Joining Social Networks
Yesterday I started a shop at Imagekind …. my shop is DianeClancysArt. There is always so much work to set up something like this. It looks like a good shop (Imagekind) … it is new and it is very reasonably priced. They do matting and framing besides printing prints if someone wants. It is easy enough to start a shop and you can have a basic gallery for free (unless you make less than $5 a year and then they charge you that … something like that). I have one image up – take a guess which one!
What’s Up, Doc?, Digital © Diane Clancy
This social networking is all a little strange to me. I mentioned that yesterday I started a My Space page … but haven’t put anything (except my icon) on it. So I set up for the You Tube thing too – my You Tube … There is nothing on these things yet … but I have started.
All the marketing advice I am reading talks about using these social networks. I don’t really know what I am doing … but who knows what will happen if I put one foot in front of the other.
And it is time to get back to working on this Fanciful Animal Images website and learn how to do shopping carts and such. At least I can accept both PayPal and I think I signed up for the Google Checkout too.
I’m back … I am now signed up with Google Checkout – I wasn’t before. The amount of small print with all these things is a little overwhelming. But I skim them looking for red flags … and more importantly, hear from people beforehand which are trustworthy. The nice thing about the Google Checkout, until the end of the year, there are no fees for sellers. It is hard when many of these places (like Etsy) have a listing fee, take a percentage and then PayPal takes a percentage too and has a fee. It eats into the profit margin which isn’t that large to begin with.
But I feel guided to keep moving ahead. Thanks for witnessing this process – and thank you for your encouragement … this blogging community has become quite important to me.
~ Diane Clancy
Technorati Tags: Imagekind, social networking, My Space, You Tube, Fanciful Animal Images, shopping carts, PayPal, Google Checkout, Etsy, blogging community
I use ImageKind and am very impressed. The prints are beautiful, they ship with FedEx, and they are packaged carefully and securely. Awesome company. I just sent two CDs of images to them and the person I dealt with emailed me often and helped me upgrade and get them set up in galleries.
Here are a couple of interesting links about MySpace and Facebook:
http://www.doshdosh.com/10-ways-to-make-money-with-myspace/
http://www.doshdosh.com/facebook-marketing-resources/
When you figure out a good and easy solution for a shopping cart, let us know!
Ah Chris,
Thank you so much for these links … I will check them out! I am glad you are liking Imagekind = another good recommendation! And I set up my CafePress store last night … working way too late … but it is now open!!
~ Diane Clancy
I got a lot of exposure at xanga.com, which is also a social network. It has been a great place to connect with people and gain a following. I know that 1) it is only one part of the equation 2) addictive once you get involved with the community and 3)very time consuming. But at least 1/2 of my calendar sales last year, most of my card sales, and most of my print sales were generated from this site.
~Sue O’Kieffe
Re shopping carts: Our mutual friend is redesigning his website and using Paypal’s shopping cart. Looks slick to me.
~Sue
Hi Sue,
Thank you so much for these posts … I have gone and joined Xanga and made you a friend … you are the only one I know *smile* …. A great idea. Since you have sold a lot there, even though it isn’t commercial per se, you can let people know you have things for sale? Is that how it works?
Also, PayPal shopping cart is what I am getting up my courage to use. Is there any way that the place our mutual friend (that was a great movie by the way) is building could be for my eyes too? I would just love to see an example so I can chug ahead.
Thank you in advance!!
~ Diane Clancy
Movie? What movie?
~Sue
ps you got mail 🙂
Hi Sue,
The movie is “Our Mutual Friend” – a bbc adaptation of Charles Dickins novel. I really enjoyed it!
~ Diane Clancy