Twitter Tips , Should You Tweet?

Do u tweet? Should u tweet? And, what the heck do I mean by "tweet," and why am I using the letter 'u' instead of the actual word you?

Tweet is a new verb we may very soon see listed in the Webster Dictionary and refers to the act of posting on Twitter, a social network which is sort of a cross between myspace, instant messaging, and blogging. Members "follow" one another, and on their Twitter page they are asked "What are you doing?" They have a maximum of 140 characters available to answer this question (thus requiring tweeters to sometimes use "u" versus "you").

As you post on your Twitter page, you can also read posts from those you are following, so it is a fun way to get to know others as well as keep track of current friends and family members. It can also be very addicting because it is so quick, easy, and fun to boot. In addition to Tweeting on your computer, you can also take it mobile using your cell phone or black berry.

Other than the fact that it's fun, Twitter is a great tool to help market and promote yourself and your work:

• Have a new item just added to your Etsy shop? Tweet about it and include the link, which Twitter will automatically change into a tiny URL so you don't waste too many character spaces on it.
• Just posted a blog entry? Wait, don't add it over there just yet. Instead, create a Twitter feed so that every time you have a new blog entry published, it automatically gets fed into your Twitter page.
  
• Once you have your Twitter feed set up, pop over to your Facebook account and add Twitter as one of your feeds there as well.
  
• Finally, search for others on Twitter who have similar interests. For example, I write about jewelry making as well as make jewelry, so I searched using the keyword "jewelry" and found some great people to follow who eventually started following me.
  

Any time you have news, especially related to your business, tweet about it to help get the word out in just a matter of minute!

(If you are interested in following me at Twitter, you'll find Twitter along with my other social networks linked on my blog's About Me page.)

Featured Artists

I’m so proud of the members of this etsy team! They’re working like mad, each developing his or her professional online presence. This hard working crew is adapting quickly to the rigors of regular blogging, social networking, social linking, honing their craft, helping each other, and well we’ve come together into one heck of a cohesive, productive team.

eSMArts has been blessed by the addition of several new members over the past few weeks.

Michele Cook of Michele Cook Designs is one of the newer team members.

I like Michele’s new sterling silver bracelet with these patterned square links called "All Squared Up". With great details and retailing for only $37, I love this piece so much that I simply had to feature it.

Pat Baker of SilverRabbitStudio creates lovely lampwork beads and metalwork and she’s a wonderful addition to our roster.

Here we see some of Pat's Green, Black and White Lampwork Bead Bracelet as well as her cast sterling Dots Ring. Below is Lavender Turquoise Lampwork Bead Necklace. Maybe if I'm lucky, Pat will create a set of custom lampwork beads for me! I'm a handmade glass bead addict too.

Things are beginning to run very smoothly with our team, so recenlty I've had time to browse many of our team shops and blogs. It's apparent we all have improvement areas to work on, but overall, our photo quality, listing descriptions, artist profiles and mini bios are beginning to take shape.

And at the bottom line, we've started making a few sales. These results are encouraging and further proof that our hard work will pay off in the long run.

Diane Geisel’s UnicornGem1944 store features unique wire wrapped treasures such as these original design Sculpted Birthstone Pendant Necklaces.

Diane has volunteered to apply her management skills to the post of eSMArts Social Marketing Director and I’m certain we’ll all benefit from her contributions.

On a personal note, I’m making headway restructuring my etsy shops into their three themes. I used to have all my offerings lumped into one rather messy looking shop. Soon Gahooletree will feature only precious gemstone one of a kind creations and ensembles like the Lilith earrings shown below.

In the fun & flirty boutique called SassyDLite, I’m moving all my casual, everyday and older collections. As items expire from the flagship store, I’m slowly adding them to this venue – many things going on sale I might add, so we do have lots to offer the value conscious jewelry buyer too.

Watch for fabulous additions to the supplies outlet as we feature several cuts of Swiss Blue Topaz, London Blue Topaz, Lemon Topaz and more over the coming weeks! I'm trying to keep my gemstone overstock priced at or below wholesale.

If you'd like to be featured on this blog, please contact me!
-AnnaLee
http://gahooletreedesigns.blogspot.com

We've Got The Whole World On Our Team (well, getting there!)

Hi, I’m Teresa from Inspired Designs by Teresa. Please come visit my Etsy store or my blog. I started making jewelry about two years ago and had just begun selling it last summer when I got my first teaching job. So my marketing efforts were put on hold for the school year. Just as I was beginning to think about getting back into the online marketing world, Anna Lee of GaHooleeTree proposed starting a new street team on Etsy to learn the ins and outs of social marketing on the internet. I jumped right on the bandwagon, and it has been quite a ride. Although it has been only a few months, we have 90 members in our Yahoo group and represent 49 Etsy stores!

One of the challenges of growing so quickly is keeping up with all the members. Most of our members are from North America, so I thought I would use my blogging time to highlight our members from across the pond, or, in one case, across the world.

Jackie and Lara are a mother and daughter team from Devon, England. In their shop they offer elegant handcrafted jewelry.

Lara (the daughter) also has another store where she offers adorable creatures made from polymer clay or felt. She also offers a banner and avatar design service, so contact her if you can use her services.

Morna is a self-taught jewelry designer from Perth, Scotland. Visit her Etsy store, to see both her finished jewelry and surplus components. She has some lovely copper components, and we all know that right now copper is hot, hot, hot!

Wezz lives in Kessel-Lo, Belgium. Her store currently features handcrafted jewelry, but Wezz admits that all kinds of crafting is in her genes, so who knows what will pop up in the future!

And, from the other side of the world, we have Annette from Coolah, Australia. From her rural oasis Annette handcrafts refined and classic pieces which she offers for your viewing, and if you’re lucky, wearing pleasure. Take a look at her beautiful store.