In an effort to better manage this site and make it friendly to all of you I have begun some editing of the site. With 1600+ members, 3369 photos, 513 blog posts and 299 separate discussions it has really grown in the year since we opened the doors in November of 2008. The discussions were particularly scattered so I have broken down the discussion area into ten categories:
Hospitality area - - this is a place where new people can come and introduce themselves to the community
Art Fair Discussions -- general talk about the art fairs
Art Fair Equipment -- What works? what's best? how can you make it better? tents, weight, lighting, panels, etc.
Jurying for Art Fairs and Craft Shows -- Preparing images for jury, presenting images, zapplication, etc.
Business of Art Fairs -- taxes, self-employment issues, insurance, credit card processing, etc.
Vendors & Supplies -- office supplies, art supplies, where to go, what to use
Marketing & Sales -- Share tips on marketing and making sales
Let's Talk about Show Biz -- all the dirt, all the glory, all the stories
Newbies Central -- the place to ask all your questions from the veterans
Home and Room Sharing -- Make it easy on yourself. Looking to share a room at an art fair or do you live near a show? Make connections here to save money and make a new friend. This last one should be a great resource for all the travelers in our group. I look forward to helping you make connections and save some money.
I have also been asked to do a "singles" meeting area. Anyone interested in this? Look over the categories. Did I miss anything? Do you see a better ordering or a better description? Please let me know. This site is all about us and it can't be about you unless you talk to us!
Sculptor Sonny Dalton resurfaces into the art world at the Great Lakes Art Fair. We were all glad to see him. Let me know what else I can do to make ArtFairInsiders.com a useful tool for your art fair and craft show life. Feedback welcome below.
Hi Connie, some suggestions for reduction of categories by eliminating duplicates. More people will participate and topics easier to find if things are kept as simple as possible.
Vendors and Suppliers and Art Fair Display and Equipment are the same. If Hospitality Area is just for introductions, call it Welcome. If it's also for off topic or non art show related posts, say so. Questions asked in the Newbies Central can be asked in the respective forums.
This is great, Connie...I've not been on the site that long, but I know that sites like this don't grow quickly without a 100% commitment from the person that started it. So thanks for that!
Putting on my software-development hat, here: The categories seem apt (though I think you could combine a couple of them). However, if you want to drive the group's behavior toward using them, change the default entry on the main page's "View" selection menu to "Categories", instead of its current "Discussions."
Is this in addition to what is already on the site or in place of? Where do show reviews go? If you do a show review area be sure to format it so the newest are at the top not at the bottom like your old show review section.
Methinks, 1600 members is not that many for such an elaborate division of discussions. In truth there is maybe 100 people who are actively and regularly engaged in discussions. I could see a breakdown into to or three categories: Art Fairs, Making it Work, and Equipment but more than that would splinter the community too much.
The Lawler forum has 2200 registered members and discussions at times are sparse and divisions murky.
Great idea Connie! Sometimes I see someone start a new topic that's related to another one, this should make it a lot easier to reference older posts and search for information.
Comments
Vendors and Suppliers and Art Fair Display and Equipment are the same. If Hospitality Area is just for introductions, call it Welcome. If it's also for off topic or non art show related posts, say so. Questions asked in the Newbies Central can be asked in the respective forums.
Larry Berman
Digital Jury Services
http://BermanGraphics.com
Test Your Jury Images and Presentation
http://JuryImages.com
412-401-8100
Putting on my software-development hat, here: The categories seem apt (though I think you could combine a couple of them). However, if you want to drive the group's behavior toward using them, change the default entry on the main page's "View" selection menu to "Categories", instead of its current "Discussions."
The Lawler forum has 2200 registered members and discussions at times are sparse and divisions murky.
Just my thoughts. -- Leo