaCP: and that means more potential visitors....
[2008.09.18 19:45:28] Peggy: Always get permission to post your website in your sig from a mod first
[2008.09.18 19:45:33] BrittaCP: yes... read the guidelines
[2008.09.18 19:45:47] AngelaCP: That is correct Peggy. Some forums should have guidelines spelled out.
[2008.09.18 19:45:48] BrittaCP: especially on our forums... lol
[2008.09.18 19:45:58] Iscah Designs: Online community? Community within CP? What kind of communities are we talking about?
[2008.09.18 19:45:58] nathanmcgee.com: That depends on what community you want to be involved in... There are communities out there for everything!
[2008.09.18 19:45:58] AngelaCP: You want to be a community member...not a drive-by member
[2008.09.18 19:46:07] MaxMuhlin: Doing your research in joining "a community" is important. I joined a Pekingese group (I have dog shops) only to find that it was mainly populated by 4 or 5 posters who emailed back and forth about NOTHING. . .certainly nothing to do with Pekingese. . .
[2008.09.18 19:46:08] AngelaCP: and it will be obvious which one you are if you're not careful
[2008.09.18 19:46:25] AngelaCP: Good point Max!
[2008.09.18 19:46:33] macphreak: or creat website for others for free and put you banner/link on it
[2008.09.18 19:46:37] Jaenne has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:46:55] AngelaCP: Yes... it can also be a great way to recruite affiliates if your niche is uncommon
[2008.09.18 19:47:12] AngelaCP: For example - the caribou lover's site
[2008.09.18 19:47:35] AngelaCP: Doubtful there's too many out there... if there's a group obsessed w/ caribous and your shop is all about caribous
[2008.09.18 19:47:47] GimpDaddy: I joined a link exchange and it did generate a small amount of traffic but no confirmed sales
[2008.09.18 19:48:29] realemon: is there a favorite program for text and one for graphics? if not, what do the majority of cp users use?
[2008.09.18 19:48:30] BrittaCP: realemon: we'll open up the lobby after the chat and you can ask other SK's for thoughts onthis
[2008.09.18 19:48:33] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:48:36] AngelaCP: It's a natural fit to get them to affiliate to your site. Give them a banner... tell them they get 15% of sales they drive your way. Have them include them in their newsletter, etc... it's a part of striking a deal. It might be easy for some sites...not so easy for others. It's defintely worth a try because the audience is VERY relevant
[2008.09.18 19:48:45] shopaholic chick: i have link exchanges with some shopkeepers and they do well
[2008.09.18 19:48:54] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:48:55] macphreak: I wish CP would have more of a reference to where the buyers are from and so on
[2008.09.18 19:49:06] AngelaCP: You can put a stats counter on your shop
[2008.09.18 19:49:08] macphreak: only if those shops have traffic tho
[2008.09.18 19:49:09] Iscah Designs: How does a link exchange work?
[2008.09.18 19:49:09] nathanmcgee.com: It is basically saying, "I'll put your link on my page if you put mine on yours."
[2008.09.18 19:49:11] AngelaCP: that way, you can see where they are coming from
[2008.09.18 19:49:21] shopaholic chick: avoid webrings - they have fallen out of popularity with people and search engines
[2008.09.18 19:49:35] NiftyGaloot has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:49:42] MaxMuhlin: realemon - there is an entire Thread on what graphics programs various shopkeepers use. . .under Chit Chat. . .
[2008.09.18 19:49:48] nathanmcgee.com: And link exchanges have now become affiliate programs :).
[2008.09.18 19:49:54] realemon: ty
[2008.09.18 19:49:55] AngelaCP: Those used to be popular and a method of online promotion -- good to know Shop. Thanks.
[2008.09.18 19:49:59] macphreak: I soprt of did add a counter, I got it from the teebler site. It's a map of the world and it shows how many people are visiting your shop
[2008.09.18 19:50:15] realemon has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:50:18] GimpDaddy: The one that I used required you to post a banner on your site that was linked to their rotating ads. In exchange your banner as added to the rotation
[2008.09.18 19:50:19] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:50:22] shopaholic chick: mac try www.activemeter.com
[2008.09.18 19:50:54] Peggy: Ceck out statcounter, it's free, and very good
[2008.09.18 19:51:04] GimpDaddy: i use statcounter too
[2008.09.18 19:51:07] nathanmcgee.com: Google analytics is dynamite
[2008.09.18 19:51:07] barbd has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:51:11] AngelaCP: Great ideas everyone
[2008.09.18 19:51:12] grace has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:51:17] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:51:32] AngelaCP: I actually have to leave 10 minutes early for carpool...but i'm passing the mic over to Nate for the last 10 minutes...
[2008.09.18 19:51:37] Peggy: I have google anylitics too. More data always helps!
[2008.09.18 19:51:41] MyFireArt has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:51:46] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:51:52] AngelaCP: There's a bit more to cover... that we didn't get to. But Nate has wonderful and creative ideas...
[2008.09.18 19:51:54] grace has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:51:58] AngelaCP: bye everyone ... here you go Nate!
[2008.09.18 19:52:02] AngelaCP: They're all yours :)
[2008.09.18 19:52:03] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:52:03] Iscah Designs: Love to hear more from Nate
[2008.09.18 19:52:14] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:52:17] nathanmcgee.com: google analitics is really pretty powerful!!
[2008.09.18 19:52:31] AngelaCP has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:52:44] GimpDaddy: I will have to try it
[2008.09.18 19:52:51] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:53:07] Peggy: it's a little overwhelming at first...
[2008.09.18 19:53:33] GimpDaddy: I have no fear LOL
[2008.09.18 19:54:12] flyingwolf has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:54:16] Karen has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:54:17] macphreak: not all a once now
[2008.09.18 19:54:18] Iscah Designs: What forms of promotion do you find to be most effective, Nate?
[2008.09.18 19:54:18] nathanmcgee.com: Blogging and connecting with people. You want to get your name out there as someone who is involved... not just selling.
[2008.09.18 19:54:18] cafemommy has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:54:52] nathanmcgee.com: I am a shameless selfpromoter (hence my screen name)
[2008.09.18 19:55:02] nathanmcgee.com: But there are ways to do it tactfully.
[2008.09.18 19:55:25] macphreak: like your email signature is a great place
[2008.09.18 19:55:28] Tropicando: IT'S A GOOD NAME
[2008.09.18 19:55:30] funnycrazytees has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.18 19:55:34] nathanmcgee.com: And still get traffic. You want to be able to understand where your traffic is coming from so you know what methods are working.
[2008.09.18 19:55:45] Peggy: I THOUGHT .com was a strangr last name!
[2008.09.18 19:56:09] matisse has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:56:22] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:56:39] Joie: How do you use the data you get from counters to promote your site?
[2008.09.18 19:56:39] nathanmcgee.com: you can see what demographic is coming to your site... where they are going and where you loose them. Then you can focus on those stronger areas or build up the weak ones.
[2008.09.18 19:56:48] Joie: My sales (few as they are) are ALL coming from the Marketplace. So I guess my attempts at promotion from other sites is not working.
[2008.09.18 19:56:50] shopaholic chick: nathan will you stick around for the lobby chat after the official chat?
[2008.09.18 19:56:50] nathanmcgee.com: Sure
[2008.09.18 19:57:08] BrittaCP: well... hopefully some of what we've discussed here can be put to use and help you out, Joie
[2008.09.18 19:57:14] Iscah Designs: Example?
[2008.09.18 19:57:14] nathanmcgee.com: I'm working on some examples :)
[2008.09.18 19:57:24] Peggy: ...make cookies for chat...
[2008.09.18 19:58:25] MaxMuhlin has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 19:58:29] nathanmcgee.com: Ok...so I have google analytics on my blog nathanmcgee.com (which is all about social media marketing btw ;) ). I know exactly what sites are promoting me and I can reach out to them.
[2008.09.18 19:58:39] macphreak: maybe in the future on this forum we can analise each others shops and get/give input
[2008.09.18 19:58:40] BrittaCP: We've done a shop feed chat before, and will have another one soon. Check the calendar for the schedule
[2008.09.18 19:58:41] BrittaCP: http://community.cafepress.com/?cat=7
[2008.09.18 19:58:49] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:59:02] BrittaCP: you can also ask for feedback on our forums
[2008.09.18 19:59:15] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 19:59:20] BrittaCP: http://forums.cafepress.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/784104
[2008.09.18 19:59:58] Kunstrxns-Anne has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 20:00:00] GimpDaddy: Good talk
[2008.09.18 20:00:17] Iscah Designs: Ooh! I like your article "Making Good Comments" at nathanmcgee.com. Lots of good advice!
[2008.09.18 20:00:17] nathanmcgee.com: Thanks :)
[2008.09.18 20:00:22] BrittaCP: go ahead and send out your last comment
[2008.09.18 20:00:26] BrittaCP: oops
[2008.09.18 20:00:32] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.18 20:00:51] Iscah Designs: http://www.nathanmcgee.com/2008/09/12/making-good-comments/#more-195
[2008.09.18 20:00:53] Joie: Thank you.
[2008.09.18 20:01:13] macphreak has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.18 20:01:19] GRaphicdeeziner: Nathan you have been very helpful, thank you
[2008.09.18 20:01:33] BrittaCP: ok... so that is all for today gang. I hope you got some ideas
[2008.09.18 20:01:35] mamm: Thanks much!
[2008.09.18 20:01:42] nathanmcgee.com: I've got an example. If you are a dog shop and you have google analytics set up than you can see that a lot of people are coming for doggy day community (ficticious). You can start posting more and more there and participating stronger etc.
[2008.09.18 20:02:04] nathanmcgee.com: Whew. Here's something else you guys might be interested in... http://www.nathanmcgee.com/2008/08/05/3-rules-of-social-selling-etiquette/
[2008.09.18 20:02:14] Iscah Designs: Yes, wish we could bask in your wisdom longer and more often!

SEO part 2

2008-09-11T19:01:00.000-05:00

[2008.09.11 19:00:44] Welcome to the CafePress Chat Room
[2008.09.11 19:00:44] shopa has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:00:44] All users in this room have been allowed to talk
[2008.09.11 19:00:52] Tropicando has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:00:54] TexasFiddler has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:00:56] Valerie1 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:00:58] Anne_Kunstrxns has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:00:58] PeggyWvB has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:01:02] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.11 19:01:07] BrittaCP: Hi everyone
[2008.09.11 19:01:13] preggoprincess has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:01:18] shopa: hi everyone
[2008.09.11 19:01:20] Tropicando: weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
[2008.09.11 19:01:22] Tropicando: hi all
[2008.09.11 19:01:33] BrittaCP: thanks for joining us this afternoon
[2008.09.11 19:01:50] BrittaCP: as most of you know we've been doing a serises of chats all about SEO
[2008.09.11 19:02:10] BrittaCP: so far we've covered the basics, and then improving your ranking
[2008.09.11 19:02:17] Sag has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:02:35] BrittaCP: for those that may hvae missed them... the transcripts can be found here
[2008.09.11 19:02:36] BrittaCP: http://community.cafepress.com/?cat=14
[2008.09.11 19:02:37] Cartwright has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:03:09] BrittaCP: and so today we continue with SEDO and we have the lovely Laura, our SEO manager, with us today
[2008.09.11 19:03:33] BrittaCP: So before i start... let me just quickly cover the chat rules
[2008.09.11 19:03:38] BrittaCP: The chat is moderated
[2008.09.11 19:04:07] BrittaCP: that means all your comments and messages will go into a queue until they are reveiwed by a moderator
[2008.09.11 19:04:19] BrittaCP: since the chat is only an hour, we may not get to all your questions
[2008.09.11 19:04:26] BrittaCP: but we will try our best
[2008.09.11 19:04:46] BrittaCP: afterwards, we'll open the lobby back up... and you guys can continue the conversation there
[2008.09.11 19:04:48] BrittaCP: alright
[2008.09.11 19:04:50] PeggyWvB: hi Laura
[2008.09.11 19:04:58] Renee has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:05:23] BrittaCP: hhhmmmm she does seem to be missing
[2008.09.11 19:05:25] AngelaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:05:30] BrittaCP: i think she lost her connection for a second
[2008.09.11 19:05:53] LauraCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:06:04] BrittaCP: and here she is!
[2008.09.11 19:06:08] TexasFiddler: howdy Laura
[2008.09.11 19:06:10] Tropicando: yay
[2008.09.11 19:06:17] LauraCP: Hi!
[2008.09.11 19:06:28] LauraCP: Glad to see you all :)
[2008.09.11 19:06:54] LauraCP: Ok, so we’re going to chat about resources and things to keep in mind when writing copy for SEO.
[2008.09.11 19:07:08] LauraCP: We covered a little bit of this in the first SEO chat, this is more in depth information.
[2008.09.11 19:07:29] Kippy has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:07:31] LauraCP: Content is king in SEO. Content is what makes your stores, sites, and pages interesting and worth visiting from a user perspective and from a search engine perspective
[2008.09.11 19:07:51] LauraCP: For the most part, to a search engine content means words. Search engines like text. They are still somewhat to very challenged when it comes to other types of content like images, video, audio, games, and FLASH.
[2008.09.11 19:08:12] LauraCP: CafePress shops tend to have more images than text. That makes it harder for a search engine to understand what each page is about.
[2008.09.11 19:08:16] ShadowLekker has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:08:48] LauraCP: You face this issue every time you upload a new design. How do you tag it so people can find it? How do you tag it so it is relevant to the right searches? Now imagine how much harder it is for a search engine to understand an image!
[2008.09.11 19:09:13] LauraCP: Let’s take this image below. What tags would you use to describe it?
[2008.09.11 19:09:18] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.09.11 19:09:29] NiftyGaloot has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:09:48] LauraCP: anyone have suggestions>
[2008.09.11 19:09:52] Anne_Kunstrxns: Cat, Warhol, psychedelic
[2008.09.11 19:09:54] PeggyWvB: cat,print, warhol,colors
[2008.09.11 19:10:01] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.11 19:10:03] LauraCP: super
[2008.09.11 19:10:10] shopa: art, cat, andy warhol style, kitty, kitten, colorful, color
[2008.09.11 19:10:13] Tropicando: art
[2008.09.11 19:10:27] Ken has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:10:32] Sag: kitten kitty feline pet
[2008.09.11 19:10:33] Tropicando: lolcat?
[2008.09.11 19:10:36] LauraCP: Okay, so imagine is the search engine sees:
[2008.09.11 19:10:39] Kippy: pony.. oh, wait.
[2008.09.11 19:10:41] Cartwright: litho
[2008.09.11 19:11:02] LauraCP: What would distinguish this image from millions of other images on the web? Not much.
[2008.09.11 19:11:25] LauraCP: Okay, so now imagine the search engine saw
[2008.09.11 19:11:58] LauraCP:

Andy Warhol inspired popup of cats

[2008.09.11 19:12:19] Anne_Kunstrxns: Oh yeah! Now I get it.
[2008.09.11 19:12:22] LauraCP: This is better because the image file name, alt text, and nearby text all help describe the content.
[2008.09.11 19:12:39] Cartwright: What about the alt="cat" where does that pull from?
[2008.09.11 19:13:29] LauraCP: It depends on if you are using a template or managing all of your own HTML. But if it is a template from CafePress, then it is going to pull from the product name.
[2008.09.11 19:13:40] LauraCP: We'll talk about product naming in a few min.
[2008.09.11 19:13:43] Tropicando: it doesn't say anything about product
[2008.09.11 19:14:05] Ken has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.11 19:14:06] LauraCP: True, for this example, I wanted to keep it straight forward.
[2008.09.11 19:14:12] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.11 19:14:25] LauraCP: Now expand this idea to every Web page you create. In order for it to be meaningful to searchers and engines, you have to provide descriptive words and phrases. Strive for at least 50 words per page. 150-300 is ideal.
[2008.09.11 19:14:32] cyi has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:15:07] LauraCP: It’s hard to think like an engine
[2008.09.11 19:15:24] LauraCP: http://www.seo-browser.com/ is a tool to help you see your site like a search engine.
For example, one of my stores:
[2008.09.11 19:15:46] LauraCP: http://www.seo-browser.com/ is the URL
[2008.09.11 19:15:51] LauraCP: of the tool
[2008.09.11 19:15:55] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.09.11 19:16:12] BrittaCP: you can click on the image to see it larger
[2008.09.11 19:16:20] LauraCP: this is a shop to you a person using a browser like IE or FireFox
[2008.09.11 19:16:35] LauraCP: It looks like this to a search engine:
[2008.09.11 19:16:44] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.09.11 19:17:15] brainlint has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:17:52] LauraCP: A quick word about keywords
[2008.09.11 19:18:08] LauraCP: We talked about keywords in the first chat session so I won’t go over that again. But make sure you are taking the keywords and phrases you researched and targeted and are using them as the basis of your content.
[2008.09.11 19:19:11] PeggyWvB: I have very hight relavant content on one site, but I don't see a lot of traffic there, what am i doing wrong?
[2008.09.11 19:19:11] LauraCP: Where?
[2008.09.11 19:19:15] jd has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:19:27] LauraCP: To the best of your ability, use ALL the optional text fields provided in the shop templates and mandatory and optional fields like the ones in the shop management area. This one below is in the marketing area.
[2008.09.11 19:19:33] PeggyWvB: www.beltain.com
[2008.09.11 19:20:20] LauraCP: We can take a look at this later or I will email after.
[2008.09.11 19:20:28] PeggyWvB: I do that.
[2008.09.11 19:20:35] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.09.11 19:21:02] LauraCP: Take the time to write unique, meaningful, custom descriptions, design notes, section teasers, image alt tags, section descriptions, and section names.
[2008.09.11 19:21:14] LauraCP: Don’t try to be too cute or catchy. Someone searching for a t-shirt or gift is more likely to use straightforward language
[2008.09.11 19:21:34] LauraCP: Title tags
[2008.09.11 19:21:47] LauraCP: Title tags are the most important piece of content on your shops. See image above for where you customize it. Let’s work through an example of SEO-ing a title tag:
[2008.09.11 19:22:03] LauraCP: Before:
[2008.09.11 19:22:10] LauraCP: CHS - Chamblee High School – Class of 1988 Reunion : CafePress.com
[2008.09.11 19:22:28] LauraCP: After possibilities:
[2008.09.11 19:22:38] LauraCP: T-shirts & gifts – Chamblee 88 Class Reunion : CafePress.com
[2008.09.11 19:22:47] LauraCP: 1988 Chamblee Class Reunion T-shirts & Hats : CafePress.com
[2008.09.11 19:22:55] LauraCP: Chamblee 1988 Class Reunion Gear : CafePress.com
[2008.09.11 19:23:21] Cartwright: 1st question: Can we use the word "Onesie" in our teasers and descriptions?
[2008.09.11 19:23:25] BrittaCP: no, you cannot
[2008.09.11 19:23:28] BrittaCP: it is a TM
[2008.09.11 19:23:44] BrittaCP: you can use either infant bodysuit or creeper
[2008.09.11 19:24:20] LauraCP: ok, here are some reasons for not using the first title tag and picking amongst the others
[2008.09.11 19:24:28] LauraCP: • Length of the ‘before’ is too long. Titles should not be more than 70 characters.
[2008.09.11 19:24:40] LauraCP: • “Chamblee High School Class Reunion” only has ~6000 results in Google so low competition, but my content is only applicable to people interested in the class of 1988. So it should be in my title tag.
[2008.09.11 19:24:56] LauraCP: • My site is not really about the reunion so leaving out the mention of product type makes this link harder for searchers to understand in when they see the search results in Google.
[2008.09.11 19:25:05] LauraCP: • T-shirts and Hats alone are not what this site will rank for – too competitive. The 2nd “after” title also doesn’t work well at the PDP level when the product is not a T-shirt or Hat.
[2008.09.11 19:25:31] LauraCP: • CHS is too broad. Check out the search results for “chs class reunion”
[2008.09.11 19:25:45] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.09.11 19:26:07] LauraCP: “1988 class reunion” has more searches than “class of 1988 reunion”… so that is another point in favor of the shorter Title.
[2008.09.11 19:26:20] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.09.11 19:26:38] LauraCP: Final choice: 1988 Chamblee Class Reunion T-shirts & Gifts : CafePress.com
[2008.09.11 19:27:12] LauraCP: Any questions about title tags?
[2008.09.11 19:27:25] Anne_Kunstrxns: Would it make a difference if we added (TM) after Onesie?
[2008.09.11 19:27:43] BrittaCP: sadly no. unless you are gerber.
[2008.09.11 19:27:44] Cartwright has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.11 19:28:12] LauraCP: Other places to add content:
[2008.09.11 19:28:15] Cartwright has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:28:21] LauraCP: Make sure you don’t reuse the same words and sentences and links on every page. If every page has basically the same content, how can a search engine tell them apart?
[2008.09.11 19:28:24] Cartwright has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.11 19:28:37] LauraCP: Remember that the text at the top of the page is better than at the bottom. I mentioned last time that text at the beginning of a page will be seen by more visitors so is considered more relevant than text buried at the bottom of the page.
[2008.09.11 19:29:00] LauraCP: This means that you need to put some unique, descriptive text towards the top of the page. Don’t try to hide it all at the bottom of the page. If users don’t see it easily, search engines will discount it too
[2008.09.11 19:29:05] Stratman has left the room (logged out)
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[2008.09.11 19:29:18] Karen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:29:19] LauraCP: Here are some resources to help you learn to write for web audiences:
[2008.09.11 19:29:44] LauraCP: http://www.seomoz.org/ugc/how-to-write-for-the-web - short and sweet top tips
[2008.09.11 19:29:51] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.11 19:29:56] Tropicando: google trends, did not know that existed
[2008.09.11 19:30:07] LauraCP: http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/ - expert analysis, insights and guidance from and industry guru Jakob Nielsen.
[2008.09.11 19:30:18] LauraCP: http://www.highrankings.com/seo-writing - Very short book by Jill Whalen
[2008.09.11 19:30:28] LauraCP: http://www.webmasterradio.fm/Specials/Weekly-Rewind/Writing-for-SEO.htm - Audio file from Webmaster Radio
[2008.09.11 19:30:44] LauraCP: http://www.google.com/trends is way cool
[2008.09.11 19:30:57] LauraCP: you can search terms or search websites for popularity
[2008.09.11 19:31:26] LauraCP: And see today's top trends.
[2008.09.11 19:31:37] preggoprincess has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.11 19:31:43] LauraCP: Did you know that Houston Hide From the Wind was a popular site today?
[2008.09.11 19:32:18] LauraCP: No one here in this room even knows what it is yet...
[2008.09.11 19:32:21] LauraCP: But Google does
[2008.09.11 19:32:23] Sea Squirrel has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:32:44] LauraCP: Okay, more on content. You can add content to each product name and description.
[2008.09.11 19:32:51] BrittaCP: it's a site reporting wind data
[2008.09.11 19:33:00] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.09.11 19:33:28] shopa: laura text at the top needs to be careful though - i have seen people with 4 paragraphs of text on a section and all thier designs are below the page...i could not even tell it was a store!
[2008.09.11 19:33:53] LauraCP: Yes, I agree. You don't want to hide the designs.
[2008.09.11 19:34:47] Tropicando: Are there any yahoo sites similar to google trends?
[2008.09.11 19:34:51] LauraCP: http://buzz.yahoo.com/
[2008.09.11 19:36:24] LauraCP: And this is another set of Yahoo tools, although not metrics focused: http://publisher.yahoo.com/sell/EnhanceYourSite.php
[2008.09.11 19:37:00] Tropicando: I know this is just an example, but wouldn't some schools have a cow if you made unofficial school shirts? is it case by case maybe?
[2008.09.11 19:37:15] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.09.11 19:38:15] Heni has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:38:35] LauraCP: Good point - I could get a C&D letter, but this is for their own charity. And to be safe, you can ask permission.
[2008.09.11 19:38:48] LauraCP: Back to product naming
[2008.09.11 19:38:54] LauraCP: Before
[2008.09.11 19:39:03] LauraCP: CHS 88 Kids Light T-Shirt
[2008.09.11 19:39:22] LauraCP: After: 1988 Chamblee Alumni T-shirt for kids
[2008.09.11 19:39:32] LauraCP: Reasons:
[2008.09.11 19:39:52] LauraCP: We already know CHS is poor choice from research above in google trends
[2008.09.11 19:40:00] LauraCP: People aren’t searching for “light t-shirts” very much and it is also too vague. Does it mean lightweight or light colored or what???
[2008.09.11 19:40:09] LauraCP: This is an opportunistic product – people aren’t looking for kid’s alumni t-shirts as much as they are looking for “alumni t-shirts.”
[2008.09.11 19:40:19] LauraCP: “kid’s alumni t-shirts” doesn’t make much sense when it stands alone. “Alumni T-shirt for kids” can stand alone and be understood.
[2008.09.11 19:40:46] LauraCP: • Product Descriptions are next up
[2008.09.11 19:40:55] Daphne has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:41:12] LauraCP: Before: “Chamblee High School spirit for kids of Chamblee Alumni. Class of 1988 kids and babies can have cool school style for the class reunion. Go bulldogs!”
[2008.09.11 19:41:28] LauraCP: After: “Souvenir t-shirts for kids of Chamblee High Alumni give kids and babies cool school style for the 1988 class reunion. Buy them an “I love Chamblee 88 Tee.”
[2008.09.11 19:41:35] LauraCP: Reasons:
[2008.09.11 19:41:46] LauraCP: You have 200 characters – use them. Remember search engines like text.
[2008.09.11 19:41:56] LauraCP: Bulldogs just don’t match anything else on the page so it isn’t helping relevance
[2008.09.11 19:42:09] LauraCP: 'School' only needs to be mentioned once.
[2008.09.11 19:42:29] LauraCP: "I love ___” is a popular way to search and adds extra reinforcement for the meaning of the image.
[2008.09.11 19:42:39] LauraCP: Souvenir t-shirts provide more unique relevance than just “t-shirts “ and we already used “t-shirts for kids” in the product name.
[2008.09.11 19:43:00] LauraCP: Tips
[2008.09.11 19:43:14] LauraCP: People scan rather than read - use bold, bullets, paragraphs, spacing to make that easier
[2008.09.11 19:43:25] LauraCP: Use short paragraphs
[2008.09.11 19:43:39] LauraCP: The first 2 words in a paragraph or bullet point are key to getting people to keep reading.
[2008.09.11 19:43:50] LauraCP: Use numbers 1, 2, rather than one , two. Engines get it and people like it better.
[2008.09.11 19:44:00] brainlint has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.11 19:44:03] Cartwright: any importance to using the words "buy"
[2008.09.11 19:44:53] LauraCP: I tried "get" and "buy" when working on this. Buy attracts people later in the buying cycle. It can be off-putting to "just looking" customers.
[2008.09.11 19:45:12] Cartwright: does google like short Hemmingway-esque sentences...a lot of periods in a paragraph?
[2008.09.11 19:45:54] LauraCP: The number of periods is not so important, but your readers probably do like it better.
[2008.09.11 19:46:15] LauraCP: It is easier to scan
[2008.09.11 19:46:47] NinaPA has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:46:59] LauraCP: They do pay attention to sentence structure, so avoiding long run-on sentences is good.
[2008.09.11 19:47:10] TexasFiddler: For that matter, does Google put any emphasis on actual sentences? Sentences, not punctuated phrases. Words and dots without verbs. etc
[2008.09.11 19:48:27] LauraCP: All the engines are getting better at understanding meaning. Sentences without verbs are less meaningful. So it might make sense in context, but isn't a first choice unless there is good reason.
[2008.09.11 19:48:57] Cartwright: In case I forget to mention it...this has been a very helpful (maybe the best) chat I've participated in here. Thanks!
[2008.09.11 19:49:10] LauraCP: :-) Thank you !!
[2008.09.11 19:49:17] LauraCP: next: Site Design/Architecture based on content
[2008.09.11 19:49:27] LauraCP: The flow of your site and your shop should reinforce your most important keywords and the way people search.
[2008.09.11 19:49:37] LauraCP: Setup your shops so they are organized in a way that supports your topics and keywords and designs.
[2008.09.11 19:50:13] LauraCP: If I had multiple high schools or colleges in my store, I would probably have section for “high school reunion Gifts & T-shirts” and “College Reunion Souvenirs” and then have a separate section for each school.
[2008.09.11 19:50:25] AngelaCP has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.11 19:50:37] cowpie has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:50:46] LauraCP: Let’s talk section names and headers:
[2008.09.11 19:50:53] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.09.11 19:51:08] LauraCP: •Section Names (title for section page and shows up in the bread crumbs) - really important
[2008.09.11 19:51:14] Cartwright has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.11 19:51:31] LauraCP: The breadcrumbs are links so the text in the link is “anchor text.” This is some of the most important text on the page
[2008.09.11 19:51:40] Cartwright has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:51:44] LauraCP: Good: “Chamblee Bulldogs Class of 1988” and “Chamblee 1988 Reunion”
[2008.09.11 19:51:45] Daphne has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.11 19:51:57] LauraCP: Bad: “CHS reunion stuff for kids & babies”
[2008.09.11 19:52:02] Sag has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.11 19:52:06] LauraCP: Why? CHS is too vague, stuff is not meaningful, relevant, or highly searched. Missing any reference to year, link text is too long, unappealing.
[2008.09.11 19:52:07] The Shadow has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:52:23] LauraCP: Text around links reinforces or dilutes the text in the anchor text. If the text uses similar keywords and adds to the meaning of the link, then the anchor text is more relevant and the image nearby is more relevant to the same set of keywords
[2008.09.11 19:52:48] ShadowLekker: This is great, but it really messes with breadcrumbs since the only text choice we have there is the section name
[2008.09.11 19:53:04] jd has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.11 19:53:08] LauraCP: Yes, that's why choosing good section name is key.
[2008.09.11 19:53:17] Tropicando: By sentence structure do you mean semicolons or colons attaching a fragment could be bad?
[2008.09.11 19:54:00] LauraCP: No, not bad. But simple tends to be better.
[2008.09.11 19:54:04] Cartwright: I would tend to write "Chamblee 1988 Reunion T-shirts and gifts" as section name
[2008.09.11 19:54:26] cowpie has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.11 19:54:37] LauraCP: •Section Teasers (short copy under Section Names)
[2008.09.11 19:54:47] LauraCP: Good:
One cool kid...You or your mini CHS kiddie? It doesn't matter. Sport your Chamblee High School Spirit at the upcoming class reunion

Let your kids show off a bit at the CHS 1988 class reunion. Cute, fun, Chamblee High t-shirts, onesies, hoodies and more!
[2008.09.11 19:55:08] LauraCP: Needs improvement: Chamblee High School Class of 1988 Reunion T-shirts and gifts!
[2008.09.11 19:55:12] TexasFiddler: can't use onesies
[2008.09.11 19:55:21] BrittaCP: that's right! good cathc!
[2008.09.11 19:55:31] LauraCP: T-shirts & gifts for the 1988 Chamblee High Class reunion. Celebrate the bulldog spirit with all your old friends and classmates.
[2008.09.11 19:55:38] MyShop has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.09.11 19:55:52] LauraCP: That's a bit better - and yes, you got me on the Onesie
[2008.09.11 19:56:12] ShadowLekker: Do single quotes - ' - matter or better left unused?
[2008.09.11 19:56:49] LauraCP: Single or double don't matter. I think it can make it easier to read - so it is more of a usability and attracting the click issue.
[2008.09.11 19:56:55] LauraCP: Easy to scan = more clicks
[2008.09.11 19:57:07] Anne_Kunstrxns: This would mainly apply if you were coding rather than using the text entry boxes, am I right?
[2008.09.11 19:57:50] LauraCP: Text entry boxes should be used with an editorial eye. With 200 characters, you have space to make more than one sentence.
[2008.09.11 19:58:00] LauraCP: Another important place for text-rich content is blogs. They can attract both searches and search spiders. If you have one, keep it up to date. Freshness matters with blogs. One entry a month would be a minimum. More is better.
[2008.09.11 19:58:13] LauraCP: Blog tips
[2008.09.11 19:58:23] LauraCP: Blog titles “out of the box” are just the base name of your blog. You want to customize them. That’s very important.
[2008.09.11 19:58:33] LauraCP: This is the address of an excellent WordPress plugin: http://www.netconcepts.com/seo-title-tag-plugin/
[2008.09.11 19:58:46] LauraCP: Putting the title or header into the URL is good. But putting a few relevant keywords separated by dashes is even more useful sometimes
[2008.09.11 19:59:03] LauraCP: Not using the default permalink structure (http://blog.cafepress.com/?p=534 ) helps a blog pages quite a lot.
[2008.09.11 19:59:12] LauraCP: Here’s some good screenshots on how to change permalinks: http://www.bloggernoob.com/learn-to-blog-change-permalink-structure/25/
[2008.09.11 19:59:27] LauraCP: Lots of page views per visitor is not necessarily a good thing, It does not mean that people are reading lots of pages. It ca be heavily influenced by frustrated refinding behaviors. People have a hard time finding again something they found on a blog in the past.
[2008.09.11 19:59:39] LauraCP: Use Google analytics to see what people are using to find your site. Then create blog categories for these keyterms. https://www.google.com/analytics/reporting/login
[2008.09.11 19:59:58] LauraCP: And for last: Advanced tips on controlling what content gets indexed
[2008.09.11 20:00:08] LauraCP: The robots meta tag helps you control what gets indexed, how it gets indexed, and what doesn’t.
[2008.09.11 20:00:40] LauraCP: If you do all of your own HTML or have a blog or a stand alone site in addition to your store:
[2008.09.11 20:00:43] LauraCP: The following image is cropped from http://www.seomoz.org/blog/the-web-developers-seo-cheat-sheet.
[2008.09.11 20:00:50] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.09.11 20:01:35] LauraCP: That's all I have for today. I enjoyed chatting with you
[2008.09.11 20:01:41] LauraCP: :-)
[2008.09.11 20:02:10] BrittaCP: thanks for coming today. unfortunatly we don't have time for any more questions. however, in a few weeks we will be having a Q&A with laura
[2008.09.11 20:02:24] NiftyGaloot has left the room (logged out)
[2008.09.11 20:02:25] BrittaCP: i urge you to send your questions to communityteam@cafepress.com

halloween prep

2008-08-28T19:00:00.001-05:00

[2008.08.28 17:58:49] Welcome to the CafePress Chat Room
[2008.08.28 17:58:49] shopaholicchick has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 17:58:49] All users in this room have been allowed to talk
[2008.08.28 18:00:03] steve d has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 18:00:55] SusanFaye has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 18:01:32] AngelaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 18:01:57] Cyndi has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 18:03:17] BrittaCP: hey look at that it's 4:00pm
[2008.08.28 18:03:34] BrittaCP: How's it going everyone?
[2008.08.28 18:03:40] Cyndi: LOL Well, for some of us...
[2008.08.28 18:04:02] MageGrayWolf: ok
[2008.08.28 18:04:03] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 18:04:09] shopaholicchick: 7pm here
[2008.08.28 18:04:14] Cyndi: I'm not used to my new time zone...I thought I had missed it...
[2008.08.28 18:04:16] steve d: fine
[2008.08.28 19:04:16] maddynmedesigns has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 19:04:21] BrittaCP: great
[2008.08.28 19:04:48] BrittaCP: So today we've got a Shopkeeper discussion lined up... and it's all about prepping your shop for Halloween
[2008.08.28 19:05:02] BrittaCP: We’ve had “Shop Prep” chats before in the past, which I’m sure many of you have attended.
[2008.08.28 19:05:20] BrittaCP: lol... actaully... looking at the user lists I know many of you have attended
[2008.08.28 19:05:23] MageGrayWolf: first time here for me
[2008.08.28 19:05:30] BrittaCP: YaY
[2008.08.28 19:05:31] AngelaCP: welcome mage!
[2008.08.28 19:05:41] BrittaCP: Today we’re doing this an SK discussion where you guys drive the chat.
[2008.08.28 19:05:55] BrittaCP: Now is the time to share your past experiences with one another and talk about what worked and didn’t.
[2008.08.28 19:06:06] BrittaCP: And folk who are celebrating their first Halloween can ask questions on what to do, and learn from you.
[2008.08.28 19:06:25] BrittaCP: Who here is having their first Halloween with us?
[2008.08.28 19:06:27] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:06:32] Cyndi: My issue is that I come to them, learn tons of stuff and then never get a chance to use it and forget about it. Repeats are good for old folks...LOL
[2008.08.28 19:06:55] BrittaCP: Well... if it helps... we do have the transcripts archived
[2008.08.28 19:07:05] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:07:08] bzperson has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 19:07:09] BrittaCP: so you can always refresh yourself later
[2008.08.28 19:07:10] BrittaCP: http://community.cafepress.com/?cat=14
[2008.08.28 19:07:16] shopaholicchick: honestly halloween has never been a big seller for me
[2008.08.28 19:07:33] BrittaCP: hallween i will say is not one of the bigger holidays
[2008.08.28 19:07:41] armymom03 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 19:07:42] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:07:50] BrittaCP: however... it's a fun one, and one worth getting doing something for
[2008.08.28 19:07:59] JoeCat has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 19:08:04] JoeCat has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.28 19:08:21] BrittaCP: I like to think of it as more of a "decorating" occassion rather than a "gift giving" occassion
[2008.08.28 19:08:27] AngelaCP: even if it's not a big holiday, it's a great way to spice up your shop and make it relevant
[2008.08.28 19:08:28] JoeCat has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 19:08:31] AngelaCP: shop freshness is important
[2008.08.28 19:08:33] BrittaCP: Although when I was younger I did ask my mom if we could cancel xmas and just give each other Halloween presents instead.
[2008.08.28 19:08:38] TexasFiddler has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 19:08:43] BrittaCP: She wasn’t buying it. Anywhoo
[2008.08.28 19:08:48] SusanFaye: This will be my first H'ween with CP!
[2008.08.28 19:08:52] maddynmedesigns: I have been a SK before (years ago). This is my first Halloween as an active SK though and I am sooo excited!
[2008.08.28 19:08:58] shopaholicchick: cyndi there are chat logs on CP and on my blog cafechatter.blogspot.com
[2008.08.28 19:09:01] Dooni Designs: 10/30 marks my cp 5th year anniversary =)
[2008.08.28 19:09:06] BrittaCP: excellent
[2008.08.28 19:09:09] shopaholicchick: ok so i dont feel bad then
[2008.08.28 19:09:13] AngelaCP: wow, happy anniversary dooni!
[2008.08.28 19:09:21] steve d: supposedly halloween is next to christmas in reail sales
[2008.08.28 19:09:24] AngelaCP: yes
[2008.08.28 19:09:25] Dooni Designs: thanks!
[2008.08.28 19:09:43] BrittaCP: so really quick... chat rules
[2008.08.28 19:09:53] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:09:54] BrittaCP: for those who dont have them memorized by nbow
[2008.08.28 19:09:59] BrittaCP: *now
[2008.08.28 19:10:14] BrittaCP: the chat is moderated so you won't see your comments or questions pop up right away
[2008.08.28 19:10:28] matisse has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 19:10:29] BrittaCP: they go into a queue until a moderator reviews and pushes out
[2008.08.28 19:10:47] shopaholicchick: steve not for me - halloween is not close - there are 3 holidays ahead of it for me ...but i cant give aya all my secrets now;)
[2008.08.28 19:10:49] matisse: BOO!
[2008.08.28 19:10:55] AngelaCP: so even if halloween is not a big holiday for you, you can use this holiday as a way to create demand for cross items. Promote items such as buttons and stickers...
[2008.08.28 19:10:55] BrittaCP: not all comments make it, and it's usually just because there are to many
[2008.08.28 19:10:58] BrittaCP: lol
[2008.08.28 19:11:05] BrittaCP: we'll have a transcript up later
[2008.08.28 19:11:10] AngelaCP: cross sell
[2008.08.28 19:11:21] BrittaCP: and at the end of the chat, we'll open up the lobby for you kids to keep on playing in chatland
[2008.08.28 19:11:23] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:11:30] shopaholicchick: i use halloween season to prep and set up for the big shopping season which starts 11/1
[2008.08.28 19:11:34] BrittaCP: right.
[2008.08.28 19:11:53] BrittaCP: so as you tell... it's never to early to start prepping for these occassions
[2008.08.28 19:12:08] GalaxyGirl has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 19:12:33] BrittaCP: Have any of you already started your halloween prep?
[2008.08.28 19:12:54] TexasFiddler: Kind of making sure that the customers know you are there and remember you come mid November.
[2008.08.28 19:13:12] JoeCat: Halloween prep started in July :)
[2008.08.28 19:13:13] TexasFiddler: I was working on a Halloween design earlier today.
[2008.08.28 19:13:15] maddynmedesigns: I have started
[2008.08.28 19:13:16] MageGrayWolf: I have a few designs ready but there not up yet
[2008.08.28 19:13:18] sag: Finish with a lot of it.
[2008.08.28 19:13:20] armymom03: i stated last night. posted several new kids designs
[2008.08.28 19:13:51] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:14:20] BrittaCP: I was reading this intersting article earlier today... around this time of year, "costume" is one of the top searched for terms
[2008.08.28 19:14:32] brev87 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 19:14:38] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:15:06] TexasFiddler: But Halloween has never been strong for me
[2008.08.28 19:15:07] shopaholicchick: i am working on my xmas prep LMAO
[2008.08.28 19:15:18] BrittaCP: not in the marketplace I don't know what the top term is for tags) but in google
[2008.08.28 19:15:18] steve d: I started thinking of designs
[2008.08.28 19:15:31] shopaholicchick: yeah but in our line of designs that just makes for tag spamming
[2008.08.28 19:15:38] SusanFaye: Is there a special way to tag holiday items to make sure they show up in special categories on the CP marketplace front page?
[2008.08.28 19:15:53] BrittaCP: So it got me to thinking about the products that shopkeepers sell in and the way they are postioned...
[2008.08.28 19:15:54] AngelaCP: Susan, there is no special tag...just make sure your tags are appropriate to your design
[2008.08.28 19:16:16] BrittaCP: how do you use the word “costume” when you may not necessarily be selling costumes in your shop (although I’m sure at least one of you are selling a costume type thing because you are very clever and creative)
[2008.08.28 19:16:17] tropicando has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 19:16:20] AngelaCP: we don't like sharing the tags we use because we have sks that will start usingn that tag even if it's not relevant to the design :(
[2008.08.28 19:16:41] matisse: I've been done for a while now ... probably add a few more designs. I do use costume in my key words seo.
[2008.08.28 19:16:43] matisse: I am a costume!
[2008.08.28 19:16:57] brev87: very true Angela, good point
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[2008.08.28 19:17:22] Karen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 19:17:24] AngelaCP: if you guys are selling any type of halloween related designs on your shop, be sure to use the keywords in your shop for seo
[2008.08.28 19:17:35] BrittaCP: you wouldn't want to put "costume" in your keywords if it's a halloween themed doggy bowl
[2008.08.28 19:17:36] dreamup has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 19:17:45] BIGNUMPT has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 19:17:47] shopaholicchick: susan - tag them how you want them to appear year round DO NOT TAG THINGS HOLIDAY OR CHRISTMAS UNLESS THEY ARE ACTUALLY HOLIDAY OR CHRISTMAS DESIGNS...this is tag spamming
[2008.08.28 19:17:56] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:18:00] shopaholicchick: the only design of mine that is tagged costume is one that reads "this IS my costume"
[2008.08.28 19:18:51] AngelaCP: only put costume if your design can double as a costume
[2008.08.28 19:18:57] Karen has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.28 19:19:45] BrittaCP: but then thinking about it more... not everyone is looking for costumes. what they may be looking for is just something festive to wear to the company party
[2008.08.28 19:19:54] AngelaCP: charlie brown costume example http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/item/blockhead-yellow-tshirt/82022325
[2008.08.28 19:20:21] Cyndi: OMG that's funny.
[2008.08.28 19:20:26] Cyndi: Of course, I'm old.
[2008.08.28 19:20:44] AngelaCP: yes britta, there's costume...and there's halloween designs http://t-shirts.cafepress.com/item/maternity-pumpkin-smuggler-halloween-costume-shirt/175101438
[2008.08.28 19:21:20] MageGrayWolf: I have a seperate section in my shop just fro holiday designs that then breaks down further into each holiday..I also stuch the 2008 election stuff in there.
[2008.08.28 19:21:21] peon productions has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 19:21:42] BIGNUMPT: Sorry I'm late the Pubs have only just shut here! Hope this hasn't already been asked but are Halloween Party Invites big sellers?
[2008.08.28 19:21:43] BrittaCP: So there you go... a way that you can incorporate a relvant keyword like "costume" into your pdescritptions
[2008.08.28 19:22:03] AngelaCP: Let's ask the crowd... are halloween party invites big sellers?
[2008.08.28 19:22:23] AngelaCP: If you have a gift shop, it's a good idea to have one and keep it year around
[2008.08.28 19:22:41] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:22:53] brev87: I don't get invites to Halloween parties. :|
[2008.08.28 19:22:58] AngelaCP: me neither :(
[2008.08.28 19:23:02] BrittaCP: and relvance is key... a few others that could work for the products that you commonly find on CafePress are scary, decorations, party, fun. Which could work for somethign like invites
[2008.08.28 19:23:05] peon productions: I don't know about invites, but for some reason I feel like I heard that the yard signs are.
[2008.08.28 19:23:11] AngelaCP: Hmm, that's a great idea that I didn't think about
[2008.08.28 19:23:19] shopaholicchick: i dont customize insides of cards...so i dont know
[2008.08.28 19:23:30] BIGNUMPT: Not scary enough Brev He He
[2008.08.28 19:23:32] AngelaCP: Or maybe special banners to scare neighbors
[2008.08.28 19:24:11] steve d: kids get invitations to parties
[2008.08.28 19:24:35] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:24:55] Heni has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 19:25:14] AngelaCP: is anyone seeing SEO for halloween yet?
[2008.08.28 19:25:19] brev87: could use the yard signs to get trick or treaters to your house. if people are into that
[2008.08.28 19:25:21] shopaholicchick: maybe matching invites and a yard sign set up to be like a package might work.....
[2008.08.28 19:25:23] peon productions: I made a candy dish out of a pet bowl. It's got candy corn on it.
[2008.08.28 19:25:27] sag: I have all those in this section: http://www.cafepress.com/sagart/568106 - because you never know what will sell. Sales have begun for me.
[2008.08.28 19:26:11] BIGNUMPT: Did actually sell a Halloween Shirt to-day,think I better get my Xmas ones up and about!
[2008.08.28 19:26:51] AngelaCP: I'm not sure if Britta mentioned this, but Halloween is more of a decorating and fun holiday vs gift buying... so make sure the "angle" you have for halloween is around this
[2008.08.28 19:27:00] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:27:02] peon productions: I sold christmas cards today.
[2008.08.28 19:27:07] AngelaCP: wow, never too early huh?
[2008.08.28 19:27:13] shopaholicchick: you dont wanna out things up too early or they will be burried
[2008.08.28 19:27:17] MageGrayWolf: what about doing halloween birthday cards for people born on halloween
[2008.08.28 19:27:23] AngelaCP: That's a cute idea
[2008.08.28 19:27:28] AngelaCP: its very unique
[2008.08.28 19:27:36] AngelaCP: for SKs that update their shop often
[2008.08.28 19:27:38] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:27:49] AngelaCP: it's a great idea to feature something like this
[2008.08.28 19:28:00] AngelaCP: makes their shop fun and interesting
[2008.08.28 19:28:23] tropicando: Does anyone know if classrooms exchange cards for halloween the way it 's done for v-day? Do halloween cards sell?
[2008.08.28 19:28:35] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:29:36] AngelaCP: they typically don't do this for halloween
[2008.08.28 19:29:37] steve d: Depends on the classroom. I work for a school district. some do some don't
[2008.08.28 19:29:52] AngelaCP: but kids do have halloween parties
[2008.08.28 19:30:32] BrittaCP: Sooo... it was mentioned before about the candy dish/ dog bowl... does anyone else have ideas for alternative uses
[2008.08.28 19:30:36] BrittaCP: of products?
[2008.08.28 19:30:39] steve d: Yes, even more than trick or treating
[2008.08.28 19:30:52] BIGNUMPT: What are the best sellers for Halloween are they T-Shirts?
[2008.08.28 19:30:59] AngelaCP: t-shirts are big sellers
[2008.08.28 19:31:03] AngelaCP: buttons do well too
[2008.08.28 19:31:08] BrittaCP: dark, dark, dark t-shirts
[2008.08.28 19:31:16] AngelaCP: i think the idea is to buy them in packs and give them out
[2008.08.28 19:31:35] AngelaCP: or perhaps worn by by people who don't like dressing up
[2008.08.28 19:31:39] BrittaCP: make them part of a grab bag
[2008.08.28 19:31:42] peon productions: a 100pk of stickers to give out instead of candy
[2008.08.28 19:31:55] AngelaCP: Yes, we have people that are against giving out sweets
[2008.08.28 19:32:04] AngelaCP: we have seen suggestios for giving away stickers and mini-buttons
[2008.08.28 19:32:09] sag: Tote bags can be treat bags
[2008.08.28 19:32:23] peon productions: (as in, a sticker per kid - not 100 stickers per kid)
[2008.08.28 19:32:27] MageGrayWolf: yeah making shirts for people that don't really like dressing up was the idea I had in mind for this haliday
[2008.08.28 19:32:28] AngelaCP: We do see sales for totebags as treat bags
[2008.08.28 19:32:29] BrittaCP: right
[2008.08.28 19:32:31] AngelaCP: much bigger too!
[2008.08.28 19:32:38] BrittaCP: office parties, or just folk who like being festive
[2008.08.28 19:32:47] tropicando: Britta I had some ideas for alternative uses of products, but I have not uploaded that to the string yet
[2008.08.28 19:32:50] peon productions: ooh - good one Sag!
[2008.08.28 19:32:55] coolcat has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 19:33:03] AngelaCP: http://bags.cafepress.com/item/maias-halloween-bag-tote-bags/162239525
[2008.08.28 19:33:12] brev87: The election this year is messing things up though. Everyone is thinking about Obama
[2008.08.28 19:33:16] BrittaCP: so incorporate him
[2008.08.28 19:33:19] AngelaCP: http://bags.cafepress.com/item/hand-over-the-candy-tote-bag/32369228
[2008.08.28 19:33:19] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:33:30] sag: If you have cute t-shirts that would work for a biker costume, or a retro look - feature those too.
[2008.08.28 19:33:39] BrittaCP: if you're anti obama... compare him to being scarey
[2008.08.28 19:33:52] sodashirts has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 19:33:54] AngelaCP: great idea sag. you have to be creative and find ways to feature your products that will get customers to buy for halloween
[2008.08.28 19:33:54] BrittaCP: or the same with McCain
[2008.08.28 19:34:04] shopaholicchick: i have sold custom tote bags for holiday gift exchanges - someone had me put her office name on the back side of one for her whole office!
[2008.08.28 19:34:10] tropicando: give out cool stickers and buttons with your URL
[2008.08.28 19:34:12] Rozine has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.28 19:34:19] AngelaCP: congrats on the sale shopa!
[2008.08.28 19:34:24] peon productions: lol - red splatters on the bbq apron might make for an interesting costume.
[2008.08.28 19:34:27] AngelaCP: Oh, how funny!
[2008.08.28 19:34:34] BrittaCP: yes... make sure that the sticker is halloween related and looks like it belongs in a grab bag of sorts
[2008.08.28 19:34:41] AngelaCP: so think of halloween for your shop as a way to bring some fun
[2008.08.28 19:34:48] BrittaCP: you don't want to just have a sticker with your URL on it mixed in there
[2008.08.28 19:34:50] AngelaCP: even if your shop isn't a big halloween seller
[2008.08.28 19:35:04] BrittaCP: then it becomes like candy spam... if there is such a thing
[2008.08.28 19:35:11] AngelaCP: consider it's a way to skin your shop to make it festive
[2008.08.28 19:35:14] BrittaCP: i would make a great design, and delicatly add the url in there
[2008.08.28 19:35:29] brev87: lol
[2008.08.28 19:35:37] BIGNUMPT: I sold a Cannibal BBQ apron to-day so you're on the button there peon
[2008.08.28 19:36:14] AngelaCP: the pet bowl idea audrie brought up is a good one
[2008.08.28 19:36:29] AngelaCP: take a photo of it w/candy and feature it in your shop
[2008.08.28 19:36:37] BrittaCP: and in your blog
[2008.08.28 19:36:39] AngelaCP: have you seen the large bowl? it's huge
[2008.08.28 19:36:54] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:37:05] shopaholicchick: the large pet bowl is a troth...
[2008.08.28 19:37:31] AngelaCP: does anyone have their shop finished for halloween? if so, anyone willing to share?
[2008.08.28 19:37:39] MageGrayWolf has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.28 19:37:59] BrittaCP: I've been looking around at all these "halloween" blogs today... a lot of things on decorating... and since there are so many things that you can sell in your shop for decorating, using this angle on your blog is a great way to promote
[2008.08.28 19:38:18] BIGNUMPT: Could use it as a bath for witches
[2008.08.28 19:38:19] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:38:27] AngelaCP: Here's a shop I found LOL http://scarealiberal.com/
[2008.08.28 19:38:27] MageGrayWolf has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
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[2008.08.28 19:38:55] tropicando: what if the dog eats the chocolate
[2008.08.28 19:39:15] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:39:22] shopaholicchick: put it on the counter...
[2008.08.28 19:39:29] shopaholicchick: i have a halloween section i dunno that anything is every finished though LOL http://www.cafepress.com/celebratetoday/5110245
[2008.08.28 19:39:33] peon productions: haven't had any requests for Halloween templates yet. 'twould be fun tho. ;)
[2008.08.28 19:39:50] brev87 has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.28 19:39:57] AngelaCP: i guess most SKs find it temporary... but halloween is really fun
[2008.08.28 19:40:04] BrittaCP: and so we go back to the idea of skinning... while you don't need to make a majot overhaul
[2008.08.28 19:40:15] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:40:16] BrittaCP: you can just add a decorative element or tow
[2008.08.28 19:40:34] BrittaCP: so let's look at way to promote and really tapping into the those methods
[2008.08.28 19:40:59] BrittaCP: i mentioned blogging... which i know a lot of you already do... but what are clever ways of incormparting your hallopween merch in a daily blog?
[2008.08.28 19:41:01] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:41:11] shopaholicchick: i used to recolor my shops for holidays - but now that i have so many shops because of the limits it is really a lot of work to recolor them all
[2008.08.28 19:41:48] BrittaCP: you could always talk about throwing a party... and here are some of things that you would use to decorate
[2008.08.28 19:41:59] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:42:01] AngelaCP: color is an easy and good way to make it festive and relevant to the holiday
[2008.08.28 19:42:02] shopaholicchick: costume idea of the day
[2008.08.28 19:42:10] AngelaCP: maybe a halloween version of your logo
[2008.08.28 19:42:19] BrittaCP: Got a shop geared towards kids and family? Take a few pictures of your kids wearing your shirts or Halloween bibs and talk about them.
[2008.08.28 19:42:30] AngelaCP: if you had a holiday version of yoru logo for each holiday, it won't be much work once they are done
[2008.08.28 19:42:44] peon productions: if you have multiple shops, perhaps you could consider having them all reference one external stylesheet. Then you'd only have to edit one file to change them all at once.
[2008.08.28 19:43:05] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:43:08] shopaholicchick: peon they are all different themes only one has holiday designs now
[2008.08.28 19:43:14] GalaxyGirl has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.28 19:43:23] TexasFiddler has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.28 19:43:24] peon productions: doh! disregard then.
[2008.08.28 19:44:21] BrittaCP: have we talked about making sure you get the word out about your products as well? newsletters and emails featuring thwese new prods
[2008.08.28 19:44:24] tropicando: I don't have kids.
[2008.08.28 19:44:31] MageGrayWolf: if only one of your shops has holiday designs on it then just change that one
[2008.08.28 19:45:08] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:45:18] shopaholicchick: mage it is one shop but it is really 2 shops....i have a lot of cross linked sectins and redirects
[2008.08.28 19:45:23] tropicando: You know, my one t-shirt halloween design is so innocent; and I have trick-or-treaters showing up in lingerie.
[2008.08.28 19:45:38] AngelaCP: halloween is a great excuse to "scare" up some sales by contacting your customers ;)
[2008.08.28 19:45:40] sag: If you pull your halloween sections into your own outside domain you can hype it to the hilt with your products, decorating ideas, recipes, on and on.
[2008.08.28 19:45:53] BrittaCP: ooooh... i like that
[2008.08.28 19:46:01] BrittaCP: it's like a full party almost
[2008.08.28 19:46:29] sag: Add a feed for your blog and blog halloween for added wieght.
[2008.08.28 19:46:29] AngelaCP: Just send a newsletter/email with a halloween theme - then feature your normal products if your shop isn't typically halloween themed
[2008.08.28 19:47:17] AngelaCP: say, you have a political shop - maybe you design a special edition tote bag - making fun of the "other guy" for sale
[2008.08.28 19:47:21] sag: On Twitter you can post a Halloween Spook of the Day. Micro-blogging!
[2008.08.28 19:47:26] AngelaCP: what a way to get some interest
[2008.08.28 19:48:23] matisse has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.28 19:48:37] BrittaCP: by spook of the day do you mean someting similar to a "joke of the day" or is "spook" open to interpetation
[2008.08.28 19:49:04] sag: Ghoul or Goblin - whatever you want to title it.
[2008.08.28 19:49:06] BrittaCP: ahhh got it
[2008.08.28 19:49:10] tropicando: I have an inauguration day design of bush and cheney shapeshifting into a swarm of bats
[2008.08.28 19:49:29] BrittaCP: love it
[2008.08.28 19:49:33] sag: That ought to sell tropicando
[2008.08.28 19:49:55] BrittaCP: I've seen a few designs comparing political figures to spooky monsters
[2008.08.28 19:50:21] tropicando: I'll be re-organizing my shops today though, hopefully
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[2008.08.28 19:50:49] BrittaCP: You deifinetly want to make sure that you're designs are within your niche if you make halloween themed ones
[2008.08.28 19:51:04] BrittaCP: the niche of your shop, i mean
[2008.08.28 19:51:11] sag: Also, around many parts of the country they hold fall festivals which are for celebrating Halloween, so include fall festivals and products for those events.
[2008.08.28 19:51:24] BrittaCP: and these are great opportunities to promote
[2008.08.28 19:51:28] AngelaCP: Hmmm, like oktoberfest?
[2008.08.28 19:51:30] BrittaCP: bring your cards... talk to vendors
[2008.08.28 19:51:31] AngelaCP: steins!
[2008.08.28 19:51:55] BrittaCP: or... set up a booth and sell your own
[2008.08.28 19:52:09] tropicando: here it behttp://www.cafepress.com/zartanga/5830299
[2008.08.28 19:52:17] sag: Some school districts won't title events Halloween because of a bias of the community - therefore they are Fall Festivals.
[2008.08.28 19:52:23] BIGNUMPT has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.28 19:52:32] AngelaCP: mixing politics with halloween is a really good idea.. it's so relevant
[2008.08.28 19:52:34] BrittaCP: other things to think about... if you really want to get into it
[2008.08.28 19:52:39] BrittaCP: day of the dead,
[2008.08.28 19:52:40] AngelaCP: with the elections just a few months away
[2008.08.28 19:52:45] BrittaCP: all hallows eve
[2008.08.28 19:53:30] peon productions sent a picture:
[2008.08.28 19:53:31] BrittaCP: those are some altrenatives if you want to break from the norm of jack-o-lanterns
[2008.08.28 19:53:36] tropicando: in theory I could apply that concept to everyone in congress
[2008.08.28 19:53:44] AngelaCP: how cute is that aud
[2008.08.28 19:54:13] AngelaCP: so this is the halloween and holiday version of your logo?
[2008.08.28 19:54:45] tropicando: this has like a Dia de los Muertos feel
[2008.08.28 19:55:05] peon productions: oops
[2008.08.28 19:55:10] sodashirts: is there still a newsletter system in cafepress?
[2008.08.28 19:55:13] BrittaCP: yes there is
[2008.08.28 19:55:15] AngelaCP: Oh, was that not meant for us?
[2008.08.28 19:55:17] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 19:55:18] sag: Audrey dresses a lot of shops for the holidays including mine. She is fantastic!
[2008.08.28 19:55:23] AngelaCP: i agree sag
[2008.08.28 19:55:28] shopaholicchick: i sell more dia de los muetros then halloween
[2008.08.28 19:55:47] BrittaCP: it's under the promote your shop section of your account's main page
[2008.08.28 19:56:08] BrittaCP: then that's what i would run with shop
[2008.08.28 19:56:21] peon productions: sorry guys - are the images not moderated? I wanted to make sure this was okay before I plastered it up there
[2008.08.28 19:56:25] peon productions: I haven't done any halloween dress-ups. Is there a demand for that then?
[2008.08.28 19:56:37] AngelaCP: no worries aud
[2008.08.28 19:57:13] sag: Aud, I think people simply don't know it's available - get out there girl!
[2008.08.28 19:57:59] AngelaCP: so we have about 10 minutes left and it looks like everyone thinks halloween is fun but isn't really a big focus for them. So let's do a quick recap. Even if you don't think halloween is a big seller for you, focus on the idea of decorating (your house, cube, car, yourself - shirts, buttons, cap) and making your shop festive for the holiday. Use the holiday to talk to your customers...
[2008.08.28 19:58:18] BrittaCP: lol... and with that i'll open up the lobby in a few and you can all start placing your oders with Aud
[2008.08.28 19:58:27] BrittaCP: *orders
[2008.08.28 19:58:28] coolcat has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.28 19:58:36] peon productions: I get on out for xmas - I just didn't think so many people were looking to pimp their shops for hallowwen
[2008.08.28 19:58:51] AngelaCP: add some SEO to your shop, that will not hurt. Add words such as halloween, costume, decorating, party, fun in your shop
[2008.08.28 19:58:53] BrittaCP: i think it's more if just having nice accents to add... rather than a full makover
[2008.08.28 19:58:57] sag: oders is good too! :-D
[2008.08.28 19:59:03] AngelaCP: use these top keywords to make it work for your shop.
[2008.08.28 19:59:04] BrittaCP: halloween oders
[2008.08.28 19:59:11] peon productions: thanks for fixing that Brit - I have enough oder of my own...don't need anyone else's
[2008.08.28 19:59:15] bzperson has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.28 19:59:30] AngelaCP: does anyone have a specific question they want to ask?
[2008.08.28 19:59:33] tropicando: i suppose banners and yardsigns could make good tombstone decorations
[2008.08.28 19:59:40] BrittaCP: now you're thinking
[2008.08.28 19:59:44] AngelaCP: oh, and great idea for using banners and yard signs to decorate your yard
[2008.08.28 19:59:48] AngelaCP: i haven't thought of that
[2008.08.28 20:00:03] peon productions: usually for holiday pimping, I do just the logo and the background. Quick and easy, and easy to take down after the holiday
[2008.08.28 20:00:17] AngelaCP: http://signs.cafepress.com/item/werewolf-crossing-yard-sign/180888571
[2008.08.28 20:00:29] AngelaCP: cute! http://signs.cafepress.com/item/pirate-yard-sign/207849621
[2008.08.28 20:00:45] BrittaCP: and that really is the easy route to go. I'm sure you don't want to redo your whole storefront in such a way that people no longer recoognize it and get confused
[2008.08.28 20:00:54] AngelaCP: okay, last one: http://signs.cafepress.com/item/happy-halloween-penguin-yard-sign/179029469
[2008.08.28 20:00:58] BrittaCP: especially around the busy season
[2008.08.28 20:01:04] peon productions: love those subdomains, by the way. very cool
[2008.08.28 20:01:24] peon productions: I agree - you should really be looking to simply enhance your shop - consistence is still as important as it is any other day of the year
[2008.08.28 20:01:30] tropicando: the banners could also make good carnival games for halloween or other holidays, like if you put a hole in there for a target
[2008.08.28 20:01:46] BrittaCP: posters too
[2008.08.28 20:01:49] AngelaCP: cute idea tropicando
[2008.08.28 20:02:27] BrittaCP: Alrighty... i hope some of you are walking away with a few new ideas... despite the hapharzard nature of the chat... lol
[2008.08.28 20:02:30] peon productions: noose around the teddy baear maybe? I think I'm reaching now...
[2008.08.28 20:02:32] AngelaCP: how's this poster for your door? http://art.cafepress.com/item/angry-johnny-quotget-down-on-them-prayin-bonesq/243101604
[2008.08.28 20:02:41] tropicando: I did that with plywood once, but a banner would be more lightweight
[2008.08.28 20:02:50] sag: Halloween yard signs are a big thing in my area. We southerners love those dang things! http://www.cafepress.com/sagart/3830303
[2008.08.28 20:03:12] AngelaCP: these are wonderful sag!
[2008.08.28 20:03:14] AngelaCP: how do they sell?
[2008.08.28 20:03:33] AngelaCP: i bet if you put them in your yard, you have neighbors asking where you got them
[2008.08.28 20:03:38] sag: They sell well as instant decorations.
[2008.08.28 20:03:54] lovejml has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.28 20:04:04] BrittaCP: And there you have it... a decorating occassion
[2008.08.28 20:04:46] BrittaCP: And on that note... the it's 5
[2008.08.28 20:04:56] peon productions: good chat guys! It's always nice to hear from the CP Community warriors
[2008.08.28 20:05:00] BrittaCP: thanks for idea storming
[2008.08.28 20:05:03] tropicando: you can even use posters as window displays, a witch watching incoming trick-or-treaters
[2008.08.28 20:05:06] peon productions: I'm out - gotta go see if Obama gave his speech yet.
[2008.08.28 20:05:07] tropicando: byeee
[2008.08.28 20:05:09] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.28 20:05:11] BrittaCP: lobby is open

SEO chat

2008-08-21T18:58:00.004-05:00

[2008.08.21 18:05:29] Welcome to the CafePress Chat Room
[2008.08.21 18:05:29] shopa... has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:05:29] All users in this room have been allowed to talk
[2008.08.21 18:05:37] LauraCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:05:49] BrittaCP: Good afternoon everyone!
[2008.08.21 18:05:53] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.21 18:06:00] BrittaCP: We'll be ready in just a minute
[2008.08.21 18:06:07] dreamup has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:06:45] Amere has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:06:45] mydeas has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:07:04] armymom03: good afternoon britta
[2008.08.21 18:07:05] jonbaas: Good afternoon to you too Britta!
[2008.08.21 18:07:10] BrittaCP: Hi everyone
[2008.08.21 18:07:22] BrittaCP: Thanks for showing up for another fun filled chat
[2008.08.21 18:07:25] tropicando: :)
[2008.08.21 18:07:58] BrittaCP: Many of you were with us a few weeks ago when we had Laura talk to us about the basics of SEO
[2008.08.21 18:08:01] TexasFiddler: If it's as informative as the last SEO chat, it's gonna be a good'n.
[2008.08.21 18:08:06] Karen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:08:17] BrittaCP: Well.... this one will be as well
[2008.08.21 18:08:19] twiligtsdesign has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:08:51] jentwoomey has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:08:56] BrittaCP: Today Laura is with us again, and she'll be talking about how to improve your rankings in search engines. I'll let her expand upon that in a minute
[2008.08.21 18:09:09] BrittaCP: first... I need to go over those lovely chat rules for those who are new here
[2008.08.21 18:09:11] raghu has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:09:12] wingedturtle has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:09:20] BrittaCP: This chat is moderated
[2008.08.21 18:09:27] matisse has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:09:50] BrittaCP: That means you won't see your comments or questions right away, because they are sent to a queue
[2008.08.21 18:10:01] SilverHandPrint has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:10:10] BrittaCP: Once a moderator reads and approves, it will be pushed out to the public for all to see
[2008.08.21 18:10:19] PeggyWvB has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:10:45] BrittaCP: At the end of the chat the Lobby will open up again for you all to continue chatting, and we'll have the transcript up on the site for everyone to read in a few days
[2008.08.21 18:10:56] Jaenne has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:11:05] BrittaCP: Okay... so without further delay... I give you Laura!
[2008.08.21 18:11:15] twiligtsdesign: yay!!
[2008.08.21 18:11:16] TexasFiddler: YAY
[2008.08.21 18:11:22] jonbaas: Hi Laura. :)
[2008.08.21 18:11:22] LauraCP: Hi everyone! Glad to see you all!
[2008.08.21 18:11:25] LauraCP: :)
[2008.08.21 18:11:47] LauraCP: I just got back from a Search conference in San Jose, CA.
[2008.08.21 18:12:01] twiligtsdesign: sounds interesting
[2008.08.21 18:12:23] LauraCP: It was very interesting. The best part is getting to talk to the representatives from the engines.
[2008.08.21 18:12:26] PeggyWvB: Did you have trouble findiing it?
[2008.08.21 18:12:39] BrittaCP: it's so close to us, everyone knows the way
[2008.08.21 18:12:44] jonbaas: There's a Conference for online search techniques!? Fascinating!
[2008.08.21 18:12:48] SilverHandPrint has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.21 18:13:02] LauraCP: The two main conferences for search are SES and SMX Advanced.
[2008.08.21 18:13:08] briosa has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.21 18:13:09] LauraCP: They happen around the world.
[2008.08.21 18:13:27] LauraCP: The next version of SES is in December in Chicago. Burr!!!
[2008.08.21 18:13:28] twiligtsdesign: who knew
[2008.08.21 18:13:28] briosa has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:14:07] LauraCP: You can sign up in advance and attend the "expo" part for free or a very limited amount of $ usually.
[2008.08.21 18:14:31] LauraCP: So, just a quick tip, in case you want to see the world of search engines up close.
[2008.08.21 18:15:02] ddjdij has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:15:09] LauraCP: www.searchenginestrategies.com is the URL for SES. (Search engine strategies).
[2008.08.21 18:15:34] jonbaas: Ah. I'll have to look into that. Thanks!
[2008.08.21 18:15:36] Amere: Thanking you :)
[2008.08.21 18:15:41] LauraCP: searchmarketingexpo.com/advanced is the URL for the second major conference.
[2008.08.21 18:15:46] Ne' 1512BLVD: thank you
[2008.08.21 18:15:57] LauraCP: OK, so onto my main topic of the day...
[2008.08.21 18:16:01] twiligtsdesign: yay!
[2008.08.21 18:16:14] LauraCP: SEO: Improve your ranking
[2008.08.21 18:16:45] LauraCP: So you know Google has picked you up, and customers can find you on the 11th page. How do you help them find you on the 1st page? Let’s continue our SEO discussion by chatting about how to improve and keep your ranking in popular search engines.
[2008.08.21 18:17:28] LauraCP: There's a difference between Indexing vs Ranking
[2008.08.21 18:17:28] twiligtsdesign: good idea. :)
[2008.08.21 18:17:54] LauraCP: Indexing – means being included in the search index. It means that spiders or crawlers have found your URL, “read” the page contents and decided it is unique enough to add the search engine database
[2008.08.21 18:18:11] LauraCP: It does not mean the URL will show up in search results.
[2008.08.21 18:18:34] LauraCP: How do you tell if a URL has been indexed?
[2008.08.21 18:18:49] twiligtsdesign: thats what I want to know
[2008.08.21 18:19:16] LauraCP: Typing "site:www.cafepress.com" will show what pages Google has indexed under the www.cafepress.com domain.
[2008.08.21 18:19:30] LauraCP: Here's an example
[2008.08.21 18:19:34] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.08.21 18:19:54] BrittaCP: If you can't see the image, you can click on it and it will open in another tab
[2008.08.21 18:20:24] HaHaShirtShop has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:20:34] PeggyWvB: If you have statcounter, the spiderbot will show up there
[2008.08.21 18:20:59] PhotoGirl has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.21 18:21:14] LauraCP: One thing to be aware. Engines spider more than they actually index. Yahoo is notorious for this (IMO).
[2008.08.21 18:21:51] LauraCP: Or you can search for the exact URL. Here's an example.
[2008.08.21 18:21:54] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.08.21 18:22:12] twiligtsdesign: what do you mean by they spider more than they index?
[2008.08.21 18:22:17] susanfaye has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:23:12] LauraCP: So a spider (also called a crawler) may visit a page but not add it to the search engine index. It might also visit a page many times through various URLs but only index one copy of the page.
[2008.08.21 18:23:44] LauraCP: For example: www.cafepress.com and cafepress.com and http://www.cafepress.com are all URLs that could be spidered, but there is only one page to index.
[2008.08.21 18:23:45] twiligtsdesign: oh
[2008.08.21 18:24:43] LauraCP: So I showed how to see what part of site is indexed with Google site: and how to see if singe page is indexed. But there is another tool you can use.
[2008.08.21 18:25:27] LauraCP: At the SMX Advanced conference, I even heard some former Google employees mentioning that they liked this tool better than what Google offers.
[2008.08.21 18:25:41] LauraCP: It is yahoo site explorer.
[2008.08.21 18:25:55] LauraCP: You can use Yahoo Site Explorer to examine your site:
[2008.08.21 18:25:58] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.08.21 18:26:18] LauraCP: Has anyone used this tool before?
[2008.08.21 18:26:44] twiligtsdesign: nope, never seen it before
[2008.08.21 18:26:45] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.21 18:26:47] shopa...: i use site explorer
[2008.08.21 18:26:50] twopurringcats: I haven't
[2008.08.21 18:26:52] twiligtsdesign: or heard of it
[2008.08.21 18:26:53] PeggyWvB: news to me
[2008.08.21 18:27:02] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.21 18:27:03] TexasFiddler: couple times
[2008.08.21 18:27:06] shopa...: i have been using it for a little over a year for all my shops and offsites
[2008.08.21 18:27:53] LauraCP: @shopa... How do you use it?
[2008.08.21 18:28:18] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.21 18:28:28] twiligtsdesign: what is the url for this site?
[2008.08.21 18:28:30] LauraCP: iteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/
[2008.08.21 18:28:44] shopa...: it also offers a small tracking box you can out on your website to show how many inlinks you have - i have that box on my sidebar
[2008.08.21 18:28:53] LauraCP: Very interesting!
[2008.08.21 18:28:53] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.21 18:29:09] LauraCP: I use it to see where competitors are getting their backlinks from.
[2008.08.21 18:29:12] LauraCP: hint hint
[2008.08.21 18:29:16] LauraCP: ;)
[2008.08.21 18:29:22] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.21 18:29:32] jonbaas: Creative!
[2008.08.21 18:29:39] shopa...: it lets me track people linking to me - i can see affialites - helps me set up reciprocal links
[2008.08.21 18:29:52] shopa...: you can see what i mean witht he sidebar box on www.cafepress.com/shopaholicchick at the bottom fot he sidebar
[2008.08.21 18:30:34] matisse: I can find some affiliate links by googling my shop ID
[2008.08.21 18:30:46] Ne' 1512BLVD: Shopa, you have almost 9,000 links to your main page? wow!
[2008.08.21 18:30:48] twiligtsdesign: whats a backlink?
[2008.08.21 18:31:07] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.21 18:31:25] LauraCP: A backlink is another word for an inbound link.
[2008.08.21 18:31:38] LauraCP: sometimes in forums you will see it called IBL
[2008.08.21 18:31:41] Ne' 1512BLVD: Laura, can you explain further how you use it in that way?
[2008.08.21 18:31:42] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.21 18:32:15] LauraCP: You can see who is linking to your competitors. Then you could ask those sites to link to your site too.
[2008.08.21 18:32:24] shopa...: you can show the report excluding your domain or subdomain links though....the # however includes each sub page of my shop that links back to the main page...
[2008.08.21 18:32:55] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.21 18:33:02] LauraCP: Make a list. Slowly try to get links from those same places. Slow and steady link building is key. You don’t want 100 links in a single week. That looks suspicious.
[2008.08.21 18:33:14] brev87 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:33:52] Ne' 1512BLVD: Thanks you Laura!
[2008.08.21 18:34:00] LauraCP: More is not better. More links is nice. But more links from places with high page rank and high search engine trust values is way Way better. PageRank will be discussed in just a few minutes.
[2008.08.21 18:34:13] jonbaas: Fascinating tool!
[2008.08.21 18:34:32] LauraCP: Yes, the tool is very cool.
[2008.08.21 18:34:51] LauraCP: If you authenticate your site, you can get more info and have a bit more control.
[2008.08.21 18:35:14] ac has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:35:42] LauraCP: The instructions are in Yahoo site explorer .... (this won't work for a basic shop because you won't have the ability to add the meta data they will ask for.)
[2008.08.21 18:35:51] HaHaShirtShop: How do you decide which offers for linkbacks you accept?
[2008.08.21 18:36:01] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.21 18:36:06] LauraCP: Great question!
[2008.08.21 18:37:03] LauraCP: You want to link to sites that are relevant to your customers, the page the link will be on, and in moderation.
[2008.08.21 18:37:26] ac has left the room (logged out)
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[2008.08.21 18:38:39] rametta has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:39:28] LauraCP: Ask yourself if the site provides useful info for your visitors. It is like introducing someone. You usually try to avoid introducing someone you like to someone you don't like. But you would naturally like to introduce someone you like to someone else you like and that you think they would enjoy meeting.
[2008.08.21 18:39:49] Ne' 1512BLVD: How do you get the websites to link to you? Do you just use their contact us form and ask? Or do you try to sell why they should link to you?
[2008.08.21 18:40:28] peachgeek has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:41:34] LauraCP: Using their contact forms is a good start. Ask politely. Give a reason why you think their site and yours are a good fit. Indicate you have read and valued their content. Say on the specfic page example.com/i-like-this-page.html, you enjoyed their photos and stories of "cats" and you have made designs that feature similar cats.
[2008.08.21 18:41:47] tropicando: what about suspicious sites that link to you, can that harm you?
[2008.08.21 18:42:26] LauraCP: A few suspicious links to you should not hurt. Lots of suspicious links to you could hurt your ranking if they are not balanced by enough normal links.
[2008.08.21 18:43:24] tropicando: ok
[2008.08.21 18:43:43] Jaenne: What other SEOs have you to tell us about?
[2008.08.21 18:43:45] LauraCP: So onto "ranking"
[2008.08.21 18:43:50] matisse has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.21 18:44:10] LauraCP: Ranking is what position your indexed URL appears in when someone searches for keywords related to your content.
[2008.08.21 18:44:25] LauraCP: Everyone’s goal is to appear on the first page of search results for the keywords they think their pages are relevant to. This is ranking in positions 1-10. Ranking in positions 1-5 are the most desired because they are “above the fold.”
[2008.08.21 18:45:20] LauraCP: Almost all clicks from searchers go to page 1. And only about half of the searches result in a click at all. Many searches don’t result in any clicks because the searcher doesn’t like the results and abandons the search or tries a different keyword.
[2008.08.21 18:45:43] LauraCP: It is also possible that he can get the answer he is looking for right from the search results page (known as a SERP) and does not need to go to the actual Web page.
[2008.08.21 18:45:57] LauraCP: Here’s how SEO Researcher estimates the distribution of clicks on page 1:
[2008.08.21 18:46:11] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.08.21 18:46:32] brev87 has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.21 18:46:50] LauraCP: source: seoresearcher.com
[2008.08.21 18:47:14] LauraCP: See how quickly the clicks drop off as you move down the page?
[2008.08.21 18:47:26] twiligtsdesign: yeah
[2008.08.21 18:47:31] LauraCP: We’ll talk about techniques to rank highly for relevant keywords in a minute, but first I want to address a related term.
[2008.08.21 18:47:51] cyi has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:47:54] LauraCP: PageRank is a Google term people use a lot
[2008.08.21 18:48:11] LauraCP: .” Pagerank is the publicly posted value Google shows for individual web pages. The CafePress homepage currently has a PageRank of 8. 10 is the maximum possible.
[2008.08.21 18:48:25] LauraCP: This is very rare. Google gives it’s own homepage a PR of 6. CNN.com and Amazon have a PR of 9 for their homepages. eBay.com has a PR of 8.
[2008.08.21 18:48:34] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.08.21 18:49:03] PeggyWvB: wow! that's a dramatic difference between the top listing and the 6th
[2008.08.21 18:49:21] LauraCP: (the green bar if you enable the google toolbar)
[2008.08.21 18:49:26] LauraCP: Here’s what Google has to say about PageRank
[2008.08.21 18:49:40] LauraCP: Google PageRank - http://www.google.com/corporate/tech.html
[2008.08.21 18:49:54] LauraCP: • PageRank Technology: PageRank reflects our view of the importance of web pages by considering more than 500 million variables and 2 billion terms. Pages that we believe are important pages receive a higher PageRank and are more likely to appear at the top of the search results.
[2008.08.21 18:50:16] LauraCP: PageRank also considers the importance of each page that casts a vote, as votes from some pages are considered to have greater value, thus giving the linked page greater value. We have always taken a pragmatic approach to help improve search quality and create useful products, and our technology uses the collective intelligence of the web to determine a page's importance.
[2008.08.21 18:50:45] LauraCP: So we're back to the "friends" concept we were talking about...
[2008.08.21 18:50:56] susanfaye has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.21 18:51:07] LauraCP: Here's a bit of technical background... a tiny bit
[2008.08.21 18:51:09] LauraCP: ow does Google actually process a search? – content copied from http://www.google.com/corporate/tech.html
[2008.08.21 18:51:32] LauraCP: The life span of a Google query normally lasts less than half a second, yet involves a number of different steps that must be completed before results can be delivered to a person seeking information.
[2008.08.21 18:51:37] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.08.21 18:52:24] twiligtsdesign: interesting
[2008.08.21 18:52:53] LauraCP: Does ranking vary with different search engines?
[2008.08.21 18:53:01] LauraCP: Yes. You will find differences between Yahoo, Google, and MSN. You can even find differences between AOL.com and Google.com even though Google powers AOL.
[2008.08.21 18:53:29] TexasFiddler: It even differs between different flavors of Google
[2008.08.21 18:54:23] rametta has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.21 18:54:39] LauraCP: True, it does. It varies if you are logged in or not too..
[2008.08.21 18:54:48] LauraCP: So, How do I rank highly for my keywords?
[2008.08.21 18:55:03] LauraCP: Select your topic areas carefully. It is easier to rank highly for longer tail queries like “Ladybug designs on t-shirts” than “T-shirts”.

http://www.google.com/trends and http://www.google.com/insights/search/#

-Delete or consolidate pages with duplicate content.
-Don’t forget all the SEO basics like titles, text, meta data, alt text.
[2008.08.21 18:55:36] LauraCP: One Key to Ranking well is good Linking
[2008.08.21 18:55:45] LauraCP: • If you don’t provide a link to a page, the search engines cannot find it. Therefore it will never be indexed or rank well.
[2008.08.21 18:56:04] LauraCP: No more than 100 per page. Fewer is better
[2008.08.21 18:56:55] LauraCP: No more than 100 "links" per page ... Fewer is better.
[2008.08.21 18:57:04] LauraCP: • Inbound Links from sites related to your content will help. Ask for links to pages other than your homepage.
[2008.08.21 18:57:19] LauraCP: •Outbound links to lots of unrelated sites or pages can hurt by making your page look less focused.
[2008.08.21 18:57:41] LauraCP: Webrings are of questionable use. Linking to them can make your site look less focused and it can lead you to link to sites you wouldn’t normally want to be
[2008.08.21 18:57:50] LauraCP: associated with. Think carefully if you are getting what you want from them
[2008.08.21 18:58:01] LauraCP: Ask for links from topically related sites. Again, ask for links to pages other than your homepage
[2008.08.21 18:58:18] LauraCP: Topical inbound and outbound links make your site an authority. It is the idea of becoming a “hub.”
[2008.08.21 18:58:33] maryo has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.21 18:59:00] Karen has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.21 18:59:01] LauraCP: Don’t buy links - or at least beware that if you are caught your entire site could be deleted from the index.
[2008.08.21 18:59:19] dan has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 18:59:27] LauraCP: Don’t sell links - same caution as above...
[2008.08.21 18:59:35] peachgeek has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.21 18:59:43] LauraCP: Use descriptive “anchor text”. Example “See great stuff here.” Compare to “See great ladybug t-shirts.”
[2008.08.21 19:00:04] LauraCP: •Surround links with topically related text. See great ladybug t-shirts. LadyBug designs on long sleeve t-shirts, girls tees, and plus size t-shirts are all available here.”
[2008.08.21 19:00:18] dan has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.21 19:00:19] Ne' 1512BLVD: I thought we did not want outbound links because they were leaks?
[2008.08.21 19:00:23] BrittaCP: It’s an act of balance. On the one hand you can add links if you want to improve your ranking (which is one of the ways that Laura has suggested). On the other hand, if you are concerned about affiliates, you may need to rethink. It’s really a question of what is right for you, as an individual Shopkeeper.
[2008.08.21 19:00:37] LauraCP: How do you get from page 3 to page 1?
[2008.08.21 19:00:53] LauraCP: This is O-P-P-O-R-T-U-N-I-T-Y ! If you are on page 2 or 3, then moving to the next highest page is probably one of your biggest opportunities. Trying to move from position 8 to position 3 is hard.
[2008.08.21 19:02:10] BrittaCP: hang on gang... laura seemed to freeze up
[2008.08.21 19:02:53] BrittaCP: she's lost her internet connection, so let's give her a minute to try and get reconnected
[2008.08.21 19:02:55] twiligtsdesign: how sad :(
[2008.08.21 19:03:03] BrittaCP: It happens... silly wi-fi
[2008.08.21 19:03:09] TexasFiddler: Is there a way to contact Laura after the chat?
[2008.08.21 19:03:27] BrittaCP: Texas... you're welcome to email a question to communityteam@cafepress.com
[2008.08.21 19:03:36] BrittaCP: I'll forward it off.
[2008.08.21 19:03:52] BrittaCP: We'll also be having a special Q&A chat in september with laura
[2008.08.21 19:03:56] wingedturtle has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.21 19:04:02] twiligtsdesign: taking notes here...just like high school
[2008.08.21 19:04:07] TexasFiddler: thanx
[2008.08.21 19:04:08] TexasFiddler: yay
[2008.08.21 19:04:56] BrittaCP: We have one more strutured chat with her in a few weeks and then the Q/A
[2008.08.21 19:05:20] jonbaas: Yep. Notes are a must in chats like these!
[2008.08.21 19:05:23] TexasFiddler: the chats we've had with her have been some of the most informative i've attended!
[2008.08.21 19:05:25] tropicando: feels like a college lecture actually
[2008.08.21 19:05:25] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.21 19:05:33] shopa...: you can stick around after chat in the lobby and ask some things to othe rshopkeepers who stck around too
[2008.08.21 19:05:35] Jaenne: I appreciate all the help you give. Cafe Press is wonderful to it's shopkeepers....
[2008.08.21 19:05:54] twiligtsdesign: are there archived chat transcripts on things she has talked about that we may not quite understand like inbound and outbound links
[2008.08.21 19:06:04] BrittaCP: we have many chats archived
[2008.08.21 19:06:27] BrittaCP: http://community.cafepress.com/?cat=14
[2008.08.21 19:06:32] BrittaCP: you can flip throough them here
[2008.08.21 19:06:47] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.21 19:07:31] cyi has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.21 19:08:02] dreamup has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.21 19:08:07] Amere: You know you can click on the "view chat transcript' button and copy and paste the whole chat twiligtsdesign.
[2008.08.21 19:08:08] shopa...: there are a lot of chat logs on cafechatter.blogspot.com also
[2008.08.21 19:08:29] twiligtsdesign: can we like do a search on a certain topic or do we have to read though each chat till we find what we need?
[2008.08.21 19:08:42] BrittaCP: you do for right now
[2008.08.21 19:08:46] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.21 19:08:57] tropicando: hello room by the way
[2008.08.21 19:08:59] shopa...: this chat will be on my blog the moment it ends
[2008.08.21 19:09:20] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.21 19:09:41] jonbaas: I appreciate the promptness of your transcripting, Shopa.... :)
[2008.08.21 19:09:47] TexasFiddler: btw, good to see you back, shopa. i sent you a couple transcripts, but never knew if you got them
[2008.08.21 19:09:54] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.08.21 19:10:02] LauraCP has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.21 19:10:09] BrittaCP: alright!
[2008.08.21 19:10:22] LauraCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 19:10:29] BrittaCP: i think we've made contact!
[2008.08.21 19:10:31] LauraCP: whoo hoo!! I'm baaack
[2008.08.21 19:10:31] Ne' 1512BLVD: welcome back!
[2008.08.21 19:10:37] LauraCP: so sorry everyone
[2008.08.21 19:10:37] twiligtsdesign: welcome back
[2008.08.21 19:10:48] jonbaas: No worries. It happens. :)
[2008.08.21 19:11:13] LauraCP: :') so I'll be quick to try to get us finished. thanks for hanging in there.
[2008.08.21 19:11:35] LauraCP: There is so much competition for top 1-5 those slots. But if you are on page 3 and can move to page 2 you will double your chances of getting a click
[2008.08.21 19:12:03] LauraCP: Consider your internal linking. Look at which pages have the highest Google PR. Links from those pages are high value links. But don’t link to every page you have from your homepage or other higher ranking pages.
[2008.08.21 19:12:17] LauraCP: Link to the pages you most want to boost. The pages you provide the most and best links to yourself are a clue to the engines of which pages you think are most important.
[2008.08.21 19:12:30] LauraCP: Submit your site to related vertical directories. Got a store about LadyBug designs? The Yahoo directory is always a good start.
[2008.08.21 19:12:47] LauraCP: . Best of the web also works : http://botw.org/helpcenter/submitcommercial.aspx But look for smaller dedicated directories.
[2008.08.21 19:13:00] LauraCP: See http://www.celticbug.com/Buggy/Links.html as an example.
[2008.08.21 19:13:04] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.08.21 19:13:23] LauraCP: Find blogs that are about your topic area. Write useful informative comments. If they allow, post a useful link to your store.
[2008.08.21 19:13:41] LauraCP: Comment in your blog and link from your blog to your products. Use relevant anchor text that contains the keywords that are relevant to your products.
[2008.08.21 19:13:49] TexasFiddler: One of the things that I have read is that it is very valuable to become listed in Directories...especially DMOZ. How do you do that? I've requested my website be included several times over the last couple years. Since they don't answer or give reasons why they don't list a site I feel like I'm talking to the ether!
[2008.08.21 19:14:21] LauraCP: DMOZ is really hard to get into. And they don't update info much.
[2008.08.21 19:15:33] LauraCP: There is even an "oopd" tag to keep your site from having its title and description over written in search results by the DMOZ info.
[2008.08.21 19:16:26] LauraCP: They do take volunteer editors. If you really want to be listed, then ask about once a quarter and try to present a very compelling case. You can also become an editor...that could help.
[2008.08.21 19:16:54] TexasFiddler: been there, tried that
[2008.08.21 19:17:06] LauraCP: Another way to help go up in ranking
[2008.08.21 19:17:10] LauraCP: Start a MySpace page and FaceBook page. Add a feed to your products through “share it.”
[2008.08.21 19:17:25] BrittaCP sent a picture:
[2008.08.21 19:18:44] LauraCP: @TexasFiddler: It was extrodinary hard to get changes in DMOZ for HP.com. We only managed a very few...
[2008.08.21 19:19:03] Ne' 1512BLVD: I have done that on Facebook. But, I forgot all about it and haven't done it recently! Thanks for the remind. I also try to add to Kaboodle. Is that a good site to add your products to?
[2008.08.21 19:19:11] twiligtsdesign: i've joined lots of facebook groups on one of my topics and have a running discussion board topic and update whenver I add a new shop/section
[2008.08.21 19:19:19] LauraCP: Once you climb in rankings...How do you stay there?
[2008.08.21 19:19:27] LauraCP: - Keep your content up to date.
[2008.08.21 19:19:51] LauraCP: - Add new content regularly. Keep it focused on the same basic contents/topics...
[2008.08.21 19:19:59] LauraCP: - Delete irrelevant content, outdated content
[2008.08.21 19:20:14] LauraCP: Try to get one new inbound link per week.
[2008.08.21 19:20:27] LauraCP: Add or edit one outbound link once per month
[2008.08.21 19:20:37] LauraCP: -Add a sitemap with links to your newer pages
[2008.08.21 19:20:49] LauraCP: Consider adding an XML sitemap and providing it to the spiders. https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/docs/en/sitemap-generator.html
[2008.08.21 19:21:04] LauraCP: Check for broken links and fix them. Sites with lots of broken links are a warning sign of low quality
[2008.08.21 19:21:15] LauraCP: Add links to your homepage in all of your emails
[2008.08.21 19:21:24] NiftyGaloot has left the room
[2008.08.21 19:21:27] LauraCP: Bookmark in social sites like Digg and Delicious
[2008.08.21 19:22:04] LauraCP: Twitter about your products when you release a new design
[2008.08.21 19:22:32] LauraCP: twitter.com
[2008.08.21 19:22:56] PeggyWvB: How do you bookmark?
[2008.08.21 19:22:56] LauraCP: What not to do?
[2008.08.21 19:22:56] BrittaCP: Many sites have a button on thier page whihc will let a user automatlically bookmark to whereever they are joined up with
[2008.08.21 19:23:09] BrittaCP: that was peggy
[2008.08.21 19:23:26] LauraCP: •Don’t spam
[2008.08.21 19:23:38] LauraCP: Don’t try to fool the engines
[2008.08.21 19:23:48] LauraCP: •Don’t link to link farms
[2008.08.21 19:24:02] LauraCP: Don’t put too much content on a single page. About 150 -300 words is ideal.
[2008.08.21 19:24:17] LauraCP: Don’t put too many links on a page. Try to keep it to less than 100. Much less.
[2008.08.21 19:24:46] LauraCP: And to answer a question that got dropped when I lost my connection:
[2008.08.21 19:25:02] LauraCP: What about page 2, position 1 vs. page 1 position 10?
[2008.08.21 19:25:10] LauraCP: Here's an industry estimate
[2008.08.21 19:25:25] LauraCP: 89.73% of all clicks go to page one
[2008.08.21 19:25:42] LauraCP: 4.38% go to page 2
[2008.08.21 19:26:39] TexasFiddler: gulp
[2008.08.21 19:26:41] PeggyWvB: good to know!
[2008.08.21 19:27:11] LauraCP: On a page ~46% go to position 1. And 3% go to position 10.
[2008.08.21 19:27:39] LauraCP: This is all "approx" - not published anywhere in exact refutable data...
[2008.08.21 19:28:07] jonbaas: Still... it's a helpful approximation. :)
[2008.08.21 19:28:38] LauraCP: but 3% of 89% is still larger than 46% of 4.38%... so page 1 position 10 is likely to get more clicks than page 2, position 1.
[2008.08.21 19:29:05] Ne' 1512BLVD: Do you have to ask them or do they list stuff they find useful?
[2008.08.21 19:30:02] LauraCP: The editors of directories find stuff and take requests. The last time I talked to a manager at Yahoo who was responsible for the Yahoo directory, the team editing it was really small!
[2008.08.21 19:30:37] LauraCP: So, it is a big challenge to get added or edited. But it is possible.
[2008.08.21 19:30:52] BrittaCP: So as you can tell… we’ve gone past the hour mark. There were a lot questions coming through… and again we apologize for not getting to them all. Don’t forget, we’ll be having a Q&A so save those questions. September’s chat schedule will be up on the 1st.
[2008.08.21 19:31:23] LauraCP: Thank you all for your questions, patience with my technical problems, and all the enthusiasm. I really enjoyed talking with you all.
[2008.08.21 19:31:31] Amere: cool. Thanks Laura, thanks Britta
[2008.08.21 19:31:34] TexasFiddler: Laura, it has been a plasure!
[2008.08.21 19:31:37] Jaenne has left the room (logged out)
[2008.08.21 19:31:40] Alex has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.08.21 19:31:43] twopurringcats: thanks
[2008.08.21 19:31:45] TexasFiddler: pleasure
[2008.08.21 19:32:03] BrittaCP: Thanks for joining all!

News Flash...

2008-06-27T16:11:00.000-05:00

Shopaholic Chick has recently expanded into a multitude of nich shops. Although the main shop is still available please check out also my new specialty shops!

Shopaholic Chick As always an acclectic collection of great designs for the whole family

Celebrate Today All of my holiday designs have been moved to this new holiday shop - in addiation hundreds of new deisgns and holidays have been added!

EP Designs formerly election place this shop still offers election designs however follow the presidential election this year it will be transformed into an activist web site featuring designs on the hottest political causes!

Live Off Grid this green shop is designed for those of you who love the planet and want to so what you can to get the word out about going green!

Liberal Hippie Tree Hugger If you love trees and you want to tell everyone how much they need to take care of the planet check this great shop for liberal hippie tree hugger designs!

Jewcy Designs if you are Jewish and proud of it - then you will find great designs here for adults and kids in cute funny phrases!

Sporty Girls if you are a girl who loves to play sports then you will love this great shop - featuring sports girls may not traditionally play - but love anyways!

Love~Hearts hundreds and soon to be thousands of names featuing the logo I Love (heart) ________ more names being added daily!

I Speak Geek if you are a conputer geek then you will love these great I Speak Geek designs - perfect for the techie-geek in your life!

basics to premium

2008-06-27T15:53:00.002-05:00

Ok so i missed the end of the chat transcript because the chat session closed and then i could not get back to the screen because everytime i tried to access it i was told that the cafepress forums were a page not found...

[2008.06.25 19:00:09] Welcome to the CafePress Chat Room
[2008.06.25 19:00:09] Shopaholic Chick has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.25 19:00:09] All users in this room have been allowed to talk
[2008.06.25 19:02:17] Tropicando has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.25 19:02:55] funnycrazytees: Hi everyone.
[2008.06.25 19:03:02] BrittaCP: Hello, hello, hello
[2008.06.25 19:03:18] DafnaCP: hey y'all
[2008.06.25 19:03:23] BrittaCP: Thanks for joining us today
[2008.06.25 19:03:32] Tropicando: Small group looks like
[2008.06.25 19:03:34] Tropicando: hi
[2008.06.25 19:03:52] LittleLizzy has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.25 19:04:03] BrittaCP: Today we'll be talking about Premium Shops, and why they rock. If you're a newer SK, this is the perfect place for you
[2008.06.25 19:04:13] BrittaCP: Dafna is with us today
[2008.06.25 19:04:29] BrittaCP: Introduce yourself Dafna
[2008.06.25 19:04:39] Tropicando: I'm new yet old
[2008.06.25 19:04:41] DafnaCP: Hi guys
[2008.06.25 19:04:48] DafnaCP: I'm the Top Shop Account Rep
[2008.06.25 19:05:26] BrittaCP: Dafna works with a lot of Shopkeepers... sees and suggests some amazing stuff
[2008.06.25 19:05:47] LittleLizzy: Hi Dafna! Hi Britta!
[2008.06.25 19:06:09] Gandalf Parker has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.25 19:06:19] BrittaCP: So before we start... I've gots to go over the Chat Room Rules (bum bum bum)
[2008.06.25 19:06:31] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.25 19:07:15] BrittaCP: The chat room is moderated. So anything you say will go into a queue until a mod reviews and pushes out
[2008.06.25 19:08:17] BrittaCP: We'll have a transcript up in a few days
[2008.06.25 19:08:25] BrittaCP: and we'll open the lobby when the chat is over
[2008.06.25 19:08:43] BrittaCP: unfortunatly we have to end about 15 minutes early today.
[2008.06.25 19:08:53] BrittaCP: ok... on to the good stuff...
[2008.06.25 19:08:56] Tropicando: :)
[2008.06.25 19:09:48] NiftyGaloot: So Dafna... Are gonna teach us all, how to be top shopkeepers?
[2008.06.25 19:10:03] DafnaCP: Ha! That's for another discussion
[2008.06.25 19:10:32] DafnaCP: Today we're talking about the benefits of upgrading from basic to premium.
[2008.06.25 19:10:59] DafnaCP: how many people here have never had a premium shop before?
[2008.06.25 19:11:20] Tropicando: i did a trial one
[2008.06.25 19:11:33] BrittaCP: or have one... and have no idea what to do with it?
[2008.06.25 19:11:50] TexasFiddler: Sometimes I feel that way.
[2008.06.25 19:12:02] Tropicando: I'm all basical
[2008.06.25 19:12:02] DafnaCP: So that's two....whatare all the rest of you here for?!
[2008.06.25 19:12:05] thoyt has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.25 19:12:16] DafnaCP: j/k!
[2008.06.25 19:12:26] BrittaCP: we still love to hear your expeirences
[2008.06.25 19:12:29] Tropicando: They like you
[2008.06.25 19:12:34] TexasFiddler: I don't miss a chat if I can help it. Almost always get an idea or two
[2008.06.25 19:12:41] BrittaCP: glad we could inspire
[2008.06.25 19:13:26] DafnaCP: Premium Shops are really intended for those shopkeepers who want to get serious with their shops and about making money! Standout differences are the ability to create a custom shopping experience with unlimited selections and products and multi-level pages.
[2008.06.25 19:13:36] Sag: Well, I once had a basic shop ... for about two hours. Does that count?
[2008.06.25 19:14:08] BrittaCP: Gotta start somewhere
[2008.06.25 19:14:12] NiftyGaloot: I still have some basics. And, several premiums.
[2008.06.25 19:15:06] armymom has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.25 19:15:10] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.25 19:15:16] DafnaCP: So then some of you already know what some of the differences are. For those who don't, take a look at this quick reference:
[2008.06.25 19:15:17] funnycrazytees has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.25 19:15:17] DafnaCP: http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/sell/shops/premium4
[2008.06.25 19:16:14] DafnaCP: Basically, going premium greatly helps to increase your sales
[2008.06.25 19:16:25] stephen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.25 19:16:27] DafnaCP: does anyone want to share their experiences with that?
[2008.06.25 19:17:05] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.25 19:17:13] Shopaholic Chick: i went right to premium - but my premiums always do better then my basics and are easier for me to promote
[2008.06.25 19:17:16] stephen has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.25 19:17:31] TexasFiddler: More merchandise in one place. Folks can see multiple designs at once. Easier buying decision
[2008.06.25 19:17:57] Sag: Premiums just make everything easier from organization to updating, promoting, marketing ........
[2008.06.25 19:18:08] DafnaCP: Well one of the reasons is that going premium gives you a ton more places to enter text which is great for search engines -- I'm talking about SEO
[2008.06.25 19:18:25] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.25 19:19:11] BrittaCP: With abic, you have areas like the Shop Description, Product Title, and Product Desc.
[2008.06.25 19:19:39] the orb has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.25 19:19:53] BrittaCP: With a Premium, you have many moreplaces to plug in content... all your descriptive text... which is what search engines will see
[2008.06.25 19:19:56] NiftyGaloot: SEO = Search Engine Optimazition
[2008.06.25 19:20:01] BrittaCP: Thank you Nifty
[2008.06.25 19:20:05] DafnaCP: that's right, you can use those areas to enter keywords in order to pull in traffic directly to your store instead of relying mostly on the marketplace for your sales (not really the best method)
[2008.06.25 19:20:17] stephen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.25 19:21:41] DafnaCP: so the point is to get lots of good keywords into those areas to give the search engines more to work with. Just be careful not to have so much text in your shop that it looks crowded or overwhelming.
[2008.06.25 19:21:57] Tropicando: Am I correct in thinking premium affects your design placement in the MP?
[2008.06.25 19:21:58] BrittaCP: No. The MP doesn't distinguish between Premium and Basic. It only look at your image tags. Now you may find behind the placemtn of images beloning to Premium Shops... but really it's Shopkeepers who are serious about selling
[2008.06.25 19:22:16] BrittaCP: *you may find a pattern
[2008.06.25 19:22:37] BrittaCP: There are still several items in the MP belonging to basic shops
[2008.06.25 19:22:40] TexasFiddler: I still get most of my sales through the marketplace.
[2008.06.25 19:22:43] TexasFiddler: Which means I'm fighting the tagging wars pretty heavily
[2008.06.25 19:22:43] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.25 19:22:47] armymom: i started out with the basic which allowed me to get started and design my shop for the trial period and of course, i upgraded quickly
[2008.06.25 19:22:49] Sag: Amen, Dafnia!
[2008.06.25 19:23:21] Shopaholic Chick: my basics appear as high as my premiums in their respctive MP's but because the premiums sell more they stay higher
[2008.06.25 19:23:47] stephen has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.25 19:24:00] Tropicando: I am still not clear on stuffing
[2008.06.25 19:24:32] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.25 19:24:45] Shopaholic Chick: not sure what u mean by stuffing
[2008.06.25 19:24:56] BrittaCP: Could you clarify Topicando?
[2008.06.25 19:25:29] Tropicando: SEO bad stuffing
[2008.06.25 19:25:30] DafnaCP: here is some wiki information on keyword stuffing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyword_stuffing
[2008.06.25 19:25:42] NiftyGaloot: Keyword stuffing is repeating keywords over, and over, and not using sentences. Always use complete sentences in your descriptions.
[2008.06.25 19:26:01] DafnaCP: thank you NiftyGaloot
[2008.06.25 19:26:56] Tropicando: Ok
[2008.06.25 19:27:17] BrittaCP: yes, this is something that you want to avoid. It looks sloppy to yourcustomers
[2008.06.25 19:27:23] TexasFiddler: Due to limitation of 200 characters on descriptions I wind up using phrases. "Great design for teachers." Is that really detrimental since it's not a full sentence?
[2008.06.25 19:27:31] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.25 19:27:39] NiftyGaloot: Shoppers like sentences better too. Much easier to read a description.
[2008.06.25 19:28:04] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.25 19:29:07] DafnaCP: So another clear cut benefit to having a premium shop is the ability to customize the shop using templates or for those who are html savvy, by using custom html
[2008.06.25 19:29:19] DafnaCP: I've seen some truly amazing shops!
[2008.06.25 19:29:50] Shopaholic Chick: 200 characters is much more then that. you can get like 2-3 sentaces in there
[2008.06.25 19:29:51] NiftyGaloot: Fiddler... That's a sentence, in my book. :)
[2008.06.25 19:29:52] Tropicando: I think that qualifies as a sentence
[2008.06.25 19:30:10] TexasFiddler: Can you give us a few examples of shops you like?
[2008.06.25 19:30:21] DafnaCP: Why don't you all give us some examples?
[2008.06.25 19:30:38] DafnaCP: anyone have a favorite shop? some of you here have great shops too!
[2008.06.25 19:31:00] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.25 19:31:10] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.25 19:31:24] DafnaCP: nobody? okay well has anyone seen the new rock the vote store?
[2008.06.25 19:31:56] Shopaholic Chick: www.cafepress.com/liveoffgrid
[2008.06.25 19:32:18] Shopaholic Chick: www.cafepress.com/celebratetoday
[2008.06.25 19:32:19] DafnaCP: Thanks shopaholic Chick!
[2008.06.25 19:32:23] DafnaCP: another one of my favorites is badrapstore
[2008.06.25 19:32:53] DafnaCP: http://www.cafepress.com/badrapstore
[2008.06.25 19:33:15] armymom: im learning descriptons like this is working well for me. Anyone think im over doing it or not doing enough? This design is perfect for the "Army Mom" on the go. Slip into a comfy tracksuit or that beautiful t-shirt. You'll sure to be known as the "Army Mom" with style!
[2008.06.25 19:33:25] Sag: http://www.cafepress.com/sagart
[2008.06.25 19:33:30] armymom: Shopaholic, i love your shop
[2008.06.25 19:33:43] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.25 19:34:03] Shopaholic Chick: ty army
[2008.06.25 19:34:19] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.25 19:34:24] armymom: yw hun
[2008.06.25 19:34:49] DafnaCP: Armymom -- I think you're on the right track. We have a bunch of good tutorials on SEO that you can check out. They're in the learning center.
[2008.06.25 19:34:56] BrittaCP: It was mentioed before... how premium also increases your productivity. There are many tools available that make it faster and easier to get your image and descriptions placed on products
[2008.06.25 19:35:01] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.25 19:35:25] DafnaCP: And we're adding more all the time!
[2008.06.25 19:35:26] BrittaCP: That means, you can get more images, and more products ready to sell in your shop much faster
[2008.06.25 19:35:32] Shopaholic Chick: i love sag's shops i wish all my cross links were that smooth
[2008.06.25 19:35:33] armymom: ty Dafna, i'll def check that out
[2008.06.25 19:35:46] Tropicando: I like badrapstore, but that format makes me afraif ppl don't know to click on the squares
[2008.06.25 19:35:47] Sag: ty Shop
[2008.06.25 19:36:19] BrittaCP: Customization sis something to think about when going premium
[2008.06.25 19:36:43] BrittaCP: If you don't know HTML, there are many alternatives
[2008.06.25 19:36:47] NiftyGaloot: I'm adding a section and products right now! :) http://www.cafepress.com/niftywares
[2008.06.25 19:36:54] BrittaCP: multitasking at it's best
[2008.06.25 19:37:03] DafnaCP: Nice!
[2008.06.25 19:37:12] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.25 19:37:52] DafnaCP: When creating and customizing your premium shop keep in mind that you want your shop to be easily navigable and intuitive
[2008.06.25 19:37:54] Sag: Very nice, Nifty!
[2008.06.25 19:38:04] Shopaholic Chick: the customizing and crosslinking is definatly a reason to go premium - i no long feel like i am building a shop or a couple shops - i am building an empire!!!
[2008.06.25 19:38:30] DafnaCP: By taking some time to think the organization through you can come up with a game plan to make setting up quick and easy for yourself. Here is an article about premium shop organization:
http://www.cafepress.com/cp/community/shop_organization
[2008.06.25 19:39:17] BrittaCP: which is pretty easy to do in premium, since you can use the move tool, to shuffle around your sections and products, as well as create sections to build buckets for your merch
[2008.06.25 19:39:42] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.25 19:40:34] thoyt has left the room (logged out)

getting a buzz

2008-06-19T18:55:00.000-05:00

[2008.06.19 19:01:14] Welcome to the CafePress Chat Room
[2008.06.19 19:01:14] shopa again has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:01:14] All users in this room have been allowed to talk
[2008.06.19 19:02:20] Skully has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:02:37] Sag has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:02:46] matisse has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:02:58] nanwrightart has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:03:06] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:03:14] BrittaCP: Greeting and salutations everyone
[2008.06.19 19:03:22] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:03:33] BZ has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:03:44] BrittaCP: welcome to another (what i hope to be) inspiring, informative, and just plain fun Shopkeeper Discussion
[2008.06.19 19:03:50] shopa again: hi everyone
[2008.06.19 19:04:26] BrittaCP: Today I thought I would round us all up to discuss "finding buzz"
[2008.06.19 19:04:49] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:04:53] BrittaCP: meaning what, where, and how ideas for designs come from and sell
[2008.06.19 19:04:56] shopa again: (hands out bottles of wine)
[2008.06.19 19:05:01] BrittaCP: glug glug
[2008.06.19 19:05:22] BrittaCP: Since this is a Shopkeeper Discussion, there is no set agenda
[2008.06.19 19:05:39] BrittaCP: sit's really about you guys sharing your thoughts with each other and learning from one another
[2008.06.19 19:05:55] BrittaCP: Really quick, the chat rule
[2008.06.19 19:06:00] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:06:25] Tanith has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:06:41] BrittaCP: This is a moderated chat. That means any comments you send will go into a queue where it will be reveiwed by a moderator and later pushed out
[2008.06.19 19:06:53] BrittaCP: If you don't see you're comment right away, that's why
[2008.06.19 19:07:05] BrittaCP: Transcript will be posted in a few days
[2008.06.19 19:07:11] BrittaCP: end of rules
[2008.06.19 19:07:14] nanwrightart: ok I'm all ears
[2008.06.19 19:07:17] Scarebaby has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:07:18] electricgreen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:07:36] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:07:55] BrittaCP: I think there is always something to talk baout in this world
[2008.06.19 19:07:59] BrittaCP: something to make fun of
[2008.06.19 19:08:04] BrittaCP: something to take a stand on
[2008.06.19 19:08:12] BrittaCP: something to put on t-shirts
[2008.06.19 19:08:12] Juna D has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:08:25] Karen has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.19 19:08:27] BrittaCP: and i'm sure all of you agree... but where do those ideas come from
[2008.06.19 19:08:47] Karen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:08:52] BrittaCP: one thing that we use a lot around here is Yahoo! Buzz report: http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzz_log/?fr=fp-buzz-morebuzz
[2008.06.19 19:08:55] Gandalf Parker: First and foremost would probably be Buzz.Yahoo.com which is on my morning tabs
[2008.06.19 19:08:58] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:09:27] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:09:44] BrittaCP: how many others are currently tapped into this?
[2008.06.19 19:09:54] Juna D: not me.
[2008.06.19 19:10:12] Sag: I am
[2008.06.19 19:10:13] nanwrightart: never heard of it
[2008.06.19 19:10:46] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:11:09] NiftyGaloot: Sorry, I don't get a morning Buzz. ;)
[2008.06.19 19:11:36] Sag: depends on how time-sensitive the buzz is that determines if I use it.
[2008.06.19 19:11:40] Gandalf Parker: buzz.yahoo.com reports on the top searches of the day. good for knowing when a new interest is bursting on the scene
[2008.06.19 19:12:02] tshirtfort: I've done some buzzy type shirts here and there, but they don't sell that well. I do check yahoo buzz but it doesn't inspire me that much, honestly.
[2008.06.19 19:12:09] BrittaCP: it's all a matter of finding ideas
[2008.06.19 19:12:25] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:12:29] INTERESTED has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:12:31] BrittaCP: something that may be all the rage, or a hot topic, can take a bit of thinking when it comes to translating it into a t-shirt
[2008.06.19 19:12:35] nanwrightart: :-D
[2008.06.19 19:12:37] nanwrightart: ohhhhhhhhh I will have to tap into that!
[2008.06.19 19:13:23] Gandalf Parker: if a persons shop is specific to a theme, then you might use news.google.com to make a long extensve news search with lots of "any of this" and "none of this". Then have google email you daily if news breaks on that
[2008.06.19 19:13:37] nanwrightart: I'm really new to this, but so far I have found in my shop that humorous sells faster than serious.
[2008.06.19 19:13:53] BrittaCP: humor is always a great way to go
[2008.06.19 19:14:08] BZ has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.19 19:14:32] BrittaCP: but tell us... where does the humor come from? are you filled with random one liners? do you take ideas from the pop culture? poke fun at the news?
[2008.06.19 19:14:39] nanwrightart: I have done a lot of serious paintings, but the funny ones are the ones they like.
[2008.06.19 19:14:52] nanwrightart: I only have 10 minutes I can spend with you guys, so I had to speak up early. I get most of my humorous designs from dreams.
[2008.06.19 19:15:04] Uncle Frog: Is "Baby Cha-Cha" still all the rage?
[2008.06.19 19:15:12] BrittaCP: hmmm... think i missed that one
[2008.06.19 19:15:16] Juna D: I follow entertainment news. TV, Movies, Music.
[2008.06.19 19:16:04] BrittaCP: There is always juicy content there. Trick is how to take those ideas and "happenings" and not break the rules
[2008.06.19 19:16:16] Scarebaby: For me, it's a little heavy on the celebrity stuff, names we can't use, things like that. But I check it regularly.
[2008.06.19 19:16:40] INTERESTED: I AM INTERESTED IN STARTING A SHOP, BUT WANT TO MAKE SURE IT IS A LIGITIMATE WAY TO GENERATE MONEY???
[2008.06.19 19:16:46] sdfsdfsd has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:16:49] BrittaCP: sure, it is.
[2008.06.19 19:16:59] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:17:01] brev87 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:17:15] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:17:34] BrittaCP: if you'd like, habg around after the chat in the lobby where you can talk to other shopkeepers
[2008.06.19 19:17:41] Juna D: I like to check other t-shirt shops for ideas. I don't copy their ideas but I get inspired by them.
[2008.06.19 19:18:10] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:18:13] Gandalf Parker: for humorouis you should join forums on your subjects. Lots of good stuff breaks out in conversations there. Plus you get to occassionally get away with "you might like this tshirt"
[2008.06.19 19:18:16] Juna D: Pop culture
[2008.06.19 19:18:18] INTERESTED: WHERE DO YOU GUYS GET YOUR IDEAS?
[2008.06.19 19:18:24] nanwrightart has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.19 19:18:25] BrittaCP: that's what we're talking about now
[2008.06.19 19:18:41] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:19:27] Shannon (hazeleyes7): my humor comes from my own home, family, and life in general
[2008.06.19 19:19:31] Juna D: We just did a design on the Salmonella Tomatoes.
[2008.06.19 19:19:33] BrittaCP: sweet
[2008.06.19 19:19:51] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:20:00] Juna D: hey brev
[2008.06.19 19:20:17] Juna D: Can we name what shops we get inspired by on this chat?
[2008.06.19 19:20:35] INTERESTED has left the room
[2008.06.19 19:20:49] BrittaCP: because many are protective of thier shops, I would prefer not to... since this will be a transcript. however, feel free to sahre in the lobby later
[2008.06.19 19:21:01] shopa again: watching videos on youtube insires me too
[2008.06.19 19:21:45] Uncle Frog: Sam & Ella's Tomato Stand?
[2008.06.19 19:21:53] BrittaCP: exactly
[2008.06.19 19:22:31] BrittaCP: while news items may be quick, they definitley can inspire lots of great designs, and you can cash in on them while thye last
[2008.06.19 19:22:59] BrittaCP: This is one of the reasons why you want to make sure that your cintent is always fresh
[2008.06.19 19:23:02] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:23:19] Kate @ LittleLizzyLou has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:23:55] BrittaCP: of course, you could turn a tomoato scare design into a commemorative design as a way to squeeze a few more sales out of it
[2008.06.19 19:24:17] shopa again: i get inspired from online chat rooms watching thos epeople insult each other can be hilarious and giv eyou some great one liners
[2008.06.19 19:24:49] BrittaCP: so here's a question... how do you take something that you find funny, and make it funny to the rest of the world?
[2008.06.19 19:24:56] Sag: Yeah, Juna and I want to star in the re-make of the Salomnella Tomatoes. It was awesome design!
[2008.06.19 19:25:31] BrittaCP: omg... will a new theme song be written and everything?
[2008.06.19 19:25:34] Juna D: I think some of the funniest stuff comes from things we all know about but changed just a little.
[2008.06.19 19:25:39] brev87: pay close attention to lyrics in songs as well
[2008.06.19 19:26:02] BrittaCP: right... lyrics, poetry all inspiring. just don't use the actual lyrics ;)
[2008.06.19 19:26:06] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:26:37] Scarebaby: Seeing what customers are searching for, using statcounter or google anaylytics, is always inspiring!
[2008.06.19 19:26:45] brev87: Uncle Frog that is a great shirt idea
[2008.06.19 19:26:48] Sag: Or the Real Killer Tomatoes!:-D
[2008.06.19 19:26:52] Uncle Frog: The Soup on E! is wonderfully satirical.
[2008.06.19 19:27:08] Juna D: I agree with being fresh. We do a new T-Shirt every Tuesday.
[2008.06.19 19:27:16] Scarebaby: and, by the way, I just sold a Snakes on a Plane design, so never think the buzz is completely gone LOL
[2008.06.19 19:27:21] Dooni Designs: i sold 20 happy tomato hats today... wondering if people are celebrating GOOD tomatoes LOl
[2008.06.19 19:27:26] Shannon (hazeleyes7): or the great flood of 2008 in the midwest
[2008.06.19 19:27:29] NiftyGaloot: 'I survived the Tomato epidemic!' kinda thing.
[2008.06.19 19:27:30] Karen has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.19 19:27:40] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:27:42] Uncle Frog: how would I take something I find funny and make it funny for the rest of the world? Easy! I'd slip in the f-bomb into it and there you go.
[2008.06.19 19:28:13] Gandalf Parker has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.19 19:28:16] Juna D: I try to stay away from F-Bombs.
[2008.06.19 19:28:22] brev87: Im starting to get into the 1970 and 1980 movie thing
[2008.06.19 19:28:27] valerie1 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:28:29] Sag: Don't forget the big buzz about gas prices. People are looking for ways to voice their opinions about the situation and the funnier the better.
[2008.06.19 19:28:29] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:28:37] Uncle Frog: (omg .. you were supposed to mod that f-bomb comment)
[2008.06.19 19:28:58] Shannon (hazeleyes7) has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.19 19:29:06] Kate @ LittleLizzyLou: i just figured you meant f like frog!
[2008.06.19 19:29:22] Uncle Frog: lol
[2008.06.19 19:29:43] matisse has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.19 19:29:57] Juna D: That would be a funny shirt. F-Bomb but put a frog on a bomb.
[2008.06.19 19:30:21] BrittaCP: man you guys are just full of the ideas... this is why it's great to get you all together in a room!
[2008.06.19 19:30:31] Skully: Don't forget: Just because YOU wouldn't buy it / wear it...Doesn't mean others won't. Was that too many double-negatives? :*-/Sorry.
[2008.06.19 19:30:33] Juna D: I think brainstorming with other people gives you some good funny ideas.
[2008.06.19 19:30:39] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:30:54] mysty has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:30:56] shopa again: britta you should see us unmodded in the after chat
[2008.06.19 19:31:03] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:31:07] BrittaCP: he he... i do :P
[2008.06.19 19:31:16] shopa again: skully i agree - i would not wear 90% of what i have - it took me 2 hours going thru my shop last night to find 3 shirts to buy for myself to wear
[2008.06.19 19:31:21] Uncle Frog: some form of funny include: exageration ... just blow it out of proporation. satire ... the snarkier the better. the "not" joke ... from Borat of course. sound bite ... grab a short memorable phrase.
[2008.06.19 19:31:51] mysty has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.19 19:31:58] BrittaCP: So here's a question, how do you create buzz about something you've created? we see a lot things come out of nowhere around here, and blow up
[2008.06.19 19:32:25] Uncle Frog: I like the Frog-Bomb idea ... I'm gonna run with that
[2008.06.19 19:32:35] brev87: i create buzz through emails and pure luck lol
[2008.06.19 19:32:44] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:32:50] Juna D: popular saying can make funny ideas. make sure you tag them correctly.
[2008.06.19 19:32:52] shopa again: i think mine is all luck
[2008.06.19 19:32:55] Uncle Frog: create buzzzzzz ... get someone to write a scating review. There's no such thing as "bad" exposure.
[2008.06.19 19:33:17] Juna D: I creat buzz with a blog or website.
[2008.06.19 19:33:25] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:34:29] Skully: I'd like to hear Sag's ideas on creating a buzz. She's a good brainstormer.:bow:
[2008.06.19 19:34:33] shopa again: Froggie i write my own bad reviews on forums:-x
[2008.06.19 19:34:43] Juna D: Social marketing site can probably help if you have enough friends.
[2008.06.19 19:34:51] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:34:54] shopa again: i use facebook
[2008.06.19 19:35:26] Sag: There are tons of ways to market a product and turn up the heat.
[2008.06.19 19:35:31] Uncle Frog: I think bad reviews are better than good reviews. People love a train-wreck. They dont want to look ... but they just HAVE to. Hehe.
[2008.06.19 19:35:34] Juna D: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube if you can make a cool video.
[2008.06.19 19:35:40] brev87: Sag does have an ear to the street
[2008.06.19 19:35:42] NiftyGaloot: Stumbleupon
[2008.06.19 19:35:49] Sag: Twitter, yes
[2008.06.19 19:36:00] Sag: social networks yes!
[2008.06.19 19:36:03] brev87: wth is twitter?
[2008.06.19 19:36:07] Sag: blogs yes
[2008.06.19 19:36:11] Tanith has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.19 19:36:15] Tanith has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:36:16] Sag: featured product on shops yes!
[2008.06.19 19:36:29] tshirtfort has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.19 19:36:32] Sag: articles and news releases - yes!
[2008.06.19 19:37:01] brev87: I actually find that the Cafepress newsletters create buzz
[2008.06.19 19:37:03] Juna D: SEO
[2008.06.19 19:37:09] Sag: post on blogs that entertain the same topic, amazing results there - yes!
[2008.06.19 19:37:20] Tanith has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.19 19:38:03] BrittaCP: right... being able to talk about your product, or design, tell a story about it... let the world know why it's relevant, and entertaining, and why a person would be super cool if they had it
[2008.06.19 19:38:05] Juna D: any good humor blogs or forums?
[2008.06.19 19:39:05] brev87: I've noticed the more you blog, the more Google loves you
[2008.06.19 19:39:08] Sag: a lot of great humor blogs, Juna
[2008.06.19 19:39:10] brev87: Juna, create one
[2008.06.19 19:39:17] Scarebaby: Don't spam though! Use forums you already belong to.
[2008.06.19 19:40:05] Scarebaby: (Ten years ago would anyone have understood that phrase? Google loves blogs. LOL)
[2008.06.19 19:40:07] brev87: The key is creating a following
[2008.06.19 19:41:02] BrittaCP: yes... keeping people interested and always having something to say that people can relate to and want to come back for more
[2008.06.19 19:41:05] brev87: once you get that cult following, there's nothing that can stop you
[2008.06.19 19:41:07] Juna D: Yes please follow me.
[2008.06.19 19:41:09] brev87: Scare, LOL
[2008.06.19 19:41:17] Sag: I use Comment Kahuna to find blogs that fit with the design and share my comments - don't just spam them - and many times they ask you to write an article for their blog or blog something about your t-shirt. Make great friends and it's fun.
[2008.06.19 19:41:21] Juna D: Twitter says I have 850+ followers but I don't believe them.
[2008.06.19 19:41:23] yogaspeak has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.06.19 19:41:59] brev87: Juna, I believe it. You have some good designs. seriously
[2008.06.19 19:42:51] Uncle Frog: The Frog Cult ... wants you!
[2008.06.19 19:42:54] Sag: Twitter is awesome and do it all day long. Share 24 hour specials and lots of fun stuff and comments with friends.
[2008.06.19 19:42:58] brev87: Sag, can you PM me that Kahuna site?
[2008.06.19 19:43:05] Juna D: Comment Kahuna thanks I like the name.
[2008.06.19 19:43:13] Sag: sure brev
[2008.06.19 19:43:46] NiftyGaloot: Comment Kahuna is PC only - Sorry Mac people.
[2008.06.19 19:43:51] BrittaCP: d'oh
[2008.06.19 19:44:00] brev87: lol
[2008.06.19 19:44:05] Juna D: I'm on a Mac.
[2008.06.19 19:44:19] BrittaCP: no kahuna for you
[2008.06.19 19:45:13] NiftyGaloot: You can search for 'CommentLuv' blogs to comment on.
[2008.06.19 19:45:51] Scarebaby has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.19 19:46:04] BrittaCP: here's another question for you trend n' bizz hunters... when do you know that it's over? and what do you?
[2008.06.19 19:46:08] brev87: thanks Nifty
[2008.06.19 19:46:17] BrittaCP: *buzz
[2008.06.19 19:46:49] NiftyGaloot: Plug "Enable CommentLuv" + "your keywords" into Google (With the quotes) and see what you get
[2008.06.19 19:47:02] yogaspeak has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.19 19:47:54] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:48:14] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.06.19 19:48:47] shopa again: britta i have one from like 3 years ago that still sells but the others that stopped selling i removed - especially consdiering the new limtis
[2008.06.19 19:48:49] shopa again: some of them i moved to free shops to make room in my premium shops
[2008.06.19 19:48:51] Uncle Frog: it's over when you quit selling the items ... then what do you do? I suggest eating ice cream
[2008.06.19 19:48:59] Sag: Comment Kahuna for window users here: http://tinyurl.com/5etmjj
[2008.06.19 19:50:40] electricgreen has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.19 19:52:01] BrittaCP: this of course, all comes back to the idea of keeping your content fresh. So again you can redesign, scrap, or bury away. or you could create a "hey, remember that..." section. not sure how well that would do... but it's a funny though
[2008.06.19 19:52:07] BrittaCP: *though
[2008.06.19 19:52:15] BrittaCP: *ugh... thought
[2008.06.19 19:52:20] Sag: ice cream is good!:-D:bow:
[2008.06.19 19:52:26] Juna D: I tried the Enable CommentLuv thing just now. Pretty neat.
[2008.06.19 19:54:08] brev87 has left the room (logged out)
[2008.06.19 19:54:25] Uncle Frog: Speaking about buzzzz ... we all saw the photos from the CPV/mod event and all you CP workers are mighty attractive people.
[2008.06.19 19:54:27] Juna D: I take old designs of the front page of our site but keep it in the CafePress Marketplace.
[2008.06.19 19:54:48] BrittaCP: The green walls around here, keep us fresh and young looking
[2008.06.19 19:55:13] BrittaCP: all right gang... i apologize for having to cut this one a few minutes short.
[2008.06.19 19:55:27] Uncle Frog: I'm going to buy another CP green shirt to see if that works
[2008.06.19 19:55:29] Sag: *** runs out to buy green paint for walls ***
[2008.06.19 19:55:36] Juna D: My first chat and it all done.
[2008.06.19 19:55:39] BrittaCP: really?
[2008.06.19 19:55:45] BrittaCP: your first?!?!?
[2008.06.19 19:55:54] Juna D: yup.
[2008.06.19 19:55:59] BrittaCP: congrats for surviving
[2008.06.19 19:56:18] BrittaCP: i shall now throw you to the lobby, and see if you sink or swim

Summer Chat Transcript 5-28-08

2008-05-28T20:03:00.000-05:00

[2008.05.28 18:54:51] Welcome to the CafePress Chat Room
[2008.05.28 18:54:51] Dooni Designs has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 18:54:51] All users in this room have been allowed to talk
[2008.05.28 18:56:36] TexasFiddler has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 18:58:12] BrittaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:00:12] Lorilei has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:00:30] Winter has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:00:56] TexasFiddler: Lorilei! Haven't seen you in a while!
[2008.05.28 19:01:07] kaosnorway has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:01:34] BrittaCP: Greetings and salutations! Welcome to another action packed Shopkeeper discsussion!
[2008.05.28 19:01:37] Lorilei: :)
[2008.05.28 19:01:54] Sag: :-D
[2008.05.28 19:02:08] BrittaCP: Alright... what do we have for you today?
[2008.05.28 19:02:13] BrittaCP: Summer Sales
[2008.05.28 19:02:15] CAMO BABY: ;)
[2008.05.28 19:02:24] PhotoGirl has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:02:45] BrittaCP: I beleive the official first day of summer is 6/20 or 6/21
[2008.05.28 19:02:47] AngelaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:03:08] PeggyWvB has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:03:19] arty1 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:03:40] BrittaCP: And as we head into those warmer days... what are some ways as shopkeepers that you can boost your sales, and cash in on the season?
[2008.05.28 19:03:47] PeggyWvB: Britta I owe you a cookie, but all I have are scones
[2008.05.28 19:03:50] BrittaCP: i like scones
[2008.05.28 19:04:10] PeggyWvB: Fresh from the ovven too
[2008.05.28 19:04:12] BrittaCP: awesome
[2008.05.28 19:04:49] BrittaCP: Summer has a lack of super holidays... like vday or xmas... and motehrs day has passed
[2008.05.28 19:04:54] PeggyWvB: v
[2008.05.28 19:04:57] CAMO BABY: do some spring cleaning in your shop and get it ready for summer
[2008.05.28 19:04:59] BrittaCP: right
[2008.05.28 19:05:09] BrittaCP: There is Fathers's Day just around the corner
[2008.05.28 19:05:33] electricgreen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:05:35] BrittaCP: if you haven't added anything in your shop yet, there's still a little time to get something in the Marketplace
[2008.05.28 19:05:39] PhotoGirl: 4th July
[2008.05.28 19:05:41] CAMO BABY: forth of july
[2008.05.28 19:05:48] BrittaCP: right... 4th of july
[2008.05.28 19:06:12] BrittaCP: What does a Shopkeeper do with 4th of July?
[2008.05.28 19:06:36] CAMO BABY: you can do alot tee's yard signs ect
[2008.05.28 19:07:18] BrittaCP: Yard signs... right, especially since many people will be havinh large parties in the park, or in the back yard
[2008.05.28 19:07:20] Sag: They bar-b-que and have a party!
[2008.05.28 19:07:51] CAMO BABY: bbq aprons
[2008.05.28 19:07:53] yogaspeak has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:08:34] BrittaCP: Right... so something you may want to consider doing is moving all your summer products to the front of your shop
[2008.05.28 19:09:05] nanwrightart: the new denim shirt?
[2008.05.28 19:09:33] BrittaCP: T-Shirts and Tank Tops for these warmer months... BBQ Aprons and Steins for the bakyard party crew
[2008.05.28 19:10:02] BrittaCP: Hats are great summer item too... and with the new styles InfiniStitch offers... it's worth promoting
[2008.05.28 19:10:17] nanwrightart: There's Garfield the Cat day on June 19th! And "Take your dog to work" day the 20th?????
[2008.05.28 19:10:27] BrittaCP: Is there really a Cat Day?
[2008.05.28 19:10:34] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.05.28 19:10:36] BrittaCP: and Dog Day?
[2008.05.28 19:10:42] Dooni Designs: july 21st or something is monkey day!
[2008.05.28 19:10:52] BrittaCP: jeez, who knew!
[2008.05.28 19:11:14] BrittaCP: well I suppose a pet bowl could be good for Monkey Day, or dog day
[2008.05.28 19:11:16] Lorilei: I got a hat today! I love it <3
[2008.05.28 19:11:18] Sag: weddings - class reunions - sports - etc. etc.
[2008.05.28 19:11:35] BrittaCP: Weddings are big in the Spring and summer
[2008.05.28 19:11:56] Stratman has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:11:57] Sag: Oh and tons of beach activities so get that beach wear made.:-D
[2008.05.28 19:12:19] CAMO BABY: back to school
[2008.05.28 19:12:49] BrittaCP: Yes... right now is the perfect time to start planning your Back 2 School Campaign
[2008.05.28 19:13:17] Scarebaby has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:13:39] TexasFiddler: When do the Back to School sales really start?
[2008.05.28 19:14:46] BrittaCP: colleges will start usually in late august early sept. I believe most elementry, middle, and high schools start in mid Sept... of course it's been forver since i was in HS.... so I'm sure it's changed
[2008.05.28 19:14:50] PeggyWvB: school starts in late August here...
[2008.05.28 19:14:53] CAMO BABY: here is ga they start in july kids start aug. 1
[2008.05.28 19:15:06] PeggyWvB: so figure a few weeks ahead.
[2008.05.28 19:15:09] PeggyWvB: but it can start as late as the week after labor day
[2008.05.28 19:15:42] BrittaCP: By starting on B2S now, you can make sure your stuff gets picked up by Google, in time for the B2S rush
[2008.05.28 19:15:44] HooahGirls has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:15:49] Sag: No, schools in this area start in Aug.
[2008.05.28 19:16:09] BrittaCP: We'll be having a B2S chat in the upcoming weeks
[2008.05.28 19:16:21] TexasFiddler: gr8
[2008.05.28 19:16:35] BrittaCP: So start your planning now, and come to chat with your ideas!
[2008.05.28 19:16:37] PeggyWvB: summer isn't as long as it used to be..
[2008.05.28 19:16:45] BrittaCP: it really isn't
[2008.05.28 19:16:48] nanwrightart: what beach wear:-o
[2008.05.28 19:17:01] nanwrightart: :-c B2S
[2008.05.28 19:17:19] BrittaCP: Back 2 School... sorry that is the way of chat lingo
[2008.05.28 19:17:26] TexasFiddler: I grew up in NY and moved to TX 23 yrs ago. Here it seems summer (weather at least) starts in April and ends in October
[2008.05.28 19:17:33] CAMO BABY: you can also do a christmas in july camopaign
[2008.05.28 19:17:35] Sag: You can have a Christmas in July sale! Love those sales:bow:
[2008.05.28 19:17:51] BrittaCP: It seems the two of you are on the same brainwave!
[2008.05.28 19:18:09] CAMO BABY: lol
[2008.05.28 19:18:12] TexasFiddler: I haven't been successful with that...what's the secret on Christmas in July?
[2008.05.28 19:18:18] Sag: I think so too!:-D
[2008.05.28 19:18:28] PeggyWvB: fruit cake!
[2008.05.28 19:18:38] PhotoGirl has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.28 19:18:38] CAMO BABY: i seel the ornaments 1.00 above cost
[2008.05.28 19:19:18] BrittaCP: you can easily do the same with bulk xmas cards
[2008.05.28 19:19:52] BrittaCP: Has anyone thought of or tried have a "sale" with your long sleeves and sweatshirts?
[2008.05.28 19:20:02] BarbD has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:20:03] Sag: Tex - advertise it - reduce prices as low as possible and go for volume.
[2008.05.28 19:20:46] CAMO BABY: thats true to great to buld 3rd teir sales bounis
[2008.05.28 19:21:06] Sag: People buy early on the net and you can make donots with winter and fall wear in the summer.
[2008.05.28 19:22:08] BrittaCP: I know personally... I buy winter wear all year... there's nothing better than a warm hoodie to me... so I am always picking through the clearance section of shops around this time of year
[2008.05.28 19:22:14] PeggyWvB: just be sure that your designs fit the merchandise (sizing, ect..)
[2008.05.28 19:22:24] CAMO BABY: im still selling vday and ground hog day items
[2008.05.28 19:22:52] Sag: Ah heck, you can check out the local schools mascots - design your own (don't use their logos) and advertise locally and sell to the parents and kids for B2S specials.
[2008.05.28 19:23:12] PeggyWvB: also remember that summer here is winter in Australia
[2008.05.28 19:23:47] PeggyWvB: about a quarter of my sales come from there
[2008.05.28 19:25:04] yogaspeak has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.28 19:25:28] Adam has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:25:38] Nan has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:25:38] BrittaCP: With Back 2 School... there's tons of things you can do with out actually using a schools mascot... think about the people in school... and the activities
[2008.05.28 19:25:48] BrittaCP: things like cheerleading, or football
[2008.05.28 19:26:19] Sag: Heck yeah, spanish club, drama club, etc.
[2008.05.28 19:26:30] PeggyWvB: band, theater, debate,
[2008.05.28 19:26:56] BrittaCP: another thing that's big in the summer... is craft and art fairs
[2008.05.28 19:27:26] BrittaCP: if you can... setting up a booth at a fair is a good way to promote your mech
[2008.05.28 19:27:29] BrittaCP: *merch
[2008.05.28 19:29:17] BrittaCP: this may take some planning... but if you are a fine artist... consider it
[2008.05.28 19:29:19] PeggyWvB: just be sure that if you a booth that the event is going to have enough people to justfy the cost.
[2008.05.28 19:29:21] PeggyWvB: you really have to doyour homework, or you can lose a lot of money
[2008.05.28 19:30:19] PeggyWvB: but a good fair with a lot of advertising a nd people coming to buy and not just look can be a good deal, IF you don't spend too much on your booth set up
[2008.05.28 19:30:20] nanwrightart: and make sure the event is well advertised
[2008.05.28 19:31:07] BrittaCP: if you don't have the funds to set up a booth... perhaps attending and passing out business cards is an option for some donw and dirty self promotion
[2008.05.28 19:31:14] Nan: I used to sell at the local swap meet. It was only $13 for a booth and I always made more :)
[2008.05.28 19:31:22] BrittaCP: Good to know!
[2008.05.28 19:31:30] PeggyWvB: be sure to sell things with a low cost, like value tees, and don't forget about the bulk discount too
[2008.05.28 19:31:55] PeggyWvB: some fairs require insureance for a booth too
[2008.05.28 19:32:00] nanwrightart: I have been leaving mine with my payment at restaurants with a handwritten note on the back side.:)
[2008.05.28 19:32:41] PeggyWvB: but many smaller locals don't
[2008.05.28 19:32:47] cyi has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:33:12] PeggyWvB: but look in to early, the big ones fill up fast
[2008.05.28 19:33:40] PeggyWvB: and established ones often have a waiting list
[2008.05.28 19:34:15] blackunicorn has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:34:34] BrittaCP: who has other summer fun promotional ideas that they would like to share?
[2008.05.28 19:34:36] nanwrightart: I am trying a blog to help get the word out.... published it this week. Hope it helps in the advertising end
[2008.05.28 19:36:52] BrittaCP: I know here in California, some cities have gay pride month in the summer. If your shop features GLBT designs, here's a great opportunity.
[2008.05.28 19:36:55] PeggyWvB: blogs take time to build a following though, so be aware
[2008.05.28 19:37:59] BrittaCP: Plus, now that same sex marriage is legal in California... there is a whole audiance out there looking to celebrate and show off thier pride
[2008.05.28 19:38:52] Winter has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.28 19:39:33] BrittaCP: Blogging may take time... but can pay off... the trick is to have something relevant and intersitng to talk about
[2008.05.28 19:39:57] BrittaCP: Like how does a current event tie into some of the merchandise that you have?
[2008.05.28 19:41:38] BrittaCP: Or maybe you have a cause like autism awareness... talk about it and refrence your merch
[2008.05.28 19:41:46] nanwrightart: I am doing a daybyday progression of a painting from beginning to end and then start another.
[2008.05.28 19:42:03] BrittaCP: will you have reproduction available in your shop?
[2008.05.28 19:42:19] Scarebaby has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.28 19:42:27] BrittaCP: like posters and framed prints or other items?
[2008.05.28 19:42:29] nanwrightart: My Obama buttons are doing great.
[2008.05.28 19:42:38] Sag: That's awesome Nan!
[2008.05.28 19:43:12] HeidiHoNeighbor has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.28 19:43:25] nanwrightart: With the economy in a slump, it seems that whimisical items that are funny seem to be selling the most in my shop. If you remember, when hard times are upon us, we need to laugh!
[2008.05.28 19:43:35] blipfish has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:43:36] Sag: There's always poltics that has everyone running around like a fart in a skillet to out-politic each other.:-D
[2008.05.28 19:44:01] BrittaCP: Yeah... politics will always be there
[2008.05.28 19:44:31] bignumpt has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:44:33] BrittaCP: what would be interesting to see is tying in 4th of july with the race
[2008.05.28 19:44:35] nanwrightart: :-D:-D:-D
[2008.05.28 19:44:36] TexasFiddler: Like a fart in a skillet?
[2008.05.28 19:44:52] PeggyWvB: still blinking over Sag's visual there...
[2008.05.28 19:45:07] blackunicorn: NBA finals start next week...and the world series of poker is going on between now and the beginning of August, so poke and basketball are probably good to push right now...
[2008.05.28 19:45:13] JMGNole has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:45:14] BrittaCP: excellent suggestions
[2008.05.28 19:45:17] Sag: Oh yeah, and fuel prices! Start your own war on the high price of fuel in a humorous way on buttons and small inexpensive products.
[2008.05.28 19:45:19] nanwrightart: Sag that was really good!
[2008.05.28 19:45:57] Sag: :-D
[2008.05.28 19:45:59] nanwrightart: Our fuel isn't that bad....YET!
[2008.05.28 19:46:08] BrittaCP: we're over $4 here in cali
[2008.05.28 19:46:26] donkeymart has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:46:27] bignumpt: Ours is the equivalent of $10 a gallon
[2008.05.28 19:46:30] BarbD has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.28 19:46:37] BrittaCP: scarey stuff... that's for sure
[2008.05.28 19:46:40] PeggyWvB: 4.35 where I am Britta!
[2008.05.28 19:46:43] nanwrightart: Minnesota isn't that high yet, but we get ours from CA
[2008.05.28 19:46:48] Sag: It's awful and folks are really wanting a way to express their anger about it, so give them something to do it with.
[2008.05.28 19:47:46] BrittaCP: think t-shirts, and bumper sticker (a bit ironic, but they are great for spreading statements)
[2008.05.28 19:47:49] JMGNole: I paid $3.65 last Thursday and was happy about it, sort of.
[2008.05.28 19:47:51] PeggyWvB: there's nothing like stock speculation!
[2008.05.28 19:48:20] blackunicorn: bumper stickers wrap around bike frames nicely as well
[2008.05.28 19:48:23] matisse has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:48:53] alma has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:49:14] Sag: I've got a shirt where a woman is being robbed by a gas pump, and a Christmas shirt of a guy begging santa for a full tank of gas for Christmas. They hit the mark with lots of folks.
[2008.05.28 19:49:25] CAMO BABY: 4.05 in atlanta
[2008.05.28 19:49:27] PeggyWvB: lol!
[2008.05.28 19:49:35] arty1: Michael Greenberger was on Cspan at midnight last night talking about the people in futures markets driving the pricce of oil sky high. He is a former director of the Futures commission.
[2008.05.28 19:50:00] Alan (deadhippo) has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.28 19:51:37] Stratman has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.28 19:51:39] BrittaCP: ok... so lets recap summer ideas: Father's day, 4th of July, Politics/ Elections, Gas Prices, Street Fairs, BBQ parties,
[2008.05.28 19:51:49] BrittaCP: gas prices
[2008.05.28 19:52:02] BrittaCP: infaltions
[2008.05.28 19:52:10] BrittaCP: *inflation
[2008.05.28 19:52:16] Kippy: ponies
[2008.05.28 19:52:22] BrittaCP: and pnoies... in a summer field!
[2008.05.28 19:52:34] BrittaCP: Xmas in July
[2008.05.28 19:52:47] TexasFiddler: I knew ponies would come up
[2008.05.28 19:52:49] Sag: Yeah, and ponies too!
[2008.05.28 19:53:05] BrittaCP: oh yeah... back to school
[2008.05.28 19:53:20] BrittaCP: and we mentioned winter clothing sales
[2008.05.28 19:53:22] PeggyWvB: ponies are cheeper than cars these days!
[2008.05.28 19:53:24] Adam: holidays!!!!!
[2008.05.28 19:53:53] bignumpt: Football here in Europe-Euro 2008
[2008.05.28 19:53:55] TexasFiddler: Start preparing for Christmas
[2008.05.28 19:53:58] BrittaCP: yup
[2008.05.28 19:54:01] PeggyWvB: fairs
[2008.05.28 19:54:14] Sag: Doing that now, Tex!:-D
[2008.05.28 19:54:29] TexasFiddler: Me too, hon
[2008.05.28 19:54:31] PeggyWvB: ditto hrer
[2008.05.28 19:54:32] bignumpt: Start preparing for Armageddon lol
[2008.05.28 19:54:41] PeggyWvB: that too!
[2008.05.28 19:54:47] Adam: not that sort of holiday muppets
[2008.05.28 19:54:48] CAMO BABY has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.28 19:54:54] BrittaCP: care to elaborate?
[2008.05.28 19:55:57] blackunicorn has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.28 19:56:03] bignumpt has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.28 19:56:09] PeggyWvB: and polotics too
[2008.05.28 19:56:34] cyi has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.28 19:56:36] TexasFiddler: Isn't that an exercise craze? Polotics?
[2008.05.28 19:56:52] PeggyWvB: with ponies no less!
[2008.05.28 19:56:55] Alan (deadhippo): Isn't that Pilates
[2008.05.28 19:56:58] Sag: :-D
[2008.05.28 19:56:59] Lorilei: :-D
[2008.05.28 19:57:39] nanwrightart: ditto to all and to all a goodnitte!:zzz:
[2008.05.28 19:57:58] BrittaCP: Great brainstorming guys
[2008.05.28 19:58:32] TexasFiddler: I gotta go. Haven't been to a rehearsal on time in two months. Have a good evening folks...when's the next chat and what's the topic?
[2008.05.28 19:58:55] BrittaCP: next chat is.... onthe 11th
[2008.05.28 19:59:04] BrittaCP: we'll be talking about CPV
[2008.05.28 19:59:11] nanwrightart: thanks Britta
[2008.05.28 19:59:14] JMGNole: I got here late, but it was worth it. Thanks folks, and especially Sag. More good ideas than I can imagine from one person.
[2008.05.28 19:59:22] nanwrightart: :-o
[2008.05.28 19:59:52] BrittaCP: CafePressVoice... we've got new member on the voice team... and new member in the community who don't know anything about CPV
[2008.05.28 20:00:24] BrittaCP: alright gang... i'll open the lobby for you. Thanks for the interesting discussion
[2008.05.28 20:00:27] Sag: :-D
[2008.05.28 20:00:28] nanwrightart: CPV:-o
[2008.05.28 20:00:29] nanwrightart: that's me!
[2008.05.28 20:00:32] blipfish has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.28 20:00:41] arty1 has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.28 20:00:50] donkeymart has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.28 20:00:52] Kippy: thanks, Britta
[2008.05.28 20:00:53] PeggyWvB: Thanks Britta!
[2008.05.28 20:00:58] BrittaCP: have a good eveneing
[2008.05.28 20:01:18] Sag: Thanks Britta! You're a sweetie!

marketing

2008-05-21T18:55:00.001-05:00

[2008.05.21 19:06:28] Welcome to the CafePress Chat Room
[2008.05.21 19:06:28] shopa has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
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[2008.05.21 19:06:41] TexasFiddler has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.21 19:06:42] Sag has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.21 19:06:45] susanfaye has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.21 19:07:09] art1 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.21 19:07:14] chm has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
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[2008.05.21 19:07:49] BrittaCP: Hello, hello, hello!
[2008.05.21 19:07:51] Sag: Howdy CP shopkeepers!
[2008.05.21 19:08:00] BrittaCP: Thanks for showing up!
[2008.05.21 19:08:09] RickCP: Hey there, hi there, ho there.
[2008.05.21 19:08:18] BrittaCP: Today we've got a topic that's been discussed a few times before
[2008.05.21 19:08:32] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.05.21 19:09:03] BrittaCP: email/ direct marketing... i like to do this one every now and then because it's new to some... while others have new experiences to share
[2008.05.21 19:09:12] BrittaCP: Today we have Rick with us
[2008.05.21 19:09:22] RickCP: that's me
[2008.05.21 19:09:30] BrittaCP: he's an email marketing magic man of sorts
[2008.05.21 19:09:58] TexasFiddler: hi rick!
[2008.05.21 19:10:02] RickCP: email... voodoo... wizardry in general
[2008.05.21 19:10:02] BrittaCP: So... before I hand it over... let me throw out the rules of chat
[2008.05.21 19:10:20] RickCP: Hey Fiddler
[2008.05.21 19:10:43] BrittaCP: The chat is moderated... which means that all your questions and comments go into a queue where it will be reviewed and pushed out by a moderator
[2008.05.21 19:10:53] BrittaCP: So if you don't see your comment right away, that's why
[2008.05.21 19:10:55] Sag: Oooh, now that sounds interesting!
[2008.05.21 19:11:01] BrittaCP: voodoo usually is
[2008.05.21 19:11:15] BrittaCP: alright rick... share the magic
[2008.05.21 19:11:31] RickCP:
[2008.05.21 19:11:55] RickCP: Okay guys, does anybody know the mission of email/direct marketing?
[2008.05.21 19:12:01] Sag: Go for it Rick! Do yer voodoo.
[2008.05.21 19:12:19] Sag: uh huh!
[2008.05.21 19:12:43] BrittaCP: Or should we ask... is there anyone who has no idea what we're talking about?
[2008.05.21 19:12:46] NVRhonda: to get sales
[2008.05.21 19:12:48] Sag: drive traffic and increase conversions of sales
[2008.05.21 19:12:53] facesarewild has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.21 19:13:11] TexasFiddler: Depends, actual sale of merchandise, getting folks to the website from which they can buy, PR, establish credibility
[2008.05.21 19:13:24] RickCP: those are both very good answers
[2008.05.21 19:13:27] RickCP: ahhh
[2008.05.21 19:13:31] BarbD has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.21 19:13:53] RickCP: Fiddler has hit on a key piece, establish credibility
[2008.05.21 19:14:28] RickCP: In today's flooded market, it's important to try and establish a relationship with your customers
[2008.05.21 19:14:41] RickCP: an emotional attachment, if possible.
[2008.05.21 19:15:25] Scarebaby has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.21 19:15:27] RickCP: Once you have that attachment, there's much more a likelihood of someone making a repeat purchase.
[2008.05.21 19:15:44] RickCP: and believe me.... that makes ALL the difference to your revenue.
[2008.05.21 19:15:58] TexasFiddler: I'm re-reading One Minute Salesperson...sounds like exactly the same thing the author says in there.
[2008.05.21 19:16:20] RickCP: So... I know you're thinking... 'oh direct marketing voodoo, how do I do that?'
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[2008.05.21 19:17:04] RickCP: @Fiddler... I'm gonna have to read that book. Sounds like a genius may have written it :)
[2008.05.21 19:17:27] BarbD has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.21 19:17:36] RickCP: the key thing to do, is treat all of your customers, like they're you're only customer.
[2008.05.21 19:17:57] RickCP: if you can, try to find out more information about them and what they want.
[2008.05.21 19:17:59] Barb D has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.21 19:18:12] RickCP: maybe that means setting up a survey on surveymonkey
[2008.05.21 19:18:29] RickCP: or sending out a newsletter requesting some type of response.
[2008.05.21 19:19:10] TexasFiddler: surveymonkey?
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[2008.05.21 19:19:35] RickCP: if you have a premium shop, maybe you want to set up a section that has a form they can fill out so that you can have automatically email to you.
[2008.05.21 19:20:38] RickCP: the idea is to find out the general consensus amongst your customers so that you can more easily identify avenues
[2008.05.21 19:21:47] RickCP: @fiddler - surveymonkey is a service that allows you to create your own survey. check this page for a a listing of more - http://www.google.com/search?q=make+your+own+survey&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
[2008.05.21 19:22:02] TexasFiddler: i use polldaddy
[2008.05.21 19:22:12] TexasFiddler: Can anyone recommend a script, service, or source to generate such a script?
[2008.05.21 19:22:33] RickCP: a script for the form?
[2008.05.21 19:22:44] TexasFiddler: yup
[2008.05.21 19:23:27] facesarewild has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.21 19:23:36] RickCP: yep... just a sec
[2008.05.21 19:24:21] RickCP: before I learned how to code, I used http://www.freedback.com/
[2008.05.21 19:25:09] TexasFiddler: thanx
[2008.05.21 19:25:24] RickCP: it's free (yay!!) and you can use it to set up your form and request just about any piece of information you could want. but remember, the more questions you ask, the less like someone is to complete the form.
[2008.05.21 19:26:48] TexasFiddler: i'm takin' up too much time...go ahead with the rest of the presentation Rick
[2008.05.21 19:26:48] RickCP: now when it comes to contacting your customers, as a general rule, you shouldn't contact them more than once a week.
[2008.05.21 19:27:45] RickCP: knowing where your customers reside, can have a large effect on the responsiveness of your population
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[2008.05.21 19:28:45] RickCP: if the majority of your customers live on the east coast, you may want to take that into consideration when you're sending something out.
[2008.05.21 19:29:04] RickCP: is there anybody in here that currently sends out any direct marketing pieces?
[2008.05.21 19:29:36] Sag: Yelp, I do.
[2008.05.21 19:30:01] armymom has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.21 19:30:09] mousecrafter has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.21 19:30:09] RickCP: and how often do you currently send something out, if you don't mind me asking.
[2008.05.21 19:30:10] RickCP: ?
[2008.05.21 19:30:33] Sag: Once a month for a buyers club.
[2008.05.21 19:30:35] TexasFiddler: just starting to get involved with that. once a month.
[2008.05.21 19:31:11] chm: Monthly CafePress newsletter here.
[2008.05.21 19:31:23] RickCP: once a month is good, but 4 weeks is a long time between communications.
[2008.05.21 19:31:37] LittleLizzy has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.21 19:31:51] RickCP: by the time you contact them again, they may have moved on to something else.
[2008.05.21 19:32:59] susanfaye: I'm a beginner--how does one get a good email list going in the first place?
[2008.05.21 19:32:59] RickCP: email lists can be purchased or rented. you can also do a co-registration with another company.
[2008.05.21 19:33:05] NVRhonda: I did an email flyer through Constant Contact, they let you use their service free for 60 days. They have nice templates etc. and you can put your designs on the email. There are lots of options. It also tells you who opened the email, who visted your site and some other info I don't remember. You can save the flyer you create and use it forever. I was able to change the text on my own too.
[2008.05.21 19:34:04] TexasFiddler: do you suggest weekly?
[2008.05.21 19:34:04] RickCP: Once a week is a good number and is used by most companies. Just try to make sure that you contact them with something new when you do. If you're at the beginning of your program, once every other week maybe be better.
[2008.05.21 19:34:44] RickCP: Rhonda, thanks for sharing that. There are other services out there as well that you can google.
[2008.05.21 19:36:04] susanfaye: Thanks!
[2008.05.21 19:36:31] NVRhonda: I don't understand how you would affect what you are sending out, in what way for example?
[2008.05.21 19:36:31] RickCP: If you're talking about where your customers reside, it really boils down to timing. If I'm on the east coast and I receive an email from you at 12noon (9am pst) then I may not even be at my desk to read it, and I may never even see the email.
[2008.05.21 19:36:35] Renee has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.21 19:37:07] RickCP: Thinking about what people are most likely doing when your email hits their desktop, can help in optimizing your communication.
[2008.05.21 19:37:47] Sag: I send out specials on products to shoppers who have signed up for my SagArt Buyer's Club because the discounts are featured for a month at a time. But, they also sign up for my blog to get special announcements on Lightening Specials once a week - so one feeds to the other customer base.
[2008.05.21 19:37:47] RickCP: That's a great idea. I may have to sign up for that... saving money is always a good idea ;-)
[2008.05.21 19:38:19] TexasFiddler: what's your success been with renting and buying email lists? And isn't that better B2B? Most of my contact is B2C.
[2008.05.21 19:38:19] RickCP: We don't rent lists here, at CP.
[2008.05.21 19:38:23] TexasFiddler: cool idea--weekly specials sag
[2008.05.21 19:38:59] RickCP: But outside of that, I've seen some success in other ventures by renting or sharing a list with another company that has a mutual interest.
[2008.05.21 19:39:57] TexasFiddler: and subject lines matter
[2008.05.21 19:39:57] RickCP: YES!!! This is the only thing that most customers look at. A good subject line can make or break your entire email strategy.
[2008.05.21 19:40:19] NVRhonda: I'm sorry, I meant to a specific area like the East Coast
[2008.05.21 19:40:19] RickCP: I was just using the East Coast as an example.
[2008.05.21 19:40:45] RickCP: Bad subject line: Open this and get FREE money!!
[2008.05.21 19:41:04] TexasFiddler: i hate subject lines lik....
[2008.05.21 19:41:11] Big Red has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.21 19:41:14] TexasFiddler: you know, the incomplete ones
[2008.05.21 19:41:16] RickCP: Good subject line: Save on summer-themed t-shirts
[2008.05.21 19:41:57] BrittaCP: The first one just looks like SPAM, which a reader will most likely delete
[2008.05.21 19:42:01] RickCP: First off, putting 'free' in your subject line can often get your email blocked at the ESP level (email service provider)
[2008.05.21 19:42:38] RickCP: True Britta, but with ever-tightening standards of most esp's, the reader may never even see it.
[2008.05.21 19:43:27] RickCP: Putting words in ALL CAPS is also an easy way to get your email sent straight to the SPAM glue factory
[2008.05.21 19:44:35] RickCP: The tone of your subject line should really speak to the general disposition of your customers, whenever possible.
[2008.05.21 19:45:31] RickCP: Also... while it's bad grammar, using as little punctuation in a subject line as possible, is also another way to keep your email from being blocked.
[2008.05.21 19:45:45] Beelzebeth has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.21 19:46:18] RickCP: Try and keepy your subject line down to 40 characters since a lot of esp's show the header preview.
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[2008.05.21 19:48:18] Barb D: Speaking of spam, we should probably let the customers know the from address so they can put it on a safe list too, huh?
[2008.05.21 19:48:18] RickCP: Absolutely right. As a matter of fact, the first thing you should put is a link to a live HTML version of your email (if you sent an html email). Secondly, a statement asking them to add you to their safe list so that you won't get blocked or end up on the SPAM tram. Third, it's also a good idea to place an unsubscribe link fairly high on the communication.
[2008.05.21 19:50:53] TexasFiddler: Your example..."Save on summer-themed t-shirts" is pretty specific. And I guess saving is emotional. What are your thoughts on a "Look good this summer with...." or a "Don't get caught wearing a shabby..." with some appropriate ending? Is straight-forward more effective than something cute or creative?
[2008.05.21 19:50:53] RickCP: It's tough finding that balance. It really depends on your crowd. If you don't know your audience that well, I'd say stick to the clear, concise version. If the people on your list have been around awhile, you can afford to put a little more zing on the subject line.
[2008.05.21 19:51:52] RickCP: Also, try to remember the 40 character rule. Try to push the main point of your subject line as close to the front as possible.
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[2008.05.21 19:53:23] TexasFiddler: And is text or html email better?
[2008.05.21 19:53:23] RickCP: HTML usually responses better but text is always accepted
[2008.05.21 19:53:31] Karen has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.21 19:53:32] RickCP: kinda like visa
[2008.05.21 19:54:11] RickCP: and cash
[2008.05.21 19:54:18] RickCP: actually, just cash.
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[2008.05.21 19:55:00] RickCP: HTML, by default, is often blocked so make sure that if your email is heavy on images, fill out those alt tags!
[2008.05.21 19:55:12] RickCP: sometimes, that's just about the only thing a person sees.
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[2008.05.21 19:55:58] TexasFiddler: What are your ideas on getting folks to click once they've opened the email?
[2008.05.21 19:55:58] RickCP: Basically, get to the point, show them images first.
[2008.05.21 19:56:52] RickCP: Whether it be your designs or a picture of someone wearing your t-shirt. People normally don't respond well to a block of text right at the beginning. Most people filter it out and breeze on past it.
[2008.05.21 19:57:09] BrittaCP: We're at the final ten minutes... who's got questions they've been holding back?
[2008.05.21 19:58:42] armymom: it seems the only way to really promote ur shop is to spend a lot of money to actually get it going. like buying a domain name, web hosting and purchasing a contact email list. its a bit over whelming for the beginner shop keeper to take in and accomplish.
[2008.05.21 19:58:42] RickCP: Well, it CAN cost you money but some hard work, research and effort will go a lot further than the money, at our level.
[2008.05.21 19:59:19] TexasFiddler: Do you have any resources on email marketing that you can recommend?
[2008.05.21 19:59:19] RickCP: Sure... you can subscribe to the Email Sherpa newsletter
[2008.05.21 19:59:27] BrittaCP: Oh... i think this may have been covered... but this question came in from TexasArt, who couldn't be here today. Perhaps some of you may have an answer...
[2008.05.21 19:59:34] BrittaCP: Could you ask folks what scripts, services, etc., they are using to gather e-mail addresses on their own websites, independent of the newsletter system on the CP site? I'm sure there are a ton of them out there...many of them even freebies...but I really don't know which ones are working well, easy to implement, etc.
[2008.05.21 19:59:45] RickCP: Try "Effective E-Mail Marketing" by H. G. Lewis
[2008.05.21 20:00:02] RickCP: or "Permission-Based E-Mail Marketing That Works!" by Kim MacPherson"
[2008.05.21 20:00:19] NVRhonda: are those books?
[2008.05.21 20:00:31] RickCP: si
[2008.05.21 20:00:45] Sag: Not a question, but a comment. I have never figured out why 4 or 5 niche specific shopkeepers don't get together and co-op out things like email marketing, newletters, blogs. Get more exposure with less effort on a frequent and consistant basis. Just makes sense.
[2008.05.21 20:01:05] RickCP: The email sherpa newsletter is a great source to help keep up on trends.
[2008.05.21 20:01:09] matisse has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.21 20:01:23] BrittaCP: is this an open call for participants, sag?

infinistitch

2008-05-15T18:10:00.001-05:00

[2008.05.15 18:00:23] Welcome to the CafePress Chat Room
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[2008.05.15 18:00:58] matisse: Hi Dan! Hi Britta!
[2008.05.15 18:00:58] BrittaCP: Hello
[2008.05.15 18:01:08] Sag has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:01:08] BrittaCP: We'll be ready to roll in just a minute
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[2008.05.15 18:01:18] Shannon (hazeleyes7) has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:01:18] jucel: k
[2008.05.15 18:01:18] FreedomsRing has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:01:23] InfiniBlip: Psst... how do we turn off these sound FX? lol
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[2008.05.15 18:01:38] Lee has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:01:38] Scarebaby has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:01:46] BrittaCP: I believe there is a setting in prefrences... however I ususally just turn off the sound on my computer
[2008.05.15 18:01:48] goatlady has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:01:50] Shannon (hazeleyes7): Evening everyone! :)
[2008.05.15 18:01:53] jean / rotemgear: Turn off sounds in Prefs (above)
[2008.05.15 18:01:58] Scarebaby: hi!
[2008.05.15 18:01:59] Winter has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:02:03] Tanith: Speaker icon
[2008.05.15 18:02:10] LA has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:02:14] InfiniBlip: Gotcha. Thx J.
[2008.05.15 18:02:18] Suzzie has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:02:19] matisse: I am waiting for my Talipia to cool down from the bake!
[2008.05.15 18:02:29] BrittaCP: sounds delicious
[2008.05.15 18:02:49] Pfoinkle has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:03:19] jean / rotemgear: Brrrrritttttaaaaaa
[2008.05.15 18:03:24] Winter: sounds yummy
[2008.05.15 18:03:28] ThomasC: Yea new products!!! Thanks CP
[2008.05.15 18:03:35] InfiniBlip: Britta, Angela said we're now calling this new embroidery process "Blipfish" instead. Trudat.
[2008.05.15 18:03:42] BrittaCP: yeah... i heard that rumor
[2008.05.15 18:03:44] Grace has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:03:49] jean / rotemgear: We now have Goat bowls!!!
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[2008.05.15 18:03:56] LoveJML has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
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[2008.05.15 18:04:04] Jaenne: lol
[2008.05.15 18:04:05] Michele has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:04:09] NinaPA has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:04:14] goatlady: Very cool!
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[2008.05.15 18:04:24] Shadow (Just try to run) has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:04:35] CAD has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:04:45] Shadow (Just try to run): Hello All
[2008.05.15 18:04:48] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.05.15 18:05:05] picmom has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
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[2008.05.15 18:05:38] Ophelia has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:05:45] sc: hi everyone
[2008.05.15 18:05:47] Grace: Hello!
[2008.05.15 18:05:50] matisse: Ok got my lemon and I'm ready!
[2008.05.15 18:05:56] atawhisper: hi there from Florida
[2008.05.15 18:06:02] AngelaCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:06:03] Shannon (hazeleyes7): Sounds like someone has already had too many Starbucks today *points to Blip and laughs*
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[2008.05.15 18:06:15] AngelaCP: hi everyone
[2008.05.15 18:06:16] BrittaCP: mmmmm.... coffee
[2008.05.15 18:06:16] Romy has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:06:20] ArmedForcesShop has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:06:30] LoveJML: Hi Angela
[2008.05.15 18:06:47] graphiicdeeziner has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:06:51] Shannon (hazeleyes7): Hello Madam Angela! (et al)
[2008.05.15 18:06:51] jucel: Hello from Florida!
[2008.05.15 18:06:56] matisse: coffee or a gallon of gas ...hmmmmm?
[2008.05.15 18:06:56] ThomasC: hello Angela and Britta
[2008.05.15 18:07:01] AngelaCP: Just give us another minute
[2008.05.15 18:07:01] AngelaCP: Ryan is logging in :D
[2008.05.15 18:07:06] firstbardo has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:07:06] AngelaCP: slow poke :)
[2008.05.15 18:07:21] Shannon (hazeleyes7) sent an audio message: Drumroll
[2008.05.15 18:07:23] las65: hello
[2008.05.15 18:07:26] dieprettyponies: is this where the chat about the new embroidering stuff is happening?
[2008.05.15 18:07:35] AngelaCP: yes dieprettyponies LOL
[2008.05.15 18:07:44] palmetto has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:07:46] AngelaCP: i assume you're not kip?
[2008.05.15 18:07:51] Shadow (Just try to run): kippy?
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[2008.05.15 18:07:52] jean / rotemgear: Ryyyyyaaannnnnn
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[2008.05.15 18:07:56] ThomasC: comeon ryan!
[2008.05.15 18:07:56] matisse: slow poke slow poke slow poke!
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[2008.05.15 18:08:16] las65: were dyin' here!
[2008.05.15 18:08:16] garyoa1 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:08:21] AngelaCP: it's HOT!
[2008.05.15 18:08:21] RyanCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:08:26] AngelaCP: there goes Ryan
[2008.05.15 18:08:32] Shannon (hazeleyes7): Hello? Ryan? You ou there?? LOL
[2008.05.15 18:08:32] Ne1512BLVD: I was about to ask that! lol. Maybe a kip wanna be?
[2008.05.15 18:08:37] RyanCP: I have arrived
[2008.05.15 18:08:42] RyanCP: boo!
[2008.05.15 18:09:12] matisse: How hot is it?
[2008.05.15 18:09:17] AngelaCP: 100 degrees
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[2008.05.15 18:09:27] AngelaCP: 106 where i live :(
[2008.05.15 18:09:27] BrittaCP: Thanks gfor coming today everyone!
[2008.05.15 18:09:32] Suzzie: eeeek!
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[2008.05.15 18:09:59] BrittaCP: As you most likely know, we've added some new stuff today!
[2008.05.15 18:10:07] Nusewco has left the room (logged out)
[2008.05.15 18:10:08] BrittaCP: and that's what we're here to talk about
[2008.05.15 18:10:17] BrittaCP: Inifinistich Embroidery!
[2008.05.15 18:10:32] Dave from Oakland has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:10:38] BrittaCP: We've got RyanCP, and DanCP here to help us along
[2008.05.15 18:10:45] RyanCP: hello
[2008.05.15 18:11:03] BrittaCP: Chat Rules...
[2008.05.15 18:11:08] atawhisper: is it normal for me to see what everyone else is saying but not what I'm saying? I'm new to the chat...
[2008.05.15 18:11:15] AngelaCP: it's normal
[2008.05.15 18:11:20] 7dave has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:11:29] BrittaCP: This chat is moderated... that means your questions and comments will be put into a quue
[2008.05.15 18:11:33] chm has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:11:38] BrittaCP: a moderator will review and push out
[2008.05.15 18:11:45] BrittaCP: so if you don't see your comment right away, that's why
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[2008.05.15 18:13:11] RyanCP: Howdy all, so I wanted to start off the chat by outlining a few key points around InfiniStitch Embroidery. This is cut and paste from a post I shared with the CPV last night and help to answer some of their questions
[2008.05.15 18:13:17] RyanCP: I hope it is helpful to you
[2008.05.15 18:13:23] RyanCP: anyhow, here it goes:
[2008.05.15 18:13:55] RyanCP: So -- InfiniStitch is not traditional embroidery, meaning you can't upload your file, pay someone to "digitize" it and pay out the nose to embroider one piece at a time (ha -- had to put on my marketing hat for a moment).
[2008.05.15 18:14:05] nightmareartist has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:14:15] RyanCP: However, in all seriousness, we're really excited to be able to bring a new technology to market that allows us to keep all the promises that CafePress has always brought to the table -- no setup costs, quick delivery, ability for anyone to easily design. InfiniStitch offers all of these hallowed CafePress traditions.
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[2008.05.15 18:14:36] RyanCP: It does as some of you pointed out have it's limitations, the main one being that you can't embroider in any shape you want. Each product has a predetermined print area, for most products this is a circle, for the hat we sent out it is a rectangle. We maintained the same aspect ratio of buttons and lapel stickers for all of the circles, as InfiniStitch products are full bleed.
[2008.05.15 18:14:40] RyanCP: For the Military Cap we used the rectangular sticker aspect ratio. The concept was to allow everyone to cut over images that comply with the best practices outlined in the tutorial.
[2008.05.15 18:15:00] RyanCP: The hats are embroidered with traditional embroidery thread and dyed like traditional embroidery thread, so you can count on great durability when washing
[2008.05.15 18:15:00] jean / rotemgear: does Ryan's marketing hat have embroidery on it?
[2008.05.15 18:15:17] RyanCP: Like the name alludes to InfiniStitch allows for infinite colors, so you are not limited by the number of thread bobbins in a machine. Having infinite colors allows for complex designs, images not usually available for embroidery, so we are also really excited about this portion of the technology. Again, the threads are dyed just like traditional embroidery threads.
[2008.05.15 18:15:20] RyanCP: The threads are also stitched to the cap just like any embroidered item you will find at a store.
[2008.05.15 18:15:55] RyanCP: and yes, my marketing cap has InfiniStitch Embroidery on it...
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[2008.05.15 18:17:00] Dave from Oakland: Kind of a stretch to call this "embroidery," right? Sounds like a gimmick to me.
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[2008.05.15 18:17:56] RyanCP: I wouldn't call it a gimmick at all. Like I alluded to in my post above, it is not traditional embroidery, but we do feel it is superior to traditional embroidery in many ways.
[2008.05.15 18:18:10] thekofc has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:18:38] RyanCP: the main things are the cost structure surrounding it -- No upfront costs!! -- this i believe is a huge win
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[2008.05.15 18:19:06] RyanCP: and the fact that you can use nearly any image -- (please use the tutorial to design =)
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[2008.05.15 18:19:32] goatlady: when you get to it:dog dishes: how many cups of dry food will they hold?
[2008.05.15 18:19:40] Shannon has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
[2008.05.15 18:19:43] RyanCP: I dont' know this answer off the top of my head
[2008.05.15 18:19:51] RyanCP: i will add it to the product description however
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[2008.05.15 18:21:12] ThomasC: Will we be able to add our current design to the new embroidery "products" for the non embroidery print process?
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[2008.05.15 18:22:13] RyanCP: No, the products that are available for InfiniStitch are InfiniStitch only products. We don't have another print method that would work on these products, yet another reason we are excited to have InfiniStitch.
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[2008.05.15 18:22:33] ididitdesigns: if your customer is thinking this is digitalized embroidery will they be disappointed with this product?
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[2008.05.15 18:24:15] RyanCP: It's a matter of personal preference, but we obviously don't think so -- we did launch this technology and spend a good deal of time working on it. In our focus groups 9 out of 10 people thought it was "embroidery", and the 10th person was confused as to exactly what it was, but still liked it.
[2008.05.15 18:24:34] Sag: RyanCP, can you post somewhere how it is superior to tradtional embroidery so we can use it for marketing purposes?:)
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[2008.05.15 18:24:59] RyanCP: This question is answered in the faq/marketing page at www.cafepress.com/buy/InfiniStitch
[2008.05.15 18:25:09] Bob100: Is this new embroidery process exclusive to CafePress?
[2008.05.15 18:25:09] RyanCP: yes!!!
[2008.05.15 18:25:21] chm: This embroidery technique is a big deal - I used to do custom artwork for digitizers, so I know how expensive it can be. Also, vector graphics only.
[2008.05.15 18:25:29] RyanCP: our thoughts exactly
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[2008.05.15 18:25:45] nightmareartist: I still don't get how there are "infinite" colors. Is it embrodered then printed on?
[2008.05.15 18:26:00] CATscratches: flexibility..
[2008.05.15 18:26:25] AngelaCP: hi everyone -- just a reminder. We have a tutorial here: https://www.cafepress.com/cp/learn/image_prep
[2008.05.15 18:26:35] AngelaCP: And FAQ's here: https://www.cafepress.com/buy/infinistitch
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[2008.05.15 18:27:09] RyanCP: Lot's of people are asking this q (how do you do it, how are there infinite colors, etc.), but it's sort of our "secret sauce". I think a the end product speaks for itself, and looks really great.
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[2008.05.15 18:27:19] jean / rotemgear: so essentially it's printing onto an embroidered area?
[2008.05.15 18:27:41] las65: so if you have a circle design with no background color...must it have a background?
[2008.05.15 18:27:41] DanCP: The background will be white, un-dyed embroidered threads if you do not use that space for the design.
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[2008.05.15 18:28:16] RyanCP: No, it's not printing. The threads are stitched onto the item just like traditional embroidery, and the threads colors are created from dye just like traditional embroidery thread.
[2008.05.15 18:28:41] Ne1512BLVD: Is this a new technology that CP has created and is specific to CP or was this technology created by a third party?
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[2008.05.15 18:29:01] RyanCP: much praise to our innovators on the production side, this was an in house developed technology
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[2008.05.15 18:29:41] Ne1512BLVD: Will the print quality be top notch right off or improve as time goes by as the dark apparel did?
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[2008.05.15 18:30:22] RyanCP: I think everything improves over time, but I think we are coming out the gate at a very high quality level.
[2008.05.15 18:30:50] InfiniBlip: Are these coming out of Kentucky?
[2008.05.15 18:30:52] AngelaCP: They are.
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[2008.05.15 18:31:02] CP In"Funny"Stitch is a hoax! has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room"
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[2008.05.15 18:31:38] Scarebaby sent an audio message: Laugh
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[2008.05.15 18:32:26] goatlady: Is there a reason the area is so small?
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[2008.05.15 18:32:58] RyanCP: We felt the print area fits the products
[2008.05.15 18:33:09] RyanCP: we are considering larger print areas for future products
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[2008.05.15 18:33:25] Pfoinkle: I received one of the samples and I will say that from the front, it required a magnifying glass to determine with 100% certainty that it wasn't traditional embroidery.
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[2008.05.15 18:33:41] jucel: Im interested in selling questions... how do we go about selling this items..? I went in and created an item already but it only gives me an option to buy, not to sell in my store.. why?
[2008.05.15 18:33:54] AngelaCP: You might be creating this product under Create & Buy
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[2008.05.15 18:34:15] Jaenne: For the new embroidered items, my transparent png file backgrounds are showing up with a white background, is that a glitch or do I need to provide a background to fill the entire print area?
[2008.05.15 18:34:15] DanCP: We can handle transparency, but there will be no reason to use it - a white fill will be treated as white.
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[2008.05.15 18:35:29] garyoa1: If this is printing to look like embroidery, can we legally call it embroidery?
[2008.05.15 18:35:33] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.05.15 18:35:55] RyanCP: Because it is a whole new technology, you need to refer to it that way as "infinistitch embroidery"
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[2008.05.15 18:36:35] Dooni Designs: are white backgrounds bad?
[2008.05.15 18:36:55] AngelaCP: They are not ideal. Please read the tutorial for tips on quality looking images.
[2008.05.15 18:36:55] AngelaCP: https://www.cafepress.com/cp/learn/image_prep
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[2008.05.15 18:37:20] sc: what if we do not want white fill?
[2008.05.15 18:37:55] AngelaCP: It is not ideal. We do recommend adding a background, perferably a textured one.
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[2008.05.15 18:39:14] Jaenne: I guess I need to define the question more clearly. A png image I use for dark T-shirts that has a transparent background and is fine for dark shirts, shows up with a white background on the new products.
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[2008.05.15 18:40:02] AngelaCP: You will need to add a background to your image for the InfiniStitch technology
[2008.05.15 18:40:27] thekofc: Can we use our typical 2000 x 2000 pix image or are we REQUIRED to use the templates? Looking at stonewash cap template - shows size is 600 x 600 at 200 dpi. However, ruler size indicates image area is only 2" x 2". Am I missing something?
[2008.05.15 18:40:47] Message sent to moderator(s)
[2008.05.15 18:40:47] RyanCP: you don't have to use the templates, but you should full bleed your image and follow the guidelines in the tutorial
[2008.05.15 18:40:58] RyanCP: WYSIWYG
[2008.05.15 18:41:10] Lazekagin: if we add these to our regular designs will they be labeled differently by CP? or do we need to create a separate shop so customers will recognize the difference?
[2008.05.15 18:41:22] AngelaCP: They will show up as a separate product. No need to create a separate shop.
[2008.05.15 18:41:30] jean / rotemgear: in essence it looks sort of like a patch then?
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[2008.05.15 18:42:42] RyanCP: I would say no to this as a patch is typically glued on or just tacked on around the border. InfiniStitch products are fully embroidered throughout th eimage area.
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[2008.05.15 18:42:58] RyanCP: we do have plans to offer patches using infinistitch technology
[2008.05.15 18:43:08] RyanCP: you can then apply them to anything you like
[2008.05.15 18:43:13] RyanCP: =)
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[2008.05.15 18:44:18] Dooni Designs: *sticks one on Ryan's nose*
[2008.05.15 18:44:25] Ne1512BLVD: Happy me! I can't wait for the patches! :)
[2008.05.15 18:44:36] lekker jen: I like the sound of that! :D
[2008.05.15 18:44:42] Shadow (Just try to run): if it is disconcernable to 9 out of 10 people... why is a textured background recommned?
[2008.05.15 18:44:59] RyanCP: when following the guidelines 9 out of 10
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[2008.05.15 18:45:04] RyanCP: everything has rules =)
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[2008.05.15 18:45:18] sc: so if someone wants thier logo - i cannot to thier logo unless it is the same shade as the infistich wants
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[2008.05.15 18:45:38] RyanCP: I would suggest altering their design to fit the format
[2008.05.15 18:45:42] RyanCP: this is not uncommon
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[2008.05.15 18:46:04] Jaguar: Does it have to be a circle? or can it be something that fits in the circle like a coat of arms?
[2008.05.15 18:46:13] RyanCP: we recommend filling the whole area
[2008.05.15 18:46:24] atawhisper: Maybe no one else is having that problem...but again...the "picture" I see when I hit zoom to see what the embroidery will look like is so bad that if it were me I wouldn't buy it! Can we address that somehow please?
[2008.05.15 18:46:29] AngelaCP: What looks bad about it?
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[2008.05.15 18:47:19] CATscratches: The product page says "Embroidered" according to ryan, we shouldn't call it embroidery... why then does the product page say that?
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[2008.05.15 18:47:25] RyanCP: legal technacality
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[2008.05.15 18:48:00] RyanCP: our lawyer explained the difference to me, but I don't think I could repeat it back to you guys; the link does pop up to a description of InfiniStitch.
[2008.05.15 18:48:00] zoehesed: why are white backgrounds considered not idea? I didn't feel the faq explained this....
[2008.05.15 18:48:00] DanCP: We cannot as yet do unique silhouette boundaries - the circle and rectangles are the areas we can provide. We think it looks bettr to design for those full areas. Others may feel differently - we are all learning as we go with this.
[2008.05.15 18:48:15] sc: ryan i cannot alter a company's logo to fit your shape - they will go to someone who will match thier logo
[2008.05.15 18:48:30] AngelaCP: There are certain images that just won't work.
[2008.05.15 18:49:01] RyanCP: yes; that is a tradeoff that we decided to make at this stage in order to continue to offer zero upfront costs, and the ability to accept an infinite amount of colors
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[2008.05.15 18:49:16] RyanCP: if you went to a traditional embroiderer with a photo, they would laugh at you
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[2008.05.15 18:49:31] RyanCP: if you wanted more than 15 colors they would laugh at you
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[2008.05.15 18:49:41] RyanCP: so
[2008.05.15 18:50:10] RyanCP: yes, every technology has limitations and advantages, we feel InfiniStitch is highly advanatageous for our most important customers -- you!
[2008.05.15 18:50:21] lekker jen: I've found that some designs just are not suited to the process. Just like some designs may look terrible on a dark shirt
[2008.05.15 18:50:59] atawhisper: like there are lines running all through it and I can barely determine what the image is supposed to be...
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[2008.05.15 18:51:32] AngelaCP: Correct Jen. Atawhisper, did you take a look at the tutorial to see if your image will work well with InfiniStitch.
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[2008.05.15 18:51:57] Ne1512BLVD: It is innovative in my opinion and just like all new ideas will take time for people to adjust to.
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[2008.05.15 18:52:52] Sag: I think it's exciting because it's a new adventure that offers a whole Kaleidoscope of possibilities and opportunities for the future. Lifts glass in celebration. It will take time to learn to design for them, but hey ... it does for every new product.
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[2008.05.15 18:53:02] JLW: I'm wondering how the "embroidery" launders, will the colors fade over time as the digitally printed products do?
[2008.05.15 18:53:07] AngelaCP: lifting glass Sag ;)
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[2008.05.15 18:53:38] RyanCP: everything fades over time, but dye is more durable than ink
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[2008.05.15 18:55:23] garyoa1: How does fade compare to actual embroidery fade?
[2008.05.15 18:55:26] RyanCP: same
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[2008.05.15 18:55:34] akjeff: So does it have to be dry cleaned only? Or can the products be washed?
[2008.05.15 18:55:40] RyanCP: no, they can be washed
[2008.05.15 18:55:49] RyanCP: the jacket is dry clean only
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[2008.05.15 18:55:59] Tanith: I know it will be very popular with my customer base
[2008.05.15 18:56:02] RyanCP: i am going to launder one tonight however, heck with the tag
[2008.05.15 18:56:04] RyanCP: =)
[2008.05.15 18:56:14] atawhisper: looking at the examples they gave us I don't know why the ones I tried didn't work...some of the examples in the tutorials are more complex than the ones I used.
[2008.05.15 18:56:14] AngelaCP: Actually, complex is good.
[2008.05.15 18:56:34] Yancey: is the stitching random? or will it flow with the image like real embroidery? Meaning will it look like the photos in the tutorial?
[2008.05.15 18:56:44] RyanCP: it will flow with the image like the preview
[2008.05.15 18:57:50] Pfoinkle: Can you give a percentage guess on the accuracy of the preview? Given the unique character of this process, it will be difficult to gauge the suitable images without seeing the preview. It would help to know if the preview is considered 50%, 75%, 90% accurate.
[2008.05.15 18:57:55] kerbev: does the circle get thicker with more colors?
[2008.05.15 18:57:55] DanCP: No, the circle will have the same thickness regardless of the colors.
[2008.05.15 18:58:00] RyanCP: I would guess in the 90's
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[2008.05.15 18:58:11] RyanCP: there is always room for improvement
[2008.05.15 18:58:15] Sag: I think the most exciting aspect is that this process is unique only to CP and CP shopkeepers. Huge marketing advantage!
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[2008.05.15 18:58:50] Lazekagin: Please Make the images of the products more clear. They cost a lot for people not to be able to see the item clearly.
[2008.05.15 18:59:00] RyanCP: I am confused by this comment, can you please elaborate
[2008.05.15 18:59:41] RyanCP: is this a request to make the image larger on the product thumbnail
[2008.05.15 18:59:41] RyanCP: ?
[2008.05.15 18:59:46] Sherry: The tutorial is a bit confusing - says don't use a circular border but shows a design with circular border as one that works.
[2008.05.15 18:59:49] AngelaCP: We'll work to make it less confusing. Basically, we don't recommend borders because it may increase the chance of it being slightly off centered. This is not really any different than borders on buttons, ornaments, etc.
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[2008.05.15 19:00:55] LetTeddyWin.com: I think the issue is that you have to fill the whole circle (or rectangle as the case may be). The technology is going to stitch the full shape, whether we cover it with dye or not.
[2008.05.15 19:00:56] RyanCP: yes
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[2008.05.15 19:01:06] ThomasC: This sounds like great technology, Cafepress will not ever sell this to a third party will you?
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[2008.05.15 19:01:10] RyanCP: hmmm
[2008.05.15 19:01:16] RyanCP: probably not
[2008.05.15 19:01:30] lauriel: I think Lazekagin means, can you provide larger view/zoom-in for the 'embroidered' areas so the customer can see what exactly the final product will look like?
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[2008.05.15 19:02:18] RyanCP: this view is provided on the buyer side, we are however optomizing this image to crop out the bleed area and only show the printed area
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[2008.05.15 19:02:51] CATscratches: sweet. thanks.
[2008.05.15 19:03:10] jucel: what are other products are going to be available soon to sell in store? we currently have 9. In the Create and Buy there's a ton more...
[2008.05.15 19:03:12] AngelaCP: They're available. In your shop tools, you must be selecting the "new products" category. You should see more products on the Add page.
[2008.05.15 19:03:22] LetTeddyWin.com: I keep hearing "complex is good" but I don't quite understand why? Is it simply asthetics so that it doesn't look like a patch?
[2008.05.15 19:03:22] DanCP: The more complex and varied the image, the more it will resemble traditional embroidery, and this is what most customers will expect.
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[2008.05.15 19:04:17] Sag: Thanks, DanCP. Now I get it.
[2008.05.15 19:04:33] BrittaCP: Hey everyone... sadly the hour is up for us now
[2008.05.15 19:04:35] Ne1512BLVD: I think it would be nice for the actual prodcut thumbnail to show it closer up on the patch area. Then as with 2 sided items, have the full product beside it. That way the customer can see both views without having to view larger
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[2008.05.15 19:05:18] kerbev: with say a big scripty letter in black, for the background - which would be better one big gradient, or a two-tone (like two shades of green) pattern?
[2008.05.15 19:05:18] DanCP: Multi-tone! [complex];)
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[2008.05.15 19:06:24] AngelaCP: We do believe most of the questions were answered, except for a few...As Ryan stated, some of the question regarding the actually printing process, threads, etc... are proprietary. It's our secret sauce... so we will not be able to answer these questions.
[2008.05.15 19:06:38] AngelaCP: You guys asked great questions though ;) Thanks so much for attending
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[2008.05.15 19:06:53] AngelaCP: We look forward to seeing all your creativeness at work on this new exciting new technology
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[2008.05.15 19:06:59] AngelaCP: have a great evening
[2008.05.15 19:06:59] AngelaCP: stay cool!
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[2008.05.15 19:07:09] RyanCP: the designs up so far are looking great!
[2008.05.15 19:07:09] ThomasC: thanks!
[2008.05.15 19:07:09] BrittaCP: There is much discussion on the forums about InfiniStitch there, please feel free to join in
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[2008.05.15 19:07:24] AngelaCP: britta is opening up the lobby
[2008.05.15 19:07:24] BrittaCP: I will open up the lobby for all you fine folk to continue chatting
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[2008.05.15 19:07:30] Ne1512BLVD: You too. Have a safe trip home you guys!
[2008.05.15 19:07:36] jean / rotemgear: Thanks, Ang, Britta, Ryan, Dan! (and the hiding Marc)
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[2008.05.15 19:07:38] chm: Thanks to all you CP folks and to my fellow SKs. : )
[2008.05.15 19:07:42] Lee: wow, thanks
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[2008.05.15 19:07:50] BrittaCP: See you next time!
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[2008.05.15 19:08:11] kerbev: how would a two tone pattern look - say bright green with lighter green flowers over it?
[2008.05.15 19:08:11] DanCP: Bye!
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[2008.05.15 19:08:42] RyanCP: thank you everyone!! back to work on the next "big thing" ;)
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