Yahoo praise for Etsy.

JobSearchMarketing wrote home praise about Etsy's careers page. It's always interesting to see what people outside of Etsy think about the site or even just parts of it, its philosophy, its presentation on the internet or the people behind it all. JobSearchMarketing is written by a Media Sales Strategy manager at Yahoo! HotJobs.

The post is certainly written with regards to tech specialists recruiting, but given I was looking for, say, a MarComms job with Etsy (these openings are currently unavailable, but it doesn't seem clear from their openings page whether they've been put on ice as long as Etsy builds up Engineering, or whether the team indeed is complete now; Etsy was looking for e.g., a PR specialist with a "killer rolodex"...), there is some info I would be looking for in vain, while other would simply be too tech-heavy. You can't please 'em all, as the saying goes. Etsy, the community-focused internet site, is definitely tech-driven.

ad 3: in my opinion, whether an "About Us" page talks about the people, not the company, always depends on the company's focus and goals. In the case of Etsy and its distinctive philosophy, presenting the staff only makes sense (right now, I can't even think of what else to present there. They used to have a huge text blurb about visions and some missions).
A slight minus is that even with visual content, About Us is never really up-to-date.
Though a really smart and fresh idea, many handwritings are, well, indecipherable. But yes, they do add a personal touch and correspond really well to the overall idea behind this page. I've been wondering what this is going to be changed into once Etsy outgrows a number of, say, 100 employees? Right now they're around 40ish.

ad 4: In my opinion, the graphs just scratch the surface and say not much about the real standing and the success of Etsy as a company; but then again, the really interesting figures are hidden even from sellers.

ad 5/solve a problem: that's what Google and many others have been doing since years. But yes, it might weed out the trash, and Etsy is known for writing all their software from scratch (the cynics out there are known to have commented "reinventing the wheel").

learn German with tv ads

This tv spot (by Hamburg design agency Kolle Rebbe) was on for several years and very popular (if you're really brave, you can find their English version of this ad here on the right. I warned you.).
This spot has been so successful that apparently you'll now be served a good beer when you order "Ich möchte diesen Teppich nicht kaufen, bitte."* at Munich's beer garden. That's advertising!

Now this summer, Paulaner announced the Biergartensaison with a follow-up spot on this one. Different design agency (kempertrautmann, Hamburg), same story frame:




*I don't want to buy this carpet, please.

It's time for a new language...

I was just searching on something and came across a site in Japanese. Even though Babelfish is just a piece of software and not a human actively using language, it can be helpful to get an idea about the essentials included in a foreign text.

I was interested in the meaning of 英名. Babelfish translated "fame". This struck me odd, since it gave me "scientific name" for 学名. I concluded that 名 seemed to denote "name", and yes, check on that. So, I fed just 英. And 英....apparently means "England". England + name = fame. And it actually translates to "common name".

I need to learn a new language - it's too interesting!

Fatal Internet Crash 2007!

... who's landing?

Just out of curiosity and since I had missed the recent Workshop Meeting (formerly known as Townhall Meetings) about the Etsy Storque, I filtered the minutes for significant statements and facts from the management.

If you, like me, are confused by the chaotic minutes overwhelming sea of information and would like just the statements, then you might like this transcript that I have extracted:

Vanessa/TeenAngster:

Right now we have the Etsy Garden blog, the Teams blog and the forums. Now, there's great content there but it's hard to differentiate the important adnmid announcements for instance. The Storque will be one place to get all the cumulative information you need . It will be linked from the main nav in the top bar as "News", so everyone will see it.

We will have different categories in the Storque:

*Etsy News,
*This Handmade Life (human interest and handmade culture stories),
*Events,
*Spotlight (to highlight Etsy people's shops)
*and reviews and
*How-tos and
*Etc fun stuff too

There will be a section called Craftivism that will deal with all the great charitable stuff and socially-eco-friendly items.
There will be regular columns from admin according to their work at Etsy, Such as SarahSays, Etsy's inhouse attorney. There will also be submissions process to get YOUR ideas to us and for you to submit content.

As of yet, the engineers are still building the site feature. We will be launching the Storque with a button you can click that will take you to a form. YOu can send us your idea and we'll get back to you.

The Storque is geared toward anyone who has an interest in the new craft movement.

We will be including tons of business resources in the storque. (Matt)

Bugs will still be primarily handled in the forums most liekly. (Chris)

A lot of us Etsy folks will have columns. (...) There will be a section of the Storque for Etsy site news (Rob)

-----------
VOTE: who uses del.icio.us?
Vote results: 7 yay, studio17designs

Please vote: should we do a classified section?
Vote results: 12 yay

Please vote: Should the be a personals section?
Vote results: 5 yay

Please vote: how many of you read the blog?
Vote results: 24 yay, 3 nay, 2 abstain

Please vote: how many of you are sellers?
Vote results: 22 yay, 2 nay, 4 abstain
-----------

Starting a prints collection?

Etsy treasury by fortyfive.etsy.com

Now, there are two things attached to this question that I wanted to share with you.

First, this treasury is one of the many great examples why Etsy is a really good place to come to if you want to start collecting prints and art but don't have the budget (yet) to invest in art galleries. Many of the illustrators and painters who sell on Etsy do offer different formats and editions of their art of a fine quality, and most of what I come across is affordable even when you're on a tight budget.
There are open as well as limited editions prints, artists often offer more than one paper stock and finish option, they number and sign their editions, and they usually package carefully for shipping. Come over to Etsy and see for yourself -- sign up for a buyer account, start browsing (the art category is here) and hearting your favourite artists (we on Etsy refer to hearting when we mean to add shops or single items to our favourites)!

Second, Jared, Etsy's flash wizard, has announced the Etsy treasury poster challenge, a call for treasuries of which some might get picked to be printed in limited editions for promotional purposes (see an example print here on flickr). If you'd like to try your luck, then why not use the specially created Poster Sketch tool for your submission?

All this said, if all this interests you, then Etsy is the place you want to come to!

burda goes etsy

No, this didn't slip my radar, and the fact that I haven't dropped a comment on this much earlier is solely thanks to the other fact that I do have a life outside Etsy, Etsy Street Teams and Etsy forums. It's called "daytime job" and "thesis".


But I'd like to mention that I've been predicting for about a year that Hubert Burda is going to buy themselves into Etsy. (If you look closely at the screenshot, this is still future news on business week...so, I'm actually, erm, still predicting!)

And...you wouldn't guess. Hubert Burda bought themselves into Etsy. You're surprised now, right?

And so sources mumble about Burda's sweet and hesistant 1%, and that Rob is already "looking for staff for Berlin and London offices". I'd say it's going to be an interesting match: Etsy/Burda vs. DaWanda/Holtzbrinck. (And watch out, Linkle, you could become the Etsylab Berlin...)

Bring sodapops and popcorn!!

Sachen gibt's...

Noch in beta, kann man bei Zeitkapsel, nun ja, Zeitkapseln erstellen und der Mit-, Um- und Nachwelt hinterlassen. In Pressemitteilungen (so z.B. ueber openPR) berichten die beiden Jungunternehmer Behrens und Dannenberg, dass "Die Idee ist nicht nur neu" sei, sondern auch "erfrischend anders."

Das Konzept einer virtuellen Zeitkapselerstellung koennen sie damit nicht gemeint haben, denn da waren vor ihnen schon andere Projekte wie zum Beispiel zeitsterne.de, und natuerlich Yahoo's Timecapsule-Projekt.
Vielleicht meinen sie aber auch nur die Tatsache, dass User mehr oder weniger persoenliche Dinge auf irgendeinen Webserver irgendwo in dieser Welt transferieren koennen, von dem sie nicht mal wissen, ob er ihnen denn auch wirklich achtzehn weitere Jahre zu Diensten sein wird (zum Glueck gibt es ja ABGs und das hier und das hier fuer jeden Kram) - das emotionale Verkaufsargument auf der Startseite ueberzeugt irgendwie nicht so recht.

Aber vielleicht zieht das Argument, dass eine persoenliche, von anderen als dem Ersteller und dem Empfaenger nie einsehbare Kapsel, wie zum Beispiel anlaesslich der Geburt eines Kindes, sowieso nur 0.99 Eur kostet, und die Summe ist ja geschenkt.

...da frage ich mich aber, welchem stolzen Vater das Neugeborene gerade mal so wenig Geld und so viel Unsicherheit wert ist, dass er lieber auf Zeitkapsel setzte, als auf etwas Selbstgemachtes, das sicher im eigenen Zuhause oder im Schliessfach einer Bank verwahrt wird.

Ich hab's ... it's all for the fun of it.

Die letzte Bubble war irgendwie anders...

morsbags - was in Deutschland längst Programm ist...

...wird derzeit in USA und UK zum grassrootigen Indietrend: Einkaufsbeutel aus Stoff.


Ich kann mich nicht daran erinnern, dass hier in den 80ern auch nur annähernd so viel Trara um den Wechsel zu umweltfreundlicheren Alternativen zur Plastiktüte gemacht wurde. Aber vielleicht liegt es ganz einfach daran, dass das Internet, und vor allen Dingen das web2.0, als Kommunikationsmedium einfach noch nicht zur Verfügung stand. Ausserdem aber - es korrigiere mich jemand, wenn ich daneben liege - gab es hier glücklicherweise nie die Mode, den Wocheneinkauf in zwanzig dünnwandige Plastiktaschen zu verpacken (jedesmal, wenn ich in den USA einkaufen ging und die Kassiererin bat, nicht jedes Päckchen in seine eigene Tüte zu packen sondern zu sparen, bekam ich diesen "What'syourdamnproblem?Wecanaffordbags!"-Blick).

morsbags.com ist eine der Aktionen, die über das Web dazu auffordern, auf Plastiktüten zu verzichten und umweltfreundlichere Produkte zu nutzen. morsbags Motto ist "sociable. guerilla. bagging." Alle, die noch weiter gehen wollen als nur auf Plastik zu verzichten, können gleich den Anleitungen folgen und eine eigene Stofftasche aus alten Stoffen nähen: super Recycling. Es ein interessantes Projekt, mit einer gut gemachten Webseite, die ausserdem viel Material zum Herunterladen bereit hält, wie z.B. Stofftaschenvorlagen und Labels, um gleich noch ein wenig Werbung für morsbags zu laufen.

Einfach einmal reinklicken und schauen!

Mer kenne alles. Ausser....

...genau. Hochdeidsch.

Dialektkurs Baden-Württemberg
Churpfälzisch auf Wiki (inkl. Besonderheiten im Wortschatz)
Badische Dialekte auf Wiki

Alla. Servelá.

watch this

Ingenious.

• via treehugger

handmade markets in Belgium

Crafty things going on in Belgium, I tell you!

If you happen to be in Antwerp this Sunday (July 8th), then come and see the Markt van Morgen at Klosterstraat from 12:00h to 18:00h!

Markt van Morgen is a bi-monthly market which offers young designers
and independent artisans a forum to exhibit
their handmade items and offer them for sale.

This event is a great place for designers who are new to the market and who want to test their designs and ideas, but it is also an excellent means for networking and the exchange of ideas.

Buyers get the unique opportunity to buy directly from the designers and artists, they get to talk to them and find themselves in a relaxed and friendly ambience. Complementing this groovy spirit, there is a bar and live / DJ performances attending on visitors and sellers alike.

In short, this market is a great, out-of-this-world alternative to the usual mass-produce and shopping-mall monotony!

Next, the Marché BeauBeau / Markt BeauBeau (beau means beautiful in French) was introduced to the Brussels public in September 2005, and there have since been five successful editions. The sixth edition is in preparation as I blog this.

Especially for designers and artisans in the Brussels vicinity, this is an excellent opportunity to exhibit and offer their handmade goods. Like in Antwerp, this is an open-air event with booth tents and tables, with live music performances and good food. Few and fair market rules ensure a pleasant spirit. You can find details and contacts by clicking participer / deelnemen at the left sidemenu at the beaubeau website.

Not only does this market thus showcase the creative side of Brussels and brings artisans out of theirs studios and closer to the citizens, but visitors do get to watch as artists create some of their pieces live at the market. Raising the awareness of what constitutes "handmade" and unique design, showing how much skill and attention flow into each single creation thus contributes positively to the "bien-vievre" and the "beau-vivre", away from mass produce and commerce thinking.

The creators of Marché BeauBeau have formulated their goals and ideas in this document (in French), where you can also retrieve more information about each single artist of this group of founders. Lastly, there is a small gallery with photos of the last event up here.

Lastly, the kunstSUPERette. This is another groovy event in Gent, where people come together over a week-end, enjoy being outside and seeing some great designs. Music and food/drinks are not missing here either.

The first edition of kunstSUPERette was last month, on the week-end of June 2. You can see some photos here at slide.com, where Elisabeth Leenknegt, one of the organizers of kunstSUPERette, made a slideshow with really great images (check out her MySpace, too, she makes great glass designs).

If you want to know whether there will be a next edition and if you're interested in news, watch their MySpace and/or send them a message.

(This post was also contributed to the European Street Team at Etsy)