Geeklog Site

Feed Generator 2.0 and Old File Creators Offline

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:14:22 -0500

The old Feed Generator 2.0 and file creators are now offline permanently. cafeToolbox's web host finally upgraded the PHP language to version 5 and the code in the old feed generator and file creators won't work in the new version. Please use cpExtract and cpFile.

IMPORTANT -- The Future of cafeToolbox

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:36:00 -0500

What's going on?
First, for those that don't know (and because it came up recently), this site and all the tools that you use here are developed and maintained by just one person -- me. I work hard to make sure it runs properly for everyone, from the 50 item basic shop to the 200,000 item huge shop. I also get to answer questions about Google Base and how to use the feed generator.

The past few weeks, a growing number of cafeToolbox users have experienced errors (like Internal Server Errors) and problems (like cpExtract getting stuck) while attempting to run either the old Feed Generator 2.0 or cpExtract. Initially I believed the problems were directly related to how the script interacted with CafePress. However, last week revealed that the limitations of the current cafeToolbox web hosting package also contributed to these problems. It has become obvious that cafeToolbox has outgrown its current web hosting and needs an upgrade to continue without any other changes.

The monthly cost of the upgraded hosting is more than I can afford to pay on my own. I moved cafeToolbox to a donationware model with the hope that a large group of potential users that did not want to pay the monthly subscription fees would join and voluntarily make donations to help keep cafeToolbox running. Several of you, 74 to be exact, have provided donations over the past 18 months, a handful have done so more than once. I want to take a moment and thank every one of you for your support. You know who you are and you've helped keep the site going.

However, the number of users has increased a lot faster than the donations have come in. As an example there were 349 different users that ran cpExtract during the past 54 days. cpExtract was run nearly 4,000 times (74 times a day, roughly 3 times per hour) and added or updated 98.5 million items (1.825 million items per day, or roughly 74,000 items per hour).

To summarize, cafeToolbox has outgrown its system resources and the problems mentioned will continue until some changes are made. I don't really have an interest in doing this for profit, but have been accepting donations with the goal of covering web hosting costs.

Going forward, here are the options as I see them. If you have other ideas, please let me know.

1. Upgrade the web hosting to a package that can handle the demand
This would allow cafeToolbox to continue and would result in fewer errors. The downside is that I can't afford to pay the cost of the upgraded hosting after the average monthly donations are factored in. I could charge a monthly or annual fee to use the site, just enough to cover hosting costs, but am not sure about what you all would think or do if that was implemented. I could also put advertising on the site, but I don't think the ads would generate enough revenue either.

2. Implement a locking/queue system so that only one or two users can run cpExtract at a time, others would have to wait
This would allow cafeToolbox to continue on the current hosting with fewer errors. The downside is that it is ugly to implement and would be very inconvenient for everyone. I really don't like this idea very much.

3. Close cafeToolbox completely
Hey, it's an option, but not one I like at all. I think I'd rather keep things going as-is instead of a complete shut down.

I'm very unsure about where to go next with cafeToolbox, so I'm asking for your opinions and thoughts. Please post them in the forum topic dedicated to this issue. (Click the Link)

cafeToolbox Internal Server Errors

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:43:00 -0500

Several users have reported internal server errors the past few months. At first there were just a few, but recently there have been a lot more of these errors appearing. It appears that the problems are related to the number of users and activity at cafeToolbox. I am looking into the issue.

E-mail and Direct Marketing Chat Transcript

Fri, 23 May 2008 09:16:00 -0500

Click on read more to view the transcript of the e-mail and direct marketing chat held on May 21, 2008. 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. Today we have Rick with us he's an email marketing magic man of sorts. So... before I hand it over... let me throw out the rules of chat. 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.So if you don't see your comment right away, that's why. alright rick... share the magic. RickCP: Okay guys, does anybody know the mission of email/direct marketing? BrittaCP: Or should we ask... is there anyone who has no idea what we're talking about? NVRhonda: to get sales Sag: drive traffic and increase conversions of sales TexasFiddler: Depends, actual sale of merchandise, getting folks to the website from which they can buy, PR, establish credibility RickCP: those are both very good answers Fiddler has hit on a key piece, establish credibility n today's flooded market, it's important to try and establish a relationship with your customers an emotional attachment, if possible.Once you have that attachment, there's much more a likelihood of someone making a repeat purchase. and believe me.... that makes ALL the difference to your revenue. TexasFiddler: I'm re-reading One Minute Salesperson...sounds like exactly the same thing the author says in there. RickCP: So... I know you're thinking... 'oh direct marketing voodoo, how do I do that?' I'm gonna have to read that book. Sounds like a genius may have written it :) the key thing to do, is treat all of your customers, like they're you're only customer.if you can, try to find out more information about them and what they want. maybe that means setting up a survey on surveymonkey or sending out a newsletter requesting some type of response. 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.the idea is to find out the general consensus amongst your customers so that you can more easily identify avenues. surveymonkey is a service that allows you to create your own survey. check this page for a a listing of more - 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 TexasFiddler: i use polldaddy. Can anyone recommend a script, service, or source to generate such a script? RickCP: a script for the form? TexasFiddler: yup RickCP: before I learned how to code, I used freedback dot com 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. now when it comes to contacting your customers, as a general rule, you shouldn't contact them more than once a week. knowing where your customers reside, can have a large effect on the responsiveness of your population.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. is there anybody in here that currently sends out any direct marketing pieces? Sag: Yelp, I do. RickCP: and how often do you currently send something out, if you don't mind me asking. Sag: Once a month for a buyers club. TexasFiddler: just starting to get involved with that. once a month. chm: Monthly CafePress newsletter here. RickCP: once a month is good, but 4 weeks is a long time between communications.by the time you contact them again, they may have moved on to something else. susanfaye: I'm a beginner--how does one get a good email list going in the first place? RickCP: email lists can be purchased or rented. you can also do a co-registration with another company. 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. TexasFiddler: do you suggest weekly? 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. Rhonda, thanks for sharing that. There are other services out there as well that you can google. NVRhonda: I don't understand how you would affect what you are sending out, in what way for example? 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. RickCP: Thinking about what people are most likely doing when your email hits their desktop, can help in optimizing your communication. 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. RickCP: That's a great idea. I may have to sign up for that... saving money is always a good idea ;-) TexasFiddler: what's your success been with renting and buying email lists? And isn't that better B2B? Most of my contact is B2C. RickCP: We don't rent lists here, at CP. 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. TexasFiddler: and subject lines matter RickCP: YES!!! This is the only thing that most customers look at. A good subject line can make or break your entire email strategy. Bad subject line: Open this and get FR@EE money!!Good subject line: Save on summer-themed t-shirts BrittaCP: The first one just looks like SPA@M, which a reader will most likely delete RickCP: First off, putting 'free' in your subject line can often get your email blocked at the ESP level (email service provider)True Britta, but with ever-tightening standards of most esp's, the reader may never even see it. Putting words in ALL CAPS is also an easy way to get your email sent straight to the SPA@M glue factory.The tone of your subject line should really speak to the general disposition of your customers, whenever possible.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. Try and keepy your subject line down to 40 characters since a lot of esp's show the header preview. Barb D: Speaking of spa@m, we should probably let the customers know the from address so they can put it on a safe list too, huh? 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 SPA#M tram. Third, it's also a good idea to place an unsubscribe link fairly high on the communication. 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? 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.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. TexasFiddler: And is text or html email better? RickCP: HTML usually responses better but text is always accepted.kinda like cash. HTML, by default, is often blocked so make sure that if your email is heavy on images, fill out those alt tags!sometimes, that's just about the only thing a person sees. TexasFiddler: What are your ideas on getting folks to click once they've opened the email? RickCP: Basically, get to the point, show them images first.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. BrittaCP: We're at the final ten minutes... who's got questions they've been holding back? 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. 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. TexasFiddler: Do you have any resources on email marketing that you can recommend? RickCP: Sure... you can subscribe to the Email Sherpa newsletter 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...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. RickCP: Try Effective E-Mail Marketing by H. G. Lewis or Permission-Based E-Mail Marketing That Works! by Kim MacPherson 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. RickCP: The email sherpa newsletter is a great source to help keep up on trends. BrittaCP: is this an open call for participants, sag? RickCP: to Sag - me either. It's a shame because who better to help learn, and make the best of the system? Sag: Yeah, there is more power in unified effort so people should be trying to contact shopkeepers in the same niche and get it done faster and easier - and more effective than trying to do it all yourself. RickCP: Browse the marketplace. Don't be afraid to ask a shopkeeper that you admire, a question. Most people round these parts are pretty friendly. BrittaCP: The forums are a great place for this... as many of you know BrittaCP: Alrighty gang... and on that note... the hour is up RickCP: Oh... and if you don't have profiles on social networks, get out there. People are waiting to be communicated with.

Infinistitch Embrodery Chat

Thu, 15 May 2008 20:32:00 -0500

Click on read more to view the entire contents of the Infinistitch Embroidery Chat held on May 15, 2008 BrittaCP: Thanks gfor coming today everyone! Suzzie: eeeek! Nusewco has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" BrittaCP: As you most likely know, we've added some new stuff today! Nusewco has left the room (logged out) BrittaCP: and that's what we're here to talk about BrittaCP: Inifinistich Embroidery! Dave from Oakland has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" BrittaCP: We've got RyanCP, and DanCP here to help us along RyanCP: hello BrittaCP: Chat Rules... 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... AngelaCP: it's normal 7dave has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" BrittaCP: This chat is moderated... that means your questions and comments will be put into a quue chm has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" BrittaCP: a moderator will review and push out BrittaCP: so if you don't see your comment right away, that's why Jaguar has left the room (logged out) sableman has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" LoveJML has left the room (logged out) 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 RyanCP: I hope it is helpful to you RyanCP: anyhow, here it goes: 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). nightmareartist has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" 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. faerymeg has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" MarcCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" 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. 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. RyanCP: The hats are embroidered with traditional embroidery thread and dyed like traditional embroidery thread, so you can count on great durability when washing jean / rotemgear: does Ryan's marketing hat have embroidery on it? 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. RyanCP: The threads are also stitched to the cap just like any embroidered item you will find at a store. RyanCP: and yes, my marketing cap has InfiniStitch Embroidery on it... kalvesta has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" almadenprep has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" LoveJML has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" Shannon (hazeleyes7) has left the room (logged out) 7dave has left the room (logged out) Shannon (hazeleyes7) has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" Dave from Oakland: Kind of a stretch to call this "embroidery," right? Sounds like a gimmick to me. Jaguar has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" BurnTees has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" thekofc has left the room (logged out) 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. thekofc has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" RyanCP: the main things are the cost structure surrounding it -- No upfront costs!! -- this i believe is a huge win Shannon (hazeleyes7) has left the room (logged out) Shannon (hazeleyes7) has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" RyanCP: and the fact that you can use nearly any image -- (please use the tutorial to design =) Renee has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" Shannon (hazeleyes7) has left the room (logged out) FreedomsRing has left the room (logged out) goatlady: when you get to it:dog dishes: how many cups of dry food will they hold? Shannon has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" RyanCP: I dont' know this answer off the top of my head RyanCP: i will add it to the product description however septembergirl has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" BurnTees has left the room (logged out) Blonde Designs has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" ThomasC: Will we be able to add our current design to the new embroidery "products" for the non embroidery print process? FreedomsRing has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" Blonde Designs has left the room (logged out) 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. Michigal has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" LA has left the room (logged out) ididitdesigns: if your customer is thinking this is digitalized embroidery will they be disappointed with this product? Kersjoaq has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" tabitha has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" 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. Sag: RyanCP, can you post somewhere how it is superior to tradtional embroidery so we can use it for marketing purposes? TexasFiddler has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" RyanCP: This question is answered in the faq/marketing page at www.cafepress.com/buy/InfiniStitch Bob100: Is this new embroidery process exclusive to CafePress? RyanCP: yes!!! 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. RyanCP: our thoughts exactly nightmareartist has left the room (logged out) blonde designs has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" nightmareartist: I still don't get how there are "infinite" colors. Is it embrodered then printed on? CATscratches: flexibility.. AngelaCP: hi everyone -- just a reminder. We have a tutorial here: https://www.cafepress.com/cp/learn/image_prep AngelaCP: And FAQ's here: https://www.cafepress.com/buy/infinistitch nightmareartist has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" dogloverdesigns has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" 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. las65 has left the room (logged out) jean / rotemgear: so essentially it's printing onto an embroidered area? las65: so if you have a circle design with no background color...must it have a background? DanCP: The background will be white, un-dyed embroidered threads if you do not use that space for the design. las65 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" P:Art has left the room (logged out) 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. Ne1512BLVD: Is this a new technology that CP has created and is specific to CP or was this technology created by a third party? P:Art has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" rtgeryrt has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" LoveJML has left the room (logged out) RyanCP: much praise to our innovators on the production side, this was an in house developed technology dogpainter has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" Ne1512BLVD: Will the print quality be top notch right off or improve as time goes by as the dark apparel did? wingedturtle has left the room (logged out) Jaguar has left the room (logged out) ArmedForcesShop has left the room (logged out) wingedturtle has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" RyanCP: I think everything improves over time, but I think we are coming out the gate at a very high quality level. InfiniBlip: Are these coming out of Kentucky? AngelaCP: They are. Jaguar has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" CP In"Funny"Stitch is a hoax! has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" CP In"Funny"Stitch is a hoax! has left the room (logged out) Scarebaby sent an audio message: Laugh sableman has left the room (logged out) CAD has left the room (logged out) goatlady: Is there a reason the area is so small? P:Art has left the room (logged out) P:Art has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" RyanCP: We felt the print area fits the products RyanCP: we are considering larger print areas for future products LoveJML has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" 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. Yancey has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" 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? AngelaCP: You might be creating this product under Create & Buy LetTeddyWin.com has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" 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? DanCP: We can handle transparency, but there will be no reason to use it - a white fill will be treated as white. almadenprep has left the room (logged out) garyoa1: If this is printing to look like embroidery, can we legally call it embroidery? RyanCP: Because it is a whole new technology, you need to refer to it that way as "infinistitch embroidery" danesrus has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" Dooni Designs: are white backgrounds bad? AngelaCP: They are not ideal. Please read the tutorial for tips on quality looking images. AngelaCP: https://www.cafepress.com/cp/learn/image_prep DanCP has left the room (logged out) sc: what if we do not want white fill? AngelaCP: It is not ideal. We do recommend adding a background, perferably a textured one. DanCP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" Kersjoaq has left the room (logged out) CATscratches has left the room (logged out) 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. CATscratches has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" LoveJML has left the room (logged out) AngelaCP: You will need to add a background to your image for the InfiniStitch technology 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? RyanCP: you don't have to use the templates, but you should full bleed your image and follow the guidelines in the tutorial RyanCP: WYSIWYG 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? AngelaCP: They will show up as a separate product. No need to create a separate shop. jean / rotemgear: in essence it looks sort of like a patch then? kalvesta has left the room (logged out) 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. tabitha has left the room (logged out) RyanCP: we do have plans to offer patches using infinistitch technology RyanCP: you can then apply them to anything you like RyanCP: =) Sherry has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" worldsbestshirts has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" Jaguar has left the room (logged out) dogpainter has left the room (logged out) Dooni Designs: *sticks one on Ryan's nose* Ne1512BLVD: Happy me! I can't wait for the patches! lekker jen: I like the sound of that! :D Shadow (Just try to run): if it is disconcernable to 9 out of 10 people... why is a textured background recommned? RyanCP: when following the guidelines 9 out of 10 Winter has left the room (logged out) RyanCP: everything has rules =) Jaguar has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" sc: so if someone wants thier logo - i cannot to thier logo unless it is the same shade as the infistich wants Scarebaby has left the room (logged out) RyanCP: I would suggest altering their design to fit the format RyanCP: this is not uncommon JLW has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" kerbev has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" Jaguar: Does it have to be a circle? or can it be something that fits in the circle like a coat of arms? RyanCP: we recommend filling the whole area 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? AngelaCP: What looks bad about it? Andrew Hunt has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" CATscratches: The product page says "Embroidered" according to ryan, we shouldn't call it embroidery... why then does the product page say that? matisse has left the room (logged out) RyanCP: legal technacality danesrus has left the room (logged out) septembergirl has left the room (logged out) danesrus has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" jucel has left the room (logged out) 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. zoehesed: why are white backgrounds considered not idea? I didn't feel the faq explained this.... 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. sc: ryan i cannot alter a company's logo to fit your shape - they will go to someone who will match thier logo AngelaCP: There are certain images that just won't work. 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 graphiicdeeziner has left the room (logged out) RyanCP: if you went to a traditional embroiderer with a photo, they would laugh at you Kate has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" RyanCP: if you wanted more than 15 colors they would laugh at you P:Art has left the room (logged out) RyanCP: so RyanCP: yes, every technology has limitations and advantages, we feel InfiniStitch is highly advanatageous for our most important customers -- you! 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 atawhisper: like there are lines running all through it and I can barely determine what the image is supposed to be... graphicdeeziner has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" AngelaCP: Correct Jen. Atawhisper, did you take a look at the tutorial to see if your image will work well with InfiniStitch. lekker jen has left the room (logged out) Ne1512BLVD: It is innovative in my opinion and just like all new ideas will take time for people to adjust to. Jaguar has left the room (logged out) BWS has left the room (logged out) 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. lekkerjen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" JLW: I'm wondering how the "embroidery" launders, will the colors fade over time as the digitally printed products do? AngelaCP: lifting glass Sag art1 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" RyanCP: everything fades over time, but dye is more durable than ink BWS has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" Alan has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" Jaguar has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" garyoa1: How does fade compare to actual embroidery fade? RyanCP: same spencer has left the room (logged out) akjeff: So does it have to be dry cleaned only? Or can the products be washed? RyanCP: no, they can be washed RyanCP: the jacket is dry clean only Spencer has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" Tanith: I know it will be very popular with my customer base RyanCP: i am going to launder one tonight however, heck with the tag RyanCP: =) 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. AngelaCP: Actually, complex is good. 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? RyanCP: it will flow with the image like the preview 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. kerbev: does the circle get thicker with more colors? DanCP: No, the circle will have the same thickness regardless of the colors. RyanCP: I would guess in the 90's dollie57 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" RyanCP: there is always room for improvement Sag: I think the most exciting aspect is that this process is unique only to CP and CP shopkeepers. Huge marketing advantage! Spencer has left the room (logged out) 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. RyanCP: I am confused by this comment, can you please elaborate RyanCP: is this a request to make the image larger on the product thumbnail RyanCP: ? 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. 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. adakist has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" InfiniBlip has left the room (logged out) 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. RyanCP: yes Lazekagin has left the room (logged out) ThomasC: This sounds like great technology, Cafepress will not ever sell this to a third party will you? Spencer has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" RyanCP: hmmm RyanCP: probably not 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? Grace has left the room (logged out) Lazekagen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" Kate has left the room (logged out) 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 DDKnight has left the room (logged out) CATscratches: sweet. thanks. 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... 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. 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? DanCP: The more complex and varied the image, the more it will resemble traditional embroidery, and this is what most customers will expect. Lazekagen has left the room (logged out) Sag: Thanks, DanCP. Now I get it. BrittaCP: Hey everyone... sadly the hour is up for us now 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 lauriel has left the room (logged out) atawhisper has left the room (logged out) akjeff has left the room (logged out) 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? DanCP: Multi-tone! [complex] Ophelia has left the room (logged out) dollie57 has left the room (logged out) Ophelia has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" lauriel has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" nightmareartist has left the room (logged out) 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. AngelaCP: You guys asked great questions though Thanks so much for attending Alan has left the room (logged out) las65 has left the room (logged out) AngelaCP: We look forward to seeing all your creativeness at work on this new exciting new technology Michele has left the room (logged out) Michigal has left the room (logged out) AngelaCP: have a great evening AngelaCP: stay cool! FreedomsRing has left the room (logged out) RyanCP: the designs up so far are looking great! ThomasC: thanks! BrittaCP: There is much discussion on the forums about InfiniStitch there, please feel free to join in blonde designs has left the room (logged out) Sherry has left the room (logged out) Yancey has left the room (logged out) AngelaCP: britta is opening up the lobby BrittaCP: I will open up the lobby for all you fine folk to continue chatting lauriel has left the room (logged out) Ne1512BLVD: You too. Have a safe trip home you guys! jean / rotemgear: Thanks, Ang, Britta, Ryan, Dan! (and the hiding Marc) Bob100 has left the room (logged out) chm: Thanks to all you CP folks and to my fellow SKs. : ) Lee: wow, thanks wingedturtle has left the room (logged out) Cayenne has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" BrittaCP: See you next time! thekofc has left the room JLW has left the room (logged out) kerbev: how would a two tone pattern look - say bright green with lighter green flowers over it? DanCP: Bye! Sag has left the room (logged out) Alan has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" Jaenne has left the room (logged out) RyanCP: thank you everyone!! back to work on the next "big thing"

Pet Bowls and Infinistitch Items Now Included in cpExtract

Thu, 15 May 2008 10:27:00 -0500

cpExtract now includes the newest products in the Cafepress lineup, the pet bowls and the six Infinistitch products. If you've added those items to your shop, they should be included in the extract.

Google Base and the Apparel Type attribute

Mon, 05 May 2008 13:10:46 -0500

Thanks to an e-mail today from a cafeToolbox user, I received a quick heads up that the apparel type attribute is no longer valid in Google Base. I've updated cpFile so that it still includes that value, but does so as a custom attribute (which Google allows). I am of the feeling that more information about a product in Google Base is better, so that's why I've left it in as a custom attribute. I'll be doing a test upload later today to confirm that the change works.

Sections and Tools Chat Transcript

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:59:45 -0500

Click on read more to see the full transcript from the Sections and Tools chat transcript on May 1, 2008. [2008.05.01] CafePress Chat Room BrittaCP: Hey everyone... thanks for joining Befreo we begin... i must go overe the chat rules.This is a moderated chat.that means that any question or comment that you submit, will be sent to a queue a moderator will will review it, and then push the comment out.so if you do not see your comment right away, that is why ok... let's get the show on the road AngelaCP: We want this chat to be productive and answer any questions you may have about the section limits announcement .so i know you guys have a lot of questoins, so why don't we just get started on answering your questions.we see a few already and will do our best to answer everyone's Karen: Will you be limiting the amount of free shops an account can have? AngelaCP: There are currently no plans to do this Michigal: Question: Do you have any idea whatsoever when a tool will be available to either move a section from store to store, or copy and paste a section from store to store? "soon" isn't a good enough answer btw, I'm still waiting for the new dog products that were coming soon. MartyCP: We're working on a few different methods to deal with section limitations, but we didn't want to delay the release of the bulk tools anymore. I'm hoping to have a solution by the end of May. refinish69-Doing My Part For The...: does 500 sections include subsections also AngelaCP: it does Tshirt d'Art (Casey): When will the emails arrive informing us of our grandfathered limit? BrittaCP: The emails have all been sent out. if you haven't received one, and you think you should... contact your top shop rep. FJS: Can we have empty sections to use for redirect that don't count in the 500 limit? The Shadow: let me ask this, if someone can create 2000 free shops, how is that less intensive that somone have 1000 sections? MartyCP: The problems all have to do with a single shop being too big. Lots of reasonably sized shops isn't a problem. AngelaCP: Sections are counted as sections, even if they are empty [2008.05.01 18:59:48] Welcome to the CafePress Chat Room [2008.05.01 18:59:48] cat1 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" Brad Neil: Will this increase the site speed (searches, page loads, etc.) for the customers? AngelaCP: It will make the experience more consistant for both buyers and shopkeepers babelfish: are there going to be discounts for additional premium stores considering some of the issues some people will have? MartyCP: In some cases we may offer discounts, but I think limits are just a part of any service's evolution. We've also grandfathered people in with higher amounts, so they can continue to run their existing shops without breaking them up. Mydeas: Since shops were previously unlimited and we were paying. Does our cost go down since we now can not put up as many designs in a shop?? JustinCP: There is no plan to change the $6.95/mo Premium Shop fee due to the shop limits. ne1512BLVD: I have noticed that a lot of people (new and old) just really do not understand how this affects them. Is there a way to create a special page for people like Jen and Teesed to post their helpful tools and tutorials, as well as a F.A.Q about how to integrate multiple shops without the customer knowing? Towal: is there a list/explination of what exactly the bulk tools are and how they will help us? AngelaCP: We do have a list and explanation of the new tools here: http://www.cafepress.com/cp/community/smart_shop_update043008 BrittaCP: Ne, we like this idea. Ang and I will think something up Karen: Will there be CP tools to tie together a group of premium shops so that it appears as a mall type shop rather than just one isolated niche shop? MartyCP: We're working on several ways to deal with the problem of having run into the section limit. If we find that the only way to deal with the problem is creating more premium shops, then we'll definitely look into automated shop cross-linking. Sag: Was there no other solution possible other than the section limits? MartyCP: It really was the obvious solution at this point. We thought about other things, but they were much more destructive, and thus not options at all. Britta Cp:yes they are counted into your total amount Kate: Marty, is there any reason why you couldn't create a 'super section' type entity that is essentially another shop, but acts like a section? MartyCP: That's be a much more advanced (and time/resource-consuming) solution. We've talked about something like that, but I think at that point we'd really just move into the other conversations we've been having, like rearchitecting everything. ;) mousecrafter: Are the section limits to discourage shops from having large numbers of designs that have only minor variations, such as sections devoted to large numbers of individual names or numbers on a single basic design. MartyCP: That's not the primary reason, but it is a benefit. I'm hoping we'll evolve to handle "variation" designs much better than we do right now. Suzzie: are the "grandfathered in" shops going to eventually be subject to more fees because their shops are bigger? MartyCP: I doubt it. I'd expect that grandfathering section limits would allow you to maintain that level without a fee increase. (Things may be different when we roll out a more detailed tiered offering, though.) JustMe: Will bulk product deletions break google lor affiliate links? MartyCP: Oh, of course, just as they always have JustMe: Oh, great! shopa: why is the limit set so low? i have several shops and none of them is a problem until they are over 2000 sections - why not 1000 section limit?? MartyCP: Fewer than 0.1% of shops have more than 400 sections. Honestly, 500 really isn't that low. AngelaCP: JustMe and everyone. It seems everyone is concerned about breaking links for affiliates. Most affiliates link to the MP. For those that might link directly to your products and sections, instead of deleting, why not just update the image? Also, with the grandfathered limits you should be able to continue to run your business for a while without having to evaluate old sections. Mydeas: Can we request extra space or will we have to pay extra for more space? Karen: When we reach our upper limit will there be a way to increase it another 500 sections, say for a fee? Or do we have to open another separate premium? Suffering from Section Deficit: is the limit etched in stone or are you looking for ways to raise it JustinCP: It's in everyone's best interest to provide you all of the shelf space you need to maximize your sales (short of "spamming" the marketplace). If you can add an additional 500 sections and generate an additional 500 sales/month from it, we want you to do so -- and we don't want a nominal fee to be the obstacle that separates you from success. JustinCP: Therefore it's unlikely that most users will ever encounter a situation where we would accept payment for more space; rather, we'll prefer to review and adjust the shop limit regularly to guarantee most users never come close to the limit. JustinCP: (phew -- spent a few minutes typing that one up :>) The Shadow: rearchitecting is a major pain but sometimes a good move for the future though. I remember when my day job switched programming languages... our with all the old code AngelaCP: Change is hard sometimes... LoveJML: Can you give us some examples of the alternatives that didn't work, so we know what efforts have been made? MartyCP: Uh...deleting all large shops that aren't profitable to us (which is most large shops, as it turns out); locking any shop that reaches a certain threshold from future management; removing all bulk functionality from the site; that's a few. We didn't think shopkeepers would like any of those, and we didn't either. hd: If CP is working on new tools/services that *grandfathered* shops won't be able to use [because they're too large] [because I can't figure out if it's ok to keep stuffing *grandfathered* shop or I better create a new one] JustinCP: As you saw with the Fall '07 revision to Storewide Price Change tool, and continuing with next week's release, all next-generation bulk tools are designed to work with large shops. We now regularly test large shops against all new enhancements. I wouldn't expect your big grandaddy shop to encounter size-related performance problems on the new stuff. Towal: another question: one of my shops (which has been grandfathered in btw) is based on names. I am not through the alphabet yet and am at 500 sections. How do you expect us to reasonably be able to provide a smooth shopping experience when we are forced to split a shop into 2-3 or more shops to get everything in? will there be a way to link them seamlessly? MartyCP: I can't answer that yet -- it's what we're thinking about right now. Towal: you mean the storewide price changes that I have to get up at like 4am to be able to use? JustinCP: Yes -- like that, but without the 4AM part. None of the tools on the roadmap (including the ones coming out next week) are time-restricted. We will be reviewing the time restriction on the price change tool Real Soon Now. refinish69-Doing My Part For The...: when do the bulk tools go live? BrittaCP: next week Michigal: Most large shops are not profitable??!...really?? MartyCP: Yes, really. I won't explain in further detail here (I'd get torched internally), but yes, most big stores are actually unprofitable for us. The Shadow: wow... I am off to delete then ;) efinish69-Doing My Part For The...: they have too many designs that just sit there...I have quite a few myself LOL FJS: Can CP maybe create a new bonus that we can earn a premium shop each time we reach tiers 20% and 22% for a month? So we could earn up to 24 new shops a year? To help us grow our big stores. Kind of cushion the blow a bit. I'm figuring I'll need about 40 stores to do what I need to do so it would help to be able to earn a few to help in that. MartyCP: 40 shops? My god, what on earth requires 20,000 sections? There's only 10,000 words commonly used in the English language! ne1512BLVD: I am excited about the delete tool. I would really like to delete several items from one shops and it would be so time consuming with over 600 sections in that shop. So, if I can just go delete all yellow shirts, then cool! PamelaC: I've already been doing some pruning in my shop MartyCP: Sigh. Anyway, I'll bring that topic up. Michigal: yayy on the no having to change prices at 4 am! ty for that! peon: A popular solution to tie shops together (in the message boards) has been third party scripts like CPshop. But, I've heard that these scripts also ave a hard time handling very large shops. Is that accurate? MartyCP: I don't want to hawk cpshop too much here, but it does require some special handling once you get beyond 50,000 products in an install. It really depends on the webhost. Dooni Designs: will the new copy tool work across shops in an account or will it just be usable in one shop at a time? BrittaCP: One shop at a time Kewlkids: Marty, Care to explain what you are thinking about when you sey 'foll out a more detailed tiered offering'? Is there somthing up your sleeves for the future? MartyCP: Just not ready to go into further detail yet, sorry. I'll share when we're ready, but this just isn't the time. Mydeas: Will we get an email or something when we hit our section limit? AngelaCP: When you hit the section limit, the "add section" button will be temporarily disabled. You can also look at the section count to see where you're at. There's a screen shot of that here: http://www.cafepress.com/cp/community/smart_shop_update043008 The Sectionator: Should we prepare for a rocky road when you roll out the tools next week? AngelaCP: We dont' think so. We're pretty confident... and you guys will like the new tools. Much more productive and will make shop managing that much easier. :) RowdyJRT: My email said that I have over 900 sections, yet when I do a bulk price change it says updating 254 sections. Is there a bug in the bulk pricing or could it be any section we deleted in the past still resides on the CP server? MartyCP: The 254 number is right, the 900+ number is wrong. 900 is the number (a calculation based on usage) that was used to determine your grandfathered limit number. I think the wrong current number got sent in the email, though the grandfathered amount is right. Bob100: This tiered offering sounds scary like it might be a big disruption to our shops. MartyCP: That's so not the case. It should ultimately be exciting, since it'll be the jumping-off point for us to check a lot of those requests off "the list." Suffering from Section Deficit: I thank all of you at CP for sharing and taking the time to explain changes. You could just do like Bill Gates and say " here is Vista, good luck" Live Bold German T Shirts: Please...what is profitable for CP in earnings for a large shop? brainlint: Ooooh...is there actually a copy of 'the list' hanging on a wall somewhere?;) MartyCP: Yes we do! Or rather, yes there is! :) BrittaCP: yup... Shopkeepers helped us write it at CPconnect Lekker Jen: What if you aren't a top shop keeper? AngelaCP: Jen, if someone with more than 400 sections did not receive the email, and not a top SK, they can contact Brian at blu@cafepress.com. Be sure to put Section Limit in the subject line. JustMe: Why would anyone with a large un-profitable shop keep adding designs/sections? The word bored comes to mind. AngelaCP: That's a very good question... cowpie: Shoot, I do it all the time...lol. Sag: What about an auto personalization tool for shops? MartyCP: Yes! That's exactly one of the things we want. (And it's on my short list.) Michigal: Did JustinCP just say that depending on how well a shops sales are, they might review shops and give more sections over what they are grandfathered in at? Did I read that wrong? JustinCP: Michigal: I was referring to the process of reviewing the limit and raising it for everyone once the data shows that average users can make productive use of more sections. Sag: I'm sorry, but to think automated shop cross-linking is not a must at this time is unrealistic. It definitely is a need for the community. MartyCP: Perhaps; but if we needed to hold off on all new tools for another month? I'd rather get something out there. Shopkeepers have waited too long for new tools already. Suzzie: Why was this action taken now and not years ago? JustinCP: Suzzie: because (as you'll notice with next week's release) we're getting serious about improving shopkeeper productivity this year. ne1512BLVD: What is profitable to CP may not be the same as what is profitable tothat person. CP may feel profitable is making thousands upon thousands. But, that shopkeepers may feel okay about their $200 a month and just be trying to get to that thousand profit [2008.05.01 19:52:16] Michigal: Did JustinCP just say that depending on how well a shops sales are, they might review shops and give more sections over what they are grandfathered in at? Did I read that wrong? [2008.05.01 19:52:16] JustinCP: Michigal: I was referring to the process of reviewing the limit and raising it for everyone once the data shows that average users can make productive use of more sections. JustinCP: Suzzie: because (as you'll notice with next week's release) we're getting serious about improving shopkeeper productivity this year. ne1512BLVD: What is profitable to CP may not be the same as what is profitable tothat person. CP may feel profitable is making thousands upon thousands. But, that shopkeepers may feel okay about their $200 a month and just be trying to get to that thousand profit ne1512BLVD: Is this a permanent solution or is it a bandaid? MartyCP: I think we're always going to have some kind of limit; what the limit is, and how easy it is to increase -- those things I'm hoping to address shortly. RowdyJRT: A bulk delete of designs/products that hasn't sold in a specified time would be wonderful :) ne1512BLVD: Rowdy, it might be better to not delete your sections and products though. It is better to recycle them with new designs and still benefit from the links! JustMe: It seems to mec A non-profitable large shop should REPLACE designs within sections instead of adding more sections. Not doing this only adds to the problem. JustMe: It seems to me that going into tiered pricing would defeat one of the major purposes behind section limitation...to stop the spamming. MartyCP: I think we need a more advanced solution to marketplace spam than just section limitations. Sag: I'm on a roll MartyCP :-D - What about pagination? MartyCP: Shops need an overhaul in general. Pagination is just one part of that. The Shadow: pagination would be great! Sag: Amen MartyCP on the MP solutions for serious problems there!:bow: The Shadow: keep spam where it belongs...in a can! refinish69-Doing My Part For The...: what is pagination? Karen: That sure would cut down on sub section usage ne1512BLVD: I like the idea of the categories script better. But I do not use it, because it is not automated. I would prefer a CP catergories script that is automatic in your whole store. Pagination is okay too I gues. Sophie Bleu: I'd love to have a report that I could click on to see which sections haven't sold anything in "x" days/months/etc. (sorry - am trying to catch up on previous posts here, so I'm likely a tad behind in subject matter) AngelaCP: good suggestion... teresa: when are the new tools suposed to be ready? AngelaCP: next week we'll announce again :) BrittaCP: Ok so we are out of time here. Looks like we got through most of the questions that came in. We apologize if we missed yours, many were repeats or we couldn't answer at this moment. We hope we were able some of the major questions on your mind. Please feel free to continue posting questions in the thread in Chit Chat. BrittaCP: I will open up the lobby for you to continue chatting Ophelia: I know people have been brainstorming about dealing with their own shops, but are there any recommendations CP has for planning things out in a typical large shop to get the least headaches and work the best within the system? (other than, you know, "don't open a large shop" ;) ) MartyCP: (she was gargling) MartyCP: Make it design-centric, and try to focus on quality over quantity. MartyCP: I'm out of time here -- I'm hoping we'll be able to push recommendations as we develop better ones (in a non-chat situation).

cpExtract and cpFile Tools Now Available

Thu, 01 May 2008 17:34:34 -0500

The new Cafepress tools are nearly ready to go. Again, they are called cpExtract and cpFile. cpExtract will pull your product information from Cafepress. cpFile will generate a file for use with Google Base, Yahoo, or any format you want. I wanted to do some more bug testing, but given the problems that have popped up lately, I'm going to release them now. Feel free to use them, but expect some bugs, just report them in the cpExtract/cpFile Support Forum.

Social Bookmarks and Search Chat Transcript

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:04:10 -0500

The complete social bookmarks and search chat transcript can be read by clicking the "read more" link. [2008.04.23 19:07:31] BrittaCP: Hi Everyone, thanks for joining today�s SK discussion. [2008.04.23 19:07:34] MP has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:07:37] AngelaCP: hi everyone! [2008.04.23 19:07:38] Bob100 has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:07:46] Kippy: Hi all! [2008.04.23 19:07:58] Message sent to moderator(s) [2008.04.23 19:08:00] Dooni has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:08:00] Ne@1512BLVD: Hi! Is it as nice there as it is here? [2008.04.23 19:08:02] MP: Hi again everyone [2008.04.23 19:08:04] jonbaas: Happy Wednesday all! [2008.04.23 19:08:08] BrittaCP: I think today will be an interesting discussion. [2008.04.23 19:08:09] Winter has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:08:36] BrittaCP: For those who aren't familiar with a Shopkeeper Discussion... they are little less informal than our workshops [2008.04.23 19:08:58] The Shadow: hello Britta and Angela [2008.04.23 19:09:16] BrittaCP: it's more of a time for all of us to get together and share our knowledge and experience with each other, on a given topic [2008.04.23 19:09:25] jaegerbombshell has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:10:03] BrittaCP: And today's topic is social book marks/ search [2008.04.23 19:10:10] mamm has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:10:22] BrittaCP: I decided to have because I�ve been seeing a lot of these little doohickies popping up in Shops, and shopkeeper blogs and other places. [2008.04.23 19:10:30] BrittaCP sent a picture: [2008.04.23 19:10:34] AngelaCP: we know there are many of you that's already using this and can share [2008.04.23 19:10:46] Kippy: good topic idea, Britta [2008.04.23 19:10:48] BrittaCP: Look at that� it�s like a melting pot of happy symbols all happily coexisting with each other. [2008.04.23 19:10:52] AngelaCP: You guys suggested it ;) [2008.04.23 19:10:57] tropicando has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:11:04] UncleFrog: I do want to understand those doohickies better [2008.04.23 19:11:16] BrittaCP: Some of us here, are familiar with these funny little icons, but for those who not or even those who may know but want to understand more� [2008.04.23 19:11:30] BrittaCP: let�s take the hour to discuss with one another, ask questions, and find out why they may help you as a Shopkeeper. [2008.04.23 19:12:00] Kippy: I too like to have a great comprehension of doohickies. [2008.04.23 19:12:19] BrittaCP: understanding doohickies is half the battle... once you start diving deeper into thing-a-ma-bobbers, you're set for life [2008.04.23 19:12:29] Bruce: teach me [2008.04.23 19:12:35] BrittaCP: But first� chat rules. [2008.04.23 19:12:50] BrittaCP: This chat is moderated. [2008.04.23 19:12:59] BrittaCP: That means all questions or comments you send through will go into a queue until they are reviewed and pushed out by a moderator. [2008.04.23 19:13:08] BrittaCP: This is why you will not see your comment right away. [2008.04.23 19:13:14] Scarebaby has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:13:17] BrittaCP: We�ll have a transcript up within a few days. [2008.04.23 19:13:19] jonbaas: Thing-a-ma-bobbers and dookickies. This should be fun! :) [2008.04.23 19:13:21] The Shadow: I know the doohickies... I just don't have time for them...until retirement occurs this summer [2008.04.23 19:13:32] AngelaCP: so is anyone here using any type of social bookmarking tool? [2008.04.23 19:13:40] BrittaCP: Alright... back to the doohickies [2008.04.23 19:13:45] jaegerbombshell has left the room (logged out) [2008.04.23 19:13:49] AngelaCP: do you understand how it works? [2008.04.23 19:13:59] Bruce: no [2008.04.23 19:14:12] NiftyGaloot: I'm stumbling [2008.04.23 19:14:28] The Shadow: i use digg and stumbleupon... I understand them....but dont use them alot at all [2008.04.23 19:14:29] UncleFrog: I'm all bloggered up [2008.04.23 19:14:33] BrittaCP: does anyone want to explain what those doohickies are? [2008.04.23 19:14:41] Message sent to moderator(s) [2008.04.23 19:14:41] Sag: I do doohickies and thing-a-ma-blobbers and would do whatca-ma-call-its if I found some! LOL! [2008.04.23 19:14:41] NiftyGaloot: I'm twittering [2008.04.23 19:14:59] jonbaas: People have been placing these in.... CP shop pages? I didn't know that was a possibility. I thought they were generally blog-oriented. [2008.04.23 19:15:05] AngelaCP: For the bookmarks, you can actually put it in your product page.... [2008.04.23 19:15:06] BrittaCP: yup... we'll get to that [2008.04.23 19:15:25] Amere has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:15:25] Sag: yup, yup [2008.04.23 19:15:26] AngelaCP: and if someone loves the product or content of your design, they can digg it, or publish it to their facebook profile, etc [2008.04.23 19:15:42] AngelaCP: i know most of you hvae facebook...because you're my friend :) [2008.04.23 19:15:54] BrittaCP: ok... so who can be the fastest to give a 3 sentance max explanation of those doohickies [2008.04.23 19:15:59] AngelaCP: once i publish a shirt i like, it gets published to all my friends [2008.04.23 19:16:03] AngelaCP: it's very viral [2008.04.23 19:16:11] AngelaCP: especially for topical designs [2008.04.23 19:16:20] The Shadow: facebook is on the todo list...right at #10,248 [2008.04.23 19:16:28] tropicando: my friend asked me to check out firefox's stumbleupon [2008.04.23 19:16:56] Cartwright has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:16:58] AngelaCP: Yes. definitely check it out [2008.04.23 19:17:17] Message sent to moderator(s) [2008.04.23 19:17:24] AngelaCP: to be honest, I'm not sure what the difference is between all the social sites that Britta showed in that image. [2008.04.23 19:17:30] Shopa: <~~has facebook but does not have u as a friend...feeling left out lol [2008.04.23 19:17:33] UncleFrog: if one hits one of those doohickies, does it take the info off that page and put it into their blog of choice? [2008.04.23 19:17:40] AngelaCP: You can be my friend :) [2008.04.23 19:17:44] The Shadow: basically most the doohickies allow you to share pages with "friends" or anyone on the ineternet in general [2008.04.23 19:17:48] AngelaCP: if you search cafepress, you'll find me [2008.04.23 19:17:57] AngelaCP: or be a fan of the CP page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/CafePress/11599692403 [2008.04.23 19:17:59] Little Lizzy has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:18:12] AngelaCP: You guys can also do this. We have some SKs that have pages for their shop. [2008.04.23 19:18:27] Ne@1512BLVD: I am on facebook, but this is all new to me. [2008.04.23 19:18:31] Message sent to moderator(s) [2008.04.23 19:18:40] AngelaCP: It was new to me too Ne. I just took some time to check it out.. took me a few weeks [2008.04.23 19:18:45] BrittaCP: right... and each of those symbols is for a different site... a social book mark/ networking page [2008.04.23 19:18:49] Shopa: i have a page for m shop [2008.04.23 19:18:49] Little Lizzy: I just created a page today! [2008.04.23 19:18:53] graphicdeeziner has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:19:01] Sag: Yeah, if someone finds a design or just likes your shop they hit a button for a social network and share it in their designated area and with friends. [2008.04.23 19:19:07] AngelaCP: It's a great way to help get awareness your brand/business [2008.04.23 19:19:13] Kippy: For those of you who use wordpress, there are some great social bookmarking plugins you can use! [2008.04.23 19:19:18] AngelaCP: Definitely [2008.04.23 19:19:28] AngelaCP: it's just another channel to help distribute/publish your products [2008.04.23 19:19:33] BrittaCP: According to Wikipedia - Socail bookmarks area a method for Internet users to store, organize, search, and manage bookmarks of web pages on the Internet with the help of metadata. [2008.04.23 19:19:34] AngelaCP: but more in context of content [2008.04.23 19:19:41] The Shadow: and some of them pass pagerank...which Google loves ;) [2008.04.23 19:19:44] AngelaCP: agreed! [2008.04.23 19:20:04] AngelaCP: and once it's set up, no need to do more. It's all in the hands of those visiting your shop. [2008.04.23 19:20:08] Sag: http://www.cafepress.com/sagart to see what it looks like [2008.04.23 19:20:13] AngelaCP: thanks sag! [2008.04.23 19:20:17] blackunicorn has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:20:20] UncleFrog: I love pagerank, too [2008.04.23 19:20:30] Gandalf_Parker: social sites do for peoples personal pages, what CafePress does for peoples tshirt ideas [2008.04.23 19:21:03] The Shadow: although watch you terms of service.... digg changed theirs so that promoting something for other diggers to buy is against it [2008.04.23 19:21:23] BrittaCP: right [2008.04.23 19:21:41] AngelaCP: which is why topical is the way to go. [2008.04.23 19:21:48] AngelaCP: especially in an election year [2008.04.23 19:22:14] AngelaCP: For facebook, it's about something that's funny or that you want to share w/all your friends [2008.04.23 19:22:16] BrittaCP: to clarify for anyone who may not know what a social book marking site is: it's where all these selected links live [2008.04.23 19:22:21] Gandalf_Parker: yes sometimes creating a page on a social site JUST to advertise is frowned on, but mentioning your "personal interest" in CafePress on your personal page is usually OK [2008.04.23 19:22:24] BrittaCP: these links are saved to a web site, where it can be shared with other users as they are usually made public. [2008.04.23 19:22:28] Cartwright has left the room (logged out) [2008.04.23 19:22:29] Scarebaby has left the room (logged out) [2008.04.23 19:22:34] BrittaCP: It�s a way that I can show off all the cool sites/ blogs, articles, and stuff to buy. [2008.04.23 19:22:39] Winter: Can you put it in every section? Or just your homepage? [2008.04.23 19:22:52] AngelaCP: you can put it in every section... is that correct sag? [2008.04.23 19:22:53] BrittaCP: and there are many different sites that will cater to different genres of links [2008.04.23 19:22:53] Message sent to moderator(s) [2008.04.23 19:23:03] AngelaCP: I have seen someone do it at every section, can't recall who [2008.04.23 19:23:11] Sag: Yes, every page has it. [2008.04.23 19:23:17] Shopa: does this end up being a link out that affialtie will not like? [2008.04.23 19:23:23] Sag: A neat way of motivating your customers to help promote your shops. [2008.04.23 19:23:29] Winter: cool, thanks [2008.04.23 19:23:46] AngelaCP: i dont' believe it takes you out of the shop. At least for the ones I've played around with. It's just a pop up. [2008.04.23 19:23:51] Bruce: How do you do it? [2008.04.23 19:23:57] Blonde Designs has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:24:05] Ne@1512BLVD: I was about to ask that too! [2008.04.23 19:24:17] graphicdeeziner: most buyers do not like pop ups though [2008.04.23 19:24:27] AngelaCP: it only pops up if you click on the icons [2008.04.23 19:24:47] graphicdeeziner: or have the popups blocked [2008.04.23 19:24:51] AngelaCP: correct [2008.04.23 19:24:55] BrittaCP: Services like addthis.com make it easy for you. [2008.04.23 19:24:57] AngelaCP: it's not automatic pop up [2008.04.23 19:25:03] The Shadow: most of the users that use those tools expext the box to open... it is "normal" to them [2008.04.23 19:25:05] AngelaCP: agreed! [2008.04.23 19:25:06] Sag: There are sites on the net that provide the code for them, then just attach it somewhere in the header of your shop. [2008.04.23 19:25:18] Ne@1512BLVD: I think when someone doesn't like a popup is when they had no choice in it popping up! [2008.04.23 19:25:39] BrittaCP: yes... they'll give a piece of code which you plug into your shop [2008.04.23 19:25:57] Sag: It a passive way to promote your brand without much work on your side of the screen. [2008.04.23 19:26:00] BrittaCP: the happy buttons appear [2008.04.23 19:26:01] BrittaCP: The user only needs to click can click and select from a list of choices what site they want to add their bookmark too. [2008.04.23 19:26:02] The Shadow: people that don't use the tools might ignore them.... but the people that actively use one of the services know what the icon looks like [2008.04.23 19:26:22] tropicando: my browser was blocking pop ups and i did not realize it right away [2008.04.23 19:26:29] jonbaas: Hmm. Fascinating. [2008.04.23 19:26:40] graphicdeeziner: I wiah that they had facebook or myspace [2008.04.23 19:26:42] BrittaCP: and they do [2008.04.23 19:26:48] Kippy: and it's really those active users you want to target anyway! [2008.04.23 19:26:54] I'mHere: Any other sites to share besides "addthis.com"? [2008.04.23 19:27:07] BrittaCP: there are... and i had it written down somewhere and now i can't recall it [2008.04.23 19:27:12] BrittaCP: i should have bookmarked it...lol [2008.04.23 19:27:17] BrittaCP: anyone have a suggestion [2008.04.23 19:27:52] The Shadow: stumble upon [2008.04.23 19:27:53] The Shadow: digg [2008.04.23 19:28:21] AngelaCP: reddit [2008.04.23 19:28:34] BrittaCP: i think I'm here was looking for sites that are similar to addthis... where they make it easy to add the multitude of icons [2008.04.23 19:28:52] BrittaCP: is that correct? [2008.04.23 19:29:02] I'mHere: yes, ma'am! [2008.04.23 19:29:24] BrittaCP: you can easily do a search on google [2008.04.23 19:29:29] UncleFrog: does addthis.com generate the code and one simply has to paste it into their CP template's footer?? [2008.04.23 19:29:32] BrittaCP: i believe so [2008.04.23 19:29:39] BrittaCP: has anyone used it for thier shop? [2008.04.23 19:29:50] Lekker Jen has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:30:06] UncleFrog: Sag, how did you add the doohickies to your shop? [2008.04.23 19:30:11] The Shadow: not *yet* :) [2008.04.23 19:30:23] blackunicorn: I use socialmarker.com to hit all of them at once [2008.04.23 19:30:27] The Shadow: jsut google social bookmarking [2008.04.23 19:30:34] Sag: I have a list I will share later but have to dig it out if anyone wants it. [2008.04.23 19:30:43] Ne@1512BLVD: Does a customer who comes to your shop and clicks on it have to have an account at said place? [2008.04.23 19:31:36] BrittaCP: yes... at least of all the ones that i've used i've needed an account... however one does not need to have an account to browse the bookmark site [2008.04.23 19:32:03] Message sent to moderator(s) [2008.04.23 19:32:18] BrittaCP: that means everyone else can add what they think is cool at Del.icio.us, and i can just pullup the site and use it as i would google [2008.04.23 19:32:33] Sag: It is a code I use and also use on my blogs and will share some sites you can get those with you after the chat, because I have to dig out that file. [2008.04.23 19:33:00] The Shadow: I want Sag! [2008.04.23 19:33:11] Ne@1512BLVD: So the person would be familiar with it anyway and possibly looking for the icon? [2008.04.23 19:33:11] BrittaCP: most likely... so it's a question "do i think this belongs in my shop" [2008.04.23 19:33:25] Shopa: so can we add multiple of these bookmark things for people who use a variety of services? [2008.04.23 19:33:53] BrittaCP: that's what's intersting about addthis.com... you add one icon, it opens a window and the user picks from a list of bookmark sites and adds [2008.04.23 19:34:02] BrittaCP: it covers a lot of ground [2008.04.23 19:34:16] Sag: Anyone belonging to a social network recognizes their specific icon and will click it and know what to do. [2008.04.23 19:34:19] Message sent to moderator(s) [2008.04.23 19:34:22] The Shadow: the one thing I do worry about is giving away pagerank....althought it is small [2008.04.23 19:34:51] Shopa: so we can put the addthis thing into like the sidebar or footer for people who want to use it [2008.04.23 19:34:52] BrittaCP: some shopkeepres already are [2008.04.23 19:34:54] jonbaas: Ah, yes, pagerank. [2008.04.23 19:34:55] Gandalf_Parker: the social links will probably work best for shops with a theme that people can relate to. heavy attitude shops [2008.04.23 19:35:19] NiftyGaloot: Here's a site for the ShareThis button: http://sharethis.com/ [2008.04.23 19:35:39] Ne@1512BLVD: By saying "does it belong in my shop?" Are there some types of CP shops more suited for them... like are they appropriate for a baby store? [2008.04.23 19:36:27] BrittaCP: i will say that there is no harm in adding one... but like all things think about your audiance... [2008.04.23 19:36:30] Sag: I took a class on marketing through soical networks and the benefits are outstanding. [2008.04.23 19:37:54] BrittaCP: what's interesting about the sites like digg, Del.icio.us, furl, and so on... is many will allow users to tag the link which will catagorize them in their search [2008.04.23 19:37:57] Tygrmovie has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:38:29] Winter has left the room (logged out) [2008.04.23 19:38:36] BrittaCP: so you have an actual human, who's looked at the link, deciding it's keywords rather than an algo. [2008.04.23 19:38:41] The Shadow: people will share anything.... which is obvious from links I have seen referred [2008.04.23 19:38:44] graphicdeeziner: Where did you take this class Sag? [2008.04.23 19:38:47] jonbaas: For those that currently use these social bookmarking icons in their store pages, do you see measured success from them? [2008.04.23 19:38:55] UncleFrog: Does CP have a tool built yet where the SKer could click a button and it would add the doohickies to the footers automatically ?? [2008.04.23 19:38:58] BrittaCP: no, we don [2008.04.23 19:38:58] Winter has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:39:03] DDKnight: In the last few minutes of the chat I signed up at addthis and added the code to one of my offsites..easy! I think it's worth the few minutes and I'll do my other shops/sites as well. [2008.04.23 19:39:14] Sag: absolutely! [2008.04.23 19:39:19] Aurey Sorrow has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:39:24] Sag: It was a webinar online [2008.04.23 19:39:59] Bruce: So How does this help my site I'm confused [2008.04.23 19:40:15] Sag: I'm an idiot at a lot of stuff so I take a lot of classes! LOL! [2008.04.23 19:40:29] Message sent to moderator(s) [2008.04.23 19:40:47] jonbaas: Classes are good. :) [2008.04.23 19:40:59] Shopa: so if i have this right it lets shoppers create links to your store and send them to thier friends thru a link sharing site? [2008.04.23 19:41:03] BrittaCP: essentially yes [2008.04.23 19:41:10] BrittaCP: are you all familar with kaboodle? [2008.04.23 19:41:18] palmetto has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:41:19] Message sent to moderator(s) [2008.04.23 19:41:21] BrittaCP: kaboodle specializes in shopping [2008.04.23 19:41:33] Shopa: no [2008.04.23 19:41:52] Sag: In order words, stop beating your brains out trying to promote you shop yourself. Let you customers help you. LOL! [2008.04.23 19:42:01] BrittaCP: I love kaboodle... it's a way of creating an online wish list that you can share with others [2008.04.23 19:42:29] BrittaCP: you can also look at other folks wishlists should they choose to make it public [2008.04.23 19:42:54] Ne@1512BLVD: I love Kaboodle. I get a lot of hits from there [2008.04.23 19:43:20] BrittaCP: that means, if i really like something in Ne's shop, i can book mark it [2008.04.23 19:43:33] BrittaCP: and share it with others [2008.04.23 19:43:53] jonbaas: That's true, Sag.... eager and/or excited customers are your best marketing tool. And the easiest to make use of. [2008.04.23 19:43:58] The Shadow: more traffic >> more sales >> early retirement [2008.04.23 19:44:01] tropicando: ...o0O(Check out stumbleupon & that other stuff) [2008.04.23 19:44:52] cesigmon has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:44:53] Tygrmovie has left the room (logged out) [2008.04.23 19:44:54] BrittaCP: there you have it... the benefits according to shadow, in a nutshell... well said [2008.04.23 19:45:04] tropicando: britta so that makes you like a human webcrawler [2008.04.23 19:45:23] BrittaCP: i guess you could say that [2008.04.23 19:45:40] Kewlkids has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:45:55] designsbyshawn has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:46:06] cesigmon has left the room (logged out) [2008.04.23 19:46:12] BrittaCP: again...the search resullts on such sites are determined by humans [2008.04.23 19:46:16] Sag: If you have a niche shop, you can Google for a list of social networking sites that have demographics about their community and pick the bookmarks for the network that would most likely shop for your products. [2008.04.23 19:46:24] The Shadow: I would say it makes your shoppers your advertisers... for free... and free is good :) [2008.04.23 19:47:13] BrittaCP: oooh... one thing that i'm not sure if it was mentioned... you can comment on bookmarks [2008.04.23 19:47:27] Dooni has left the room (logged out) [2008.04.23 19:47:47] BrittaCP: so again... i bookmark something that i love in Ne's shop... someone else who's see's m book mark can make a comment agreeing that it is a super cool thing [2008.04.23 19:47:54] Sag: Oh Sugar' - Free is always good!:-D [2008.04.23 19:47:55] Ne@1512BLVD: Sort of like online word of mouth [2008.04.23 19:47:58] tropicando: my shoppers would be my crawlers [2008.04.23 19:49:08] designsbyshawn has left the room (logged out) [2008.04.23 19:49:13] BrittaCP: and from what i understand... ranking within a social search engine can be determeined by # of comments [2008.04.23 19:49:19] BrittaCP: i could be wrong [2008.04.23 19:49:19] Message sent to moderator(s) [2008.04.23 19:49:33] BrittaCP: so don't quote me.. but this is my understanding from a reading i came across [2008.04.23 19:49:40] The Shadow: I get alot of hits from emails of people sharing my site... so this is just another way for the shopperss to do so. [2008.04.23 19:49:52] Aurey Sorrow: can someone tell me what this was refereing to -"it lets shoppers create links to your store and send them to thier friends thru a link sharing site", got here late , it sounded interesting.... [2008.04.23 19:50:10] BrittaCP: aury... we'll have a transcript up in a few days... you'll see all the details [2008.04.23 19:50:14] Ne@1512BLVD: So it could hurt you too then, if someone comments "This is the ugliest shirt I hve ever seen!" :-o [2008.04.23 19:50:20] BrittaCP: rught... that is a disadvantage [2008.04.23 19:50:30] The Shadow: exactly Ne [2008.04.23 19:50:49] Ne@1512BLVD: Britta, you are free to turn all those examples about my shop into reality! lol. [2008.04.23 19:50:55] BrittaCP: lol... i'l see what i can do [2008.04.23 19:51:16] BrittaCP: I do see a lot of CafePress merchandise on kaboodle [2008.04.23 19:51:21] Message sent to moderator(s) [2008.04.23 19:51:23] BrittaCP: so someone is loving you guys [2008.04.23 19:51:32] Aurey Sorrow: oh cool, thanks:-D [2008.04.23 19:51:35] Shopa: hey in retail any comment is a good comment!! [2008.04.23 19:51:38] Sag: Bad comments can draw a crowd. Never undestimate the power of controversey. I've sold a lot of shirts that way!:-D [2008.04.23 19:51:42] chm: Ne - perhaps consider it as constructive criticism and learn from it? OIOW, maybe the shirt isn't so good? [2008.04.23 19:51:44] UncleFrog: there is no such thing as bad publicity [2008.04.23 19:51:54] Shopa: <~~just added the link to all my sidebars - it was easy to do i hope it works [2008.04.23 19:51:57] The Shadow: bad links even give you pank rank...lol [2008.04.23 19:51:59] cyi has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 19:52:11] tropicando: hey are any of these services fee things [2008.04.23 19:52:41] The Shadow: 99% are free [2008.04.23 19:52:54] JamieCo Design: What gets bookmarked? My shop URL? A product in my shop? A blog entry? Any/all of the above? [2008.04.23 19:53:07] The Shadow: all of the above [2008.04.23 19:54:15] AngelaCP has left the room (logged out) [2008.04.23 19:54:16] BrittaCP: There are also other sites, who will pick up/ syndicate popular links and add them to thier own [2008.04.23 19:54:24] Sag: Not the ones I use. But you can get a content management program to run reports on how you are doing in the social networks, but that costs. [2008.04.23 19:54:36] jonbaas: Ok, here's a question, though. With all this reference to pagerank, we're not talking about each individual shop, are we? Each CP shop doesn't gain pagerank since it's on the overall CP domain. How then does social bookmarking in our shops constructively affect PR? [2008.04.23 19:55:13] Ne@1512BLVD: If you put the bookmark icons in the header so that it goes through to all the pages, then the customer is on a product page. Does the icon bookmark that page they are on or the main URL? [2008.04.23 19:55:53] Sag: It bookmarks the page of interest or product etc. [2008.04.23 19:55:56] tropicando: no, individual cafepress shops get ranked above cafepress itself [2008.04.23 19:56:07] The Shadow: well any link to a shop passes page rank to that page... and them that pageranks filters up a little to the cafepress.com domain [2008.04.23 19:56:13] The Shadow: any page with alot of links will get page rank from them and ultimately rank better in google [2008.04.23 19:57:14] BrittaCP: ok... so i think we started throwing out names earlier... let's continue with that... what are some places that are good? [2008.04.23 19:57:15] blackunicorn has left the room (logged out) [2008.04.23 19:57:24] BrittaCP: StumbleUpon [2008.04.23 19:57:44] Sag: And they are one-way direct links! I like those babies! :-D [2008.04.23 19:58:31] BrittaCP: facebook [2008.04.23 19:59:03] Ne@1512BLVD: Does Kaboodle have one other than the one you can put in your own browser? [2008.04.23 19:59:12] BrittaCP: the user can add a widget to thier browser [2008.04.23 19:59:17] BrittaCP: i just right click and add [2008.04.23 19:59:44] BrittaCP: i have not seen a happy doohicky for them though... like the others [2008.04.23 19:59:46] The Shadow: also like Kaboodle there is Stylefeeder [2008.04.23 19:59:51] The Shadow: furl [2008.04.23 20:00:04] Ne@1512BLVD: So, Kaboodle works different than the others and we cannot put an icon for that in our own shops? [2008.04.23 20:00:42] BrittaCP: as far as i can tell... no. but if someone has seen otherwise, speak up [2008.04.23 20:01:14] tropicando: wikipedia says del.icio.us, furl, simpy, citeulike, connotea, stumbleupon, ma.gnlolia, blue dot, diigo, ibm lotus connections, digg, reddit, newsvine. Do you ppl use these? [2008.04.23 20:01:42] Kewlkids has left the room (logged out) [2008.04.23 20:01:50] BrittaCP: the thing to think about is that not all of these may be approrpriate for your shop [2008.04.23 20:02:02] BrittaCP: some places specialize in news items... others in blogs [2008.04.23 20:02:31] BrittaCP: however if you have a supporting blo for your shop... then there's another place you'll want to consider adding a dohhicky [2008.04.23 20:02:44] BrittaCP: *supporting blog [2008.04.23 20:02:56] wordgeek has entered the room "CafePress Chat Room" [2008.04.23 20:03:27] The Shadow: i just did a quick search Ne and all I see is the buttons... I don't see another mechanism for it. [2008.04.23 20:03:57] Ne@1512BLVD: thanks Shadow! [2008.04.23 20:04:03] tropicando: oh my wikipedia has a list at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_software#Social_bookmarking [2008.04.23 20:04:38] Lekker Jen has left the room (logged out) [2008.04.23 20:04:43] BrittaCP: alrighty folks... i hope some of you have some good ideas and newly opened windows [2008.04.23 20:05:11] BrittaCP: i shall open the lobby, so you cool ctas can keep chatting [2008.04.23 20:05:13] Sag: http://traffikd.com/social-media-websites/ - another list to look at [2008.04.23 20:05:14] jonbaas: This has been enlightening. Thank you!